Now, Not Later

INTRODUCTION

Over the next three Sundays, we’re going to be looking at the theme for our whole missions month — heart for the harvest. We’re intentionally thinking about and cultivating a heart that is deeply committed to Christ’s commission to his disciples — to make disciples of all nations. But we don’t want to merely aim for the heart, we want our heart to affect our service, or our participation.

Here’s what I really want us focusing on the next three weeks…

How might I be a better participant in God’s plan for reaching the nations?

Last Sunday, Pastor Bobby pointed us to John 4 (which is where we’ll begin tonight) and encouraged us, as Jesus did, to Lift up our eyes. We want to notice the people all around us, and especially notice their spiritual condition.

As we begin tonight, I want you to take one moment and think about those God has placed in your life who need the Gospel. And, on your paper write down their name. It could be one or it could be many. But…

Who do you know that needs the Gospel?

Here’s the challenge (and this is what we’ll be confronted with tonight), it’s easy to name a name… to write down a name. It’s more difficult to proclaim the Gospel and care for their soul.

Our lesson tonight is entitled — Now, Not Later.

If you have your Bibles (if you need one, they’re on the table behind us), take them and turn to John 4. There’s three points to my lesson, we’ll have an interactive illustration, and then end with a compelling story.

Before we begin, let’s pray.

Look at John 4:35 and let’s read it out loud together.

John 4:35 KJV 1900

35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Here’s point number one:

THE HARVEST IS READY

Notice the word that our Bible records for us… the fiels are white already to harvest. Put a little more simply — The fields are already ripe for harvest.

Some biblical scholars surmise that Jesus, as he was teaching his disciples this truth, was looking out over the fields and what he saw that was white was not the grain, but rather the Samaritans, perhaps wearing white robes, were coming to meet Jesus.

And Jesus looks upon them and deems them ready to be harvested.

Teens, adults… that should strike us. There are people who are ready to be converted, to become one of God’s children. They are ready.

There’s a whole world that’s waiting to be harvested.

But does ripe fruit or grain stay ripe forever (or until it’s harvested)? What happens to overripe fruit/grain? (it spoils)

*show a picture or have a real example of ripe fruit.

The harvest will not always be ready. Don’t be late in harvesting or else it will spoil.

I think of Agrippa when Paul was witnessing to him in Acts 26. Remember what he told Paul… I was almost persuaded to be a Christian.

This is what I imaging not being ready to harvest or being overripe… They would believe but not now.

This point carries an encouragement and a warning:

People are ready to receive the Gospel.

People are ready to receive the Gospel now.

Application: Those people live in Cameroon, Haiti, Sweden, Japan. But they also play on your sports team, live next door to you, work the same job as you, are related to you, or are in the same class as you at school.

They are ready to receive the Gospel. I’m burdened that we waste the relationships that God has uniquely given us. We’re letting the harvest spoil. Be encouraged and courageous because of Jesus’s words here.

The harvest is ready… so see the harvest.

Continue to look down with me at John 4:36-38 and we’ll see our next point.

John 4:36–38 KJV 1900

36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Point #1: The harvest is ready. Point #2:

THE WORK IS WAITING

In these verses we see action — reaping and sowing. Jesus sends the disciples for labour.

Salvation by Jesus Christ produces labourers who serve, not out of duty, but out of delight.

You may not like to work. You may hate doing your chores. You may never want to work a job a day in your life. But those who have been truly captivated by the Gospel, those whose life has been transformed by Christ, those who continually fall in love with Christ afresh, are those who labour joyfully for souls.

Jesus, as we covered earlier, states that the harvest is ready. And then he basically says… Do the work of reaping. Do the work of sowing.

Let’s break those two works down beginning with sowing.

What does Jesus mean when he’s calling the disciples to sow?

Sowing — proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

Think about the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. The sower scatters the seed everywhere. Stony ground, the hard path, in thorns and weeds, and in good, fertile soil.

What’s he doing? He’s proclaiming the gospel everywhere he goes.

So then…

What does Jesus mean when he’s calling the disciples to reap?

Reaping — calling people to repentance and faith

This is how Jesus begins his earthly ministry in Mark 1:15.

Mark 1:15 KJV 1900

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Reaping is calling people to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus is telling his disciples that he’s sent them to do these works — reaping and sowing.

But notice what Jesus says in John 4:36.

John 4:36 KJV 1900

36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Doing the work of reaping and sowing produces two things:

eternal fruit

joy

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that they will see a great revival, or that everyone they witness to will confess Christ, or that the whole world will get saved because of their faithfulness.

Why? Because we cannot produce heart regeneration (a saved heart), only God can. Our responsibility is to do the work of reaping and sowing.

Paul describes it like this… 1 Corinthians 3:6

1 Corinthians 3:6 KJV 1900

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

We do the work. God gets the glory.

Application: How’s your eternal work ethic? Do you labour for Christ? Are you engaging in reaping or sowing?

Think about it, when was the last time you intentionally shared the Gospel with someone? When was the last time that you talked about spiritual things like God, Jesus, the Gospel, church, etc. with someone?

I’m convinced that we let the harvest spoil because our spiritual work ethic is pitiful. I mean, if we worked the same level in our jobs, at our sport, at our instrument, or at getting a boyfriend or girlfriend as we do spiritually, many if not all of us would not be very good at anything we do.

Yes it’s hard. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it takes vulnerability. But it’s worth it. Because as we engage in the work of harvesting souls, we are doing the only thing that lasts into eternity. Doing the work of harvesting souls is the best thing we could ever spend our time doing.

Yeah, I hear you Jeremiah, and I believe you. Actually I’m pretty compelled to spend my time doing this work of harvesting souls. But, I just need to learn a little more about how to share the Gospel. I just need to take some apologetics courses. I just need to go to Bible College. I can do that when I’m an adult. I’ll just wait for the right time.

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 6:2. I want to see one last thing and then we’ll be done.

2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV 1900

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

THE TIME IS NOW

Listen to how the NLT words 2 Corinthians 6:2

2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT

2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

In this verse, Paul is actually quoting Isaiah 49:8 where Isaiah’s calling Israel to repentance and perseverance in view of the coming day of redemption and judgment. Paul compels the Corinthian believer to consider that the time of salvation is now, not later. It’s today.

Look, if you’re an unbeliever in here, I know that I’ve been talking to believers a lot so far. Here’s something for you.

Scripture tells us that each of our days are numbered. We have a predetermined lifespan. And at any minute we could pass from one life to the next. The issue with that for someone who doesn’t believe on Jesus as Savior is that once you pass from this life, you are entering into an eternal life separated from God in eternal, conscious torment in a place called hell. A place created for those who have rebelled against God.

This place is reserved for those who have not had their sins covered by a sacrifice, so those who go there will spend eternity paying for their sins. There’s no way out.

But Jesus came and died for everyone’s sins so that whoever believes that his sacrifice was enough and calls upon him as Savior can live forever with God in a place that beautiful and good beyond all human comprehension.

Unbeliever — The time is now for you to turn to Christ. Repent or turn away from your sins and believe/put your faith in Jesus Christ.

Believers, you wrote down a name who needs to hear the Gospel. Do you know the best time for them to receive salvation? It’s today. They need Christ now. This should spur urgency into our conversations. Urgency in how we work by reaping and sowing.

Believer — The time is now for you to proclaim Christ.

*blindfold illustration, have a clock for 1 minute start. explain the game. one person gives directions the other is trying to get to the goal and grab it. the first one there wins.

Once the time is running out, have them take their blindfolds off and run to the goal.

Believers, we see the harvest and we urgently pursue those in need of Christ.

The harvest is ready. The work is waiting. The time is now. What are you waiting for?

CONCLUSION

Mary Slessor (*show the first picture) was born in 1848 (178 years ago) in Scotland. She grew up in a home where her mother told her of the wilds of Africa… mostly from the famous missionary David Livingstone’s travels.

When she heard of Africa and David Livingstone, Mary was intent on pursuing missions in Africa. As an 11 year old girl in Scotland who was poor beyond belief, it was her heart’s desire to reach the unreached of Africa.

When she became an adult, four of her siblings had died, and she was left to work and provide for her mother. However, she begged of her church to use her and train her however they could. Her heart’s desire was for the nations to hear about Christ. In the back of her mind, she was determined to go to Africa.

When David Livingstone died in 1873, Mary was a 25 year old lady. At that time, she felt she could no longer restrain her desire to go to Africa as a missionary. So she set sail with the blessing of her mother.

The spiritual darkness of the African continent was palpable when she landed. She began ministering in Calabar, Nigeria. She heard and encountered witchcraft and cannibalism.

Listen to the words she prayed — “Lord the task is impossible for me but not for Thee. Lead the way and I will follow.”

For three years, Slessor worked in Calabar missions, but she had a longing to reach the unreached of Nigeria. So she moved into the rainforest. Mind you, she’s a single young lady.

Here she repeatedly found abandoned twins because the tribes believed that a human father could only produce one child, so a second child must mean the mother was impregnated by the devil. Since there was no way to tell the devil child from the human child, they both had to be left to die. This became a major role that she took upon herself in the jungles — rescuing abandoned children. She later became known as Ma to the tribes.

She courageously spoke the gospel to the male-dominated tribes. Wherever she went, she preached the gospel.

However, she was continuously plagued with Malaria fevers. So she frequently returned to Scotland for health and to raise awareness of the need for more workers.

By the time she was sixty-six, Slessor had served over forty years in remote Nigeria. Too weakened by malaria to walk from village to village, her friends pushed her in a cart so she could continue visits and share the gospel.

When Slessor passed, she was honored by the local tribes she worked and lived among as well as the British and Scottish governments. From her story of faithfulness, we see the acts of a mighty and faithful God, who will use the smallest and most insignificant to accomplish His Kingdom expansion purpose.

Here’s one of her most famous quotes — “Every woman has a mission to accomplish on earth… not my plans, not my glory, but God’s plan and His glory.”

May we hear these words of Mary Slessor and set out now to proclaim the Gospel and reap the harvest.

What would it look like for you to act now, not later? How’s your spiritual work ethic? Who do you know that’s ready to receive the Gospel? Who do you know that’s ready to hear the Gospel? Do you need to respond to the Gospel tonight?

Pray

*give away the two books on Mary Slessor and then transition into small groups. / have a slide on the screen with where the small groups go.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Jesus says to “lift up your eyes” and see the harvest. Where has God already placed you around people who need the gospel: school, sports, work, neighborhood, family, somewhere else?

Think about the person you wrote down. What could “sowing” look like with that person this week? What is one spiritual conversation you could start?

We often think, “I’ll share the gospel when I know more” or “when the right opportunity comes.” What are you personally tempted to wait for?

What is one specific thing you will do because of tonight? Name the person, action, and when you plan to do it.

SMALL GROUP PRAYER PROMPTS

Pray for the specific people we wrote down tonight. Ask God to open their hearts to the gospel and give us opportunities to talk with them. (write down the names that are shared at your table and commit to praying for them this week)

Pray that God would give us courage to talk about Jesus even when we feel nervous, awkward, or afraid.

Pray that we would not keep putting off opportunities to share the gospel, but would remember that the time is now.

Pray for our schools, sports teams, workplaces, neighborhoods, and families. Ask God to use us as witnesses exactly where He has placed us.

Pray that God would raise up laborers from our church and even from ENGAGE Teens who are willing to take the gospel to the nations.