The Laborers are Few

INTRODUCTION

Turn with me to Matthew 9:35-38

The last two weeks we’ve focused on two truths/reminders from John 4 — Lift Up Your Eyes and Now, Not Later. We’ve been challenged to notice those around us who need the Gospel. And we’ve been challenged to share the Gospel now, to go to the nations now.

In our passage tonight, Jesus shares with us the problem that is affecting missions. He shares with us the problem of why the nations aren’t being reached.

Look down at our passage and as I read see if you can notice the problem that Jesus presents.

Matthew 9:35–38 KJV 1900

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

What’s the problem that Jesus reveals in these verses? (The Laborers are Few)

That’s the title for our lesson tonight — The Laborers are Few. And the question for us remains the same as in weeks past.

How might you and I participate (or take one step further) in participating in God’s plan for the nations?

Really, in our lesson tonight we’ll be focusing in on verses 37-38 and Jesus’s words there.

Notice what Jesus begins pointing out to his disciples. It’s not a problem, it’s actually a great opportunity.

Again, he invites his disciples to…

SEE THE HARVEST

He says, The harvest truly is plenteous!

This comes on the heels of verses 35-36, where Jesus is healing every sickness and disease among the people. He looks at all of that and instead of seeing a problem, he sees an opportunity.

*show a glass that is half full/empty of water.

Is this glass half full or half empty? Have them raise their hands for what they think it is.

This is exactly what’s happening here in our passage. Jesus looks at this needy, sickly, and diseased people and sees tremendous opportunity.

Specifically what Jesus saw, he described as a huge harvest!

Imagine the shift in thinking that must take place in the disciples hearts. No doubt they saw these people as cumbersome, wearying, and contagious. But their Lord looked at the multitudes and saw tremendous opportunity!

If we are to have the heart of our Saviour, what shift needs to happen in our hearts?

Do you see the lost around you as a great opportunity? Or are they bothersome and wearying? Maybe you don’t seem them as bothersome or wearying, but you might see them as nothing at all. There might be no thoughts about those around you.

How encouraging that Jesus looks at all the lost and see the potential for a huge harvest. Wouldn’t it be great if all of Casino Rd came to Christ? What about your sports team, your school, your family, your neighbors? That’s what Jesus has in mind here — a huge harvest!

But right after the huge potential comes the prevailing problem… What’s stopping the harvest of souls?

Look at the Scriptures…

Matthew 9:37 KJV 1900

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM

What’s the problem? (The Laborers are Few)

Last week at the end of John 4 we read that Jesus sent us to labor in sowing and reaping.

And what Jesus says here is that there are not enough laborers engaged in Christ’s mission.

Jesus’s point is this… Jesus pointed out that there were/are many people who need(ed) the gospel, but not enough people willing to go tell them.

A large harvest, but lazy workers.

One of my favorite games recently has been Worldle. I talked about this a little while ago. Well, I want to play something like that right now.

A picture is going to pop up on the screen and the first person to raise their hand gets to guess the country. If you get it right, then you can have a piece of candy.

Here we go — India (*show picture), China (*show picture), Pakistan (*show picture ), Bangladesh (*show picture), Afghanistan (*show picture), and Somalia (*show picture).

I want to tell you a little about these countries. Each of these countries are in the top 10 of least reached nations with the Gospel. Actually, some charts have each of these countries as the top 5 in the world. These are the countries with the least amount of Christians in them. Listen to this:

India — roughly 1.39 billion unreached

China — between 400-700 million unreached

Pakistan — 150 million unreached

Bangladesh — 170 million unreached

Afghanistan — 44.9 million unreached

Somalia — 20 million unreached

What does unreached mean? It means they have no access to ever hearing the gospel. It means no one has ever gone to them with the gospel. It means laborers are few. That’s the problem.

So what are we going to do about it? What does Jesus tell us to do about it?

Matthew 9:38 KJV 1900

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

PRAY FOR LABORERS

Why do you think that Jesus begins the solution to the problem by telling his disciples to pray?

Prayer is admitting weakness.

This is why we spend time in prayer as a teen group after we hear the lesson each week. Because I believe/we believe that the only way that we can be changed by the Word is if God does it. And how do we talk to God? We pray.

We pray because in our own strength we cannot live the Christian life, we cannot see individuals come to Christ, we cannot pursue holiness, we cannot be conformed to the image of Christ. We cannot live the Christian life in our own strength… so we pray.

And in this passage, we, through prayer, are inviting the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers.

We pray to God that laborers would go.

Let’s just pause and reflect on prayer for a moment. Since last week, have you prayed for the one individual you wrote down? Have you prayed that God would give you boldness to proclaim the gospel? Have you prayed that your friend (or whoever) would believe the gospel?

Our lack of prayer doesn’t just reveal our self-dependence. It also reveals how serious we take God’s plan for the nations.

I have never prayed so much as the time that Logan was diagnosed with CDH, or was in the hospital, or NICU. Why? Because that was serious to me.

But all around me and you are individuals who need Christ. In every nation there are millions of individuals who need Christ. In many nations across the world there are little to no Christians who are offering a gospel witness.

The need for their souls to be saved by God is dire and urgent. And yet, we don’t pray.

But that’s not even the real problem that Jesus points out. Remember, the problem is that there are few laborers. And this passage reads almost like a passive aggressive invitation (it’s not).

Like… Why don’t you join the labor force?

JOIN THE LABOR

Why is the need for laborers so great? Can’t God just save whomever he wants? Isn’t God the one who saves anyway? Why does he need you and I?

Turn over to Romans 10.

Romans 10:13–15 KJV 1900

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

You know what’s so beautiful about verse 13? Anyone can believe the gospel. Anyone is invited to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus. Maybe you’re in here today and you don’t know if you belong to Christ. You may not even know what that is. You may not even know who Jesus is. You may have several questions about what I’ve taught thus far in the sermon. Here’s what I want you to do… In a moment, we’re going to have a time of small groups where one of the teen leaders are going to lead you through some questions and prayer. Either before or after that time, ask them those questions, ask me those questions. We want you to get in your heart what you believe about God and Jesus!

And that’s exactly why we’re looking at this passage of Scripture.

We preach so the nations might repent and believe the gospel.

You and I go with the gospel to those who’ve never heard.

You and I labor so that the nations might love God.

You and I labor so that Jesus will get glory from the nations.

Bottom line… the harvest cannot be harvested without laborers and people cannot repent and believe the gospel without people who tell them the good news.

*the game we played could not be completed without the yelling and screaming of others in the ears of the contestant.

Friends, teens, adults… this should weigh heavily on us.

Here’s a question for all of us to consider… What is stopping you from giving your whole life to go with the gospel to the people of the world?

Think for a moment. Consider the question. What’s is stopping you from giving your whole life to go with the gospel to the people of the world?

I think for some of us, the answer might reveal what’s most important to us. Hear me. Nothing is more important in this life than laboring for the sake of the Gospel.

Many of us may never go to a foreign field to sow seeds of the gospel, but all of us (as believers) should be willing. But especially the teenagers in this room, I want you to consider… Does God want me to give my life to go with the gospel to the people of the world?

Can I be honest with you? This is something that Amanda and I are thinking about right now.

You may not feel qualified, spiritual enough, talented enough, or whatever… but listen to this quote from Hudson Taylor:

“God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him.” — Hudson Taylor

CONCLUSION

And that’s exactly what Hudson Taylor did (*show first picture).

Hudson Taylor, often referred to as the most influential missionary of the 19th century, was born in England in 1832 (almost 200 years ago). His parents were devout Christians.

When Hudson was seventeen, his sister Amelia was burdened for his salvation. She committed to pray three times a day for Hudson until he came to faith. Around the same time, Hudson’s mother felt a growing urgency to pray that God would save her son that very day.

Pause. Sound like what we just talked about. The primacy (importance) of prayer in missions/evangelism.

Shortly after, (*show next picture) Hudson sensed God calling him to China to share the gospel with those who had never heard it. By 1854, Hudson was ready to make the grueling five-month journey to China by boat.

When Hudson arrived in China, he determined not to live like his fellow English missionaries, but like the Chinese. (*show next picture) He wore Chinese clothing and adorned his home with simple, local decor. Taylor insisted that cultural barriers should never hinder the gospel. If anything were to offend or be a stumbling block, he would have it be the gospel, not a cultural preference.

In 1860, Hudson felt compelled to form a new missionary organization, one that would reach all the provinces of China. So in 1865, he founded the China Inland Mission (CIM). Hudson prayed for 24 missionaries to join him — and God faithfully supplied.

Pause. Sound like what we just talked about. Praying for laborers.

Hudson Taylor’s ministry ended up touching millions of lives for the gospel. At the time of his death, CIM supported 500 missionaries across all 18 provinces of China, starting 125 schools and establishing 300 stations of work. (*show next picture)

Although his life was marked by hardship, Hudson Taylor continued to trust in the God who provides. He knew that suffering and tragedy were not the end of the story, discovering that God gives His children the strength to persevere.

Through Hudson Taylor, God spread a wave of gospel ministry throughout China that endure to this day.

Heres the truth about Hudson Taylor. He was a normal human like you and I. He described himself as weak and feeble. But he responded to the need of the nations by giving his life.

What about you? There’s a huge opportunity awaiting gospel laborers. The problem is, there are no laborers going. Will you be the answer to the problem by proclaiming to the nations the good news of Jesus Christ? What would it look like for you to give your life to go with the gospel to the nations? How can you and I take the next step in participating in God’s plan for the nations?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Last week you were challenged to identify one person who needs the gospel. Have you prayed for that person? What could you specifically pray for them this week? What is one step you can take in sharing the gospel with them this week?

Why do you think there are so few people willing to share the gospel or go to places where Christ is not known?

PRAYER PROMPTS

Ask Him to keep us from becoming distracted, uncaring, or too focused on ourselves.Pray that God would give us compassion for lost people.

Ask God to help us overcome fear or embarrassment when we have opportunities to talk about Jesus. Pray for boldness to share the gospel.

Ask God to work in their hearts and give them opportunities to hear and believe the gospel. Pray for the specific people we have been trying to reach.

Ask God to strengthen and encourage them and make their gospel ministry fruitful. Pray for missionaries who are already laboring around the world.

Ask the Lord of the harvest to send more Christians to proclaim Christ there. Pray for places around the world where there are very few gospel laborers.

Ask Him to call people from ENGAGE Teens to give their lives to gospel ministry and missions. Pray that God would raise up laborers from our church and teen group.

Ask God to give us hearts that can sincerely say, “Lord, wherever You want me to serve You, I’m willing.” Pray that we would all be willing to go.

Ask God to show us practical opportunities this week to pray, share the gospel, invite someone, serve someone, or start a spiritual conversation.Pray that we would join the labor now.