HG102 Luke 10:1-24 Harvest Is Plentiful

Luke 10:1–24 NIV

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. 16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” 17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. 22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

What does it mean to follow Jesus? It is a question that we have to ask ourselves every so often especially as we go through the different stages of life.

There are sacrifices to be made along the way because it is not what we want but what He wants. In the meantime, this world calls out to follow it – and the choice is stark and daily – the way of the world or the way of Christ? When we remember how much he cares for us then the choice is made easier. The thing is, we can be all too satisfied about our walk with the Lord and where we are as a Church, the same desires that we have for natural things does not translate to the spiritual – we like the status quo when it comes to Church and change is seen as a threat - but the fact is that we should never be content with our spirituality but we, individually and as a Church, should be constantly transformed as God’s Word permeates us.

Then Jesus says to His disciples; “pray to the Lord of the harvest for workers” and by the very act of praying we are saying we also want to be part of the labour force – the harvest is ready but we are not. This was made very clear at the BMS Prayer Meeting on Friday. The amount of work needing to be done is overwhelming - a number of the present missionaries were saying there is not enough people to do the work. And surely that is also true of Mansleton, Swansea and Wales.

If I was to ask you what is your passion as far as the Church is concerned what would you say?

· Would you say Evangelism,

· would you say paperwork,

· would you say discipleship,

· would you say worship,

· would you say intercession,

· or would you say your passion is youth

· or creativity

· or old people,

· or is your passion Websites,

· visitation,

· giving,

· finance,

· hospitality,

· perhaps it’s preaching?

What is your passion? What do you think your gifting is, thinking in more spiritual terms rather than natural ones. I think that there are exciting times ahead – and it can be exciting all the time because I think that the decisions we make as a church can lead to church growth on a scale that other churches haven’t seen. We know, of course, that it is God who builds His church and He has given us the tools to make it happen. He has given us intellect, he has given wisdom (because we asked for it, of course); we know that only God can save but we need to be obedient to the vision; we need to be participants working together for the glory of God and I believe this will lead to blessing as well as many difficulties and opposition. And through it all our dependence upon God will grow.

So many times the Scripture says to be bold and of good courage because He is with us. Our confidence is in the Lord not in ourselves. Is this not what we said last week? He is with us. He has given us the power through the Spirit to achieve reaching this world with the Gospel. Now our responsibility is to be faithful; we are to be workers in the harvest field because the harvest is ready. Now saying that when Jesus sent out the 70 disciples He said that you are going to get mixed results. Some will receive and others will not. In fact, it would appear that whole towns and villages will simply reject Jesus but this should not stop us telling them the Gospel that one can have peace with God. Yes, shake off the dust, move on, but still be gracious in the midst of it. Tell them again that the Kingdom of God is near to them. As preachers of the Gospel we are speaking as if it is God Himself. When we speak His Word God is speaking. That should add gravitas to our message. Even so, some here are afraid of telling others about the Gospel being not sure what to say. Should this be so. Hear what God said to Moses:

Exodus 4:11–12 NKJV

11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

In verse Luke 10:4 Jesus said do not speak with anyone on the road - this simply meant that there was no time for a gossip and a chitchat - get to the mission and its message directly. In my younger Christian days I was not known for my small talk - now I have mastered it all too well and miss saying the more important things. I should be more direct with you all about your spiritual lives…what has God been speaking with you? What have you learned from Scripture today? How is your relationship with God and with others? Get to the nub - the more important things. Yes, the weather is all good and fine but how are you really, not just physically but spiritually?

And there is something we all can do though some have a special calling in it. It doesn’t even matter at what stage of life we are we can still be in God’s service through prayer. This is a work of God – when we read the stories of past revivals we find that many of them started as a result of an older generation praying. Where have the prayer meetings for revival gone?

Some of you have heard me tell this before:

Irena and I were in Macedonia in September 2011 and went a Thursday Service…I prayed, Lord speak to me…though I was expecting the whole service to be in Macedonian and I have difficulty following because of the speed of what is being said. But at the end of the worship an American was invited to say something. He started off by saying that we should be praying for Macedonia. Pray for Macedonia! Then, oddly, he spoke about a woman who went to a particular church called Moriah…this church was where Evan Roberts was based for the Welsh revival of 1904…and whilst this woman was in the church she had a vision. This vision was of an angel. And that angel was sleeping. So she prayed and asked why the angel was sleeping. And the answer was that this angel is the angel of revival and it was sleeping because no one was praying for revival anymore. His whole sermon was about praying for Macedonia – and he was talking about Wales! And here I am, a Pastor in a church in Wales but here I was in Macedonia and he is talking about Wales – the coincidences could not have been more obvious.

Could it be that the reason we do not have revival in Wales is because we are not praying for it?

Our vision is too small – in 1904 1 in 15 people became Christians – today only half of that number claim to be Christians and every week 3 or 4 churches in Wales are closing their doors for the last time. What is going to turn this around? My friends, you and I both know that not only are we to make sure that

1. we are caring for each other and serving one another. For Jesus came to serve…not just as an example to us of service…but to actually serve…and because of his service and laying down his life in service for us we respond by serving each other in the way that Christ has also served them.

2. We are to make sure we do what we were born to do. Jesus was born to die: his whole purpose was this. What is your purpose? What has God called you to? What comes across your path is what He has called you to do:

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

But we are also to be doing our duty in prayer, in Scripture, in witnessing.

There are things that are expected of all of us: We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Following Jesus does not guarantee health or wealth for we read in the previous chapter in Luke 9 that Jesus still had no room in the inn. Following Jesus may mean hardships, He guarantees that we will be persecuted and hated by the world. Who wants to claim this promise!?

But Jesus has his eye on a greater purpose – for He came to seek and save the lost – and he sees that the harvest is great…

a. but the workers are at home watching TV, the drug with a plug…

b. the harvest is great but the workers are content and lazy and are not satisfied with what they have been already given…

c. the harvest is great but the workers do not care that their neighbours, colleagues, friends, family and others who are going to hell…

d. the harvest is great but the workers are…not to be seen? Workers have to have a plan to produce work that is pleasing to our master – not that the work that has been produced has been rubbish because that may or may not be the case - but we are looking forward

e. the harvest is great and Jesus asks us to pray for workers for He so desires people to know Him. The work is massive and it cannot be done by a few individuals. He wants us to have the same passion He has for the saving of people’s souls so much so that all we can do is pray and tell them.

Let’s ask God to wake up the contented and to revitalise the Church.

Most here are retired – but there is no retirement in the Kingdom of God. We get to the age when we are looking back more and more over our lives – the good, the bad and the ugly but we should be looking forward...because there is more time ahead of us than is behind...one day we will meet with Jesus, the lover of our souls...but it won’t end there...what do you think is in store for the next 100 trillion, trillion, trillion years? It is not going to be a life of being on a cloud with a harp, lounging about, sleeping, and getting bored. It is going to be a life of purpose, of work, of excitement, of enjoyment, of contentment...this was how life was in the Garden of Eden.

There was Adam and Eve created in God’s image and in a beautiful garden and what happened? They were put to work! This was before sin entered in. Work is what God did when He created the Heavens and Earth and why He rested the seventh day. We are created in His image. So what do you think we will do in the future when this earth ceases to be? We cannot imagine all that God in His creativity has prepared for us...this life is but a prelude...we are created to do God’s purpose and will – there is no better feeling, no better place to be – all will truly be of worship to God where there is no more crying, no more pain, no more tears, no more death, but pleasures forevermore – even the work will be counted as pleasure to do.

But what are going to do for the remainder of our time here on earth? Are we supposed to laze about? Even if we are 100 years old? No, that’s not God’s way – all of us have this inbuilt nature given to us by God to worship Him, to pray to Him, to commune with Him, to pray to Him on behalf of others. We may get bedridden when we are ill, or aged, we may not have all our faculties...but God has a purpose for you too. You are always valuable to God, he loves you all very, very much, and not only that he still has work for you to do until your final breath.

What is the vision that you have for the increase of God’s church? Say from 50 to 70 here on a Sunday morning? Or is the vision grander and so pray for God to move by His Holy Spirit again in Wales like 115 years ago and maybe even bigger and longer lasting? Only way this happens is by praying bigger prayers.

R.A. Torrey an American Evangelist and Pastor who died in 1928 said:

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 5069 Torrey’s Prescription for Revival

“I can give a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or community or any city on earth.

“First, let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing.

“Second, let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down.

“Third, let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ. That is all!

“This is sure to bring a revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail!”

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Who hopes for things that you already have? God has promised in His word to build His church. We can join Him in that endeavour whether we are not able to do anything but pray.

Shall we take up the challenge of praying for His people, praying for His Holy Spirit to fill the Church with power and once again Mansleton and Wales will know a move of His Spirit in the hearts and minds of people - that Wales may become a blessed nation for blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Let’s pray: (Graham Kendrick song)

Restore, O Lord The honour of Your name In works of sovereign power Come shake the earth again That all may see And come with reverent fear To the living God Whose kingdom shall outlast the years

Restore, O Lord In all the earth Your fame And in our time revive The church that bears Your Name In Your anger Lord, remember mercy O living God Whose mercy shall outlast the years

Bend us, O Lord Where we are hard and cold In Your refiner's fire Come purify the gold Though suffering comes And evil crouches near Still our living God Is reigning, He is reigning here

Amen.

Benediction

Ephesians 3:20–21 NKJV

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Bibliography

Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). The Gospel according to Luke. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 14:58 11 May 2019.