Abounding In The Lord's Work
Abounding In The Lord’s Work
Matthew 9:35-38
October 26,2008
This morning we’ll take a short diversion from our studies in John, but we can’t change everything can we? Our diversion into the book of Matthew’s gospel still begins with some words of wisdom from Henry Blackaby. This reading is from the September 5th in Experiencing God Day-by-Day. It is entitled “Freely Give”
You have received free of charge; give free of charge. — Matthew 10:8b
There is no room for misers in God's kingdom. When we begin to struggle in giving what we have to others, we have forgotten where we received our possessions. Every good thing we have ever received has come from God (James 1:17). All that we have acquired has been dependent upon His grace (1 Cor. 4:7). Job accurately summarized our condition: “Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
We easily assume a sense of ownership of our possessions, as if they were things we earned ourselves, thereby giving us a right to them. Jesus reminds us to be prepared to give our possessions as freely and joyfully as we received them. It should be a pleasure for us to give what we have to others (2 Cor. 9:7). We ought to be a conduit through whom the Lord can pour His blessings, knowing we will disperse them to everyone around us. Sometimes we claim we are trying to be good stewards of our resources when actually we are being selfish.
If you struggle to give freely to others, you have become more attached to the gift than to the Giver. The account of the rich young ruler shows the tragedy of becoming too attached to worldly treasures (Luke 8:18–24). Meditate on all that your Lord has given to you (John 3:16). Resolve to express your gratitude to Him through your giving.
If you read my article in the Courier a couple of weeks ago, you may remember that I stated God’s goal for us is to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).. So Christ would be our example of the supreme giver. And this morning’s passage in Matthew chapter 9 is such an example. So, please turn to Matthew chapter 9 and follow along as I read verses 35 through 38: "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching and preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field’"
Here is one of the most characteristic things Jesus ever said. When he and the orthodox religious leaders of his day looked on the crowd of ordinary men and women, they saw them in quite different ways. The Pharisees saw the common people as chaff to be destroyed and burned up; Jesus saw them as a harvest to be reaped and to be saved. The Pharisees in their pride looked for the destruction of sinners; Jesus in love abounding died for the salvation of sinners. Before I continue talking about “Abounding” in the Lord’s work, let me define abounding as it is not a term often used today. Abound is defined in the dictionary as “being plentiful; to be fully supplied. “Fish abound in the sea”; “Saskatchewan abounds in resources.” It is from the Latin root – abundare – that we get our word abundance.
But here also is one of the great Christian truths and one of the supreme Christian challenges. That abundant harvest Jesus speaks of will never be reaped unless there are reapers to reap it. It is one of the blazing truths of Christian faith and life that Jesus Christ needs us. When he was upon this earth, his voice could reach so few. He was never outside Palestine, and there was a world which was waiting. He still wants men to hear the good news of the gospel, but they will never hear unless we will tell them. He wants all people to hear the good news; but they will never hear it unless there are those who are prepared to cross the seas and the mountains and bring the good news to them. Two Sundays ago I read you the newsletter we received from David and Vanessa Mehrer. They’ve gone to the Ukraine to share the good news of Christ in a country which was long closed to missionaries. But the harvest is white in the Ukraine and the doors are open. How will they hear if people like David and Vanessa don’t go? Romans 10:14-15 says: 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? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" Are you praying for those in the harvest field?
Nor is prayer enough. A man might say, "I will pray for the coming of Christ's Kingdom every day." But in this, as in so many things, prayer without works is dead. (James 2:26) Martin Luther had a friend who felt about the Christian faith as he did. The friend was also a monk. They came to an agreement. Luther would go down into the dust and heat of the battle for the Reformation in the world; the friend would stay in the monastery and uphold Luther's hands in prayer. So they began that way. Then, one night, the friend had a dream. He saw a vast field of corn as big as the world; and one solitary man was seeking to reap it--an impossible and a heartbreaking task. Then he caught a glimpse of the reaper's face; and the reaper was Martin Luther; and Luther's friend saw the truth in a flash. "I must leave my prayers," he said, "and get to work." And so he left his pious solitude, and went down to the world to labor in the harvest.
It is the dream of Christ that every man abound in the work of the Lord. That means each of us should be a missionary and a reaper. There are those who cannot do other than pray, for life has laid them helpless, and their prayers are indeed the strength of the laborers. But that is not the way for most of us, for those of us who have strength of body and health of mind. Not even the giving of our money is enough. If the harvest of men is ever to be reaped, then every one of us must be a reaper, for there is someone whom each one of us could--and must--bring to God. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
The Lord cares deeply for people who are physically and spiritually needy, and He knows that many people are ready to respond to His love for them. In order to reach these people with His love, the Lord desires that we join with Him in the work of His harvest field. He calls us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…" (Matt. 28:19-20).
Jesus Himself was (and is) devoted to such work. He shared with His twelve disciples that His "food...is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work" (John 4:34). He made this statement in the midst of ministry in Samaria, as He led a Samaritan woman and the people of her town to faith in God. Indeed, the heart of His work was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and to this end He preached, taught, healed, encouraged and met all sorts of spiritual and physical needs. He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). He lived and died to help others come to know God.
It is not surprising, therefore, that He draws our attention to the harvest and the work to be done. We are His hands, His feet and His voice – His instruments to reach the lost and to build up the saved. And the need for His work through us seems as urgent as ever. Like many others, you may sense we are living in a most significant hour. The world is changing, and troubles and pressures are mounting on more and more people. There are growing indications that time is short, and as God’s people we must make the most of every opportunity. Jesus’ statement recorded in John 4:35 seems as relevant as ever: "Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’" Statistically, people who are suffering dramatic changes in their lives are more receptive to the gospel than those who are comfortable and see no need for help. But, truth be told, we all need help, don’t we?
Think of the people in your very own family who need the Lord, or think of those in your community, in your country, or in other nations. And think of believers who are in need of encouragement and help that you can offer. What would the Lord have you do today and in the days ahead to share His love with them, both in word and in deed? And remember, a cup of cold water in His name (Matt 10:42; Mk 9:41) is a worthy show of His love. Do that for your neighbor enough times and they will certainly want what you have that they don’t.
Perhaps you are already deeply involved in the Lord’s work. You may be on the front lines, pressing the battle in dangerous enemy territory. Are you? You may be stretching yourself to the limit physically and spiritually, even to the point of risking your health and even your life. Are you? You may be giving generously of your time, energy and resources for the benefit of others. Are you? Or perhaps you are doing very little work for the Lord. Maybe you are holding back because of fear, or sin, or selfishness, or apathy or because you are uncertain what to do or how to do it. Whatever your particular situation is, I encourage you in the days ahead to take to heart the Apostle Paul’s admonition to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). To help toward that end, I invite you to consider truths embedded in that passage:
When the Apostle writes that your "toil" or "labor" is not in vain, he uses a Greek word (kopos) that can refer to everyday work, but often carries the sense of hard work that can lead to weariness. For example, its verb form is used in Matthew 11:28 where Jesus invites those who "labor and are heavy laden" to come to Him. It is also used in John 4:6 to describe how Jesus was wearied or tired from a journey. In Luke 5:5 it describes how the disciples had "toiled" or "worked hard" all night and caught no fish. It is the kind of work that can require special strength and perseverance (see Col. 1:29 and Rev. 2:2-3).
When the Apostle Paul encourages God’s people to always abound in the work of the Lord, he is in no way saying the work will be easy. Though doing God’s work brings much joy, Paul knew full well that the work could be very hard, and he himself was a model for hard work (1 Cor. 15:10; 1 Thes. 2:9; Acts 20:34-35). So we should not be surprised that doing the Lord’s work can be difficult and require perseverance. No matter whether your work involves preaching, teaching, giving, praying, evangelizing, leading, showing hospitality, encouraging or serving (the list goes on and on), you can expect that the work will at times be very demanding.
In light of how difficult the Lord’s work can be, how is it possible to be "always abounding" in it? The answer is that the Lord supplies every resource we need to do His work. As the Apostle Paul states in his second letter to the Corinthians: "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8). We can abound in the Lord’s work because the Lord’s grace abounds in us! And not only does His grace abound in us, He Himself abides in us. Just as Jesus could declare, "…it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work" (John 14:10), and just as Paul could declare, "To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me" (Col. 1:29), so we can rely on the presence of the Lord to work in and through us. As part of His commission to us to go and make disciples of all nations, Jesus promises to be with us always (Matt. 28:20). He is faithful to encourage our hearts and strengthen us in every good deed and word (2 Thes. 2:17).
Are you lacking anything for the Lord’s work? Perhaps you lack courage? Consider how the Lord gave courage to Peter and John, "unschooled, ordinary men," to continue in the work of the Lord even though they faced threats from the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:13ff.). Do you lack boldness? Consider how the disciples prayed and "were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:31). Do you lack wisdom for the work of God? Then ask Him, and it will be given to you (Jas. 1:5). I have already mentioned the grace, strength, encouragement and power that He gives. Of course, if we had to depend on our own resources, we would quickly burn out and not accomplish (and probably not even attempt) anything of lasting value. But with His resources we can do all things. In fact, Jesus teaches: "…anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father" (John 14:12-13). We can abound in the work of the Lord because we have His indwelling Presence with us, His powerful Name, and the power of His message (Rom. 1:16). We can fully expect that as we remain in Him, and He remains in us, we will bear much fruit (John 15:5; cf. Phil. 1:22; Col. 1:10).
Is the Lord calling you to step out in faith in His work? If so, then as you do step out in faith you can expect to see the provision of God and the power of God at work in you and through you! Of course, not everyone will respond to the life of God at work through you. But even in these cases, the Lord’s grace in your life will be sufficient.
The Apostle Paul writes that you can be confident that your work in the Lord is not in vain. Many things that you invest time and energy into carry no lasting significance. Think of the endless list of mindless tasks of each day – the endless stream of dishes, meals to prepare, lawns to mow, snow to shovel, things to fix, groceries to buy, etc. Everyone of us has these mundane chores to contend with. Does the Bible speak about these things and our attitude toward them? Yes, it does! Turn with me to Galatians, chapter 6. Let’s begin reading at verse 9. Follow along as I read verses 9 and 10: And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 puts it this way: never get tired of doing good.
A Day is coming when each man’s "work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work" (1 Cor. 3:13). A question we should ask ourselves is what work in our lives will survive that time of testing? Paul assures us that the work of the Lord does have lasting consequence – it is not in vain. Christ died, was buried, was raised from the dead and is coming again. The work we do in sharing this good news about His life and love with others matters now and will matter for all of eternity! And if our families, friends, and neighbors don’t hear the good news from us, who will thy hear it from? The probably won’t hear it at all! Then what? You know where the unsaved spend eternity! Give them a chance.
One of the reasons your work is not in vain is because it matters very much to God. As the writer of Hebrews declares: "God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them" (Heb. 6:10). Do you see how personal this is to God? As you work and help His people, it is as though you are showing love to Him. This is reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in which He shares that whatever we do for one of the least of His brothers, we do for Him (Matt. 25:40). Because of how much your work means to the Lord, He promises to reward you. As the Apostle Paul writes, "…each will be rewarded according to his own labor" (1 Cor. 3:8). In the Book of Revelation, Jesus makes this promise: "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done" (Rev. 22:12).
Your work for the Lord also obviously matters to those to whom you minister. I’ll give you an example. How many of you have heard of Edward Kimble? It was July 1, 1885 when Edward Kimble felt the tugging of the Spirit to share his faith with a young shoe salesman he knew. At first Kimble vacillated, unsure if he should talk to the man. But he finally mustered his courage and went into the shoe store. There Kimble found the salesman in the back room stocking shoes, and he began to share his faith with him. As a result, the young shoe salesman prayed and received Jesus Christ that day. That shoe salesman's name was Dwight L. Moody, and he became the greatest evangelist of his generation.
But the story doesn't end there. Several years later a pastor and well-known author by the name of Frederick B. Meyer heard Moody preach. Meyer was so deeply stirred by Moody's preaching that he himself embarked on a far-reaching evangelistic ministry. Once when Meyer was preaching, a college student named Wilbur Chapman accepted Christ as a result of his presentation of the gospel. Chapman later employed a baseball player to help him prepare to conduct an evangelistic crusade. That ballplayer, who later became a powerful evangelist himself, was Billy Sunday.
In 1924 a group of businessmen invited Billy Sunday to hold an evangelistic campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina, which resulted in many people coming to Christ. Out of that revival meeting a group of men formed a men's prayer group to pray for the world. They prayed for Charlotte to have another great revival. God sent another evangelist named Mordecai Hamm. Hamm went to Charlotte in 1934 to hold a crusade. Ham's crusade went well, even though it did not have many converts. On one of the last nights under the big tent one tall, lanky young man walked up the aisle to receive Christ. That man's name was Billy Graham.
Talk about a chain of events! And it all started with an ordinary Christian named Edward Kimble, who reached D.L. Moody, who reached Wilbur Chapman, who reached Billy Sunday, who reached Mordecai Ham, who reached Billy Graham. Look at what God has done over these many years because of the faithfulness of one person.
You may not be a Wilbur Chapman, Billy Graham, D.L. Moody, F.B. Meyer, or Bill Sunday but you can be an Edward Kimble. What’s your legacy going to be? Never underestimate what God can do through your service to Him. When the Lord returns, will you not greatly rejoice over those who turned to Christ and were strengthened in Christ through your words and service to them? Notice how the Apostle Paul anticipated the joy of that day as he considered the lives his ministry impacted: "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy" (1 Thes. 2:19-20). And we can rejoice that our work not only touches the lives of individuals, but that it also helps build up the body of Christ in unity, in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (Eph. 4:12-13).
But the greatest blessing of all is that our work for the Lord brings glory to Him. Just as Jesus rejoiced that He brought His Father glory on earth by completing the work His Father had given Him to do (John 17:4), so we can rejoice that our Father receives glory as we complete the work He has entrusted to us (Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:12). We are, after all, "…God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works" (Eph. 2:10). Indeed, Jesus gave Himself in order to redeem us and "to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good" (Titus 2:14). What a privilege it is to be "an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared for any good work" (2 Tim. 2:21). As we are faithful to carry out His work, He is honored and glorified.
So if you are already pouring yourself into the work of the Lord, press on! If you have grown tired and weary from the demanding work, look to One who is faithful to give strength to the weary and power to the weak (Isa. 40:29). He can refresh you, restore you and renew you in your walk with Him and in the work you do for Him. Persevere and finish well. As Paul shared with Archippus: "See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord" (Col. 4:17). In doing so, you can anticipate the day when you can join with the Apostle Paul in saying, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day..." (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
Scripture speaks a lot about our work for the Lord and it eternal value. Just flip over you bulletin and look at the 50 Scripture listed on the back – all of them relate to abounding in good work for the Lord, and that list is by no means exhaustive! I challenge you to go into your Bible this week and do a word study on “work”.
And if, for whatever reason(s), you are not pouring yourself into the Lord’s work, it is time! Step out in faith! Trust the Lord to bear fruit through your life. Too much is at stake to not immerse yourself in the work of the Lord. It is time to use whatever gift(s) you have received to serve others, faithfully administering the grace God has given you. It is time to speak as one speaking the very words of God and to serve with the strength God provides (1 Pet. 4:10-11). Again, consider the words of Jesus: "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest" (John 4:35). With God’s presence, God’s resources, and God’s message at work in you and through you, imagine the difference you can make in the eternal well-being of the people in and around Cut Knife.
