A Plentiful Harvest

Introduction

Good evening and welcome back!

Tonight we are going to be finishing up our series on being Rooted in Christ.

We have taken quite a journey over the last few weeks and our garden is in pretty good shape.

We have sown our fields, watered, planted, pruned, and have talked a little bit about the harvest.

Tonight though, we are going to be talking specifically about the harvest itself.

I know we have broached the subject but we have not went in depth with what the harvest was and why the harvest is important.

Up to this point in this study all we have really talked about with regard to the harvest was the rewards and the benefits of it.

But we have not really talked so much about the purpose and the role we as Christians play in the harvest.

And in order to make the point we are going to looking at several sets of Scripture tonight.

First, we are going to look at Matthew 9:35-38 at the plentiful nature of the harvest.

Then we are going to look at Galatians 5 and Galatians 6 at the type of fruit we exhibit and reaping what we sow.

Don’t worry though, we will be looking at those two passages more closely on Sunday mornings during our Travels with Paul series.

Then we are going tie in Matthew 7 just a bit.

And as we go through we are going to see how these diverse passages tie in together and round out the harvest and why the harvest is so vital to our Christian journey and our role in helping others along the pathway of their own Christian journey.

So, with that, let’s turn our attention first to Matthew 9, starting in verse 35.

Matthew records this . . .

Scripture Focus

Matthew 9:35–38 NIV - Anglicised

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, 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.”

The Harvest is Plenty But Where Are the Workers?

So, where we are picking up here is the tail end of what I would call a busy day for Jesus.

Just looking at chapter 9, we find Jesus ....

First, healing a paralytic in verses 1-8.

Next, he adds Matthew to the disciples in verses 9-13.

Then, he engages with John’s disciples who approached him about a question on Fasting in verses 14-17.

Then, he heals the sick woman with the issue of blood in verses 18-22.

Then, he raises a dead girl back to life in verses 23-26.

Then, he heals two blind men in verses 27-31.

Then, he heals a demon possessed mute man in verses 32-34

And finally, after all of that we come to our passage that starts out itself with . . .

Matthew 9:35 NIV - Anglicised

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

So, basically Jesus is traveling about so much, doing so much that at this point Matthew stops recording and cataloging every single miracle and just sums it up that . .

Matthew 9:35 NIV - Anglicised

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

And all of this running around and healing and restoring people was not done so Jesus could brag or lift himself up.

This was done because Jesus loved and cared for the people he was working with and healing.

Verse 36 tells us that . . .

Matthew 9:36 NIV - Anglicised

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

There was no other reason and no other motivation for Jesus’ work than the fact that he loved and cared for the people.

That was it.

And that was really all it had to be.

And that is the lesson that Jesus had been and continues to teach us today.

The reason why we do what we do, should always be simply because we love and have compassion for other people.

All people.

Everyone we encounter.

We should be able to see through the damage that sin has done in their lives and see the actual person behind that sin.

Even when they are being rude and nasty towards us.

We should stop, take a breath, back up, and see things for what they really are.

Because most likely that person who is harassing you or verbally attacking you, or being rude and vicious on social media, is most likely suffering from a spiritual deficiency and they are lashing out because they don’t how else to act.

There is such a hole in their soul and they are honestly so miserable that lashing out toward you is their way of making themselves feel better for just an instant.

It’s like a drug addiction.

Addicts use in order to satisfy something that is missing and it brings temporary relief, but as soon as the drug wears off, the pain of life returns.

And over time, the brain and body are changed by the drug and the addiction becomes a medical illness that has to be dealt with by doctors.

Now, a person who is spiritually dead also needs a doctor.

But they don’t need the doctor who will give them medicine, they need the doctor who will bring their spirit to life.

And that doctor is Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ.

Now, the drug addict needs that too, but that’s a different sermon for a different day.

Today we are talking about the spiritual state of people and seeing it for what it really is.

Because when we can do that, then we can have compassion on them because we can understand that they are sheep without a shepherd, and in reality are truly helpless.

Regardless of what they try and say, when you dig under the surface this is what you find.

And when we change our perspective we can love our neighbor as ourselves.

And then we realize Jesus’s words that . . .

Matthew 9:38 NIV - Anglicised

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

There is a potential for a great harvest in this world.

Just in Stanford alone there are about 3800 people.

Of that 3800, according to national statistics only about 45% would identify as Christians.

That’s about 1700 that would not even identify as Christians and 2100 who identify as Christians.

Now, out of the 2100 who identify as Christians, how many are identifying as Christians just because it is their cultural tradition.

The true number is not known but you can take about half, so that leaves us with about 1000.

So, there is a harvest of around 2700 people, just in the city of Stanford.

And there are about 10 churches in the city limits.

That means if we divided the harvest equally there would be the potential of 270 people for each church to reach with the gospel.

Just in the city.

Now, if we expanded that out to the county and surrounding counties, it would continue and continue to grow.

And the point is, the people are out there.

And we have been called to carry the gospel to the people.

But the Church is failing at this, because we refuse to go.

We remain segregated in our sanctuaries and refuse to leave them to gather the harvest.

And if we want to be God’s workers in the field we have to go.

We Reap What We Sow

Which brings us to the next point in Galatians.

First in Galatians 6 . . .

Galatians 6:7–10 NIV - Anglicised

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Now, this passage is most often used to warn people to “do good” and to fulfill the works of Christ.

It is no coincidence that it follows Galatians 5:22-26 that tells us . . .

Galatians 5:22–26 NIV - Anglicised

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Which we know as the “Fruit of the Spirit.”

But there is more to it than just “acting right.”

When Paul begins to talk about “reaping what we sow” we can’t stop on verse 8 because verses 9-10 talk specifically about what we have already covered with regard to Jesus’ words.

Again, verse 9 . . .

Galatians 6:9 NIV - Anglicised

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

And this is what I think happens a lot of the times.

We try to reap the harvest.

We try to share the gospel with others.

We try to be good witnesses.

But people in the world are so consumed by the flesh and by the noise of the world that they either #1 don’t hear us or #2 don’t see the relevance in what we are saying.

And to some extent we can’t really blame them for #2 because we have failed to show them how it is relevant.

It’s one thing to tell someone that “Jesus loves them,” and an entirely different thing to show them why that is important.

People don’t care what we have to say unless it is helpful or useful for them.

So, as the Church we should really be spending more time establishing WHY this gospel of Jesus Christ is important and less time coming up with programs and activities to entertain, attract a big crowd, or sell our brand to people.

And what happens is that when we do not receive the response we would like, we get discouraged, stop trying, and retreat back into our sanctuary.

And sooner or later we have forgotten about the harvest of 270 people in our city that we could reach by partnering with the rest of the churches in Stanford.

We get so wrapped up in the bad behavior of others that we forget about the lost sheep with no shepherd out there looking for direction.

But Paul tells us to NOT GIVE UP and if we can endure then we will reap a harvest!

And isn’t that the point anyway? Reaping a harvest for Christ?

So, . . .

Galatians 6:10 NIV - Anglicised

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

We Are Known By Our Fruit/Altar

And the last point very quickly.

I’ve already read the passage about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, but just for reference again . . .

Galatians 5:22–26 NIV - Anglicised

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

And the reason I read that again is because those are the qualities as Christians we should be known by.

In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus tells us . . .

Matthew 7:16–20 NIV - Anglicised

By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.

So, we need to ask ourselves, what kind of fruit am I showing?

Do I exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit which are . . .

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV - Anglicised

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

OR are we like the rest of the world and all they see in us is the Fruit of the Flesh, which are . . .

Galatians 5:19–21 NIV - Anglicised

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Because depending on what kind of fruit we exhibit, it will directly impact the type of harvest we reap.

And we will all reap a harvest, whether it is a good one or a bad one, a harvest will be reaped.

So, where are we tonight?

Are we workers in the field or are we hiding in the sanctuary?

Are we exhibiting good fruit or rotten fruit?

What is our attitude and where do we stand with God tonight?

Only you can answer that question.

Let’s pray.