John #15 See the Fields
That You May Believe and Have Life – John #15
John 4:27-42
Well let’s return to the story of Jesus in Samaria beside the well.
You will remember from our reading that Jesus had an appointment with this woman, spiritually speaking. He offered her living water. He challenged her to forsake HER way and come to Christ.
In verse 25 she speaks of the Messiah who would have all the answers and Jesus said “I … am he” …
Let’s pick up the story there and read, because just at this time, the disciples, who had been off buying food return to find Jesus talking to this Samarian woman.
READ 4:27-42
Jesus says … “see the fields, look at the fields! (exclamation point) They are ripe for harvest”
I’ve got to tell you that this is one of the biblical scenes that I want to see in Heaven’s Media Center.
The are probably down in a little valley. This woman has gone to town, she has created interest and brought the town out. Jesus is speaking with the disciples of their failure to notice the opportunity in front of them. And I believe the people are topping the hill as Jesus waves his arm and says “LOOK” “can’t you see it? The field is white, the fruit is mature on the head, pay attention”
A good farmer would know when the field is ready but you’ve got to pay attention
Let’s talk a little about the word Harvest.
- The season of gathering crops; the act or process of gathering; a mature crop –
We talked last week about principles of Soul Winning.
Let’s talk a little more today about the Harvest
Let me add that this is true of ALL types of Harvest in your life, good AND bad.
And an interesting thing I might point out …
Deuteronomy 11:10-11 (NIV)
10 The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. 11 But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.
What is the point? I believe the point was that Israel would be dependent on God to provide the necessities for Harvest. Though they would still have to do the work of planting and nurture, but God provided water
While we must do the work as well, it is God who draws men to Christ. He is the one who brings the rain
Let’s talk about some principles of Harvest
These principles are definitely true of Spiritual harvest but are also true for sin, for financial, for family.
1. The Rules of the Harvest
1. You Reap What you Sow
2. You Reap Later Than You Sow
3. You Reap More Than You Sow
Even if ONE plant comes up, that plant produces MORE …
A. The Reaper Draws His Wages
1. Reaping doesn’t happen unless someone is intentional about it
2. The reaper is preparing to pay
But we also need to be aware that the harvest costs.
3. Many churches don’t participate in the Harvest because they decide that the ministry is too expensive
Sometimes it’s a conscious choice “we’re not going to spend the money”
Other times it’s a consequential choice because the church isn’t obedient in giving and the money isn’t there.
Hear me now, I’m not beating us up, but I’m encouraging us to continue to seek the Lord and trust the Lord in the area of our finances because we are limited in harvest as we fail to give
4. But also we need to recognize that the Lord of the Harvest, draws his wages and he definitely will pay the worker all that he is due and more that he is worth. Remember he pays all who join him
5. He rewards greatly
B. He Harvests His Crop
1. Jesus knows who will receive him, he knows who is going to respond to his call and so he harvests his crop
2. The expectation for the worker is that we will not fail to join him and reap. If the harvest is ready and we fail he will reap the crop with another
C. The Sower AND the Reapers share the Joy of the Harvest
1. There is often a negative thought here, a thought that says, “if I am NOT going to reap why should I bother planting or cultivating. I’m going to spend all I have so I don’t leave it behind for someone else.”
2. That is the wrong and unholy response. Ultimately it is all for Christ, and whether you are the planter or the nurturer or the reaper, we ALL share in the JOY of the harvest. Why? Because it’s about seeing a soul saved and it’s about glorifying the Master, so we ALL share in the joy of the soul saved and the Lord glorified
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (NIV)
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
3. Jesus said, you haven’t done anything but the harvest is there so “get busy boys”
V38 – “I have sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
4. Who were the others who had worked …
5. Who were the missionaries who had already been to Samaria?
Some Archeologist believe that they have found the baptismal place of John the Baptist, referred to in 3:23, in Shechem, close to Sychar and Jacob’s well.
6. Perhaps John or his disciples were the ones who had done the work to plant and nurture. But isn’t that why John came?
Didn’t he come to make straight, level paths for people to come to Christ?
Of course Jesus did work here too in the life of this woman who then went back to town.
7. The Woman did work in the town.
8. Jesus was telling the disciples to get busy harvesting
9. You are never by yourself when God calls you to witness to someone. Someone has gone before you, and most of all, God is doing the drawing so get busy
Jeremiah 5:24 (NIV)
24 … ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
10. If we are to Harvest, we are dependent on the Lord. We must pray the Lord of the Harvest to Send Workers
- We must pray the Lord of the Harvest to send rains
- We must pray the Lord of the Harvest to draw hearts
- We must ask the Lord of the Harvest to allow us to join him in the process of harvesting souls.
- That we might have regular weeks of harvest that continue
- But then when he rains, he draws, when he invites … but there are expectations for us …
2. Expectations For the Worker
- I think we need a fresh reminder of the joy of the Harvest
- We have seen people coming to faith in Christ in the last few weeks and making those decisions public. It is such a beautiful and joyous thing.
We celebrate here when that happens
But we have to recognize some things
A. Harvest pleases our boss … and … your Job is to Please your boss
1. God rejoices in the Harvest and so we should want to make the Master happy.
2. Jesus said, my FOOD is to do the will of him who sent me and FINISH his work
What is the finish? The Harvest
3. If we don’t close the deal, if we don’t reap the harvest we miss the point of working in his field.
4. God doesn’t send us into his field to move the rocks around. We are in the field FOR the Harvest
5. Even if we are NOT the one who actually harvests, the point of everything we do is the harvest.
6. We ought to be working with pleasing the Master, through the Harvest, in mind
B. There is Hard Work to Be Done
Psalm 126:5-6 (NIV)
5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
1. It is hard work to prepare for the harvest, to plant, and to harvest.
2. There are tears, tears of concern, tears of frustration, tears of failure, tears of impatience, but it reaps the joy of the harvest
C. My Hands need to be Open
1. That is I need to be ready to work. And ready to work in any way he wants me to work
2. We often limit the Master by telling him what we will do or how we are NOT able … or the things we will NOT do …
D. My Knees will be Calloused
1. prayer and fasting are an important part of the process
2. Jesus was tired, he was hungry, but he was more concerned with reaping the harvest than filling his belly. The disciples didn’t get that yet
3. often to plant intentionally you gotta get down on your knees
E. My eyes need to be open
1. the disciples had been in town all morning and hadn’t seen anyone.
Maybe they weren’t ripe while they were in town … but their witness could have cause them to bloom
2. But as they crested the hill … Jesus said “open your eyes”
Ephesians 1:18-19 (NIV)
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
3. If we open our eyes and realize what his power can do to change our community, to change a life, we will open our eyes to see the potential in a witness and then we won’t be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for Salvation for ALL who believe
Ecclesiastes 11:4 – the one who is busy watching the wind and the clouds, you’ll never plant …
Gal 6:9 –let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up
4. The disciples went into the same city as The Woman but they brought no one back to Jesus …
perhaps the disciple’s prejudice toward the Samarians and their “poor theology” their poor Breeding led them to believe that the Samaritans wouldn’t be open to the gospel or perhaps they didn’t deserve the gospel so they didn’t attempt to harvest
5. We need to see the desolate field around us and WANT to plant, we need to see the hunger and WANT to harvest. In Matthew 9:35,36; Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching, preaching the good news and he saw harassed and helpless sheep without a shepherd and he was moved with compassion and he said
The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matt. 9:37,38
you can’t wait for the perfect time or the perfect season … open your eyes
There are dying people around us in helpless and hopeless without Christ
F. My Mouth Needs to be Open
1. this woman met Jesus, she experienced his love, she believed he was the Messiah that they had all longed for and she wasn’t keeping a secret
2. the expectation of the Worker in God’s field is that we won’t keep our mouth shut about the wonder that we have found
In Luke 15:9 when the shepherd found his lost sheep he invited his friends and threw a party, when the woman found her lost coin, she called her friends together and threw a party, when the Father gained his lost son, he threw a party
3. We have something within us greater than a cure for cancer, greater than the all riches in every bank, greater than the highest honor bestowed by men. So are you going to keep it a secret?
G. My Life needs to Open
1. This woman’s gift was that she no longer had Shame. When Jesus forgives us our sin, he forgives us the GUILT of our sin.
2. She didn’t care who knew. She knew that they had guilt of secret sin as well. She wanted them to know what she had found, Jesus Christ, the Messiah loved her, took away her guilt and sin
3. Listen if you were down a crooked shameful past before you met Christ, no need to be ashamed. You don’t have to glorify the sin, but you CAN glorify the Savior who saved and recreated you
3. Results of the Work
A. Many believed in the woman
1. I’ve told you that people might be able to argue with you about doctrine but they can’t argue about what has happened to you
2. I’ve also said for a long time that people will believe in YOU BEFORE they believe in Christ. If they can’t believe in you they may not believe in Christ
3. but they believed in her. It was amazing the change that had happened and they wanted to see this man for themselves
4. You don’t have to be perfect in speech, perfect in theology, just tell them “Come see a man … could this be the Christ?”
B. Many came to Jesus
1. I would guess that nearly the whole town turned out that day
2. what would happen at the schools in St. Louis, at your companies, in your neighborhoods, at your pool or park? What would happen if we went there with open hands, open eyes, calloused knees, open hearts, and open mouths?
C. Many became believers
1. it’s not enough for people just to be sorry to be sad about their sin.
2. don’t confuse the message. A lot of people are sad. A lot of people want something different but they must come to Christ
One little side note I want to point out here that is a true principle of planting and harvest …
D. Not every seed grows
1. Remember that the nurturing process is up to the Father
2. you can’t short circuit the move of God and bring water to the soul to mature it.
3. Only the shower of his blessing, the dew of his dawn of understanding can water the seeds we plant
4. And you never know if that seed IS growing, you might just be a little impatient, it might just be planted a little too deep under things and take little longer to sprout, but whatever, leave it to him
E. Ultimately they have to and will believe in Jesus for Themselves
1. The believed in the Jesus this woman told them about
2. they believed in the testimony of the woman
3. but eventually they had to believe in Jesus for themselves. They said “we no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man really IS the Savior of the World.”
4. There is no greater thing for us than when we bruise our knees in fasting and planting, when we open our hearts and open our eyes, open our hands, and go to work in his fields and they receive and believe in him for themselves and the wondrous work of salvation is worked in a life
Jesus Christ IS the answer for the world today
We’re his Servants in the field
“Lord of the Harvest, place your fire in me, servants you need now, servants I will be; Give me the eyes of your Spirit, your heart of compassion to go …
Wherever you may lead me
Lord of the Harvest
I’ll Go”
Oh will we be harvesters who are planting as we can plant, nurturing as we can nurture, but with eager eyes open to see the harvest ready.
We can’t say “oh it’s not time yet” if the flower is growing, the fruit is already ripe.
I’ll tell you what, I’m praying for a day spoken of in Amos
Amos 9:13 (NIV)
13 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.
Oh Lord, bring to us a day, when our preparation, planting, pruning, and harvesting will all just run together as your Spirit moves over this region with the Gospel of Jesus Christ which IS the Power of God for Salvation.
Lord spread the New Wine of Truth all over this region, and let this place be a mountain from which it flows.