No Greater Time than Right Now

Main Text: Luke 10:1-3

Luke 10:1–3 LEB

And after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two by two before him into every town and place where he was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest. Go! Behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves!

Urgency - Last week we talked about “A greater work” and how Jesus encourages us to “go.” Go in to the world as we know it…the world around us…our circle of influence…and share what we have with the people around us. Our faith. The truth that we’ve found. Share Jesus with others. Last week we also saw how some of the passages we read ended with the encouragement to keep going and keep sharing…as the day when Jesus comes back is getting closer and closer.

Today we’re going to look at a point in time where Jesus shares the urgency of the message with his followers …and how …HOW they walked through the urgency.

I think today we’ll see that we can live in this urgency…but not on our own. We need to live as though completely dependent on God. We’ve covered that a bit in the last few weeks…living as though everything we are depends on God.

Urgency: Why is it that when we want something, urgency is justified? Yet when God commands something, we rationalize the timing?

Kids...those of you who have had children or have children or might have children or have worked with children know this fact. That in a child’s mind, when they want something, the world is suppose to stop until their wish is fulfilled, completely and in a manner that is pleasing to them. Am I right? haha

How many of us act like children sometimes? Hahaha....no…don’t stare down the person sitting beside you... that would be rude.

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A preacher was walking down a country lane when he sees a young farmer struggling to load hay back onto a cart after it had fallen off.

“You look hot, my son,” said the pastor. “Why don’t you rest a moment, and I’ll give you a hand.”

“No thanks,” said the young man. “My father wouldn’t approve.”

“Don’t be silly,” the minister said. “Everyone is entitled to a break. Come and have a drink of water.”

Again the young man protested that his father would be upset.

Losing his patience just a little, the clergyman said, “Your father must be a real slave driver. Tell me where I can find him and I’ll give him a piece of my mind!”

“Well,” replied the young farmer, “you can tell him whatever you like just as soon as I get this hay off him.”

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Urgency - Now when put into perspective, we all, deep down, know the urgency of this message we have. The Gospel…the good news. The good news that new life verses old life is available. The good news that Jesus brought the answer and made the way and is this new life…and that it is available for anyone…and that there’s only so much time to make that decision.

Now, in reality, we know that to be true. We just don’t often feel the time issue.

Urgency: Let’s go get ice cream! Nobody argues with that right?

You don’t need to justify ice cream…because its ice cream.

Save that drowning person? Nobody will argue with that. Why? Because it might be a life or death situation and most people will jump to do something to help.

Ice cream becomes urgent because we love it.

Rescuing someone is urgent because might die otherwise.

Question: Are we just as urgent about the Gospel as we are ice cream? Saving a drowning person?

2 Corinthians 6:2

2 Corinthians 6:2 LEB

For he says, “At the acceptable time I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation!

1 - If now is the time of salvation then right now is the time to go.

This, in church culture, has been tough. The idea of urgency to share with others. When I reread this passage I found myself beginning to justify things. That’s me. I did. And that’s mostly because we think in terms of “us by ourselves.” But we’re not by ourselves...

Another question for you - Are you in or are you out? Joshua 24:15

Joshua 24:15 LEB

But if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh, choose for yourselves today whom you want to serve, whether it is the gods that your ancestors served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”

When just about to take the promised land…that would be the region of Canaan, Joshua gathered together all of the tribes and he said…before you go to your own cities, remember what God did and is doing for you…and as you remember, choose this day whom you will keep serving...

The question is the same for us. As we understand more and more of what God has done and is doing for us, we need to choose…whom will we choose. God or the gods we create. Now you might not chisel out your own little idol, but all of us might very well place someone or something or some activity or some goal way ahead of God …ahead of Jesus. We might. This is probably a good question to ask everyday…who are we going to serve today? Jesus…or something/someone else.

Luke 10:3 makes it pretty clear: Now Go! The “when” is always “now” with the gospel. “Inviting your one”....what is your level of urgency? Will you invite your one next week?

When writing this, I got this notification on my phone…bling…I looked down and it was from Wendy’s ....they were announcing their new cheddar bacon cheeseburger…with a cheddar cheese bun. Yeah…how many of you are now feeling the urgency to get to Wendys? Yep....same.

2 - Your prayers today should compel you to act right now.

Prayer + Action = Harvest

Luke 10:2

Luke 10:2 LEB

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.

Why would we expect God to do great things through us? (remember we talked about doing great things last week) Why? Because the need is great…and he wants us to become harvesters…in some way, form or fashion.

Luke 10:1

Luke 10:1 LEB

And after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two by two before him into every town and place where he was about to go.

So he has 70-72 - I personally like the 70 number…lots of reasons…that’s a whole other message in itself though on language and translation but anyways....

So we’ll just say, Jesus sent out approximately 70 volunteers. These people aren’t being paid…they are simply followers of Jesus. Small point here…the work (great work) of taking the message to others isn’t just for “professional” clergy…or people with degrees or certificates. We’re all ministers. The 12 disciples are named in the Bible. Even a couple of the close friends of the disciples are named…but the 70?…no names.

Whether we get name recognition from ministry is NOT important. The BEST ministry is done by NAMELESS saints proclaiming, sharing, ONE NAME: Jesus. Amen!?

The command “Go” - is often left off when quoting this passage. We often hear the part concerning I’m sending out like little lambs among wolves… Of all the pep talks in the history of the world…you know...

Go -

Jesus wouldn’t send those people out unless he knew this was significant…and the words were “like lambs…among wolves” because that might be what it’s like.

But in reality…they were going with the Holy Spirit. Nothing to fear. No needs…everything, literally everything, would be provided. God’s peace was going with them.

Here’s the picture:

We’re not just offering another religious option to calm peoples nerves

We bring a radical gospel that makes people new creatures.

The mission is not only urgent, its dangerous.

Passion is the degree of difficulty one will endure to reach a goal.

What will you endure to see the gospel go to the ends of the earth?

What will you do to invite your one to church…even to Jesus?

Cross country…sports in particular…gives so much insight to the battle we feel inside with stuff like this. I told one of our runners this week that I was going to mention him in the sermon. So Jefferson and I were running this past week and we were moving at a decent pace…he faster than I of course.

But we often say this to help kids…not scare them…but help them see reality. How one gets to the finish line is often a result of passion. How a runner races…is often the result of passion. Now running isn’t that bad. Racing hurts. And often it comes down to this. Are you willing to hurt more than the person you’re trying to beat…because they’re hurting too.

Let me repeat those last three things -

Passion is the degree of difficulty one will endure to reach a goal.

What will you endure to see the gospel go to the ends of the earth?

What will you do to invite your one to church…or even Jesus?

3 - You’re in a spiritual war right now.

Luke 12:54-56

Luke 12:54–56 LEB

And he also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, you say at once, ‘A rainstorm is coming,’ and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be burning heat,’ and it happens. Hypocrites! You know how to evaluate the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it you do not know how to evaluate this present time?

So it might just come down to this. Where is our urgency? Where’s the right attitude now?

My neighbor was very urgent when asking me for herbs.

He said that he was running out of thyme.

Everyone is concerned about the weather. We are consumed by the weather. We have apps that give us minute-minute weather updates.

Jesus in Luke 12 makes a statement to his followers that was fairly blunt…but He was pointing to truth…to reality.

He said you’re very good at predicting the weather…through patterns and sights and smells etc. You prepare for the weather you’ve predicted. But are you preparing your souls for eternity?

He said that you predict the weather and prepare…but it is hard for many to see that the Messiah is right here.

I think today Jesus might say…you know by way of your weather apps what is going to happen…but do you know your scriptures to see me in reality…and that there is an end date.

He might even ask…where is your urgency?

Not only are we at war for other people’s souls…but in a very real way…there’s a war for our own souls as well.

Concluding Notes:

Paul confirms this spiritual battle when writing to the Ephesians that we don’t battle against flesh and blood…meaning each other. Our battle comes from the spiritual side of things…against those forces of evil trying to persuade us and influence us in any way possible trying to keep us occupied on secondary things…keep us and our minds on the negative things of life…distracting us from what is really happening around us. Urgency. What things are you urgent for right now? The things of God or the things of this world?

Let’s look at reality through Jesus…He said I’m the way the truth and the life. Let’s take him at his word with that...

What does Jesus want to do right now? He wants to forgive us. Forgiveness entirely depends on us making our sin known to God…not that He doesn’t already know it…but that we come to the realization that He wants us to confess…repent…meaning saying I’m ready to get rid of these things in my life.

John records the promise of forgiveness in his first letter, 1 John 1…when he says that forgiveness comes to those who confess.

Remember again what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2....today is the day of salvation…today is the day to be saved. You can choose today to be forgiven…you can share this forgiveness with others around you.

We’re in a war right now. It is urgent. But through Christ…the war is already won. Amen!?

I encourage you today…if you’re in a place of decision…meaning…if you feel God pulling on your heart or your mind to make some changes or confess some things…I encourage you to have that discussion with Him. In a minute there will be some people over here to pray with. Many of you are continuing to pray for and continuing to invite your ones. I encourage you to say…we’re having a bunch of friends get together with us on Sunday, September 26. We’d love to see some friends maybe find a home with us here. If not here then maybe we’ll just help to stir their thoughts toward Jesus a bit. Amen!? This is what we do. We live like Christ, have the same attitude and mindset as Christ, so we can point others to Christ. In all we think and do and say.

Don’t forget your cards :) We had a bunch more go up last week…it would be great to have some more go up today…I think its encouraging to see everyone moving together towards a common goal. :) The goal of sharing His Kingdom with others.

Let’s pray...