Untitled Sermo (2)

#1 The Harvest Mat 9:36-38 The Need of Harvest FBCW/March 13, 2022/am

INTRO: Many folks in our society today may not know much about farming. They think that milk, meat,vegtabiles and so forth, come from the grocery store, not a farm. But in reality there must be farmers and farm land then a preparing of the land before planting/sowing can begin. Once the land is prepared there must then be a watering and cultivating to remove the weeds before there can be a harvest. If any of these things don’t happen the crop will be small or nonexitent. Israel in Jesus’ day was an agricultural society and understood farming. So, Jesus is using a very simple illustration to prove a profound “spiritual truth”. The principle of a harvest. A farmer prepares the land, plants the seeds, cares and waters the plants/crop and will eventually reap a harvest. The farmer also understands something about patience. Harvesting a crop cannot be rushed even in our genetically modified seeds, it takes a certain amount of time for the crop to come to full maturity before harvesting.

1. This brings me to the emphasis of our Missions Emphasis month this year. We/church have

the responsibility to do the spiritual farming for God’s kingdom. Maybe we could call it

having “Broken Hearts for the Harvest” Our hearts must be broken for the reaping of God’s harvest of souls.

2. As a farm needs to produce a harvest to suceed (financally and nutrientiously); unless it is a

“hobby farm”, then the one who works the land is not dependent on it to survive.

3. I’m afraid a good many churches have become “hobby churches” they are not working and

living as though they depend upon the harvest. They dabble in missions and outreach but

never get totally engrossed in the mission/field.

4. The harvest waits for no man, when the crop is ready, it’s ready and it must be harvested or it

will rot in the field and be wasted. As a farmer, we too must seize every opportunity/harvest

God gives us to reach and reap a spiritual harvest. As in all times:

5. Harvest time was the happiest time of the year in Palestine Ps. 126:5-6 “They that sow in

tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall

doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

6. There are number of things with which our Lord is not pleased with of the principle for small

or no harvests, listed in the gospels:

a. Fishing without catching, Lk. 5:4-11. Fishing w/o a harvest/catch causes the fisherman

to go hungry or not meet his financial responsibility. He would not be a good steward.

As Fishers of men, we are to be catchers of men, or they too are not good stewards, of

the faith. No harvest leads to:

b. An empty banquet table Lk. 14:16-24, A harvest of people, invited to a great supper

(salvation). The servants were to go into the highways and hedges and compel them to

come, means to grab and pull them. Bring them in, w/o respect of status or position,

anybody, a full harvest. (though many had excuses to not come/receive 18-20) But:

c. When there is Sowing w/o reaping, Matt. 13:3-9. W/o someone sowing a seed/Word

of God, there can be no reaping or harvest. There must be labor and activity for any

crop, physical (soil preparation) or spiritual (heart preparation). Israel became:

d. A fig tree with no fruit, Lk. 13:6-9 nothing but leaves. Israel, was a nation turned from

God, a vine dresser/farmer w/o fruit on his crop/figs. A barren fruit tree sometimes

needs time to bear fruit. But our God is patient and gives us time to bear fruit, as He

attempts to works in our heart (dung/fertilize it). He gave Israel time, but eventually it

would/will be cut down. God is gracious but sometimes enough is enough! Jesus goes

on in saying that:

e. Lost sheep not brought into the fold will be lost, Lk. 15:1-8. If sheep are not

controlled, attended to, provided for and carefully watched, they will be lost and perish

by starvation, thirst, or eaten by wolves or all the above. A lost sheep is a dead

sheep.then the Lord uses the illustration of:

f. A lost coin sought and found, Lk. 15:8-10. (coin was probably part of a row of

10 coins which formed a head piece, signifying her married state) To carlessly lose

part of it would be like losing a stone from the wedding ring. It is worth the effort,

diligently seek to find it to restore the headpiece to original otherwise it is useless.

i. Sheep belong to the flock, coins belong to the headpiece and lost sinners

belong in fellowship with God. A lost sheep is of no value to the shepherd, a

lost coing has no value to the owner, and a lost sinner is of no value to the

God’s kingdom because they cannot be a part of it nor serve in it. The lost

must be found/saved. We are told of:

g. A good harvest that is not reaped, Matt. 9:36-38. As we mentioned earlier, a harvest

not reaped/harvested, will spoil and rot and go to waste. All is lost, Not benefiting

anyone!

Jesus is not pleased when there is a:

h. Proclamation with no response, Matt. 10:14, (though this does not apply today, we

are to go, but the Apostles were dealing primarily with Jews who rejected the

message of Christ and they were judged for it) People are not to be just hearers, but

doers. To do something with it, receive it or reject it, it is up to them. God is

gracious and patient. Some men, are not farmers, or fisherman or ranchers, but their

harvest is in information, the IT guys. If the info/gospel in this case, is not proclaimed,

broadcasted, no one can come to Christ. (w/o a preacher, the foolishness of

preaching). Or if the message is muddled (not properly programed) it cannot be

rightly understood and will be lost to the receiver. Or the proclaimer/broadcaster, IT

guy does everything right, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them

drink, some willfully reject the message/info. They will not become part of the

harvest of the saved and eventually be harvested with the weeds and burned and cast

into the fire of judgement forever.

7. Like a good farmer, Our Lord has prepared a harvest of men, through the sowing of the Word

of God/gospel and He commands us to go out and reap it. And in some cases, send someone,

missionaries where we can’t go.

So: Let us learn some things about the harvest God has for us to labor in. VS37 First, There is:

I. THE NEED OF THE HARVEST

A. The harvest itself, vs. 37.

1. As with any commodity, grain, cotton, fruit, etc. needs to be harvested or the result is loss,

decay and death.

2. So it is with a spiritual harvest, there is a definite need; people are lost without Christ, and

therefore w/o hope.

3. Jesus described the multitudes of people in two ways.

a. They “fainted” means to grow weary, pass out. VS36 Become incapacitated, unable or

unwilling to do anything.

b. Sheep with no shepherd will be lost, and wander, vulnerable to attack by wolves, and

open destruction or death.

4. Rom. 3 gives a spiritual description of mankind, which is our harvest. Vs. 10 there are none

righteous, vs. 12 there are none that doeth good, vs. 23 For all have sinned and come short

of the glory of God. If not harvested they will perish. And that is no the will of God. 2Pet 3:9

5. Apostle John in Jn. 3:36 is emphatic “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:

and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on

him.”

6. There is a need to reap a harvest, because people are lost, without Christ and in danger of

eternal separation from God. Spiritual death! (the seperation of the soul/spirit of a person

from God) Much like physical death, seperation of the body from life.

7. It Doesn’t matter whether they are good people or bad people, religious or atheists, all

people have sinned and are condemned in and by their own sin and need to be saved,

therefore they need to be harvested.

8. In love, God sent His Son to become a sacrifice for sinners, all those who come to Him in

repentance and faith, believing in Him and asking Him into their hearts as Lord and Savior

shall be saved. Rom 10:13

9. There is a harvest, (like the song “People Need the Lord” people are in great need, and often

don’t know it, we must go to them, share the gospel, invite them to church and give to

missions, so the gospel can go around the world, to uttermost places we cannot go ourselves.

B. The task is not being accomplished, vs. 37. A farmer/rancher not doing his job not only suffers himself, but let’s everybody down. His family, the economy, the country. They all will fail, starve and die. Yet too often, in our churches this is happening. We too will suffer personally, miss the blessing, as too our church suffers God’s blessing and His kingdom suffers in that some/many will not enter in. All because some folks won’t labor in the field of harvest.

1. There is a harvest to be had, in some places a great harvest, but the laborers are few, there are

not enough workers to bring in the harvest. It is not that there are not enough Christians, but

that there are not enough Christians with “Broken Hearts for the Harvest” Having a burden

for lost souls and therefore a lack of interest in Missions.

2. You see, hay doesn’t cut itself down, bundle itself up and go to the barn, it needs to be

harvested. It takes people, it takes time, and it takes effort. People don’t run us down and ask

us how they can go to heaven and/or have a right relationship with God, we must harvest

them. God does a work in their heart, we are to sow the Word and when the time is ripe/right,

harvest them.

3. There are many churches without Pastors, numerous churches that are looking for good

qualified staff, us, there are more missionaries retiring and quitting the mission field than

there are new missionaries going onto the mission fields.

4. We do not have enough people making scheduled visits here at FBC to visit everyone that

needs a visit .

5. We are constantly in need of faithful dedicated people to help in every aspect of our ministry,

right here, right now.

6. A missionary now must spend 2-3 years, sometimes more, just trying to raise enough money

to get to their mission field; more money needs to be given to reap the plentiful harvest. We

are now just holding our own. Pray what God would have you do this year! Fill out your

Faith Promise Mission Card.

Lastly:

C. There is great value in the harvest.

1. The harvest of souls is not likened to pebbles or sand, but to fields that yield a great benefit to

others.

2. Souls are wrecked and ruined by sin, and separated from God, and on the road to hell.

3. Lives are being systematically torn apart by sin, and it’s results, are that many families are in

ruin, people are confused, and despondent, our nation is in trouble, and they are w/o hope.

4. We need to reap this harvest of valuable lives and souls. Each soul is valuable to God so

they ought to be to us.

ILLUSTRATION: There once was a drunken baseball player who was won to the Lord and

became a great Evangelist, his name was Billy Sunday. There was also another young man,

who went to a crowded tent revival and was told there was no room, but a kindly man found a

seat for him in the choir, this young man was saved and had a great world ministry, his name

is Billy Graham.

5. I look around here and I know of some not so young men who were in the military, lost and

going to hell, who were harvested by someone they knew. Myself, yourself, and so many in

the metro area.

6. The list could go on and on of valuable lives that have been harvested for Christ’s sake

through the work and ministry of FBC and churches of like faith and practice.

a. Each time a missionary comes and gives his presentation of people who have been

wondrously saved, are a part of the harvest of FBC through our missions giving.

7. What is a soul, a life worth? What is your soul worth? There is No way to put a dollar figure

on it, but we would all agree that each and everyone is of great value to God and to someone

in this world.

CLOSING: There is a great need for a harvest, and we must go after it. The laborers may be few, but pray that God will send someone, better yet, pray that God might send YOU! Like the song “I’ll go where you want me to go, I’ll do what you want me to do, I’ll say what you want me to say” Lord, Send Me. Even if it is just around the corner or across the street. Lord, Send Me!

Have you been harvested? Have you been born again? Have you truly given your life to Christ? If so, are you personally involved in the present harvest, sharing your faith, inviting people to Christ and to our church. Are you working, are you supporting our missions ministry and loboring together in this ministry?

Are you personally giving an offering to missions over and above your tithe for a worldwide harvest. THERE IS A NEED! Because there is a Harvest!