#2 The Harvest

#2(3) THE HARVEST Matthew 9:36-38 THE URGENCY OF THE HARVEST FBCW/13 March 2022/pm INTRO: As we have spoken much already about the harvest. Here in our text; Jesus is teaching a very important spiritual truth using something with which we can easily relate, a harvest, a gathering-in of crops, but Jesus is speaking of a gathering in of souls and not crops. Jesus often used the very common things of their day, which yet apply to us today though maybe not so easy for teaching spiritual truths, water, light, mustard seed, figs, pigs, sheep, etc. Nevertheless, multitudes had gathered around Him and as He looked upon them He saw their great spiritual need, He said they “fainted” (growing weary, w/o strength) and that they were like scattered sheep without a shepherd. Like the world, which attempts to work for salvation in themselves and their own goodness, it simply wears them out, they grow weary and when they realize they don’t have the strength to do it themselves, they often turn to religion. When what they need is Jesus and Him alone. Then He pointed out a problem, that the laborers were/are few. They are few because there are always hindrances to any harvest, (temporally, weeds, lack of nutrition/water, unprepared soil, etc, spiritually, the same from a spiritual aspect, weeds of the world that choke the good seed, lack of nutrients/water spiritual understanding and or going into a field that has not been prepared for the seed, etc) in Jn. 4:35 Jesus says; “Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” He suggests one of the problems was their eyes, because He said, “Lift up your eyes”, they could not see that the harvest was ready because their eyes were focused on the wrong things (things of the earth and not the things above – Col 3:2), they were not willing to see the harvest let alone take-in the harvest. God’s harvest does not always come after a long period of time, sometimes it is ready quickly, other times it may take awhile, we must be looking on the field, that when it is ready, we are to be ready, and willing to labor in the harvest. As we look at these verses there is something else we can learn about the harvest: I. THE URGENCY OF THE HARVEST A. First He points out that the harvest is plentiful, vs. 37. 1. He uses the word “truly” which is very assertive, it means “indeed.” It is indeed plentiful. 2. The shortage is not found in the harvest, it is there, and it is ripe for the picking. But there is a shortage in labourers. 3. He compels us to lift up our eyes and see that the harvest is ready it is bountiful. 4. Have you ever tried to count the kernels of corn, or the grains of wheat, of course not, they are too many, and so it is with the harvest God has prepared for us. 5. The hobby church does not see the intrinsic or essential/inherent value of the harvest, nor do they see the volume. 6. We must never be a hobby church, we must see not only the need of the harvest but that the harvest is indeed plentiful and it needs, men/women willing ared ready to labor in the fields of harvest. B. The harvest is not just plentiful it is READY. As any crop, when it is ready/ripe, action must be taken ASAP. 1. In Jn. 4 Jesus said they looked at the harvest as futuristic, but He said “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” 2. In Jer. 8:20 Jeremiah cried out “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” God was going to send judgment upon the nation of Israel, their time had run out. Now is the time/day of salvation. 2Cor 6:2 3. That is not the case for us, it is not too late, the time to harvest is now, it is ready, and prepared by God Himself. a. He offered the sacrifice for us through His Son. All have sinned, all are condemned, salvation can only come through Christ. Jn 14:6 b. He has given us His Word that we would share with other people. c. His Holy Spirit is working and moving in the hearts and lives of people, today, every day, the is a harvest ready even if it is only a volunteer crop. Someone is ready to be harvested. 4. Someone may say, “Preacher you are crazy, people don’t want to hear about Jesus, people don’t want to go to church!” A gallop poll was taken and over six million people were asked “What would it take to get you to church?” The #1 answer “Someone to ask me to attend.” 5. Please take heed this evening, the harvest is out there, it is ready to be gathered, all we need to do is to go out and get it. C. The time is NOW. Not tomorrow, not later tonight, it is now! This moment (even in this place). It is every opportunity presented to us, wherever and whenever it presents itself. 1. We can’t do anything about what has taken place in the past, and we have no guarantee of the future, all we have is now. 2. In Jn. 9:4 Jesus said “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day (the light of a day is the time to work): the night cometh, when no man can work.” Time is precious, there is only so much of it available to us and others. Therefore it needs ot be used/redeemed wisely and presently. Eph 5:16 “Redeeming the time becasue the days are evil.” The world/devil will attempt to keep people from the Lord and us from the harvest. a. There is a specific time for any harvest, if you wait too long the time to harvest is past, the opportunity to gather is gone. Wasted to us, yet someone else will reap if and when they go into the harvest. b. That is what Jesus is teaching us here, there is an urgency in His message, the time to harvest is now. “Today is the day of salvation” 2Cor 6:2 When someone is ready, we must be always looking all the time and harvest them. 3. Paul felt this urgency when he went to Athens. He was to wait for Silas and Timothy but Acts 17:16-17 says “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.” a. I can hear Paul saying, “I can’t wait, I must tell them now.” Ask God to give each of us “Hearts for the Harvest!”, that we would feel compelled to talk of Jesus and bring in the soul harvest as it is presented to us. b. If you will read the rest of Acts 17 you will find he had numerous opportunities to share his faith. And he acted upon them. VS. 34 says “Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” 4. The time for reaping a harvest of souls is now; it is the time God has given us. We don’t know about tomorrow, that opportunity may not be available to us, then. The time is Now! 5. The time of harvest will end, what’s missed is lost, and maybe forever! We often can’t get back those opportunities. We have an opportunity, even yet tonight, and when we give to Faith Promise Missions, that others can go now, where we can’t, for the harvest, white ready to be gathered-in. 6. We cannot have a harvest when we have time (because we don’t make time); the time is now, it is the time God has given us. 7. We must go and share the gospel, we must go and invite others to this place so they can learn of our Lord and hear that salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ, for all who will repent and accept Him as their Savior. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Rom 10:17 Let us prepare, water, cultivate for a harvest that may be now, and if not now, for when it will be ready. 8. We must give to missions now so missionaries can get to the field and give the gospel to those who are ready to be harvested around the world. We must also go, ourselves as opportunities present themselves. And send others where we can’t and are not called to go. 9. One more thing, II Cor. 6:2 “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted/approved by God, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted/favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” a. The harvest is now, if you have not accepted Christ as your personal Savior the opportunity for you to do so is today, it is now. You may have tomorrow, but maybe not! In America, we have the attitude with material things “I want it and I want it now” Let us have the same attitude for spiritual things, for harvesting of souls. O, Lord give me a opportunity today! CLOSING: If you are not sure of your eternal destiny, now is the time to settle it once and forever. Do you see the harvest? Do you see that it is plentiful? Do you see the urgency? Then go and give!!! If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior do you see your need? Then accept Him today! When have then go be a laborer into the harvest yourself.