Yield: IT IS TIME FOR HARVEST

Intro

Yield

Honored to close out this series

Talk about Harvest

Going into Good Friday

Easter

We are headed into a time of harvest

Which affects each of our lives personally.

What I hope you walk away with today

Is the realization that

YOU HAVE A PART TO PLAY

HARVEST IS COMING

Harvest is the GATHERING of crops

BIG KNOWLEGE BEING DROPPED HERE TODAY

TOday we have twisted it where HARVEST is the CONSUMPTION of Crops

THE HARVEST PREPAIRS THE FUTURE

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE.

So lets jump in today then.

Scripture talks about harvest all over the place.

The season that we heading into right now.

Matthew 9:35–38 ESV

35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Title: It is Time for a Harvest

Prayer

2 Basketball Pictures - Don’t show till told

Basketball - 2 QUESTIONS THAT I GET ASKED EVERY DAY

Asking to be subbed out

Realizing that there was 5 people on the team

Cant Be subbed out

When it was game time I had to show up

Its game time…

AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE THAT CAN DO WHAT YOU WERE CALLED TO

WE ALL HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN THE HARVEST

ITS TIME FOR HARVEST

So the question is how are you going to play?

What is our perspective of this season going to be like?

I love the perspective that Jesus had on harvest seasons like this one.

Mark 4:26–29 (ESV)

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.

He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.

The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

AT ONCE

The tendency can be to sit around and ENJOY THE VIEW OF THE CROPS

NO LETS GO OUT AND GET THEM…

A HARVEST IS NOT MENT TO BE ADMIRED… ITS MADE TO BE GATHERED

YOU HAVE A PURPOSE IN THE HARVEST

YOU HAVE A PURPOSE IN THIS SEASON IN THE CHURCH

Question

What Can I Do?

We can’t do everything but we are all called to do something.

3 Things we Can do to see the harvest.

Point One: Believe in The Harvest

NEVER GRADUATE FROM SIMPLE BELEIF

Liz and I Recently got into Racing…. Cars

F1 RACER - All the potential in the world…

Got to the last year on his contract

Felt like he had to prove himself

Stop listening to his coach

Person instructing him

Crashes - Not finishing

End of the year his F1 Career fell apart

And he was not resigned

All because he stopped believing and trusting what the person that was guiding him was saying

HE FORGOT ALL THE GOOD ADVICE

FORGOT ALL OF THE VICTORIES

ALL OF THE GOOD CALLS FROM HIS COACH

REMEMBERING WHAT HE HAS DONE

WILL KEEP YOU FOCUSED ON ALL THAT’S YET TO COME.

WE NEVER GRADUATE FROM SIMPLE BELIEF

IF we are to see revival in STA

We need to once again go back to simple Belief

JESUS I BELIEVE IN YOU

I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A PLAN

I BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE CALLED ME TO THIS

I BELIVE THAT THE HARVEST IS READY

BEcause if we do It in our own power we will come up short

We need simple belief of a guiding savior

WHAT CAN YOU BE DOING IN THIS SEASON?

GOING BACK TO THE BASICS

IF WE ARE TO SEE THE HARVEST…

WE HAVE TO BELEIVE THEIR IS A HARVEST OUT THERE

The passage says that Jesus looked out and saw a crowd was Harassed & Helpless

Translated - Broken down, mangled and thrown out…

ITS WILD TO ME THAT JESUS LOOKED OUT INTO A BROKEN WORLD AND SAW A HARVEST

When things seem broken

Its time for harvest

When you feel like throwing out the world

Its time for harvest

When things seem darkest

Its time for harvest

WE SPEND TO MUCH TIME TRYING TO FIX THE WORLD

INSTEAD OF SAVE THE WORLD

IMAGINE IF PETER SHOWED UP TO THE SICK PEOPLE WITH A STETHOSCOPE

HE JUST SHOWES UP WITH HIS BELIEF

what if when it looked its worst we expected his best

His best harvest

Lets raise our belief this morning

Harvest starts with simple belief

SAINT AUGUSTINE IS READY

Are you?

Where is your belief at this morning?

YOU MIGHT BE SAYING THIS MORNING

“I have been struggling with simple belief”

That’s a real place to be in.

What have you seen God do in the lives around you recently?

Something we say in exchange all of the time

FAITH BUILDS FAITH

Romans 1:17 (ESV)

The righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith

Faith for a miracle —> Miricle happens —> Faith from a miracle

If you are struggling with belief start listening to peoples stories.

If you are built up and have faith TELL YOUR STORY!

That is what the disciples did

GO BACK AND READ ACTS

THE SIMPLY SHARED THE STORY OF GODS FAITHFULNESS

AND IT BUILT THE CHURCH

The miracle of God in your life is as much for them then it is for you.

There are incredible stories in this room right now, that need to be told

It reminds me of

The Woman at The Well

We all know the story

Make it about the salvation of the woman

But it is actually about the salvation of the city.

John 4:39–42 ESV

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

HER BELIEF WAS THE BREAKTHROUGH FOR HER CITY

YOUR BELIEF HAS THE POWER TO BE THE BREAKTHROUGH FOR YOUR CITY

BELIEVE IN THE HARVEST

ITS TIME FOR A HARVEST

Point Two: Pray for The Harvest

When I was Younger I had a problem with Arson - You’ll never forget your first Moltof Cocktail

When I found out I could make fire with the sun I became a new man

Burning Homes of ants - Ya never forget the smell of a burning ant

For some weird reason this came up in my brain as i was preparing

focusing the power of the sun down into one point to inflict change.

WE ARE NOT IN CHARGE OF THE POWER

WE ARE IN CHARGE OF THE INSTRUMENT OF PRAYER

The sun will not go out if you stop praying

But what would happen if you started

Prayer is powerful

Did you ever realize that Jesus

Asks them to pray before they even get sent out

Asks them to inflict change before they even hit the field

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

We can do church well/ personal relationship well

We can go out and share…

But we would be missing the point if we didn’t INVITE God into It.

I SAY ALL OF THIS BECAUSE

I want you to realize

That BEFORE GOOD FRIDAY

BEFORE THE FIRST NOTE

BEOFRE THE FIRST WORD IS PREACHED

YOU AND I HERE TODAY

CAN INVITE CHANGE

What would it look like?

If we as a church decided to pray everyday for the harvest…

What Kind of impact could that have on our city?

On our families?

On the upcoming generation?

ALL BECAUSE A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE HERE DECIDED

TO PRAY BEFORE WE GO

BUT IT DOESN'T STOP AT GOOD FRIDAY

BEFORE THAT MEETING

INVITE Change

BEFORE YOU START THAT NEW JOB

INVITE Change

BEFORE YOU BUY THAT HOUSE

INVITE Change

PRAYER IS POWERFUL

When we start to pray

The atmosphere we walk into

CHANGES

This Time before Goodfriday is a time when we can

GO BACK TO BASICS

PRAY FOR THE HARVEST

LET’S NOT GET SO FOCUSED ON EXTENDING AND INVITE THAT WE MISS INVITING GOD INTO IT.

CAN YOU PRAY FOR GOOD FRIDAY?

Pray for Three Things This Week

Pastors Matt & Jill

Health of The Team

Our City to Know Jesus

FELT LED TO SAY THIS TODAY

Date-Oh-Ma-He

Pray Earnestly - Beseech in prayer - Have a conviction

DO YOU NEED A GREATER CONVICTION ABOUT PRAYER?

IF you are struggling with your conviction of prayer OR YOUR BELIEF IN PRAYER

Start Praying

Fill out Prayer Requests

So lets as a church

Believe in the Harvest

Pray for The Harvest

& Finally

Point Three: Go To The Harvest

THE THING I LOVE ABOUT JESUS IS THAT HE DID EVERYTHING BY EXAMPLE

HE HAS CALLED US TO GO - BUT HE FIRST WENT

HE CALLED THE DISCIPLES TO GO - BUT THIS WAS RIGHT AFTER HE HIMSELF HAD GONE

HEALING SPREE

Chapter 8

Heals man with Leporsy

Heals the Centurions Servant from being paralyzed in pain

Heals Peters Mother in Law

Heals Many that were oppressed by demons

Heals many people with Struck with Sickness

Calmed the Raging Sea

Heals Two More Demon Possessed Men - DOUBLE HEAL

Chapter 9

Heals Paralyzed man on a stretcher

Heals the Woman with Bleeding

Raises a little girl from the dead

Heals Two Blind Men - DOUBLE HEAL

Heals Man unable to speak

Matthew 9:36–38 ESV

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

.Compassion - to have the bowels and kidneys (guttural) yearn

Harrased and Helpless -Mangled Torn down and thrown out

And it was in this moment

When his heart was breaking for the crowd

That he turned to you and me

And the thing that makes this so incredible

Is that while in his Human form

He could only reach the few

He had a heart for the many

AND WHILE THE DICEIPLES JUST LIKE US

BROKEN FLAWED AND NOT PERFECT

And he turned to them…

A PERFECT GOD TURNED TO HIS UNPERFECT CREATION

You don‘t need to be perfect to be sent.

FEW VERSES BEFORE BEING SENT OUT JESUS CALLS MATTHEW

Matthew had no idea what the heck was going on

Matthew 9:13 ESV

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

YOU DONT HAVE TO BE PERFECT

WE JUST HAVE TO GO

JESUS CHOSE YOU

JESUS SENT YOU

Matthew 10:5 NLT

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans,

COMMENTARY

People without Christ are like sheep without a shepherd. They will soon run out of pasture and starve, or they will get lost or caught in some thicket and die.

That is a picture of the world

The need remains as urgent as ever, with billions who have not heard the gospel or seen it implemented holistically.

The Urgency is also found in the words of JESUS- The words “Send out” (from the Greek word ekballō) is translated to the words thrust out with authority (same word used when Jesus casted out Demons),

LISTEN TO HOW HE ENDS HERE

and this word also refers to workers already in the field who “need to have a fire lit under them to thrust them out of their comforts into the world of need.”

WE ARE IN THE FIELD

WE ARE THE WORKERS

Saint Augustine is an amazing city that I love dearly… as amazing as it is… IT STILL NEEDS JESUS.

And I find myself getting comfortable in the field so often…

That is why community is NEEDED

Sometimes we need a fire lit under us to remind us that we are doing this for him and for them… not for us!

IF YOU NEED A FIRE UNDER YOUR TAIL… Consider it lit…

GOOD FRIDAY

ITS NOT FOR US — ITS FOR HIM AND ITS FOR THEM

This CITY NEEDS JESUS —- WHICH MEANS THIS CITY NEEDS YOU!

YOU HAVE BEEN SENT

SAINT AUGUSTINE NEEDS WHAT YOU HAVE

We can do all that we can to lower the bar of entry for people to come

Get the venue

Have amazing music

get teh billboards

but the

HARVEST ALWAYS comes to a point where it touches the hands of the workers

If it doesn‘t it dies!

YOU HAVE A PART TO PLAY

4 Practical ways to be sent out: THEN WE WILL CLOSE

Listen to where others are at

Share your story

Invite others

YOU KNOW WHATS CRAZY

If everyone invited 3 people in our church… we would be at capacity

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE INVITED 10?

Stay in the wings

Micah lifting a gallon of milk… I went in to help… She screams no and pushes me away…

I DONT GO ANYWHERE

I know that she is going to need me.

She will get tired enough

Fed up enough

Burn out enough

Where I can sweep in and help move the gallon of milk

Our world is saying

I’m strong enough

I‘m good enough

I have it all together

ITS SO EASY TO SEE THE WORLD DOES NOT HAVE IT TOGETHER

AND ITS SO EASY TO GIVE UP ON THEM

DONT GIVE UP ON THE PERSON IN YOUR WORLD THAT IS TRYING TO DO IT ON THEIR OWN

They my push you away

Yell at you

Wait in the wings.

What is your part to play in this season of harvest

CALL - EPH 6 Talks about praying for people.

PRAY FOR THE ONE