10-23-2022 - Who Will Go?

Tony Schachle

FARM HILL CHURCH

It's Harvest Time • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago • 43:38

Laboring Servant of God

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We are living in the last days and there is a harvest of souls that is ripe and ready to be brought into the Kingdom of God. Jesus said "the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." The question today is, "Who Will Go?" We need more laborers to go out and work in the harvest and bring them in to the Kingdom of God. Are you doing your part?

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SCRIPTURE

Matthew 9:35–38 NKJV

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

OPENING

The covid pandemic caused a major disruption in America’s labor force. In 2021, more than 47 million workers quit their jobs. This has been referred to as The Great Resignation. This has led to a labor shortage epidemic in America and across the globe, especially in areas like food service and hospitality.

But the job market in the US is not the only place where there is a labor shortage problem. There is also a labor shortage in the Kingdom of God. There is a crop in the field that is ready to be harvested. The problem is that there is a shortage of laborers.

Jesus recognized it during His earthly ministry. And the same problem still remains today. The fields are white. The harvest is plentiful. But where are the laborers? Where are the workers in the Kingdom?

I want you to do something for me this morning. Everyone stand to you feet. Now I want you to turn around and place your hand on the seat of the pew behind you where you were just sitting. Do you feel the warmth that has been created from you sitting there? I want you to know this morning, that increasing the temperature of the pew you sit on is not your contribution to the Kingdom of God!

God has not called you to warm pews! God has called you to the Kingdom for such a time as this! God has called you out into the harvest! God has called you to find somebody who doesn’t know Jesus and tell them all about Him. God has called you to find somebody who is sick and pray for their healing in the name of Jesus! God has called you to find somebody who is bound by demonic oppression and set them free through the power of Jesus Christ! God has called you to find somebody who is in need and lend them a helping hand!

There is an old saying, “Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.” Well, I’ve got another thought for you this morning. “Nobody wants to see anybody go to Hell, but why isn’t everybody working to harvest souls for the Kingdom of God?” We sing, “I want us to be together in Heaven,” but are we doing anything to help lead anyone else there?

This morning I want to talk about five things related to the Harvest:

The Field of the Harvest,

The Focus of the Harvest

The Fullness of the Harvest,

The Failure in the Harvest, and

The Future of the Harvest.

MESSAGE

The Field of the Harvest

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He spent most of His time with those in need. He didn’t spend most of His time in the synagogue or the Temple. He didn’t spend most of His time in the palaces of Kings. He spent most of His time in the streets and the outskirts of town where the sick and the lame were gathered. He spent most of His time having dinner with tax collectors and sinners. He spent most of His time sharing the Gospel with prostitutes and adulterers.

That doesn’t sound like the makings of a very successful ministry strategy for today does it? We could probably go to the Bible Book Store, if there are any left, and find at least a handful of books about ministry strategies. How to build a bigger church. How to increase your influence. How to be a better leader. I’m sure there is some good stuff in there, but let me just say that most modern ministry strategies don’t match Jesus’ ministry. And shouldn’t we be trying to imitate Jesus?

And what did Jesus do? Well if you look back in the preceeding couple chapters in Matthew and look forward to the beginning of chapter 10, Jesus demonstrated how to minister and invade people’s lives with the Kingdom of God. He showed us how to gather in the harvest of souls. What did Jesus do?

Jesus preached the Gospel,

Jesus healed the sick,

Jesus cast out devils, and

Jesus showed compassion to those in need.

Jesus didn’t wait for people to find the Kingdom. He went out into the field of the world and brought the Kingdom of God to them.

Have you ever seen a butter bean pod break itself off from the plant, walk across the field, open the door, climb up on the counter, shell itself, and jump in a boiling pot of water? No, that’s nonsense right? So what makes us think sinners are just going to come out of the world, find their way to a church building, walk inside, lay down all their sins, and jump in the water and baptize themselves?

We have been called to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” We have been called to reach them where they are at. We are to take the message and the power of the Gospel with us wherever we go.

Let me ask you this question this morning: “Who Will Go?” Who is willing to go out into the field and work in the Lord’s harvest?

The Focus of the Harvest

Jesus saw people where they were at and He had compassion on them. He saw beyond their condition. He saw beyond their outward appearance. He looked beyond their failures and He saw their heart. He saw their soul.

Verse 36 says that Jesus had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They were wandering aimlessly. They had no one to lead them or guide them in the right direction. And Jesus had compassion and reached out to them in love. And He did more than just heal them or deliver them from demonic oppression, He totally revolutionized their lives. He didn’t just heal their body or provide them a meal, He gave them an opportunity to have eternal life.

That’s what it is all about! My prayer today is for the Lord to give us the right focus. Help us to see like Jesus sees. God give us your heart for lost humanity. God, give us your eyes so that we can see like You. The lyrics to the song says:

Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I’ve been missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see

Let me ask you again: “Who Will Go?” Who is willing to say, “Lord, give me Your eyes. Give me your compassion. Give me Your heart?”

The Fullness of the Harvest

In Verse 37, Jesus said, “the harvest, truly, is plentiful.” Everywhere Jesus went there was no shortage of people in need. In fact, we find in the Gospels that Jesus had to make time to get away and have time alone to pray. There were so many people who needed the Kingdom of God to invade their lives.

The same is true today. There is no shortage of people who need Jesus. This world is filled with the lost, the hurting, the broken, the suffering, the outcasts, and the forgotten.

The Barna Research Institute released a study in 2020 on the State of the Church. They found that only 25% of Americans are practicing Christians. That means they attend church regularly and consider themselves born-again believers. They also found that 43% said they were non-practicing Christians. That means they consider themselves Christians, but they don’t attend church regularly and do not actively practice Christian beliefs. Can I tell you what a non-practicing Christian is: a sinner. They also found that 32% responded they were non-Christian. If we combine the non-practicing Christian and the non-Christian categories, that means that there are 75% of Americans who need to be reached with the Gospel.

We have no excuse. Based on Barna’s research, three out of every four people you meet need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They need the Kingdom of God to invade their lives. The fields are white. The harvest is plentiful.

But “Who Will Go?”

The Failure in the Harvest

Jesus saw the fullness of the harvest. He understood their needs. But Jesus also saw the failure in the harvest. Jesus said in Verse 37, that there were too few laborers willing to work in the fields.

Maybe you’ve planted a garden before. You can put all the work into tilling the soil, mixing in the fertilizer, plowing the rows, planting the seeds, watering the ground, and keeping out the weeds. And you can have have the greatest bumper crop you’ve ever seen. But unless you go out into the field and gather in the harvest, it will rot and be ruined.

My prayer this morning is that we take on the attitude that we are not going to let one more soul be lost to the devil. That we will get on fire for God and let that fire fuel our passion for reaching the lost!

“Who Will Go?” Who is willing to say, “no more failure in the harvest. I’ll take up my place in the Kingdom of God. I’m willing to work and do my part to see a harvest of souls.”

The Future of the Harvest

In Verse 38, Jesus told his disciples what to do. He said, “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” In other words, don’t just pray for the lost to be saved, but pray for laborers.

We need more laborers. We need those who are willing to get involved in the ministry of the Kingdom of God. We need more preachers to preach the Word. We need more teachers to teach the Word. We need more singers and musicians to lead us in worship. We need more worshipers to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We need more prayer warriors who will pray all night long. We need more elders and deacons and ushers. But most of all we need some more laborers.

God my prayer today is “send us some more laborers.” Send us more families. Send us more men and women who want to work. Send us people who will work with us and help advance your Kingdom. God we pray for the lost, but today our focus is on asking You to send out laborers into your field. There is a labor shortage in the Kingdom of God. We need more workers in the fields. God send us those to Farm Hill Church who will work. And God send us that are already here out into Your harvest. God set us on fire to get involved in the Kingdom of God. To:

Preach the Gospel,

Pray for the sick to be healed,

Pray for demonic chains to be broken off people’s lives, and

Demonstrate love and compassion to those in need.

CLOSING

There is an old song titled, “My House is Full (But My Field is Empty)” by Lanny Wolfe. The second verse says:

Push away from the table

Look out through the windowpane

Just beyond the house of plenty

Lies a field of golden grain

And it’s ripe unto harvest

But the reapers, where are they?

They’re in the house

Oh can’t the children hear the Father sadly say

And then the chorus says:

My house is full

But my field is empty

Who will go and work for Me today?

It seems my children all want to stay around My table

But no one wants to work in my fields

No one wants to work in my fields

And the last line of the song says:

Will you go and work in my field?

ALTAR CALL

“Who Will Go?” Do you want to be used by God in the Kingdom in a greater measure than you are right now? Do you need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit? Are you like Isaiah who said to God, “Here am I, send me!” If you want to get out in the field and get to work in the harvest, come to the altar this morning and let God give you power and boldness.

We all need to be in the altar this morning praying for more laborers. Lord of the harvest, send out laborers into Your harvest. Lord, send us laborers here at Farm Hill Church. Lord, begin to transform our church into place where laborers come to be filled and are then sent out into the harvest. Lord, fill this house. And let this house fill Your field. Don’t let this be a house that only sits around the table but never goes out into the field to work. Let this house be known as a house that is on fire and working for the Kingdom of God. Lord, may You never have to ask this question of this house, “Who Will Go,” because we’re already there and doing what You’ve called us to do.

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