Getting Ready for Harvest

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A mesage for Harvest Sunday

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Intro:
A story is told of an English traveler that so loved the wild flowers that grew at the sides of the lanes and in the fields of England, that when he went abroad he would fill his pockets with the seeds and as he walked along he would scatter these seeds on the ground. When asked why he was scattering these seeds, He stated that he wanted to spread the beauty of these flowers every place he possibly could.
Each and every day there are opportunities for sowing the seeds of God’s Love into the hearts of others; it may be a simple word, a simple act of kindness, a 5 minute phone call, or even a quick text that says “I am praying for you”… at that moment, a seed has been sown and a life has been blessed.
When speaking to the Corinthians Paul said "I have planted, and Apollos watered but it was God Who gave the increase. I want us to think today of the importance of evangelism and spreading the Gospel of Christ to this world.
I want to show you how you can get ready for the harvest. I am not talking about the harvest of your garden or your field of crops. I am talking about the Spiritual harvest of souls for salvation.
We prepare for this harvest the same way a farmer prepares his field. We are to till the soil... We are to work the ground… We are to sow the seeds... We are to water those seeds, but it is God Who will give the increase.
I believe that God has a plan for us here at Pierson Bible Church. I have to believe that our many, fervent prayers are being heard and are not spoken in vain. I believe that we will see the fruit of our labor… Family members that we have been praying for will come to Christ for the first time, or renew their walk with Him… People in our community will come to Christ… Broken families made whole…
I believe this, because I can see that we are a church family who has hunger to see God working, a hunger for a harvest.
In Chapter 9 of Matthew, we find Jesus ministering through healings and teachings. Our passage this morning is right at the end of Chapter 9… Let’s look at it together… Read vv. 35-38...
From these few verses we see that there is potential for a great harvest… but we also see a great problem… “the laborers are few”. When you examine the wickedness of the world in which we live...When you see the evil that surrounds us it is clear that there is a great work to be done. on the flip side of that, If you are actively involved in church, you are also aware that there are only a handful of people rolling up their sleeves to labor in the fields.
Meat:
Christ told His disciples in John 4:35
“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”
Those fields are ripe and ready today. With that in mind I would like to take some time today and share with you three things that we must do, as laborers in the Lord's field, to get ready for harvest:

1. As Laborers we must Envision (v.35)

It is vitally important that we see the needs around us and then we must MEET THOSE NEEDS! We must see what Jesus saw! - He saw sheep without a shepherd! We must feel how Jesus felt! He had compassion on the multitude. We must do what Jesus did - He ministered to their needs.
Evangelism does not have to be an organized church "program"...But evangelism MUST be intentional! We must see people for what they are... lost souls in need of a Savior! We must comprehend the consequences of them dying without Jesus... they are destined for the Lake of Fire! We must realize that we have the information that they need to rescue them from that fate! If we are going to reap a harvest of souls then we as a church must Envision!
We must Envision...

(1) a. The Mission Field

Matthew 9:35a “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages,...”
When we think about a "mission-field" many times we think of some place in a far away country. Places such as: Nicaragua, Uganda, Ecuador, Columbia, Haiti… And many other places in Africa, Asia South America and all over the world. And it is true that these places are "mission fields"… But does the verse say that Jesus only went to foreign countries to minister? … No! it says He “went about all the cities and villages”
The fact of the matter is… we live right smack dab in the middle of a huge mission field.
Pierson is a mission field
Sand Lake is a mission field
Howard City is a mission field
Coral, Cedar Springs, Greenville,… they are all mission fields
Your place of employment is a mission field
The Bowling alley is a mission field
The Golf course is a mission field
Meijer is a mission field
Our own home is a mission field
Do you get the idea???.... Wherever you go is a mission field. Wherever there are lost people is the mission field. And as a church and as individuals we must Envision. We must look around and see the lost people everywhere we go. And we must see the devastating condemnation that awaits them if they die lost in their sins.
And when we envision, when we see the mission field then we must share...

(1) b. The Message

Matthew 9:35b “teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom”
We find in the latter part of this verse that Jesus healed sicknesses and diseases... For that very reason many people followed Jesus and there was always a crowd near Him looking for a miracle. But the fact that Jesus "preached the Gospel of the Kingdom" to them is much more important.
We know that Jesus healed sicknesses...He made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak and the lame to walk. We even know that He raised people from the dead. But those were only temporary fixes... one day those who received a miracle would still die and face eternity. Even those who were raised from the dead would one day die again. But through the preaching of the Gospel... many received a miracle that would last throughout eternity! Through the preaching of the Gospel they received the miracle of salvation.
There are people today who are looking for a miracle:
Some are looking for a solution to their financial problems
Some are in desperate need of a solution to their marital problems.
Some are facing a terminal diagnosis and are looking for a solution to their health problems.
And Jesus can solve each and every one of those issues! But there is no benefit in being happy, healthy, and wealthy in this life and then dying and going to Hell! Some people are only looking for a crutch... when what they truly need is the message of the Gospel!
Romans 10:13-14 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
Without the Gospel there is no evangelism! Without the Gospel there is no mission work! Without the Gospel there is no help for those in the mission-field! It is imperative that we share the GOSPEL! In Romans 1:16 Paul said that "the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes"
Let us Envision the mission field and share with them the MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST!! Jesus first shared the Gospel but He also served them and performed many miracles! Which leads us to our next area of envisionment …

(1) c. The Ministry

The word "Ministry" comes from a Greek word, meaning "to serve as a slave." Throughout the New Testament, ministry is seen as service to God and to other people in His name. Ministry involves more than just sharing... it involves SERVING! According to our passage... Jesus healed many sicknesses and diseases. Not only did He heal physical infirmities He cast out many demons as well. On a couple of occasions He fed thousands of people. Throughout His ministry Jesus illustrated the importance of service. Jesus Christ was the ULTIMATE SERVANT! - Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45 ESV
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The entire life of our Savior was a life of service... Do you remember when He washed the feet of His Disciples? This was the job of a common slave, yet Jesus humbled Himself and served others. May we never look at a job in the ministry and think that it is below us. Service is vitally important in reaching others for Jesus Christ!… Why?… Because...
Serving Others Points People To Christ - Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
An old preacher had witnessed to his neighbor Bill several times. Bill had no time nor desire to hear about
Jesus. It came to a point to where the Bill told the preacher if he was going to talk to him about Jesus he
would rather not talk to him at all. After some time the preacher saw the man walking down the street. He
stopped and offered him a ride. The preacher learned that Bill's truck was not running and he was having
to walk to and from work. The next morning the preacher was waiting in his neighbor's yard at 4:30 am to
give him a ride to work. When work was over, there was the preacher to take Bill home. When they arrived the
preacher got out and opened the trunk… He had purchased the parts to fix the truck. While they
worked together on the vehicle the preacher shared the gospel with his new friend. A few weeks later Bill
trusted Christ as his Savior and Lord.
Some people will never step foot in a church to hear the Gospel. This is why we need to envision Ministry outside of the Sanctuary. We need to see the mission field, share the message and serve in whatever ministry God has called us to.
Secondly....

2. As Laborers we must Empathize (V.36)

Jesus saw these multitudes and He was intensely moved with Compassion (empathy) because of their condition. They are described as being "sheep with no shepherd" This was a multitude of people who were utterly neglected concerning the interests of their souls. There was no shortage of people and there as no shortage of problems. As Jesus looked upon their hurting faces He had great compassion as to their situation. Today there is no shortage of people... AND THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS! It is not up to us to judge those people... It is not up to us to condemn those people...
We must realize that we were once as lost as they are now. We must realize that God does not measure sin as we do and rather than looking at the people around us for their sin, it is time that we see them as Jesus sees them....LOST SOULS THAT NEED A SAVIOR. The only way we will ever see a harvest of souls is if we come to a place of intense burden, if we empathize, for those lost souls. We will not see a harvest of souls until we finally grasp the fact that hell is real and people are going there… We must realize that we are the body of Christ... we are His hands and feet!… and we need to start living out what we say we believe!
In order to Get ready for harvest, As laborers we must Envision, we must empathize and finally...

3. As Laborers we must Evangelize (vv. 37-38)

Evangelism is defined as the spreading of the Gospel of Christ by public preaching or personal witness. I want you to notice that...

(3) a. Evangelism is a Necessary Work

Jesus told His Disciples “The harvest truly is plentiful...”
He basically says "look guys, there are plenty of people who need to hear the message... there are plenty of people who need to be served!"… The mission field is ripe and ready to harvest. Jesus wanted these men to know that there was a great work to be done! Today there are many, many more people in the field today than there was in Jesus' time. And these people are in great need! They are as sheep with no shepherd! These people are on a path that leads to destruction! And today, more than any time in history EVANGELISM IS A NECESSARY WORK!
Not only is evangelism a necessary work...

(3) b. Evangelism is a Neglected Work

“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.”
Jesus makes it clear that the harvest is ready. There were people who need to be reached. But He also declares that there was a great problem... there are few laborers to work the fields. That is a problem that is still present in our world today. There is a field ripe and ready to harvest, but there are few who are willing to work.
"The tragedy of life and of the world is not that men do not know God; the tragedy is that, knowing Him, they still insist on going their own way." - William Barclay
Closing:
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have much work to do and little time to do it. We must give ourselves to it. The times demand urgent action. The gospel is only good news if it arrives, to the lost, in time.
Questions for you to ponder this morning...
Do you see the potential harvest?
Are you willing to do what it takes to work the field?
Will you see what Jesus saw?
Will you feel what Jesus felt?
Will you do what Jesus did?
May we, here at Pierson Bible Church, come together and Envision, Empathize and Evangelize!
When we do these things, then we will be "Ready For The Harvest"
Prayer:
Lord Help us to live out what we say we believe.
Give us direction on where you would have us to go
Give us strength to do what you would have us to do
Help us to envision the ministry you have called us to
Help us to Empathize with the lost
and Help us to Evangelize the world, starting right here in Pierson, with your Gospel...
Help us to be ready for the harvest...
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