UNITY #2
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
Harvest Is Pentiful But The Workers Are Few.
Harvest Is Pentiful But The Workers Are Few.
Last time I spoke do you remember what Psalms, I spoke from?
It was Psalms 133.
We talked about the blessing, the happiness that we receive when we work together in UNITY, when we do God’s work, however, how willing are we wanting to do God’s work, especially in these last days?
Now, don’t misinterpret in what I am about to say, I am not asking or forcing you to go out and be active as a Christian, you should already be active in your own way. I am not asking you or forcing you to be an evangelist or a preacher.
The question is how willing are you in wanting to do God’s work? This is a question you need to ask yourself and with God, this is where God is speaking to you.
But let us look at what Jesus says to His disciples and those around Him, which is the title of this UNITY talk.
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
So share to me, what is this story talking about? What is Jesus trying to say here?
Most people like to interpret this and say that we need to do go and do to share the gospel and bring people to know Him. But, this is not what these verses are trying to say.
Jesus sees the problem, He sees that the harvest is great, there are a lot of people in the field that have yet to know Him; that have yet to know the Good News about the Kingdom. But, Jesus doesn’t say to go, no, not just yet! Jesus says to in verse 38 to pray. Pray to who though? Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His fields.
Who is the Lord of the harvest? Obviously God is, and we are to pray to Him so that God can send out the labourers into His harvest to do His work in the fields. To share the gospel to those who are lost and are in need.
Does that make sense? However, who are the workers? Who is God sending out to the field? Are you one of them?
Earlier I told you that I am not asking you or forcing you to go out and do things, that is the Lord to tell you that because I am not the Lord of the harvest, God is! But the question remains and that is who are the workers?
Well, we get a bit of a hint in verse 36, and the characteristic of a worker.
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.
Whatr is it that moved Jesus to do what He did? Compassion!
The Greek word for compassion is ‘ἐσπλαγχνίσθη’ (esplanch-nísthi) which means:
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 4697 σπλαγχνίζομαι
to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).
What Jesus is saying here is that those that will join Him in the field of work are those that are moved internally, to make a change, and to do that which is right to preach the gospel of the kingdom in the field, however, the field is plentiful, people desiring to know about this gospel of the kingdom but unfortunately, the labourers, those that have the internal desire, are few.
Jesus then asks his disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest, God, to send out the labourers, those that have an internal desire, compassion, to go into His harvest.
These are the workers that God wants into the field, people who have a desire and are motivated in doing God’s work in bringing the gospel of the kingdom to the world.
I don’t think God would like to have people who don’t have compassion to work in His fields, imagine what would happen when you had people who have no desire to be there in the first place, and don’t put their full effort in sharing the gospel?
It’s like so many young people who start working in Woolworth, or Coles, or whatever fastfood restaurants. Why are they working there? Are they there for the reputation of the company to help it grow? Or are they there just to earn money?
When I was working for Chicken Express (being run by my family friend as a franchisee), I wasn’t there to enhance the company’s reputation, I was there to just work so I can earn money. The one dealing with the reputation of the company was the boss.
However, when it comes to the gospel, the workers and the Master all value the reputation of the Kingdom and are not concerned about money but the individuals they are reaching out to.
Now ask yourself this question, do you have compassion to help the lost?
When we think about compassion, compassion has many variances when it comes to His harvest. We always like to think that workers are those that go to the cities and preach the gospel, we think of it as those that go to the streets and door knock on people’s doors.
The sharing of the gospel of the kingdom is some of these but there are other areas where we can get involved in as well. Areas that you feel compassion for.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
So, God’s gifts to the church are:
Apostles
Prophets
Evangelists
Pastors
Teachers
And their pupose is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church (the body of Christ) so that they will continue until we all mature in UNITY in faith and knowledge of Jesus, so we can measure up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
So, applying compassion to this list, that internal desire, where do you think you fit in building up the church? In maturing UNITY in faith and the knowledge of Jesus?
How do you measure to the complete standard of Christ?
Where is your compassion?
Last time we met I asked the question “What is our mission? What is our purpose?”
(Ask the group, the question above?)
What makes us distinct to other Christian denominations? What’s the point in being a Seventh-day Adventist? Why not be a Seventh-day Baptist?
When we hear words like mission and purpose, what feeling do you have? Is there joy? Or is there hesistation? Why are you feeling that way and what are you going to do?
Whatever it is, know that the Lord is leading you and guiding you. He is the one that helps you to change your heart and guide your steps.
Jesus is coming soon and there are so many people out there that have yet to know the gospel, the gospel that we as Adventists know.
Where is your compassion?
Because the Harvest is pentiful and the workers are few, pray therefore to the Father to send out the workers.