Time for Harvesting

Good morning. Good morning. It's always very encouraging, having preached somewhere previously, to get invited back.

So thank you very much for bearing with me once again this morning.

Do have your Bibles open at Luke 10. Do be checking that what I say is what God says in the Bibles.

I'm fallible. I'm not God's Word, which is infallible.

Now, as Paul's ready to pray for us, why don't we just get started?

Well, before we properly dig into this passage, there is two things I would like us to see first.

And they're in verse 1. Chapter 10, verse 1.

The first two words in verse 1 is this.

After this, the Lord appointed 72. After this.

Anytime you see it in the Bible, you've always got to go back to what came before to find out the context of this passage.

So clearly, something's just happened.

And let's just remind ourselves where we are in Luke's Gospel.

We've just entered the next section of Luke, which begins at chapter 9, verse 51.

It says this.

As the time approached for him, that is Jesus, to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

The time is coming for Jesus' earthly ministry to come to an end.

The time is coming for Jesus to be taken back up into heaven.

The time is coming for Jesus to leave his disciples.

But something has to happen first before that comes about.

Where is Jesus heading to?

He's heading to Jerusalem.

And as we know, we know what's going to happen in Jerusalem, don't we?

Jesus is going to be betrayed, arrested, crucified.

Which makes it incredible when you read verse 51, which says that Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

He knew what was going to happen in Jerusalem.

He knew he was going to be betrayed by one of his own.

He knew he was going to be arrested and eventually die a humiliating death upon the cross.

Yet here he is, setting out, face like flint on Jerusalem.

Knowing exactly what's going to happen.

So Jesus is going to die.

He's going to be raised back to life.

He's going to be taken to heaven.

But he's going to leave his disciples behind.

So right now, there is a need for Jesus to train his disciples.

He needs to instruct them and teach them to equip them for a time after he has gone back to heaven.

And last week, Scott Hamilton was preaching from this passage and he showed us the cost of discipleship.

It was saying in verse 57 and 62, there's no way to lay your head.

Let the dead bury the dead.

There's an urgency to this mission.

Leave your family behind.

There's a priority to this mission.

And this week, we're going to be looking at Jesus as he teaches his followers about going on mission for Christ.

Going on mission for the sake of the gospel.

That's the first thing.

Second thing.

Who is Jesus speaking to here?

Read with me again.

Okay, after this, verse 1, after this, the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them.

72 others.

Why does Luke say others and not just 72?

By the way, some versions might have 70 in some of your Bibles.

It doesn't really matter.

70, 72.

But what does matter is the word others.

Well, we've already seen Jesus send out his disciples, the chosen 12, at the start of chapter 9 on mission.

So when Luke now says 72 others, he is telling us that these are not the chosen 12 being sent out.

These are everyday followers of Jesus.

There's nothing particularly special about them.

They're not professional, full-time gospel workers.

They're regular people who have chosen to follow Christ.

And because they're followers of Jesus, they are sent out as followers of Jesus.

Now, what's the point?

Well, the point is, if you are a follower of Jesus here this morning, then you are sent out by Jesus on mission.

It doesn't matter if you're a full-time gospel worker or if you're a plumber.

It doesn't matter if you're a lawyer, teacher, a binman, retired, unemployed.

If you're a follower of Jesus, you're called to go.

And so the words we read in this passage matters to us.

Because it's Jesus teaching us and instructing us what we should do when we go, when we're sent out by Christ.

Now, I have sat, I've heard many sermons.

I've preached sermons myself.

Who are called to go.

We know the Great Commission, Matthew 28, go and make disciples of all nations.

And quite often I sit there under that teaching or even when I say the words myself, I think,

fine, okay, let's go.

Jesus says, go, let's go.

We better do it with a sense of duty.

We need to obey him, off we pop.

We get to work on Monday morning, might share a gospel conversation with our fellow worker, with a friend, with a neighbor.

By Tuesday, we've kind of gone off it.

We start to feel guilty by Wednesday and forgotten it by Thursday.

But I think if that is our attitude,

if we see this call to go by Jesus as a sense of duty rather than a sense of joy,

then we are missing something quite profound, I think.

We are missing the joy, the blessing, the privilege that is ours to be sent by Jesus on his mission.

There's a hope that as we work those passions together this morning,

we will be captivated by just who it is that sends us, Jesus Christ.

Because the more we're captivated by him, the more we'll have this desire to go out for him.

And that will make all the difference in the world.

Maybe you're here today and you don't think yourself as a follower of Jesus.

Maybe you're just exploring the claims of Christianity, of who Jesus is.

Well, can I encourage you also to keep listening?

Because I believe Jesus has some very profound to say to you this morning as well.

Jesus contains the words of eternal life.

Words that I believe are for you to hear.

So let's keep going.

If you take a note, we're going to do this under three points.

Followers of Jesus pray and go.

Followers of Jesus proclaim the good news.

And followers of Jesus rejoice.

Followers of Jesus pray and go.

Followers of Jesus proclaim the good news.

Followers of Jesus rejoice.

First one, followers of Jesus pray and go.

Now the first thing we see in verse 2 is that Jesus tells his followers

that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

In other words, Jesus is saying, now is a great time for mission.

Now there are plenty of people just ripe to be plucked.

Jesus says in John 4 to his disciples,

I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields.

They are ripe for harvest.

Now Jesus is not talking about corn or wheat to make his bread.

He's speaking about spiritual harvest that is ripe for the picking.

When we look out over Edinburgh, do we see what Jesus sees?

When we look out over the hundreds of thousands of people

who do not yet know Jesus

and are currently running towards an eternity cut off from God,

what do we see?

Do we see a dry and barren land

where it seems that there could be no gospel fruit?

Or do we see what Jesus sees?

A harvest ready to be picked.

And if we do see this harvest ready to be picked,

we'll also see there's the same problem here that Jesus sees.

There's a lack of harvest workers.

Now when I say harvest workers,

I do not mean full-time gospel workers.

Although that is true, there is certainly a lack of them.

But remember the context.

It's the 72 others who are being sent out.

The everyday followers of Jesus.

There's a shortage of everyday followers of Jesus

going out into the harvest field.

So what's the solution?

Well, perhaps surprisingly,

it's not to go.

At least not at first.

What does Jesus say?

Come on in the verse 2.

The harvest are painful,

the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,

to send out workers into his harvest fields.

The followers of Jesus

are to pray for more harvest workers.

So as we look out across Edinburgh,

as we see the thousands of people

who are currently lost,

like sheep without a shepherd,

we should pray.

Ask the Lord of the harvest

to send out workers into his harvest field.

Simple enough, isn't it?

But do we do it enough?

Do we remember to pray for more harvest workers

when we pray as individuals,

in our home groups,

or when we gather together as a church?

We may well wonder

why there are so many lost people in Edinburgh

when there are a good number

of decent, Bible-centered,

gospel-centered churches,

but yet we don't pray for more harvest workers.

Pray to the Lord of the harvest

to send out workers into his field.

That's the first thing we are called to do.

But here's a word of caution.

As we pray,

do not be surprised to find out

that you are the answer to your prayers.

Look at the very next words of Jesus

in verse 3.

Ask the Lord of the harvest,

send out more harvest workers.

Go, I am sending you.

See, the first thing Jesus follows to do

is to pray,

but then right away,

Jesus sends the 72 out.

Instant answer to prayer.

Jesus is saying,

you are the answers to your prayers.

You are the harvest workers

that I am sending out.

Let's think about that for a moment.

Jesus asks Jesus 72

to pray to the Lord of the harvest

to send out harvest workers.

Then Jesus says,

go, I am sending you.

What does that tell us?

Jesus is the Lord of the harvest.

Jesus is the one who sends.

Now why does that matter?

Well, because as we go out

as followers of Jesus,

as we pray and as we go,

what happens?

We keep praying for more harvest workers.

Lord of the harvest,

send out more harvest workers.

Lord of the harvest,

send out more harvest workers.

And what happens?

Jesus keeps answering that prayer.

He keeps raising up

more harvest workers.

What does that tell us?

Our mission will be a success

because of him who sends us.

As we go out there,

we are going to see gospel fruits.

As we go out there,

we are going to watch

more harvest workers

be raised up by Christ.

Now we may not see that

in the immediate sense.

I hope that we do sometimes.

God is very gracious

and lets us experience the joy

of seeing that firsthand.

But when we get to eternity,

when we get to heaven,

then we will really see

the fruits of our labors

because of Christ.

Now this isn't going to be easy.

There is going to be opposition.

Look at how Jesus describes them

when they're sent out.

Go, I am sending you out

like lambs among wolves.

Great.

Fantastic.

I'm sending like a vulnerable lamb

to a pack of wolves

so I'll get my club and my spear.

Jesus goes,

no, no, no, no, no.

Forget your club spear.

In fact, forget your purse,

your bag and your sandals too.

Just leave them aside.

Can you imagine

the disciples' faces?

Right.

Leave all that behind,

but I'm going to need money

to pay for accommodation and food.

Jesus goes, no, no, no,

you won't.

No, you won't.

You won't need that.

Leave it behind.

Imagine for a moment

that I came this morning

with three boxes.

One marked purses.

One marked bags.

One marked shoes.

I left them at the door

and said,

Gabriel called to go

on your way out

if you'd be so kind.

Leave your purses,

bags and shoes behind.

Imagine your faces.

What I think

what Jesus is trying to say here

or what he is saying here

is that there's an urgency

to this mission.

Jesus is telling the 72

do not get weighed down

by earthly possessions

when there are people's

eternity at stake.

Get on with it.

Just go.

And we see that

at the end of verse 4 as well.

Jesus instructs his followers

not to greet anyone on the road.

And otherwise he's saying,

don't dilly dally.

Heard that phrase,

don't dilly dally?

When I was younger,

going to primary school,

I used to go in

for one of my friends

at her house.

And she lived

with her grandparents.

And every time

we left the grandparents' house

after I picked her up,

the last words

our granny always said to us,

get straight to school

and don't dilly dally.

Just get straight there.

And that's what Jesus

is saying here.

Don't need dilly dally.

Just go.

Leave behind

earthly possessions.

Don't get distracted

on the way.

Go out there.

People's eternity

is at stake.

There is a great need

so there's a great urgency

to meet that need.

And what Jesus

is also teaching

his followers here

is that

they can leave behind

all this stuff

because he

is the one

who is sending them.

I am all you need.

I will provide

for you as you go.

You don't need money

because I will provide

food and accommodation

for you.

We see that in verse 7

where they're welcomed in.

Verse 8.

They eat the food

given to them.

They've got roof

over their heads.

Yes, Jesus says,

you may be like lambs

sent into a pack of wolves

but do not fear

because not only

will I provide for you,

I will also protect you.

Come with me quickly

to just verse 19.

Verse 19,

Jesus says,

I have given you

authority,

that's I have given

the 72,

authority to trample

on snakes and scorpions

and to overcome

all the power

of the enemy.

Nothing will harm you.

Now in the original Greek,

this nothing will harm you

phrase is emphasized.

It's an emphatic position.

It literally jumps out

the page to you

as you read it.

nothing will harm you.

Now,

does this mean

that as followers of Jesus

we are not going to be harmed

in any way?

No,

it doesn't.

Just look at Acts,

the sequel to Luke's gospel

and that will quickly rid you

of any notion

that followers of Jesus

are left unharmed.

This verse does not teach us

that we can start

jumping off cliffs for Christ

or run into a wolf's enclosure.

I grew up in a small town

called Girvan

on the southwest coast

of Scotland

and there was this lovely,

godly lady

in the church

who refused to wear

a seatbelt

because she said,

Jesus is with me.

It's okay.

When my time has come,

my time has come.

I don't need a seatbelt

to protect me.

I've got Jesus.

Now,

there's something

wonderfully admirable

about her faith

but at the same time,

God gave us a seatbelt

for a reason,

didn't he?

To try and protect us.

It doesn't mean

to be stupid

and just run into fields

of scorpions and snakes

or defy the laws of gravity.

No,

that's not what Jesus

is teaching here.

To find out what Jesus means,

we've got to look

at the context.

Coming to verse 18,

Jesus says,

I saw Satan fall

like lightning from heaven.

Wow.

There's a statement

and a half,

isn't it?

I saw Jesus

fall like lightning

from heaven.

See,

the context of verse 19

is the fall of Satan,

which I think

is more to do

with the defeat of Satan

rather than his actual

fall from heaven.

And Jesus gives

his disciples

the authority

to trample on snakes

and scorpions.

Now,

again,

does this mean

that as followers

of Jesus,

we can go and take on

the racing snakes

in planet Earth too?

Does this mean

that David Attenborough

needs only employ

followers of Jesus

because they're immune

from all nature,

biting them or killing them

or eating them?

No,

it doesn't.

Apart from Paul,

the apostle Paul,

in Acts,

where was it?

Yeah,

Acts 28,

where Paul was bitten

by a snake,

but left unharmed.

Apart from that,

there is no literal

fulfillment of this promise

found anywhere in the Bible.

instead,

the scorpions

and the serpents

represent Satan's power.

They represent

the hostile creation.

And the 72

are now protected

from that

because of the authority

of Jesus

that he has given

to them.

Nothing will harm them

because I have authority

over all things.

Nothing will harm me

because I've given you

this authority

to trample on

Satan's power

and hostile creation.

Can we see that?

So the Lord of the harvest

has not only sent us,

but he'll provide for us

and he'll protect us

as we fully depend on him.

And at the end of the day,

if we truly believe

in the sovereignty of Christ,

then we can afford

to take the unavoidable risk

when we go out on mission.

Rather than spend

our earthly lives asking,

well, what if this happens?

What if that happens?

What if that thing happens?

We can say,

it doesn't matter.

Jesus is with me.

He'll protect me.

He'll provide for me

as I go on mission for him.

Let's just get on with it.

That's the first thing.

Followers of Jesus

pray and go.

Second thing,

followers of Jesus

also proclaim the good news.

What are the 72 to do

when they're sent on mission?

Come with me to verse 8.

When you enter a town

and are welcomed,

eat what is offered to you.

Heal the sick who are there

and tell them,

the kingdom of God

has come near to you.

The kingdom of God

has come near to you.

What does that mean?

Well,

the kingdom of God

is when God's people

enjoy God's blessing

under God's rule.

The kingdom of God

has come near.

The kingdom of God

has come near.

The kingdom of God

has come near.

Kingdom of God

has come near.

How has that come near?

How on earth?

What does that mean?

Well,

again,

the context will help us out.

The 72,

we're sent ahead of Jesus.

Remember where Jesus is going

to Jerusalem?

His betrayal,

arrest,

death,

resurrection,

exaltation.

And see,

Jesus,

if I do know this,

is the one who's going

to bring in God's kingdom,

God's people

enjoying God's blessing

under God's rule

because he is God's

chosen king.

God's rule and power

and deliverance

is coming.

That does not mean to say

it has arrived

in its fullness now.

No,

there's going to be

a further fulfillment

to come.

But what it does mean

is that the rule of God

through Jesus

as his king

has begun.

So when the disciples say,

look,

the kingdom of God

has drawn near,

what they're actually saying

is, look,

he is near.

Jesus,

the one who's going

to bring in God's kingdom

where God's people

enjoy God's blessing

under God's rule

is near.

Look,

here he comes now.

He has drawn near.

That's what they are

to proclaim.

The good news

is that Christ

has come.

God's chosen king

promised from the

beginning of time

has arrived.

The good news.

And you also noticed

that 72

are to heal the sick.

And we don't have time

to get into

a discussion about

whether the gift

of Merax's healing

still happens today,

whether this is a mandate

for us to go

into royal infirmation

and heal the sick there.

That's for another time.

But what I want us to see

is a purpose

of healing the sick.

Why are they

to heal the sick?

Well, the healing

backs up the message

that the kingdom of God

has drawn near.

The healing

is a representation

of the blessings

experienced by those

in God's kingdom.

No suffering.

No pain.

No illness

in the kingdom of God.

One of the many blessings

that we have.

The healing

is a physical sign

of the compassion

that God has

for these people.

It gives an authority

and authenticity

to the message

of the 72.

But one thing

we must note.

Healing

in and of itself

does not save.

Only spiritual healing

can do that.

No amount of healing

or miracles

will bring salvation

to those

who reject the message.

because only

in the message

which is God's word

can we find life.

Jesus says,

the words I've spoken

to you

they're full

of the spirit

and life.

His disciples

say to him,

you have the words

of eternal life.

Healing does not save,

God's word saves.

So when we proclaim

God's word

and if we show

God's compassion

in a concrete

physical way,

this word

takes on a dimension

that it otherwise

might lack.

It attracts people

to the gospel.

It attracts people

to Christ.

That's why I think

as followers of Jesus

we should be engaged

in, for example,

helping the poor,

food banks,

alleviating the suffering

of those around us.

But we must always

remember that

as we do so,

we must always,

always,

always back up

our actions

with our words.

We must always

tell people

why we do this.

We must always

tell people

of the good news

because if we don't,

we may as well

be a good Muslim.

We may as well

be a compassionate

atheist.

We may as well

just be a friendly

neighbor.

We must always

back up our words,

back up our actions

with our words

because if we fail

to share the gospel,

we may be soothing

their immediate

suffering,

but we are doing

nothing to alleviate

their eternal

suffering.

And that is a tragedy.

Now Jesus is very

upfront with the 72.

He tells them

that when they go,

they are going

to face opposition.

They are going

to be rejected.

Notice,

in verse 8 and 10,

there are no

ifs and maybes,

but only whens

and ours.

So when you enter

a town and when

you are rejected,

here's what you do.

It's not if or maybe,

it's when.

Jesus tells them

what to do

in verses 8 and 10.

The first time says,

go on the streets

if you're rejected,

a very public place.

Shake the dust

off your feet

and move on.

Notice the message

doesn't change.

They start to proclaim

the kingdom of God

has drawn near.

So it doesn't matter

if we accept

or reject

the message.

The message is still

the same.

It's not dependent

on what we do

with that.

God's kingdom

is going to come.

The shaking of dusk,

symbolic.

This city now

stands alone

against God.

And that's not

a place you want

to be.

Jesus gives us

examples of what

fate awaits

the towns that

reject God's message

in verse 12 and 15.

Come with me

to verse 12.

I tell you,

it will be more

bearable on that

day for Sodom

than for that town.

Now,

Sodom was one

of the most

wicked towns

in the Old Testament.

And it was a town

that got turned

to dust

because of its sin.

But it will be

more bearable

for Sodom

than for these

towns who reject

your message now.

for Tyre and Sidon

as well,

two towns

in the Old Testament.

They would have

repented

if the miracles

had performed

there that are now

performed in your

towns and cities.

So woe to these

cities that reject

Jesus' message.

Woe to them

on the day of judgment.

That's what it means

by on that day,

on the day of the Lord.

Healing does not save

because word saves.

If we reject

God's word,

then that is very

serious indeed.

Because the message

that the followers

of Jesus proclaim

is a matter of

life and death.

If you're not

a follower of Jesus

here today,

can you hear

the warning

of Jesus?

You do not want

to be

standing alone

against God.

You do not want

to,

Jesus say to you,

woe to you

on the day of judgment.

Capernaum,

lift you to the heavens,

no,

cast down to hell.

If you're

sitting today

and you're rejecting

this message

of the wonderful

message of the

kingdom of God

has drawn near

in Christ,

oh please,

repent of your sin

and run to him.

Hell is not

a place you want

to be.

Stand alone

against God

is not a place

you want to be.

Do you see that?

Can you hear

the warning

of Christ?

See,

to reject

this message,

you're not

rejecting 72.

You're not

rejecting those

who tell you

the gospel.

You're rejecting

Jesus Christ himself.

And if you're

rejecting Jesus Christ,

you're rejecting

the Father.

You're rejecting

God when you

reject this message.

You are aligning

yourself with

the enemy of God,

Satan.

There is no

middle ground.

There is no

sitting on fences.

There's only two ways.

You're with God

or you're against him.

I hope that you

see that and you

run to Christ

to find salvation.

Because see,

to accept the

message is to

accept Jesus

and therefore God.

To accept God's

decept eternal life

and that's to

become permanent

citizens of heaven,

which brings me

to my third point.

Followers of

Jesus rejoice.

72 return

ecstatic from

their mission

in verse 17.

And they are

joyful because

even demons

submit to us

in your name,

Lord.

How amazing

is that?

Oh,

to experience

the power,

the authority

that you have

and even demons

submit to us.

Oh,

fills us with joy.

But notice

what Jesus

says next.

Let's go to

verse 17 together.

In return,

even demons

submit to your

name.

Jesus replies,

I saw Satan

fall like lightning

from heaven.

It's almost like

he's playing a game

of top trumps,

isn't he?

Demons

submit to your

name?

I saw Satan.

The head of demons

fall from heaven.

From heaven,

I've given you

authority to

overcome scorpions

snakes.

We've looked at

that.

Nothing's going

to harm you.

Verse 20,

however,

do not rejoice

that the spirit

submit to you,

but rejoice

that your names

are written

in heaven.

That is a

greater joy

than demons

and spiritual forces

submitting to you

in Christ's name.

That your name

is written

in heaven.

Now,

the Greek

used here

means that

when your name

is written

in heaven,

it remains

written in heaven.

It is recorded

forever.

When your name

is up there,

you are now

a permanent

citizen of heaven.

Nothing

can take that

from you.

That is our

reason to

rejoice.

We are to

keep on

continually

rejoicing in

our salvation

because our

permanent

citizenship

means that we

will one day

dwell with God

in a place

where there is

abundant

blessings.

We will see

our Lord and

Saviour Jesus

Christ face

to face.

We will be

transformed into

his likeness.

We will reign

as co-heirs

with Christ.

Yes,

it is a

privilege to

be used by

God in

mission and

to have

access to

his power

and authority.

That is

exciting.

But the

real cause

for us to

rejoice is

that we have

the sheer

privilege of

entry into

the kingdom

of God.

And as

a 72

rejoice,

so too

does Jesus

rejoice.

In

verse 21,

we have this

wonderful picture

of a triune

prayer.

The Son,

filled with the

Holy Spirit,

praying to

his Father.

Now,

what's it

they're praying

about?

It's the

free,

electing love

of God,

to hide

things from

intellectual and

reveal them

to babes.

Verse 21,

I praise you,

Father,

Lord of heaven

and earth,

because you

have hidden

these things

from the

wise and

learned and

revealed them

to the

little children.

Yes,

Father,

for that is

what you're

pleased to do.

This does

not mean

that your

educational

attainment

matters.

It does

not mean

that if

you've got

a doctorate

then somehow

you're

hidden from

seeing these

revealed

things.

No.

Jesus is

thanking God

that he's

revealed these

things to

those who

come to

God in

humble

dependence,

just like

a child.

It's wonderful

being here,

by the way,

because there's

hundreds of

kids.

See,

you must

have had a

baby boom

like two

years ago,

by the way.

So many

toddlers

going about

right now,

it's wonderful.

But notice how

needy,

how dependent

these toddlers

are.

They need

you as

parents,

as grandparents,

as aunts,

uncles,

as friends,

to look after

these kids.

Without you,

they've got no

hope whatsoever

of surviving.

They need

you.

And that's

what Jesus

is saying

here.

He's rejoicing

the truth

got to the

ones who

recognize their

needs,

that recognize

they're like

little children,

rather than the

wise and

learned who

think that

they're good

enough,

that they're

intellectual

enough,

they're wise

enough for

salvation.

No.

Rock of

Ages,

that great

hymn,

nothing in

my hand I

bring,

simply to

the cross

I cling,

naked,

come to

thee for

dress,

helpless,

come to

thee for

grace,

foul I

to the

fountain fly,

wash me

savior,

or I

die.

Can't get

more needy

than that,

can you?

And we

also see Jesus

rejoice that he

is a revealer

of the

father,

verse 22.

All things

have been

committed to

me by my

father,

no one

who knows

the son,

no one

knows the

son except

the father,

and no one

knows who

the father

is except

the son,

and those

to whom

the son

chooses to

reveal him.

It's a bit

bit of it,

isn't it?

But the

point here in

this verse,

notice that

the father and

son are

mentioned three

times here.

What's in

show is the

intimate

relationship between

the father and

son.

Okay,

and this

shows us

that the

father's

authority,

sovereignty,

and revelation

are all tied

to and reside

in Jesus

Christ,

the father's

heir.

The father

reveals the

son,

the son

reveals the

father.

What does

this mean?

This means

that Jesus

is everything

for salvation.

Not only is

Jesus our

king,

not only is he

the redeemer,

the saviour,

the keeper,

Jesus is

also the

revealer.

Without

Jesus,

we have

nothing.

With

Jesus,

we have

everything.

And remember,

this is a

Jesus who

sends us

out into

his mission.

The time

is almost

up,

but I've

been talking

a lot about

how we're

called to

go,

and I

began by

thinking we

may have

this feeling

of a sense

of duty

after hearing

a sermon

like this.

like we

go because

in the same

way we

think about

going and

doing household

chores,

we have to

do it,

so therefore

let's do

it.

But I

hope that

we can be

captured by

the beauty

of Christ,

our

revealer,

our

redeemer,

our king,

our saviour,

our keeper,

because there

is a great

joy,

there is

incredible

blessings,

and it's a

wonderful

privilege to

be sent by

Christ on

mission.

Ask yourself

this question,

does God

need you?

Does God

need you to

go for him

to make

disciples of

all nations?

No,

he doesn't.

God's God,

creator of all

things,

the almighty,

everlasting God,

the sovereign

God,

he can do

all things.

He doesn't

need you.

What do we

bring to the

table?

Nothing,

except what he

has already

given to us.

God could

easily have

chosen a

different way

to do

things,

but he

didn't.

He chose

us to be

sent by

him to

go and

proclaim the

good news.

Have you

ever thought

about that?

See,

I think that

when we

pray,

when we

go,

when we

proclaim the

good news,

not only are

we giving

glory to

God,

but we

also get to

experience the

joy,

the blessing,

the privilege

as being sent

for us of

Christ.

Other than

your name

being written

in heaven,

can you

think of

a greater

joy than

seeing someone

pass from

death to

life before

your very

eyes?

From

whence in

someone going

from dead

in their

sins to

life in

Christ,

without hope,

to be filled

with hope,

to be under

the wrath of

God,

to be filled

by the

presence of

God.

It's a

great joy

when you see

that happening.

And we

get to

witness the

blessings of

the eternal

kingdom of

God being

worked out

before our

very eyes.

We see

God working

at building

his eternal

kingdom.

That's why

Jesus says

in verse

23,

blessed are

the eyes

that see

what you

see.

You're

blessed because

of what you

see.

You're blessed

because of

what you

hear.

See,

the disciples

are witnessing

the culmination

of God's

salvation plan

that began

before time

itself.

And ever

since the

creation of

the world,

kings and

prophets have

seen glimpses

of God's

salvation.

They have

seen shadows

of a coming

Messiah.

They have

seen shadows

of a coming

king.

But now,

the disciples

see these

shadows

becoming

reality.

Satan is

defeated

before their

very eyes.

God,

a Christ,

the Messiah,

the Son of

God is

standing before

them.

They are

soon to

see his

death,

resurrection,

exaltation.

They are

soon to

see the

coming of

the kingdom

of God.

They no

longer see

shadows,

but they

see the

light

himself.

Jesus

Christ says,

I am the

light of

the world.

No more

shadows.

I am

here.

As

followers of

Christ,

that's what

we see

today.

We've

seen Jesus

come.

We know

he's died

for us upon

that cross.

We know

he's raised

back to life,

exalted to

heaven.

We know

Satan has

been defeated.

We know

the kingdom

of God

is coming

near and

has come

near.

What

privilege,

what blessing

to see that,

to see the

light himself.

And we

get the

privilege of

being used

by the

almighty

creator God

in his

redemption

plan.

Brothers and

sisters,

what a great

joy,

what a wonderful

blessing,

what an

incredible

privilege it

is to be

sent by

Christ.

Jesus

says,

the harvest

is plentiful

but the

workers are

few.

Ask the

Lord of the

harvest,

therefore,

to send

workers into

his harvest

field.

Go,

I am

sending

you.

Let's

pray.

Our

loving,

glorious,

heavenly

Father,

oh,

what joy

is ours,

what blessings

are ours,

what privilege

belong to

us as

being followers

of you.

Father,

we thank you

so much for

sending your

son.

We thank you

that he died

upon the

cross for

our sins,

so that

whoever may

believe in

him may

have life

in his

name.

And we

thank you

that that

same Jesus,

our saviour,

our redeemer,

our Lord,

is the one

who now sends

us into the

mission field.

And Lord,

that makes

all the

difference.

We thank

you that he

provides for

us, that

you will

protect us.

And Lord,

we pray that

you will raise

up more

harvest workers

as we go.

Lord, the

harvests are

indeed plentiful.

And Lord,

we long to

see Edinburgh

save for

Christ.

We long to

see that when

we look out

upon Edinburgh

and see the

thousands of

people who

are right

now lost,

that they

will be brought

near to you.

That they

would accept

the message

of Christ.

They would

accept the

gospel and

therefore have

their names

written in

heaven along

with our

names.

Father, help

us keep an

eternal perspective

on our lives.

Father, help us

to focus on

what is to

come.

That one day

we will stand

there with

every tribe,

tongue, and

nation, glorifying

and honouring

your name before

your throne as

we see you

face to face.

Christ.

Oh, Father, may

that motivate us

today to go

out to make

even more

disciples so

our friends,

our families,

our work

colleagues, our

neighbours can

stand with us

as we worship

your holy name.

Help us, we

pray, to do so,

Lord, not out of a

sense of duty, but

of a love for you

and of a sense of

great joy that you

have given us.

we ask this in

Jesus Christ's

precious name.

Amen.