Motives in Service

Tonight we're going to be in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9, verses 35 to 38.

Matthew 9:35–38

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,

preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless,

like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples,

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be the servant of all, putting ourselves last.

Today I want to use this passage to look at our motives in service.

So easily it can be pride, obligation, or fear.

But these are all flawed.

To fuel our actions, our motives must align with Jesus himself.

So let's look at what motivated Jesus in this text.

We see Jesus' motivation is compassion for the people he is with.

He sees them as lost sheep, harassed, and helpless.

Before we explore this further, let's put the passage in context.

We are in Matthew's account of Jesus' life.

He repeatedly reminds us that Jesus is the Messiah and Savior that the Jews are waiting for,

through explaining the Old Testament scripture.

Jesus has been passing through the lands, displaying his power,

and he has been teaching about God's will and kingdom.

Jesus is willing to cope with the crowds, jostling to see him.

Demanding miracles of him, doubting and rejecting him.

Endless lines of tired and complaining people.

Masses just waiting for him to evict these ruthless Romans.

Jesus desires to face these crowds on a daily basis.

He didn't need to prove himself.

He didn't need their praises.

He didn't need to gain authority.

He had all this when he was on his throne in heaven.

He had chosen to humble himself, leaving all these behind.

He had chosen to get alongside them,

to share mankind's suffering,

to pour out his compassion.

We remember again John 3.16.

For God so loved the world,

that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish,

but have eternal life.

God so loved the world.

His love was his motivation.

Here Jesus saw the crowds as sheep without a shepherd.

An image we may have heard many times,

but what does it mean?

Let's try and draw some explanations from scripture.

Firstly, Psalm 119, verse 176, says,

Psalms 119:176

I have strayed like a lost sheep.

Seek your servant,

for I have not forgotten your commands.

The psalmist has openly confessed

that he has gone away from God and his commands,

but he longs for God to strengthen him

so that he can follow them.

The Bible is littered with individuals and nations

who disobey God's commands,

looking for satisfaction in earthly desires.

Likewise, we do the same.

We look for lasting satisfaction

in work, relationships, or hobbies.

Good things, but not capable of eternal satisfaction.

When idolized,

they can cause us to stray away from God's commands.

The second illustration is from Luke 15,

Luke 15:3–7

verses 3 to 7.

Then Jesus told them this parable.

Suppose one of you has a hundred street

and loses one of them.

Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country

and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

And when he finds it,

he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.

Then he calls his friends and neighbors together

and says,

Rejoice with me.

I have found my lost sheep.

I tell you that in the same way,

there will be more rejoicing in heaven

over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine righteous persons

who do not need to repent.

Here Jesus makes a direct comparison

of a man wandering from God and sinning

to a sheep wandering from the flock.

So when Jesus sees the crowd

as wandering sheep,

he sees them for what they are,

sinners,

people who have rejected him,

his Father,

and the Holy Spirit.

Yet he loves them despite this.

He longs for them to know him.

He sees them as precious.

He wants to rejoice and celebrate

just because he has found them

and brought them home.

He cares for them.

The third image is in what we read

earlier in Ezekiel,

but I will focus on Ezekiel 34,

11-12.

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says,

I myself will search for my sheep

and look after them.

I will rescue them from all the places

where they were scattered

on a day of clouds and darkness.

These verses proclaim God

as the shepherd for the lost sheep.

They have strayed,

but God promises

to seek out Israel

once they were scattered.

Likewise,

through his Son,

he promises to seek us out

once we have strayed.

We can trust in

and be thankful for

this promise.

To review these three texts,

why does Jesus see the crowd

as lost

like sheep without a shepherd?

One answer would be

that they had departed

from the God who loved them.

They looked to the world

to satisfy

and to find contentment

not in him,

but in being full of things

around them.

They had disobeyed

God's commands.

Another answer

for the crowd being lost

can be drawn from Ezekiel

in that they are lost

because they didn't have

good teachers

pointing them to God,

but rather false teachers

exploiting and failing the people.

Israel had false teachers

proclaiming religiosity

as the means to knowing God.

But today there are

many false gospels,

objects and dreams

that people put their hope

in to satisfy.

The crowds have gone astray

looking to be healthy,

wealthy and wise.

God has moved

to the periphery.

In doing so,

they have sinned against God

and God alone.

What's the consequence

of straying?

Let's reflect on

our own lives

prior to coming to put

our hope and trust

in Christ as our Lord

or those times

when we forget

God's love for us

and we wander.

We can feel helpless

at seeing the tasks

around us.

We can feel restless,

always looking for

the next thing to satisfy

or we are impatient

with the lack of fruits

of our labour.

We can feel exhausted,

unable to keep going.

We can feel worthless,

struggling to find

our value and identity

in the things around us.

We can feel lost

as to what is the purpose

and hope for our actions.

Our joys don't last,

our sufferings leave us bitter.

We blame others,

we curse and we cry.

These emotions

are not unique to us.

So for those not

in the body of Christ,

let's not assume

they are satisfied.

Like us,

they are in the same

fallen, broken world

that we are in

with similar anxieties,

trials and pains.

They are often harassed

and helpless.

So let's realise

their need

for the same compassion

that we were shown.

As we do this,

try and see people

through the eyes of God.

Through the gospel

they follow,

what they put their hope in.

Let's long to save them

from false teachers,

all the while remembering

that God promised

to be the shepherd.

Jesus came in response

to be a true teacher,

pointing and leading them

to God.

Jesus came to show the path,

drawing people

back to himself.

How will he do this?

John 10, verse 11,

John 10:11

Jesus says,

I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd

lays down his life

for the sheep.

Jesus says this,

but he knows

that he will lay down

his life willingly

for us on the cross.

He knows we have strayed,

he knows we are all sinners,

and we are helpless

by ourselves.

But in dying for us

on the cross,

he makes a path

for us to return

to the green pastures

of God's kingdom

so that we can see

and know God's love.

Let's daily remind ourselves

of the cost it was

to find us

and bring us back,

the anguish,

pain,

and the tears

of the cross,

willingly taken out

of compassion

and a boundless love.

We are quick

to forget this.

We wonder

at what man has made

and get lost

in our task lists

and work.

We overlook

the broken relationships

between one another

and with God.

We forget

the reason he made us

so that we can bask

in his love

and worship him.

And as we relish

in our Father's

intimate love,

we have compassion

for those around us

who do not yet know him,

who don't have

the Father's rest,

who struggle

looking for answers,

who are wandering

like lost sheep.

We will move on

to how Jesus'

compassion manifested.

He taught,

proclaimed the gospel,

and he healed,

all of which

the Holy Spirit

can continue to do

through us.

As well as this,

on the back

of what he has witnessed,

Jesus calls

his disciples to pray.

But first he said,

the harvest is plentiful,

but the work is a few.

What does Jesus mean

by the harvest?

If we look at Matthew 13,

24 to 30,

Jesus told them

another parable.

The kingdom of heaven

is like a man

who sowed good seed

in his field,

but while everyone

was sleeping,

his enemy came

and sowed weeds

among the wheat

and went away.

And when the wheat

sprouted

and formed heads,

then the weeds

also appeared.

The owner's servants

came to him

and said,

Sir,

didn't you sow

good seed

in your field?

Where then

did the weeds

come from?

An enemy did this,

he replied.

The servants asked him,

Do you want us

to go and pull them up?

No,

he answered,

because while you're

pulling the weeds,

you may uproot

the wheat with them.

Let both grow together

until the harvest.

At that time,

I will tell the harvesters,

first collect the weeds

and tie them in bundles

to be burned.

Then gather the wheat

and bring it into my barn.

The harvest is the individuals

who will be brought

into the kingdom of God.

The weeds are those

that reject God.

So in saying

the harvest is plentiful,

the crowds are people

who can be saved.

Yes,

they have gone astray,

but they can be brought in.

By what means

does God bring them in?

His work is.

What are Jesus' disciples

called to do?

Pray,

asking the Lord

of the harvest

to send out workers

into his harvest field.

So let's pray regularly

and earnestly

for people to go

to share this good news

of a Christ

who died for us,

restoring our relationship

with a loving God

so that those

who are lost

can confess

and turn from their sins

and their desires

to go astray

so that then

they can receive

a hope

and assurance

of an eternal life.

We too often forget

the power of prayer,

but as we lay our hopes

and desires

before the Lord,

he will establish them.

Plans and desires

by themselves

will not succeed

unless they are in line

with God's will

and this can only

be achieved

through prayer.

Next,

we shall look

at how this prayer

is answered

in the next chapter,

Matthew 10,

Matthew 10:5–8

verses 5 to 8.

These twelve,

Jesus sent out

with the following

instructions.

Do not go among

the Gentiles

or enter any town

of the Samaritans.

Go rather to the

lost sheep of Israel.

As you go,

proclaim this message.

The kingdom of heaven

has come near.

Heal the sick,

raise the dead,

cleanse those

who have leprosy,

drive out demons.

Freely you have received,

freely give.

They are to be

the answer

to their own prayer.

They went themselves.

The disciples

were called

to go to Israel

first

because throughout

the Old Testament

there had been

signs of Jesus' coming.

They had the

covenant promises.

They were waiting

for God's Messiah.

Therefore,

they had been

prepared to receive

the gospel.

Later it would be

time for the good news

to come to the rest.

This was God's plan.

Likewise,

God commands us

as the people

have put their hope

in Jesus

to be workers

in the harvest field.

We don't know

who will respond,

but we know

God is sovereign

and he alone

can save.

Our walk before

an almighty God

is not measured

by the successes

of our conversations,

but rather our

obedience and desire

to serve God.

God's love.

So let's be the

answer to our

own prayers

to willingly

listen to the call

to gather in the

sheep by telling

them the good news

of the gospel,

that there is a

good shepherd

who laid down

his life for all.

So to give this

a practical application,

firstly,

we need to remind

ourselves of God's

love and compassion,

how this displayed

itself in him

becoming man,

pouring himself

out for us.

We do this by

dwelling and

meditating on God's

word of the Bible,

allowing the spirit

to use the words

to change our

hearts and desires.

We must also

remind ourselves

of God's blessings

for us,

his promises

and his nature.

God doesn't

change,

doesn't love us

any less,

doesn't forget

about us.

We forget him,

what he did,

and that he longs

for us to find

our rest in him.

As we do this,

we are filled

with God's love

so that it overflows

into our relationships

with others.

Secondly,

we need to change

our perspectives

of people,

no longer see them

through the world's

perspective of

satisfaction,

achievement,

and status,

but rather through

Jesus' perspective

of their relationship

to God.

We must see them

as the weeds

to be burned

unless they repent,

as the sheep

that are lost

and helpless

as we once were,

their pains,

their struggles,

their frustrations,

and their sorrows.

In doing so,

we will nurture

compassion and longing

for people to find

a sure hope

and lasting rest

in God.

We want them

to experience

the same love

that we have

and have the privilege

of being able

to offer.

Let me tell you

a quick story

of a famous evangelist,

Dwight L. Moody.

When D.L. Moody

was in London

during one of his tours,

several British clergymen

visited him.

They wanted to know

how and why

this poorly educated

American

was so effective

in proclaiming

the gospel.

Moody took the three men

to the window

of his hotel room

and asked each in turn

what they saw.

One by one,

the men described

the people

in the park below.

Then Moody

looked out the window

with tears

rolling down

his cheeks.

What do you see,

Mr. Moody?

asked one of the men.

I see countless

thousands of souls

that will one day

spend eternity

in hell

if they do not

find the saviour.

Moody had

God's perspective

and God's love.

Let's do the same.

Thirdly,

let's not forget

a reliance on prayer.

Mark 14, 36.

Jesus prays,

yet not what I will,

but what you will.

Jesus here

is in the Garden

of Gethsemane

facing his own crucifixion.

He longs to not have

to go through

the pain and suffering,

but he acknowledges

God as Lord of all

and that he knows

what is best

for his life.

As we pray,

we also acknowledge

this and that he is

Lord over the harvest

and our own lives.

We align our will

with his

so that we no longer

desire the life

that is satisfying to us,

but the life

that is obedient

and pleasing to God.

As we long

to become obedient,

we become willing

to cross the pain line,

we become willing

to put others

before ourselves,

and we become willing

to share the reason

for the hope

that we have

in the gospel.

Therefore,

let's obey the call

and go.

Let's get alongside others.

Let's be amongst

the harvest,

sharing life with them,

and let our actions

and speech

be a glimpse

of the God

who created us,

sustains us,

and loves us.

The God filled

with compassion.

The God that is

the good shepherd

who laid down

his life for us,

and ensuring

a distinctive love,

people will ask

the question,

why are they different?

And then they will look

and see that it's

because we know

that it was Christ

who first loved us.

To close,

I would like to touch

on how this passage

influences how we

approach the Family Fun Day.

We pray for the day

so the congregation

can go out

into the community

and share the good news

of Jesus.

furthermore,

as we invite

friends and family,

we do it boldly

because we are doing it

with a compassion

for our community.

We love them

and long to show

this in how we serve

them on the day,

whether it be food,

welcoming them,

or including them

in the games

and activities.

This compassion

leads us to want

to know them,

know their struggles.

We want to show

how much God

rejoices in repentance

when those who are lost

come back

and choose to return

God's love to him.

We want them

to share in the joy

that is greater

than anything else

this world has to offer.

Amen.