Ep. 046 Prepare for the Harvest

Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located

in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship

Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism,

discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church

and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bigford and I will be your

host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing

to you and bring you closer to God.

Hello and welcome back to the Salmon Arm Potter's House podcast. My name is David Bigford. I'm

the pastor here and today I have a message entitled, Prepare for the Harvest. The text

we'll be using primarily today is going to be Matthew 9, 35-38. But before we do that,

let's jump in and let's consider Ecclesiastes and the Critic. So it's been reported that

after the Dallas Cowboys won their first Super Bowl, legendary football coach Tom Landry

observed the overwhelming emotion in a few days among the players was how empty that

goal was. There must be something more. In Ecclesiastes 1, 2 it says, Vanity of vanities,

it says the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. So when work seems meaningless,

we can start to question our motives. We can start to question the rationality of pushing

through when everything can seem meaningless. So what do people gain from their labors at

which they toil under the sun? It says in Ecclesiastes 1, 3. The Cowboys were not the

first ones to learn that the great professional success isn't necessarily coupled with deep

satisfaction. The author of Ecclesiastes reminds us, this is an ancient experience. He was

the king of Israel and yet he writes, I have seen all the things that are done under the

sun. All of them are meaningless, a chasing after wind, which is Ecclesiastes 1, 14. He

is a conflicted soul as demonstrated by way of his arguments, often within himself throughout

the book of Ecclesiastes. It's particularly acute where work is concerned. Ecclesiastes

2, 11 he says, yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to

achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after wind. Nothing was gained under the sun.

Later in Ecclesiastes we also read, I know that there is nothing better for people than

to be happy and to do good while they live, that each of them may eat and drink and find

satisfaction in all their toil. This is the gift of God, Ecclesiastes 3, 12-13.

But the optimism is short lived and I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from

one person's envy to another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind, in

Ecclesiastes 4, 4. Many people resonate with this cycle of enthusiasm and despair regarding

their own labor. But the inclusion of this book in the Bible teaches us that God hears

our troubles, that he acknowledges them, and that he is not indifferent to the small frictions

that loom large in our lives. Apply the word, the phrase, under the sun appears in this

book 29 times. Does this reinforce the pointlessness of work with an image of the sun circling

endlessly across the sky while nothing ever changes? Or does it refer to a world beyond

the fall, not under the sun, where work would not be in vain? So we have to keep this message

in mind as we read Ecclesiastes. Is the push one to look past our current circumstance

or is it to sit in despair? In our text in Matthew 9.35-38 it reads,

The harvest is plentiful, the labors are few. And Jesus went through all the cities and

the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,

and healing every disease and every affliction. And when he saw the crowds, he had compassion

for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said

to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the labors are few. Therefore, pray earnestly

to the Lord at the harvest to send out labors into the harvest.

So the age we live in today is an age of the critic. We live in a very polarized, cynical

world that is hyper-focused on earthly gain and individual truth. We have all heard the

phrase, common sense is no longer common. Why is it that we view the world so harshly

today? Is the world any better or worse than it has been in the past? An argument can be

made that we live in one of the most peaceful times in history. If you look at the decadent

Western world, this would be undeniably true. That does not mean we are righteous or holy,

or quite to the contrary. We are very prideful and sinful as a group of nations. But are

we really worse than those that went before us? This is one of the reasons why I like

to look to the wisdom books of the Bible. This group of three books that gives us a

compendium of all this biblical wisdom and knowledge, Proverbs tells us that by doing

right, you will be blessed. Ecclesiastes plays the part of the cynic and the critic, but

ultimately the book agrees with Proverbs, but for a different reason. Life is fleeting

so you should do what's right for the fear of the Lord. And then finally in Job, it shows

us a righteous man who was heavily tested and tempted. His story exemplifies the dos

and the don'ts when life doesn't go our way. The critic first of all acknowledges the perspective

of Proverbs. He says it is really good, a really good idea to learn wisdom and to live

in the fear of the Lord. He says that since you can't control your life, you shouldn't,

you should stop trying. Learn to hold things with an open hand because you really only

have control over one thing and that's your attitude towards the present moment. Stop

worrying he says and choose to enjoy a good conversation with a friend or the son in your

face or a good meal with people that you care about. This brings me to my first point, which

is envision. As laborers, we must envision. It's vitally important that we need to 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. And we must comprehend the consequences of

letting them die without Jesus. They are destined for a lake of fire. We must realize that we

have the information that they need to be rescued from that fate. If we are going to

reap a harvest of souls, then we as a church must envision. We have to see what God sees.

In the first part of Matthew in 935, we read that then Jesus went about all the cities

and all the villages. When we think about a mission field, many times we think of some

place far away. Some other country like Nicaragua, Uganda, Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti, and many

other places in Africa, Asia, South America, all throughout the world. These places are

indeed mission fields, but that verse says that Jesus didn't say we only went to foreign

countries to minister. No, it says he went about the cities and the villages. So we live

in a mission field here in Sammonarm. Enderby can be a mission field. Armstrong can be a

mission field. Tappan, Sycamore, Sorrento, these are all mission fields. Our places of

employment, a bowling alley, grocery store, our homes, our mission fields. Wherever you

go is meant to be 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 as we envision, when we see the mission field,

then we must share. We must share the message. In the second half of Matthew 9.35, we read

teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom. We find the later part

of this verse that Jesus heals sickness and disease. For that very reason, many people

followed Jesus and there were always a crowd around 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 the sick. He made the blind see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak,

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 once again 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

every one of those issues. But there's no benefit in being happy, healthy, and wealthy

in this life and then dying and going to hell and being separated from God for eternity.

Some people are only looking for a crutch. And what they truly need is the message of

the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Romans 10, 13 through 14, it says, For whoever calls

in the name of the Lord shall be saved. 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. We must share the gospel. In Romans 1, 16, Paul said, The gospel of

Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. So let's envision

the mission field and share with them the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus

first shared the gospel, but then he also served them and performed many miracles. So

this brings me to another portion of envisioning the ministry. The word ministry comes from

the Greek word meaning to serve as a slave. Throughout the New Testament, ministry is

seen as a service to God and other people in his name. Ministry involves more than just

sharing. It involves serving. According to our passage, Jesus healed many sicknesses

and diseases, but not only did he feel physical infirmities, he cast out many demons as well.

On a couple of occasions, he fed thousands of people through his ministry. Jesus illustrated

the importance of service. Jesus Christ was the ultimate servant. In 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. The entire life of our Savior was a life of service. Do you remember when he

washed the feet of his disciples? This was a 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 is

below us. Service is vitally important in reaching others for Jesus Christ. Why? Because

serving others points people to Christ. In Matthew 5, 16, it says, let your light so

shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in

heaven. Moving from vanity to purpose to joy in Ecclesiastes

12, 13-14 says the end of the matter all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments.

For this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment and with

every secret thing, whether good or evil. This brings me to my next point, which is

to empathize. As laborers, we must empathize. The purpose of the critic in Ecclesiastes

and tying it to this portion of Matthew is to tie the emotions that we all tend to feel

from time to time and so that we can deal with it head on. We can all be cynical or

despondent. We can all make excuses or do little or nothing. We can tell ourselves that

it doesn't matter. Nobody cares or that there is always tomorrow. The difficulty is having,

maintaining and acting with the mind of God. That is why the scripture is so important.

When Jesus saw these multitudes and he was intensely moved with compassion or empathy

because of their condition. They are described as being a sheep with no shepherd. This was

a multitude of people who were utterly neglected concerning the interests of their soul. There

was no shortage of people and there was 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 still. 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 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 and if we empathize with 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 his feet and we need to start living out what we say we believe. To

get ready for the harvest as laborers, we must envision, we must empathize and finally

we must evangelize. As laborers, we must evangelize. This is my third point which is to evangelize.

At the crux of the book of Ecclesiastes, it highlights the absurdities of life. Guided

by the words of the teacher, the book begins with everything is meaningless, completely

meaningless. The word translated as meaningless in Hebrew is the word Hevel. It translates

into vapor breath which in the context of the book indicates the idea of something fleeting.

Ecclesiastes is simultaneously a book about life and death. Extending beyond an emotional

experience the death is poised as an inevitable part of life. There are two sides of the same

coin. The book reflects on death and how that should inform our time in life. It is a book

of optimism and pessimism. It is a book of both and this contrasts to the Great Commission

and the harvest field. It pushes us to judge our own actions in light of the blazing light

of Jesus' words and his call to us if we are to follow him. He is the servant king

and he calls us to be servants as well. Evangelism is defined as spreading of the gospel of Christ

by public preaching or personal witness. Please notice that. Evangelism is a necessary work.

Jesus told his disciples the harvest is truly plentiful. He says, look guys, there's

plenty of people who need to hear the message. There are plenty of people who need to be

heard. The mission field is ready. It's ripe. The harvest is now. Jesus wanted these men

to know that there was a great work to be done. Today there are also many, many more

people in the field than there were in Jesus' time. These people are in great need. They

are like sheep without a 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, evangelism is a neglected work. If the harvest truly is plentiful but

the labors are few, we really need to start questioning our own motives. Jesus tells us

therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labors into the harvest. Jesus makes

it clear that the time for harvest is now. The harvest is ready. People need to be reached

for the sake of the gospel. But he also declares that there was a great problem. There are

few labors to work the fields. That is a problem that was still present in our world today.

There's a field ripe and ready to be harvested but there's still too few who are willing

to take up that work. A tragedy of life and all 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. That's

a quote from William Barclay. In closing, and as followers of Jesus Christ, we have

a lot of work to do and we have very 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. I just celebrated my 43rd birthday so I'm pretty young but still that doesn't

give me a lot of time. If I lived to my 80s that gives me 40 more years of service. Roughly

40 more years of service. So I'm past the halfway point on my life even if I just make

it to my early 80s. Ecclesiastes says that wisdom has limits. If the message of Proverbs

is this is how you should live your life, the message of Ecclesiastes is a response

saying I did it and it didn't work. But there's a split on interpreting this book. Is this

a positive outlook on life or is this a negative outlook on life? Strong cases can be made

for both but regardless Ecclesiastes has a message to stop worrying about the future,

to stop chasing after perfection, to be content with where you are in life and to follow God.

Follow God. Ultimately Ecclesiastes shows us that everything is fleeting and much of

our life is out of our control and yet there are quiet invitations beneath the surface

to do our best in everything, to be wise and to find enjoyment in the small things. Even

as Heavil is part of our natural human experience, even as the vapor of our life is built in

to this world, we need to choose to embrace contentment in the present, to release those

anxious worries about the future and to trust in God. So here's some questions for you

to ponder today. Do you see the potential harvest? Do you see the field? Do you see

these countless lost souls? Do you see that the world is turning away from God in a way

that's quite frightening? Meaning the field is growing. It's becoming more ripe for the

harvest every day. And then you have to ask yourself, are you willing to do what it takes

to work in the field? Now working in the field can come in a lot of different ways, but are

you willing to evangelize? Are you willing to support the work of evangelists and the

support the work of those that are in the field? Will you see what Jesus saw when you

look out on those masses of people who are unsaved? Will you feel what Jesus felt when

He said that they're like sheep without a shepherd? Will you do what Jesus did? Will

you humbly serve others and bring them the message of salvation? So may we here at the

Potter South Church come together and envision and empathize and evangelize. When we do these

things then we will be ready, said the harvest. And so as a prayer, I just want to say, 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've called us to. Help us to empathize with the loss and help us to evangelize

the world. Starting right here in Salmon Arm with your gospel. Help us to be ready for

the harvest. So with that, if I could have every head bowed, every eye closed, wherever

you're listening to this message, of course, unless you're driving or you're operating

heavy machinery. I appreciate you listening on your drive or while you work. But I want

to give a quick invitation. Because the whole purpose of everything we do is for this invitation.

If you're not right with God and this message has impacted you, maybe a friend or somebody

sent you this recording, I want you to know that the time is now. The time is now for

you to accept Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior. If that's you and this message has

impacted you and you know you're not right with God, but you want to be. I want you to

signify that uplifted hand. I know this is a recording, but God can see you in the future.

He can see you. And if you rose your hand and you meant that, you want your life to

be changed. You want Jesus Christ. You want salvation. And I want you just to repeat after

me, dear Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I also know that you sent your son Jesus

Christ and that he came to earth and he died for my sins. And then he rose from the grave.

I repent of my sins and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. And I thank you for salvation

through grace. Amen. That simple prayer moves you from death into life. And I pray also

that dear Lord, I pray that you would fill your servants with the Holy Spirit, with the

joy that comes with salvation. And I pray that you would help them and solidify them

in your name. So I want to thank you for listening to these messages to this podcast. I want

to ask you to like, share, subscribe, spread that out. There's another podcast list to

talks about the fee, the fee being to share the message. We have a fee in Christianity

too. It's to share the message. It's to be prepared for the harvest. It's to be, you

know, in envisioning the harvest and so that you can understand that there's work to be

done. It's to have empathy on the lost so that we do not get puffed up in our own pride,

but we empathize and we understand that there's a lost world that needs to be reached. And

then ultimately to evangelize, to preach the gospel, to share your testimony to others.

So again, thank you for listening. I pray that you have a blessed day, a blessed week

and God bless you. I'll see you next time.