LIVING WITH GOSPEL URGENCY - Matthew 9:35-38

well all right if you have a Bible or an

app let's open it up we are going to be

in the gospel of Matthew this morning

we're going to be looking at chapter

nine and we're going to be looking at

some unique but really set aart verses

where Jesus is um really offering this

command to his disciples to

consider the urgency and the need to

proclaim the Gospel Matthew chapter 9:

35-38

many of you who know me know that I'm

very type A Very Organized individual so

much so that I'm already planning my

sermon calendar for

2026 and so originally we were supposed

to be in the book of Acts this morning

we were going to um kick it off again in

Acts chapter nine but as mentioned last

week Pastor Eric and I we we were at a

conference this past week and I I sat in

on a breakout session that really talked

about how to incorporate the

um the I'm getting tongue tight here

again the challenge to

evangelize um and the understanding that

that we live in a culture where we must

be persistent with the gospel and as I

began to just receive the wisdom and the

teaching from this breakout session that

there was just an overwhelming

conviction that came over me if you've

been with us the past couple of weeks we

had just finished a sermon series on the

return of Jesus where we looked at what

the Bible tells us about the return of

Christ what does the Bible say how are

we to live prepared lives and really how

that should stir a passion and an

excitement as we look forward to the day

of the Lord's return and then I began to

consider this I began to Think

Through well I've challenge the church

over the last four weeks to to Really

step into this anticipation

and this Joy really of of looking

forward to the Lord's return and I was

challenging you with this question are

you ready for the Lord's return and my

hope and my prayer is that our response

was yes I'm ready for the Lord's return

but then I began to feel convicted have

I really challenged the church you may

feel that you're ready for the Lord's

return but what if your neighbor's not

what if your your spouse is not what if

your children are not what if the

cooworker down the hall is not ready for

the Lord's return what what are we and

and and more challenging what are you

doing to ensure that they have heard the

gospel message and so what I want to do

this morning is I want to talk about

what it looks like to live with gospel

urgency and it's no secret that we live

in a world that is rought in sin a

culture that is filled with nothing but

evil chaos and destruction and you know

the this just as well as I do that the

enemy is set on one goal the enemy is

set on one thing and that is to steal

kill and destroy and often times we

experience this battle in our own life

but but what I find where the enemy

really attempts and likes to thrive is

in his desire to silence The Messengers

of the gospel and here in just a moment

as we read the words of Jesus he's going

to to speak with such

urgency on why we should be compelled

and challenged to share the gospel with

the world around us and here's what I

want to challenge you to do throughout

the message this morning we need to

understand that this call is not a call

for tomorrow it's it's not a call for a

later date this is a call that exists

now there are people all around us that

are drowning in sin that are lost in

evil that are getting captured Ed in the

chaos of the destruction of this world

and what they need is not self-help what

they need is not worldly forms of

therapy but what they need is the gospel

the gospel is what Saves The Gospel is

what calls people home the gospel don't

miss this the gospel is the answer to

the problems in this world now let me

just Camp there for just just a moment

because often times we can be cynical I

I'll admit it I'm I'm I'm very cynical

probably overcritical uh it in some

areas of my life and and even now as I

say that that the gospel is the answer

to to the hurts in this world that

that's way easier said than done it's

way easier believed than experienced but

it's the truth and when we talk about

the gospel being the answer to all the

problems in this world we're we're not

talking about your life being perfect

we're not talking about that that even

the darkness that you face and the

storms that you endure will disappear

overnight now I know many of your

stories and I know some of your

testimonies better than I know others

and and I've heard how God indeed has

shown up and miraculously removed

whatever storm you were facing whatever

addiction or habits or vice or

Temptation that was overtaking your life

and from one moment to the next God

through his majesty and his power remove

that and praise God but remember it's

not either or it can be both end and

then others I've heard from you how

you've been a Christian for

decades and yet you are consistantly

confronted with the pain and the

struggle and The Temptations of your

past and I've reveled in the goodness of

God and the grace demonstrated over your

life and and the indwelling power of the

Holy Spirit that is so evident in your

life's story that that even when I hear

that you still struggle with the pain

and temptations of your

past that you don't give into

them but that rather they're purposed by

God so that you can consistently and

continually cling to the hope of the

Gospel so here in Matthew chapter nine

Jesus he's in the thick of early

Ministry and if you're familiar with the

whole of Matthew chapter 9 there's this

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

this progress of of Jesus healing people

one after another as he demonstrates

that he indeed is the Son of God and and

what's really neat is is Matthew is

painting this picture that Christ indeed

is King he's not just king of creation

he's he's not just King of the universe

he doesn't just have all

authority over everything that exists

but it's not just a a a Mac type of

authority but it's micro as well it's

not just that God is king of creation

but God is king of my life God is king

of your life and I love how Matthew

paints this picture beautifully on how

Jesus heals diseases how Jesus raises

people from the dead and and then Jesus

gets into this word and Matthew chapter

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

9 beginning in verse 33 or 35

rather as spiritual Darkness seems to

overshadow and loom in the nation of

Israel remember they're under Roman rule

being subjugated by an authority that is

not the king of creation it's in this

environment that Jesus models to us how

we are supposed to engage with a lost

world so Matthew chapter 9 beginning in

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

verse 35 here's how it

reads Jesus went throughout all the

cities and villages teaching in their

synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of

the kingdom and healing every disease

and every

Affliction do you know what the greatest

disease and the greatest Affliction is

that you and I deal with it's the

disease and affliction of sin now I

never want to make the words of the

Gospel metaphorical but but there's a

beautiful picture that's being painted

here we see this throughout the life and

Ministry of Jesus you even see this into

the life and Ministry of the disciples

in the early church as we read in the

book of Acts these Miracles are being

displayed these signs and wonders are

being accomplished and disease and

afflictions are being healed but not so

that we would just Revel in the health

physical health of people but rather

that would be what the Catalyst that

propels people to Greater faith in Jesus

Christ and this is what Christ is

getting at this is the picture Matthew

is painting verse

36 when he speaking of Jesus when he saw

the

crowds he had compassion for them we're

going to focus on verse 36 here in just

a bit but if you like underlining or

highlighting verses in your Bible verse

36 is one because they were harassed and

helpless like sheep without a

Shepherd then he Jesus said to his

disciples the Harvest is

plentiful but the labor laborers are

few therefore pray earnestly to the lord

of the Harvest to send out laborers into

his Harvest and all God's people said

amen Lord would you bless your word Holy

Spirit would you stir our

hearts praise

God if we truly believe that Jesus

indeed is the hope of the world

then I hope we believe the words of

Jesus and and really this pattern we see

throughout the scripture that your life

my life and the life of the people

around us that that our time is

short compared to the span of Eternity

the scripture in the Book of

Ecclesiastes calls your life and my life

Vapor Dust in the

Wind and so because our life is short

that means that the mission is is urgent

and here's what makes the mission all

the more urgent is that the stakes are

Eternal the consequences of a life lived

in Rebellion to Jesus don't just extend

this side of

Eternity but extend beyond your last

breath and what we want is just what

Christ wants that all would come to

saving faith in him

but I love how Paul so eloquently puts

it in his letter to the church in Rome

he says how beautiful are the feet of

those who proclaim the good

news now here's where it gets

ironic because the feet of the early

Disciples of the Evangelist and the

missionaries and ancient Biblical times

were far from

beautiful they were muddy dirty

disgusting the

stench and yet Paul refers to those feet

as beautiful what makes those feet

beautiful not the fact that they treaded

upon this world to plant churches and

call people to Christ what what makes

them beautiful is the gospel itself the

message that was heralded and proclaimed

that's what makes our feet beautiful

further Paul goes on in his letter to

the romes to say that people will

believe when they

hear and people will only hear when the

gospel is preached and the gospel will

be preached when people are

sent did you know if you're a son and

daughter of God you have been sent by

the most high God to proclaim the gospel

message and it's not a message where we

should be idle and laxidasical with it

should be a message

that empowers us so that we can go and

Proclaim it to a world in need the time

is short you don't know when your last

day will

be you don't know when the last day will

be of a family member a coworker a

colleague a neighbor which is all the

more reason why we should be people that

live with gospel urgency Jesus gives us

a pattern to follow and it's one that we

need to take ser seriously so here's

what I want to do with our remaining

time let's go back to our passage and as

we continue to think through our own

life of how I can live with gospel

urgency how I can live with this passion

to Proclaim preach and invite people

into the kingdom of God we're going to

go back to Matthew chapter nine and

we're going to look at a threefold

picture that Matthew is painting here

with his words it's a it's a picture

that shows us the pattern

of how we should live with gospel

urgency it's a picture that shows us

what compassion really looks like and

the final picture that we'll look at is

my favorite it's a picture of

you though it was a word written to the

church thousands of years ago if you're

a son and daughter of God by extension

this is a word delivered to you it's a

word delivered to us it's a word that

the Grove should be convicted challenged

and called to live by if you're taking

notes here's the first picture that we

see we see this pattern that Jesus gives

us Jesus provides what life should look

like when we live with gospel urgency go

back with me to verse

35 Jesus went throughout all the cities

and Villages teaching in their

synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of

the kingdom and healing every disease

and and every

Affliction he went he

proclaimed and he

healed that same pattern should be one

that

defines our life like Jesus we should

go like Jesus we should tell and like

Jesus we should

give but Roland this is done in a

historical context

when Jesus God himself in the flesh

proclaimed the gospel that he was The

Great I Am the Lamb of God who's come to

take away the sins of the world what

does that look like for me I'm glad you

asked let's break each of those down

what does it mean that Jesus went that

Jesus goes here's here's what it means

Jesus didn't wait for people to come to

him now if I'm honest with you and I

pray that you be honest with yourself I

think often times this is what we do

we agree with Biblical principles like

this and we know in our heart of hearts

that that we should be living with

gospel urgency but for whatever reason

maybe it's shame maybe it's fear maybe

it's Pride maybe it's it's it's a slew

of other things we we don't live with a

type of urgency where we go to the

people who are in need but we wait we

wait for people to come to us we wait

for opportun unities and and there's

there's a great truth to that we need to

be so sensitive to the spirit that in

our waiting for the Lord to work and the

Lord to move that we would recognize

open doors at the office in our living

room at the Ballpark at the practice

field that we would step into these

doors that God is opening but here's

what I found more more and more in my

life that the more we live in this

pattern of going rather than waiting the

more and more we'll see God open doors

in our life the more and more that we'll

see God show us the people who are in

desperate need of the Gospel message and

and here is what I know that you already

know you already know the people God has

called you

to some of you have been praying for

years for that person to open up their

heart to Christ God is already laid on

your heart the people that you are to go

tell and give your life away too and so

what do we see in this pattern we see

that Jesus went throughout all the

cities and

Villages here's the

kicker it's not just enough to be

present now mind you there is power in

the ministry of presence I'm not

degrading it I'm not devaluing it but I

think so often we think just being

present is

enough but people don't know if if you

present for a Personal Agenda they they

don't know if you're present for another

gospel for another religion for another

belief for another ideological system

what are you being present for which is

why it's important to tell them why what

does Jesus

do he taught in their

synagogues and what did he teach teach

he proclaimed to the people the

kingdom Jesus proclaimed the

gospel let me tell you why this is

important because the world is filled

with so many differing voices so many

differing

opinions and it is very difficult for

people believe it or not to determine

which one is

true praise God that the grace of our

Lord Jesus has called you out of sin and

into his life Everlasting into life

eternal so that you know which voice is

true you know how to distinguish what is

Holy from what is not not from what is

true from what is a lie you know how to

distinguish that and I pray that we all

would continue to grow and how we're

able to discern the truth of God from

the lies of this world but people who

don't know Jesus they don't know what

voice to

believe which is why we need to step

into their world the way Jesus stepped

into ours and what did he do he went he

came he taught not only that what else

did he do he gave now ultimately he gave

his life away the scripture says that he

gave through healing all the diseases

and every Affliction in other words

Jesus met real

needs he recognized where people lacked

and he provided for them and again the

healing of every disease and every

Affliction was was not so that that

would terminate on itself but that would

be the Catalyst an Open Door an open

window into the hearts of people to to

point them to the gospel message which

is why time and time again when Jesus

healed someone he would follow it up

with these words now go

and sin no more you're supposed to know

that go and sin no

more it was a call to live out the

greater

healing to live out the greater purpose

which is the kingdom of God so if Jesus

has set this path pattern for you and I

then we need to ask ourselves are we

going are we telling are we

giving and like we mentioned last week

that's going to look different for every

single one of us and maybe you're

sitting there and you're thinking well

Roland I'm I'm Not A Gifted speaker um

I'm not a pastor I'm not a Sunday school

teacher I'm not a evangelist I'm I'm

just a blue collar worker I work my 40

hours couple

overtimes some weekends out of the year

and that's

it did you know you have a greater and

often times a wider net of

ministry than paid Church staff did you

know

that because of the vocation that you

have don't miss this God has uniquely

placed you there in that office in that

classroom in that meeting with clients

on that phone phone call to be the light

and the voice of the gospel for a world

in need are we living with gospel

urgency Jesus shows us the pattern but

Jesus didn't just go and tell and give

but it was rooted in what it was rooted

in compassion this is what I love for

taking notes right here's the second

picture that we see it's a picture of

compassion and what does that tell us

that you and I are called to be people

of compassion here's what I love we've

done a great job of of really separating

compassion from being a verb here's what

I mean by that in the original Greek

language that word

compassion wasn't just an emotional

feeling rather the word compassion at

its Tru means that you felt it in your

gut that that that this feel le as you

looked upon as Jesus says sheep without

a Shepherd people that were helpless

because they're lost in their sin they

don't know what voice to believe they're

being tossed to and fro by every wind

and wave of Doctrine as the author of

Hebrews tells us the culture is eating

them for breakfast they don't know what

to do Jesus sees that and he feels it in

his heart in his gut he feels it in his

body and and and and this is where where

the fault is on us

because we say we have compassion but if

that compassion does not move us to

action then it's not the compassion of

scripture because when the scripture

tells us that Jesus had

compassion it meant that he he felt it

so much enough that it compelled him to

act when was the last time you looked at

someone who was lost in their sin and

felt

passion let me hit the pause button here

because this is this is worth mentioning

this is very

important here is a a good litmus test

for your spiritual

maturity do you look at someone else's

sin and judge them or do you look at

someone else's sin and are moved with

compassion for

them it's very easy to judge other

people that just sin differently than

you and

I but it's something else entirely it's

a holy spirit thing to look at people

and not judge but to have the compassion

of the Savior and what does that

compassion do that compassion moves him

to act go back with me to verse

36 when he saw the

crowds he had compassion for them

because they were harassed and helpless

like sheep without a Shepherd there is

this lost uh this this feeling because

the world is lost the hurting world

needs Jesus do you feel the weight of

compassion for them now now let's go

back let's look at the sequence of

this how Jesus's compassion compels him

to act what do we find there he

recognized

the

need he truly saw people he didn't

glance at them he didn't just walk by

them but he looked into their lives and

he saw what was lacking now this is this

is a double-sided

coin many of them were lacking physical

health because of disease Affliction and

ailments that they had endured many for

years their whole life but the greater

need was what the greater need was the

Gospel do you recognize that there are

people who need the

gospel and if you do what are you doing

about it here's here's something that is

so convicting and and this creates a

tension in my life which is which is why

I take preaching so seriously which is

why and I I shared this with you guys

last week There's I I've been undergoing

a season where the spirit has been

working in in my life and and preaching

has really been a struggle not because I

don't love it it's one of the greatest

parts of my responsibilities as your

pastor that I love that I enjoy I love

studying God's word I love opening his

word and proclaiming the truth of the

scriptures but I have felt the

weight of the possibility of of people

sitting in our services hearing the

gospel message and still not responding

in faith that weight burdens me

and it causes me often times to my

detriment to attempt to play the role of

the Holy

Spirit as if I rolling can ever reason

people into the kingdom of God but what

do we need to do we simply need to rely

on God's truth we recognize the need the

greatest need that people are lost and

Scattered helpless sheep without a

shepherd and so what do we do we act how

are you acting

how are you moving

forward when God called The Prophet

Jeremiah to go and proclaim a message of

Hope and judgment to the

Israelites Jeremiah attempted to come up

with all sorts of

excuses but God told him you've been

given a task you see a people in need

you know what you need to do and

Jeremiah if you don't do it their blood

is on your hands

what what a weight to

Bear now we know ultimately Jesus has

bore the weight in the burden of your

sin and my sin but that does not excuse

us from our participatory actions that

should take place in partnership with

the spirit as the kingdom moves forward

do you know how God moves the kingdom

forward do you know how churches

continue to exist you know how people

continue to come to Faith In Jesus one

it's through the Sovereign will of God

yes and amen but number two God chooses

to enact his plan purpose and will

through you and

I we have a purpose we have a role we

have a

responsibility and if I lack in my

responsibility then I'm walking in

Disobedience to the

Savior if I lack in the call God has

placed on my life and your life we walk

in Disobedience to our

Savior and as I said last week I never

want to be living and walking in

Disobedience to our Lord when was the

last time you wept for the

lost you remember quick

picture the final days of Jesus's life

he's about to enter into

Jerusalem he goes to the mountain toop

and he's overlooking the city he's

overlooking the people he's going to die

for the people who are going to reject

him murder him call him a blasphemer and

yet he gives his life for them and the

scripture says it's one of the shortest

scriptures in all the Bible it says

Jesus

wept why because he saw it people who

were

helpless people who were lost people

with sheep people who are sheep without

a

Shepherd so we're called to follow this

pattern we're called to cultivate

compassion here's the last picture that

we see it's a picture of

you God calling

you now scripture talks about laborers

in here but did you know that we are the

laborers I think we do a great

job of looking at the world recognizing

the

needs but then not moving

to act in other words we'll say yeah

people need the gospel I'll fund

missionaries I'll fund ministerial

efforts

programs but how are you stepping into

what God is

doing many of you have gifts and

talents that God has uniquely given

you that can be uniquely used in the

Kingdom through this local church in

this community and the areas around us

and he's gifted them to

you why aren't you being a CO laborer

with Christ in advancement of his

kingdom the urgency of the Gospel is

here it needs to be proclaimed people

need to know and despite despite the

overwhelming need that is so evident in

the world around us Jesus says there are

still not enough workers in the

field I love how throughout the

scripture you see agricultural terms

being used many of you work in the a

industry many of you are ranchers and

farmers in here you have a history of

that you understand these agricultural

terms this was the customs and the

traditions of the Israelite people they

knew immediately what Jesus was talking

about there is a harvest ripe for the

picking but not enough

laborers to go and field that Harvest

verse

38 therefore pray earnestly to the lord

of the Harvest to send out laborers into

his

Harvest Jesus doesn't just call you and

I to see the Harvest and they say yeah

that's a beautiful Harvest no no no he

calls you and I to actually step foot

into the

Harvest to be the workers

to not just pray that God would send

workers but that we would be so in tune

with what it means to be a C- laborer

with Christ in his kingdom that in our

praying you would begin to focus on how

God would move and use you to engage his

kingdom how are you co- laboring with

Christ in the

Kingdom so a couple of things one make

the prayer

personal don't just pray for your pastor

your Sunday school teacher the servant

leaders of our church our ministry

volunteers praise the Lord for all of

that but make that prayer

personal you don't have to ask if you're

a laborer because if you're a child of

God the answer is yes you are the only

question is are you walking in obedience

to the call to C- labor with Christ in

his kingdom or are you walking in

Disobedience that's the

kicker we are the answer to that prayer

let let me just bring it close to

home there there are

moments on Saturday night Sunday morning

where we

are pulling our hair wondering how are

we going to

fill the nursery room the toddler room

children's church with people who can

volunteer or should

volunteer and and and here's the thing

let me just as your pastor can I put my

thumb in your back as lovingly as as I

can when you have a church attendance of

anywhere and Any Given Sunday between

200 and 250 people and no one

volunteering for a

position that's just something that

should not happen on a crowd that size

now I'm not guilting you into

serving if if you're guilted into

serving that that that's not what this

is about don't mistranslate or

misunderstand what I'm trying to say

what I'm saying is

every one of you son and daughter of God

you have been called into labor for his

kingdom and one of the ways that you

Flex that gift is by serving through the

local church now I get it kids ministry

may not be your thing I get

it but what is your thing and if you

don't know it let us help you discover

what that is because there is a joy in

Ministry that you experience nowhere

else there is a frustration and tension

in Ministry that you experience nowhere

else but God in his sovereignty uses it

to grow us and mold us so that we

understand it's not just about this it's

about his kingdom and calling people

into

relationship with him gospel urgency

means looking in the mirror and asking

am I willing to

contribute am I willing to be a part

what God is doing am I willing to go and

tell and give and let me just tack this

on because I I don't want to forget this

that over the past couple weeks many of

you have volunteered to fill in spots

and it blesses my heart on Monday

morning when I'm walking in here to the

office I look at the volunteer sheet and

I see a name on there and I said man

they signed up to serve praise God and

in my mind I'm like somebody's getting

it right someone's understanding it we

are called to be a part of what God is

doing evangelism gospel urgency it's not

just for pastors it's not just for

missionaries it's for every

believer the mission is

urgent we don't know when Jesus will

return we don't know when that day

is but what we do know is that we can go

and tell people people about Jesus now

let me just challenge you with

this one of the ways that that we can

fulfill this call to live with gospel

urgency is to number one pray but number

two provide an

invitation for people to come and

see now evangelism and living with

gospel urgency is not exclusive to only

giving an invitation praise God let's

give some invitations for people to come

see what God and experience what God God

is doing here at the Grove but we need

to continue to live that out and so so

here's what I want to challenge you to

do throughout this week in your

bullettin is this prayer card if you

didn't grab one be sure you grab one on

your way out we have some extras out

there in the lobby as Romans 10:1 on

Romans 10:1

there which which quotes the Apostle

Paul saying my prayer my deep prayer

Paul is is is is really paralleling this

this compassion that Jesus has says my

heart's desire in prayer is that they

would be

saved Paul had a heart to call people to

the gospel so what I want to challenge

you to do is to consider and you already

have people on your

mind write their names down on the card

tuck this in your Bible put it somewhere

where you can constantly be in prayer

for them and what I want you to do is

five things I want you to pray for the

Lord to provide opportunities for you to

share the the gospel really that's a

prayer because God's always providing

those opportunities that's a prayer for

us to be mindful of those opportunities

number two pray for boldness to share

the gospel I've been in Ministry for

over 20

years and I still get scared when it

comes to tell telling someone about the

gospel I get scared for a couple of

reasons number one I get scared of

denial number two I get scared that that

I'm not going to make much of the name

of Jesus because I'm imperfect I'm frail

I'm weak I don't know it all but but

here's what we find that is so true

throughout the scriptures and you know

this is true because you've experienced

it as well that God will do

more through a weak and frail individual

that is sold out for the gospel than

someone who is prideful and thinks they

know it all God will do more with that

pray for boldness to share the gospel

number three pray for receptive

Hearts pray that people's hearts would

be open and receptive and let me just

give you a statistic that's in our favor

specifically when it comes to inviting

people to church over 80% of the time

people will accept your invitation to

church over

80% and statistics tells us that the

majority of people don't come to church

because no one has invited them to come

to

church if every one of us brought one

friend next Sunday just one friend next

Sunday we would not have any room in

this place to worship and glorify God

together here's the fourth thing to pray

for pray for Spiritual eyes to be open

we all struggle with sin we all struggle

with

something that attempts to pull us away

from our devotion and worship in Jesus

Christ pray that people would recognize

that and they would cast it aside this

is the the epitome of what it means to

die to

self following Jesus is hard it is

difficult and let me make this

absolutely clear following Jesus will be

the most most difficult thing you will

ever do in your life but it is the most

amazing thing you will ever do in your

life and here's the fifth thing pray for

a transforming life through the power of

the Holy Spirit Church let's be people

that live with gospel urgency let's pray