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THE HARVEST

INTRODUCTION

I grew up on a very small farm in Brunswick, Georgia. Now understand that Brunswick is known more for its tourism, shrimping industry and pulp and paper products than it is for farm products.

It is a land of pine trees and there are a lot of tree farms there, but not very many other kinds of farms.

However, as me and my two brothers were growing up, my father saw to it that we had our share of time out farming in the fields to try to minimize the amount of time we had to get into trouble.

And believe you me, if we weren’t busy we sure could get into trouble!

 I hate to think where I might have wound up if not for that small farm. It kept us busy.

I spent a lot of my time, especially during my teen years, out in the fields.

In the spring, we would break up the fallow ground, and then plant, and fertilize.

In the late spring and early summer we would nurture the crops by hoeing the weeds out of them, continuing to fertilize them, and also watering them when there wasn’t enough rain to do so.

Finally, in the late summer and early fall there would be the reaping of the harvest.

(Fresh corn, peas, butter beans, okra, tomatoes--the list goes on!)

The time of reaping a harvest was a short time, but critical time. If we didn’t harvest the crop

in time, it would ruin in the field.

In our passage, Jesus wanted His disciples to see this most critical work--the work of reaping the harvest.

Notice what Jesus said about the harvest:

I.         WE MUST LIFT UP OUR EYES AND LOOK ON THE FIELDS. (John 4:35)

            A.        We Have To Lift Up Our Eyes To See The Fields.

                        We will never see the fields as long as our attention is elsewhere.

                        Many people are preoccupied with everything else except the fields.

            B.        We Have To Lift Up Our Eyes To See The Multitudes. (Matthew 9:36)

                        I don’t know about you, but I am awed by a crop in the field.

                        Just the sheer vastness of the fruit.

                        Do you see the multitudes? The vastness of the fruit.

                        (i.e. at the shopping center, at school, on the news broadcasts, from the air?)

                        We Have To Lift Up Our Eyes To See The Fields.

                        We Have To Lift Up Our Eyes To See The Multitudes.

            C.        We Have To Lift Up Our Eyes To See The Possibilities.

                        I don’t know what you see when you see a cornfield--I see a lot of grits!

                        1.         Do you see the possibilities?

Seeing the possibilities says, “I may not be able to harvest it all, but I will harvest all I can while I can.”

                        2.         Or do you see the futilities?

                                    Futility says, “Man that’s a lot of work, we can’t possibly harvest it all!”

            D.        We Have To Lift Up Our Eyes To See The Urgency.

                        Crops go through three stages: green, ripe, rotten.

                        Harvest is effective only at one stage--ripe.

II.       WE MUST BE MOVED WITH COMPASSION BY WHAT WE SEE AND KNOW.

            A.        Do We See Those Multitudes Yet Unharvested?

                        Lost in their sin with no help and no hope unless someone does the reaping.

            B.        Do We Truly Understand Their Destiny?

                        Crops left out in the field have a destiny an eternal destiny--eternal ruin; unrecoverable.

                        The multitudes of lost souls who will go unharvested also have a destiny--eternal ruin in hell, never to

                        be recovered.

III.      WE MUST SEE THAT THE HARVEST HAS NOT YET ENDED.

            There are still souls that can be reached for God.

            A.        We As Laborers Have Not Been Called Out Of The Field Yet.

Jesus said in John 9:5-- “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

                        1 John 4:17-- “As He (Jesus) is, so are we in this world.”

                        Matthew 5:14-16 

            B.        There Are Fields That Are Still Available To Be Reaped.

                        Lift up your eyes! Can you not see the ripened fields?

IV.        WE MUST SEE THAT MORE LABORERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE HARVEST.

            It has become harder and harder to get reapers for the harvest in this country.

            That is because it is hard work that a lot of folks aren’t willing to do anymore.

            It is not very appealing work.

            It is work that must get done though!

            Just as it is in the physical realm, so it is true in the spiritual realm.

            It is hard work!

            It is not very appealing work on the surface!

            It is work that must get done!

 V.        WE MUST SEE THAT MORE LABOR IS NEEDED FOR THE HARVEST.

            The world has more winnable people than ever before ... but it is possible to come out of a ripe field

            empty-handed if we are not exerting any labor in the field.

            We must exert labor in the field--witness, prayer, etc.

 VI.      WE MUST PRAY TO THE LORD OF THE HARVEST FOR HELP.

            (Example--When my father used to plant long rows of butterbeans, I asked for help in the harvest!!)

Conclusion

Where are your eyes? Are they on the fields? Are you in the fields? Are you working?

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!