Being fully human is to serve others. God has given us a heart after Him and heart to love people. Harvest is great, laborers are few. What happens in our lives is great as we go as lambs among wolves.
(Matthew 7:14; 22:36-40; Psalm 1:1-2; Luke 10:2-4, 16-22)

Speaker(s): Pastor Justin Schaller, Pastor Gary Groenewold
Sermon # 11451
6:30 PM on 4/8/2018

P. Gary Groenewold

A way to worship. Keep saying the name of Jesus. You get flooded with what he has done for us.

Next Saturday, April 14 at Fellowship Hall is an outreach meeting to introduce people to different outreaches. That day you will have the opportunity to go out with people and do an outreach. That’s this Saturday.

After service, we will have a beginning of organization for summer harvest.

P. Schaller is in Budapest and P. Scibelli is in Africa.

On a wall in the office these are some prayer cards. Who is that? Nobody can tell! (Telling a joke). Brittany Howard, the Perkins, Brent and Lucy Halinga, Tina Reeves, Dan Dunbar, John Post and Diane, the Speedy’s, the Colby’s, Jack Whitley in Elgin, Illinois; George and Carol Arman in Malawi, The Robinses in Istanbul, Turkey. Laura in China, Rita Hartje in China, Mike and Avril with an old picture of Nick in China; Stan Collins and Karen in Argentina; Dr. Chung and Nataliya in Japan; Carolyn in Hungary; the young Arman family in Malawi; the Janssen family in Hungary; the Hullet’s in Albania, and the Pearson’s in Vietnam/Cambodia. That’s just a few. There are a lot more on the board there…why not the whole room surrounded with people that go out? That’s what I want to speak about today. I have a list of potential MBC&S graduates. I’m not going to read it because maybe they don’t know they are potential but to consider what they might do and what’s invested in their lives. Vision and prayer.

Luke 10:2, the harvest truly is great. Don’t be familiar with this. Charlie Weyer has a kid who needs help. Charlie has helped him, ministered to him and Charlie is continuing to minister to him. What has happened in his life he just needs help. He’s 14 or 15 years old and needs amazing help. The harvest truly is great but the laborers are few. Why is God saying he wants more? Many times why God wants more we think is because there needs to be a harvest of souls. That’s only part of it. It might be less than 51%. That might be only a part of it. The other part is what happens in our lives when we go. God wants to do something in our lives when we go. That’s why we have the outreach meeting on April 14.

vs. 2-3 you’ll be a lamb, the best meal for the wolf. The easiest target. The one that can’t defend himself. He doesn’t have a fang or a lot of speed. He’s soft and plump and a great meal. That’s a qualified person that believes they are a lamb among wolves and you’ll see the faithfulness of God. Carry not a purse or pocketbook if a woman. Don’t take an extra pair of shoes. Don’t salute any man on the way. All the cultures have their formal greetings. There is all of these things and the formalities you can get into that keep you from going somewhere. You can’t stop cleaning the house, you have to leave something undone to be out on the field. Don’t start making these plans. That’s what he’s saying. It’s about what God is going to do in our lives.

vs. 16. Look at the responsibility or privilege God gives us in vs. 16. We get to witness. He that heareth you heareth me. He that says yes to you says yes to me. And he says no to you says no to me. The destiny of man’s souls is on the line how they respond to us. To be involved in that intimate heart decision of people’s lives. In God’s mind he knows the hearts of the individuals. How they respond to us is what God records in heaven. Do we have this amazing privilege? The 70 return with joy. They just went out saying even the devils are subject to us through thy name. I had faith and this is what happened, God. I was involved in this and this is what I actually did and we forget what God actually did. You saw nothing. If you want to talk about what you see, that’s nothing. I saw Satan as lighting fall from heaven. Don’t get caught up in that.

Rejoice in vs. 20. Rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. When we go and we carry this message and they say yes to us and yes to God and no to us and no to God, this is what happens when we go. We will know who we are. I don’t mean the mission field, I mean into the harvest fields. We are to discover who we are. We are to know the nature of God that saved you and your name is written in heaven.

It’s an affirmation of what you believe when you go out. In that hour, vs. 21. What does that mean? Jesus rejoiced. I want to tell them something. I’m going to reach their heart. He’s excited. I got rid of what they are rejoicing in and now I can tell them what I rejoice in. I cleared their mind out so they are not distracted by all those thigs.

vs. 21. This is so desirous of God that he would have people he could reveal his nature to. Wise man, whoever you are that you know so much, just become a babe and enjoy the wisdom of God.

There is so much sorrow with man’s wisdom in Ec. 1:18. It complicates things and you don’t know who you are. What a wise person that babe is.

vs. 21-22. All things are delivered to me of my Father. He said all things. There is an inability for the Son who knows all things, there is an inability for him or man just doesn’t know who God is but the Son knows all things. The Father who is in heaven, no man knows who the Son is but the Father. No one knows who the Son is but the Father.

vs. 22. This is why we have a prayer in Lk 10 that people would go to the harvest fields so God could reveal himself to us. It’s not the powerful things we are going to do. The prayer is we would go and the decision of other people because of the words we say – the decisions of other people God is going to honor that in heaven. We have the privilege to participate in that. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send people. God wants to reveal himself to us. He will use us and we will reach people. He has to reveal himself to us first and that’s how he uses us. He wants to reveal himself to these babes, these lambs among wolves and use them. That’s prayer. That’s why we pray for the harvest. Anyone who has ever gone out, I don’t mean missions, I mean investing in someone else’s life because God told you to go. You come back, and I know God. I know my name is written in heaven. I know there was an eternal transaction when I shared with that person. Pray we’ll go on the harvest fields so people will have that experience, that opportunity in their life for God to reveal himself that way. God is praying we would go. That’s all I wanted to say. That’s the way it actually works. Tonight when we do the summer harvest, it’s very small: Balkans, France and the U.K. It’s a few countries in Europe. I’m going to start prayer in the prayer room on Wed. night at 6:30.

Luke 10 prayer. Pray for the harvest. Pray God would send people into the harvest fields. We are thinking of other places but where else does God want. We’re going to pray. Who knows? What about praying around Lake Montebello every morning for God to send out laborers in the harvest fields. I know this is the reason he asks us to do that. God will open our eyes to go. There are 12 people on this list. May they go in the measure God calls them, all 12 of them. We don’t have to lose students that graduate to their own ways. We can go 12 for 12, why not? 5 for 14 let’s pray for the other 9 to come back and go. We can pray for that. There is no shame in being a babe. You come back and you are so wise in the Lord in who he reveals himself to you. You are so persuaded that your name is written in the book of life. You’re a different person when you go to the harvest field and God reveals himself to you. He uses you.

Let’s pray. I invite anyone who wants to come. Meet in the prayer room at 6:30 on Wed. night. Let’s see what it develops into. It’s going to be Lk 10 prayer. We’ll pray. We’ll see what prayer does

P. Justin Schaller

That was awesome. I was wondering those signs on the back wall, I was looking at France with a question mark next to it and wondering why that was? Is that how you spell France? Is it a country? Is it still there? P. Gary will tell us that. That was an awesome word. This is summer harvest night, vision night. I’m going to share a few minutes.

Mt. 7:14, P. Gary mentioned in Lk 10:2 the harvest is great but laborers are few. Do those two verses correspond? Jesus is saying there are only a few that find life. Could there be a correlation between life and joy and God’s mission? I think there is. I think there is a correlation there.

If we look in Mt. 22:36, there is a lawyer that came to Jesus who is wise in the law.

Mt. 22:37-39, seems easy enough doesn’t it. Plenty feel that is an easy objective to love God with everything they have and love God as themselves. We look at the world around us and see a lot of evil and animosity. You go on Twitter and see what is in people. You can say when I’m by myself and in my own home and no restraint on what my heart desires, it’s not loving God or my neighbor as myself. If we look in the Scriptures, we see the definition for sin is missing the mark of what we are supposed to be. In the beginning God created us to be channels of his love. He created man in his image and that we honor and love God when we love his creation and honor his image. When we sin against another person, we sin against God. That person is made in the image of God. When I violate my relationship with that person by ripping him off, I violate God himself. The first half of the commandments are violations against God and the second half are violations against man. I sin against another person, I break a law. I steal from someone and I take away from them something not mine and commit an injustice but I break the trust between me and the person and produce damage in that relationship. The world is so screwed up because people have ripped each other off for thousands of years. We care about our self, more than another person. Paul says in Romans this is like a beast in all of us. We sin against God because we want to gratify our own needs and wants and deceive our self in believing this is how it’s supposed to be. We leave this utter ruin behind us, destroyed relationships and broken people. If God is good why doesn’t he rid the world of evil? It’s is a good question. But if he did, he’d have to rid the world of me. I’m not what I’m supposed to be. I don’t love people the way I’m supposed to. I deceive myself into thinking this is what life is about. In the Old Testament, the picture was if you want to rid the world of evil…All of us are walking around and behind us are wakes of damage and refuse. No me? I have never done that! But how many have you damaged because of your own sin? For me, many if I’m going to be honest. My son is going to be the perfect representation of what a human being is supposed to be. The way Christ was, he was perfect because he obeyed the Father perfectly. How did he love us but when Barnabas was there and guilty and Jesus perfect and holy Jesus had the gospel represented in that picture. When the innocent went for the guilty and the guilty went free and the innocent went to the cross and took the blunt for out sin. Imagine if the world was filled with 7 billion that did that for each other? Imagine a world that obeyed the Father perfectly. The obedience was Jesus I want you to go to the cross and lay your life down for these people.

Heb 12 the joy set before them Christ endured the cross. That is where real joy is. Real joy is being fully human. It’s you love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. He’s created in you a new heart that has the ability to love God fully. Since I love you with all my heart, the way I will show that I love you is I will obey you. What is it Father that you want me to do? He says my kingdom is a little different. In the world, the strongest get to the top. The greatest in my kingdom is the one at the bottom and serves the people and lays his life down for the brethren. Yes, Lord I want to do that.

Php 2 is the greatest joy book in the Scripture.

Php. 2:4 where does joy come from? Ever been a believer and say Lord give me joy. I need joy in my life. Make me happy, Lord. I want that joy. I think the way he gives us joy is through other people. I think this is what it’s about as believers. When we say God is so in love with me and I’m so in love with God, I say Lord what is your will on earth today? It’s people. What do I do for other people? He says I have given the church gifts.

2 Sam 30 David lists his mighty men. One mighty men had a lentil field and his feet were firmly planted. He wasn’t going to leave it. Each one of us God has equipped us and made us more than capable to stand in the street or field he has placed you in to serve other people. Lord, you have given me a field. What is my field and who can I serve? When we serve people, we love people. We see that this life God has given us is transferred to another person. There is a response there in us. In us there is great joy. When Jesus sent out those disciples and came back, what were they filled with? Joy. Jesus was rejoicing. He says this is my mission. This is what I have commissioned you to do. Few find it. Wide is the gate to destruction and narrow is the way to life.

Psalm 1:1, walks, stands, sits. I feel as believers just like Samson. Where was his demise? His demise was in his lust for a woman and she coaxed him and brought him close and he gave up all his secrets. He fell asleep on the knees of the woman. Rocks him to sleep. He wakes up and his strength is gone. She pressed him very day. Samson, where is your strength coming from? He finally gave in.

This man in Psalm 1 it says blessed is the man. When he is walking, there are ungodly people there and they have counsel. Let’s say cursed is the man who is walking down the street and he takes on the way of life of the sinners. Next thing he is sitting down and has a seat at the table of the people who are mocking God. As believers this sin in us is trying to steal from us the joy that God created in us to be fully human which is to serve other people. The sin in us so easily deceives us, besets us and knocks us off course. It puts us to sleep on the knees of the woman and puts us in a place to go to sleep. I wake up and I have no joy. Where is my life? The ungodly say this is the way of life. A broad way, a way of fulfilling the desires of the sinful nature in you. It’s amazing, bright, and loud. I’m walking and start to stand and contemplate it and next thing you know I’m sitting down and saying is there a God. What is life all about? It’s pointless. Why am I here? I’m here to satisfy myself. Next thing you know I wake up with no power, no joy and no life. Jesus is saying narrow is the way. Little hole over there. No one is going there. I can’t even fit through that hole. It doesn’t look like much. It leads to what you are supposed to be. It leads to you being fully human. The death of the cross of Christ has to kill that nature that is so easily besetting me. When I wake up in the morning all I care about is myself. I don’t have time to think about another person. I have to care about myself and my own problems. Jesus is saying if you try to save your life you end in ruin. If you lose your life, I set you free from that ravenous nature inside of you. It opens you up so you can be a vessel and channel of the love of God and you can think of another human being and serve another human being. How is this possible? I know my own heart. I know I don’t care for these people. God has given me a new heart, refreshed renewed mind.

I have a capacity to see my needs in Php 2 but I don’t look at my needs only but the needs of others. Let this mind be in you…. he made himself of no reputation so he could become a servant, be obedient to the death of the cross, to serve us and God lifted him up so every knee will bow and confess that he is Lord. When we live in this life and I’m saying Lord I don’t care. My sin nature wants to pull me in this direction. I wake up and what am I supposed to be doing in life. The hair began to grow on Samson’s head again. His strength came back. God’s grace is still there. We are so wrong and lost but the grace of God is always there and leading us back to who you are supposed to be.

You’re loved by God. God has given you a heart to love him and a heart to love people. I find there is great joy in that. This is such an amazing life. How is this even real? Why is it so much fun living this way, serving another person? We will stand before the Lord and he’ll say well done thy good and faithful servant. When did we serve you? When you served the least of them, when you gave a cup of cold water to your brother you were serving me. That person you were serving was made in the image of me. When you bless that person you are blessing my name. You are serving me when you serve that person. This is what it’s all about. It’s all about serving other people. Not that we have the capability to do it. God has poured in us the love and capacity to serve other people. We hear about the mission field and think of far remote places but what about the person next door to you? How do we serve the people on our floor? Three of them have cancer. People are out of work, discouraged. I don’t know what to do for these people. Maybe just pray for them. One of our 5 year old neighbors came to church with us this morning all because of my 2 year old. I’m preaching theology and my 2 year old comes along and she’s the one that brings someone to church. That’s what it’s all about. What is my mission field? What is my patch of land that you placed me in? Who are those people? They are all around us. Created in the image of God.

How about the people who are the Samson’s, sitting at the seat of the scornful and are believers. They need just as much love, grace, restoration. Just as much prayer. I’ve been sitting at that table too.

Let us have our eyes open to the grace of God in who we really are…that’s what being a believer is about. We come to church as much as we can but what is being a Christian? Loving God with all my heart and loving you more than I love myself. Impossible but God has done it in us through this new birth.

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