Intro: Everybody but Sam had signed up for a new company pension plan that called for a small employee contribution. The company was paying the rest. Unfortunately, 100% employee participation was needed; otherwise the plan was off. Sam’s boss and his fellow workers pleaded w/him to sign the new pension plan, but he wouldn’t do it.
-Finally, the company president called Sam into his office and said, “Sam, here’ s a copy of the new pension plan and here’s a pen. I want you to sign the papers. I’m sorry, but if you don’t sign, you’re fired. As of right now.”
-Sam quickly grabbed the pen and signed the papers. The boss looked at him and said, “Would you mind telling me why you didn’t sign up earlier?” He simply replied, “Well, sir, nobody explained it to me quite so clearly before.”
-There’s no doubt motivation is an important tool in life; it’s an important tool in helping us get things done. I was talking to a man who just had open heart surgery a few weeks ago. And I knew he used to smoke, but while we were talking he told me he’d quit.
-I was surprised and I said, “When did you quit?” He told me when he found out he was going to have open heart surgery. Motivation’s a pretty powerful tool! Today we’re continuing our series “DNA: the genetic makeup of VillageChurch”. And we’re going to see that missions are an important piece of our genetic makeup. Now when I say “missions”, the big question is “What exactly is missions?”
-Most of the time we think it means being a missionary to Africa. We think it means living in some hut in a foreign country where we’re very uncomfortable and we have to wear weird clothes.
-Now that can be missions. But missions can also mean sharing life and your faith w/your next door neighbor. I can involve helping new churches start. But regardless of where it is, our mission is to share Jesus.
- Jesus gave us our mission in Matt. 28: 19-20 when He said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am w/you always, to the very end of the age.”
Sermon Idea: Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see Jesus sharing w/us what our motivation should be to fulfill his mission. I know a lot of people who have certain things they say they’d like to achieve, but what is it that’ll motivate them to do it?
-And that’s the question I hope to answer for us today. What’s VillageChurch’s motivation of fulfilling our mission to introduce others to Christ?
TEXT: LUKE 10: 2
Bckgrd: Jesus was well known at this time for His miracles and great teaching. In other words, He wasn’t having a hard time getting the attention of people. But He didn’t want to just get their attention. He wanted something more from them. Jesus knew it was much easier to say all the right “religious” things and yet not do a whole lot.
-So what we see in this text is Jesus sharing some motivations for us to be actively involved in reaching others, to be actively involved in missions. That’s why He had 72 of His followers and sent them into every town He was @ to go to, to prepare them for His ministry. It was like they were greasing the wheels before Jesus came to town so they’d be ready to receive Him.
-VillageChurch, we have the same calling. We’re to prepare people to meet Jesus. But the question is “What’s going to motivate us to do that?” VillageChurch’s first motivation is:
DIV. 1: THE HARVEST (v. 2)
Exp: When I was in seminary I pastored a small country church way that was @ 3 years shy of having black and white TV! When we’d go to the big town of Scotland Neck to eat at a diner, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Fonzi came out and told me to “Sit on it.”
A. But the town we lived in was a farming community. And every spring we’d watch the farmers go out and start tilling up the land and planting their crops. They’d plant peanuts, cotton, tobacco, corn, and just @ everything else you can think of.
1. But one thing I noticed is that when they did all that, they didn’t just plant and then there work was done. They patiently waited for the big day. They patiently waited and worked in the fields so they’d be ready for the harvest.
a. You know what the “harvest” is? It’s when you go out and gather up your crops. It’s when your crops have matured and are ready to be brought in. In city terms the harvest would be when you CASH in on all your hard work for that year! Very simply put, the harvest is the reason why the farmer goes out and works in the field. The harvest is the future reward he’s looking forward to.
b. And we need to be reminded of this b/c when we don’t have a mission, when we don’t know what our purpose is, it’s easy to lose sight of what we’re all @ in the 1st place.
2. Before I go any further w/that thought, what exactly is the harvest for VillageChurch? What crop are we going after? We’re going after people! We desire to invest our time and efforts in sharing w/people the power of God and His forgiveness and His grace, and the life He offers for those who follow Him.
a. You see, when people are touched by Christ, when people are fertilized w/the good news of Jesus, they’ll be changed. Just like when a seed receives the proper care and nourishment, it will begin to produce. And that’s what a farmer is after.
b. VillageChurch, that’s what we’re after as well. Our mission is to see people become fruitful. Our mission is to see people become what God intended for them to be.
B. That’s why we encourage service at VillageChurch b/c we believe people become more ripe towards the things of God when they see believers serving. That’s why we encourage you to love and care for your neighbors b/c when people see Xians actually LIVING out their faith, they’re more open to the message of Jesus b/c they see it’s not just talk but it’s action.
1. Most of us don’t see the joy of being a part of the harvest. For one, it’s b/c we don’t go on a harvest any more. We just go to the grocery store and buy it and leave. But for the one who was actually there doing the picking, the one who’s actually involved in the harvest, there’s great joy.
a. Why? B/c he was able to participate in that produce being cared for and nurtured all the way to his table. He has a greater appreciation for it than for those who don’t really have any part in that process.
ILLUS: About 6 years ago I took up a new hobby, or as my wife likes to say, a new “addiction.” I absolutely fell in love w/fishing. I knew it was a serious hobby when I went and played golf w/my dad and brought my fishing rod w/me and put it in the back of the golf cart so I could fish the ponds in between my shots.
-Not only do I like to fish, but I enjoy eating fish. Now when I bring the fish home, guess who enjoys eating the fish more than anyone else? It’s me! Why? B/c I have a relationship w/the fish we’re eating. I can tell the story of what I went thru in catching that fish and where it was when I caught it. I was a part of the catch and b/c of that I have a greater appreciation for the meal.
-And each time I catch a fish the more motivated I am to go back and fish again! It’s an absolute blast. Now I will admit it’s not much fun if you’re fishing in a place where there are no fish being caught! I’ve had plenty of those experiences! When that happens I’m ready to leave.
-But I do want to say I’m not ready to quit. I’m just ready to go to a new place and find some fish.
b. My guess is some of us think that Xians are pretty much dominate this area. We think, “I don’t really have to do a whole lot b/c everyone goes to church here” or “Everyone is already a Xian.”
2. Jesus doesn’t have us fishing in a dry spot. He tells us in v. 2, “The harvest is PLENTIFUL.” That means it’s abundant! That means there are people surrounding us who are HUNGRY to know God. But you know what? The harvest isn’t going to happen until God’s people are motivated for the harvest.
a. My focus and the focus I want VillageChurch to have is on seeing the most people rescued by Jesus as possible. If I run into a burning building I don’t want to just get one person out. I want to get as many people out as possible. And then to see the results of that, to see the joy on the faces of people when they’ve been rescued is pretty awesome.
b. I want us to be able to look back and see how Blythewood and northeast Columbia have been impacted by our presence here. Can you imagine how cool it’ll be when we see young ministers all over South Carolina b/c they grew up in our church and were called to serve here? Can you imagine how exciting it’ll be when we have friends whose marriages are healed b/c thru your ministry to them they were changed by Jesus? That motivates me!
Reit: VillageChurch’s first motivation for missions is the harvest. Our 2nd motivation for missions is:
DIV. 2: A NEED FOR WORKERS (v. 2)
Exp: Jesus told the 70 plus workers who were going out into the surrounding communities that there was a huge harvest for God waiting, but the workers were few. Something @ that verse got my attention. It was the fact that there was a huge harvest waiting but it wouldn’t be brought in until God’s people got involved in the harvest.
A. You may wonder why I find that interesting. It’s b/c if God wanted to, He could do all the work Himself. It’s not like He’s dependent on us. Yet He chose to work thru people; to work thru US to bring in the harvest. Well what happens if a harvest isn’t brought in? What happens if a corn crop stays out too long in the field? It begins to wither away or it becomes susceptible to animals eating it all up.
1. Rom. 10: 14-15, “How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear w/o someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?”
a. I’m afraid most American churches have lost sight of the harvest of people that are all around us. Do you realize that EVERY mainline denomination is either plateaued or declining in membership? Not just 2 or 3 but EVERYONE of them! That means it’s not just a coincidence.
b. It means we’ve lost sight of our objective which is to get the good news of Jesus out! It means we’ve lost sight of our mission. And when you don’t have a mission, it means you’ll have a lack of motivation.
2. Yet the harvest is still out there. People are still out there searching and looking for something to fill the void in their lives. Yet w/a loss of our mission, we walk by these people everyday not realizing the potential that God can bring into their lives.
ILLUS: Gene Weingarten decided to do an experiment to see if people recognized musical greatness when it was before them. So he got a musician named Joshua Bell to go to the Metro in Washington, DC where he began to play classical music @ 7:51 a.m. in the middle of morning rush hour. For the next 43 minutes he played 6 classical pieces while 1,097 people passed by.
-Weingarten wrote, “No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made.”
-But on that day, Bell, playing a violin made in the 1600s valued at over $3.5 million was just another noisemaker competing for the attention of busy people on their way to work. He ended up collecting $32, when he normally makes over $1,000 a minute for his performances.
a. Jesus said the workers to bring in the harvest are few. And that’s b/c way too many of us have so many thing vying for our attention that we no longer see the harvest before our eyes. When we go to football games, we only see the game on the field. Not the 80,000 people packed into the stands who need a Savior.
b. When we go to work we see only the job before us for the day. Not the receptionist who is dying for someone to share w/her something she can believe and hope in.
B. I’m going to be real honest w/you here. I don’t have any confidence that our religious groups are going to wake up and see the harvest before them. My fear is that most of us are retreating from the world trying to surround ourselves w/people who are like us; who already have the same faith and values as we do at the expense of everyone else.
1. VillageChurch, if this community is going to be transformed; if YOUR neighbors are going to be impacted by Christ, then you’re going to have to begin looking at them w/the eyes of Christ and realize they’re not going to be reached unless YOU reach them.
Reit: Our 1st motivation for missions is the harvest. The 2nd motivation is a need for workers. And our final motivation for missions is:
DIV. 3: GOD WILL PROVIDE US WITH THE ABILITY TO WIN PEOPLE (v. 2)
Exp: After reading v. 2 you might think, “I don’t see where it says that!” It doesn’t say that directly. But what it does say is to ask God to send out His workers for the harvest. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a command. And when we’re commanded to do something, God’s not going to have us do something that’s not going to work!
A. This doesn’t mean everyone’s going to respond to us. Not everyone responded to Jesus! So keep that in mind. But let me tell you something encouraging. There will be some who will respond. They’re just simply waiting for someone to show them the love of Christ and then to point them to Jesus who promises to give new life; to give hope; to give joy!
1. Most of us don’t do a lot of this b/c we’re afraid. We feel inadequate. We don’t want to look stupid or be rejected. If you feel that way, that’s normal. This was an issue even in the days of Christ. Jesus said in Matt. 10: 19-20, “do not worry @ what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking thru you.”
a. If we are obedient to Jesus’ command to share Him w/others, God will provide us w/what to say. Jesus is simply looking for you to be obedient to His leadership.
ILLUS: Norman Geisler is a famous Xian writer. He told a story @ how he became a follower of Jesus. He grew up in Warren, Michigan. His parents weren’t believers but he had a desire to know and learn @ God. So starting at the age of 9, he rode a bus to church every Sunday until he was 17. He figured he rode that bus over 400 times. It was the same bus driver each time. And finally, after over 400 bus trips, he became a follower of Christ.
-Looking back on it he said it was the faithfulness of that bus driver to pick him up every week for 8 years that eventually got him to surrender his life to the leadership of Jesus. The lesson he learned from it was this: Don’t give up on people. Don’t give up on reaching out to people b/c it may take over 400 sermons for them.
b. VillageChurch, it’s going to take faithfulness to our mission to reach people for Jesus. I believe one of my jobs is to help us never lose sight of what our purpose is. We have a mission and it’s to see people come to Jesus. That’s our #1 objective. B/c the fact of the matter is people can’t grow in a relationship w/Jesus unless they first of all know Him.
2. And God promises us that as we’re obedient to His call to be His workers that we will see a harvest! Each Sunday I want you to come here expecting God to do a work in people’s lives. And if we expect that to happen then that means we need to be getting as many people, as many seeds, in here as possible so that the process of fertilizing and nurturing can occur.
Conclusion: We have a great mission at VillageChurch. Let’s embrace it and move forward w/it. God has given us some great motivations to stay true to our mission: there’s a harvest, there’s a need for workers, and God will provide us w/the ability to win people.
-Xians, I want you to take this time to commit yourself to the mission that God has given His people; His mission to win people for Christ. Take this time to pray and ask God to lay your neighbors on your heart; to give you a passion to serve others and a passion to bring people to hear the good news of Jesus.
-Others of you may have a desire to connect your life to the God who loves you more than anything; to the God who loves you so much that He sacrificed Himself for you that you might know Him and rest in the promise that He will walk w/you thru this life into the next one.
-If you’d like to do that, pray this prayer after me: Dear Jesus, I want to belong to you. So I’m asking you to forgive me of my sins. I’m asking you to be my Lord and Savior and I trust in your death and resurrection for me.
-If you prayed that prayer, take your bulletin and open it up. Fill out the section on the right side and place it in the offering basket so we can get you some information in the mail on how you can grow in your walk w/Christ.
