Why Are You Standing Around?
Matthew 20:1-7
In Matthew 20 Jesus tells a parable in which He likens the kingdom of Heaven to a man who hired servants to work in his vineyard. There was much work to be done and time was running out. When the owner of the land went looking for more laborers he saw a group of people standing idle and asked them, “Why stand ye here idle?” To which they replied, “No one hired us”. Why the group asked in the eleventh hour wasn’t hired earlier I do not know. Perhaps they were too busy doing other things to hear the call for workers when it came in. Maybe they hadn’t gotten dressed properly for work and weren’t prepared when the call came in. They might have stood in the shadows or behind others not really wanting to be asked to go work. Maybe they made excuses, claiming inexperience in field work. I really don’t know. But I know that not just at the eleventh hour, but four times the landowner seeking workers and found a number of individuals just standing around idly. Each time the question is the same, “Why are you standing around all day?” I believe that the Lord is asking the same question to the church today.
I. Why are you standing around? There is work to be done.
A. Jesus Christ was busy about the work of the kingdom.
B. John 9:4 “"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
C. He has called you and me to join Him in that work.
D. John 20:21 “…as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”
E. God has called every believer to work through the church in the world.
F. As David told Solomon when giving him instructions on building the temple, “the work is great: for it is not for man, but for the LORD God.” (1 Chronicles 29:1)
G. A harvest is only produced after a great deal of work. Farmers must ready the soil by clearing it, tilling and breaking it up. It may require giving it nutrients. Once prepared seed has to be sown. The more abundantly sown the more abundant the harvest. As the seed is growing the field must watered and weeded. In due time the harvest will be ready. It’s hard work and a big job. The work given to us is great and requires work if we are to have a harvest.
H. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.”
I. As we have said so often, we have been called to serve and not to sit. You may be called to plant or you may be called to water: either way you are called to the work.
J. We tend to just watch other people play. We are “armchair athletes.” I’m afraid that there are many “armchair athletes” or “pew potatoes” in our church. This violates the Scriptures and the entire thrust of Christianity. God expects each one of us to find our niche in ministry. As our heavenly coach, God has expectations of us. Will we follow His game plan and serve the body of Christ? We are not lacking gifted people; we are lacking faithful people. What has God called you to do? How will you contribute? May we not complain; may we contribute. May we not sin; may we serve. - copied
K. Ecclesiastes 11:4 “He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.”
L. (Pr 20:4) “The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.”
M. 2 Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
N. “Many churches today remind me of a laboring crew trying to gather in a harvest while they sit in the tool shed. They go to the tool shed every Sunday and they study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and then get up and go home. Then they come back that night, study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes and grease their tractors and go home again. They come back Wednesday night, and again study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and get up and go home. They do this week in and week out, year in and year out, and nobody ever goes out into the fields to gather in the harvest.” (Source Unknown, Lou Nicholes - Missionary/Author).
II. Why are you standing around? There is a harvest to be reaped.
A. Matthew 9:36-38 “when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
B. Looking out at the multitude Jesus Christ was moved with compassion. He sees the multitude He saw them as distressed and downcast, worn out, exhausted, and totally helpless. He is moved to the very pit of his stomach with grief over their lost condition. When is the last time we were moved by a vision of how great the harvest is? How lost our families are? How lost our community is? How lost are nation is? How lost our world is? How vast the harvest is?
C. Luke 10: 2 “Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
D. One day Hudson Taylor was traveling on a Chinese junk from Shanghai to Ningpo. He had been witnessing to a man named Peter who rejected the gospel but was under deep conviction. In the course of events, Peter fell overboard, but no one made any effort to save him. Taylor sprang to the mast, let down the sail, and jumped overboard in hopes of finding his friend. But no one on board joined Taylor in his frantic search. Taylor saw a fishing boat nearby and yelled to them to help, but they wouldn’t do it without money. Finally, after bartering for every penny that Taylor had, the fishermen stopped their fishing and began to look for Peter. In less than a minute of dragging their net, they found him, but it was too late. They were too busy fishing to care about saving a drowning man. We can easily condemn the selfish indifference of those fishermen, but by indicting them, we may condemn ourselves. Are we too busy with our jobs and other activities to take the time to rescue those who are perishing without Christ? – Kenneth Cole, The Crucial Message
E. John 4: 35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!’”
F. When Christ said the fields were "white for harvest" He used a figure of speech to describe fields that were filled with ripened grain - grain that almost lightened up the landscape to the eye. Saying "Behold" - and "lift up your eyes and look" - was a call to see the situation as it truly was. Jesus was teaching His disciples, then, not to postpone the work of the harvest by saying, "The harvest is many weeks away yet. We have lots of time." No! He was urging His disciples to look at what was going on around them! He was urging them to know that the fields are already ripened and white unto harvest - that the harvest time isn't sometime in the future, but that it's here now! – Harvest Time
G. Crops go through three stages: green, ripe, rotten. Harvest is effective only at one stage. If we prematurely harvest the fruit before it is ripe, we run the risk of ruining the fruit. However, if we wait too long to harvest the fruit it may be too late - copied
H. One of the saddest verses in God’s Word is Jeremiah 8:20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
I. We'll have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before sunset to win them. - Robert Moffat
III. Why are you standing around? There is a reward for service.
A. Verse 7 “…whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive”
B. God will reward you for working in the field.
C. John 4:36-37 “And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'”
D. The renowned 19th-century English preacher C. H. Spurgeon told this story about King Cyrus, the man who conquered Babylon and freed the Jews from captivity: A visitor who was admiring Cyrus’ gardens said it gave him much pleasure. “Ah,” said Cyrus, “but you have not so much pleasure in this garden as I have, for I have planted every tree in it myself.” Spurgeon then commented, “One reason some saints will have a greater fullness of heaven than others will be that they did more for heaven than others. By God’s grace they were enabled to bring more souls there.” Those words should cause all of us who know the Lord to do some serious thinking. How many people will be in heaven because of us? Our desire should be that when we reach our eternal home, some will say to us, “I’m so thankful for you. It was your testimony, your life, your invitation to accept Christ that accounts for my being here today.” The apostle Paul anticipated the joy in heaven of seeing people who were there as a result of his ministry (1 Thess. 2:19-20). Yes, heaven’s joys will be the fullest for those who have helped lead others to Christ. So do all you can to bring to Jesus those who are lost in sin. That’s how you can lay up pleasures in heaven! – RWD, Our Daily Bread, Sept.-Nov. 1997,
E. Hebrews 6: 10 “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
F. Someone has said, “To the degree that we are God’s faithful garden tools, God will grant us eternal rewards.”
G. Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”
H. The Scriptures teach that the happiness or blessedness of believers in a future life will be greater or less in proportion to the service of Christ in this life. Those who love little, do little; and those who do little, enjoy less. - Charles Hodge
I. Revelation 22: 12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.”
J. Earth for work, heaven for wages. This life for the battle, another for the crown - Time for employment, eternity for enjoyment. - Thomas Guthrie
K. Why are you just standing around? There is work to be done.
Why are you standing around? There is a harvest that needs to be reaped.
Why Are you standing around? There is a reward for your service.
