Sermon for June 9 and 12, 2005 Matthew
Focus: Matthew 9:35-38:
“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them—because they were harassed & helpless.
And Jesus calls us to have compassion, too. In fact, Jesus gives us a command at the end of this Scripture passage: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
So, why don’t we—in obedience to the Lord—just stop right now and pray for that need:
“Lord, we’re praying that you
will send laborers into the world to minister to all the people who are
harassed and helpless. Thank you,
Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
So—what next?
Well, have you ever heard Pastor Powell encourage us to ask, “How can I be the answer to my own prayer?”
“Okay, well, Lord, maybe I should admit that you could send me, I guess—but
please send me to people I have something in common with. Because, you know, Lord, I just don’t know
how to talk to people who are really different from me. And I really don’t want to go into one of
those neighborhoods where it’s scary after dark. I mean, Lord, there’s a limit to what I can
be expected to do. And really, Lord, I’m
not sure I would be your best candidate for that kind of work anyway. I don’t really know how to talk about my
faith, and I’m certainly not interested in pushing my religion on anyone
else. And I know that people need food
and clothing, but it’s really hard to get used to being around people are just
so ‘needy.’ But, Lord, we know you can find a way. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.”
How’s that? Better?
Is the pray-er of either prayer likely to hear God’s call to go out of this building and serve the needy people? Probably not. Not because God wouldn’t be calling, but because the sound of her own need is so deafening in her ears, that she can’t hear how she could possibly meet someone else’s.
How can laborers go out into the harvest when they consider themselves the ones who are harassed and helpless? How can individuals be equipped to serve God (by serving the needy) when they are always looking to be served? How can a person contribute to the building of God’s kingdom on earth if she (or he) is only equipped to be a consumer?
SO THE QUESTION OF THE DAY IS—ARE YOU A “CONSUMER” OR A “CONTRIBUTER”?
LET ME HELP YOU A LITTLE. HERE’S
A VERBAL SCRAPBOOK OF WHAT YOU MIGHT HEAR A “CHURCH-CONSUMER” SAY:
“I don’t go to church anymore because I just don’t get anything out of it.”
“That worship style just doesn’t do anything for me.”
“I just don’t get anything out of her/his sermons.”
I’m sure you’ve heard, as I have, about people “church-shopping.” And we all know what that means.
“Isn’t there somebody on staff at the church who will visit my neighbor in the hospital or get my teenager to come to church or teach my child to pray?
Because, after all, isn’t that what the church is for?!”
“You know, I like Bible studies,
but I really don’t want to be pushed to ‘witness’ to other people or be nagged
to pray more or come to more church activities.”
“Don’t they realize that I (my family) has a lot of important things on our schedule, and we don’t have time to be in church every day of the week?”
And, when push comes to shove, “church-consumers” will ask, “Okay, what
do I have to give?”
“What do I have to give to get them to stop bringing up money? They’re always talking about money.”
(And, by the way, did you know that of the approximately 1100 active members in this congregation, only 195 pledged to contribute toward this year’s operating budget? Those 195 pledges represent household that include roughly 400 people, which means that 700 people in this congregation didn’t commit themselves to contribute anything toward the work of God in this place.) 7 out of 11
But do you know what’s so disturbing about the “consumer’s” conversation? It’s not just what he or she says, it’s the misunderstanding that’s at the root of it:
See, none of this has anything to do with THE CHURCH?
In the first place—you and I do not belong to THE CHURCH, we do not do things for THE CHURCH or give to THE CHURCH!
You and I are the Church! The Bible uses the image of the Church as the Body of Christ. He is the head, you and I are all different parts of that great Body. You might be a big toe; I might be an ear lobe. But we’re all connected to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
We’re not members of a country club or a chapter of the Lions or Rotary. We are eternally living, Holy Spirit-breathing cells in the Body of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!
There is no Church (here at Grace) without each and every one of us who contribute!
BUT HERE—I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE NOT HEARING WHAT I’M NOT SAYING:
I’m not talking about paying for your salvation.
I’m talking about giving back to the Lord because He has saved you.
Because—whether or not Jesus
Christ is your LORD:
Every minute of every hour of
every day you live belongs to God.
Every penny of every dime of
every dollar you have belongs to God.
AND
Every bit of every
ability and every ounce of energy you possess has been loaned to you by
God.
And, unless you are willing to return them to Him for His use, CHRIST
IS NOT YOUR LORD.
Because that’s what “lord” means—“the one who owns” “the one who loans”
“the one we owe”
SO THE “CONTRIBUTOR’S” VERBAL SCRAPBOOK IS SOUNDS VERY DIFFERENT:
You’ll hear a contributor say, “Thank
God for His work in and through my life!
I want to give my thanks and praise to Him.”
Because gratitude is the heart of worship and obedience is the
substance of worship
Come to this place to worship Him. Go
from this place to serve Him.
“Receiving the Lord, revealing His Love!”—it’s right at the top of your worship
bulletin
“How can I contribute to what
God is doing through this congregation?
How can I c ontribute time to God’s work? Where can I contribute energy in using my
talents in God’s work? When can I
contribute money to get laborers into the fields of God?”
You and I are not giving of what is ours; we are returning to the Sovereign Lord of the Universe what
He has entrusted to us, in order to help us develop into good managers of His property.
Because we will want to contribute to what
we worship.
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The difference between a “church-consumer” and a “church-contributer” isn’t how much the person has or how much the person gives, it’s how much the person loves. Remember the widow who gave the only two coins she had and the woman who bathed Jesus’ feet with her perfume and hair? Remember the fishermen who left everything and followed Jesus into the fields that became our salvation?
As you are trying to hear & respond to what God is saying through me, allow me to make these suggestions:
TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS!
THINK ABOUT & THANK HIM FOR EVERY THING HE HAS DONE FOR YOU
LISTEN CAREFULLY FOR HOW HE WANTS YOU TO BRING IN THE HARVEST!
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A few years ago I had abdominal surgery, and a day or so afterward, the surgeon came to my hospital room to see how I was doing. He had given me his report, and then he added, “And as long as I was in there, I took out your appendix.” (as long as he was in there?!) It sounds shocking when you hear it like that: “I just took out a part of your body and threw it away. Ha. Ha.” But, you know, I haven’t noticed it gone. I’ve heard or read somewhere that there is some thought that long ago the human appendix may have had a function. But no more. Now appendices don’t serve any function; they just hang in there—probably consuming nutrients in order to keep their cells alive.
“Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.’”
In conclusion, I offer you a challenge. It is based on the words spoken by the Israelites in today’s first Scripture reading. When Moses summoned the people and set before them all the words that the Lord had commended, they responded by saying “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.”
Can you say that? Will you say that?
Sometimes I think that, in group worship, we get so caught up in using the word “we” and you and I can forget that being a disciple of Jesus Christ takes an individual commitment. So, please bow your head and close your eyes. If you will, please say in your heart, silently, “Everything that the Lord has spoken I will do.” … Amen.