The Harvest Is in Our Hands
The following is the abbreviated version of a sermon I recently preached at my home church, Calvary Tabernacle of Quincy. I offer this not because it’s the world’s greatest sermon, nor because I think I am the world’s greatest preacher. Instead, I post it as an expression of my thoughts, which is, after all, what this blog – and every blog, for that matter – is for.
Use this in whatever way you wish – as a devotional thought for the day, a moment of inspiration along the way, or even as your Sunday sermon. (Just don’t forget to give me total credit from the pulpit.)
Text: John 4:31-39
Focus Verse – 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Introduction
John 4 tells of Jesus’ shocking encounter with a scandal-plagued Samaritan woman who had been married five times, and was currently in a relationship with a man who was not her husband. The perfect Lamb of God encountered the most notorious sinner in town.
Jesus changed this woman’s life, and she went back into town and told her fellow citizens about Him. Because of her testimony, John writes in verse 39, “many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him.“
Jesus used the moment to teach His disciples several important lessons about soul-winning.
I. The IMPORTANCE of the harvest
Verse 34 – Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
To Jesus, reaping the harvest was more IMPORTANT than anything, including physical nourishment. The body cannot live without food, and yet Jesus says that sharing the Gospel is more important than eating lunch.
Jesus showed the disciples there is a higher purpose in life than just finding your next meal. He was saying, “I don’t get energized by eating lunch: what energizes and motivates me is the opportunity to share the Gospel!”
II. The harvest is ready to be reaped IMMEDIATELY.
Verse 35 – Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
In Judea, there were ordinarily four months from planting until harvest. As it is today, the farmer would plant the seed, often barley or wheat, in the ground and then wait patiently until the harvest was ready to reap.
Jesus said it doesn’t work that way when it comes to reaping a harvest of souls. He planted the seed in the heart of the Samaritan woman, and in two days, “many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him (verse 39).”
Sometimes the harvest of souls is IMMEDIATE. It doesn’t take God four months or even four hours to change a life. God can save your soul in the time it takes to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the Holy Ghost! (See Acts 2:38)
III. The IMPACT of one individual’s testimony
Verse 39 – And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman…
This Samaritan woman had one conversation with Jesus, went home and turned her town upside down with a one-line testimony: “Here’s a man who knew what my life was like and offered me hope.”
One testimony made an IMPACT on my life.
Sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s, a carpenter named Dick Fry witnessed to my great-grandparents and baptized them in Jesus’ name in the creek behind their home. Dick Fry also was the pastor of a little Pentecostal church in nearby Rockbridge, IL. He wasn’t well-known: most people have forgotten him.
Because of Dick Fry’s testimony, though, I’m preaching the Gospel today. My father is a pastor. My aunt and uncle became missionaries to New Zealand. Their son now is a pastor. But none of this would have happened if Dick Fry hadn’t shared the Gospel with my grandparents.
My wife’s family shares a similar story. A woman named Carrie BeShears witnessed to my mother-in-law on the job. My mother-in-law started sending her kids to Sunday School, and they eventually got the Holy Ghost. Today, my wife, her two sisters and my mother-in-law are Christians. Other relatives have received the Holy Spirit. But it all started when one lady told a coworker about Jesus.
Conclusion
In this passage, Jesus was giving His followers, including you and me, a fresh perspective on the harvest. He said, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields.“
Some commentators speculate that when Jesus said these words, a group of Samaritans were coming out of the city toward Him and His disciples. Jesus was saying, “Look up, the harvest is right in front of you.”
He was saying, “The harvest is in your hands.”