Let's go back to Luke chapter
10 this evening. Luke chapter 10. And we'll continue with our subject
that we began this morning on the Lord's Harvest. So we'll
just entitle this part 2. Luke chapter 10. Look at verse 1. Again, I'll
read the first couple of verses. After these things, the Lord
appointed other seventy also. And he sent them two by two before
his face into every city and place, whether he himself would
come. Therefore said he unto them, And I'm sure when he spoke to
them, they listened because he spake as never a man
spake. If the Lord speaks, oh God, give
us ears to hear. Like Eli said to Samuel, Samuel had heard a voice. He
got up to check with the old high priest. Eli said, I didn't
say anything until you go back to bed. Samuel heard a voice
again. Samuel, Samuel. He got up, went
to Eli and said, everything all right? And Eli said, I'm fine. Go back to bed. Don't wake me
up again. I'm an old man. I need my rest.
And Samuel heard the voice again, Samuel, Samuel. He went to Eli
and said, are you alright? And Eli perceived it was the
Lord speaking to him. Eli said, now you go back to
bed. Next time you hear your name called, you say, speak Lord,
for thy servant hear it. That's what I say to the Lord
tonight with great humility Speak, Lord. I'm ready to hear, aren't
you? I've come here to this location. I want God to speak. I need Him to speak to me. I
need Him to speak to you. If the only voice you hear is
my voice, you'll be no better off eternally. You won't be any
better off spiritually if this is all the voice you hear. But if the Lord speaks, through
the Word, this evening, by His Spirit, you will be better off. You will benefit spiritually.
These men, they were appointed by the Lord, and He got them
all together. Boy, that was some kind of preacher
school, wasn't it? I have people talking about going
to the preacher school, and I know you used to have a preacher school
here. What would it be like to sit under the ministry and your
professor is the Lord Jesus Christ? The Savior, He chose these seven,
He brought them in, and then He spake to them. And I guarantee
you, He had them on the edge of their seats. And they listened
to every word that He had to say. And that's the way we ought
to always be. as it were, right on the edge
of our seats, with our hand cupped behind our ear. Will he speak
to me tonight? Maybe he will. He doesn't have
to. He's passed many an ear by. But
maybe he will. Wouldn't that be wonderful? And
if he does speak, we'll give him the glory, won't we? We'll
give him the honor. for speaking to us. He spoke
to them. Here's what he said, the harvest
truly is great, but the laborers are few. And so he says, therefore
pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth laborers
into his harvest. And I've read this several times
this week. We've read it hear from the pulpit
to you, you have read it silently. And as I read this, I am so encouraged. I hope you are. I am so encouraged. You say, why are you encouraged
in reading this? Well, for this reason, if the
Lord is sending forth laborers into the harvest, there is going
to be a harvest. Isn't that exciting? Isn't that
encouraging? He has given us the good seed.
And He says, go, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.
Go forth sowing the seed. He is calling laborers into the
harvest and sending them out into the harvest. Bless the name
of God, there is going to be a harvest. He has a people out
there. He has some lost sheep. And they've
got to hear this message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They've
got to find out who God is. They've got to discover what
they are by nature. And they've got to find out about
Jesus Christ and His glorious work of redemption. They must
hear His voice. And if the Lord is sending forth
laborers into the harvest, Glory be to His name, there's going
to be a harvest. So let's just keep on sowing
the seed. Now that harvest, we may live
to see it and we may not. It may be a harvest today. It
may be a harvest next week. I don't know when there will
be, but I tell you, He has a people out there. We're on the trail
of God's lost sheep. These sheep were chosen in grace
unto salvation before God ever made the world. The Son of God
is the Lamb slain for those sheep from before the foundation of
the world. 2,000 years ago, He came into this world and laid
His life down to save His people from their sins. And He arose
again because of our justification. He's gone back to glory to make
intercession for all those for whom He suffered, bled, died
and arose again. And there's going to be a harvest
because those people have got to find out about Jesus Christ.
Oh brethren, let's be encouraged. I know sometimes we look around,
we say, no offense here now, but we say, same old faces. Well, I'll tell you what, that's
an encouraging thing. I'm thankful to see the same
old faces. Because that means God is preserving
you. God's keeping you. The blessed factors, I believe,
in my decision to come and be your pastor is the longevity
of so many people in this congregation to faithfully sit under and believe
and love this gospel. I had some people, as I weighed
the decision, There are some people who said, well, you know,
13th Street is an older congregation. Don't you appreciate that? It's
an older congregation. That's not a negative. Here are people, many of you
who have been worshiping the Lord, honoring His name, loving
his gospel, believing his word for all of these years. That's
a great encouragement to me. Your roots are sunk deep down
in the gospel of grace. And you stand like the cedars
of Lebanon. You've grown in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's a positive thing
to me. And I'm encouraged because the
Lord has sent forth a laborer and there's going to be a harvest
yet. There are others that the Lord's going to bring in. And
we're not looking for numbers, we know that. We're not in this to overflow
the church building with people. But I'll tell you this, I'd love
to see a whole church full of people who love this gospel of
grace, wouldn't you? I'd love to see people come in
who are anxious to hear the message of Christ and Him crucified,
of salvation condition only upon the obedience of that glorious
person, the Lamb of God, the Son of God who came and took
away the sins of His people. I'd love to see people come in
and believe in this gospel. And let me tell you something,
there are going to be some others come in. I'm just encouraged. I really am. Because God is sending
forth the good seed. It's being sown. And it's going
to be a harvest. If it wasn't going to be a harvest,
He wouldn't need any laborers. Up in Michigan, that's apple
country. I had seven apple trees in my yard up there. Migrant
workers come in when the crops are about to come in. Well, I'll
tell you what, if there's no workers being brought in, you
know what that means? No harvest. That's what that
means. That's not good. But when you
see these workers coming in, you say, oh boy, going to be
a bumper crop this year. And the Lord said to these, He
said, You pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers
into the harvest. If He is sending forth laborers,
bless His name, there is going to be a harvest. I am encouraged. His Word will not return unto
Him void. It shall accomplish His purpose
in the thing where to He sends it. He sends forth his laborers. Our brother read to us there
in Acts chapter 8. Philip was in Samaria. Look back at that. Let me just
show you this. And I was noticing again as he read. Look at Acts
chapter 8 and verse 26 and the first part of 27. Acts 8. Verse 26, And the angel of the
Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south
unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which
is desert. And he arose and went. If God
sends forth His laborer, it's for this reason. There's going
to be a harvest. Now, Brother Philip doesn't know
how large the harvest is going to be. But he knows there's going
to be a harvest. And I tell you, one soul brought
to Jesus Christ in faith, brought to repentance from dead works,
repentance from idolatry, brought to believe the Lord Jesus Christ,
one soul, that's a great harvest. That's a great harvest. Philip
goes forth as a sower. And he sows the seed. And he
reaps a harvest. Reaps a harvest. When the Spirit of God said to
him, arise and go, that's good news for somebody. That's good
news for somebody. He didn't know who it was going
to be. But when the Spirit of God said,
you go out into the desert, you go yonder and preach, I bet you
Philip said, Lord, I'm ready to go. And he didn't even have
time to pack his bag. He just was whisked away. Went
forth sowing the seed. And there was a harvest. One
of God's elect had to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of
God's elect. He was reading the Bible. He
was reading Isaiah 53. But he didn't know who the prophet
was speaking about. And he had to hear about the
Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to Acts chapter 18.
Look at Acts chapter 18. Here is the apostle Paul and
he is in the city of Corinth. He's in the city of Corinth.
At this time, as the chapter begins, Acts chapter 18, he's
by himself. Timothy and Silas are not with
him. They've stayed in Macedonia. And the apostle Paul, he had
no companion but his heavenly companion. That's enough. He had no friend. except the
friend of sinners who was with him, the Lord Jesus Christ. When he got there, he met a certain
Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. And as he usually did, he went
to the synagogue to preach. In verse 5, Silas and Timothy
joined him. Now the apostle Paul has been
sent to Corinth. He is the laborer. From that
we can draw this conclusion. There is going to be a harvest.
The Lord sent him to Corinth. There is going to be a harvest.
Look at verse 6. Well, look at verse 5. And when
Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, so they joined
back up together, these three preachers. The Apostle Paul was
pressed in the spirit. He testified to the Jews in the
synagogue on the Sabbath that Jesus was Christ. He's the sent
one. He's the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. And when they opposed themselves
and blasphemed, he shook his raiment. And He said unto them,
Your blood be upon your own heads. I am clean. From henceforth I
will go unto the Gentiles. These people were their own worst
enemies. For in opposing the gospel, they
really opposed themselves. And God sent His preacher away
from them. He sent His preacher away from
them. You know what the greatest curse God can bring upon an area? Take his servant away. Take the
gospel away. Take the laborer away. The man
who comes with a message, the Lord says, I'll take my man away.
The message goes with him. That's an awful curse. These
Jews didn't want to hear. The Lord took him away. They
brought ruin upon themselves. However, while the greatest curse
that God can bring upon a people is to deprive them of a gospel
preacher, the greatest blessing God can give is a gospel preacher. Preaching the message of good
news, the message of glad tidings of Christ and Him crucified.
Look at verse 7. So he departed thence, and he
entered into a certain man's house named Justice. one that
worshiped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, he was the chief
ruler of the synagogue. He believed on the Lord with
all his house. And many of the Corinthians hearing,
believed, and were baptized. The Lord had sent the apostle
Paul to Corinth as a laborer, as a laborer. And there's a harvest. Whenever God sends forth a laborer,
it's good news for somebody. It's going to be a harvest. Notice a little further. Look
at verse 9. Then spake the Lord to Paul in
the night by vision, be not afraid but speak and hold not by peace. Evidently the Apostle Paul, maybe
through threats, Word got to him that somebody
was lying in wait for him. Evidently he was afraid, otherwise
the Lord wouldn't say to him, be not afraid. That would be
the conclusion that I would draw. But speak. You speak. Hold not thy peace. And look
at verse 10. Here are three things that God
told Paul. Number one, He assured him of
the divine presence. For I am with thee. I am with
thee. Number two, he assured him of
divine protection. No man shall sit on thee to hurt
thee. No man shall attack you. No man
shall lay hands on you. And number three, he is assured
of the divine purpose. For I have much people in this
city. It's going to be a harvest, Paul. So don't be afraid. You just
keep on preaching. I have much people in this city.
Now watch this. They had not yet heard the gospel,
but they were already God's people. They were already His people.
They were already His sheep. They were lost sheep. They were
His lost people, but they were already His people. And a laborer
has been sent forth. to sow the seed of the gospel. And there is going to be a harvest.
I have much people in this city. Much people. Those are the people
that Christ came to save. Thou shalt call His name Jesus,
for He shall save His people from their sins. And when the
Lord said, I have much people in this city, that was just another
way of saying, I've sent you here as a laborer to sow the
seed and there's going to be a harvest. And you know how long he stayed
there? A year and a half. A year and a half preaching the
gospel. A year and a half sowing the seed. Go back over to Luke
chapter 8. We've just arrived there. It
seemed this morning when our time expired. Luke chapter 8. We said that the seed that is
sowed is the gospel. And all of God's preachers sow
the same seed. And that's thrilling to me. I sat this afternoon in the office
over the house and I was thinking, you know the seed that I'm sowing?
It's fresh. It's glorious. But this is the
same seed that the Apostle Paul sowed. It better be. Isn't that right? It better be. And as you read throughout, through
the gospel narratives, and most especially through the epistles,
And you read what the Apostle Paul wrote. And you read in the
Gospel what John wrote. You read what Simon Peter wrote.
You read about this Gospel. It's the good seed. And it's
the same seed we're sowing. It hasn't changed. I told Nancy
this morning about our Sunday school lesson. We were talking
about the Day of Atonement in our Bible class this morning.
And I said, I went back in my notes to 1985. I talked through, I preached
then about the Day of Atonement. So I went back and I found it
in my notes and I read it and I told Nancy, I said, everything
I wrote and preached then, I just read it and said, Amen, that's
pretty good. That's pretty good. I haven't
changed. Not that I'm a good preacher
or that I was a good writer, but here's my point. Through
the years, the seed hasn't changed one iota. And it never has. God's seed has never changed. And what preachers were preaching,
what laborers were sowing years and years and years ago, it's
the same seed we're sowing today. I love that. And the same God who was faithful
to bring forth a harvest due to the sowing of the seed years
ago by those faithful laborers, He's still bringing forth a harvest. That encourages my poor heart. All of God's preachers sow the
same seed because Acts 8 and verse 11 says the seed is the
Word of God. And the Word of God doesn't change. Heaven and earth may pass away,
but not God's Word. This is incorruptible seed of
the Word of God that liveth and abideth, how long? Forever. Forever. The message of glad tidings of
redemption, redemption accomplished and justice satisfied and sins
put away by the blood of the Lord Jesus and the freeness and
the fullness of salvation in Jesus Christ. It's the same seed
God's laborers have been sowing down through the years. And all
of God's preachers are sowers. And we only faithfully discharge
our duties when we sow this seed. That's my responsibility. That's
why you brought me down here was to preach the gospel, to
sow the seed. Now there will always be difficulties,
there will be discouragements, there will be distractions, but
we just got to keep on sowing the seed. like faithful farmers. Just broadcast
the same. And don't be discouraged. Say, I haven't seen anybody come
to salvation recently. Well, we pray to God to show
mercy and to show grace, but listen. All things are moving
at the speed He has set and everything is running right on schedule. I wish there was a harvest. There
will be in His time. And let's not try to rush it.
We'll be picking unripe fruit. We just preach the gospel. And
somebody said to me not too long ago, not here, but up in Michigan,
somebody who had visited with us, they said something like
this because I didn't give an altar call. They said, well,
he doesn't give people a chance to be saved. Well, first of all, salvation
is not by chance. It's on purpose. And so how will
anybody know what to do if God does reveal the gospel to them?
I think somehow or another they will let me know. Years ago I
was preaching in Rocky Mountain when I pastored there at Central
Baptist Church. And I went there in 1975 and
stayed until 1989. I was preaching and we sang a
closing song just like we sing here. And I don't know, we usually
sang all the verses. We sang one verse and I happened
to be leading the singing that morning and I said, well, that's
it. We're going to be dismissed.
Just give me a minute to get back to the vestibule. I started
walking back to the vestibule and this lady stepped out and
said, stop! I said, what is it? She said, I thought you'd sing
all the verses. I was going to come down there
and tell you that the Lord's done something for me. And I
said, wait everybody, just wait, stop where you are. The Lord's done something for this
lady. And she said, I just want you all to know, I love this
gospel. And would you baptize me? You
see, you don't have to tell people what to say. They'll figure out
a way to get the message to the preacher that the Lord has done
something for them. Let's just hold the course. Let's
keep on sowing the seed. There'll be a harvest in God's
time. Might be a harvest tonight. The Spirit of God might be working
in somebody's heart tonight, convincing them of the reality
and the gloriousness of this gospel. There's going to be a
harvest. God's preachers are like sowers.
We're sowing the seed. But I'll tell you this. And here's
the third thing. Where the good seed goes and
where it gives life is up to the sovereign will of God Himself. That's right. Now, the good seed
is the gospel. And every preacher is like a
sower of the seed. But here's the third thing. Where
the seed goes, it's good seed. But where it goes and where it
gives life, now that's up to God. I made good on that. Look here in Luke chapter 8,
look at verse 10. He said, unto you it is given
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others
I speak in parables. that seeing they may not see
and hearing they might not understand. Where the seed goes and to whom
it is applied, that's God's business. I have no control over that.
I have one responsibility, sowing the seed. God may send it to you. There
may be a harvest. You may be harvested to the glory
of His grace, or you may not be. But that's up to Him. I've got no control over that. Look over at Acts. Let me show
you something in Acts chapter 16. Look at Acts chapter 16. This is about the Apostle Paul
again. You see, the Bible says, God says, I will have mercy on
whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth. Acts chapter
16, look at verse 6. Now when they, Paul and Silas,
had gone throughout Phrygia, in the region of Galatia. Now
watch this. And we are forbidden of the Holy
Ghost to preach the Word in Asia. Forbidden? Don't go sow the seed over there. Wow! That is sovereignty right
there. The Lord has sent forth His laborers. Here is Paul and Silas. He sent
them forth. There is going to be a harvest.
But it is not going to be over there. Because the seed is not
going over there. There will not be a harvest where
the seed is not sown. Isn't that right? There can't
be a harvest if the seed is not sown. Well, where is the seed
going to be sown? Not over there. The Spirit of
God said, No. I forbid you to preach over there.
Look at verse 7. And after they were come to Mysia,
they assayed, they really wanted, they strongly desired to go into
Bithynia. But the Spirit of God suffered
them not. The Spirit of God said, I'm not
sending any laborers over there. You say, well what about all
those people in Asia? What about all those people in
Bithynia? Well, they lived and died in
heathenism and in idolatry. As you would have were it not
for the sovereign grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus
before the world began. And they passing by Messiah. That's powerful. Passing by. Passing by. No seed sown there. Passing by. What's that song? Lord, hear my humble cry, while
on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. He passed these folks by. And it didn't matter to them.
They weren't interested anyway. And the only reason you're interested
in this gospel is because He didn't pass you by. Look at verse 9. And a vision
appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia
and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help
us. Come over here and sow the seed. And after he had seen the vision,
immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly
gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel among
them. We were assured the Lord was
sending us forth as laborers into the harvest. It's up to
him where the seed goes and where the seed germinates. That's his business. Go back
to Luke 8 again. So the seed is sown. The seed
is the gospel. It is good seed no matter where
it is sown now. No matter where it is sown, it
is always good seed. But you see the heart of the
natural man is not ready for the good seed. The good seed is not going to
spring forth unto life unless something is done for the heart.
It has got to be killed It's got to be dug up. The fallow
ground has to be broken up by the Lord. Oh, may the Spirit
of grace break up the fallow ground, the hard, unprepared
ground. Only then will the seed fall
in and germinate. Here in Luke chapter 8, we have
these different hearers First of all is the wayside hearer.
Look at verse 5. A sower went out to sow his seed.
As he sowed, some fell by the wayside. It was trodden down.
The fowls of the air devoured it. What does that mean? Well,
the Lord, He comments on this. Verse 12. Those by the wayside
are those that hear. and then cometh the devil and
taketh away the word out of their hearts, literally out of their
minds, lest they should believe and be saved." Now remember,
the issue here is not the power of the grace of God. The issue
here is the ministry of the word. You see, if God has already put
the seed in the heart, the devil can't take it away. But in ministering
the Word, preaching the Word, sowing the seed, if it falls
on an unprepared heart, a heart unprepared for the Spirit of
God to receive it, as soon as the service is over or maybe
even before the service is over, the fowls of the earth, Satan
and his demons swoop down, just take the seed away. Cause you
to be interested in something else. Distracted. It takes the
good seed away. And then there is the stony ground
hearer. Look back at verse 6. Some fell
upon a rock. As soon as it was sprung up,
it withered away because it lacked moisture. Look at verse 13. They on the rock are they which
when they hear, receive the word with joy and these have no root. no root of grace, which for a
while I'm believing in time of temptation, time of trouble,
time of trial, fall away. I've seen that happen throughout
my ministry. People get all excited. It's
a new, it's a novel message. It's a message nobody else hardly
is preaching. People say, well, I like that.
And they come in. They say, baptize me. Would you
believe this gospel? Oh yes, I believe this gospel.
And they come for a while and then somebody says something
to them or some trial comes along and they get offended and they
are gone. Really the word, the seed wasn't
planted in the heart by the Lord. Stony ground hearer. Then there
is the thorny ground hearer. Look at verse 7. Some fell among
thorns. The thorns sprang up with it. They choked it. Look down at
verse 14. And that which fell among the
thorns are they which when they have heard, go forth, they are
choked with the cares and the riches and the pleasures of this
life and bring forth no fruit to perfection. Thorny ground
hearers. The words just choked out. The
seed is choked out. Got so many other things to be
concerned about. Preacher, I'm a busy person.
I just don't have time for this. You'll only have the time when
God makes you interested. That's when you'll say, hey,
I must have this gospel. Everything else goes in the back
now. Everything else is laid aside
for this. But thankfully and mercifully,
some seed falls on good ground. Look at verse 8. And other fell
on good ground and sprang up and bear fruit a hundredfold.
And when he had said these things, he cried, he that hath ears to
hear, let him hear. Now look at verse 15. But that on the good ground are
they which in an honest and good heart, which we don't have by
nature, We got bad hearts by nature. The Lord said, I'll take
away that stony heart, I'm going to give you a heart of flesh,
I'm going to give you a new heart. This is a heart of faith. It's an honest heart. It's a
good heart made good by grace. It honestly deals with God. Having
heard the Word, they keep it. They bring forth fruit with patience,
that is with continuity. They continue to bring forth
fruit. What kind of fruit? Well, first of all, there will
be a heart fruit, believing and loving the gospel. Then secondly,
there will be lip fruit. They will confess their faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and adore Him and praise Him forever
and ever. And then there will be life fruit,
the commitment to the gospel of Christ There will be a love
for His Word, a love for His people, a love for His laborer,
a love for public worship. They will have a desire to do
His revealed will and follow the Lamb wherever He leads. So we sow the seed believing
at some point there will be a harvest. God will make His Word effectual.
Let me give you one other reference We'll sing and then we'll go
home. Look at John chapter 4. John
chapter 4. Let's start verse 31. You know
the Lord has, He went to Samaria. He must needs go through Samaria,
John said, because there's one of His lost sheep there. And
in this passage, He's the laborer. and there is going to be a harvest.
He needs to go through Samaria to sow the seed and there is
going to be a harvest of this woman of Samaria. We don't have
time to get into that whole story, but look at verse 31. In the
meanwhile, this is when the woman left her water pot and went into
the city and said, come see a man which told me all things that
ever I did. Is not this the Christ? And verse
31, in the meanwhile, his disciples, they prayed him saying, they
begged him saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have
meat to eat that you know not of. Therefore said the disciples
one to another, hath any man brought him out to eat? Jesus
saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of God that sent
me, and to finish His work. The work of redemption. The work
of reconciliation. The work of saving us. Look at verse 35. Say ye not,
or say not ye there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, I say
unto you men. These are preachers of the gospel.
These are laborers that He has appointed. I say unto you, lift up your
eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to
harvest. Look at verse 36. And he that
reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal,
that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together."
And herein is that saying true. One soweth and another reapeth. He said, I sent you to reap that
whereon ye bestow no labor. You know who bestowed the labor?
He did. But they gonna reap. You read
Acts chapter 2. What a harvest! What a harvest! But who first sowed the seed?
The Master did. Isn't that right? The Savior
did. I sent you to reap, that whereon
ye bestowed no labor, other men labored, and ye are entered into
their labors. We sow the seed. Sometimes we sow the seed and
somebody else reaps the harvest. They see the harvest. And sometimes
somebody else has sown the seed and we see the harvest. But it
doesn't matter on which end you're at. Because the one who gives
the increase is the Lord. And He gets all the glory. Well, let's sing a closing song. What you got for us?