WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.500 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.280 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:36.600 Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel according to Matthew, chapters 9, verse 35, to chapter 10, verse 8, as printed in your liturgy. 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:40.579 A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew. 00:00:42.040 --> 00:00:46.939 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:52.120 proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. 00:00:53.219 --> 00:01:00.939 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 00:01:02.339 --> 00:01:03.719 Then he said to his disciples, 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:08.200 The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:14.099 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 00:01:15.859 --> 00:01:21.620 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him, and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits, 00:01:21.620 --> 00:01:23.960 and to heal every disease and sickness. 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:27.300 These are the names of the twelve apostles. 00:01:28.340 --> 00:01:31.560 First, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:35.200 James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. 00:01:35.900 --> 00:01:37.200 Philip and Bartholomew. 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:40.100 Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector. 00:01:41.100 --> 00:01:43.200 James, the son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus. 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:45.200 Simon the Zealot. 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:48.000 And Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:53.020 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions. 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:59.100 Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 00:01:59.740 --> 00:02:02.260 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 00:02:03.260 --> 00:02:05.420 As you go, proclaim this message. 00:02:05.420 --> 00:02:08.620 The kingdom of heaven has come near. 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:10.800 Heal the sick. 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:12.259 Raise the dead. 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:14.360 Cleanse those who have leprosy. 00:02:14.840 --> 00:02:15.840 Drive out demons. 00:02:16.939 --> 00:02:18.580 Freely you have received. 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:19.939 Freely give. 00:02:21.080 --> 00:02:22.759 This is the gospel of the Lord. 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:25.060 Praise to you, Lord Christ. 00:02:26.819 --> 00:02:28.479 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:33.399 We are just exploring together the gospel of Matthew. 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:40.819 And you may be aware that in the gospel of Matthew, there are five major sermons of Jesus. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.419 Five big blocks of Jesus preaching and his teaching. 00:02:46.099 --> 00:02:51.819 If you look in your pew Bibles, you can verify this, that chapters five to seven of this gospel 00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:55.299 is the sermon on the mount or the sermon on the Christian life. 00:02:55.300 --> 00:03:01.080 And then you turn to our text today, Matthew 10, which is the sermon on Christian mission. 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:06.740 And then you turn to chapter 13, that's the sermon on the kingdom of God and Jesus' parables 00:03:06.740 --> 00:03:09.020 about what the kingdom of God is like. 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:15.080 And then if you turn to chapters 18 to 20, it's the sermon on the church, the sermon on the church community. 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:20.640 And then if you look at chapters 23 to 25, it's Jesus' sermon on judgment. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:26.619 And really, there's nothing more important for Christians and for churches today 00:03:26.619 --> 00:03:31.979 than to learn the contents of these sermons at the feet of Jesus. 00:03:32.399 --> 00:03:37.500 And as he urged us last week in the sermon on the mount, not just to hear his words, 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:42.759 but to put them into practice and to order our lives under these sermons. 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:46.699 If you're here today and you're exploring the Christian faith, 00:03:46.699 --> 00:03:51.560 these sermons, I would say, is just Jesus Christ 101, basic Christianity. 00:03:51.739 --> 00:03:54.780 And I hope it helps you in your process of exploration. 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:59.539 We spent the last three weeks looking at the sermon on the Christian life. 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:05.539 And today we're focusing our attention on Jesus' sermon on Christian mission. 00:04:06.359 --> 00:04:12.259 And Christian mission begins and ends with Jesus' heart for people, 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:14.479 with Jesus' love for people. 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:18.599 That's what the red-hot center of the church is supposed to be, 00:04:18.659 --> 00:04:20.839 is the compassion of Christ himself. 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:24.039 And we see that in verse 35 of this text. 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:27.199 It says that Jesus went through all the towns and villages, 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:28.659 teaching in their synagogues, 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:30.719 proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, 00:04:30.899 --> 00:04:33.420 and healing every disease and sickness. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:37.420 Jesus was an itinerant preacher and a healer. 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:41.259 And he had his base of operations in a town called Capernaum 00:04:41.259 --> 00:04:43.680 on the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:46.120 And from there he went all over the place. 00:04:46.199 --> 00:04:48.579 We can see in this verse that Jesus is on the move. 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:51.039 He's among people. 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:54.079 He has his eyes open to their needs. 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:58.560 And he's eager to reach as many people as possible. 00:04:59.420 --> 00:05:03.620 And how can you tell if you are an authentic disciple of Christ 00:05:03.620 --> 00:05:06.040 and in a healthy church of Christ, 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:12.459 well, you share that same eagerness to reach more and more people 00:05:12.459 --> 00:05:15.019 with the gospel of the kingdom of God. 00:05:15.780 --> 00:05:18.780 It's far too easy for churches to become ingrown 00:05:18.780 --> 00:05:22.280 and turned in on themselves and their own concerns 00:05:22.280 --> 00:05:26.620 instead of being outward-looking, outward-facing disciples of Jesus 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:28.399 in and for our cities. 00:05:28.399 --> 00:05:32.259 And that's why the mission of Christ Church ends with those words, 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:38.599 for the city, because we aspire to share in Jesus' own ministry for our city. 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:40.779 But what is Jesus doing here? 00:05:40.859 --> 00:05:45.099 It says that he's doing two things with his words and his deeds. 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:48.899 First of all, he's enthusiastically announcing the good news 00:05:48.899 --> 00:05:50.560 of the kingdom of God with his words. 00:05:51.459 --> 00:05:57.079 And then secondly, he's therapeutically relieving people's misery with his deeds. 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:01.959 And isn't that what Jesus' disciples and churches should be doing today? 00:06:03.939 --> 00:06:09.620 This news that Jesus is sharing is the best news that anyone could hope to hear. 00:06:10.459 --> 00:06:12.800 It's the kind of news that's so great. 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:16.039 It's like the announcement of the end of a terrible war. 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:18.939 This terrible war is finally over. 00:06:19.139 --> 00:06:22.740 And it's that kind of news is the kind of news that makes people dance in the streets, 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:24.860 you know, hug complete strangers. 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:27.280 And that's what Jesus is going around sharing. 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:34.360 He's saying that the creator God has sent his son as the king to rule this world 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:37.860 and to triumph over evil, to set the world to rights, 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:42.460 so that the creation can finally flourish again in all of its fullness. 00:06:43.379 --> 00:06:47.480 And as Jesus is sharing this news, he's urging people to accept it. 00:06:47.540 --> 00:06:51.460 He's warning people about the dire consequences of ignoring it. 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:56.899 But he's got a ministry not only of the word, he's got a ministry of deed. 00:06:57.279 --> 00:06:59.859 He's not just a preacher, he's also a healer. 00:06:59.919 --> 00:07:02.399 He's not just teaching, he's also touching. 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:07.500 He's touching people at their point of need and their point of pain and misery. 00:07:07.659 --> 00:07:12.359 You can imagine Jesus like a doctor and he's sitting there with people listening to them, 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:17.060 diagnosing them, treating them, curing them and restoring them 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:20.199 and conquering over all that's dehumanizing them. 00:07:21.100 --> 00:07:26.259 Jesus is going around to all these places and he's giving them a good infection, right? 00:07:26.339 --> 00:07:29.800 The good infection of his life in the midst of their sickness, 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.379 and his health in the midst of their disease, 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:35.019 and his hope in the midst of their despair. 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:42.340 Jesus goes around making people sound in their bodies and whole in their souls. 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:48.239 And these are signposts that the presence and the power of God has come near. 00:07:48.419 --> 00:07:52.560 They're signposts that the new age is breaking into this world 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:56.339 and that the coming day of Jesus' crucifixion and his resurrection 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:01.719 is going to be a decisive defeat of all the sources of this misery, 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:05.879 sin and evil and death and hell and the devil, 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:11.480 that God in Jesus has begun to reign sovereignly and supremely 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:14.259 through his only chosen king. 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:17.060 So that's our first verse today. 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:22.100 And that sets the context for everything else I want to say to you. 00:08:23.339 --> 00:08:31.779 This text really tells us that Christ's compassion leads to praying and working. 00:08:31.779 --> 00:08:34.539 That's what our text is about today, 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:38.539 that Christ's compassion leads to praying and working. 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:41.019 And I want to say a little bit about Christ's compassion. 00:08:42.199 --> 00:08:43.379 What does Jesus see? 00:08:45.079 --> 00:08:48.720 When he looks at the masses of men and women like ourselves, 00:08:48.939 --> 00:08:53.939 when he looks around at them the way that we might look around our city and our world, 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:55.120 what does Jesus see? 00:08:56.079 --> 00:08:57.860 Jesus is no mere man. 00:08:57.980 --> 00:08:58.860 He's the son of God. 00:08:58.860 --> 00:09:01.079 And so he has a different way of seeing. 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:03.879 A different way of seeing people and their problems. 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:08.459 He saw people and their problems in a way that's different than like our newspapers 00:09:08.459 --> 00:09:10.699 see people and their problems. 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:11.600 What did he see? 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:13.539 It says in verse 36, 00:09:14.579 --> 00:09:16.939 when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them 00:09:16.939 --> 00:09:20.720 because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. 00:09:21.819 --> 00:09:24.399 That's a true word of our predicament. 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:28.679 A painful diagnosis of our condition that we are sheep. 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:32.419 And if you're not insulted, you should be insulted 00:09:32.419 --> 00:09:39.199 because we like to think of ourselves as people who are folks of reason and logic, 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:41.579 people who have brains and understanding. 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:45.179 And Jesus says, well, really, you're sheep. 00:09:46.179 --> 00:09:50.299 And as you might know, sheep are the most foolish of all creatures. 00:09:50.299 --> 00:09:54.379 If you talk to a shepherd, they'll tell you that sheep are not these clean, 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:56.919 cuddly little lambs that they appear at a distance. 00:09:57.599 --> 00:09:59.019 In fact, one sheep says this. 00:09:59.079 --> 00:09:59.719 He says, quote, 00:10:00.359 --> 00:10:03.959 sheep are dirty, subject to unpleasant pests. 00:10:04.059 --> 00:10:10.139 They need to be regularly dipped in strong chemicals in order to be rid of lice and ticks and worms. 00:10:10.299 --> 00:10:13.519 Sheep are unintelligent, wayward, obstinate beasts. 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:19.840 We know that it's characteristic for sheep to run here and there, 00:10:20.579 --> 00:10:25.199 rushing after one another, not knowing where they're going or what they're doing. 00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:28.879 And this is, of course, not the way that it was intended to be, 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:31.759 but it is, in fact, what we've made of ourselves. 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:34.220 We are sheep, Jesus says. 00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:38.379 And what does Jesus know about sheep? 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:42.080 He knows all the teachings of the Old Testament about sheep, 00:10:42.179 --> 00:10:44.740 particularly this verse in Isaiah 53, 6. 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:48.059 It says, we all, like sheep, have gone astray. 00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:51.939 Each of us has turned to our own way. 00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:57.159 We've escaped our owner and our master. 00:10:58.039 --> 00:10:59.740 And we've gone off on our own. 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:05.059 We're self-willed, self-centered creatures of pride who say, 00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:07.179 well, we don't really need God. 00:11:07.179 --> 00:11:13.019 And because of this, we bring about a great deal of misery upon ourselves, don't we? 00:11:13.779 --> 00:11:16.219 We're harassed and helpless because of this. 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:21.000 Because we've left God, we find ourselves distressed and dispirited. 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:26.819 It literally says, Jesus sees sheep who are mangled and thrown down to the ground. 00:11:27.839 --> 00:11:30.699 He sees sheep that are wounded and dejected. 00:11:30.839 --> 00:11:34.859 Sheep that are bruised and prostrate in utter misery. 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:40.019 When Jesus looks at people like us, he says, oh my, they don't have enough food. 00:11:41.080 --> 00:11:46.539 And they're thin and they're weary and they're weak and they don't even know where to go and find nourishment. 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.539 And because they've gone out from the protection of the shepherd, 00:11:51.180 --> 00:11:54.820 these sheep have exposed themselves to predators, 00:11:54.820 --> 00:12:01.360 to thieves and to wolves that would come and take advantage of our situation and our condition. 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:09.020 And so Jesus, when he sees this crowd, he sees that they're sheep who are attacked and wounded and mangled and half killed. 00:12:09.140 --> 00:12:12.820 And maybe you're here today and you resonate. 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:18.140 You feel perplexed and you feel bewildered. 00:12:19.040 --> 00:12:25.400 Maybe you're a sheep today who's torn by sin and attacked by evil. 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:30.300 And the question for us is, why are we so desperate? 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:35.540 And this text tells us we're desperate because we lack a shepherd. 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:40.240 And that's an Old Testament way of saying that we have no prophet. 00:12:41.199 --> 00:12:42.459 We have no priest. 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:51.120 We have no king who can guide us and lead us in God's way and tell us God's truth and show us where God wants us to go. 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:56.779 Who is sufficient to shepherd us? 00:12:57.500 --> 00:12:58.480 That's the question. 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:02.819 Can the philosophers and the politicians shepherd us? 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:03.839 Can they help us? 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:04.240 No. 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:04.960 No. 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:07.340 They're just as lost as we are. 00:13:07.420 --> 00:13:08.240 They're lost sheep. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:12.379 How about the theologians and the pastors? 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:13.740 Right? 00:13:14.300 --> 00:13:18.139 Can they show us where we're supposed to go? 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:31.080 Over the past century, pastors and theologians have given us modernist Christianity and pluralist Christianity and nationalist Christianity and postmodernist Christianity. 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:33.820 Has any of this helped the helpless sheep? 00:13:33.900 --> 00:13:35.120 No, it's made it worse. 00:13:36.280 --> 00:13:38.600 Who can tell us the meaning of life? 00:13:38.680 --> 00:13:40.520 Who can fix this world? 00:13:41.180 --> 00:13:44.300 Who can lead us through sin and death? 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:48.379 Jesus, when he sees people, he sees sheep. 00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:54.479 And what he knows is that we've gone our own way and that's why we're harassed and we're helpless. 00:13:55.459 --> 00:13:59.059 But what does Jesus feel when he encounters us? 00:13:59.639 --> 00:14:04.919 We're told in verse 36, when he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them. 00:14:06.079 --> 00:14:07.639 He felt compassion for them. 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:11.620 This is one of my favorite words in the Greek. 00:14:12.059 --> 00:14:14.019 The word is splachnizomai. 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:16.899 And your splachna is your spleen. 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:17.879 Right? 00:14:17.899 --> 00:14:27.500 And what Jesus is feeling is that his bowels are turning and his intestines are churning and his heart is breaking in this moment. 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:41.679 It's the same word that's used in Jesus' greatest story in Luke 15 when he's talking about this father who runs toward his prodigal son and he hugs him and kisses him and lavishes gifts upon him. 00:14:42.700 --> 00:14:48.279 See, Jesus in this moment, when he's feeling compassion, he's not a sheep. 00:14:49.539 --> 00:14:49.740 Right? 00:14:49.779 --> 00:14:52.200 He's not part of the masses. 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:55.299 He doesn't belong to the multitude of humanity. 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:56.500 He's entirely different. 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:58.639 He's the eternal son of God. 00:14:59.620 --> 00:15:01.580 And he sees us dying. 00:15:02.580 --> 00:15:05.659 He sees that there's no one to help us, no one to lead us. 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:09.139 And so he says, Father, send me. 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:11.700 Send me, Father. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:14.799 I'll empty myself of my eternal glory. 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:21.120 And I'll enter into this world of rebellion and sorrow and sin and death. 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:27.659 And I want you to send me to go and be a good shepherd who can rescue these lost sheep. 00:15:28.860 --> 00:15:30.279 And that English word, compassion. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:32.740 Passion, of course, means to suffer. 00:15:33.179 --> 00:15:35.480 And compassion means to suffer with. 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:41.700 And Jesus is saying, Father, send me to suffer with them and as them and for them. 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:47.460 That I might be the shepherd to lay down my life for those sheep on the cross. 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:52.220 That I could bring them back to their rightful master, their rightful owner. 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:57.720 That I could bring them into the sheep fold of the church where I can feed them with my word. 00:15:57.820 --> 00:15:59.220 Where I can feed them with the truth. 00:15:59.920 --> 00:16:03.580 Where I can feed them with my body and my blood and give them my life. 00:16:03.580 --> 00:16:08.379 Friends, when Jesus sees you. 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:11.320 In all your sin and suffering. 00:16:11.520 --> 00:16:16.860 In all of your wounds and your weakness spiritually and morally. 00:16:17.420 --> 00:16:19.540 How does he feel about you? 00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:23.180 Splunk needs a mind is what he feels. 00:16:24.160 --> 00:16:27.540 His heart is breaking with love for you. 00:16:28.680 --> 00:16:32.300 And the question is, have you experienced the compassion of Christ? 00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:35.019 Have you experienced it personally? 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:37.939 Have you experienced it recently? 00:16:38.740 --> 00:16:41.120 Do you experience it regularly? 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:44.419 He has a heart for you. 00:16:44.599 --> 00:16:46.479 Yes, he considers you a sheep. 00:16:47.299 --> 00:16:48.939 But you're a precious sheep. 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:51.359 You're a beloved sheep. 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:53.719 And Jesus says you're worth suffering to save. 00:16:54.699 --> 00:16:57.019 You're worth dying to deliver. 00:16:57.139 --> 00:16:59.419 That's the compassion of Christ. 00:16:59.419 --> 00:16:59.559 Christ. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.740 And Christ's compassion leads to praying. 00:17:05.879 --> 00:17:08.559 This tells us that Christ's compassion leads to praying. 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:11.259 That Jesus sees our need. 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:14.139 He sees that people without Christ are sheep without a shepherd. 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:17.559 That they're going to run out of pasture and starve. 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:20.920 They're going to get lost and caught in a thicket and die. 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:24.420 They're going to be attacked by thieves and wolves and be torn apart. 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:28.080 And people that we see around us, they look put together. 00:17:28.259 --> 00:17:29.580 They seem self-confident. 00:17:30.060 --> 00:17:36.100 But through the eyes of Jesus, they're sheep who are harassed and helpless and distressed and dispirited. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:37.140 Yes, they have gadgets. 00:17:37.340 --> 00:17:38.180 Yeah, they have money. 00:17:38.840 --> 00:17:41.900 But if you can see through all their self-reliance and self-assurance, 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:47.980 Jesus says they're sheep without a shepherd who do not know the ultimate meaning of life. 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:54.720 And don't have a purified conscience before God and have no hope of eternal life. 00:17:54.780 --> 00:18:03.060 And the question for Christians and for the church is do we feel Jesus' compassion for our friends, 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:06.720 our neighbors, and our colleagues who are in need of a shepherd? 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:12.440 Do we feel the love that Jesus Christ has for these others in our lives? 00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:19.039 Jesus longs for his disciples to see the potential that's all around us. 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:20.940 And that's why he says in verse 37, 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.460 The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:26.120 And he changes the metaphor here. 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:31.900 He says people without Christ are not only desperate sheep, but they're a plentiful harvest. 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.120 And they're wheat that's ready to be reaped. 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:38.199 Jesus says the harvest is huge. 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:39.799 The harvest is ripe. 00:18:41.159 --> 00:18:46.699 And we need eyes, the eyes of Jesus to see people as sheep who are lost. 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:51.299 We need the heart of Jesus to feel his compassion as a shepherd. 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:59.679 But we also need the imagination of Jesus who really, really wants to bring in a massive harvest. 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:05.620 The image here is of wheat being brought safely into the barn. 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:10.360 And that's the image of people being brought safely into the kingdom of God. 00:19:11.060 --> 00:19:13.900 People being brought out of unbelief and into faith. 00:19:14.060 --> 00:19:19.220 People being brought out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the sun God loves. 00:19:19.220 --> 00:19:25.860 And Jesus is sharing this image with us with a certain expectancy and a certain hope. 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:30.640 And of course, we know that over the next three centuries after Jesus' resurrection, 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:32.860 he would reap a great harvest. 00:19:33.019 --> 00:19:35.779 Half of the Roman Empire would come into his kingdom. 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:40.879 And the question is, do we share in Jesus' expectancy? 00:19:41.940 --> 00:19:50.200 As we're relating to the people around us who identify as agnostic and secular or humanist or Buddhist or Muslim 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:54.899 or however they identify themselves, what do we imagine? 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:58.639 Do we imagine what Jesus is imagining? 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:01.440 That they're wheat for the harvest. 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:06.240 That they're people that need to be brought into the kingdom of God. 00:20:07.300 --> 00:20:10.600 And I think if we're honest, many of us are not really expecting that. 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:16.520 We're not really expecting people to come into a relationship with Christ and his church. 00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:21.480 We're not expecting people to become obedient to the faith of Jesus Christ. 00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:28.640 But what if we began to share in the expectant and hopeful imagination of Jesus? 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:35.460 And what if we really believed that the harvest is actually quite ripe and quite ready? 00:20:35.620 --> 00:20:40.920 That people are actually sheep that are dying to find a shepherd like Jesus? 00:20:42.259 --> 00:20:45.660 Jesus says the problem is not that the harvest is not plentiful. 00:20:46.579 --> 00:20:47.700 What is the problem? 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:50.279 Jesus says the workers are few. 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:53.460 And why are there so few reapers? 00:20:54.099 --> 00:20:56.980 Because Jesus says we're not asking for it. 00:20:57.860 --> 00:21:00.819 We're not asking anything for the harvest. 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.460 We're not asking for workers for the harvest. 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:07.279 Jesus says ask the Lord of the harvest in verse 38. 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:12.000 Therefore to send out workers into his harvest field. 00:21:12.819 --> 00:21:16.059 Now that is not a command to form a committee. 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:20.299 That's not a command to study a book. 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:25.680 It's a command that says simply call him. 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:29.039 Ask him. 00:21:29.819 --> 00:21:30.559 Talk to him. 00:21:31.399 --> 00:21:32.779 And what are we to ask for? 00:21:33.659 --> 00:21:37.619 Lord, give us eyes to see that there actually is a harvest. 00:21:38.899 --> 00:21:43.000 And give us eyes to see that that harvest is actually ripe and plentiful. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:47.680 And give us your passion and your enthusiasm for that harvest. 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:50.799 And Lord, we're asking that you would send out. 00:21:50.900 --> 00:21:55.380 Literally the word is that you would thrust out Christians out of where they're comfortable. 00:21:55.720 --> 00:21:57.240 Out to go into that harvest. 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:02.420 And Lord, we're asking that you would change us and make us into workers. 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:04.099 Make us into reapers. 00:22:04.099 --> 00:22:10.699 Make us people who would invite others to our tables and bring them to church to hear about Jesus. 00:22:10.939 --> 00:22:15.579 And open our hearts to want to even share about our king and his kingdom. 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:21.799 Open our mouths to even talk about our shepherd and how he lays down his life for the sheep. 00:22:21.899 --> 00:22:24.179 Oh Lord, we're asking you. 00:22:24.180 --> 00:22:33.700 And if you look at the history of the church, you know, before God enables the church to bring in a great harvest, 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:40.960 before that he always pours out his Holy Spirit to cause us to start asking more. 00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:47.259 And that's how you know that God is going to send his power among his church 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:54.220 is because the church has begun to engage itself in a new way in asking and in praying. 00:22:55.599 --> 00:23:01.140 Jesus is telling us, I want you to spend more time individually in your prayer closet 00:23:01.140 --> 00:23:06.240 and collectively in your prayer meetings talking about the harvest. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:12.839 Now I have three pastoral petitions I'd like to ask of you right now. 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:22.500 And before you say no, I'd love for you to only say no if you sense the Holy Spirit is telling you to say no. 00:23:23.659 --> 00:23:25.899 In other words, try to say yes, okay? 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:28.299 Here are my three pastoral petitions. 00:23:28.459 --> 00:23:32.279 Number one, I'd like to call you to pray and fast this week. 00:23:32.939 --> 00:23:35.779 Ideally on Wednesday, but whenever it works for you. 00:23:36.659 --> 00:23:39.199 To skip breakfast or lunch or both. 00:23:39.779 --> 00:23:41.019 However God's leading you. 00:23:41.019 --> 00:23:43.279 And just to pray over this text. 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:48.480 And as you pray to say, God, I want you more than I want food. 00:23:49.639 --> 00:23:52.980 And God, I want this harvest more than I want my own comfort. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:55.660 That's my first petition. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:24:01.139 My second petition is that you'd come to our prayer meeting this Wednesday night at 7 o'clock. 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:05.460 And I know some of you have conflicts and that's what's kept you from coming in the past. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:08.480 But I want to ask you to make an exception this Wednesday night. 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:11.559 7 o'clock, people come to these meetings. 00:24:11.700 --> 00:24:15.019 They come to our prayer vigils and they say, gosh, why don't we do this more often? 00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:17.799 I'm so energized. 00:24:18.360 --> 00:24:19.599 I'm so encouraged. 00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:22.200 Why have we not been doing this? 00:24:22.259 --> 00:24:23.259 Can't we do this more? 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:24.819 And I say, yes, we can. 00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:28.220 But come Wednesday night, 7 o'clock, to our prayer meeting. 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:34.620 Third thing I want to ask is that you'd come to our boiler room at 9.30 on Sunday mornings. 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:42.400 Which is where we simply just gather together and ask God to do things that aren't possible for us but that are possible for him. 00:24:43.380 --> 00:24:45.620 And if you all come next week, we won't have enough room for you. 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:46.500 So space it out. 00:24:47.299 --> 00:24:49.519 And come sometime over the next month. 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:54.279 But Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, he says, ask and you'll receive. 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:56.079 Seek and you'll find. 00:24:56.200 --> 00:24:58.480 Knock and the door will be opened to you. 00:24:58.539 --> 00:25:04.279 Which of you, if your child came to you and asked you for bread, would you give him a stone? 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.539 And if they asked you for fish, would you give him a snake? 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:08.359 He says, no. 00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:24.779 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give really good gifts to your children, how much more does our Father in heaven know how to give really good gifts to those who simply ask him for it? 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:32.539 If you study the Acts of the Apostles, you'll see that the Christian mission was really born in the prayer meeting. 00:25:32.539 --> 00:25:38.359 Acts chapter 1 says that they all joined together constantly in prayer. 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:42.539 And that because of that, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them at Pentecost. 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:48.220 Acts chapter 4 says that after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:53.839 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God more boldly. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.500 If you're new today, don't be freaked out. 00:25:57.500 --> 00:26:05.839 It's just that Christ Church is in this season where we, and when I say we, I mean me, we're learning to pray more like Jesus. 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:09.640 Just earnestly, passionately, zealously, wholeheartedly. 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:19.559 We're trying to move beyond the ordinary prayers to extraordinary prayers that are united and persistent and kingdom-centered and Christ-commanded. 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:32.240 And we're not praying that God would bring in a harvest so that our church could be bigger or so that we could generate more money or so that we could really feel good about ourselves and pat ourselves on the back. 00:26:32.339 --> 00:26:32.579 No. 00:26:33.159 --> 00:26:41.359 We're praying that people in our city, people on the campus at Cal and people in the East Bay would be sheep who come to know their good shepherd. 00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:56.299 They'd be wheat who'd be shepherd, they'd be wheat who'd be spread safely into the barn of this Lord of the harvest, that they would come and they would see his glory and that he would take them like wheat and turn them into bread and give more life to the world. 00:26:56.439 --> 00:26:58.479 That's what we're praying for. 00:26:59.799 --> 00:27:03.299 And it all flows out of Christ's compassion because that's what he wants. 00:27:04.359 --> 00:27:05.240 That's what he wants. 00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:09.519 Christ's compassion leads to praying like he does. 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:13.139 and Christ's compassion not only leads to praying 00:27:13.139 --> 00:27:15.400 but it also leads to working 00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:17.279 and I'll end with this. 00:27:17.379 --> 00:27:21.000 Jesus does not say, okay, get out there and get to work 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:23.920 because the work of harvesting without prayer 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:26.039 and without God would be a total mess. 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:29.119 Jesus says, no, I want you to fall on your faces 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:31.680 before God in humble dependency 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:34.339 and say, Lord, we're not sufficient, 00:27:34.339 --> 00:27:36.799 we're not capable, but you are. 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:40.319 But Jesus says, when you're talking to God, 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:44.180 don't ask the Lord to go and do the harvesting work for you. 00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:48.819 No, ask him in your prayers to transform you into a worker, 00:27:48.899 --> 00:27:50.819 to transform his people into workers, 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:54.480 to say, God, take the massive inability 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:57.740 that we bring to you and turn it into ability. 00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:02.299 And Jesus is saying, look, if you beg God 00:28:02.299 --> 00:28:04.159 with an urgent dependency 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:06.860 not to let this great harvest be wasted, 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:11.340 then he says, be ready to become the answer 00:28:11.340 --> 00:28:12.900 to your own prayers. 00:28:14.120 --> 00:28:15.519 And that's what happens in verse one. 00:28:15.620 --> 00:28:17.759 Presumably the disciples go away and they pray 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:20.860 and then in verse one, Jesus called his 12 disciples to him 00:28:20.860 --> 00:28:23.860 and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits 00:28:23.860 --> 00:28:26.480 and to heal every disease and sickness. 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:27.920 You prayed for more workers? 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:30.500 Okay, I'm sending you as the workers. 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:33.440 It's basic Christianity that Jesus is not going 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:35.720 to let you remain as you are. 00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:40.500 And so don't be surprised that God makes you into a reaper 00:28:40.500 --> 00:28:43.539 because Jesus is saying here, he says, 00:28:43.660 --> 00:28:45.859 are you guys content to be disciples? 00:28:46.980 --> 00:28:48.880 Okay, well, I'm sending you out as apostles. 00:28:50.200 --> 00:28:52.140 Are you content just to be learners? 00:28:52.380 --> 00:28:54.200 Okay, I'm sending you out as missionaries. 00:28:55.140 --> 00:28:57.380 Are you content to be my passengers? 00:28:57.380 --> 00:29:00.480 Okay, I want you to slide over and take my seat. 00:29:00.540 --> 00:29:02.340 I want you to drive. 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:03.660 And they're like, what? 00:29:04.560 --> 00:29:06.420 You want us to go out all by ourselves? 00:29:06.520 --> 00:29:08.620 You want us to do what you've been doing? 00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:11.160 And Jesus says, yeah, I do. 00:29:12.320 --> 00:29:15.740 And notice in these couple verses that list the apostles 00:29:15.740 --> 00:29:18.920 that Jesus is just sending people named Peter 00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:22.000 and Andrew and James and John, 00:29:22.100 --> 00:29:25.080 just ordinary, everyday people out, 00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:27.460 not as individuals, but as a little group, 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:29.639 as a little team, a little community. 00:29:30.879 --> 00:29:32.980 And he says, look, you don't necessarily 00:29:32.980 --> 00:29:37.199 need to overthink this. 00:29:37.899 --> 00:29:41.559 Just wherever you are and whatever you're doing 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:43.240 and whomever you're with, 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:45.379 say to the good shepherd, 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:47.019 say to the Lord of the harvest, 00:29:47.419 --> 00:29:49.220 how are you at work here? 00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:52.360 Because you were here before I got here. 00:29:53.120 --> 00:29:54.720 And you've already been at work 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:56.100 and I'm just asking you to show, 00:29:56.420 --> 00:29:57.720 what do you want me to do? 00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:00.620 And when you get there, Jesus is saying, 00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:02.039 look, base your confidence, 00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:04.660 not in your gifts and your skills 00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:06.440 and your passions and your experience. 00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:09.740 Base your confidence 00:30:09.740 --> 00:30:13.240 in Jesus' heart of compassion for lost sheep. 00:30:14.380 --> 00:30:15.940 And in the fact that he wants to be 00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:17.440 their shepherd and their king. 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:20.000 And in the fact that he's the one 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:22.640 who's been raising up this harvest 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:25.299 to bring it in to his barn. 00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:29.600 Jesus gives us very specific tasks 00:30:29.600 --> 00:30:31.500 that we're to continue to do. 00:30:31.580 --> 00:30:33.380 He says in verse six, 00:30:34.840 --> 00:30:36.980 go to the lost sheep of Israel 00:30:36.980 --> 00:30:40.160 and as you go, proclaim this message. 00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:41.680 The kingdom of heaven has come near. 00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:44.160 Heal the sick, raise the dead, 00:30:44.320 --> 00:30:45.799 cleanse those who have leprosy, 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:47.899 drive out demons freely you've received, 00:30:48.339 --> 00:30:48.799 freely give. 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:50.440 Does that sound familiar? 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:54.159 That's exactly what Jesus was doing in verse 35. 00:30:54.399 --> 00:30:55.599 He says basically, look, 00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:57.019 you've heard me preach, 00:30:57.099 --> 00:30:58.519 you've seen me heal, 00:30:58.619 --> 00:31:00.240 now you go and do it. 00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:04.859 Go and show and tell who's really king. 00:31:05.819 --> 00:31:08.839 Go spread the news about the king with your words 00:31:08.839 --> 00:31:11.019 and go display the power of the kingdom 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:11.759 with your deeds. 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:14.240 Go out and multiply among the people 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:16.619 what I've already been doing, Jesus says. 00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:18.579 I've been proclaiming the kingdom 00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:19.920 and so will you. 00:31:21.180 --> 00:31:23.059 I've been rolling back the frontiers 00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:25.640 of sin and suffering and so will you. 00:31:26.619 --> 00:31:28.879 I've been confronting the powers of darkness 00:31:28.879 --> 00:31:30.519 and throwing evil spirits 00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:32.559 out of their human dwelling places 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:34.559 and so must you. 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:37.679 I want my disciple community 00:31:37.679 --> 00:31:41.859 to be full of healers, 00:31:42.859 --> 00:31:45.000 full of restorers, 00:31:45.819 --> 00:31:49.720 full of people who bring life and hope to others, 00:31:50.059 --> 00:31:52.259 full of people who can show 00:31:52.259 --> 00:31:56.299 that God's new life is in fact breaking in 00:31:56.299 --> 00:31:58.639 to this sad old world 00:31:58.639 --> 00:32:01.339 and that in Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, 00:32:01.339 --> 00:32:05.359 God is in fact making all things new. 00:32:07.480 --> 00:32:08.579 That's the mission. 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:10.980 That's the Christian mission 00:32:10.980 --> 00:32:13.459 and the question is, 00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:21.339 might 2023 be harvest time in the East Bay? 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:26.659 And might this be the year of God's appointed time 00:32:26.659 --> 00:32:28.879 for the Holy Spirit to move 00:32:28.879 --> 00:32:31.259 in a way that he hasn't moved in a really long time? 00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:35.039 And might God grant that more and more people 00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:36.539 would be brought in, 00:32:37.179 --> 00:32:40.559 they'd be converted to obedient faith in Jesus Christ 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:43.599 and none of us know the answer to that question 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:49.079 except that we'll never know if we never ask. 00:32:50.419 --> 00:32:51.699 And that's what Jesus says, 00:32:52.399 --> 00:32:52.980 ask me. 00:32:54.299 --> 00:32:55.519 Come and ask me. 00:32:55.519 --> 00:32:58.879 So friends, let's ask him in the name 00:32:58.879 --> 00:33:01.480 of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:02.400 Amen. 00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:02.559 Amen. 00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:02.599 Amen. 00:33:02.599 --> 00:33:02.619 Amen. 00:33:02.619 --> 00:33:02.639 Amen. 00:33:02.639 --> 00:33:02.660 Amen. 00:33:02.660 --> 00:33:02.680 Amen. 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:02.700 Amen. 00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:02.740 Amen. 00:33:02.740 --> 00:33:03.779 Amen. 00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:04.440 Amen. 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:06.759 Amen. 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:09.980 Amen. 00:33:10.120 --> 00:33:10.380 Amen. 00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:11.599 Amen. 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:11.720 Amen. 00:33:11.859 --> 00:33:12.240 Amen. 00:33:12.420 --> 00:33:12.819 Amen. 00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:20.819 Amen. 00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:21.759 Amen. 00:33:21.819 --> 00:33:22.539 Amen. 00:33:22.660 --> 00:33:23.519 Amen. 00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:24.180 Amen. 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:25.420 Amen. 00:33:25.539 --> 00:33:25.759 Amen. 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:26.160 Amen. 00:33:26.420 --> 00:33:27.620 Amen. 00:33:27.620 --> 00:33:27.900 Amen. 00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:28.599 Amen. 00:33:28.599 --> 00:33:29.059 Amen. 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:29.819 Amen. 00:33:29.819 --> 00:33:30.079 Amen. 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:31.660 Amen.