Hope Church LV Sermons
Send Out More Workers :: Matthew 9
Well, you can take your bibles if you would you can turn to Matthew chapter 9 today We're gonna look at just a few verses and you're gonna get out early Not real early And I don't know that you actually will sometimes I don't know when to stop but on paper it looks early You know as I thought about what I wanted to preach today, you know the logical conclusion would be to preach on something that would exhort you encourage you of course at the same time help you into next year Kind of what I talked about in the welcome time of looking backwards a little bit, but not focusing there but looking forward to what God is going to do and That is kind of what I'm going to do But I want to take just a little different slant in August of 1980 um Jesus saved me Hey man to that. Whoo, you don't know what I was. Yeah, praise the Lord. I Gave my life to Christ August 17th 1980 and up until that time and to be honest with you the next six or seven years the only thing that I knew Ironically the church that that I was saved in and baptized there was called good hope Baptist Church, which is a little bit ironic Good hope Baptist Church was all that I knew I Graduated high school. I graduated college and got married and until I actually Surrender to the ministry and went to seminary. I'd gone to probably no more than five churches in my life You know going to college. I was three hours away from home. I had to have a Church there. I got married. We moved to Nashville, Tennessee. We got a church there We moved back to my hometown to work with my dad and I got back in a church there But not good hope but another church that was closer to our home and so up to that point I think it's actually five. I went to two while I was in college five different churches but the thing that I can tell you is is that Though the cultures may have been different Because they were in all the churches most of them were in the south obviously, but each church was a different kind of church It had a different kind of government. There were different people. There was a different thinking You can tell what had been taught and what people were really into But the one thing that I noticed They really weren't that different Even even when I was called into it called in the ministry and with the seminary Since then since that time I've served in three different churches One in Tennessee one in Florida and one here and those are way three different cultures. Trust me But you know the truth is They're the same in a lot of ways You know One of the things that's difficult for us in churches is to keep part is to keep focus To keep the main thing the main thing Like seeing people come to Christ maturing in our faith We kind of lose sight of that. I mean listen we lose sight so much that not only do we lose sight of our own spiritual growth We're hardly ever thinking about the spiritual growth of others And can I tell you? From the time that I was well nine months before I was born in a good hope Until today I still see this It's like inherent and as I look at the scripture what I'm seeing even here in Matthew chapter 9 is I see this same thing occurring We get caught up we get busy there are things that we do there are motions that we go through And we lose focus we lose sight and so today You're not gonna have any PowerPoint some of you won't care some of you're gonna be really really mad at me So you're gonna have to listen closer today But today the tunnel of the message is from God's perspective More than two years ago if you were here actually in November it was when I first came to hope on staff here Pastor Vance actually preached a message called blind spot and you guys remember that message message we call blind spot The message was basically about us not connecting people. I mean here's the deal Either first through salvation or when you get here, where do I serve? Where do I what small group do I go to where does it and and we're still struggling with that a little bit not like we were? I don't think but That's what the message was on it was an awesome message and what he encourages to do that day was for us to see people Do you remember this like Jesus sees people? to Not just to notice them like to notice what kind of clothing they have on or or to notice how they speak or what they say But to really see people like see people past Any facade any outward covering But to see them It was a great message. Do you remember that man? I do I went back and I watched it this week What an awesome message and and and we knew that we had a blind spot We knew that we weren't seeing people like Jesus saw people And so today before we get into 2013 I want to talk a little bit about that, but I want to take a little bit different angle on these verses So let's go ahead and read them together Matthew chapter 9 verse 35 to verses 35 to 38 I do apologize. They're not gonna be on the screen But I promise you I won't lie if you don't have a Bible with you today, okay verse 35 says that Jesus was going about all the cities and villages and teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness Listen to this and seeing there's that word pastor Vance used a couple years ago seeing The multitudes he felt compassion for them because they were distressed and downcast dispirited in other versions Weary may be in other versions Thrown down like sheep without a shepherd Then he said to his disciples The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few Therefore beseech bag ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest in This passage Matthew wrote that Jesus was moved with compassion for the crowds for why they were distressed and dispirited They were downcast they were helpless. They were weary When he let listen, here's the picture Jesus was busy busier than us Busier than you busier than me The Bible says he was teaching. He was preaching. He was healing. I mean he was doing his fan. You know what I mean? I mean he was doing it He was doing what he was called to do who was called to be he was on it But isn't it something that he what he did was he stopped He actually saw them and when he saw them the Bible says that he had compassion on them Now we're all messed up on what compassion means right to us compassion means pity To us compare and it does mean that a little bit, but it goes farther than that To us compassion means that we feel sorry for someone That we hate the condition they are in But it's more than that the Bible says that Jesus felt compassion for them and when we look at this passage We have a tendency Because these four verses actually go together Okay, if you have a Bible that kind of shows you that you can see that if it's my paragraphs But these four verses are a are a one thought paragraph and we look at it. We pick out a couple of things It's really easy for us to see the first thing that I said Jesus had compassion for the people and you're like well, of course he did he was Jesus Right Jesus not to have compassion that would just be weird Not that we think that him coming out of us when we don't have compassion isn't weird, but anyway Jesus not to have compassion this word it literally means to have pity, but to have pity that is filled with tenderness Pity that looks at someone compassion that looks at someone and just doesn't stop there Pastor Neil creasy said it like this and I'm gonna quote him This is probably the first time you've been quoted in our services, so Bank on this one Neil Compassion without action is emotion Emotion with action that's real compassion You see when Jesus saw them He didn't just see them For people he saw that they were hurting that they were weary that they were distressed that they were experienced they were downcast That they had a problem that should be fixed and could be fixed But Jesus here All this compassion was built up over time The tents that this verb is used in tells us this that over time as he looked and looked and looked Jesus wasn't trying to feel compassion he already had it He was in the middle of it He was watching it and he was wanting he was desiring that Something be done about that and we go yes Jesus that compassion in these verses. That's my favorite part the compassion of Jesus That's easy to see and it's real The second thing that we see in these verses that we see Immediately is the reason Jesus had compassion on the people Two reasons well the two adjectives that are used to describe the compassion which Jesus had These two are this distressed and dispirited Distress and the spiritual we see these versions we say Jesus had compassion and the reason now listen listen you got to stay with this Okay, because it's about to get good The reason that he had compassion is because they were weary and scattered Distressed dispirited helpless And we go yeah, of course, that's what it says. I see that that's easy for me to see This work can somebody get me some water. I know that's weird, but I am like a cotton mouth up here I Should have answered never say that don't tell him I did all right Oh look at you from the crowd Distressed listen to this this word comes from a word that has to do with the flaying of skin Especially from what they they used to write on the papri I It is ironic that this word is used here because that all but because he was about to refer to them as sheep or the The sharing of sheep he says these people were distressed They were harassed. They were weary. They were Worriesome they were troubled These people were were bewildered by what they were taught listen The way that this is written here gives us so much information It's in the passive tense and you've heard us talk about this a lot, but this means this is a big deal to us Because here's what the passive tense is all right. Let me just go through the motions for you non-English scholars like me Action says this all right. I hit the ball. I created the action right I I Had something to do with it passive says I Didn't have anything to do with it something did it to me Listen do you see this These people were weary not because they had done anything But because it had been done to them That's big They were weary they were worrisome they were troubled they were distressed not because of themselves listen to me But because of others Do you know that that that's us Do you know that that's you that that is for sure the ninety-five percent of our city who have no hope today Who if Jesus were to come back they would not go We believe that right All right, just want to make sure this is not a clock service y'all better get with it He's coming back Do you know that the weary are weary listen they're sin yeah, absolutely, but here's the deal we got the gospel We can tell them we can live it we can give it we can share it They are weary these people weren't weary because they weren't being taught anything Listen they were weary because they were being taught and God help us here the wrong thing Do you hear me sure you do I yelled not only was it in the passive tense it was in the excuse me the passive voice it was in the perfect tense you know That means finished done complete these people weren't going to be weary they weren't going to be distressed they were Do you know what I'm saying? Like they weren't getting there and you know they were progressing on to wear it no no no They were already there like they were like this They had played a nine inning ballgame and they were the catcher They were tired man. They were being taught the stuff, but it made them weary Not only perfect and passive, but it was also a part of simple. Here's what that means It just kept happening It just kept going Over and over minute after minute hour after hour day after day after day after day The same thing They were weary they were distressed But not only were they weary and distressed They were also dispirited they were downcast that was the second thing This is a very interesting word and by the way, this is exactly like the first word perfect passive participle just the same All right, so everything I just said Say it on this one too But this word means something different listen to this this word means to be scattered to help to be helpless listen to this literally To fall down or to lay flat. I was gonna do that for you. I Was actually gonna lay I actually thought about this, you know Let me give him a perfect example of what this look I was gonna lay down I was just afraid Maybe I get hurt going down or maybe I couldn't get back up or somebody have to you know But think about it Have you ever been so tired that when you got to where you were going with the couch or the bed or maybe the floor? Man you just laid out. Oh Cow gone You know what I mean like That's that word Downcast Again, they weren't going to be downcast. They weren't going to be dispirited. They were they weren't gonna lay down. They were laying down This word is used a lot an Ancient text to denote when someone gets shot fatally they don't get up to denote a Immortal one or even drunkenness When someone is so drunk they can't stand up. They can't walk. They can't move. They're just laying That's that word They're out. There is no physical movement. There is not even a way to do it And people say, you know, that's what I see here Tom I I can so picture that they were weary. They were distressed. They were helpless. They were downcast. I Got that Jesus compassion. I got that Dispirited and downcast I got that But we usually miss the third thing Like we see it and To be honest with you, there's really not that much written about in any commentary as far as the Greek passages concerned There's hardly any kind of a synopsis on it anywhere But when I saw this about eight months ago It knocked me off my feet Because when I saw it, here's what I saw Jesus said I'm having compassion on them I have compassion for them because they are weary and scattered because they are distressed and helpless Because they are worried and troubled Because they're downcast Because they are laying flat. They are tired. They are finished They don't even know if they want to make it live it anymore. It's not even worth it this religion thing that I'm in They said it's too hard and Jesus saw that and here's what he said I have compassion for them But then he said this and this is the thing we hardly ever see that we hardly ever notice that you'll read right by if you don't watch Look what he said verse 36 the last five words Like sheep without a shepherd What was the reason for their weariness? Hey, what was the reason for Jesus compassion? They were weary. They were downcast But what was the reason For them being weary and downcast Five words like sheep without a shepherd Do you know why most of you get up and come back in here on Sundays? I mean, I hope this is true now that I think through it You Like your shepherds I think if you don't don't tell me I Love Pastor Vince I love Pastor Jay and Pastor Neal and Pastor Travis Pastor Scott Pastor Teddy I Believe when I sit in the room with those men They're gonna help me They're not gonna tell me something to hurt me They're not gonna tell me an untruth Man, I love coming to the services and I go to all of them Every week I'm here man. I know what they're gonna be before I come and I still come You You know why cuz I I need a shepherd you need a shepherd Do you know that we have a whole city full of people? Who have no good shepherd and I'm not even talking about the ones in churches I'm talking about the ones who have no shepherd Feeding them teaching them leading them you say Tom I get it man, but could you help me today to understand why you're? This is the sermon What I am glad you ask I Believe with all my heart. I'm looking at a room full of shepherds That's done you didn't For some of you it didn't you're already there You understand that your responsibility in the kingdom is bigger than just showing up seeing on a pew You understand it's bigger than putting an offering in the offering plate, which by the way, thank you It's bigger than serving in the choir, which what which by the way, thank you It's bigger than being a smoggerman, which by the way, thank you It's bigger than all those things that you are supposed listen and when I say you I mean plural you all of you And I'll put me in there us We are all supposed to be shepherding Do you know why because there's lots of sheep out there who are wandering around and listen they are grabbing they I did a little little study on sheep preparing for this message today The dumbest animals out there I'm serious. I'm not just saying that We didn't have sheep where I grew up, but we had a neighbor who did and I always thought they were the dumbest now I know After doing a little study Sheep don't know what to do. They don't know where to go. Listen. They don't even know what to eat. They are so gullible They only go where the shepherd takes them they always stay together a Sheep that runs off was always a go to never a sheep Just look like one They will eat everything you put in front of them Goats will too, but listen. This is how sheep are that they won't move to find the grass. You have to move them That sound like us If they get too much wool if they get too much stuff on them The their legs are weak and they fall over and listen this they cannot get up I'm serious somebody has to pick them up to put them back on their legs Does that sound like us? The reason for their weariness the reason for their helplessness was exactly what I've been explaining the people's condition was do mainly to lack of leadership And can I say this today Like listen this last weekend. Do you have any idea how many people showed up at our all four of our services? Could you guess? We wish three thousand three thousand Today it looks like about five hundred five fifty so multiply this by six Three thousand people. Can I just say this eight of us cannot? Shepherd six thousand No, shepherd has three thousand sheep he will quit He can't get enough food together right he can't watch them all their he would spend 24 hours a day healing wounds You Can be should be shepherds The reason for the weariness the reason for the helplessness whether they are people who are already Christians listen to me Or people who aren't Christians yet, but that are going to be Christians Let's just group them all in Jesus didn't say only the sheep are only those people who are Followers of mine or followers of the one true God. He called everybody sheep. He would had compassion on the city And that's the way I see us there were three thousand here, but to be honest with you there are two million Yeah, I know that's big Eight people can't do three thousand three thousand can't do two million, but I do know this we can each do what we're supposed to do We can each take on exactly what God has given us the fact was the Jewish leaders that were supposedly in their positions to teach and to feed and to lead That wasn't at all what they were doing the Bible says in Matthew that they were placing heavy burdens on the backs of the people And that's kind of ironic because when Jesus came, here's what he said I'm gonna make your burden light Coming to me all who are weary I don't give burdens. I take them off Listen to me. Do you know the best way you can take the burden off? Share the gospel I know there's other stuff. I know there's other problems I know there are other things but here's the deal you can take all those things off and they will die and spend eternity separated from God The Jewish leaders they were Giving to the people no spiritual pastor they were never fed the people were never giving living water to drink their wounds were never bound up The leaders offered burdens Jesus though light in the load They basically left the people to perish and when Jesus look at them. This is where it comes in, right? What are the leaders doing and here's the deal. I'm looking at leaders. What are we doing? You are part of the solution Is that why people here in Vegas are weary and help us to I Think it is for us and listen. I'm like I'm not Correcting or instructing I'm exhorting us today We can look at the compassion we can look at the weariness we can look at the The downcast state of our city, but here's the deal Jesus said they wouldn't be like that if they had a leader Does anybody hear me anybody in a room? It's bright up here They need a leader you say Tom. I couldn't lead there's nothing about me. They can lead I have I don't have the skill I don't have the training you have much more than you would ever imagine Do you know that in the rest of the world you'd be considered a spiritual expert? In our city if you know the gospel you are a spiritual expert John MacArthur said this and I'm gonna take a little my wife hates it when I do this but a little rabbit trail But I think it's important Here's what John MacArthur said Jesus ministered not only because it was his nature to have compassion because that's what people say They say well, it was Jesus man. Jesus had compassion. It's harder for me because I'm not Jesus, right? But not only because it was his nature, but because the people had a great need Listen to this. He also ministered to them Because he knew There was a final judgment John MacArthur goes on to say this it's easy to lose awareness of the Imminence and in eva in evitability of God's judgment But the Christian who loses sight of that judgment loses a major portion of the motive for witnessing Have you lost that? There is a judgment coming. I know we don't like to talk about that that all the time. This makes me feel bad Don't want to talk about that Hell and all that's But do you know that Jesus talking more about hell than you did heaven, right? You've heard that You know why because he knew it was real And can I tell you something today Hell is real. You say time you trying to scare me. Yeah If a house is on fire, I'm gonna tell the people in it to get out I'm not just gonna keep jogging. I'm sorry getting in shape Some of the old Puritans said it like this man. These are these are stout quotes Okay, so listen listen closely. If you don't know what stout means you have to that's my Tennessee lingo Thomas Watson wrote this listen to this This is powerful. Thus it is in hell. They would die, but they cannot The wicked shall always be dying but never dead On the same subject George Whitfield wrote this great preacher Here's what he wrote burning like a livid coal not for an instant or a day but millions and millions of ages not years ages At the end of which people will realize that they are no Closer to the end than when they began Never ever to be delivered from that place You say Tom, I don't like to talk about that Me either I have relatives who I'm afraid are in hell I'm telling you think about it But it's real Okay, Tom this tactic you're using Jesus used it Jesus said here's the deal. They're weary. They're downcast and the reason that they are one reason Nobody is leading them We come in dressed up we sit down we sing the songs we got the right stuff Listen, we're feeling good man. Are you kidding me? I had my quiet time out of 365 days 390 I had more than I needed to I did some twice I Prayed I have out of my co-worker To a service she gave her life to Christ. He gave his life to Christ I'm telling you everything's good the bank account is looking good. Everything's good. What are you doing inside the church? Nothing Nothing I Know past Teddy wants some more people to quiet looks like enough people up there to me You said we got a hundred fifty groups. We need more. Yeah a hundred and fifty more Do you know and listen I don't know if Rich is here today is rich here today because I didn't tell him I was gonna say this so I apologize brother. I owe you a lunch after this if this offends Listen to this They do you know in our church? Every week there are about 300 kids over there while we are over here And did you know that kids are not going to be the church they are and they're not little people they're people That's new And they're not burdens right they're blessings Did you know Listenness and rich listen, I'm apologizing a lot here because I didn't talk to you before all right and If you are a greeter Thank you, but did you know? There are five times as many greeters in our church as there are children's workers That's not richest fault He just putting people where they want to be hey, and that's great for greeters. I love listen We need 250 greeters right, but we need more than 50 children workers Yeah, somebody bring it Now if you're clapping I want you at the information desk Here's what I'm saying Now we're glad you're here. We want you to be here if you've been through discovering hope you know, I've said this If you are here at Hope as a member especially We expect you to serve We're not asking if you'd like to If you got the time That's part of holding the rope So where are you I? Know being with children is tough. I got five that I live with But do you know they're the fastest group to leave and never come back Right out of high school Because we've shown them How we care the problem wasn't the people's lostness even though obviously it's a problem But that wasn't the main reason Jesus was sensitive to this and compassionate for them when he saw the lack of leadership It broke his heart because he knew they had the Torah they had the first five books of the Bible They knew the deal all they had to do was get it to the people Here's the deal. We not only had the Torah the first five books of the Bible We've got 66 books with some great not just great history But with some great truth to get to people people here in our church to serve them But listen people outside our church people who need the Lord They were like sheep without a shepherd Jesus said and the thing that Jesus knew Was that this problem was easily solved? That's the good part. That's what I love about this stand. That's what I love about this. It's easy solved right Give them a shepherd Here's the thing that I came up with I'm gonna go through this really fast about sheep here the characteristics of sheep This is what a shepherd. This is why they need a shepherd. They're gullible. They're timid. They're fearful. They're easily panicked. Listen closely Sheep are vulnerable to fear frustrations past and hunger They're vulnerable to stand to the stampede mentality mentality mentality to the mob psychology Now won't you as we're thinking about sheep. That's us, right? So so as I'm reading these things They're easily influenced by their leader Even bad leaders They have little or no means of self-defense. They're easily killed by their enemies. This shepherd is the most effective calming influence in their lives They're jealous and they compete for dominance inside the herd. That's totally unlike people there They constantly need fresh water and food not the same old water not the stagnant Their best water source is early morning dew They're stubborn they insist on their way even if it's detrimental to them They will eat poisonous plants and drink dirty water just because they want to But especially if it's put in front of them They have very little discernment choosing food or water They are easily flipped over on their backs and are and are unable to write themselves They will dive starvation if not turned over by the shepherd They frequently look for easy places to rest They hate being sheared or cleaned Don't talk about hell They need the most care of any livestock Too much wool will cause a sheep to be easily flipped over on its back They are creatures of habit and get into ruts easily. They need to be constantly moved and on the move They need a predetermined plan. They're totally dependent on the shepherd for every need And how about this one? They need the rod and the staff for guidance When sheep have no shepherd you know what happens to them They become distressed they become dispirited they become weary The bottom line is this the multitudes had nobody to lead them They had no one to feed them these sheep needed someone to provide for them and to lead them in the truth Steve Glade in the small groups pasture down at Saddleback. Here's what he said. He said the heart of the Lord was broken when he saw the poor and leaderless condition of these people And can I just say this to you? The same thing exists here at Hope Where are you plugged in and serving? Where is it that God wants to use you? Can I say this? Our children's ministry and I'm not even the children's pastor Listen to me close Is the most important ministry here? I'm the small group's guy. I didn't even say small groups and I could have The choirs awesome listen to me close Children believe us The least amount of workers in our church body is in the children's ministry I hear stuff like this, you know people say well We've already done that My kids are all in their thirties It's not a prison sentence My kids love I'm convinced my kids love my parents more than they love me maybe not Where are you serving where? Jesus tells him here at the end look at verse 37 and I'll be done He said then he said to his disciples the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few in other words the problems not with the harvest Right the problem is not that people won't give their lives to Christ won't grow in their won't with Christ The problem is we don't have the workers to help them to do that He said this therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest here's some areas, okay Let me just give you a couple areas Small group leaders community coordinators preschool elementary children's area leaders Acquired leaders youth area leaders parking lot of tendons dinner with the pastors discovering hope coordinators baptism coordinators welcome callers connection card Follow-up for evangelism and that's just the start But all in an attempt to make sure that every sheep has a shepherd All in attempt to make sure that every person that is connected to us whether they ever walk through this door or not Wherever you work wherever you live that every person is connected under the influence of what we know is the gospel We'll have a shepherd. So here's what we're gonna do. This is gonna be a lot, all right We're actually gonna do verse 38 together therefore beseech ask beg pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers Into his harvest Now here's the irony with that what we're about to do So we're gonna have a time of prayer. I'm gonna ask you to come to the to the altars here, okay? I know Pastor Vance isn't here, but it's still an altar Listen close when you begin to pray just know that you may be praying for you Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field not because the harvest field there's anything wrong with that Listen, but because there's something wrong with us And listen, I know how it is We're busy, right? We got stuff on our plate. We're doing this. We're doing that. I got it. Me too But remember those quotes I read you about hell it's real Always dying never dead I Want people to know him I want people to come into relationship with him so they can help people know him too So what we're gonna do? Teddy if you guys somebody will come and just play I Would like to ask you to Let's just come down here to the front Let's pray together and let's do beseech the Lord to send out workers into the harvest and to realize That you may be praying for you because at the end of the service what I'd like for you to do Is go to the information table and pick up a yellow sheet And say I want to serve somewhere. Maybe you're already serving. Maybe you want to serve somewhere else great wonderful pick up a sheet for that too There's lots of areas not just here. Here's what I believe we get this right we can win that world We can win this city people are lost and dying So as pastor Teddy And the band today begins to play Here's what I want to do. Let's all stand I'd like for those of you who would to come and pray you sound already serving great come pray pray that the Lord the harvest Would send out workers and as we do that I'll close this at the end. Okay, so let's just come and pray together You (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music)