Sermon – “Pray for Laborers”

After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. 16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” 17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” 23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

This morning a message out titled pray for laborers church we need to pray we need to pray for laborers laborers for the harvest you know when I think of the harvest and when I think of the harvest in the natural you know with my father own and a farm and think of how difficult it is sometimes to find enough laborers to help with the harvest it is difficult today because it’s hard to find people that want to do the hard work that it takes to harvest the crops we need to pray for laborers for God’s Kingdom to help with the work of the kingdom he tells us we’re going to read today he tells the disciples to pray for laborers the scripture to us from Luke Chapter ten versus one through twenty four LET’S PRAY BEFORE begin Heavenly Father we do praise you and magnify you we thank you Father for your faithfulness to us and order one song said if we walk upright you will hold no good thing from us while they help us to walk upright before you and father not for the reason of the blessings but because we know that that is what is pleasing unto you by the mail we are live or live our lives in a way that is pleasing unto you father I do pray for your spirit to be present today father may your word be proclaimed anything that is not of you Lord let it not even be spoken but may our hearts be touched by what you have forced today and may we live for your glory and your honor in Jesus’ name amen Luke one ten one three twenty four after these things the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go then he said to them the harvest truly is great but the laborers are few therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. We need to pray to the Lord our God the mighty God to send labors because it is his harvest it says it is his harvest my friends it’s not our harvest it is is who we need to pray that he will send laborers to help with his harvest he says go your way behold I send you out as lambs among wolves carry neither money bag knapsack nor sandals angry no want to loan the road but whatever house you enter first say peace to this house and if a son of peace is there your peace will rest on it if not it will return to you we often fail to understand the power of our words don’t we Jesus telling these seventy disciples as he sends them out when you enter into a house you say peace or Shalom on to this house and if there is a son of peace ere they receive your peace then that peace will rest upon that house but if they reject your peace if they reject you the net piece is going to leave it’s not going to be there it’s not going to stay upon that house when they depart he says and remain in that same house eating and drinking such things as they give for the labor is worthy of his wages do not go from house to house whatever city UN or and they receive you eat such things as are set before you after Keep Pozen because he says stay in that house don’t go from house to house you know if you hear maybe a couple of the other disciples are in the same city and what we’ve got some really good food down here down and that it want to go to your down there ninety eight with you Don’t be sneaking down there to want to to get in the more savory food you stay were you enter and eat what they put before you don’t signal humble yourselves humble yourselves and eat what they put before you whatever city you enter and they receive you eat said things that are set before you and heal the sick there and say to them the kingdom of God has come near you. But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you go out into this its streets and say the very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you nevertheless know this that the Kingdom of God has come near you but I say to you it will be more tolerable in that day for Saddam then for that city whoa to you chorus and would to you to say Dio for if the mighty works which were done in you have been done in Tire and Sidon they would have repented long ago sitting in sackcloth and ashes but it will be more tolerable for tire tire and Sidon and that judgment then for you and you Capernaum who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to Hades he who hears you here is made he who rejects you rejects May and he rejects me rejects Him who sent me these disciples were Christ ambassadors they went with his authority and his a power when they rejected those disciples they were rejecting Jesus Christ and if they reject Jesus Christ they reject the father and that still holds true today if they any one the rejects Jesus Christ rejects the Father the One who sent Jesus Christ first seventeen then the seventy return so there was a time lapse here in this scripture they had won out they return they return with joy saying Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name and he said to them I saw all Satan fall like lightning from heaven behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you nevertheless do not read Joycean is that the spirits are subject to you but rather read Joyce because your names are written in heaven my friends out is why we rejoice because our names are written in heaven when we believe in Jesus Christ our names are written down there that is what we even today should be rejoicing in and in that hour Jesus rejoiced in the spirit and said I thank you Father Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them to babes even so father for so it seems good in your sight all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows who the Son is except the Father and who the father is except the Son and the want to whom the Son will to reveal him then his disciples are then he turned to his disciples and said privately bless it are the eyes which have would see the things you see for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see and have not seen it and to hear what you hear and have not heard it make God out his blessing so the hearing and the reading of His Holy Word. God sent them out two by two so I have to think about last Sabbath we went out we went downtown and we we took some leftover gift cards that we had from Christmas time and we had some scarves that Karen and the kids have made in Sabbath school and we had some cards from the church with them information on there but we went downtown and we went out to buy two plus the kids but the adults went to buy two and then plus the kids with so the kids got the go and experience that and I know that there are some people dislike That’s just not my thing to go out and meet strangers and you know witness with them or talk with them but you know I got sets of blessing last week to see how the others how they just thrived in that because they come back with stories about wow you know I was able to pray with this one this one wanted prayer for some motivation in their life and pray for all us pray for my daughter and she needs prayer and she had a baby I think is was and you know so many were asking for prayers of everybody was getting to pray with the people what a wonderful experience God’s blessing was in it we was able to bless them and we received the blessing you know yes we went to but to it and Barbara and I we went across the tracks towards a Union Rescue Mission and we spoke to a couple people before requests or rode we spoke a couple more before we cross the tracks by the time we got to the other side of the tracks by the entrance to the underpass we had to go no further they came out of the woodwork seeking us texting and whatever calling people saying hey there’s a group over here given out you know gift cards but they came seeking us but the Lord opened the door to us to be able to minister to them to pray with them and to share with them share with them about the church it was just a wonderful experience to go the harvest is great it opened our eyes up to the the greatness of the harvest but the laborers are few Jesus sends out the seventy two but two he had earlier sent out the twelve to buy two now we don’t know who all these the seventy were you know we know we know the twelve disciples Well who’s the seventy Well we know who a couple of them are they most likely include Matthias and Joseph in Acts Chapter one Verse twenty one through twenty three it says there are four of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection and they proposed to Joseph called Barsa because who a surname justice and Matthias So that tells us that they were with them from the beginning from the baptism of John so we don’t know who the other were of the seventy but he calls them to himself and he gave them instructions for their mission he sending them out the very first thing he does tell them pray pray to the Lord of the harvests to send out labors to help with the harvest. They we don’t know exactly how many people Jesus had ministered to at this point in his ministry but we know that he had ministered to thousands because the previous chapter Chapter nine he fed the five thousand men he fed them and taught them and healed them and that’s just counting the men so we do know for sure that he had already ministered to at least thousands of people but why were the laborers few if he administered the thousand he had the twelve he had the seven two why were they so if you had ministered to thousands why I think the fact or the answer lies in the fact rather the same thing you see today we’ve been part of a larger church not a huge church but a larger church rather it’s a large church or a large organisation if you’re going to plan something let’s say a large church is planning a big banquet while everybody loves to go to that banquet enjoy the delicious food right but I’m here to tell you it’s going to be few that are in charge in comparison to the number that large church it’s few in number that take on the task of all the preparation and all the serving and all that it’s the same thing in Jesus’ day there were many of those thousands that got to see that miraculous feeding of the five thousand many poor took of that they love sitting down the grass and getting their bellies full when Jesus took the fish in the loaves didn’t they but there were very few who were ready to become an intricate part of his ministry weren’t they just wanted to get to Belize through Jesus said the harvest truly is great but the laborers are few pray to the Lord the harvest to send out laborers for his harvests jest as he urged these disciples to pray to the master the harvests. As I said church we we can pray to the master of the harvest we should be praying to the master of the harvest to send out laborers Now I know that when we all go to our time of prayer brothers in the morning or afternoon or evening or all day long we go to the Lord in prayer I know that we pray for our families we pray for our friends we pray for our neighbors we pray for our jobs of course we pray for good health and of course we we pray for all these sayings and we should pray for those things I do and we should God doesn’t tell us not to pray for these things but yet our prayer should not stop there I’m suggesting that we practice what I’m going to call Kingdom prayers Kingdom prayers Tony Evans has a book out called Kingdom prayers I haven’t read the seen the title of it we need to pray Kingdom prayers and I believe that’s what Jesus is telling the disciples to do because to pray for more labor surprises for more labor for his kingdom it’s not selfish it’s praying for God’s kingdom to be increased we’re not just praying for King for workers for the kingdom that we would fill the pews but we’re praying because we want his kingdom to be increased the kingdom of heaven the number of the names written in the Lambs Book of Life That’s our purpose that’s what that’s what our mission should be the pray for laborers for his kingdom he told them to heal the sick and to say to the people the kingdom of God has come near you simple message isn’t it it’s not complicated go and heal the sick he gave them the power and authority to heal the sick and it wasn’t a complicated message the kingdom of God has come near you the reader going to accept it or they’re going to reject it what it tell me to do if they reject them go out and like the dust off their feet because it’s not you he reject they are rejecting but it’s him it’s him there’s a little bit of instructions that he gave them that I thought well this is kind of strange it really is he told them in verse four greet no want to long the road so basically he’s saying now you’re with the disciples I’m going to send us I want you to go to Frostburg but don’t be stopped in the veil in the way I’m going to send you to better but I don’t want you stop in a center Bill now I’m going to send you to head down but don’t be stopping and Hancock. Don’t greet anybody on the way I want you to go straight away to the city that I’m sending you that’s what he’s saying he says greet no one so there appears to be a strong sense of urgency director toward the admission that he sent in the right don’t greet anyone along the way now that’s the New King James Version says Greta no want to long away but I felt led to look this up in the King James version it says salute No man by the way salute no man the Greek word for salute is as POD Zama he nano my great pronouncing pronunciation is not very good I have a hard work time with that work pronunciation but the meaning is so important it means that a journey was retarded by saluting frequently it means embracing and kissing it means to take a leave on your journey not today our common greeting is ha you don’t. We might shake a hand keep right along don’t worry we don’t where we take the time I mean they’re greedy what we’re going to embrace that person we’re going to take a loon. That’s a salute that’s a greeting back then whole lot different than what our greetings are today now once in a while we do take time to sit down and you know we say ha you Dawn and walk right on by I don’t mean what if you really want to know wait a minute you’d sit down and let me tell you how I’m doing right back in the Old Testament I know this is the Lord appeared but in Genesis Chapter eighteen one through eight. Three strangers appeared Abraham says then the Lord appeared to him by the Terrapins tree of memory as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day so it is that his eyes and looked and behold three men were standing by him and when he saw them he ran from the tent door to meet them and he bowed himself to the ground and said My lord if I have now found favor in your sight do not pass on by your servant So he’s saying don’t just passing by stay in salute a little bit please let a little water be brought and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree and I will bring a morsel of bread that you may refresh your hearts after that you may pass by in as much as you have come come to your servant they said Do as you have said so ere Abraham hurried to the tent to Sarah and said quickly make ready three measures of fine meal needed and make cakes and Abraham ran to the herd took a tender and good calf gave it to the young man and he hazed into prepared so he took butter and milk in the calf which he prepared and set before them and he stood by them under the tree and ate that’s definitely going to delay their journey isn’t it I mean he had to go and get the cab it had to be butchered and prepared in Luke Chapter nineteen I won’t riddle thing but Jesus was passing through Jericho and there was a little feller named Zacchaeus he was a guy little short guy named couldn’t see so he had to climb up a tree so as Jesus passed by you know he’s only missed and he’s gone to a place but he looked up and he seems that he is he seen his faith he seen that he wanted to meet him he said Zacchaeus come down for today for today I must state your house he took time to greet him he took time out of his mission to greet them to commend to his house but Jesus did not want his disciples to spend a day here or a happy day there he wanted them to go straight away to where he was sending them because he was planning themself to go there the mission was urgent no distraction no distraction from their main mission he didn’t want to add another day he wanted in the get to their destination he wanted them to stick with the mission to not allow them selves to be struck to be distracted by anything. Other than their mission I shared a parable many years ago as a matter of fact it was before we even started the church I shared what I preach one day down at Central seven day Baptists and do a Maryland is called the parable of the life saving station many of us may have read it or heard it it says on a dangerous seacoast were shipwrecks often occurred there was a once there was once a crude little life saving station the building was just the hut and there was only one boat but a few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea it with no thought for themselves they went out day or night tirelessly searching for the lost many lives were saved by this wonderful little station so that it became famous some of those who were saved and in various others in the surrounding areas wanted to become associated with the station and gave their time and money and effort for the support of its work new boats were bought and new crews were trying the little life saving station grew some of the new members of the life saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped they felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those safe from the sea so they replace emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the large building Nava life saving sation became a popular gathering place for its members and they redecorated a beautifully and for and furnish it as a sort of a club less of the members were now in arrested and going to see on to save lives so their hard a lifeboat crew to do this work the mission of life saving was still given lip service but most were too busy or lacking the necessary commitment to take part in the lifesaving activities personally. About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast and the hired crew brought in the boat loads of the cold wet half drowned people they were dirty sick some of them had dark skin some spoke a strange language and a beautiful new club was considerably messed up so the property committee immediately how to shower house built inside the club were victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before they come inside and at the next meeting there was a split in the club membership most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities as being on who thought the lifesaving activities were unpleasant and Henares to the normal pattern of life at the club but some members insisted that lifesaving was their primary purpose and pointed out that the that was still the call to save lives the call of the life saving station but they were found they voted down and told that if they wanted to save the life of the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters that they could begin their own life saving station down the coast so they did and as the years went by the new station experienced the same changes that occurred in the old they evolved into yet another club instead of the life saving station if you visit the seacoast today you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that sure ship wreck still happen only most of the people drown my friends our focus is to be sole saving station First Timothy two one through four says Therefore I exhort first of all the supplications prayers intercessions and giving to things be made for all men I will add all men of all color of stature of life for kings and all who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God or a Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth God has established a life saving stations and is called the church we are the life saving stations in the world today. We’re not talking about shipwrecked people we’re talking about people that are lost that don’t know Jesus Christ the church needs to stick with its mission when the church sticks with its mission Jesus rejoices he rejoices verse twenty one said and in that hour Jesus rejoiced in the spirit and said I thank you Father Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and approved and revealed them to babes even so father for so it seems good in your sight what an amazing passage you don’t find very many passages in Scripture were Jesus rejoicing many times he’s hurting but he’s rejoicing Why is he rejoining in that very hour one going to paraphrase because the seventy come back and they were static about what they had been blessed to be part of they have been blessed to be part of saving souls and he rejoice with them he rejoiced that souls were saved my friends there is rejoicing in heaven every time a name is added to that book we should be rejoicing with him he was filled with joy because the father had employed said people into the service of his kingdom he did not choose the wise and prudent he didn’t choose the Gentile philosophers he didn’t choose the Jewish rabbis to proclaim the message of the kingdom why because he knew if he chose them that they would intertwine their notions with his truth and it would be a lie it would have been corrupted he no he knew that if he chose the philosophers and the Jewish rabbis that they would have thought well it was my intellectual learning that persuaded these people to believe they would have thought they would have been of themselves instead of him his spirit working and moving so God in His infinite wisdom whose ways are higher than ours who thoughts are greater than our thoughts chose to proclaim the gospel through the babes through the UN learned. So that he would get the glory I think of name and not think of these guys it would have had their prefixed ideas name and went to the prophet name and had leprosy and he had a prefixed idea in his mind he thought to himself when I go to the Prophet I know that he’s going to come out and he’s going to wavy as a man’s over me he’s going to lay hands on whatever that’s how he’s going to heal me that’s how the prophets going to heal me the prophet didn’t even get up and go out to greet him he said to his servant he said go tell naman to go dip in the Jordan seven times name and went away in a huff because his prefixed Adia didn’t happen he went away in a huff different were not for his servant that said to him Master It’s not a hard thing that he asked you to do do you want your healing or not all he asked you to do is go and dip in the Jordan so he listened to that servant and the seven time he come up he was healed he received this healing because he did away with that prefixed idea we can have our own prefixed ideas disciples allow the Holy Spirit to work in them in the way that he chose the way that he will to be done we pray Father let die will be done not my will not your will but his will and he will work mightily through those who humble themselves in verse eighteen Jesus said that a soul Satan fall like heaven fall like lightning from heaven were to the fall were decided fall friends right here right here for us to deal with right John fourteen thirty says I will no longer talk much with you for the ruler of this world is coming the ruler of this world is coming but listen to this he has nothing in me. Yes he fell to this earth but I’m a stand here to tell you today he has no power and no authority over you this is kind of crazy this came to me later you know we have a home use have a home we have a home and our name is on that deed that is our property belongs to us if someone comes through those doors meaning harm to my family or myself I have the right and add the authority to protect myself right and my right I have this Dorothy to prick protect myself because my name is on that deed whereas our names written in the lands book a life and he has no authority no power over us he has nothing in me Jesus said and we are his he has no authority over us he only the only authority as is that which we willingly relinquish to him so stand on the Word of God stand in the name of Jesus and stand against the power of the enemy that’s what he told the disciples I give you a store to to trample on steaks and scorpions and I give you all power against the enemy don’t let him trick you don’t let him deceive you don’t letting steal your joy don’t letting deceive you he is defeated and he knows it so my friends two things remember to pray for the harvest pray that God will use his church pray he will use those are willing to be used but pray for an increase in the number of workers that His Kingdom will be expanded be busy in the work of saving souls don’t lose focus of the churches mission Don’t worry about the creature comforts God will take care of God will when we read its morning God will hold withhold nothing from those who walk up rightly do His will and the rest will be taking care of the men Amen.