Category: Sermons

The Resolve Of The Remnant

Ezekiel 5

The current Coronavirus pandemic has caused great distress to God’s church. These are days of abnormal fear, panic, anxiety and hopelessness with towering ramifications on human health, financial security, social life and future goals. Fear, loneliness and stress have become companions in homes, even Christian households. When social and spiritual interactions are thwarted, not by choice but by circumstances beyond our control, we are forced to adjust. Consequently, doing church in these times of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed for all churches.

Despite greater privileges and blessings from God, many who call themselves Christians  struggle to honor God and remain faithful to Him at this time. We seem to take His Grace for granted. There will come a time when we will be held accountable to Him for our choices, and only a remnant who stay faithful until the end will be saved.

God’s chosen people enjoyed God’s grace and mercy and His accompanying blessings even while being held captive by the Babylonians. But they refused to honor God and remain faithful. God then used the hand of the Babylonians to utterly destroy Jerusalem in 586 BC.

In Chapter 4 of the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel, God had Ezekiel prophesy the destruction that was soon to befall the city of Jerusalem. God instructed Ezekiel to draw the town of Jerusalem on a block of clay and to draw pictures of laying siege against it to show the people of Israel that they would be destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar. He then had Ezekiel put an iron skillet between himself and the town to show God was not going to look upon the town with mercy. He then had Ezekiel lay on his side representing the sins of Israel and Judah.

God then had Ezekiel shave his beard. The razor is the sword of the enemy which God is going to use to humiliate His people because of their disobedience. Shaving to the prophet was humiliating. Under Levitical law, priests were not allowed to “cut the corners” of their beard. No goatees, no chinstrap, no mutton chops, no neck-beard, no duck-tail. A priest’s beard was to grow untouched by a razor. Ezekiel was not only a prophet, but he was also a priest. This means that for him to shave his beard, this was a clear sign to everyone that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. They were about to be humiliated militarily by the Babylonians.

The hair from Ezekiel’s beard was divided into three parts. The first part represented 1/3 of the people of Jerusalem that would be killed in battle with Babylon. The second part represented the 1/3 of God’s chosen people who would die as a result of famine. The third part of Ezekiel’s hair represented the 1/3 who would be deported and scattered among the gentiles. While shaving his beard, a small number of Ezekiel’s hairs fell into the prophet’s skirt. These represented the remnant of God’s chosen people who were to be preserved.

This was all done to show that the people in Jerusalem were acting more wickedly than the surrounding nations, despite their greater privileges and blessings from God.

It was bad that God was saying that the heathen nations were acting better than his own people. Kind of like if those in the world – the non-churched have better morals than the churched. It was bad enough that God even said He was against His own people.

There is not much in the way of ‘Gospel’ in chapter 5, but the one thing that we need to remember and focus on, is that God will leave a remnant.

A remnant is what is left after a catastrophe. A remnant is all that remains of the original body.

The Bible mentions a remnant of people numerous times.

1) Survivors of the catastrophic flood Noah and his family.

2) A group of non-Israelite survivors “the remnant of Edom” found in Amos 9:12.

3) Israelite survivors of the Assyrian invasion in 721-718 BC .

4) Jewish survivors of the Babylonian invasion in 585 BC .

5) The remnant of Jews who returned to Judah from Babylon.

6) The remainder of physical Israelites and Jews after the Great Tribulation.

7) The remnant of converted sons of God in the last days.

Romans 9:27 speaks of this remnant when it tells us, “And Isaiah calls out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is only the remnant [a small believing minority] that will be saved [from God’s judgment]”

Zephaniah 3:13 says that the remnant are a people of unshakable integrity, “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid.”

Matthew 7:13-14 speaks of a few, a remnant, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few [a remnant] who find it.”

The Bible contains the doctrine of the Remnant? It is simply this; that in our blind, fallen, sinful world of mankind, at any given time, the vast overwhelming majority is lost. And by lost, I do not mean they have missed their way or come short of the mark or are less that they wanted to be or fail to fulfill their dreams. By lost I mean, alienated from God and an enemy to Him, without pardon, without life, without hope.

What does the doctrine of the Remnant mean? “Remnant,’ means a small fragment, a surviving trace. It means that some-thing yet remains when the larger body is somewhere else. The Romans 9:27 text deals with Israel, but it sets forth clearly the doctrine as applying to the entire human race as well as the Church. This was true among the nations before Abraham; it was true of Israel after Abraham; and it is true of the Church since Pentecost. Isaiah 1:9 says, “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah” I am alarmed because it has been true since Pentecost that such a vast number of people who call themselves Christians-the overwhelming majority-are nominal, and only a remnant is to be saved.

Let’s take the Coronavirus pandemic church of today using Ezekiel as an example. We can separate the church into thirds. One third of the church is dying from battle. They’ve neglected to put on the full Armour of God and are unable to stand against the wiles of the enemy during this time of great distress. While churches have been shuttered they have fallen away and have returned to the world of which they had supposedly been called out. A second third of the church is dying of famine. They’re failing to drink of the Living Water. They’ve neglected their prayer lives, they’ve fallen away from reading the Word and studying the scriptures. They pass on watching online services or listening to recorded messages. Like the seed of the parable, they have no root and wither away when the cares and concerns of the world come round. The final third are being scattered. They can’t attend church so they attend to themselves through things of the world. Now, we will take some of the scattered. Some of them will remain faithful and continue to honor God during this time of great distress. These people are God’s Holy Remnant. These are the people who will will return to rebuild God’s church

Remember what Zephaniah 3:13 says, “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid.” We remember that the remnant are those who have unshakable integrity.

I believe that there are three characteristics that God’s remnant Church will have.

First, they are watchful. Remember how God told Ezekiel twice that he was to be a watchman for his people. The remnant will be those who are paying attention to what is going on. They won’t fall prey to what the world claims to be good when God’s Word declares it to be bad and immoral. They will know God’s Word because they have studied God’s Word. They will rightly divide God’s Word and apply it to their lives.

One of the things that greatly concerns me is the unintentional misquoting of scriptures or misuse of scriptures. While they may seem harmless to a Christian, they can lead astray those who don’t know God’s Word. And remember, their blood could be on our hands if we don’t warn them and lead them the wrong way.

This Wednesday we will be studying some misquoted scripture often taken out of context. Join us for our Zoom Bible Study Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm. Some misquoted scriptures include

• “Judge Not” – Matthew 7:1
• “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you” – Jeremiah 29:11-13
• “Where two or three are gathered” – Matthew 18:20
• “Ask for anything in My name” – John 14:13-14
• “All things work together for good” – Romans 8:28
• “No more than you can handle” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

When these and other passages are taken out of context they dishonor God and do more harm than good.

Second, the Remnant are workers.

Workers are over-comers. Workers don’t give in when the going gets tough. Workers don’t let things slide by. The may not be perfect, but they are excellent. They give it their all and don’t hold back. They press on keeping their eyes on the prize.

The Remnant will work to revive and keep alive the fire inside of them. They won’t allow the embers to burn out. They will continue to fuel their fire, even if it means burning everything they have of sentimental value to keep the fire going. They will lay aside the things of this world for the things of God. Their treasure will be found in the things of Heaven. The Remnant will resolve to keep their fire going and keep the memory alive of God. They won’t allow the revival of the dead embers to replace the fire that is still going. They will work to keep it all going strong.

The Remnant will remember where The Lord has brought them from and what He has done for them. It is not about resting on past glory, it is about remembering what was once there and knowing it can still be there. It is about remembering what it was like to walk in the POWER OF GOD and what He did and how He used you.

The Remnant will humble themselves, repent of their wicked ways and turn to God. God will not be mocked and will not accept an offering from those who continue to live in total rejection of the Gospel of Christ.  We have to experience a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of action.

AW Tozer “God cannot do our repenting for us. In our efforts to magnify grace we have so preached the truth as to convey the impression that repentance is a work of God. This is a grave mistake, and one which is taking a frightening toll among Christians everywhere. God has commanded all men to repent. (Acts 17:30) It is a work which only they can do. It is morally impossible for one person to repent for another. Even Christ could not do this. He could die for us, but He cannot do our repenting for us.”

AW Tozer also said “God in His mercy may “incline” us to repent and by His in-working Spirit assist us to repent; but before we can be saved we must of our own free will repent toward God and believe in Jesus Christ. This the Bible plainly teaches; this experience abundantly supports. Repentance involves moral reformation. The wrong practices are on man’s part, and only man can correct them. Lying, for instance, is an act of man, and one for which he must accept full responsibility. When he repents he will quit lying. God will not quit for him; he will quit for himself.”

Third the Remnant are waiters. They wait for God. They wait expectantly for God. Of the 10 virgins who had the lampstand in Matthew 25, 5 took oil and 5 did not. They waited for the bridegroom. When the bridegroom came, the 5 that had no oil lost out.

The oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Waiting on The Lord means being full of the Holy Spirit and being ready for when He calls.

Isaiah 40:31 tells us, “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

I believe that God is using this time of pandemic to separate the wheat from the chaff. Many will fall away but the Chosen of God, A Holy Remnant will remain faithful. Post pandemic these will be the Remnant with which God rebuilds his church.

How to Know God’s Will Romans 12:1-2

A man wanted to know the will of God for his life, so took out his Bible, let the pages fall open, closed his eyes and put his finger down on a spot. Looking down at the verse under his finger he found that it said, “Judas went out and hanged himself.”

Slightly frustrated he followed the procedure again. This time the verse at the end of his fingertip instructed, “Go and do likewise.” Now alarmed he repeated the same steps once more. Anxiously, he peered down at the text under his finger which read, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

We all want to know what God’s will is for us in our lives. So many times I have struggled when making decisions on what God’s will is. I want to make the right decisions, but so many times it is hard to determine what it right for us to do. Perhaps you are dealing with the same questions. Every Christian at some time asks the question “what is God’s will in this situation?”

It seems that people expect God to reveal His will in a very special way. The truth is God has revealed His will to us. We can know what he wants us to do in most situations. I believe that within God’s Word is either a command or a principle that will show us His will for every situation.

So often we want to base our decisions on what we think God wants on how we feel. The world tells us if it feels good it must be right. We incorporate that idea into our decision making. Whenever we make a decision, however we should consider God’s will. We should ask ourselves two questions

1) What does the Bible tell us?

2) What would Jesus do?

I hope that we all are truly seeking to find God’s will in our lives and incorporate it in every decision we make. Sometimes it is hard to determine what God’s will is and sometimes it is not. It is not hard to determine what God’s will is if you are debating on whether to go to the bar and drink one night? It can be hard though to determine God’s will in other situations though where the scripture is not so clear. God’s will can be made evident to us. I think that Paul makes it clear how we can learn and determine God’s will for our lives. He seems to not give us some mystical things we can do, but most of learning God’s will is bettering our relationship with Him. The better you know him the easier it will be to determine His will.

As you get to know friends and as you grow in relationships you can determine easier how a person will react to certain situations. You know what your wife’s will is after you have built a relationship with her. Therefore if we want to know God’s will we must start and build a relationship with God.

I heard a story of a man who was baptized one Sunday morning, at the close of the service after the baptism, the preacher asked him to close in prayer. The man began to pray, saying “thank you God for Jesus”, then there was a pause and silence filled the air for about 30 seconds. Then he closed “I guess when I get to know you better I will know what to say to you”. Learning God’s will depends on our stance with Him.

If you have your Bibles open to Romans 12 you can read verses 1 and 2 along with me.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

To know God’s will, we must first offer ourselves as living sacrifices.

That’s what Paul tells the Romans. That to know God’s will they first must offer themselves to God as a living sacrifice. The readers immediately would have been drawn to thinking about the animal sacrifices that took place in the temple. Surely God is not asking us to go and jump onto an altar as a sacrifice. We are to be a living sacrifice. This basically means that our whole lives should be surrendered to God to be used for His glory. I believe that there are several ways that we can offer ourselves to God and show our devotion to Him.

First, we show our devotion to God through Bible Study.

Bible Study is of the most important aspects of our Christian lives. It is the way in which he communicates to us. If we want to learn His will we must study His word for that is where His will is revealed. We must be like the apostles who devoted themselves to the Apostle’s Teaching. We must do as Psalms tells us to write his word on our heart. If you want to know God’s will for your life, you must go to his word to see what it says. There is no better place to go. Many times I will read God’s Word looking for God’s will and it happens that when I am doing that I find just what I need, I get the answer I need. The times I struggle the most in finding God’s will is when I am not in God’s Word. We must offer ourselves to God by frequently studying God’s Word. The more and more we learn His Word the clearer we will know what God wants in our lives.

Second, we show our devotion to God through prayer.

Not only did the apostle’s devote themselves to the study of God’s Word, they also devoted themselves to prayer. So many times I hear of people looking for God’s will without prayer. Prayer is the way in which we communicate to God. Philippians 4:6 tells us, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. It is through prayer that we lift our burdens off of us and give them to God. We must bring everything before the Lord and he will make clear to us what he wants us to do. We cannot go about our daily life; we cannot know God’s will if we are not talking to God. We must offer ourselves to God through prayer

Third, we show our devotion to God through fellowship.

Another thing that Acts tells us is that the Apostles were devoted to fellowship. They did this because fellowship helped them in their relationship with God. I believe fellowship is essential to determining God’s will. Sometimes God will use other people to communicate His will to us. Proverbs 12:15 tells us, The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. Proverbs 24:6 says, For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Godly counsel is  to be sought after. Have you ever been talking to someone who says just what you need to hear? God works through people to help his people! If we are deprived from fellowship we may miss the opportunity to hear what God has to say to us. This fellowship includes coming to Church whenever possible and being in conversation with fellow Christians as frequently as possible. There is no better place to be then where the saints are gathered. If we miss church we may be missing out on much more than just a service, we may miss God’s direction for our lives. With the current Coronavirus pandemic and church closures we must seek out fellowship in other places throughout the week. Scripture tells us that wherever two or three are gathered in my name there I will be. Fellowship is so important to our daily lives and our walk with the Lord. Remember as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. If we neglect the  fellowship of our brothers and sisters besides the Lord’s Day we will have trouble growing and may miss hearing what God or godly people have to say to us. We must offer ourselves to God by devoting ourselves to fellowship with one another.

Second, to know God’s will we must not be conformed to this world.

Paul was very adamant in telling the Romans not to conform to the world. This is another thing that we must do if we want to be able to see God’s will in our lives. So many times Christians live double lives, and then expect God to provide for them in every way and to make His will known. When one conforms to the world God’s will becomes distorted. We cannot determine God’s will if we are not living for Him, and even more if we are living in the world.

The world says that anything goes. How can we determine God’s will living in the world, when the world tells us that anything goes. One can see clearly the world’s view on life and morals by watching television. Television shows and the media today mock God, laugh at those with morals, make adultery and fornication a funny situation, and make sexual innuendos every time you turn around. It seems that many people seek God’s will or an answer to their decisions through the television. The world will tell you that anything goes, and it does not matter what your decisions are, but God makes clear that there is a right and wrong and it does matter what decisions you make. Do not be conformed to the world.

The world also mocks God. To most people the thought of even caring what God thinks is humorous. But we in everything must seek God. The world will mock us, the world will laugh at decisions and stances you take on certain issues, but we must hold our ground. Jesus makes it clear that Christians will be mocked when he says if they did not accept me they will not accept you either. He warned His disciples numerous times of the mockers and persecutors of the faith. Why would you want to participate in the things of the World, when they are the very people who mock God and godly people.

The world is not guided by the Spirit as we are called to be led by the Spirit. It is clear in the scriptures that there is a big difference in decision making by those who are guided by the spirit and those guided by the flesh. Those guided by the Spirit seek to please the spirit and those guided by the flesh seek to please the flesh. The world is guided by the flesh. If we are living in the world we are living and living like people who are living contrary to the spirit of God. Sure people of the world can make good decisions, but they cannot include God in their decisions because they do not understand God. Do not be conformed to the world

Therefore, if we leave behind the world and the things of the world we can more clearly see what God wants us to do. Do not seek advice from pagans, but from those guided by the Spirit. Do not be conformed to the world then you will be able to see what God’s will is for your life. Paul says not to be conformed to the world so that we can clearly see God’s will and not have a distorted worldly view.

One of m professors said, many of us are like fish swimming in muddy water. We have been swimming so long in the mud we do not know what clear water is like. We cannot even tell right from wrong. Do not be conformed to the world.

Third, to know God’s we we must be transformed. Paul makes it clear that in order to know God’s will we must be transformed. What does transformed mean? It simply means to change. We may have to make some changes in our life in order to see God’s will.

You will be transformed by repenting. If there is sin in our life that is continuous, perhaps we need to repent in order to better see what God wants from us. We cannot expect to know what God wants us to do if we are living in sin. Sometimes we simply need to humble ourselves and repent and turn away from our sin. Repentance is a change for the better. It is not simply asking forgiveness, it is changing. Maybe you need to repent of sin. We all have sin that we need to repent and turn from; we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I encourage us all tonight to repent from any sins that we have. Sin separates us from God and hinders us from knowing Him better. Let us remove the sin that is on our life so that we can clearer see what He wants us to do. As Paul told Titus, Let us throw off the sin that so easily entangles us and run the race with perseverance. God’s Word makes it clear how we are to live, and if we are doing contrary we need to repent and turn away and be transformed.

You will be transformed by obeying. Perhaps you are seeking God’s will and cannot determine it. A question that you need to ask yourself is, do I have the Spirit of Christ? Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to all those who ask. One cannot appropriately make decisions if they lack they Holy Spirit. First, you must obey the gospel by confessing your sins and accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior. Second, you must be obedient as Christ calls you to publicly declare your new life through Baptism. A non-Christian cannot truly know what God wants or expects. Obedience to God’s Word brings transformation.

You will be transformed as you continue pressing on in faith. If you still cannot determine God’s will and are a Christian and have repented, then you simply need to continue to be faithful to the Lord. Continue to Study God’s Word. Continue to pray diligently. Continue to fellowship with one another. Fight the good fight, finish the course and in that time you will be able to see God’s will.

Let me finish with this thought. A.W. Tozer writes in the Pursuit of God: “Why do some persons find God in a way that others do not? Why does God manifest His presence to some and let multitudes of others struggle along in the half-light of imperfect Christian experience? Of course the will of God is the same for all. He has no favorites within his household. All he has ever done for any of his children he will do for all his children. The difference lies not with God but with us.” How open are we to trying something new, even if it takes a little effort on our parts. Our spiritual receptivity or our openness to God depends on who is in charge. The more God is in charge the more receptive we are to his voice and experiencing his presence.”

Let us pray.

Letters And Papers From Prison

Responses to Trials and Tribulations

Acts 28

Pastor Barry Kerner

The book of Acts gives a unique glimpse into the life and practice of the early church. It describes the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2, the spread of the Gospel outside of Jerusalem in Acts 8 and to the Gentiles in Acts 10, how the church made decisions in regards to doctrine (Acts 15), and much more. The sermons recorded in Acts give us a window into the preaching ministries of Peter, Stephen, Philip, James, and Paul, along with the immediate impact those sermons had.

We’re going to look at the final sermon found in the book of Acts  found in Acts 28, The sermon that we find Paul preaching to the Jewish leaders at Rome I call “Paul’s Last Sermon.” Not that’s it’s truly Paul’s last sermon. We know he’s going to preach many, many more times but the last time we find him recorded is in Acts 28. He has a very pointed word for the people. Paul has been in Caesarea. He is taken prisoner. He appeals to Caesar and they say, “If you want to see Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.” He goes through a rough cruise. Have you ever been on a rough cruise? You’ve never been on a rough cruise like Paul went on. This wasn’t Carnival or Princess Cruise Lines with all their amenities. Paul was on his way to Rome but this wasn’t to be a typical Mediterranean pleasure cruise.

A storm comes up, the seas rage, and Paul finds himself he wind shipwrecked. There he is, on a board, paddling past the reefs to a nearby island. After dragging himself ashore, and there on that island he builds a fire. But his troubles just keep on coming. A poisonous snake, bothered by the heat of the fire, jumps out and attaches itself to him. They think he’s going to die. God touches him and brings a miracle of life in Paul and he’s alive and well and preaching the gospel.

From there they get another ship and they make their way finally to the great city of Rome. At that time, there’s about two million people living in Rome. Half a million of those people are slaves. Every other person you’d see in Rome in 60 A.D. was a slave. Now you have to understand they had doctors that were slaves. They had merchants that were slaves. These were not just people working fields. These were people working in every strata of life but they were slaves. It is said of Rome in that 60 A.D. period there were two things that the Romans lived for. Bread and the circus. Bread because they were all but starving and if they could get food it was usually bread. The other thing they lived for was at the circus. Now not the circus that we know today with elephants and tigers but it was the arena event of entertainment. They lived for food and they lived for entertainment. Nero was the Caesar. He was the emperor. Caesar murdered his mother. Caesar murdered his own wife. Nero embarked on a great building project to lend glory to his elf declared status of a God. When Nero embarked on his project or urban renewal he had to move the people from where he wanted to build. It’s said that he had a fire started to burn down much of the city to brutally force the inhabitants out for his new palaces and gardens.  It’s said that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. According to Tacitus and later Christian tradition, Emperor Nero blamed the devastation on the Christian community in the city, initiating the empire’s first persecution against the Christians.

Paul is there in chains awaiting trial and we find him coming into Rome. There were seven synagogues in Rome and he calls those Jewish leaders together and he’s got a word for the Jews here in the great city of the world, Rome. We pick up the text in Acts 28 and verse 16. “When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you [these are the leaders of the seven synagogues of Rome and to speak with you], for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.” They said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.” When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes; Otherwise they might see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.”’ Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.”

Paul’s come to Rome. He’s preaching his last sermon. He’s called these Jews from the seven synagogues together and they’ve talked. I want to look at three things found in this last sermon? I want to look Paul’s topic, his text, and his turning.  First of all, what was Paul’s topic? We find this topic in verse 23. Look at it right there in your Bible. Here’s what Paul had to say. When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers. He had a big crowd. And he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus. Here was Paul’s topic. The kingdom and the Christ. The kingdom and the Christ. It was about the kingdom of God and Jesus the Nazarene. Paul had one topic. It was Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. I’m telling you, he was driving home the kingdom of God and Jesus.

Well the question then begs, what did Jesus say about the kingdom of God? Listen to the word of God in Matthew 6:33 where Jesus said, “But seek first God’s kingdom, His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom.” Don’t seek first yourself. Don’t seek your synagogue. Don’t seek the ordinances of the church. Don’t seek love. Don’t seek friendship. Seek first God’s kingdom. Amen.

In Matthew 19 and verse 24 he said, “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” He was saying, “I’m telling you, you’ve got to humble yourself and you will enter this kingdom with difficulty.” You do not come with your chest thrown back and saying, “Boy, look at me. Look at all I’ve done” No, sir. If you’re trusting in the things of this world for your salvation, they will stop you from setting even one foot into the kingdom.

A myth has been promulgated for years that Jesus was talking about the difficulty a camel would have going through a small gate into Jerusalem. Just as the apocryphal Acts of Peter and Andrew refers the saying to a literal camel and needle, we are not meant to reason away the apparent difficulty of getting a camel through a needle’s eye. For the difficulty is not just apparent it is real, and not be solved by textual trickery but by taking the Jesus’ ludicrous language at face value.

What we have is a beautiful Hebrew hyperbole, as in the tree sticking out of one’s eye whilst one is removing a speck in another’s eye! Indeed, Jewish Talmudic literature uses a similar aphorism about an elephant passing through the eye of a needle as a figure of speech implying the unlikely or impossible: “They do not show a man a palm tree of gold, nor an elephant going through the eye of a needle.”

The camel was the largest animal seen regularly in Israel, whereas in regions where the Babylonian Talmud was written, the elephant was the biggest animal. Thus the aphorism is culturally translated from a camel to an elephant in regions outside of Israel.

The aim is not, then, to explain away the paradox and make the needle a huge carpet needle for, elsewhere, the Jewish writings use the “eye of the needle” as a picture of a very small place, The sages said, “A needle’s eye is not too narrow for two friends, but the world is not wide enough for two enemies.”The ludicrous contrast between the small size of the needle’s eye and the largest indigenous animal is to be preserved for its very improbability.

Jesus’ hearers believed that wealth and prosperity were a sign of God’s blessing. So their incredulity is more along the lines that, “if the rich, who must be seen as righteous by God by their evident blessing, can’t be saved, who can be?”. Later Christians have turned this around to portray wealth as a hindrance to salvation, which it can be – but no more so than many other things, when the message is that salvation is impossible for all men for it comes from God alone.

But beyond impossibility is possibility with God for, elsewhere, a Jewish midrash records:

“The Holy One said, open for me a door as big as a needle’s eye and I will open for you a door through which may enter tents and [camels?]”

In other words God only needs the sinner to open up just a crack for him and God will come pouring in and set up room for an oasis. God only needs a ‘foot in the door’, so to speak. 

What’s the rich man have to do? He’s got to change his mindset. In Mark 1:15, Jesus said unto these Jews, he was saying, “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.” Stop trusting in your riches and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. How do you come to the kingdom? You repent and you believe the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Mark 10:15, Jesus said it this way: “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” You don’t come high and mighty. You come like a child who depends on their father. You’ve got to come like children unto God. You haven’t got to figure out all the theology to get saved. You haven’t got to know everything. The essentials are this: God loves you, Jesus died for you, and you must believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s so simple a child can understand it – If you believe, He’ll save.

Paul was hammering home his topic, the kingdom of God. In John’s gospel chapter three and verse three, Jesus said it this way, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” You’ll never get in the kingdom of God unless you are birthed not just in your flesh but birthed in your spirit. You must be born again. Paul would write to the Corinthians in I Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 50. “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” He is hammering home to those Corinthians, “I don’t care how high and mighty you are. You’re flesh and blood.” What you do, your job doesn’t get you there. Who your father is doesn’t get you there. It doesn’t matter what your social standing is or what family you’re in. Unless you’re in the family of God you don’t see the kingdom. Flesh and blood won’t get you there.

Then in Romans 14:17 he’s right here in Rome talking about this. He’ll later write to the Romans and he says this, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,” Remember, the Romans lived for bread and entertainment. He said the kingdom is not eating and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That’s what the kingdom is. The kingdom of Almighty God.  What was his topic? His topic was simple. He was trying to persuade them in this text in verse 23 that Jesus was God and that He ruled the kingdom.

Verse 24 says, “And many, some were being persuaded but others would not believe.” Isn’t it amazing how that the same heat will both melt wax and harden clay? That’s what happens when the glorious light of the heat of the gospel comes. Some melt and believe. Others are hardened and believe not. Which one are you today? Has the glory of God melted your heart and you believed and went public with that? Or did your heart get hard? The more times you say no the harder your heart becomes. Some believed and others did not.

When Paul saw that some were persuaded and some were not he then took a text from Isaiah 6:9- 10. In verse 25. Paul said, “I’ve got one more word for you. Just one more thing before you go.” They were beginning to leave and Paul said, “Just before you go, I’ve got a concluding thought and here it was.” The Holy Spirit right there spoke through Isaiah the prophet when he said unto your fathers. Then he quoted Isaiah chapter 6, verses 9 and 10. He said about your fathers, about your Jewish forefathers. “Even during the days of the prophets, the Jews, they would hear but they wouldn’t perceive. They could see but they close their eyes.” They had a heart but it had become dull to the things of God. This is a word of warning, judgment, and condemnation. Paul is saying to the Jews there in Rome. Your fathers and your mothers and your grandfathers and your great-grandfathers, they heard all of this from the judges and the prophets and they too would not believe and many of you are just like them. That’s what Isaiah said. Those Jews in Rome were like many who hear the Gospel. They’ll come listen but they won’t perceive. They’ve got wax in their ears. They come and they see but they choose to close their eyes. Has your heart gotten dull or  have you believed on the Lord Christ? If so, are you sharing that revelation with the world?

Paul’s a Bible preacher and he’s saying, “Listen, look, and learn.” Listen, look, and learn. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.  Paul was condemning them. He said, “You’ve heard all your life. You’ve listened all your life. You’ve seen it all your life. It’s not enough to come listen. It’s not enough to see. Your heart’s got to be warmed and God has got to change you. Paul had a topic. It was Christ and the kingdom. He had a text and it was Isaiah.

In the last part of Paul’s sermon there was a turning. Paul said, “Because you won’t listen I am turning away from you Jews and I’m going to the Gentiles.” In verse 28, “Therefore, let it be known to you to the Jews that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles.” They will also listen. Paul said, “I’m turning.” He preached to the Jews and he said, “Now I’m turning to the Gentiles.” Now listen to me. He is not saying that a Jew couldn’t get saved but that many wouldn’t be saved. They’re steeped in Old Testament and they know there’s a promise of a Messiah but they won’t believe. Paul said, “Not many will believe so I’m turning and I’m going to take the gospel to the world.”

So Paul did three things to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Number one. He preached to the people who came to visit with him in the house. And 24 hours a day, there was never a moment in those two years that Paul did not have a chain around his arm that was attached to a Roman soldier. The Praetorian Guard. The elite military force of Rome. Fifteen thousand of these men were assigned to look after Nero and everything pertaining to Caesar’s house. Every shift the guard on duty the guard assigned to Paul unchained himself and another took his place. God just kept sending the harvest to Paul. It’s hard to get away from the preacher when you’re chained to him.

In Philippians 1:13, Paul talked about how the message of the Gospel went through the Praetorian guard. If you open your eyes you’ll realize that God has chained you to someone. God has connected them to you in such a way that they can’t help but hear what you have to say. You ought to be speaking the gospel wherever and to whomever you’re chained to. If you’re chained to a desk, speak the gospel. If you’re chained to a classroom, speak the gospel. If you’re chained somewhere with people running in and out share the Gospel. Paul was chained to the Praetorian. Paul, first of all, shared the gospel to the people he was chained to. His friends would come. They’d visit with him and they’d talk. Paul would say, “You know.” He’s just sharing the gospel of the Lord. This guy chained to him, he’s hearing every bit of it. He can’t go to sleep. He’s got to stay awake. Why? He’s got to guard the prisoner.

Secondly, Paul wrote letters. Paul wrote papers from prison. He wrote at least four epistles from this two year stay in a Roman house of his rented quarters. He wrote Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon from this Roman cell. There’s a guard chained to him while he’s writing. And you know he’s just got to be reading these letters out loud. He probably asked more than one guard, “Well, did I say that just right?” The Bible tells us that all scripture is written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you, the Spirit of the living God was in Paul and on Paul and he’s writing Holy Scripture and this guard was chained to him – what a seat for the kingdom. Some of those guards believed and some of them didn’t believe. Paul preached to who he was chained to. Secondly, he wrote letters. When you share a Bible or a tract with someone you’re doing the same thing Paul did. You’re sharing papers from prison. That’s how the Gospel gets taken around the world.

Third, not only did he preach to who he was chained to and write letters, Paul was released from this Roman jail and took the Gospel with him wherever he went. After his release he then traveled with the gospel to where God would let him go. Eventually he wound up back in Rome and was martyred for the faith. He shared with those closest to him. He wrote letters to the people that he knew and he traveled and shared as God would let him do it. Paul turned from the Jew to the Gentile. To our Jewish friends, God will save you if you’ll believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. To our Gentile friends, He’ll save you if you’ll believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was the 23rd day of May, 1939. America was staring down the gun barrel of entering World War II. Our president was reinforcing the Navy with more ships. One of those vessels that had been built was the U.S. Submarine, the Squalus. The Squalus was off the coast of New Hampshire on the 23rd day of May, 1939 when one of the chambers was breached and water flooded one of the chambers of the submarine, the Squalus. She sank. Of the 59 crew, 26 died in that watery grave and 33 were still alive 240 feet below the surface in a frigid tomb wondering, “Can we ever get out of here?” The commander sent up red dye to mark the water where they went down. They also ran a buoy up with a radio cable so if anyone knew of it or found them they could communicate back. As sovereign grace would have it another ship did find them but now they had to get these 33 out of that submarine and to the surface.

There was a brand new device called the Momsen McCann Rescue Chamber. It was brand new. It was devised to send that rescue chamber to a sunken sub attached to it and let the people get out and in and take it up. So they sent the Momsen McCann device down four times. It could only carry a small payload. There were four Navy divers that all received the Medal of Honor after this. They went down, filled it up and brought them back to the top. Went down, filled it up and to the top. Four times they went and those 33 got into that rescue chamber and went to the top. They made a fifth trip and went in the chamber that had been flooded to see if there were any survivors. None were alive. All were dead.

What amazes me about that story is that not one of the 33 people trapped in that Squalus Submarine refused to get into the rescue chamber. They had never done it before. They didn’t know if it would work. They didn’t know it might be worse in there than it was where they were. They absolutely did not know but not one of the 33 men refused to get in. God is sending a rescue chamber to the world. That chamber is an empty tomb and there’s an extended hand that says you’re sunk without God. If you would but believe you will be saved. Some will say, “I’ve never tried it before.” I understand. Some will say, “I’ve never done it before.” I understand. Some will ask, “Are you sure it’ll work?” To them I’ll tell the what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:20,  “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”  The chamber has come for you. His name is Christ. If you’ll crown Him king, He’ll change your life and set you free.

Christian Obedience

Pastor Barry Kerner

The Bible has much to say about obedience. In fact, obedience is an essential part of the Christian faith. Scripture tells us in Philippians 2:8 that Jesus Himself was “obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” Matthew 16:24 indicates that Christians are to be about taking up our cross and following Christ. It would be impossible to emulate and follow Christ without obedience. The Bible says that we show our love for Jesus by obeying Him in all things: In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” A Christian who is not obeying Christ’s commands can rightly be asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Obedience is defined as “dutiful or submissive compliance to the commands of one in authority.” Using this definition, we see the elements of biblical obedience. “Dutiful” means it is our obligation to obey God, just as Jesus fulfilled His duty to the Father by dying on the cross for our sin. “Submissive” indicates that we yield our wills to God’s. “Commands” speaks of the Scriptures in which God has clearly delineated His instructions. The “one in authority” is God Himself, whose authority is total and unequivocal.

Failure to submit to God’s authority are acts of disobedience. Scripture calls these acts transgressions of sins. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines sin as. “any want or conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” While Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” it is clear that we are responsible for the sins we commit. 1 John 3:4,“Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.”For the Christian, obedience means complying with everything God has commanded. It is our duty to do so.

It is important to remember that our obedience to God is not solely a matter of duty. John 14:23 indicates that the reason we should obey God is because we love Him. The spirit of obedience is as important as the act of obedience. We serve the Lord in humility, singleness of heart, and love. We must beware of allowing a facade of obedience to mask a sinful heart. Living the Christian life is not all about rules. The Pharisees in Jesus’ time relentlessly pursued acts of obedience to the Law, but they became self-righteous, believing they deserved heaven because of what they had done. They considered themselves worthy before God, who owed them a reward; however, the Bible tells us that, without Christ, even our best, most righteous works are as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). The Pharisees’ external obedience still lacked something, and Jesus exposed their heart attitude. Their hypocrisy in obeying the “letter of the law” while violating its spirit characterized their lives, and Jesus rebuked them sharply: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also appear righteous to men outwardly, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:27–28) The Pharisees were obedient in some respects, but they “neglected the weightier matters of the law.” (Matthew 23:23)

Today, we are not called to obey the Law of Moses. That has been fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 5:17). Galatians 6:2 and John 13:34 remind us that we are to obey the “law of Christ,” which is a law of love. In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus stated the greatest commands of all, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Though it has massively influenced the course of history, Christianity is not a religion of political revolution, Many New Testament passages teach that Christians must obey their government. Jesus famously said: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17) From the birth of Christ, when Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register at the demand of Caesar Augustus, to Jesus’ trial before Pilate and his death on a Roman cross, our faith demonstrates the need for submission to the governing authorities – whether they are virtuous or corrupt. Romans 13:1 plainly says: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” 1 Peter 2:13 explains: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.” R C Sproul comments that “there is a fundamental obligation of the Christian to be a model of civil obedience. We as the people of God are called upon to be as obedient as we possibly can in good conscience to the powers that be.”

For several months Christians across the nation have had to adjust to a new normal. Rather than jumping out of bed and driving to church, people now tune into the live-streams of church services while eating pancakes and sipping coffee in their pajamas. Since the sudden growth of the COVID-19 pandemic, new social distancing regulations have limited large gatherings—meaning limited church services.

Government regulations vary from state to state and even among neighboring counties and towns. While most churches have opted to obey the government’s wise laws, some churches have chosen to completely disregarded them. Christians are called to be model citizens, obeying the laws of the land as long as they don’t contrast with God’s laws. Churches should set a peaceful example by obeying government regulations and maintaining unity. Not only does this display respect for authorities, but it is also a way to love our neighbors by keeping them safe.

Social distancing laws have been created to protect the public health. There have been over seven million cases reported across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. Each day, that number grows. So far, social distancing has proved to be very effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, has explained that there is now a “glimmer” of success as a result of social distancing.

Our love for others should be our biggest motivation to remain socially distant. Loving your neighbor is protecting them, not jeopardizing their health by exposing them to a deadly deadly virus,” Relevant Magazine wrote. It’s vital to help our friends and family avoid the virus by evading it ourselves. Churches should seek to protect their congregation, thus it is imperative that they obey social distancing laws.

Some might argue governments are restricting religious freedom, by limiting all gatherings and limiting our opportunities to worship together. I shake my head when I hear complaints such as these. These times of isolation can be a boon to the ones who find more time to pray, study the scriptures, and reach out by phone to comfort those suffering from loneliness. With the surge of online Bible studies, Christian chat rooms and online services there is no need for anyone to forsake fellowship and assembling. It may be inconvenient for a season but these regulations won’t last long. Right now, their goal is to save your life.

Churches set an example for their congregation, and for the communities around them. In Romans, Paul exhorts the believers to honor the government.  God has selected each and every authority figure we have—both in the state and federal government. Churches must respect and honor governmental authority because it sets a God-honoring precedent for the world to witness.

It’s important to remember what the church actually is—the church is a body of believers. Even if we cannot gather physically, we can unite their hearts in pursuit of the Lord. God is limitless. Christians do not have to be in church to worship God, they can do it just as well in their homes! Remember—this is merely for a season. Once these regulations are lifted, it is important to rejoin your congregation. Don’t get too comfortable in your pajamas. There will still be safety guidelines to follow, but for the obedient Christian these minor inconveniences will be something to bear willingly for the glory of god.

God is working in miraculous ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it may be one of the most difficult seasons in your life, don’t forget the importance of following the safety guidelines and continuing to worship God. New COVID-19 regulations have shut down churches—but not God.

If we love God, we will obey Him. We won’t be perfect in our obedience, but our desire is to submit to the Lord and display good works. When we love God and obey Him, we naturally have love for one another. Obedience to God’s commands will make us light and salt in a dark and tasteless world. (Matthew 5:13–16).

Soul Winning: The Secret of the Harvest John 4:35-38

Pastor Barry Kerner

Evangelist Jay Strack made nine visits to the Holy Land. On each of those visits he asked for and received the same Bedouin tour guide. And, on each tour he witnessed to the man. The last time he spoke with him, the guide was interested as to why Jay was so persistent in sharing his faith. Jay explained to him that they were friends and he simply could not fail to share the way of salvation with one about whom he cared so deeply.

The guide looked at him and said, “I understand now. You do not want to commit the sin of the desert.” Jay was not familiar with that phrase, so his friend explained. To Bedouins, who are nomadic people, the ultimate sin is the sin of the desert . . . knowing where water is but refusing to tell others.

The sin of the desert may well be the greatest sin of churches today. We live in a wasteland of spiritual dryness and despair. And we know where the water of life can be found. To not tell others about it is the sin of all sins. That means evangelism is not optional for us. It rather should be the obsessive obligation of the church. But, how do we evangelize effectively?

If we really want to know the secret we would do well to study the Master Evangelist, Jesus. The apostle John, in his gospel, tells us of one of the great evangelistic harvests in Christ’s ministry (John 4:35-36). What he did and what he taught in this experience is the secret to a great evangelistic effort anywhere, anytime.

Jesus and his disciples were traveling through Samaria on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee when they stopped at Jacob’s Well outside the city of Sychar. Jesus rested by the well while his disciples went into the village to buy food. Presently, a lone woman came to draw water from the well. Two things were unusual about this. First, it was high noon and the women usually waited until the cool of the evening to draw water. Second, she traveled alone. The women of the village usually traveled in groups, chatting about the events of the day. Jesus, who knows the hearts of all people, immediately recognized that she not only had an empty water bucket, she also had an empty life.

The evidence, as John revealed later, was that she had been married and divorced five times and was now living with a man who was not her husband. She had flitted from man to man, from marriage to marriage, from relationship to relationship, looking for something or someone to satisfy the deep longings of her heart. She thought, perhaps another lover, another marriage, another affair, would do it. But they hadn’t. Her life was as dry and as empty as ever. Disillusioned, she no longer troubled herself with the legalities of marriage. She now just lived with a man. Jesus viewed her life more as sadness than badness. She was not so much to be scorned as to be pitied. She was searching for something she had never found and, often, it is the one who is searching the most who makes the most mistakes.

Jesus broke the ice by asking her for a drink of water. The woman, was surprised and responded, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink of water?” Then John adds this footnote for the reader, “For the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.” The Samaritans were a mixed race, the result of intermarriage between Assyrians and Jews centuries before. The Jews considered them as half-breeds, mongrels, dogs. So deep was their prejudice toward the Samaritans that they had no dealings with them at all. Jesus, as we know from his numerous dealings with and various teachings about Samaritans, did not share this prejudice.

So, he said to the woman, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that speaks to you, you would be asking me to give you Living Water.” The woman was thinking of physical water and wondered how Jesus could give her a drink since he had no rope or bucket with which to draw. Jesus then moved quickly from the physical to the spiritual by saying, “Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13- 14). The idea of water that could forever satisfy her inner thirst captured this woman’s attention and she said to Jesus, “Sir, give me that water.”

Jesus then revealed his knowledge of her past immorality. This convinced her that he was a prophet. Jesus then told her he was more than a prophet, he was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. With this thrilling revelation fresh in her mind she left her water pot and rushed back to the village to tell the men she had met the Savior. In the meantime the disciples, having returned from Sychar, were engaging Jesus in a conversation about the will of God. As they talked, Jesus looked up a saw a great host of people — mostly men — dressed in white robes and turbans coming toward him.

He then said to his disciples, “Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then comes the harvest? Behold I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white (men dressed in white robes and white turbans) already to harvest” (John 4:35-36). The men of Sychar began to talk with Jesus and they were captivated by him. So much so that they invited him to remain in their village for a time. He accepted their invitation and stayed with them two days, preaching and teaching. John then adds this commentary: “Many of them believed on Jesus because of the sayings of the woman.

And many more  believed because of his own words.”

Don’t miss those two phrases set side by side: “many believed” and “many more believed.” They speak of the great harvest that occurred that day. This whole experience, what Jesus said and what Jesus did reveals to us the secret of a great evangelistic harvest anywhere, anytime. There are three things that leap out at us: We must see the masses; we must seize the moment; and we must share the message.

We Must See the Masses

The first thing that is essential to an evangelistic harvest is to see the masses. As Jesus saw the multitude of people coming from the city he said to his disciple, “Lift up your eyes and look . . .” Why did he say that? Because his disciples had just been in the city of Sychar buying food and mingling among the same people who were now coming to meet Jesus. But they apparently had not witnessed to a single person. They brought no one to meet Jesus. Now the village, in response to the witness of this woman, was coming en mass to see and hear him for themselves. The disciples had missed one evangelistic opportunity and he did not want them to miss another.

Why had they missed that first evangelistic opportunity? For two reasons — because of preoccupation and because of prejudice. When they first went into the village they were so preoccupied with their own needs they did not think of the needs of others. They had been so interested in physical bread that they forgot to share the bread of life. And, they shared the deep prejudice of their fellow Jews toward the Samaritans. It never entered their minds that God cared about the Samaritans or that the Samaritans might long to know God. The Samaritans were not their kind of people. They were of a different race, a different religion, a different culture. On the basis of preconceived ideas, deep prejudice, they were totally blinded to a whole city of people who were anxious to come to the Savior.

What the disciples did, we are in danger of doing ourselves — missing a great spiritual harvest, an evangelistic opportunity, because of preoccupation and prejudice. Preoccupation is our greatest danger. We can become so wrapped up in making a living, running a business, raising a family, planning a vacation, or even pastoring a church that we crowd out the eternal things of life. We can so focus on our own needs and wants that we forget about the needs of others. We can so focus on the physical that we forget the spiritual.

Jesus warned us of this danger in the parable of the sower. When the farmer went forth to sow, some seed fell among the thorns. The seeds germinated and sprouted and the plants grew but the thorns soon wrapped themselves around the tender plants and choked the life from them. Jesus identified the thorns as “the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this world.” We are in constant danger that the cares of this world may choke out the spiritual from our life also. That’s why the apostle Paul, describing Christians as soldiers, said, “No man that goes to war entangles himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4).

Many Christians start out being a faithful witness and a discipler of men. But their entanglement with the world soon draws them away from the battle for the souls of the lost. Their relationships, families, jobs, keep them from the ministry they once had. Before they know it, the cares of this world spring up around them and become more of a priority than winning souls. A piece of advice, “Watch out for the thorns of this world, they’ll get you!”

Prejudice is another obstacle to evangelism. The disciples were so blinded by their prejudice toward the Samaritans that they never saw the need or the opportunity to witness to them. They thought, “These are not our kind of people.” They felt no responsibility toward them. Larry McSwain, provost of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, said, “We Baptists are missing the folks who are smarter and richer than we are, and we are missing the people who are dumber and poorer than we are.” The fact is, we’re missing those who are much different from us in any way.

Jesus does not share our narrow views. He tells us we are not to miss anyone. In the Great Commission he commanded: “Go ye therefore and teach all nations . . .” The Greek word translated “nations” is the word “ethnos.” From it we get the word “ethnic.” It literally means every race, every tribe, every culture – ALL PEOPLE. All around us there are ethnicities, people of other races, other cultures, other nationalities, other languages that need to be won to Jesus Christ. And we must not be so absorbed in our own needs or so blinded by our prejudice that we do not see them and reach them.

By the way, the disciples would have missed the woman at the well for the same reason. They would have looked on her immorality as a sign of disinterest in spiritual things. But, how wrong they were. Her immorality was not a sign of spiritual indifference, but a sign of spiritual emptiness. We need the focus and the passion of Mahatma Ghandi, the great Indian leader. The passion of his life was “the last, the least, the lowest, and the lost.” That should be our mantra as we look enter the fields for the harvest.

Phillips Brooks reminds us, “We cannot believe in Christ for ourselves without believing in him for the whole world.” In the business world some companies are “niche marketers.” They target only a small segment of the population and go after them. Those of us who follow Christ can never be “niche marketers.” We must go after everyone. We must seek to win all people to Christ. Someone has said, “We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all see the same horizons.” Some people see things others never see — new potentials, new opportunities, new challenges, new needs. We must lift up our eyes, open our hearts and see the needs of the people around us or we will never do anything to meet them.

We Must Seize the Moment.

The second secret to a great spiritual harvest is to seize the moment. Jesus asked, “Do you say, there are yet four months, and then the harvest will come? I say . . . the fields are white already to harvest.”

1. B. Myers said of this experience, “If those disciples had been appointed a commission of inquiry about the possibility of a Christian enterprise in Samaria, I know exactly the resolution they would have passed. The resolution would have been: Samaria unquestionably needs the Master’s message, but it is not ready for it. There must first be plowing, sowing, and then waiting. It is needed, but it is not ready.” Can’t you hear many of our ecclesiastical assemblies passing such a motion? We are always ready to recognize needy areas, but just as ready to find perfectly good reasons why we should do nothing at the present time.

In meeting the physical needs of the world, James 2:14-16 warns us about faith without deeds, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” How much more important is acting to meet the spiritual needs of those around us. We must beware lest we spend so much time analyzing and organizing and agonizing that we never get around to evangelizing.

Anyone remotely familiar with farming knows that the harvest is seasonal and soon passes. Crops go through three stages: green, ripe, rotten. The harvest is effective only at one stage. Likewise, intervention, at the right time, can produce rich spiritual harvest. When the harvest is ready to be gathered in, you must be ready to act. Urgency is essential. Every indication is that our world today is ready. But too many of our churches are twiddling their thumbs while the harvest is lost. We need to be reminded that any church that is not seeking the lost is lost itself.

In the movie, “Dead Poet’s Society,” Robin Williams plays the part of a teacher, John Keating. In his first class session, Keating takes his students into the hall to the trophy case and shows them pictures of heroes from the past history of the school. He says to them, “All these young men were as you are today — starting life with great promise. All of you will someday be as they are. They are all dead and so will you be. What do you think they would say to you? Get close to the glass.” As the class leans toward the glass, Keating, in a raspy voice, says, “Carpe diem . . . carpe diem . . . carpe diem.” Seize the day! “If we the church have anything to say to the world, we need to say it now!” In the television mini-series, “The Kennedys of Massachusetts,” Joseph Kennedy, the patriarch of the clan, said, concerning time, “There is little enough of it and none to waste.” That must be our attitude when it comes to evangelism. There is no time to waste.

Lyndon Johnson’s father used to say to him, “You must seize the moment.” That’s it! We must see the masses and we must seize the moment.

We Must Share the Message

The third secret to an evangelistic harvest is to share the message. The end result of this experience was that, “many of the Samaritans of the city believed on him for the saying of the woman. . . and many more believed because of his own words.” Don’t miss John’s emphasis on “words” — her words and his words, human words and divine words, the words of a witness and the word of God. Sooner or later all evangelism must reduce itself to words.

Somebody has to tell what God has done and what they have experienced. That’s the secret of a great harvest. This, I believe, is our basic problem. It is not that the harvest is not ready, but that we are not ready. Our job is simply to be faithful in sowing and reaping by witnessing. We all know we are to do that, but the minute anyone begins talking about it, someone says to himself, “The best way to do that is by example. I live my faith.” We ought to live our faith. And everyone knows our lives ought to speak louder than our words. But as a matter of fact they do not, and perhaps cannot. For while our example may be potent, when we face trouble courageously, or live an evidently disciplined and unselfish life, no mere life can give testimony to all the richness of the Christian Gospel.

I cannot, by being good, tell persons of Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection, nor of my faith in his divinity. The emphasis is too much on me, and too little on him. It would be the height of conceit to think that my life could ever become good enough to mirror these things very clearly to other people. Yet they are the verities in which my faith stands. And I must bear witness to them.

Keith Parks, while president of the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, said, “As far as I know we are never told in the scriptures that we should prepare the hearts of people. That’s God’s business. What we are told is to busy ourselves at sowing and reaping.” It’s God’s business to prepare the hearts of people and he is always doing that. He furrows the hearts of men through scores of circumstances to prepare them to receive the gospel. Sometimes it’s the birth of a child, sometimes it’s an illness, sometimes it’s a financial reversal, sometimes it’s a marital difficulty, sometimes it’s a tragedy. And often times he’s at work when we don’t even recognize it.

James Gilmour, that heroic and solitary soul, the story of whose labor is more thrilling than any romance, learned this from experience. He said that early in his Christian life he heard the message, “Go to Mongolia,” but when he got there he found that he had been mistaken for the message all the time had really been, “Come to Mongolia.” Jesus had been there all the time waiting for him. He is always ahead of us, preparing the harvest if we will just see the masses, seize the moment, and share the message.

It was June 6, 1944, one of the most crucial times in world history. The high command of the allied forces under Supreme Commander Dwight David Eisenhower were gathered at Portsmouth, England. They were poised for Operation Overlord, the cross-channeled attack from England to France. It would be D-Day, the invasion of Normandy.

The United States, Great Britain, and Canada had assembled the largest amphibious assault force in history. It involved 3 million men, 5,000 large ships, 4,000 small landing craft, and more than 11,000 aircraft. It was the greatest invasion fleet ever to sail the seas. If successful it would mark the beginning of the end of World War II. The invasion had been set for June 5, but bad weather had caused the launch to be delayed at least 24 hours. Now, as General Eisenhower met with his chiefs of staff, all eyes turned to J. M. Stagg, the chief meteorologist of Operation Overlord. General Eisenhower asked, “Mr. Stagg, could you give us an update on the weather?” Mr. Stagg replied, “A fresh weather front provided hope of improved conditions the following day. We will have a corridor of about 36 hours where the ceiling will be 3,000 feet. If we wait beyond that it will be at least a month before the weather will allow us to go.” Ike asked each of his commanders how they thought the forecast would affect the operation. But ultimately, the decision was his. After they spoke Ike sat in silence for thirty, maybe forty seconds. Then he raised his head, looked at his fellow commanders, and said, “The consequences of delay justify great risk. We’ll go.”

Our decision to go affects more than the outcome of a war in time. It affects the souls of men for eternity. We are sowing and reaping for everlasting life. How many hours do we have before the ceiling falls? I do not know, but it’s getting awfully dark outside. God knows we have had enough time already. The time has come for us to say, “The consequences of delay justify great risk. We’ll go.