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PREPARING THE WAY (2): HOW COULD GOD BE MISSING?

(Luke 10:2-3)

Read Lu 10:1-3 Two mischievous brothers aged 8 and 10 were always in
trouble. One day their mother heard of a new pastor who was great with kids,
so she asked if he would speak to her boys. He asked to see the younger boy
first, then the elder. On the day appointed, the boy came in. The pastor sat him
down and in his deep, booming voice he asked, Do you know where God is,
son? The boys mouth dropped open in shock but he said nothing. The
preacher repeated the question, Where is God? Again, no answer, so he
raised his voice, shook his finger at the boy and asked, Where is God? The
boy let out a scream, bolted from the room, ran straight home and dove into
his closet, slamming the door behind him. His older brother followed him in
and asked, What happened? The younger bro replied, Jimmy, were in big
trouble this time. Big trouble! His bro asked, What do you mean? The
little boy answered, Welp, GOD is missing and they think WE did it!

The truth is God is missing, in a lot of peoples lives. The question is did we
do it? Are there people out there friends, neighbors, co-workers who dont
know God because we are failing our commission to make disciples? We
began to look at this commission that Jesus gave to 72 of His followers last
week. He knew His time on earth was drawing short, so he sent the 72 to
represent Him. It is a commission that by application given to every believer.
Our reason for being is to introduce people to Jesus. Thats what the text is
about representing Christ to best advantage. Our outline The
Commission, The Challenge, The Commandments, The Conditions, The
Communication, The Conclusion and The Consequences.

I. The Commission
II. The Challenge of the Commission

It is stated very succinctly in v. 2, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers
are few. So what is the harvest and who are the laborers? The laborers are
those, like the 72, who are being commissioned to represent Christ. As
believers we are part of that group, but the group is small. Its pretty clear
that even in a Christian society, we operate as a significant minority. The
laborers are few. Not many care about the gospel message today.

So, how about the harvest? What is that? It seems pretty clear from the
context that the harvest is people. Harvest often speaks of end time judgment
in Scripture in passages like Joel 2, Rev 14 and Mt 13 where Jesus talks about
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letting the wheat (believers) and weeds (unbelievers) grow together during this
age to be separated at an end time judgment. The harvest is people.

But in this analogy, Jesus is looking near term, not the end of the age. He is
speaking of people who are ready for harvest now. Who would those be? As
Jesus looks out on the masses gathered around Him, and sees even further,
beyond the borders of Palestine, beyond His Jewish heritage and even into the
future, He sees those who are His and He wants to see them brought in. John
6:
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All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me
I will never cast out.
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For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own
will but the will of him who sent me.
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And this is the will of him who sent
me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the
last day.
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For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the
Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the
last day. We see in this passage the unexplainable mix of the sovereignty of
God All that the Father gives me will come to me and the free will of
mankind everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have
eternal life. The first guarantees the success of the mission, but the second
leaves no doubt as to the accountability of every person. Therefore, even as
Jesus sees the harvest, He sees the need for laborers.

Thus, He says in John 4:35,
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Do you not say, There are yet four months,
then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the
fields are white for harvest.
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Already the one who reaps is receiving wages
and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice
together.
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For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps.
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I
sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and
you have entered into their labor. The gospel is for everyone, but as Jesus
looks out, he sees many who have never had the message. He needs laborers.

A teacher asked, Class, if there were 100 sheep in a field and 5 walked away,
how many would be left? Johnny answered, None. She said, Johnny,
dont you know your math. 100 minus 5 is 95 left. Johnny didnt give up. He
said, Mrs. Clark, you may know math, but I know sheep. Once one gets out,
they all get out. One leaves, they all leave. And he was right, of course.
Thats why the Bible says, All we like sheep have gone astray. Thats the
harvest that Jesus sees lost individuals, blindly following each other like
sheep to the slaughter. And so He seeks laborers to help bring them in.

III. The Commands of the Commission

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Jesus answers that question with two commands. Two things for us to do
because people are waiting to see and hear a clear presentation of the gospel.
To do these is to share in the passion of our Lord. But it doesnt come
naturally. We must fight for this. In Matt 25 Jesus tells how even the act of
giving a cup of cold water represents Him when done in His name. But He
warns that when we fail to show the compassion that is close to His heart, we
must take heed. Matt 25:46, And these [those who fail to give the cup of
water that is to reach out to a lost world] these will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Jesus is saying that failure to
represent Him well in things big and little could mean were not really His!

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life. John Piper says, I need to hear this message again and again,
because I drift into a peacetime mind-set as certainly as rain falls down and
flames go up. I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world
loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth
home. Before you know it, I am calling luxuries needs and using my
money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I dont think
much about people perishing. . . . I t is a terrible sickness. And I thank God
for those who have forced me again and again toward a wartime mind-set.
Jesus is calling us to DEFCON I wartime status, even in the comfortable and
affluent USA. Were in a life and death spiritual struggle. [Ex Houston order]
The battle rages; the field is white to harvest, so 2 things are required

A. Pray
The first command is fascinating because it is unexpected. Think about it.
Jesus says in v. 2, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So, what
would you expect next? Youd expect, Saddle up. Lets go. We got work to
do! Right? Isnt that what seems like the obvious thing to say? Instead what
do we get? Therefore pray. Pray earnestly. The harvest is plentiful and there
arent enough laborers but the first thing I want you to do is -- pray.

Now, doesnt that seem a bit strange? After all, the harvest belongs to the
Lord. Its His harvest. He knows far more about it than you or I. Furthermore,
He knows the laborers are few. My prayer certainly cannot enlighten Him
about the challenge, right? Hes perfectly aware. So why does He ask us to
pray? Beloved, He asks us to pray because He wants our heart to beat in
synch with His. He wants our vision to align with His His passion to be our
passion. Have a heart for the lost. Pray.

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And note that He does not just say, Pray for those lost people tho we should
do that. Paul in Rom 10:1, Brothers, my hearts desire and prayer to God for
them [Israel] is that they may be saved. Hes praying for lost people, and so
should we by name, with compassion and urgency. BUT here Jesus
instructs that we pray for the Lord to send out more laborers. Not something
we pray very often, is it? But it pulls us into the global vision of our Lord. See
the lost? See the world? Well, pray for God to send out laborers. Pray it and
mean it. Get your heart in tune with His great heart which is not willing that
any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (II Pet 3:9). He wants
us to share that passion. And if we pray, Beloved, He will answer.

Lyman Jewett had seen little fruit after 17 years as a missionary in India. His
mission board had dubbed his location as Forlorn Hope; wanted to close it
down. But early on New Years Day in 1854, Jewett and his native helpers
climbed a big hill to pray. Jewett read from Isaiah 52:7, How beautiful upon
the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims
peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who
says to Zion, Your God reigns! Then they prayed for just one man with
beautiful feet who could break thru the barrenness of the field. They came
back often to Prayer Meeting Hill to repeat the request. Ten years later, in
Gods timing, a farmer named John Clough was harvesting wheat in Iowa
when he received news that he had been accepted for missionary service -- to
a place called Forlorn Hope. He arrived and began sharing the gospel with
anyone who would listen, praying for results. What he got was drought and
famine. But undeterred, he worked tirelessly to bring food to those who were
starving. I t was the opening that had been so needed. The Indians came to
love him for his works of mercy and compassion. And they began to respond
to his message. A powerful revival eventually swept the area and on one day
alone Clough and helpers baptized 2,222 converts. In 39 days they baptized
another 8,691 new believers. Eventually over 20,000 people came to Christ
all because someone prayer the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers. It
all starts with prayer for individuals, for laborers, for help as we go.

A. Go

Which leads to the next command. Jesus says I want you to pray for
laborers. Then I want you to put feet to your own prayers. I want you to be
the partial answer. I want you to go. V. 3,

Go your way; behold, I am
sending you. Theres a great principle at work here. God never gets you in
without sending you out. Were not so keen on the sending out, are we? We
love the bringing in. We love salvation and forgiveness and being right with
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God and the hope of heaven. But please, Lord, dont ask me to speak to
anyone else. We wimp out quickly at the thought of sharing our faith. We are
like the little boy whose teacher asked him to name two pronouns. Scared to
death he responded, Who, me? She said, Correct. And thats what Jesus
is answering when we say, Who me? Yes, you! Get ready. Im
commissioning you as my representative and Im sending you out.

You say, But, Dave, I dont have the gift of evangelism. And perhaps you
dont. But thats irrelevant to representing Christ. An urgency attaches to
harvest, right? When harvest time came on our little dry-land farm in NE,
everyone turned a hand kids, wives, grandparents everybody. When the
crop was ripe you got it in fast! No one sat around at harvest time saying,
Sorry, I only milk cows, or I only fix lunches, or I have to go to school.
That didnt fly, did it not at harvest time. I t was all hands on board. No one
could say, I dont have the gift of harvesting. Well, the same is true in the
Lords harvest. It wont do to say, Well, my gift is teaching only, or I only
administer, or I give so others can go. Good for you, but that doesnt take
you off the hook! If we cant bear witness to what Christ has done in our life
in some way, its probably because He hasnt done anything in our life.

Notice Jesus says, Go your way. Prepare the way for Christ in your own
way. Training helps and we should learn all we can, but its not the main
thing. Remember the demon-possessed man in Luke 8? Jesus healed him.
Then what? Lu 8:39, Jesus told him, Return to your home, and declare how
much God has done for you. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the
whole city how much J esus had done for him. Brought him in and sent him
out. No training! Didnt take much training to say, J esus saved me. We can
all do that. How about the blind man Jesus healed in John 9? The religionists
brought him in for questioning. They were leading the witness when they
advised him, Look, give glory to God but dont tell us Jesus did this. We
know hes a sinner. Doesnt even keep the Sabbath! Renounce Him! He
answered in John 9:25, Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do
know, that though I was blind, now I see. It doesnt take a seminary degree
to say, I used to think I could make it on my own, but J esus opened my eyes
and now I see, I need a Savior. Yes, Ive accepted Him and Hes changed
my life.

Every Christian is sent. These 72 represent all of us just common, everyday
people. These are not seminary grads. They are regular folks. God never calls
you in without sending you out. He never blesses you but that you might be
a blessing. He calls Abraham in Genesis 12. Come in, Abraham. I will make
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you a great nation. I will be your portion and your exceeding great reward.
Then what? Then, Get out to a land that I will show you. Youre not only
blessed, but you will be a blessing. In Exodus 3 God invites Moses in for a
face-to-face relationship at the burning bush. Imagine. Then what? Now, Im
sending you out to deliver my people. Isaiah saw God high and lifted up in
Isaiah 6. Invited in. God forgave his sin, cleansed his heart. Then what? He
said, Who will go for me? Isaiah said, Here am I send me. God never
invites us in but to send us out. Every Christian is on the harvest mission.

Does that mean were all to be pastors or missionaries or something? Of
course not. Paul says in I Cor 7:17, Only let each person lead the life that the
Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. In the context,
its a career call thats in view. Whatever career God has called you to get
on with it. Thats exactly where I want you to go. Why? To raise cattle or feed
sheep or do business deals? Yes, but not primarily. Primarily to prepare the
way for Jesus. Do you see how this works? Paul ends that section by saying in
I Cor 7:24, So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called (whatever
career, whatever status in life), there let him remain with God. In other
words, youre not doing it by yourself or for yourself. You doing it by Him
and for Him. Youre part of the harvest crew. So get on with it.

Conc -- Two young Moravians heard of an island in the West Indies where a
British owner had several thousand slaves. He had forbidden any minister or
any missionary work among them. He refused to have his slaves exposed to
the gospel. But these young men had a passion. So they did the unthinkable.
They sold themselves to the British owner and used the money they got to
transport themselves to the island. As they boarded the ship in Hambourg, the
friends and family came from everywhere knowing they would never see
these 2 boys again. They had sold themselves into lifetime slavery because
that was the only way they could go to the harvest. As the ship began to
leave, one of the boys shouted out the last words that were heard from them,
"May the lamb that was slain receive the reward of his sufferings." This
became the call of Moravian missions. Its the only reason any of us are here
to be part of the harvest by praying and going. Could God be missing in
someones life we know? Only if we dont pray and go. Lets pray.