Jesus' Most Outrageous Sayings - The Fields Are Already White Unto Harvest - Part 7

You know, my wife, Brenda comes from a long line of farmers for dad grew up on a farm. Her grandfather lived on a farm.

Her great-grandfather lived on a farm.

Her great-great-grandfather lived on a farm, all in Pennsylvania and when her grandparents were still alive. Brenda and I would often go up and visit them on the farm now. I've never been to afar before. I think Jewish people don't generally farm and so I've never been to afar before my life and I learned a lot of interesting things that I did know and let me tell you one of the things that I learned at that time they were raising a lot of hate and I noticed that when Henry is ready to be harvested.

It turns a bright white color as its articles in the afternoon sun and when you see that white color you know it's time to harvest the hay and being up there and seeing that made a passage from the Bible come alive to me.

It's a passage I want to talk to you about today.

As we continue in our series called Jesus is most outrageous things. Remember what were doing here were going to the New Testament were picking out 12 of the most radical and significant things that Jesus never said were spending a week on each one of them asking the question. Well, so what we've already done six if you miss any of those you can get the tape for the CD in the bookstore today were ready for number seven and so if you brought your Bible. I want to ask you to date open to the Gospel according to John chapter 4 Matthew Mark Luke John fourth book in the New Testament that you did not bring a Bible today and during our main auditorium. You will find a copy of the Bible right under the armrest next to you reach under there were on page 752, page 752, and copy the Bible John for your copy while you're turning. Let me give you little bit of background, the Lord Jesus. Up to this point is been preaching and teaching around Jerusalem, but now he decides to head back up to the Sea of Galilee and that's where we pick up the story verse four of chapter 4 but Jesus had to go through Samaria. The Bible says will show you a map and you'll see that between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee lay the Providence of Samaria. Now the Samaritans lived here and let me tell you about the Samaritans. They were a race of of half breeds in 721 BC when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, which was called Samaria now at the time of Christ same area. What the Assyrians did is they exported almost all the Jews from the northern kingdom in the importing Gentiles from around the rest of their empire.

The Jews who were left in the Samaria area married intermarried with these Gentiles producing a re-race of half breeds called Samaritans. Now the Jews despised these guys.

They consider them the lowest thing on the food chain even though they claim to worship the same God is the Jews, the Jews would have nothing to do with them. They wouldn't even speak to them and that lies behind the story that is about to unfold. Verse five.

So Jesus came to a town in Samaria called for Carla to show you the map again to get an idea of where cigar is it's about halfway between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee first five or six SKUs me and Jacob's well was there and Jenna Jesus tiredness he was from his journey, sat down by the well verse seven when the Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, will you give me a drink.

He said why didn't he asked his disciples to draw water. Well, the Bible tells us they had gone off looking for food. Verse nine and the Samaritan woman said how is it that you would you ask a drink of me, a Samaritan for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans and Jesus said to her, verse 10. If you knew who it is that asked you for drink, you would have asked him and he would have giving you living water sir.

She said you have nothing to draw water with in the well is D where are you going to get this, living water, and Jesus said to her. Verse 13 everyone who drinks the water from this well right here were standing out will be thirsty again but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst again verse 15 the woman said to him, sir. Please give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.

She didn't exactly get it yet, but at least she's interested now. It's fascinating. What Jesus says.

Next, the woman expressed interest. Look what he says next. He says okay will then go call your husband and come back. She replied I have no husband. Jesus said you know what you write when you say you have no husband. The fact is you have had five husbands and the man that you're now living with is not even your husband what you have said is quite true. Here Jesus confronts this woman with a major sinful issue a major sinful behavior in her life. She's been divorced five times she's now shacking up with some guy and yet would you notice she makes no excuses. Would you notice she gives him no alibis when she noticed that she is willing to be honest about her soon. She is willing to lose what willing to openly acknowledge her wrong and offensive behavior and she next says.

She says well I know that the Messiah is coming, was called in Greek, the Christ, and that when he comes, he will explain everything to us, like you've just done to me then Jesus declared, I was read to you am he that this is an amazing thing because this is the clearest, most straightforward declaration of his Messiah ship that Jesus has ever made up to this point in which you notice he makes that declaration, not to a Jewish person. He makes that declaration was Samaritan woman.

A woman was considered an outcast, a woman that all of Jewish society rejected. She was the one that he revealed himself to them. Told her straight up that he was the Messiah.

Listen, if you're here today and you never trusted Jesus Christ to the real and personal way. I don't want you to miss this because what was that what this teaches us is that this woman was open to content to spiritual things.

This woman was willing to listen to Jesus Christ.

This woman was ready to do business with God and as a result, Jesus revealed himself to her friends. Jesus will always reveal himself to people who were where this woman was and if your person was open to spiritual things. And if your person was willing to listen to Jesus. And if you're a person who would he revealed himself to you is willing to do business with God and I'm here to tell you that it doesn't matter what this world thinks of you. It doesn't matter whether they consider you a big shot or rejected make one bit of difference. Jesus will reveal himself to you if you'll just give them the opportunity. These are the people he shows himself to and I hope that's where you are in your heart and if you are what I challenge you to do is start reading the New Testament and saying, Lord, show me the Jesus was really who he says he is and I promise you he will because that's what he did for me is a lawn, how will he do that one of the mechanics friends.

I don't understand the mechanics. All I know was the result that I became convinced Jesus was the Messiah. When I went in with an attitude just like the Samaritan woman and if you going with that kind of attitude you will find Jesus because he will reveal himself to you like he did something. Think about what is going verse 27 then leaving her water jar. The woman went back to the town instead of the people you need to come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this man be the Messiah.

Then they all came out of the town and made their way towards Jesus. Well, can you imagine what this must look like a whole town full of people walking through the field on their way to meet with Jesus and listen to him and then at this point his disciples in return. And Jesus says to them, and outrageous and a significant thing and here's what he said. He said hey fellas do you not say four months more and then comes the harvest Jesus pointing to all of these people walking out from town on their way to meet with him.

Jesus said hey fellas open up your eyes and look look at the fields not fields of grain, but feels of people look, fellas, I tell you these fields are already white on the harvest. You don't have to wait for months. The harvest did not feel it's already ready and waiting for you. What was Jesus doing here why did he say this, Jesus was trying friends to help the disciples see the world the way he saw it. Jesus all the world as being white on the harvest full of people who are spiritually ready to believe in Jesus Christ. If his followers would just engage those conversations. If the disciples would simply share with those people. The claims of Christ. If his disciples would simply lovingly pressed these people for decision and you know we have the very same situation today right here in Washington DC I'm telling you that the fields in Washington DC are white on the harvest. There are people out there in Washington DC who are ready to believe in Christ are willing to believe in Christ. If we as followers of Christ will go out there and simply harvest but sadly Jesus is laments from 2000 years ago is still true today. He said in Matthew chapter 9 verse 37.

The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Well, Jesus was so right about this harvest coming out to meeting all these town people look what happened. Verse 40 so when the Samaritans came to Jesus. They urged him to stay with them and he stayed two days and because of his words. Many became believers. Then they said to the woman. We no longer believe just because what it will of him because what you said. Now we have heard him for ourselves and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.

How many people in this town that he lead to Christ 50% of the town. 80% of the town where the Bible doesn't tell us, but it certainly gives us the indication that a large percentage of that town came to faith in Jesus Christ or the fields white on the harvest in that little tiny town of cigar.

You bet you they were and all they white the harvest everywhere in our world today brings you bet you they are and that's as far as we want to go because we want to stop and ask our most important question and everybody knows our question though we know our question yeah yeah yeah yeah I here we go now nice allowed 123 right salon so say some happened in Saqqara Nottinghamshire I could spell it and how it were that changed my life today.

Well I'm in a time to try to help you make that connection. Let's go back and remind ourselves what happened here. Jesus was sitting down after a long day's journey resting his woman comes up and who started the conversation. Jesus did he start a conversation with her and friends.

What was Jesus's purpose in starting a conversation with this lady. You say well he was just trying to be polite and friendly note to say well he was thirsty and he wanted some water. He said well he was lonely and he wanted some union with human companionship. None of those for the purpose the purpose Jesus started that conversation was evangelistic. His purpose in starting the conversation was to bring that lady to saving faith in himself. In fact, here this every conversation. Jesus ever had with nonbelievers. He intended it to be an evangelistic conversation everywhere Jesus went he saw the fields being white on the harvest and everywhere he went he tried to be a harvester that was followers of Christ. Today we need to pick up the same vision in the same fashion. We need to see the world away. Jesus sought we need to understand that in Washington today and around America and the world. The fields are still white on the harvest and we need to enter into every conversation with nonbelievers, hoping and praying that that conversation will evolve into an unsolicited conversation. Let me repeat that we need to enter into every conversation with nonbelievers, hoping and praying that that conversation will evolve into an evangelistic conversation is a lot understand what you're saying but you know what cannot be really honest with you I don't know how to have an evangelistic conversation with people you know it's wonderful that Jesus did it. I don't know how to do that when I talk to nonbelievers. I don't hope it's going to turn into an evangelistic conversation and I will pray that because I don't know how to do that.

Well, okay, fair enough. Let's learn. Let's look at the example of Jesus on the what better model. Could we have for running an evangelistic conversation than the model Jesus right here.

He ran evangelistic conversation with this lady. So let's learn how we did it. There were three things that that he did three things that comprise a good evangelistic conversation and let me tell you what they are. Principle number one and having an evangelistic conversation which Jesus did here is you deal with the interested you deal with people who are interested first chair. Jesus said if you know who it is that ask you for drink, you would have asked him and he would've given you living water. Do you notice Jesus a strategy here for having an evangelistic conversation.

He didn't open up by telling the woman he was the Messiah. He didn't open up by laying the whole gospel message right on this lady.

Jesus dangled some spiritual bait in front of this woman to see if she would buy to see if you were interested and she was but let me ask you the question, what is this woman had said to him after Jesus said this what is seen is that a lapel I am not interested in living water. You understand I got a lot to do today.

I'm behind schedule already. I don't care about living water or any other kind of water.

I just want to get the mop bucket bill from this well and I want to go so would you kindly move yourself over. Let me get my water and go.

What would Jesus have done what he would've done. He let her go to an interest hey that's what happened to the rich young ruler your member Matthew chapter 19.

He was more interested in money that he was Jesus and he walked away sorrowful, and what it Jesus to the letting go. You know why Jesus tells us why the Bible John 644 Jesus says nobody can come to me unless the father is drawing and friends. This is the first principle of having an evangelistic conversation.

We need people and we begin to engage them in conversation.

The first thing we want to find out is whether the drawing ministry of the Holy Spirit is full and complete in this person's life. Yet, if it isn't then all the preaching in the world all the sharing in the world, all the pleading and the prodding in the world is not going to get this person to a decision for Christ is a lot. How do we find out if the Holy Spirit truly drawing them in a strong way. How do we find out whether the drawing ministry the Holy Spirit is full in their life was very simple. We do it the way Jesus did it to hang a spiritual teaser out there. You say something like, blessed man or you say something like Lord willing, or you say something like Lord's really been good to me when you say something like it was a block. It was the Lord or something, anything like that and you wait to see what people do with what you just said if they grab a hold of it, like the woman at the well did been friends there, ready to step two. And if they don't grab a hold of it. Then at that point we have to switch our strategy from preaching to pray praying that the Holy Spirit will convince them of their spiritual needs, praying that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the place where there spiritually hungry and they're dying to satisfy that spiritual hunger you can't do that in a person's life. Only the Holy Spirit can do that, and until he does it.

A person's not coming to Christ friends and I went to this with my day.

When I first came to Christ. I would talk to my dad talk to my dad talk to my dad and finally I'll never forget one day I was praying in the Holy Spirit, said to be clear as a bell lawn. You know what you need to reduce the talking and increase the praying for your dad because he's not ready yet and you're not going to get them ready just by talking to him. You need to pray that I will do my work in his heart, and I began praying for my dad and talking to them very little praying that the Holy Spirit would draw him to the fullness of being spiritually hungry and ready in five years later my dad received Christ seven days before he died in the hospital I walk in the sea and five years later we had talked much in five years about the Lord little bit here and there. I walked in the hospital room and he was lying there in bed and he said to me you know Lonnie said I been doing a lot of thinking lately and is not begun to think that maybe everything you've been telling me about Jesus Christ. All these years is right friends. I thought I was going to need a hospital bed.

I about fainted right there in the room but the Holy Spirit in Donna's work.

Drawn my father to the place where he was spiritually hungry, he was spiritually ready to do business with God and then it was a simple matter to lead my dad Christ.

The next morning right there in the hospital. Many of you have friends and relatives and coworkers, and neighbors just like my dad were the drawing ministry of the Holy Spirit is not mature in their life. Friends remember what Robert Murray McShane, the great Scottish preacher said. He said when preaching fails, try praying and sadly, prayer is the lost jewel of evangelism. We don't do enough of it as part of our evangelism. But you know what good witness servers know how to be good prayers when they need somebody is not ready they switch from witnessing the pray. Now let's assume you come across somebody in a conversation and they are spiritually interested. They bite at the bait like this woman did.

Then what you do is tell on that I know what I do after that I just go right patella may need to give their life to Jesus Christ that it would Jesus do something you didn't know the next thing Jesus did look at this.

Is he emphasized repentance. Look what he did. The very next thing he says to her, is go, call your husband. He doesn't say to her next on the assizes go, call your husband and she said well I don't have a husband and Jesus is right right you have five shacking up with a guy now, what exactly was Jesus doing with this woman here in step number two friends will he's forcing her to confront her sinful behavior.

He's forcing her to acknowledge her own offensive behavior before God and he strips the woman clean his daughter that the rights and she only has two choices she can make a bunch of alibis she can make a bunch of excuses she can make a bunch of justifications or she can acknowledge her, since she can admit her lifestyles been wrong and offensive to God.

She can display a willingness to turn from it and this is what repentance is. Repentance is a willingness number one to humbly acknowledge our sinful wrong behavior before God and a willingness number two to turn from that behavior as part of embracing Jesus Christ as our personal savior, not listen carefully to me, we don't have to clean ourselves off in order to come to Christ. But we do have to be willing to let Jesus Christ clean us all. Once we come to him. Let me repeat that we do not have to clean ourselves up to come to Christ. But we have to be willing to let him clean us up.

Once we get there.

That's repentance you know as many of you know I was led to Christ by street preacher 1971 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 35 years ago. I'll save you the trouble on 56 and so anyway I'll never forget walking down the street and Pravin of my first major conversation with this guy Bob Eckardt and Bob said to me as part of that conversation.

He said your center and I said I know that he said to me you broken God's laws and you've earned his judgment and I said to him, I know that he said to me he said you were separated and alienated from God and I said I know that he said to me, and you need a radical change in your lifestyle and your behavior and I said to him, I know that I said I know what my problem is by what I want to know is can you help me fix this we know what what that guy was 32 that guy on the street demanded repentance from before. He introduced me to Jesus Christ. He demanded that I come clean about my sin just like this woman came clean and I acknowledge it before God.

And then I acknowledge I was willing to let Christ change my life to be addicted to live a different kind of life and friends. This is what we what we have to do so often we would go out and try to give people a prescription before they even understand that there sec we have to go if we want to go out and talk about the love of God and the mercy of God, and that's wonderful.

But we gotta give people the whole counsel of God, and part of the whole counsel of God is telling people that there are spiritually sick that the sinners in the sight of God that there separated from God and headed for terrible place in eternity.

You see, only when people understand the bad news. The good news really makes sense and this is the second piece of any good evangelistic conversation and that is calling on people to acknowledge their wrongdoing and their sin and repent that you say will long. What if someone's not willing to do this. What if they're not at all grip by their offensive behavior before God. Well, then friends, they are not ready yet to make a decision for Jesus Christ and we have to do for them exactly what we did for a person in the first case, it wasn't interested.

We have to start praying for them because this kind of conviction of sin only comes as a ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, John 16, eight. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment friend.

No amount of arguing no amount of all of about trying to reason with a person is going to get them to this point, only the Holy Spirit is to get somebody here and we need to pray that the Holy Spirit would do that so I long for, let's say we got a person who's interested. Okay. And let's say we got a person is willing to repent, then what is the conversation go next for the third and final principle that Jesus employed here is that he kept this woman focused on Jesus, he kept it refocused on him and her relationship with him. Watch what happens. Verse 20 she said. After all of this, you know, she says, our fathers worshiped on this mountain but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem now this lady she's interested she is willing to repent, but suddenly she gets off on a rabbit trail. Suddenly she defaults to talking about religion, about where people are supposed to go and worship and I love when Jesus does here because her right back on the highway to heaven.

And the way he does it is he brings her right back to himself. Verse 21 he says the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. The time is coming and has now come when God's true worshipers will worship him in spirit and in truth. Jesus says to her, listen man.

The real issue isn't this mountain or the mountains in Jerusalem that is not the issue. The issue is me and where you stand with me and your spiritual connection with me and you know RPR world today is full of people who want to go right for this woman wants to go. They want all of a sudden think that religion is the secret to their problem they're interested there willing to do business with God, and they want to do it by way of religion by way of rules and regulations and rituals and rites, but that Jesus says no, the true and the final piece of any good evangelistic conversation is that it ends up pointing people squarely at the person of Jesus Christ not a religion. I run into people all the time when they find out I'm a pastor, they say, well, you know, I'm sorry I don't go to church as much as I ought to, and I don't give like I should and I don't serve in the church like I should. And I'm not a church member like I should be in you know what I say to them I say you got it all wrong that has nothing to do with church. This has some everything to do with Jesus Christ and where you stand with him church is not bad the church is not with this with this is all about. It's all about Christ friends.

This is the foundational issue to which we need to constantly be bringing people back and so let's review ready to stop the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to go out and see our world as fields that are white on the harvest and ready to be harvested.

He wants us to take seriously the ark of the call on our life to go out and be workers in the field. He wants us praying and hoping that every conversation we have with nonbelievers evolves into an evangelistic conversation. How do you run an evangelistic conversation friend to do with the very same way Jesus did it right here in John four start off by finding whether out whether people are really interested in spiritual things. And if they're not you stop talking to them and start praying for the second thing is you emphasize repentance are people willing to come clean before God and make a change in their life.

If not, you stop talking and you start praying for and if there willing to do those two things you don't point of the church you don't point in the religion you don't point them to psychobabble.

The point of the Jesus and their personal relationship with him.

This is an evangelistic conversation and you know 1/2 an hour of a message like this is not enough to teach you everything you need to know and that's why inside of your bulletin.

I want you to look at this insert. We have training coming up on the 21st of this month. Saturday with Luis Palau team that will teach you even better and give you more practical help in having evangelistic conversations with people.

This is free. I want you to sign off and I want you to take this many of you we want you to become counselors for the Luis Palau Crusade in town. But even if you don't want to do that in October just taking this little one day workshop will help you immensely in it.

In having these kind of conversations with your friends. Me just tell you that under all the plastic smiles here in Washington and under all the plastic conversations here in Washington there are people all over this city who are spiritually hungry, who are spiritually desperate who are willing to do business with God. Just like I was on the streets of Chapel Hill 35 years ago and what we need are Bob Eckhart, just like Bob Eckhart came out there looking for me. We need you to be a Bob Eckhart for the people that you know and go out there and have an evangelistic conversation with them. Remember what Jesus said.

He said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few and then he said, pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers more workers into his harvest field. You know what, that's exactly what I pray for you every week and that's exactly what I want to pray for you today that you will be willing to become one of those workers out the spring. Father, thanks for chatting with us today from the word of God about being harvesters in a field that is white or teach us to see the city underneath the plastic smiles in the plastic conversations the way you see it.

A desperate city a lost city spiritually hungry city in the case of so many people and help us go out there Lord committed to being harvesters for the Lord Jesus, hoping and praying that every conversation we have turns into an evangelistic conversation, for there are people out there willing and ready to believe if we will simply talk with them and pray for them the way you've taught us today. So change our lives because we were here today, Lord help us walk out of our house every morning differently because of the word of God to our life today and we pray these things in Jesus name. And God's people said amen.

Thanks for being here. Go harvest this week,