Pray for Laborers

what sort of man is this? That even the winds and the sea obey him.

Jesus' whole life and everything he does points to the reality that he is the king who has come to inaugurate a new kingdom. A new kingdom that teaches what the Old Testament was pointing to. A new kingdom that points to, there is good news that is coming, that I'm fulfilling things. And then it's a new kingdom where God reigns in authority over the wind, the rain, sickness, and even sin. Now, kids that are still here, isn't this incredible? I mean, I don't know if you're like me. When I was young, I knew all of the Old Testament Bible stories, but I didn't know how they all fit together. I knew David, I knew Samson, I knew Samuel, all those good stories, but I didn't know how they fit together. But as you read the stories of the Old Testament, I mean, the cool stories of David conquering armies, of Moses doing miraculous things, of Abraham actually hearing from God. Well, Jesus, what he's doing as he's establishing this new kingdom, he's saying all those stories actually fit together. All those stories actually point us that Jesus is a better king than David was, that Jesus is a better prophet than what Moses was, and that Jesus, he's going to have a bigger family than Abraham was promised. I hope, kids, as you read the Old Testament, as you do that in Sunday school or with your parents, that you see that everything that Jesus has come to do is a fulfillment of what the Old Testament promised. All those stories matter, and they matter primarily because they point us to Jesus. But there's more. Our passage also tells us not just the kind of kingdom that Jesus came to establish, but what kind of king he is. Look at the second verse, verse 36. We get a glimpse into the heart of the king. We don't just see what he does, we get a glimpse of his heart. Verse 36, as he looks out over these people, this Jewish audience, he looks out over these people that he's been teaching, that he's been preaching to, that he's been healing and doing miracles for. Jesus saw this crowd of people, and how does Matthew describe his heart? He has compassion. He didn't look on them with disappointment. He didn't look on them in anger or frustration or even wrath, all of which would have been worth deserving responses. Rather, he has compassion. He felt sorry and he felt sad, burdened for these people because they couldn't help themselves. And those that were in a position to help, well, they were only actually causing more harm than good. This was the state of the Jewish people that Jesus lived among. They were unable to, because of sin and the law, to help themselves, and then they were harassed, both from within, I mean, the religious leaders, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, over and over again, you've heard it said, but I say to you, they were being harassed from within by religious leaders, and they were being harassed from without. An unjust and secular rule of Rome. Well, Jesus didn't go to these people begrudgingly. He didn't look out on the crowd and say, why don't they get it? He didn't go to them frustrated as though they were an inconvenience to him. No, like a good king, he looked out over this people as a lost and helpless crowd, and his heart broke for them. I love the way the Puritan Richard Sibbes says,

When Christ saw the people in misery, his bowels yearned from within him. The works of grace and mercy in Christ, they come from his bowels first. Whatsoever Christ did, he did it out of love and grace and mercy. He did it inwardly from his very bowels.

Well, commenting on that, Dane Ortlin says,

Jesus's merciful affections stream from his innermost heart as rays from the sun.

Jesus came to establish a new kingdom. Jesus came as a compassionate king, and he is the king who rules in righteousness and looks on his people with compassion. I remember a few years ago, we were spending the summer in a town about 40 kilometers away from the North Korean border. We were up there doing college ministry for the summer at a university there, and one afternoon, we took a group of students to the border. It's a remarkable place. I mean, you stand there with only a small river separating you from one of the dark and most dangerous places for Christians to live in the world. I mean, there's a weightiness that sets in as you're standing across a small river. But I remember one time, we were looking across the river, and there's a small mountain off in the distance. And all of a sudden, we noticed these little white things kind of bouncing around or jumping around on the mountain. It was kind of far away. We couldn't see it. But then when someone took a picture and then zoomed in on their phone, we realized that these were sheep. There were sheep wandering around a mountain in North Korea. Well, one of my friends doesn't miss the opportunity and nudges me and says, that'll preach. Well, as we stood there looking into the helpless and harassed land, it was relatively easy to feel compassion for the people that you could see across the river. Whether it be a random farmer or a security guard in one of the huts along the river, But one of the most striking things that I'll probably never forget is how ineffective my compassion felt that day. See, we rightly felt sad for the people we could see who will probably live their whole life without ever having a chance to hear the gospel. But even though we were compassionate, even though we had a right response to that, we couldn't do anything. There was barbed wire and a river in between us. Our compassion was real, but it was insufficient. Well, friends, this morning, brothers and sisters of Jefferson Park, praise God, the compassion that Jesus has is utterly unlike ours. His is entirely sufficient. He saw the crowds, he saw a world full of sin and rebellion, and his compassion drove him to the cross. He didn't just feel sad for the lost sheep. He became the spotless lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world, not just have compassion on them. Dying the death that we rightly deserve so that we might receive forgiveness that we desperately need. And having paid the penalty for sin, he defeated sin and death by rising from the grave and now sits enthroned in glory as the eternal king of compassion. A risen, compassionate king who welcomes anyone into his kingdom who would repent of their sin and believe in him. Friends, if you're here and you're not a Christian this morning, I'm so glad that you're here. This is a wonderful place to learn about who Jesus is. This is the good news of the kingdom that I just shared. That despite your sin and rebellion against the God who made you, there is compassion. God doesn't look on you in anger. We see here Jesus's response. He looks on in compassion. Jesus's compassion had a cost because your sin demands a payment. But Jesus was willing not just to look on you and have pity, but he was willing to take your sin on himself and die on a cross for you, that you can be forgiven. Friends, don't waste today without talking to someone, talking to a member of Jefferson Park about this Jesus. There's no other way that they would rather spend their day than helping you understand this compassionate King. For you Christians, for you members of Jefferson Park, I'd encourage you, allow the reality of Jesus's compassion to amaze you yet again. I mean, it's easy to read this relatively short passage and skim over this utterly undeserved compassion that Jesus shows. I mean, and even easier still, it's to forget that we are the undeserving recipients of that compassion. We all naturally like to read ourselves into the latter half of this verse, these verses, which we'll get to in a minute. But the reality is before we're prayers and laborers in God's kingdom, we're first the helpless and the harassed. were first those who were in desperate need of compassion. Brothers and sisters, Jefferson Park, this church will, Lord willing, be many things in Charlottesville and even around the world. But Jefferson Park Baptist Church will never be less than a gathering of people who have experienced and have known the compassion of Jesus. All good work that you may be called to do, It's first because he called you in compassion to himself. Friends, Jesus is a compassionate king and he has inaugurated a new kingdom. We're evidence of that. And King Jesus also gives us good work to do. King Jesus gives us good work to do. This is point number two. In his kingdom, there is good work for his people to do. Verses 37 and 38. Well, the immediate action that Jesus takes after seeing the crowd and responding with compassion is to then turn to his disciples, who were presumably right there, and that he gives them a vision and a command. First, Jesus gives them a vision of the need. He switches images, something a preacher shouldn't do, but Jesus is God, so he can. And he says,

the harvest is plentiful.

That is, there are many who are ready to respond to the good news of the kingdom of God. One commentator makes the observation of this passage. He says,

harvest is used in the Old Testament often as a picture of the coming judgment. Here, however, Jesus' thought is rather of men's readiness to respond to the gospel by fleeing the wrath that is coming.

There is a harvest to be had. of God's people responding to God's word. But there's a problem. The image goes on and he says,

harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

There are not many who are equipped or willing to go into the fields and work for the king's harvest. In a Romans 10 kind of way, which we just read a minute ago,

how will they call on him and who have they not believed? And how are they to believe in him they've never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they're sent?

There is a problem. Well, the vision is clear. The vision for the need is clear. Jesus seems to know that there are those who are ready to respond, but there are few who can go, or at least few who are willing to go. You know, we expect Jesus then to turn, and as he's speaking to his disciples, the guys that are following him around, to say, here's the vision, great. You go. You see the problem, go. Well, he does do that in chapter 10, but we're not talking about chapter 10 yet. He doesn't do that immediately. Rather, he gives them a different command. There's a command that precedes the command to go. He gives them a command to pray. In light of the pressing need, Jesus directs his disciples not to set their feet in motion, but rather to kneel before the Father. Jesus calls his disciples to the most strategic thing that they possibly could do in that moment. Pray. Pray for more laborers. I love what John Piper has said. He says,

God has ordained prayer to have a crucial place in the mission of the church. The purpose of prayer is to make clear to all the participants in this war that the victory belongs to the Lord. Prayer is God's appointed means of bringing grace to us and glory to himself.

Friends, prayer is not Jesus's plan B for meeting the needs of a lost world. It is not an accident that right in the center of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs his disciples in how to pray. Nor is it an accident here that in light of the pressing need and in lack of laborers, Jesus's priority number one is to pray. Well, notice just a couple of things about this prayer. First, Jesus gives them an attitude in which to pray. He says, pray earnestly. To pray for more labors is not just a, hey, in your quiet time, if you think about it, why don't you pray for that? No, he says, pray earnestly. Make this a priority in your prayers. It's not a suggestion. This is a command from our King, and he doesn't just tell us what to do, but he tells us what our posture should be. It's to plead with God, to pray urgently to meet this need. Second, he gives us an object of prayer, the one to whom we are praying to. We get to pray to the Lord of the harvest, the God that created, the God who sustains, the God who will judge, and the God that will save. That is who we go before in prayer. We are to feel the need, that this is, we're to feel the need, but we're also to be reminded that this is ultimately God's work to be done. We're not to pray like my four-year-old often prays, is, God, I hope. Well, sure, that's understandable for a four-year-old, but we're to say, God, please meet this need. You are the one, this is your work to be done. In prayer, we're submitting to his will and his timing in accomplishing his work. Third, we also see the content of this prayer. Notice what specifically Jesus is telling us to pray. Often this passage points us to the great needs of the world. Jesus doesn't go there in his prayer. He tells us to pray for laborers, pray for laborers to be sent. God doesn't meet the needs of the lost sheep and the ripe grain through a series of miraculous events. He doesn't meet the needs of people by something that would be shocking to them. No, Jesus's plan for meeting the needs of the lost and dying world is through the normal means of sending his people to save his people. You know, one of my favorite things to read, especially in the summer, are missionary biographies. reading about heroes who went to unreached people groups, who translated the Bible, who studied languages that nobody had ever studied before, and who planted churches where there weren't churches before. I mean, I love reading about people who went and did remarkable things. But often what's overlooked in those biographies is the army of prayers, or the army of prayers that preceded and sustained those who were sent. Now, while he wasn't a missionary, the essential nature of prayer for ministry was never lost on Charles Spurgeon. One of the most gifted and fruitful preachers in English church history, While he was very competent to preach, he knew that he should never have confidence in his ability to preach. I mean, as the story goes, there was once five young college students that were spending a Sunday in London. They decided to go and hear the famous Charles Spurgeon preach. And while waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who asked them,

gentlemen, Let me show you around. Would you like to see the boiler room of our church?

Well, these five college students were a bit surprised and not particularly interested, for it was a hot day in July in London, but they didn't want to offend this kind man, and so they followed along with him and went. Well, the young men were taken down a stairway, and the door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered to them,

this is our boiler room.

Surprised, the students saw 700 people praying, asking God to bless the service that was about to begin in the auditorium upstairs. Softly closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself. It was the great preacher Charles Spurgeon. He told the young students,

if the boiler room is out of action, then the whole mill will grind to a halt. We cannot expect blessing if we do not ask.

Friends, there is great work to be done as citizens of Jesus's kingdom. But work begins and work is sustained through the normal means of prayer. I think that there's at least two specific ways we can apply this passage to our lives today. These last two verses. The first is to literally obey the command that Jesus tells his disciples. He tells them to pray. Well, friends, pray. Do what he says. Pray that God would send laborers into the harvest. Pray that God would do that in the neighborhoods surrounding this church. Pray that God would do that at UVA just down the street. And pray that God would do that around the world. The needs are great and the laborers remain few. I mean, one practical encouragement here, Keith actually just prayed for it in his pastoral prayer a minute ago. But parents, don't grow weary in praying for your kids. I love how Amy Carmichael, the incredible fruitful missionary in Southern India, recounts of her own testimony before God chose to send her from Belfast to Southern India. She says,

In his great mercy, the good shepherd answered the prayers of my mother and father and many other loving ones. And God drew me, even me, to himself.

Persevering in prayer for the salvation of our kids is good kingdom work to do. Second, I think we can apply this in not just praying, but seeking to cultivate laborers. Cultivate laborers. If God's gonna send out laborers tomorrow, well, they should be raised up and ready today. I mean, just as a farmer needs to learn how to farm before he's entrusted with acres upon acres of land, well, so do workers in God's fields need to be equipped. My wife grew up in rural Michigan. Their house was surrounded by acres and acres of farm. And every time we would go up to visit her family, I was quickly reminded of how ill-equipped I would be to live in that part of the country. I grew up in the suburbs. I don't know what a combine is. I would not be a laborer ready to be sent into that harvest. Well, friends, Jesus doesn't give us specific qualifications for laborers, but we understand what he means. Someone who is able to handle God's Word. Someone who is faithful with where they are right now before they go to a different culture or a different context. I love the, in Acts 16, when Paul brings Timothy along with him, we get hardly any info on who this Timothy guy is, but what we do know is that he was spoken well of by those of his church there. Well, friends, that he was a faithful laborer before he went. Well, this gives all the more motivation for how we all live and interact as a church right now. I mean, just the normal things that we do in our life together, whether it be praying for one another, bearing each other's burdens, rejoicing with one another, gathering regularly on a Sunday to hear God's Word, meeting up to read a good book or to read the Bible together. The life of the church is designed not just to encourage each other, but the life of the church is designed to raise up faithful laborers. I mean, it's the start of the summer. Why not make a resolution to meet up with one other person over the next number of months during the summer as schedules slow down a bit and read through a book of the Bible? It doesn't have to be every week. You can make it fit your schedule. But wouldn't it be wonderful to come fall, be able to look back on June, July, and August and say, I don't just have good memories of vacation. I have good memories of reading through the Gospel of Matthew with that brother. I have good memories of reading through the Book of Romans with that sister. Well, whether that harvest that God calls us to is seen now here in Charlottesville or decades from now halfway around the world, God intends for his church to help one another grow in doing good work for our King. I mean, I love what Amy Carmichael's, if you're gonna read a missionary biography this summer, read one of hers. I love what Amy Carmichael's, one of her teammates, would often say. He said,

let us build for the years we shall not see.

That's raising up faithful laborers that could be sent tomorrow. Well, friends, as I was meditating on this passage this past week, it was almost overwhelming to just look back on my own life and think of all the people who at various times were sent into my life to labor for God's kingdom. I mean, early on, it was my mom and dad who faithfully taught me the gospel, modeled the gospel, showed us a picture of the gospel in a godly marriage, even to this day. I remember when I went to college, it was one of the elders, Bruce, who as an elder asked me as a freshman college student to pray for him on a Sunday afternoon. It was a simple request that he probably thought nothing about, but that simple request of an elder asking a freshman college student to pray for him, well, that had a profound impact on me and teaching me the joy and the burden of what meaningful church membership is. I remember Keith, your pastor, who, again, it was my freshman year of college, we were walking around the streets of Louisville, and we ran into a guy, and Keith shared the gospel with this guy on the street. He certainly didn't repent and believe right there, but that was the first time I'd seen someone do that, share the good news of Jesus with someone they'd never met before. Well, that seemingly insignificant event ignited a flame in my own heart, a love for the lost and a love for evangelism. I think of Mark, who modeled and taught me what faithful and biblical missions looks like. And I could go on and on. Countless others. Brothers and sisters, Each one of us represents a host of faithful laborers who were sent into our lives and who God has used to reap a great harvest. Friends, let's pray that he would give us that same perseverance to persevere in laboring in others' lives because Jesus is still the compassionate King and there's still much good to be done in his kingdom. Let's pray. Almighty God, I thank you for sending your son to love and establish his kingdom. Father, we ask that you would give us grace to submit to him as our king. Give us grace to work faithfully for his glory and for the good of people throughout the world. It's in his name that we pray, amen. Friends, we're going to close by singing our last hymn, Jesus Paid It All. It's on page 11 of your bulletin. Please stand and let's sing together.