On Eagles' Wings Pt 481 — Don Courville

Well, we're glad to be back with you again today. We're gonna be in a little bit starting off in part two on the message on the harvest. Remember God is interested in you. He loves you and He wants you to be saved.

Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ

Jesus said I am come that they might have Life and that they might have it more abundantly. My sheep hear my voice. And I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life. God has a gift for you and it's eternal life and the package is Jesus Christ.

He's the Son of God. He was he was crucified buried and he rose again for you. He's the victor over death. He is the Lord. Let me encourage you to receive Christ as your Savior if you haven't done so yet.

You know The Bible says he that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life Eternal and I know that his commandment is life everlasting the Lord Jesus said Also as thou has given him power over all flesh that he should give Eternal life to as many as thou hast given him and this is life eternal that they might know.

The the only true God in Jesus Christ whom thou has sent so many I believe. Have a false hope believing that they will be saved because of their good works. But you will be saved because you have repented of your sins and received Christ as your Savior.

You must have him he that has the Son has Life he that hath not the Son hath not life. Welcome to on eagles wings then and we're offering again this week to the pastors that will call in call me make contact with Me either personally or through the station as long as they will last.

We'll give them two free tickets to the promise over in Branson and they have to be used up. They have to be used up by the end of September. Well, we're wanting to continue on today and and Encourage you in the Lord, you know, the time is coming.

Soon when the Lord may come it may be today and we need to get ready. Many are getting ready for the year 2000. But there's not to preserve their lives to try to keep themselves safe, but there's going to be an opportunity I believe to reach many for Christ.

Are you a part of the program the plan to reach the lost? Are you hoarding your resources just for yourself? Are you investing in in? Winning souls to Christ time may be getting very short for our part in this the Lord can come any time.

Any day he may come back and so we're going through a message on the harvest. If you're not interested in the loss, then you probably are lost yourself because once you find eternal life in Christ and you receive the gift of eternal life as The scripture says the wages of sin is death.

But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord you receive that gift. It changes your life and you become born again, and then you have a whole different perspective on things. Well, we care about you and We're concerned about you and we're here to share with you and to bring some kind of blessing.

I'm often just humbled that I can have any kind of part in sharing the word or sharing to the lost. It's only by the grace of God that Any of us can carry on. We're not adequate in ourselves. We have nothing of ourselves.

It's all of the Lord his grace is sufficient to us. Many won't do anything because they feel so inadequate. Thus they won't draw upon the vast resources of the grace of God for their life where we're going to continue on.

Judging the Harvest by Spiritual Need, Not Appearance

With the message on the harvest today and trust that God will use this somehow to To teach you about himself to bless you and to encourage you now. Do we judge by appearance? Well, I don't think they would like to have the gospel and I don't think she would like to have it.

I don't think I better share with them or whatever Jesus is saying to the disciples. What about them? I just wonder now. I don't know it for sure. If when they went into town They got the food. Did they tell him about the Messiah?

Hey. Everybody listen, we've got an announcement to make the Messiah is we would say right outside our door. He would have said out at the well. Be interesting when we get to heaven we can ask him. Did you tell him about Jesus when you went to town?

That's one of them if I could remember all the things I'd like to ask me the Lord to help me. Did you tell him about Jesus many times. I do not. It's interesting. They went in and got their food and here they had the Messiah of the world.

Did they tell him about Jesus? It's possible that they did and Then when the woman from the well came and gave her testimony that kicked it together and what it might have been is That they sowed. Now we'll give them the benefit of the doubt because Jesus said I sent you to reap that were on you bestowed.

No labor other men labored and ye are entered into their labors verse 38. Now it's very possible also that they did share the Messiah. And I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and switch over on their side and say they probably did.

Because I don't want to get in trouble with them. But there was a rebuke from the Lord when he said say not ye. Do I so now here's the judgment thing? Since we can't always judge by Appearance. Here's what I believe God wants us to judge with people.

Do we judge is this a time to sow or is this a time to reap and we sow by? By praying we sow by speaking we sow by caring by sharing and If we reap then that's the time to invite them right into the Savior.

And this is why God is really given Evangelists they are reapers. They can go in many times and and it's getting harder and harder for them to reap. But God has gifted them to reap now this week. Did you care about them as the disciples?

Did you care about them? There's a third observation then we'll go to the lessons verse 38. He said I sent you to reap. I Sent you to reap that were on you bestowed. No labor other men labored in year entered into their labors.

Every Laborer Has an Important Part in the Harvest

I sent you I Believe sometimes our part is easy. Most time it's hard. But our part all of us in the harvest of this world our part is important to do our part now. If you just pick fruit if you just go it's like when we raise the Tomatoes and the zucchini and then all the other stuff.

We had an acre of Zucchini too much acre of tomatoes. It was too much. And then another acre of some other other vegetables and stuff for our family it was too much we couldn't afford to hire other labors, but when you go and you pick your fruit if somebody come out there and some people would come out there to our little farm and that we were just Doing for somebody else and getting our part of the pay and everything.

They come out there and say they'd walk over there and we don't have any of the fruit that we had here but say they'd pick up a Tomato and go pick it off the vine. It's that not much work to this. You just come out here and pick a piece of fruit.

Well, they wouldn't want to say that. And maybe in front of my daughters who've been out there in the hot Sun and rather been home. Something picking the fruit is easy compared to sowing the seed but to some picking the fruit might be hard because of Self-consciousness and and whatever but do your part do your part.

God Gives the Increase, Not Human Effort

I sent you God sends us each to do our part now, I think that The Apostle Paul many times he had a burden in his heart. So I was looking over his. Some of the things that he said because he he talked about this area in 1st Corinthians 3 in verse 5 who then is Paul and who is a Paulist but ministers by whom you believed even as he as the Lord gave to every man and.

Sometimes we tried to in the church and tried to elevate others above others. Because maybe somebody has a prominent part. But the others the support group and beneath them were just as important and he says who is Paul.

Nobody who's a Paulist nobody. Really basically what he's saying. He said I have a planet Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. God gives the increase so then neither is he that planet anything.

Neither is he that planet anything neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase but God two times. Now he that planet and he that watereth are one and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Now what he's bringing it down to say and we are one we're a team a church is a team a body we're one and. Say somebody does get the privilege of picking the fruit. We're not to elevate a picker above a sower.

More time is spent in the sowing and the cultivating. You look at how much sowing went into you before you actually were picked. Some of us years and years and years. Sunsco teacher faithfully year after year after year.

Mom and dad year after year after year after year a brother a sister an uncle and aunt a stranger. Maybe there were two dozen people that sowed in your life preachers pastors. And then all of a sudden somebody comes along one day and and picks you off the vine because you're right.

It's not right to give that one person all of the credit when all those others were involved In it and so Paul he comes back to the Corinthians and he says this in chapter 4 in verse 10. We're fools for Christ's sake, but you're wise in Christ.

We are weak, but you're strong. You're honorable, but we are despised. Even into this present hour. We both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place and labor.

Working with our own hands being reviled. We bless being persecuted. We suffer it being defamed we entreat we are made as the filth of the world and and ours and. Are the offscoring of all things into this day?

All right, not these things to shame you but as my beloved sons, I warn you. And then he goes into about being his and their instructors in Christ and I thought about that. Did Paul have a burden in his heart as he went through and he led souls to Christ?

He established churches and he keeps on moving on and then he has these guys back behind they get so caught up on themselves. They don't carry care about the forward movement anymore. And he has to go out there and work night and day.

Making tents so he can get some food to eat to keep preaching the gospel back home they're criticizing him and Holding him back and even somewhat sort of like Jonathan Cole go for it. There he is. They they see he's doing all of this in winning souls to Christ.

And then what do they do? They cut him back. So he can do less and it all it did to him has just made him lean harder on God. But when a church begins to get so centered on itself that it doesn't keep moving forward.

Losing First Love Through Self-Centered Churches

Yeah, I believe it's beginning to get into the first stage of the seven churches in Revelation and losing their first love. Because the Lord came to them. He said I know you're doing all this all your works.

Now you hate this and this nevertheless thou has left your first love you get stuck on ourself. And I believe that God has put in us a very very strong mission. Emphasis most of us would be ready to go right now if God would say, okay I want you to go to this mission field.

We're ready right now. We don't have too much attachments and most of us in this church would be ready to go. May take some of us a little few days to get some things taken care of maybe a couple weeks or months.

But we're ready to go if God would call us and that's the spirit of the church, we're ready to go and We have not got our affections tied into some paving paving program that we're trying to get through with the church that we got to get done or some Unmaterialistic thing or building program whatever and all these things are important.

But if we lose our balance we become a Hinderer for those going forward the mission movement is just really being hindered by the church today. And we like they'll say oh, but look how much we're doing.

I read the statistics of one of the major denominations. This week, I think it was. What was it one half of a soul. Per year and all their churches had been won to Christ. One half of a soul. Average all their churches out that meant some of them were doing a lot and some of them are doing nothing.

Missions you look at their budget for missions you look at what's being done here and missions and they say oh boy. This is really great. We gave We have 10 to missions. What's the other 90 for? Comfort ease parties fellowship and all of that and.

Paul’s Burden to Advance the Gospel

So I wonder about Paul there was something else. He said about it too in chapter 9 11 through 16 if he just if he just wasn't like Jonathan go forth he felt bound So many times in 11 nevertheless neither is the see What I say chapter 9.

I'm in the wrong 9 11. If we have sown he said if we have sown unto you spiritual things. Is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things if others be partakers of this power over you are not we rather?

Nevertheless, we have not used this power but suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ boy the judgment seat of Christ. I wouldn't want to stand before the Lord and it might happen and he say you were a hinder your church was a hinder you were a hindered for the gospel you You just had it all figured out wrong.

He said do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things which of the temple and they which? Way at the altar are partakers with the altar even so had the Lord ordained that they which preached the gospel should live of the gospel.

I've been very excited that we could have a part just recently with a family who brought back five With them from the country that their mission ministering in. To have five Russians last Sunday Singing up there they've been saved by the grace of God by the gospel with this family and the whole family is involved in this program of Reaching out into this country of Russia, and we can have a part in sharing with them.

I Just excited aren't you wasn't that it was just really neat last week, and I wanted to Get it get that testimony some of those testimonies, but we'll have to try that later and So Paul comes back, and he has to give them this rebuke.

And I think this is sort of what the Lord was saying say not. He didn't say later. I'll do it. Look on the fields for their white unto harvest. Now here's the seven lessons that I saw in this passage.

Knowing the Lord and Sharing a Testimony

Going back over this the first requirement is to know the Lord. Verse 39. That woman at the well she went back, and she gave her testimony. First requirement for Getting the harvest done is to know the Lord and the sad thing.

The sad thing is many have never shared their testimony with anybody. Many Christians have never shared their testimony after they got saved. I believe this why it's good after you get saved share your testimony with somebody.

When I lead People to Christ one of the best things I can do is get them to go over and share their testimony with somebody else. The first requirement is to know the Lord know the Lord. Second thing in verse 34.

Faithfulness Rather Than Visible Results

It's the faithfulness that God wants from us not the visible results. But the faithfulness results are his department. That was verse 34 Jesus said unto them my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work just to be faithful.

The Urgency of a Ripe Harvest

And then the third thing verse 35 say not you. There are yet four months and then cometh harvest. Be what I say unto you lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they're white already to harvest. I Get from this a sense of urgency.

Urgency. He says that they're already ready down in another verse there Go right in that verse already the first sign then of slacking off is To lose our love of the Lord. We lose our love of the Lord.

Then it leads to The vision of the harvest and we'll see some more on that as we go through here. The third thing fourth thing I see verse 36 is encouragement and he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto Life eternal.

That's encouragement. It's for eternity. Then maybe God is leading you into what you're doing and maybe you're having to suffer. Because it takes a lot of suffering a lot of sweat to bring out this fruit somebody had to get out in the hot Sun and pick the fruit With labor and toil and so he he says it for it's for intern in eternity.

Interdependence Between Sowers and Reapers

Therefore my beloved brethren be you steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord. Because you know your labor is not going to be in vain. A fifth thing in verse 36 37 38. It's Interdependence and this was the spirit.

I felt of Paul crying back. Hey, listen, I Need you guys to help to pray to support. Not to get all caught up in yourself a rebuke to them. Interdependence and he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal.

That both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. Rejoice together someday in eternity. The Lord would probably bring around those that were used in In saving me and saving you and we can rejoice all together.

The Wages of Reaping Souls

There'll be the reapers and the soar all there together. Interdependence. The sixth thing is wages. What are the wages. The wages verse 35 or 36 he that reapeth receiveth wages. What are the wages? What would be the best pay would be a lost soul to be in heaven?

And of course, we know the Lord's going to have the crowns there. Revelation 4 4 says though they cast their crowns at his feet. But I believe the lost souls wages here in his my father glorified that you bear much fruit.

So shall you be my disciples? I believe it's the lost souls. A seventh thing is. Is the harvest tool. Harvest tool. If I had one of them old sickles, maybe I could have went over to one of the neighbors were and got us.

One of them old curved sickles. Any of you ever harvest with a sickle like that? You'd have Dennis and I think my grandfather I don't know might have had one with a handle like this you'd hold and you could swing it like that.

They had the hand ones you could just go like that, but then they had them like that. What's The best tool for the harvest. Well. Your hand if you're going to pick fruit is basically what you do that.

There are some Harvesters that can use for certain types of fruit machines, but basically every piece of this fruit I believe took somebody to come along with their hand to get that banana and to get that peach.

And to get these cherries now the cherries they make could get a machine on those. The oranges the grapefruit, but basically it comes down to the hand. Now what is the handiest thing that you have to use?

A Personal Testimony as the Harvest Tool

It's your testimony. It's your testimony because that's what the woman did. Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the seeing of the woman which testified. So the harvest tool is your testimony.

People will listen to your testimony. Now here's the conclusion on it. Matthew 9 36 Jesus said this. But when he saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.

Compassion, Prayer, and the Mission to Preach Christ

And what's the next thing the Lord talked to them about? When he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. What's the next thing he talked to them about?

Then said he unto his disciples the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labors are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labors into his Harvest. Does compassion have something to do with the harvest.

Probably so might reveal a hard heart. The mission of a servant. The Christian is to preach Christ. The message of the servant is to preach Christ. The interesting thing of this passage is he says pray ye therefore.

And Hasn't this been a standard rule many times? You know the Preachers have learned this. The one that sees the need. Well pastor somebody needs to do this or that and they'll say well since you've seen it.

You must be the one that's supposed to do it. So when you begin to pray Many will not pray for this area because they're not willing themselves to go. Lord send somebody to China. Send somebody to Africa send somebody.

We need new missionaries. We need this but when we have the willingness and the spirit and the heart ourself, and we're willing to go Ourself if God would say then we will pray with power and Jonathan go for it saying I feel bound.

I feel bound. He was praying believing God to be bound that just what's binding you or who are you binding. And When we're all Together and the Lord has the great harvest where there be fruit in your basket be sort of Sad to not have any fruit.

Well, Lord, I made it to heaven. Thank you for saving me. No, Lord, but maybe you have to say but did you share what I did with you with anybody else? Well, no Lord. I kept it a secret. Nobody else even found out that I was the same.

And a bunch of may stand up. Yeah, we were praying that you get saved. You kept it such a good secret. We couldn't even tell. Would there be fruit in your harvest? Fruit in your basket. Two things about the harvest.

Two Harvests: Salvation and Judgment

There's a harvest of Lost souls along with Safe, so do you know that? Revelation talks about another harvest. If you look at Revelation 14 it talks about another harvest and this harvest should compel us to Pray even more Believe in him even more.

Revelation chapter 14. I was just looking over at this because this is one of the areas on the harvest and Maybe this we can use for a closing-up point as a warning to us that there is another harvest a Harvest of those that go to hell and I know a lot of people don't like to hear about hell anymore and that's one of the signs of Of a backslidden church when they don't warn people from the to flee from the wrath to come.

But John in recording in Revelation 14 in verse 13 He said I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me right blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea set the spirit that they may rest from their labors and their works to follow them.

And I looked and behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sound like sat like Unto the Son of Man having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud thrust in thy sickle and reap for the time has come for thee to reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped. And Another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven. And he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar Which had power over the fire and cried with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle say and thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe and the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God and The wine pressed was trodden without the city and blood came out of the wine pressed even unto the horses bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred four longs.

So there's a compelling motive for us to work in the harvest of lost souls. But because there is going to be the harvest of these lost souls to hell. Harvest to heaven and a harvest to hell. Let's pray Lord, thank you for this passage of Scripture and thank you for the reminder to us to do our part.

And maybe mostly all we can do is pray and intercede. Well, that's important and that's just as important as the one that might be able to go out and pick the fruit. And our part might be Insignificant to us but to the lost soul that gets saved.

It will seem so vital and they will come up to us and they will say thank you for doing your part. Father by your grace empower us to do our part. To do our part. That we won't be like the disciples and come back and say well four months.

There'll be a harvest. But we'll hear the ringing in our ears. That today is the day of salvation. There are souls around us that we'll see today this week that are going to spend eternity in heaven or eternity in hell and Help us to be faithful in our part and sharing Christ with them praying for them caring for them.

Doing whatever you lead us to do in getting the harvest Into heaven. Thank you now for speaking to us in Jesus name. Amen.