“Help Wanted: The Great Need”
(Matthew 9:35-38)
I. Introduction.
A. Want to begin this lesson with two truths, taken directly
from God’s word.
1. Truth number one: Without Christ, the world is
lost – separated from its Creator by sin
(disobedience).
a. Ephesians 2:11-13: “Therefore remember
that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who
are called Uncircumcision by what is called
the Circumcision made in the flesh by
hands – that at that time you were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope and without God in
the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who
once were far off have been brought near by
the blood of Christ.”
b. Luke 19:10: “for the Son of Man has come
to seek and to save that which was lost.”
2. Truth number two: Without laborers, the harvest
cannot be gathered – Christ’s kingdom cannot grow.
a. I Peter 3:15: “But sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts, and always be ready to give a
defense to everyone who asks you a reason
for the hope that is in you, with meekness
and fear.”
b. Matthew 9:37-38: “Then He [Jesus] said to
His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful,
but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into
His harvest.’”
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B. We are compelled to admit that, of the three general
ministries of the church, benevolence, nurturing of souls,
and evangelism, it is evangelism that is deficient. Without
evangelism, the very existence of the local church is in
jeopardy.
1. There are “laborers” but, as Jesus pointed out, they
are “few” in relation to the harvest of souls to be
gathered from the world.
2. Lack of focus on personal evangelism is another of
the ways Satan seeks to hinder, and hurt, the growth
of the church, and the growth of individual
members of that body. When we neglect
evangelism, we serve Satan’s purpose to keep souls
from God – because without Christ, people are still
separated from Him.
C. The gospel of Christ is the power of salvation:
(Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone
who believes,. . .” But, the power is neutralized if it is not
communicated to those who need to hear it. That
responsibility, to teach the gospel, was left to individual
disciples (II Timothy 2:1-2: “You therefore my son, be
strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ. And the things
that you have heard from me [Paul] among many witnesses,
commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach
others also.”)
D. This instruction, along with Jesus’ commissions to his
disciples to go and teach and baptize (Matthew 28:19;
Mark 16:15-16) all make it clear that evangelism is the
only way the church will grow, as has been true in all
generations since its establishment in 1st century
Jerusalem.
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E. But, let me make one thing also very clear. The purpose
of these lessons is not to make people feel guilty (as if you
could do that anyway), or to scold people for not
evangelizing. Neither chastisement, nor guilt, is the issue.
Souls and obedience to the commands of God are the
issues. Evangelizing is as much a command for God’s
people as our singing, giving, assembling, or anything else
God told us to do. The “Help Wanted” sign is always out,
and “. . . ‘The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are
few.’”
II. Motives For Evangelism.
A. What should motivate us to evangelize? First, it is a
command of God to His people.
1. “Go. . . and make disciples. . . baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19).
2. We have no difficulty acknowledging that many are
without Christ and are in need of teaching to be
given the opportunity for salvation. We have no
difficulty acknowledging that the church is God’s
instrument for saving souls. (We sing: “Into Our
Hands The Gospel Is Given”; “Rescue The
Perishing”; “Will You Not Tell It Today”; and other
such songs).
3. What hinders us is the application of the command
to ourselves. The need for evangelism is a need for
personal evangelism. We need not wait for an
organized teaching ministry to get involved.
Personal evangelism can be done by anyone,
anywhere, at any time.
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4. The great need in the church, now as always, is
personal evangelism, one-on-one teaching that leads
a person to recognize their lost spiritual condition
and choose to do something about it.
B. What should motivate us to evangelize? Second, caring
for, and about, lost souls.
1. Go back to Matthew 9 (re-read verses 35 and 36).
a. In verse 35 you have the purpose for Jesus
coming into the world in three statements.
He came as a herald, bringing a message
from God to “. . . all the cities and
villages, . . .” He told the truth and
proclaimed certainties. Second, He came as
a teacher, “. . .preaching the gospel of the
kingdom,. . .” He taught not only by word,
but by action. What He said and what He
did coincided. He not only taught people
what God was like, He showed people what
God was like. Third, He came as a healer,
“. . .healing every sickness and every disease
among the people.”
b. Verse 36 tells us why Jesus did all these
things, what motivated all His actions and
teaching. (“. . . when He saw the multitudes,
He was moved with compassion for
them, . . .”).
2. Jesus cared. He cared because He loved. He cared
because He saw the end result of allowing lost,
wandering people not to know of God’s love and
desire for them. The word “compassion”, in
verse 36 indicates a combination of love, pity,
concern, and deep feeling for the “lost sheep.”
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3. Jesus cared about peoples’ pain, and this care was
reflected in His healing of physical afflictions. He
cared about peoples’ sorrow. He cared about
peoples’ lack of direction, in life and for eternity.
People were searching for truth and longing for
assurance, and their own religious leaders were not
giving them either of these things. In the emphasis
on orthodoxy, there was no compassion – no love,
or pity, or concern, or deep feeling for the “lost
sheep.”
4. Orthodoxy emphasizes the consequences of
disobedience; love and compassion emphasize
the salvation of sinners. So, Jesus tells His
disciples, tells us: “The harvest truly is
plentiful, . . . “ There are souls in need of salvation.
Do we care?
C. What should motivate us to evangelize? Our love for God,
Christ, and His Creation.
1. Knowing the value of souls, knowing the eternal
destiny of one outside of Christ, love compels us to
teach the truth, the gospel, the “good news” of
salvation.
a. “. . . what profit is it to a man if he gains the
whole world, and loses his own soul? Or
what will a man give in exchange for his
soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
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b. “. . . when the Lord Jesus is revealed from
heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming
fire taking vengeance on those who do not
know God, and on those who do not obey
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These
shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power,”
(II Thessalonians 1:7-9).
c. “. . . the love of Christ compels us, because
we judge thus: that if One died for all, then
all died; and He died for all, that those who
live should live no longer for themselves,
but for Him who died for them and rose
again.” (II Corinthians 5:14-15).
2. Of all the motives for evangelism, this one, love for
God and Christ, really should be at the top of the
list. We may teach the gospel out of a sense of
obligation to obey God (and that’s not a bad thing),
or we may teach the gospel to others because we
care about them and their soul (and that is a good
reason), but to teach the gospel because we love the
One who made us all and who died for us all, that’s
the deepest, most-lasting motivation of all.
3. Jesus said: “If you love Me, [you will] keep My
commandments (John 14:15). The test of true love
is not in what we say, but in what we do.
III. Conclusion.
A. The Lord’s church has always had the need for both public
and more private teaching and teachers. This is the only
way to insure growth in the kingdom of God (point out the
differences between “growth” and mere “existence”).
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B. The command to “Go . . . and make disciples. . .”
(Matthew 28:19) is for individuals and does not
designate a certain group responsible for its
fulfillment. Christianity spreads, the Lord’s church
grows, as the gospel is communicated person-to-
person.
C. If we, today, are to be the Lord’s body, then we, today,
must be involved in evangelizing. If we, today, are to be
disciples of Jesus Christ, then we, today, must be involved
in evangelizing.
1. Acts 8:4: “. . .those who were scattered went
everywhere preaching the word.”
2. I Corinthians 9:16: “For if I preach the gospel, I
have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon
me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”
D. In Haggai 2:19 the question is asked: “Is the seed still in
the barn?” The “seed” of the gospel will not do anyone any
good if it is not sown. And, the bounty of the harvest will
always be proportioned to the amount of seed that is sown.
God will bless our efforts to evangelize when we, out of
obedience, concern, and love, “sow” the “seed”
(II Corinthians 9:6: “But this I say: He who sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
bountifully [with blessings] will also reap bountifully
[with blessings].)
E. Our attitude for growth must be that of Isaiah. When the
“help wanted” sign goes up, our response needs to be:
“. . . ‘Here am I! Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8).