This is the sixth sermon it the “Renewal of the Church” series. We need to cooperate with the Father God, so that the church might bear much fruit.
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 9:35-38 NLT 35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Luke 7:11-15 NLT 11 Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Luke 10:33-35 NLT 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
Text:
Romans 12:2 NLT 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Matthew 9:36 NLT 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Introduction
Let me start today by looking back at something that I said last week when I talked about renewing our witness. It fits because today am going to talk about renewing our vision which is essential to our witnessing.
Last week I said that there has been a shift from personal to impersonal evangelism. Most of our evangelism today is the mass type which is impersonal. As I said we are certainly not to discard mass evangelism; but we are to make sure that we do not substitute it for the basic New Testament way, which is personal evangelism.
I read something from a church that is having a mass evangelism event in October at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. They have what they call SoCal Harvest every year. They didn’t have it last year because of COVID but they will have it again this year on October 3rd. Here is what Greg Laurie the Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, in Riverside wrote.
“There are critics of mass evangelism, or crusade evangelism, who say it is not effective. They say it is much better to share the gospel one-on-one because trying to gather people in large groups is really not an effective way to reach people.
I would have to disagree. First of all, we find two forms of evangelism in the Book of Acts. We see what we might term as mass evangelism at work, and we also see examples of personal evangelism.
An example of mass evangelism would have been when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and about 3,000 were added to the church. That’s in Acts chapter 2.
An example of one-on-one personal evangelism is when Phillip met the eunuch on the road and led him to Christ and he was baptized. That’s in Acts chapter 8
Greg continued second, we have found that some 85 percent of the people who make a decision for Christ at an event like SoCal Harvest were brought by a friend. So essentially, one-on-one evangelism—that is, personal evangelism—was coupled with large-scale evangelism.”
So, you see that we can still witness the New Testament way, which was to go and make disciples,
Matthew 28:19 NLT 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
and when we do it that way that can make mass evangelism more effective. But to do that we first have to renew our vision to make it more like Jesus’ vision. ”
So, I have been convinced that we combine personal evangelism with mass evangelism sometimes by inviting people to a mass evangelism event, but that doesn’t get us off the hook. We can't just invite them, we are still to witness, which is telling something that comes from our own experience, something we know. Witnessing is sharing what Christ has done in our lives. It is pointing to the one who has performed the miracle of new life in us.
Let’s renew our witness by renewing our vision so that it’s more like Jesus’ vision.
There was something special about Jesus’ power to see. The Greek word for “see” horáō means not just seeing something as an object but seeing with understanding. It means to see through something, to see something in its true condition. So, when Jesus saw people, he saw them as they really were.
If the church is to be renewed, as we are renewed, we must see the people around us with the eyes of Jesus. Renewing our vision will help us as we try to find ways to help our neighbors many of which are homeless and helpless.
Renewing our vision means to do the following things:
Open our eyes to see people in their need
Open our hearts to care.
Open our souls to prayer.
Open our lives to go.
I. Open our eyes to see people in their need.
If anyone knew the true condition of people, it was Jesus. He could see into the heart and discern whether a person had faith.
Mark 2:1-5 NLT 1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
John 2:24 and 25 say Jesus knows all about people
John 2:24-25 NLT 24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. 25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
In the scripture that Jean read and our text it shows how Jesus saw the crowds of people that followed Him.
Matthew 9:36-38 NLT 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Verse 36 says that the crowds were confused and helpless. Life’s circumstances had thrown them around like being tossed back and forth like being on a small boat in a storm. They were without leadership or protection like sheep without a shepherd are helpless so were they. They were like people with no God, no faith, no love, no home. People were spiritually bankrupt. No eternal security. No peace. No joy. No fruit. No hope. People with barren lives thirsting for more.
But Jesus also saw these crowds of people like a ripe harvest to be gathered in.
Matthew 9:37 NLT 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
There is always someone ready for the gospel of hope in Christ. When we open our eyes to others’ needs, we see people spiritually lost and critically hurting with all types of needs. To fulfill God’s purpose, we also must see life in its true condition.
And then we must.
II. Open our hearts to care.
Seeing means much more than just being aware of spiritual needs; it means responding to those needs. It means loving and receiving people.
Matthew 9:36 NLT 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Compassion is a deeply moving attitude. Our text says that Jesus “was moved with compassion”
Compassion represents a love for someone that is so deep that we involve ourselves until the hurt is healed. When we studied the spiritual gifts we learned that there is a spiritual gift of mercy.
Someone with the spiritual gift of mercy has been given from God the divine enablement to minister cheerfully and appropriately to people who are suffering. People with this gift assume the needs of others. They often desire to remove the pain of others. They aren't merely sympathetic, but they take action to alleviate the suffering. They often find themselves focused on social issues and they develop ministries along those lines (i.e. the homeless, sick, those in prison, single mothers, the poor, etc.). They reflect the heart and compassion of God.
The good Samaritan is a touching and moving illustration of compassion.
Luke 10:33-35 NLT 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
III. When we renew our vision, our eyes are open to the needs of others, our hearts are open to care and then our souls are open to prayer.
There is no true vision without prayer.
Matthew 9:38 NLT 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Workers or laborers for the harvest always come in answer to prayer. When we pray The Holy Spirit, sets the mood and calls people to special ministries. Here' an example,
Acts of the Apostles 13:1-3 NLT1 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. 2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
We need to pray for laborers who minister to needs and we need to pray for the people with those needs.
Listen to part of the prayer Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17.
John 17:9-11, 15, 20 NLT 9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.
That's you and me.
The Holy Spirit also gives us people with the gifts that help us renew and improve our vision. This is from the Amplified Bible
Ephesians 4:11-13 AMPC 11 And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers. 12 His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church), 13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.
IV. And finally, renewed vision opens our lives to go.
A true vision means that we make ourselves available to become involved in the needs of people. How do we do this? We acknowledge our place in the body of Christ to be his servant to minister to others.
According to scripture, we all have a Christian duty toward others.
First, we have a Christian duty to serve each other.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
It is in our service that all will see God's grace in action as we demonstrate our faith. Service is the embodiment of Christian love toward others.
Second, we have a Christian duty to encourage one another.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
It is easy in this world to become discouraged. It is through Jesus and encouragement that people can rise and overcome any obstacle they may encounter. So, it is our Christian duty to help them believe, overcome, and stay faithful in a discouraging world.
Third, we have a Christian duty to help carry burdens for others.
Galatians 6:2 NIV Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
We need to walk with others and share in and lighten the heavy load many carry on their shoulders. Jesus removed our greatest burden at the cross. Therefore, we -- just as Jesus did -- need to help our brothers and sisters.
Lastly, we have a Christian duty to pray for each other.
James 5:16 NIV Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
The heavy loads we carry just don't stay in the natural world, but also belong in the spiritual. We must pray for each other. Sometimes when we are tired and burdened, we just don't want to pray. So, we as Christians must intercede for our brothers and sisters and pray on their behalf. Powerful and effective prayer will make all the difference.
With renewed vision we open our lives to touch people with our love, words, and genuine help. Also, we open our lives to tell people the good news of salvation. We teach them the Word of God. We minister to their total needs.
Conclusion
“On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an open letter that would become a key catalyst in the civil rights movement. It was powerful, not just because of the words. It was powerful because of the circumstances in which it was written. Dr. King wrote the letter from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. Responding to critics who questioned his timing and his tactics, Dr. King said this: “There was a time when the church was very powerful—in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.”
There's the account of a church that received a telephone call from a desperate person. The caller said, “My father has cancer and is dying. Would you send someone to see him?” Someone from the church went and discovered that the dying patient was not a Christian. As a result of the visit, he was saved! And before the visit was over, five other members of the family received Christ into their lives.
That is seeing as Christ sees.
Let’s pray,
“Today Lord, renew my vision so that I see others the way that sees them!”
In Jesus’ name Amen.
Sermon Audio
