"For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.'" (Matt. 20:1-7)
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.'" (Lk. 15:4-7)
I. “LIFT YOUR EYES UPON THE HARVEST”
“… Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (Jn. 4:35)
Each Christian must go out into the hedges and highways to bring the lost to the Lord.
"But he said to him, 'A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.'" (Lk. 14:16-23)
The Lord has already given us the Message of the Gospel that we must preach to all nations under heaven (Mk. 16:15-16). That Message tells the world of the Savior’s love shown by His death on Calvary (Rom. 5:8). The Gospel Message proclaims full and free salvation to everyone who accepts it (Rom. 1:16-17).
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.' 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.'"
God wants us to look upon the fields and notice that they are white and ready for reaping. He is urging us to lift up our eyes upon the harvest. He commands us to be reapers in His harvest. The fields are ripened with souls that are just waiting to be harvested! There is fruit over all the land. Thus, we must pray to God to send laborers to His harvest (Matt. 9:37-38). Those who have labored patiently and diligently in God’s fields will produce fruit as they plant and water. God will give the increase (1 Cor. 3:6).
The Lord’s work must be done before the night of life falls (John 9:4). Death is the time when the reaper’s work is done (Heb. 9:27). Knowing this truth, let us use the time that God has granted us to bring in the sheaves (Ps. 126:6). Wake up! The Master is calling us, the reapers, to be diligent workers in His vineyard! (Matt. 20:6-7). Many precious souls need to hear the calling of the Lord, the Gospel Message, and respond so that their souls may be rescued from sin. Of course, the ultimate harvest time will be the end of the world when the final reckoning is made (Matt. 13:39). The reapers on that day will be God's holy angels.
God is urging the reapers, all true Christians, to see the importance of looking at the ripened grain ready for reaping. Lift your eyes upon the fields! The golden grain is bending low. Let us not waste one ripe kernel of that grain. To the harvest of souls, we must go!
God’s Word is the seed. The seed is planted through the preaching of the Gospel in the soil of people’s hearts. Let us preach the Gospel to this dark world of sin and water the seed of God’s Word through continued teaching and gather a mighty harvest of people, lost souls, as they obey the Truth. Every Christian must be engaged in this process of harvesting souls. The Lord is compelling us to lift our eyes upon the harvest!
So let us get busy working for the Lord as soon as possible. Let us wake up and labor diligently for the Master and Lord in His “Harvest Time.” Let us see the harvest as Jesus saw it so that we may win souls to Christ effectively. Jesus saw the harvest as lost souls dying and facing judgment (condemnation) eternally. Jesus saw the harvest as plentiful, precious, harassed, helpless, hopeless, and perishing. For all of these reasons, He saw them as His priority. There are many lost souls everywhere! Are you able to see them? Are you doing anything today to teach them the Good News of salvation? Or are you wasting your time on something else rather than proclaiming the Gospel to the lost?
"Arise! Arise! The Master calls for thee; Arise! Arise! A faithful reaper be. Arise!
The field is white, and days are going by; Awake, awake, And answer, ‘Here am I.'"
May we pray that God send forth laborers to reap a great and mighty harvest of souls for His glory. May Christians arise and hear the Master’s call. May we be faithful reapers, for the field is white and ready to be harvested. May we proclaim the Gospel Message to every soul that needs to be saved, for they are precious to the Master and Lord of the harvest.
We have a song that stirs us to enter the harvest with joy and join the volunteers who are daily growing everywhere. The title is "Harvest Time."
