11 07 The Harvest Twp

The Preacher’s Notebook The Paper and Electronic Pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Mineral Springs, NC (Delivered by E-mail and Us Postage Through Subscription as an Extension of the Pulpit Ministry of this Church)

Dr. Terry W . Preslar – PO Box 388 – M ineral Springs, NC 28108 (704)843-3858 – E-Mail: [email protected] Copyright (C) 2007. Terry W. Preslar All rights reserved.

Vol. I

November, 2007

Issue 11

“The Harvest” “...Lift up your eyes and look on the fields...” (John 4:35) A Sermon By Dr. Terry W. Preslar In this season of the year we all see and are reminded of the Harvest. How colorful this time is but it calls forth some reflection: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” (Jer. 8:20). This text refers to the generation that was then and is now by-and-large a lost generation. I have too many lost loved ones, friends and colleagues and I expect that my readers do too. Like the farmer that looks at the field ready for the natural harvest – we should be anxious for the Spiritual Harvest of souls. There has been a great “harvest of souls” in the days that have passed. Many who read this paper can testify of this truth. God has moved in the churches of yesterday to harvest those generations; but now we are in the care of another lost generation and we need to reach them for Christ. Christ is the Lord of the Spiritual Harvest and He will give seed for the victory in the “Harvest of Souls.” The Harvest is not haphazard, it has structure and a divine pattern: I-The Order of the Harvest A) the rule of the Harvest (“...sow in tears...reap in joy.” Psa. 126:5-6) B) the work of the Harvest (“...break up your fallow ground...” Hosea 10:12) C) the danger of the Harvest (“The harvest is past... and we are not saved.” Jer. 8:20-22) II-The Description of the Harvest A) the universality of the Harvest (“...plenteous...” Matt. 9:37) [a bountiful Harvest] B) the comparative readiness of the Harvest (“...immediately...” Mark 4:29) [a ready Harvest] C) the quality of the Harvest (“The harvest truly is great...” Luke 10:2) [a good Harvest] D) the relative state of the Harvest (“...white already to harvest.” John 4:35) [a serious Harvest] III-The Certainty of the Harvest A) a Genesis standard (“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest...” Gen. 8:22) B) a historical record (Ruth came “...in the beginning of barley harvest.” Ruth 1:22) C) a Gospel recommendation (“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest...” Matt. 9:38) D) a New Testament imperative (“...we shall reap, if we faint not.” Gal. 6:9) IV- The New Testament Teaching on the Harvest. The heart of N.T. teaching upon the subject of The -1-

Harvest is found in Gal. 6:7-9. Therefore, this is seen as a “law” of The Harvest which can be stated from the gleanings of Scripture taken from both Testaments. Here Paul sets forth the simplicity of The HARVEST: A) vs #7 – the Prospect (proportionally) “...whatsoever...” (You harvest the same as you SOW) B) vs #8 – the Possibility (personally) “...he that soweth...” (You harvest more than you SOW) C) vs #9 – the Promise (positively) “...we shall reap...” (You harvest later than you SOW) V- The Mystery of the Harvest. Grace; for God, is gathering where you have not planted. (“For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.” Luke 19:21) This Mystery works in: A) Service (“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” 1 Cor. 3:5-6) B) Stewardship (“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2 Cor. 9:6) C) Sin (“...I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house,...” 2 Sam. 12:1-11; Job 8:3) See how God brought this to pass as the Harvest works in Sin... 1) Crop #1– the child died (12:12) 2) Crop #2– Tamar is violated (13:4) 3) Crop #3– Absalom killed Abnon (13:28) 4) Crop #4– Absalom dies a rebel (18:31-32)

The Harvest Illustrated The Harvest that God intends is superior to any we might devise. To go after God’s Harvest is never loss, but gain. 1- Moses left the sheep of Midian – To serve in a Spiritual Harvest (Ex. 3) 2- Elisha left 12 yoke of oxen – To take part in a Greater Harvest (1 Kings 19:19-20) 3- Gidion was thrashing wheat for himself when he left that – To thrash the enemies of God (Judges 6:11-12) 4-The “kine” left their calves – To pull the Ark of God (1 Sam. 6:7) 5-The rooster left the hen house – To Crow for God (Luke 22:60)

The Condition of the Harvest There are three types of harvest in the natural field: “The Golden Harvest”, “The White Harvest”, and “The Black Harvest”. The Lord speaking to His close fellows in the Parables Says “...the field is the world.” (Matt.13:38). This statement by the Lord gives us the right to compare the real harvest with the spiritual one that is surely before us in the field of the world. I-The Golden Harvest [of plenty] (of joy). This is when the grain has headed out, full, ripe and Golden in color. This is the most desired Harvest and can only be taken: A) in youth (“Remember now thy Creator...” Eccl. 12:1) B) in tenderness (“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found...” Isa. 55:6-7) C) in conviction (“Harden not your heart...” Psa. 95:7-8) [Heb. 3:8, 15; 4:7] II-The White Harvest [of opportunity] (of relief – otherwise it will be lost). This is seen as the grain stays, too long, in the field. The Sun parches the heads of grain, bleaches the husk that holds each kernel to a gleaming white and loosens the kernel so that even the foot of the harvester in the field may cause it to be shaken from the head. This is the Harvest that has been ours since the Lord was here (“...Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”) A) in distress (the ready Savior) (“...not willing that any should perish...” 2 Peter 3:9) -2-

B) in danger (the able Savior) (“...able to save to the uttermost...” Heb. 7:25) C) in despair (the only Savior) (“...no other name...” Acts 4:12) III-The Black Harvest [of finality] (of wantonness). This Harvest is a bitter reality. If you leave the grain in the field it will draw the soils strength, hinder the winter plowing and even mold on the stalk, turning it a dark, menacing black that will poison any cattle that might eat from it through the winter. Some Harvest is inevitable if we Sow: A) in this life (“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”Gal. 6:7-8) B) In the lives of others – Your shadow is cast over someone else for good or bad (“...at the least the shadow... might over shadow some of them.” Acts 5:15) C) in future generations (“...Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation...” Deut. 5:9) IV- The Elements of the Harvest. Wherever this message is preached there may be all three components of a Harvest: A) The Planters – they have wept and now they may rejoice at the Harvest (“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psa. 126:5-6) B) The Seed – having been in the barn so long and now cast into good ground. (“Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.” Hag. 2:19; Matt. 13:38; Luke 8:11) C) The Harvest Itself (“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36) V- The Reality of the Harvest. It is late (“...the summer has ended...”) What is there to do? The Master Says: “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matt. 13:30). When man is through and there is no more time there will be one more Harvest. Consider: A) The “Time” of the Harvest 1) in God’s Time (“...and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together ...the wheat into my barn.” Matt. 13:30) 2) in plenty of time (“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4) 3) in the right time (“...It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:7) B) The “Type” of Harvest 1) Selective (“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;” Matt.13:41-43) 2) Splendid (“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power,...” Rev. 20:6) 3) Sure (“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Heb. 10:37) C) The “Thing” of Harvest 1) A Saved People (“...the dead in Christ shall rise first:” 1 Thes. 4:13-18) 2) A Looking People (“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Heb. 9:28) 3) A Prepared People (“...every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3)

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Psalms 107:2 S É S Romans 12:1-2 These Sermons are used through the subscription to an E-Mail list maintained by Bro. Preslar ([email protected]) and are the copyrighted property of Dr. Terry W. Preslar. This document is part of a growing collection that is part of the Fresh Waters Digital Library. Re-distribution is allowed with this restriction: This document must not be disassembled or reverse engineered and all pages must be distributed together. This material may not be used in any commercial manner. All files in this series are in the PDF file format and can be read with the free pdf reader from Adobe called Acrobat Reader (now in version 8 for Windows – It is recommended that ver. 5 or above be used). It is hoped that this restriction will not hinder the effective use of this sermon/essay in the teaching and preaching of this document. – The Editor

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