In part one we look at the foundation teaching of Jesus connecting the harvest and end times. We want to connect how we live today so that we are living rightly at the end of time.
2. Questions to ask
What role does “harvest teaching” play in the
teaching of Jesus?
Why would Jesus teach on end times?
Is there something we should know that would help
us?
What is a “end of the age?”
How did Jesus deal with “the harvest?”
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3. Jesus sees the harvest in two ways
As a time of opportunity here
and now
As a time of final judgment
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4. The Harvest in Jesus’ teaching
Parable of the soils (Mt 13)
Parable of the wheat and weeds (Mt 13)
The farmer who returns for workers for the harvest
(Mt 20)
The rich farmer who seeks to store up for himself (Lk
12)
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5. 6 lessons from “harvest teachings”
1. The joy of reaping and the responsibility of
investment.
2. Fulfilling your created purpose and fruitfulness.
3. Evangelism and glorifying God
4. God’s blessing on His followers and judgment on
the world
5. Testing your moral and spiritual status
6. The process of time in the Kingdom of God
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6. Providence
“How does God’s causal power
and authority interact with ours?”
“How does God’s sovereign rule
relate to our free choices?” “How
is God’s government related to the
evil and suffering in this world?”
and “Does prayer have any
influence over God’s providential
decisions?” In other words, how
are we to live our lives in light of
God’s invisible hand?
Sproul, R.C. (2012-11-01).
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7. What Not To Do
Fear
Be Confused
Be Deceived
Develop a hard heart
Loose Faith (trust)
Become cynical, skeptical
Be Disappointed
Try to do what it is not time to do
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8. Mat 13:24-30 NASB
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of
heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed
tares among the wheat, and went away.
26 "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares
became evident also.
27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you
not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves *said
to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'
29 "But he *said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you
may uproot the wheat with them.
30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of
the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind
them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
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9. Mat 13:35-39 NASB
35 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the
prophet: "I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL
UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF
THE WORLD."
36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And
His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the
parable of the tares of the field."
37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the
Son of Man,
38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed,
these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the
sons of the evil one;
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the
harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
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10. Rev 14:13-20 NASB
13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the
Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their
deeds follow with them."
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son
of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat
on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the
harvest of the earth is ripe."
16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was
reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a
sharp sickle.
18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he
called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle
and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe."
19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of
the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine
press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
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11. Summery for part 1
Live in the Kingdom of God.
Find God’s way for you to live as light in a dark world
In the present moments, live to bear eternal fruit
Overcome fear and the fear of death
Look beyond the natural and develop spiritual sight
to see God at work in our world
Don’t waist your trials
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