Luke 19:10
THE Work of God
What would you say is THE work of God? Caring for the poor? the sick? the
homeless? the abused? the battered? the ignorant? the forsaken? the forgotten?
These are all worthy works but I don’t think any of these is THE work of God.
They are a part of that work, but not THE work.
1. Jesus described His attention to doing the work of God in \\#John 9:4\\.
John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the
night cometh, when no man can work.
2. Jesus described His dedication to finish THE work in \\#John 4:34\\.
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent
me, and to finish his work.
3. What is that work?
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
That work is winning the LOST. Jesus accomplished many things while He was on
this earth, but He came to do only one thing; namely, to find lost people and
bring them to salvation!
I. The work of winning souls is an important work. \\#Matt 20:1-4\\
1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went
out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into
his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the
marketplace,
4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will
give you. And they went their way.
A. This parable gives a picture of the importance of the work.
1. It is important to the land owner.
a. Here is a land owner who goes out every few hours to find
additional laborers.
b. He spends his time in this effort because he knows that the
more he can find, the more work can be done.
c. His labor is different.
(1) He could go work the field but that would be the labor of
only one.
(2) As the owner, he is attempting to multiply his effort.
d. You can see that to the land owner, the work is important!
(1) Therefore, he goes again and again.
(2) He hires everyone he can find.
(3) He labors tirelessly.
(4) He is concerned that the crops be harvested.
2. And it becomes important to the few who will work.
a. To some who do not know the owner very well, the work was not
important.
(1) The truth is, to some, it will never be important.
(2) They claim no allegiance to the land owner.
(3) They have their own priorities.
(4) On this day, their priority must be to do nothing, for
they are just standing around idle.
Matthews 20:6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing
idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
b. Yet, the owner keeps going, searching for someone new or
looking to change someone’s mind.
(1) The task is so important to the land owner, that he uses
money to make it important to others.
Matthew 20:4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is
right I will give you. And they went their way.
(2) Payment is a form of reward.
(3) Few things will make a work important to a person faster
than a reward.
c. And each time he goes, he finds men who weren’t willing to go
before.
(1) That means that he is having some success.
(2) These new workers did not suddenly come to the city.
(3) They had been there along.
(4) But now, they go.
(5) Why? Because the owner has impressed upon them that the
work is worthy.
(6) Whether by reason or reward, they now join in the work.
B. Let’s understand the meaning of the parable.
1. The field here is the world.
2. The crops here are lost souls.
3. The land owner is God.
4. The payment is some type of reward that God will give to those who
work in His fields.
a. I don’t know what the reward will be.
b. But God is willing to reward us for the work we do in rescuing
our neighbors if we will go to His vineyard.
5. And the inhabitants of the city are the saved.
a. Make sure that you get this.
b. All the saved are represented in this parable.
c. They fall into two groups.
(1) Those who will work in the fields.
(a) To these, the work has become important.
(b) These are those who have seen the heartbeat of God.
(c) They work to bring in God’s harvest, the souls of
this world.
(d) No doubt, they will be rewarded for their labors.
(2) Those who will not work in the fields.
(a) The non-workers are saved just like the workers.
(b) They just don’t know the Father very well.
i. They do not know the Father’s heart.
ii. God sent His own Son into this world to redeem
it.
iii. Now, we who are the redeemed, we would sit idly
by and not join in the work that rescued us?!
(c) They do not know what is important to Him.
i. Judging by the Father and Son’s actions, the MOST
IMPORTANT THING to the Godhead is the harvesting
of His crop.
ii. He wants to see souls saved and added to His
kingdom.
d. Might I suggest that we all need to get God’s heart on this
matter.
e. This work is important!
II. It is a cooperative work.
A. The field is too big and too important for one worker to do it alone.
1. All hands are required.
2. Therefore, we should work together.
B. It must start with each individual seeing the importance of the work.
1. Again, it is important to God. That should make it important to
us.
a. Every child of God is commanded to go into the field and work!
Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
b. This is not the Great Option.
c. Neither is this the Optional Commission.
d. To work to win others is the requirement for every child of
God.
3. \\#Matt 21:28-31\\ Jesus gave a parable about two sons who were
told to go to their father’s field to work. The first, promised
to go, but never did. The second refused but eventually went.
a. It is not what you plan to do but what you do that counts.
b. It is never too late to get this thing right!
C. Second, we should be praying and enlisting others to THE work.
1. This is our attempt, like the field owner, to multiply our
effort.
Matt 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth
labourers into his harvest.
2. Many can do the work much more effectively and better than a few.
D. We should be working together in whatever capacity the Lord would
allow.
John 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured,
and ye are entered into their labours.
1Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye
are] God’s building.
1. In that last verse, God calls us, all of us together, the
husbandry.
2. That is, we are the keepers of His field.
3. We do not all look alike, part our hair alike, talk alike, or even
believe exactly alike, but if we agree on the person of Christ,
the substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus, and the
inspiration and preservation of the Word of God, we need to get
along well enough to get the harvest in.
4. We can settle all of the other issues when once that most
important task is completed.
E. Now, you and I must face an important question.
1. What—if anything—have I ever done to see a soul saved?!
2. You need to ask and answer that question today, for I am fairly
certain that it will be asked of you once you get to heaven.
III. It is a time relevant work.
A. Time relevant means this work will not keep. It cannot be delayed.
B. Why?
1. Because the fruit will perish if not harvested on time.
John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and [then] cometh harvest?
behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they
are white already to harvest.
a. The problems is this fruit isn’t some banana or apple.
b. The fruit is the eternal souls of mankind.
c. Every human is allotted only so many days of life to accept
Christ.
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment:
d. A soul does not get a reprieve because we didn’t tell them or
because they didn’t know!
e. And neither does our responsibility lessen when they do
perish!
Eze 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest
him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save
his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will
I require at thine hand.
2. The time for reaching all souls will soon come.
a. \\#Matt 20:1-13\\ Eventually, the time for harvesting was
just over!
b. There comes a last day for every job and work ends.
c. The sun is setting on soul winning.
(1) I believe our governments will soon move to stop it.
(2) And even if they don’t, Jesus is going to return.
You say, how hard should I work to win souls? You should work as hard as you
would want someone else to work to reach your loved ones. Remember, this is THE
work of God!
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