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Motives for Missions

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V36, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

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• Jesus’ motive for missions - he has compassion for the people

• The word compassion literally refers to intestines or stomach.

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Mt 20:30, 34, two blind men shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” … Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.

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Jn 11:33-35, When Jesus saw her weeping … he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled and … he wept.

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Lk 19:41, when he drew near and saw the city (of Jerusalem), he wept over it.

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V36, When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

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• Jesus’ second motive for missions - people are like sheep without a shepherd.

• The false shepherds (Pharisees) harassed them with legalism.

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Zech 11:5, those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished and those who sell them say, “blessed be the Lord, I have become rich,” and their own shepherds have no pity on them.

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John 10:11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

• Jesus’ motives for missions he has compassion for the people who are like sheep without a good shepherd.

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V37, Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful,

• The third motive for mission - the world is ripe for harvesting.

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• The harvest refers to seekers or people elected for salvation.

• But the harvest also refers to God’s judgment, and the world is ripe for judgment.

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Joel 3:12-13, Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.

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Mt 13:30, the master said, “let both (wheat and weeds) grow together until the harvest, and at the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

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Rev 14:14-20, Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, 

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“Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

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17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle,

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“Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 

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• Again the harvest refers to God’s judgment on earth.

• Jesus’ motives for missions he has compassion for the people who are like sheep without a good shepherd, and the world is ripe for God’s judgment.

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V38, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

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Jn 20:21, Jesus said to the disciples, “peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

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• You need to ask God to reveal when & where he wants to send you.

• We need to earnestly ask God to send three workers to SF and DC because the harvest is ripe for God’s judgment.

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