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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

WORK FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING

Introduction:

When I look at this verse, I picture my Grandfather on my father’s side of the family. His name was Charlie Thrower. He was a hard working farmer who believed in farming the old time way. I’m talking about farming the way it was in the days before modern farm machinery. He farmed nearly 88 acres with mule drawn plows.

He would rise up early each day in order to be in the field before "first light" to take productive advantage of every minute of daylight in cultivating his crop. He did this in anticipation of the harvest to come.

He knew when daylight came, that night would come, so he worked hard all day and when the night came he "rested hard." Might I say that it was a well deserved rest because of his diligence in the daylight.

He knew that if he was going to have a crop to harvest, then he had to work diligently every waking minute...because time was short and the field was large.

It is that picture that I want us to see today. Let us consider the following.

I.         DAYLIGHT HAS ARRIVED FOR THE CHRISTIAN.

John 11:9-10–“Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”

            A.        Before We Were Saved We Were In The Dark.

Proverbs 4:19–“The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”

            B.        The Word Of God Came And Touched Our Lives.

2 Peter 1:19–“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:”

            C.        Jesus Came In And Gave Light To Our Lives.

2 Corinthians 4:6–“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

            DAYLIGHT HAS ARRIVED FOR THE CHRISTIAN.

II.       GOD HAS GIVEN US A WORK TO DO. (MATT 28:18-20)

            A.        We Have Been Told To Go Into The Field.

                        I remember my Father sending me and my brothers into the fields to work.

He would tell us to go into the field and tell us what to do while we were in the field.

Now there were many times that I would rather not have gone into the field.

But I knew, Daddy was coming home sometime later that day and we were going to have to give account of what we had done.

                        Jesus said in Mark 16:15–“. . . Go ye into all the world . . .”

It is a well known fact that you can’t work in the field if you don’t go into the field.

                        It is a well known fact that you can’t work if you are in the wrong kind of field.

            B.        We Have Been Told What To Do In The Field.

                        1.         We Have Been Told To Preach The Gospel.

Mark 16:15–“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Romans 1:16–“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

                        2.         We Have Been Told To Teach All Nations. (Matthew 28:19) 

                                    That phrase literally means that we are to “make disciples.”

                        3.         We Have Been Told To Baptize Believers. (Matthew 28:19)

Because it pictures the Gospel! Because it shows identification with the Gospel!

                        4.         We Have Been Told To Help Believers Develop. (Matthew 28:20)

                                    Teaching them to follow Christ and His teachings.

            DAYLIGHT HAS ARRIVED FOR THE CHRISTIAN.

            GOD HAS GIVEN US A WORK TO DO.

III.      GOD HAS GIVEN US LIMITED A TIME IN WHICH TO DO HIS WORK.

My dad would say, “I want you boys to have that done when I get back.” We knew we had a limited time. It was time to get down to business and get the job done!

            A.        Our Days On Earth Are Numbered.

Psalm 90:12–“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

            B.        We Should Redeem The Time That We Have Been Given.

Colossians 4:5–“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”

While we have the opportunity, we should take full advantage of the time God has given to us, and do the works God has sent us to do.

                        1.         This May Require Setting New Priorities In Our Lives.

                                    What are your priorities?

                        2.         This May Require Time Management.

                                    Have you ever thought about how much time is wasted?

                        3.         This Requires Getting Up From Our Easy Chair And Getting Busy For God.

                        4.         If We Are Ever Going To Do It, It Should Be Now!

            DAYLIGHT HAS ARRIVED FOR THE CHRISTIAN.

            GOD HAS GIVEN US A WORK TO DO.

GOD HAS GIVEN US LIMITED A TIME IN WHICH TO DO HIS WORK.

IV.      GOD HAS TOLD US NIGHT IS COMING.

            It is sunset. Night is approaching. It is getting twilight.

            A.        What Is The Night?

                        It is a period of darkness.

            B.        We Are Living In The Last Days.

                        1.         They Are Darkening Days.

                                    Spiritual darkness is creeping up around us “bit by bit”.

                        2.         There Are Perilous Times Both Here And Ahead. (2 Timothy 3)

3.The Christian Message Is Not Received Or Welcomed In Many Places.

                                    It causes more and more controversy and conflict in more and more places.

                        4.         Many Believers Are Being Persecuted In Many Places In The World.

                        5.         There Is Coming A “Night” When We May No Longer Have The Privilege Of Witnessing, Meeting In Churches, Testifying Openly, And Having Religious Freedom We All Take So Much For Granted.

            C.        Night Comes When No Man Can Work.

V.        BUT THERE IS A NEW DAY DAWNING.

            Psalms 30:5–“. . .weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

            God Promises Us a New Day--A Glorious Dawning!

            1.         When Jesus will reign supreme.

            2.         When all evil will be fully and finally subdued.

            3.         When those who have trusted Him and worked for Him will walk hand in hand with Him for all eternity in eternal rest.

CONCLUSION:

1. There is work to be done!

2. There is limited time to do it!

3. Night is coming when we can no longer work!

4. A new day will dawn when we can rest from our labors.

ARE YOU WITNESSING, ARE YOU WORKING FOR CHRIST, OR ARE YOU A "LAZY" CHRISTIAN TAKING IT EASY WHEN GOD SAYS BE WORKING?

RECOMMIT YOURSELF TO DO WHAT JESUS SAID IN THE TEXT (JOHN 9:4)

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

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