HARVEST READY: Don’t Sleep in the Harvest
By: Pastor Reggie Roberson
Introduction
Let me speak to you prophetically what I’m sensing; I believe it will be encouraging. We’re in a unique harvest season.
Psalm 107:36-38 ESV
“And there he lets the hungry (urgency) dwell, and they establish a city to live in; they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.”
Some of the prayers you’ve been praying about family members, about what you want God to do in your life and in this city are going to get answered and fulfilled more in this time than normal. Signs and wonders, the presence of God leading to Salvation, freedom, Spiritual Growth, restoration of purpose and healing self-worth and miracles provision. Harvest of righteousness and Souls!!
I don’t want you to miss what the Lord is doing in this hour. (Purpose and significance)
I was sharing this word with prophet Jim Laffoon and he gave me this scripture.
Proverbs 10:5 ESV
“He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”
We see examples of this in history.
In 1945 General Douglas MacArthur occupied Japan representing the ally forces in world war 2. He considered himself the soldier of God. He tried to convert the emperor of Japan to Christianity out of Shintoism. He at least got the emperor to admit he was not a god. He also called for missionaries to come in help in the middle of this flood season to reap the harvest so that the nation would repent and turn from Shintoism and Buddhism to the Lord Jesus. Unfortunately, not many went and today Japan is less than 1% Christian. We slept at a critical time when there was people to harvest.
What could cause us to sleep in the harvest?
Two reasons
“His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.”
Isaiah 56:10 ESV (Watchmen -God’s prophetic people)
Slumber (lacks revelation but has plenty of rituals) Watchmen are asleep.
Pharisees -Becoming fixating on the miner things and neglecting the weightier things of the Bible -ideologies
You filled yourself up with so many other things except for God where his love is compassion.
Not seeing people’s greatest need is the spiritual need -they need the gospel.
Garden Gethsemane -one of the most important moments in history. Jesus is getting ready to die on the cross to the penalty for our sins or doing wrong and rebelling against God so we could receive forgiveness of sin, all of his blessings, everlasting life and relationship with HIM. He is going to make it possible to have a spiritual harvest of souls through salvation and this is what happens.
45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” - Luke 22:45-46 ESV
Sorrow means grief, mental or emotional pain, sadness, heaviness, grudgingly, or regret. Have you ever felt any of this?
Sorrows can come for man reasons:
Personal Loss (one of the reasons for the church not stepping up at that time 1945).
The news: pandemic covid and monkeypox, war, social unrest,
missed opportunity
Doors closed with your job
Family situation with prodigal kids
wounded Marriages
betrayal
misunderstanding
Difficult to see God's purposes in your work
health challenges
Regardless of what is the reason for the grief, regret, mental or emotional pain God is speaking to his church; Don’t sleep in the Harvest: we must be harvest ready.
Isaiah 60:1-5 ESV
God spoke this scripture to me about being harvest ready out of Isaiah 60.
1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
Arise
As the sun arises out of the night, out of darkness, and takes it’s place.
The Israelites were to come out of the sleep of sorrow, out of the darkness, out of being scattered and exiled by the Assyrians and Babylonians and take their place as those who rebuild the temple and worship God. The Lord is saying to us “arise” and take our place as sons and daughters out of whatever slumber and out of sorrow and darkness night we’ve experienced. We are to believe that God is at work fulfilling His precious and magnificent promises in our lives. It doesn’t mean that we are not experiencing sorrow, but it does mean that sorrows are not consuming me. Why? The light has come. God’s glory is consuming us, filling us and satisfying us; The son of God has come in Jesus Christ and made it possible for us to experience the presence of God. The Holy Spirit is our peace, the Holy Spirit is our joy, and the Holy Spirit is our wisdom, he is our comforter, friend, and power. He is the one who makes us sons of daughters that cries out Abba father to God. We need to arise out of the slumber and sorrow and take our place by taking hold of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We are to have assurance and confidence that we are God’s beloved people and display the character of Christ. Awake oh sleeper and let the light of Christ shine on your. Nothing should prevent us from being who God called us to be.
Shine
Isaiah also prophecies to Israelites another imperative, he says Shine. This means nothing on earth should stop them or us from doing what God has called us to do.
Pain and sorrow are real and we should not pretend like they don’t have it but express and process it with one another while rebuilding the temple to be a witness to the nations through good deeds.
Listen, we don't deny the pain and sorrow because Isaiah does say that darkness covers the earth and deep darkness the people. So we don’t deny it but we do overcome it with the light of God’s word & presence and good deeds that advance God’s kingdom. Jesus said to us, let your light shine before men so that they see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father Matthew 5:14.
So,
Slumber and Sorrow in our world and our lives should not keep us from shining, but can actually make us shine more.
Paul sick but sharing the gospel
“You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.” -Galatians 4:13-14 ESV
Argentina Prisoners praying for the world.
Felix lives in public housing but is giving and impacting his community.
When we arise and shine we will not sleep in the harvest but we receive a harvest.
Here’s what Isaiah prophesy next, that I am prophesying to you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
The nations will come to your light. People from different backgrounds will be drawn by the presence of God in you and your good deeds.
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
He says Kings will come to the brightness of your arising. Leaders will come bringing their influence and resources.
4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
Young people your sons and daughters will put their faith in Yahweh, Yeshua Ben Yahweh JESUS CHIRST and will be saved and come worship with you Him.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult,
Joy unspeakable
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.”
The wealth of the nations will come and the abundance of the sea gathered to you. Wealth and God’s glorious provision will come to you.
You will receive a Harvest! How many of you want to receive the harvest?
Let’s Pray!
Repent for slumber - create in me a new heart
Ask god for healing sorrow
prophetic act - arise out of your chairs
Shine give God praise
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher