Radio Broadcast Monday 03/13/2023

Classic Christianity – The Book of John P16 (03-13-23)

Open Your Eyes and Look at the Fields! They are Ripe for Harvest.

~ “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” ^{John 4:34-38}

~ “There are people all around you and all around me, who need to know Christ and are longing to know Christ. The more that you’re engaged in evangelism, the more you will see that sometimes it’s like a piece of fruit hanging on a branch just ready to fall off when you talk to them about Jesus. And another time they’re hanging on with There are people all around you and all around me, who need to know Christ and are longing to know Christ. The more that you’re engaged in evangelism, the more you will see that sometimes it’s like a piece of fruit hanging on a branch just ready to fall off when you talk to them about Jesus. And another time they’re hanging on with for dear life. And you’re gonna see all kinds of examples. But he said, We are the reapers. That said, Even now the reapers draw his wage, and even now he harvest the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together, we have an opportunity of going out and sowing seeds and of watering those seeds in people’s lives, by the words that we just say to somebody can change a life. You never know when the quoting of a scripture to somebody can change their life forever. It’s just the issue, are we willing, as born again, believers to be available to do so? There are a lot of things that keep us from that fear of man, a fear of what people are going to think about you and I always say forget about what people are thinking about you. They’re not, they’re thinking about themselves. So don’t worry about that. We’re not running for sheriff. When you came to Christ and it is said, You are set apart, you’re sanctified from the world. That means that you and I are set apart from the world. So don’t expect the world to be in love with you. And you will see that when you go out and make an open proclamation to the fact that you’re a born again, Christian, many times you’re immediately thought of as a goodie good. As one of those Christians who are narrow minded, and everything under the sun, people will think as to what a Christian is.for dear life. And you’re gonna see all kinds of examples. But he said, We are the reapers. That said, even now the reapers draw his wage, and even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together, we have an opportunity of going out and sowing seeds and of watering those seeds in people’s lives, by the words that we just say to somebody can change a life. You never know when the quoting of a scripture to somebody can change their life forever. It’s just the issue, are we willing, as born again believers, to be available to do so? There are a lot of things that keep us from that fear of man, a fear of what people are going to think about you and I always say forget about what people are thinking about you. They’re not, they’re thinking about themselves. So don’t worry about that. We’re not running for sheriff. When you came to Christ and it is said, You are set apart, you’re sanctified from the world. That means that you and I are set apart from the world. So don’t expect the world to be in love with you. And you will see that when you go out and make an open proclamation to the fact that you’re a born again, Christian, many times you’re immediately thought of as a goodie good. As one of those Christians who are narrow minded, and everything under the sun, people will think as to what a Christian is.”

Join Bob George in this chapter by chapter exposition of the gospel of John. Available also for download the complete series on the Book of John. Realize why Christ, Himself, is REAL LIFE and how He personally offers hope in daily living that you may:

Discover an abundant and meaningful life as a Christian.
Overcome fear with His assurance that you have His eternal life.
Experience joy during adversity.
Apply God’s wisdom in decision making, no matter how big or small.
Experience freedom as you walk by faith in His love and acceptance.

Purchase Online at Shop.BobGeorge.net

Announcer 0:12
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.

Bob George 0:28
Let’s turn together back to the Gospel of John, in chapter four. We are going today to, again pick up where we left off last week in regard to this important subject of evangelism. And in this the fourth chapter, we saw a terrific example of evangelism take place with the Lord Jesus Christ. So let’s pick up there in chapter 4:31. As you know, Jesus had met with this Samaritan and he started telling her everything that had happened to her. And she ran back to her man that she was living with, he explained to her something that she already knew that she had already been married four times. And the man that he she was living with was not her husband. That kind of got her attention to realize that he truly was a prophet. But the disciples came back for they went in to buy food came back. And, and they said to them, I have food to eat that you know nothing about. And as they were always thinking on a physical level, instead of spiritual, they were wondering who in the world brought him food. But Jesus explained something there, he said, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me. And to finish his work. That we talked about last week, how important that is for us to complete the race that God has set out before us. And Paul was talking about that he finished the race, he had a calling of God upon his life. And he finished that race. And therefore we all look forward to the day that we’ll hear from God, well done, good and faithful servant you, you hung in there till the end. And that’s what Jesus was talking about. He then gave instructions to all of the disciples and the people who listened to him then, and it is absolutely applicable to this very day. He said to us, as if he’s speaking to us today do not say four months more than the harvest. Don’t say that the harvest will be out there in a few months. He said, I tell you open your eyes, and look at the fields they are rip onto harvest. And he’s saying to us it, look, the harvest is ripe right now. There are people all around you and all around me, who need to know Christ and are longing to know Christ. The more that you’re engaged in evangelism, the more you will see that sometimes it’s like a piece of fruit hanging on a branch just ready to fall off when you talk to them about Jesus. And another time they’re hanging on with for dear life. And you’re gonna see all kinds of examples. But he said, We are the reapers. That said, even now the reapers draw his wage, and even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together, we have an opportunity of going out and sowing seeds and of watering those seeds in people’s lives, by the words that we just say to somebody can change a life. You never know when the quoting of a scripture to somebody can change their life forever. It’s just the issue, are we willing, as born again believers, to be available to do so? There are a lot of things that keep us from that fear of man, a fear of what people are going to think about you and I always say forget about what people are thinking about you. They’re not, they’re thinking about themselves. So don’t worry about that. We’re not running for sheriff. When you came to Christ and it is said, You are set apart, you’re sanctified from the world. That means that you and I are set apart from the world. So don’t expect the world to be in love with you. And you will see that when you go out and make an open proclamation to the fact that you’re a born again, Christian, many times you’re immediately thought of as a goodie good. As one of those Christians who are narrow minded, and everything under the sun, people will think as to what a Christian is.

And I was saying to Amy today it’s strange to me that when the message of God’s love has been given to us by God Himself, where this is God’s testimony concerning his Son, that he has the Son has life and he does not have have the Son of God does not have life, meaning you’re dead. You’re dead spiritually until you have the life of God living in you. And he said, he has the Son has that life and he does not have the Son does not have that life, there’s only one way to have that life. And that is any Son, period. It’s not because God is narrow minded. It’s not because God is trying to be dogmatic. That’s the only life available to you. The only kind of air that can keep you going is the air God gave us, we have to understand that. If you’re thirsty, and you’re out in the ocean, that water ain’t going to do you announce a good, you’re going to die if you drink it. God has to give you the water that you need to drink to sustain yourself. And so if you have the Son, you have life. And if you don’t have the Son of God, you don’t have life. And these things I’ve written unto You who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know, not hope so. But know that you have as your possession, the life of God living in you, which is your only hope of glory. Now, when you refuse that life, man goes to create his own god. And all of the different religions are out there because I don’t like that God, I’m going to create my own. And so we create our own straw man, we create a god that I would like. And how many times do you hear people say, Well, we used to get this on forgiving. And now wait a minute, you know, my kid goes out and does something wrong. He’s got to come back and apologize to me. And then I’ll forgive him. And what they’re saying is, if I do that, surely that must be the way God is. So what do we do we say that way I am, that must be the way God is. And I tell people quit doing that, quit bringing God down to our level, and elevate yourself up to his level, God forgave you unconditionally. We don’t. Don’t drag him down into our garbage can. Raise yourself up, become who you are in Christ Jesus, raise yourself up to begin thinking with his mind, instead of the mind of the world down here. And so he says to us, the harvest is ripe out there. Every one of you in this room have a sphere of influence, you have a group of people that you know, that’s exclusive to you, people you work with, sometimes your neighbors, sometimes people you go to church with, but you have a sphere of influence of a group of people that you know. And what he is saying is lift up your eyes. Do they know what you know? Do they know this Jesus that lives inside of you? Do they or don’t they? And the answer is, if you don’t know to go find out.

We’ve talked about common sense evangelism and common sense evangelism is merely taking the opportunity to talk to people to find out where they are, to find out where their hurts are, to find out where, where they’re hurting inside, and then apply Jesus to those hurts. And you’ve got to love people to do that. But he’s saying to us, open up our eyes, begin to think beyond our own little problems, open up your eyes and begin to see a world out there that needs life, eternal life. And those people that we know if they do not come to Christ for life are going to die in their sins, and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature. That is hard for us to grab a hold of in this day where everything has to be politically correct. We don’t like those kinds of talk that there’s only one way to God. That’s not, that’s not broad thinking. That’s not good thinking. That’s that’s not being politically correct. That’s not being loving. And a loving God would certainly not send a person to hell, you’re right, you have sinned yourself to hell, by not accepting the one provision that God provided for you, and that is Christ Jesus. If you are dead, and there’s only one source of life that’s not being narrow minded, by telling you that you got to come to him for life. That’s the most practical information you will ever receive in your life is the fact that Jesus is the only life available to the people who are dead spiritually. And that’s what the world has to hear. If they don’t like it. It says dust off your shoes and move on. Until they do come to a point of recognizing there’s something missing in my life. I was 36 years of age looking for every every place except Jesus for satisfaction and, and all the things that we want in life. And I remember the day I came to Christ, I thought, What’s wrong with me, everything I ever looked for in life was as close as a prayer just close as a prayer of just merely saying, Jesus, I’ve had it come and save me. And so folks, we can’t assume that people don’t want to hear our assumption should be they need to hear and therefore to be available to them, to get the good message to them. He said, One sows another reaps is true, I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you’ve reaped the benefit of their labors.

Now, what I want us to do before we get into the born free book, I want us to see why I produced this book the way I did and why it’s in the order that it’s in. And why to me, I think it is an ideal way for you and me to present the gospel to people. First of all, in First Corinthians 15:1, Paul says, I want to remind you brothers of the gospel, I preach to it to you, which you received, and on which you have taken your stand. Paul is saying, I want to remind you of the gospel that I preached to you. The gospel that Paul preached to them, we’re going to read in a minute. But it’s the same gospel that he explained the meaning of over and over and in Romans said, while we were yet enemies lost, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son. And how much more having been reconciled, shall we be saved by His life? The Gospel, saved by His life, forgiven by his death. Now he says, By this gospel that I preached to you, you’re saved. Now, is there anyone in here that has trouble understanding the meaning of that, by this gospel, you’re saved? So what do you say by the gospel? What is the gospel? Jesus died for you then, so that he can live in you now. The gospel is the good news. You’re saved by the good news of what Jesus did for you and me. Anybody have any problems with that? Anybody here? Are we together? That’s how you’re saved. And he said, in as much, in as much as you hold firmly to the word I preach to you, otherwise you believed in vain. For one I received, I passed on to you of first importance. This is the root of the gospel. Jesus died for our sins. According to the scriptures, wasn’t anything new, it had been prophesied. He was buried, and He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, one day they knew it was prophesied. And he appeared to Peter, and then to the 12. And after that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some of them have fallen asleep. And then he appeared to James, that’s his brother, and then to all of the apostles. And then last of all, he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Click to Donate to Bob George Ministries

If you’re enjoying the Book of John, check out our website, Shop.BobGeorge.net. There, you’ll find a whole collection of messages from the book of John, as well as other DVDs, CDs and Bible studies available for purchase. That’s Shop.BobGeorge.net. Let’s join Bob. Now as he continues the radio program.

Bob George 14:01
Now, guys, what is the gospel? What’s the gospel? He died. He was buried, and He was raised. And then he was dunked in water. Does it say that? He died. He was buried. He was raised, and he spoke in tongues. He died, He was buried, he was raised and he kept on a tithing. Folks, you add one thing to this gospel, that saves and you have taken away the gospel. When you add baptism to the Gospel, you have taken away Jesus saving you. I asked you on the radio the other day who died for your sins? Jesus. Who was raised from the dead had to give you life? Jesus. Who baptized you? Somebody else. So you’re saying you’re saved by somebody else. There in the church of Christ that believe you’re saved through baptismal regeneration, it’s ludicrous. If you’re saved but baptismal regeneration, then someone saved you beside Jesus. He just by his own admittance, Jesus died for my sins. Jesus was raised from the dead, but my Pastor baptized me, and I think you’re saved by baptism. Make sense? Not an ounce of sense. And yet people add to the gospel. You do not add to the gospel. This is the gospel that saves you. He died, according the Scriptures. He was buried. He was raised from the dead, according to the Scriptures, And He has appeared to us. That is the gospel that just he said, has saved you. That’s the good news that saves you. nothing added, nothing subtracted. Only the truth of the fullness of the gospel.

In our Born Free book, you might take you’ve got on your table Born Free book. I chose in the beginning of that to set a stage for how feudal life can be apart from Christ. And I did that by putting down a true story. In 1923, a very important meeting was held at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago and attending this meeting were nine of the most successful men at least they were men who had found the secret of making money. Let’s see what happened to these men. 25 years later, the president of the largest independent steel company, Charles Schwab, died in bankruptcy and lived on borrowed money for five years before his death. The president of the greatest utility company Samuel Insull, died a fugitive from justice and penniless in a foreign land. The president of the largest gas company, Howard Hobson, lost his sanity. The greatest wheat speculator Arthur Cotton died abroad insolvent. The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney was released from SingSing penitentiary, the member of the President’s Cabinet Albert fall was pardoned so that he could die at home. The greatest bear on Wall Street Jesse Livermore died a suicide. The head of the greatest monopoly Ivar Kreuger died, a suicide. The president of the Bank of International Settlements, Leon Frazier died a suicide. All of these men chose to learn the art of making a living. But none of them chose to learn how to live. The futility of life apart from Christ. Man is continually seeking a life of freedom and happiness through all of these various means at these men tried trying to find meaning and purpose to their lives and many people turn to financial success friends, social status, marriage, children education, approval of others sexual encounters, occupation and profession, to try to say that these things will bring me meaning and purpose to life. However, there are many people who have had all of these things and are still not found fulfillment in their lives. And I ask a question, could it be that man’s been looking in the wrong place?

Here’s the problem. Man is spiritually dead and in need of life. God created Adam and said to him, you’re free to eat any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. For the day you eat of that you’ll surely die. You can determine anything you want to accept right and wrong and good and evil. The day you decide, you don’t need God to determine that, that you can determine it on your own, you’re gonna die. And God gave Adam a choice to either remain dependent on him for life, or to become independent from him which is spiritual death. Wanting to become like God, Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and that day he died spiritually. And each of us are born into this world, in the likeness of Adam’s sin and death has been passed on to every human being that is brought into this world. You are born into this world, under the law of sin and death, dead. Were told in Romans that therefore just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin and in this way death came to all men, why? because all sin. As for you were told in Ephesians you are dead in your sins and transgressions and sins.

Our spiritual death, which is separation from God, is what makes us ask the question, Who Am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? There’s this vacuum that’s in us. Pascale talked about that there’s a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man that cannot be filled by any created thing. But only by God, the Creator made know through Jesus Christ. St. Augustine said, Thou has made us where thy self Oh God and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in the there is a chasm between spiritual life and spiritual death. From God’s vantage point, the problem of man is not that he’s a sinner, in need of forgiveness, but he has a greater problem that’s he’s dead, and in need of life. What was the God’s solution to all of this? God has provided life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, For God so loved the world and put your own name in there. God so loved Bob, God so loved Stacy, God so loved Amy, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have and possess eternal life. Jesus said, I’ve come that you might have life, and have it to the fullness, I am the resurrection and the life and he who believes in me, though he were dead, will live. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. And he asked the question, Do you believe this?

Therefore, what is this salvation that is so needed the salvation that Paul proclaimed? That is this message that saves you? It’s being saved from the consequence of sin, the wages of sin, which is death, by the gift of God, which is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, but because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead, in transgressions, it’s word for by grace, that you have been saved. When you were dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ, He forgave all our sins. But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. However, before this life could be given sin had to be forgiven, or taken away. And only God can forgive sins. Your priest can’t forgive sins. The Pope can’t forgive sins. I can’t forgive sins. Only God can forgive sins. And in Mark 2:7, it’s stated, who can forgive sins, but God alone. So God became a man, as we said, God is Spirit and you must worship Him in spirit and truth. And God came to this earth and took upon himself our Earth suit. And it says, In finding himself in an appearance as a man, He took upon himself our humanity. And so it said, Jesus Christ, who being in very nature God, He’s God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped or grabbed or held on to, but he made himself nothing. Now isn’t that a little humiliating folks, he became a man and made himself nothing. And kind of shows us the relationship between us and Him. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross, he died in our place, God demonstrates His own love toward us. And while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He’s the sacrifice of our sins, and not only ours, but the sins of the entire world. He is the final sacrifice for our sins without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. And then he adds their sins and lawless acts, I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, there’s no longer any sacrifice for sins. There’s no more sacrifice for sins. If there’s no more sacrifice, there’s no more forgiveness. So what do you have to conclude about the one time that Jesus hung on a cross and sacrifice for your sins? What do you have to conclude about that? Just what he cried out from the cross. It is finished. And man and our pride and stupidity say, no it isn’t, no, no, I can get more forgiveness and that’s exactly what the Hebrews did. They kept going back to the Day of Atonement, and killing bowls and goats in order to get forgiveness until finally God had to just take the whole place and shut it down and 70 ad destroyed the temple and there’s never have been sacrifices since. You don’t get forgiveness at a confession booth. You don’t get forgiveness by a priest. You don’t get forgiveness by first John one nineing. You get forgiveness when you and you alone except the one time that Jesus died on the cross and cried out, it’s finished. And then you enter into His resurrected life and we’re told in Him, we have redemption the forgiveness of sins, your sinless law and lawless acts, he said, I’ll remember no more. There is no remembrance BY GOD OF YOUR SINS. Today, tomorrow forever, is that good news? If you were me it would be good news. It ought to be wonderful news. Is it something guy guys think about? Is it something that you can fully enter into? Do you have any experience on that? And I’ve been able to remember your sins? We don’t have anythign to go by with that. We remember everything. Does that make it less true? Because we can’t, but he did. Does that make it any less true that he did it? Not at all. That’s what God can do. The next day, John the Baptist announced as he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the entire world. This is love we’re told not that he not that we love God, but he loved us and sent His son is the one and only who would turn aside His wrath, taking away our sins. Folks, that was not spikes that held Jesus to the cross. It was love.

Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity, with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord, find more information online at shop.BobGeorge.net. There you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs, and bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.