We are continuing our look at the fact that the harvest is ripe. In Romans 5:17 Paul says,
“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”
Through Adam death was ushered into the world. The pattern of living was sin and sin produced death. Through Jesus came grace and righteousness that restores eternal life in God. All of mankind lost the same thing. What mankind lost we all long for. The restoration of what we lost is completely found in Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 Paul says,
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
People are blinded by darkness. The kingdom of darkness reigns through ignorance – the lack of knowledge. The kingdom of light reigns through the knowledge of God. God said, “ Let light shine out of darkness.” Jesus said we are the light of the world. We turn darkness into light. As we demonstrate the kingdom of heaven, people taste and see the true image of God. As people encounter God it brings about transformation. Once you taste function you don’t want to go back to malfunction.
In John 4 when Jesus was talking to the woman at the well he tells her to go get her husband. She responds saying she doesn’t have one. Jesus proceeds to tell her about the 5 husbands she has had and the man she is with now is not her husband. Through their conversation she finds out that Jesus is the messiah.
Through this encounter with Jesus where he tells her about her life, she begins to see Jesus for who he really is. So she leaves the well and goes to the city and tells the people, “this man told me everything I ever did.” So the town comes out and meets Jesus, and this is what happens in John 4:39-42:
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
One woman encounters Jesus and convinces a whole town to come see him. The town is so intrigued that they asked him to stay with them. In two days the people’s response was, “This man really is the Savior of the world.”
This is what Jesus meant when he said the harvest is ripe. There are some people who are so blinded that they will reject the knowledge of God. But there are many who once they encounter the light of the world will never be the same again.
Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”