1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,720 This afternoon we're going to conclude the series New Beginnings. Everyone say 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:12,680 oh. It's over already? I feel like we just got started but we know that God's 3 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:18,680 going to speak to us today. Genesis chapter 8 and verse 22. Genesis 8 verse 22 4 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:23,840 reading from the New Living Translation. Word of the Lord says this, as long as the 5 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:31,520 earth remains there will be planting and harvest. Everyone say harvest. Cold and 6 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:39,960 heat, summer and winter, day and night. Now the next chapter, chapter 9 and verse 7 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:49,720 20, it reads, after the flood Noah began to cultivate the ground and he planted a 8 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:54,760 vineyard. With the help of the Holy Ghost my topic today is produce a harvest 9 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,280 and I would like to invite all of you to pray with me one more time. I know we 10 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,760 worship and we've been lifting our hands and our voices but we're going to pray 11 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,440 one more time and just ask God to speak to us. Father we come before you today. 12 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:11,880 We thank you Lord for pouring out your spirit today. Your blessings we feel 13 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:17,480 your presence so strongly tangibly in this place God and we ask God that that 14 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:23,760 same spirit continue Lord as we prepare ourselves to hear your word. Right now in 15 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:28,800 the name of Jesus Lord I take authority over every contrary spirit to the 16 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:34,800 Spirit of God that would oppose the word from getting into the places it needs to 17 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,720 go in all of our hearts. God I come against that right now and I 18 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:45,800 bind it in Jesus name and I loose God faith in this place right now for your 19 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:50,440 word to be received with gladness. Let it fall on good ground. We ask this right 20 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:55,880 now God in Jesus name and also God anoint my lips to preach today's word to give 21 00:01:55,880 --> 00:02:00,640 you glory and honor in Jesus name. Everyone say amen. You may be seated in 22 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:06,400 God's presence. You know up to this point in Noah's story he has spent most of his 23 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:17,980 natural life in survival mode. 120 years preparing for the flood to survive the 24 00:02:17,980 --> 00:02:25,280 flood and then another full year of living through it. So it's safe to say 25 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:32,480 that up until this moment his whole life revolved around a singular goal of 26 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:41,360 surviving one of the world's most cataclysmic events. A historic event and 27 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:48,920 he was both literally and spiritually just trying to keep his head above water. 28 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:57,520 It was for most of his life sink or swim and while that frame of mind was 29 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:07,920 necessary for survival it also put Noah's life and his family's life on hold. 30 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:18,080 Plans were paused, goals were postponed. The only thing that mattered was living 31 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:26,460 to see another day but if Noah was going to live a life of promise a life of new 32 00:03:26,460 --> 00:03:36,360 beginnings his mode of living would need to adapt from surviving to thriving. 33 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:44,640 From escaping peril to establishing a new home. And this was an important 34 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:51,480 transition in Noah's life. A necessary one. One that I think that us Christians 35 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:57,200 Bible readers perhaps don't stop to consider when we are reading through his 36 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:04,160 narrative that very literal and spiritual shift that had to occur in his 37 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:11,640 life in order to produce at the level that he was called to. You see when 38 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:17,400 you're in survival mode you're just trying to keep your head above water. 39 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:23,720 You're just trying to get through each day without sinking. I don't know if 40 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:28,960 you've ever been there before. Somebody say man huh. You're just trying to get 41 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,200 through a day. Have you ever had a season in your life where if I could just make 42 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:44,040 it another 24 hours it would be a success. Without sinking into fear, caving to 43 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:52,440 your worries, losing your grip on things or just backtracking into old issues. If 44 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:57,800 I could just get to a 24 hours without snapping at somebody. You all don't know 45 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:05,000 what I'm talking about today. 24 hours without the old Jacob showing up you 46 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,400 know. And you go through moments where you're just in survival mode. 47 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:14,880 If I could just get through this week and have all my bills be paid and not 48 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:19,080 have to worry. You know there might be bills down the road but if I could just 49 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:23,440 get through this week. That next week worry about itself. You're just you know 50 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:29,640 trying to stay ahead and keep your head above waters. And there are moments like 51 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:36,520 that and for many years and Noah's life that's what it was. Daily survival. But 52 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:43,240 when God brings you out of your trial, out of your flood, you have to switch 53 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:52,360 gears and start taking back your future. Taking back your promises. No longer 54 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:58,200 living from day to day just to make it. No longer living from paycheck to 55 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:04,880 paycheck. No longer living just to not sink. But now you get to a point where 56 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:12,120 God has brought you out of that season and it's up to you to implement and 57 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:17,480 practice the principles of faith so that you can launch forward into greater 58 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,840 things. How many of you want to see greater things from God? Amen? Greater 59 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:29,360 things where you can start building again, growing again, thriving again. And you 60 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:36,960 need to as Noah did plant your vineyard because let me tell you this. Nothing in 61 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:46,520 life grows unless it's planted. Amen. Nothing in life grows unless it's planted. 62 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:55,200 And I want to build on that point today. This is a universal law. The law of the 63 00:06:55,200 --> 00:07:04,440 harvest. We read in Galatians 6 and verse 7, whatever a man sows, that will he also 64 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:14,800 reap. That's the law of the harvest. Nothing grows unless it's planted. What 65 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:20,960 often happens is that after people survive something that is stressful, 66 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:28,760 unusual, something difficult, what happens is that they stay in survival mode 67 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:37,640 without realizing it. And the telltale sign of this survival syndrome, if I can 68 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:46,440 call it that, is that nothing new is being planted. You know you're in survival 69 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:56,600 mode where nothing new is being planted and therefore nothing new is growing. After 70 00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:02,280 Noah landed on dry ground, the first thing he did was build an altar. Praise 71 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:11,880 God and I preached on that last Sunday. Then the Lord told him to be fruitful and 72 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:21,720 multiply. He said to fill the earth. Genesis 1 9. And upon hearing these words, 73 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:31,600 it was like a shift took place. It was a signal to Noah that now it's time to get 74 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:38,160 out of survival mode and to get into thriving mode. And he heard something in 75 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:44,920 that moment that switched everything for him. Now he realizes I've got to produce 76 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:51,680 a harvest. I can't live the way that I was living anymore because how are you 77 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:58,120 going to support a growing world without cultivating the land? God told him I want 78 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:02,360 you to be fruitful and multiply. I want you to fill the earth. We populate the 79 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:07,160 earth. And the very real question is if we do that, how are we going to feed all 80 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:16,240 of these mouths? We better plant a vineyard. We better start cultivating the 81 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:22,400 ground if we're going to sustain the growth that God is calling us to have. 82 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:28,920 It's important to note that Noah was fruitful in a variety of areas and a 83 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:34,080 variety of realms, different realms in life. In the spiritual realm, he was 84 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:39,840 fruitful because he built his altar. In the relational realm, when he grew his 85 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:46,440 family. In the financial realm with the planting of his vineyard. And in Noah we 86 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:51,480 get a picture of what balance looks like, healthy balance in the life of a 87 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:56,920 believer. Fruitfulness in all aspects of our life. I want you to understand that a 88 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:02,880 church that God wants us to be fruitful in all aspects of our lives. Amen. 89 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:08,840 And this is what fruitfulness looks like. You see people tend to gravitate towards 90 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:15,520 one realm or the other. Their spiritual fruit might be very plump and very, you 91 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:21,720 know, prosperous, but their relational fruit is not there. They don't have a 92 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:28,320 relational harvest. Or they're producing high-yielding financial or relational 93 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:34,200 fruit, but not spiritual fruit. But I believe that God wants us to thrive in 94 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:42,600 every dimension, in every sphere, every realm of life. Fruitfulness is the will of 95 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:49,080 God for every believer. If you believe that, say amen today. Come on, let's give 96 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:55,640 God a hand. Praise, amen. He wants you to be fruitful in all aspects. He doesn't 97 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:59,680 want this imbalancing occurring in our life where we're really spiritual and 98 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:04,720 fruitful over here, but yet we're not fruitful in our financers, our 99 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:09,560 fruitful in our relationship. God wants to see balance and even grow throughout 100 00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:15,200 our lives. And when we look at Noah's life, we see for the most part balance and 101 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:20,160 even grow throughout his life and journey with God. So if you want to be 102 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:23,720 fruitful today, let me give you a few things to consider. The first thing that 103 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:32,560 you need to do is protect the seeds. Protect the seeds. Scripture tells us that 104 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:41,960 Noah planted a vineyard. But then that made me wonder, where did he get the seeds? 105 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:47,800 We just read these things like he just went to Home Depot and picked up a, or to 106 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:54,360 the local nursery. Where did he get the seeds to plant that? They didn't just fall 107 00:11:54,360 --> 00:12:00,160 from the sky. There were only two options, I think. Perhaps first option is that he 108 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:05,960 found a vine somewhere and took seeds from it. As we read the story, we'll see 109 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:12,160 that vegetation existed on the earth when Noah arrived. We know that because 110 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:18,640 when the dove went out, he brought back a ripe olive branch in its mouth, which 111 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:24,640 told us that vegetation had existed. So it's a likely scenario that Noah 112 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:30,400 could have went out and come across some vines somewhere growing in the 113 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:35,600 wild and took those vines. And I can draw a spiritual application right there 114 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:41,200 and tell you that no matter where you land in God's will, he's already started 115 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:50,200 a harvest. Amen. He's already deposited a portion of what you need to thrive 116 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:54,920 wherever you it is that you land. It's helpful for me in my faith. I don't know 117 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:59,120 if this does anything for you, but it's helpful for me to know that every place 118 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:05,600 I go, God's already been there. Oh man, I don't know how this, oh man, I don't know 119 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:10,200 if this is jiving with you, but it does something to my faith to know that there's 120 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:15,280 not a place in this world I can go that the Spirit of God has not already gone 121 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:21,080 before me. And so when I arrive, wherever that place is, whether it's a financial 122 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:25,600 arrival, the spiritual arrival or relational, no matter where I arrive, it's 123 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:30,960 helpful for me to know that God has already in some measure prepared some 124 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:35,680 things for me. That when I get there, it's not like I'm starting with nothing. 125 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:40,400 Even if I got a little something, a little something with God is better than a 126 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:46,680 lot of something without him. I'd rather come on now. I'd rather have a little bit. 127 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:53,040 Amen. Just a grain of a mustard seed can move mountains. That's all God needs. 128 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:58,560 I'm gonna say that's all he needs. And so we see that Noah, he might have, he might 129 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:02,040 have. I'm just using conjecture here. Let's use our imagination. He might have 130 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:07,080 done that. It's conceivable to think that Noah went out there and found these 131 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:15,440 seeds. Noah's world was new, but it was not barren. God will never lead us to 132 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:21,400 barrenness. Rather, in the words of David, he makes me to lie down in green 133 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:28,800 pastures. He leads me beside still waters. Amen. And when you're following God, 134 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:37,280 he'll never lead you to a barren place. If Noah didn't find the seeds, that's one 135 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:42,000 option. I think that's conceivable that he would have found them. But let's say 136 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:47,920 that that's not what happened. Then the only other option would be that he took 137 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:57,480 his seeds with him. He took his seeds onto the ark and he stored them for this 138 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:04,560 moment. And I can preach on both options today. Because what it tells me about Noah, 139 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:09,160 if this is what he did, which is also conceivable, is that he took the seeds 140 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:14,440 that existed pre-flood and stored them. Because the Bible says that he brought 141 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:20,760 all the food onto the ark, right? Well, perhaps after they ate those seeds, after 142 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,720 they ate those fruits or those vegetables that they can, they took the seeds from 143 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:29,720 those things. And they said, let's make a seed supply here. Knowing that when they 144 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:34,920 stepped into the new world, they were going to have to replant what it is. Are 145 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:42,200 you replanting the blessings that God has placed in your life? He brought these 146 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:46,600 seeds with them, perhaps. And again, another spirit of the knowledge comes to 147 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:53,720 the surface here. And I can tell you this, that every word from God is a seed. 148 00:15:53,720 --> 00:16:00,120 A seed of faith that you can carry. If this is what Noah did when he entered the 149 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:05,360 ark and he took the seeds with him from the old world, from the prior blessings 150 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:11,560 of God, then it tells us that every word that God speaks into our life, even if we 151 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:16,240 don't need it in this moment, even if we don't need it right now, you better hold 152 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:20,920 on to the seed that God gives you. Because even if you don't need it today, you 153 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:29,560 might need it tomorrow. And at least you've got some seed in your life, amen. 154 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:34,960 Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing of the word of the Lord. Can 155 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,640 I tell you, you need preaching in your life. I know we live in a world that says 156 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,680 I don't, you know, I don't know if I, people say I don't know if I need a 157 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,200 preacher. I don't know if I need to hear a preacher. I don't know if I need to go to 158 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:49,320 church. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You need preaching. And you need to silence 159 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:56,280 every voice that comes against that. You need preaching. How shall they hear, the 160 00:16:56,280 --> 00:17:02,760 Bible says, unless a preacher. We need preaching. And if without preaching, how 161 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,400 are we ever going to grow? Because with the preaching of the Word, what we are 162 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,360 doing, let me tell you something about this, what we are doing right now on 163 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:15,280 Sundays, we're not just having church. This is a seed dispensary. We're having 164 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:20,760 our seeds today. And these seeds, whether you need them now or whether you need 165 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:26,880 them tomorrow, you need to collect all those seeds that you can. Oh my God, 166 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:32,600 somebody say, man. And he took all those seeds, perhaps. And then when he stepped 167 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:37,720 into this new world, he had the seeds that he needed. Now, we can't say for sure 168 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:43,200 how Noah came across these seed grapes. So I'm not going to turn any of these 169 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:48,200 points into a doctrine because we don't know for sure. But we know that what he 170 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:55,440 had, he did not waste. What he had, he did not lose them. He protected them. He 171 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:00,120 said, these seeds are precious. These seeds are valuable. These seeds are worth 172 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:04,720 something to me. I need to protect these seeds and guard them like Fort Knox, you 173 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:09,680 know, and not let anything to rob me of these seeds. I need to have my eye on the 174 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:13,560 seeds. I need to make sure that the seeds don't slip through the cracks somewhere. 175 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,720 I need to make sure that I've got seed. And I want to ask somebody today before I 176 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:23,960 move on to my next point. What does your seed supply look like? Is it full or is it 177 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,920 empty? Because if there's one thing the devil wants to do, he wants to rob you of 178 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:34,080 that seed. He does not. You can never plant unless you have a seed. And we've 179 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:37,720 got people that are trying to plant without seed. And those that try to plant 180 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,240 without seeds, you're not going to produce a harvest. You're just going to produce 181 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:46,080 nothing but smoke and mirrors. You're just going to produce, you know, vain 182 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,880 imaginations and hopeful thinking and wishful thinking. No, God didn't bring us 183 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,880 into the kingdom just to be wishful thinkers. God brought us into the kingdom 184 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:59,720 that we might possess and we might occupy. That which belongs to us. Amen. 185 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:05,960 Somebody. And if the enemy wants to do anything, he wants to rob us of those seeds. 186 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:11,400 I remind you of the parable of the sower and how the birds which represent the 187 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:16,680 enemy came in to rob the seed from the ground. And if you're not careful, if you 188 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:21,240 don't protect the seed and guard the seed and look after the seed, the birds of 189 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,680 this world, the enemies of our life will come and pluck those seeds out of our 190 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:30,280 life. So when the word of God goes forward, you got to protect that word and 191 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:34,920 cherish that word and hide that word in your heart and say, I'm going to hold, how 192 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:41,400 many of you today are holding on to a word from God? Oh, come on. I said, how 193 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:46,240 many of you today are holding on to a word? How many of you got a word from God 194 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:53,160 that you're holding on to? Come on, somebody say amen today. That's right. 195 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:55,960 And you got to have faith when you look at the seed because the seed doesn't 196 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,520 look like much when you're looking at it. You have to have vision. Someone say 197 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:05,320 vision. You've got to have vision. You have to see the vineyard in the seed. You 198 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,960 have to see the vineyard. You got to see the potential. And so don't curse your 199 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:14,800 tomorrow based on the status of your seed today. Don't throw away tomorrow 200 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,760 because your seed looks, my God, I feel like talking to somebody. Don't throw 201 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:23,520 away tomorrow. Don't throw away, Godly living. Don't throw away faith. Don't throw 202 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:28,480 away obedience. Don't throw away, come on. Don't throw away promises. Don't throw 203 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:33,240 away these things because your current seed looks small and minuscule and 204 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:37,840 insignificant. No, the devil is a liar. He wants to rob you of that seed because 205 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:43,840 in that seed is a harvest. In that seed is potential. In that seed is revival. 206 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:49,640 Oh, I feel something in the Holy Ghost. I got a seed from God and I'm believing 207 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:53,440 that when I plant that seed something is going to happen. Am I preaching all 208 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:58,440 right today? Amen. Is somebody hearing what I'm saying today? So don't judge 209 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:03,680 my seed because you don't know that in the seed is a harvest. And the second 210 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:09,000 thing that after you protect the seed, you need to plant the seed. Don't just 211 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,520 hold because we got people that just hold on to their seed and then they never 212 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:18,880 plant them. I don't know what the earth looked like after the flood, but I have 213 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:26,600 visited places. I have visited places after floods. I went myself after 214 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:31,520 Hurricane Harvey in Houston. I went to visit friends of mine who's lost 215 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:36,000 everything in the rain and in the flood over there. I walked through their houses. 216 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,440 I saw the damage that the flood did not just to the inside of the house, but of 217 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:45,040 course all of the the environment around them. And I could tell you that things 218 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:51,400 are messy after a flood. I said things are messy sometimes. They're messy after a 219 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:57,320 flood. You know what floods do? Floods change the landscape. They change the 220 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:01,520 land. When I was driving down the streets of Houston, I saw trees where they 221 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:07,000 shouldn't have been. I saw couches where they shouldn't have been. I saw tires and 222 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:11,980 things. Everything was kind of out of order. The landscape looked different. The 223 00:22:11,980 --> 00:22:16,840 flood was over, but even after the flood, even after our trials, even after 224 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:21,280 God brings us to, there's still some cleanup that has to be done. Ah, amen 225 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:25,640 somebody. You know why? Because things get moved around. Stuff isn't where it's 226 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:30,280 supposed to be, where it used to be. And thus when Noah, when he stepped off of 227 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:35,960 the ark, what he saw was a new world, but it was uncultivated. It was unrefined. 228 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:42,120 It wasn't ready yet for this harvest. And so what he had to do, like the verse I 229 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:46,800 read is he had to cultivate. Someone say cultivate. Come on, say it again. Say 230 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:54,360 cultivate. You better learn how to cultivate. And in cultivation, we see 231 00:22:54,360 --> 00:23:00,000 this is where people tend to kind of drop out of the picture. This is where, 232 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:05,240 this is where it's going to require work to get done. God may have brought us out 233 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:10,520 of miraculously through the flood, but then when we come to a place of new 234 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:15,240 beginnings, we have to learn how to cultivate. Someone say cultivate. Yeah, I 235 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:20,080 really need to talk about cultivation, lest we think that the way to the promise 236 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:27,880 is just, you know, just a quick overnight process. It's not. It's not. The way to a 237 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:32,800 healthy family, the way to a healthy marriage, the way to a healthy home, and 238 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:37,080 a healthy future, and a blessed career, and a blessed ministry. All the good 239 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:40,520 things that God wants to do through you, through your life, and in your life, and 240 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:44,400 bring to you through a harvest. They're not just going to happen at the snap of a 241 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:49,600 finger. Come on now, somebody. They're not just going to happen just because you 242 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:53,640 got to learn how to cultivate, because when you come out of a flood, the 243 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:58,600 landscape has changed, and half of your frustration is caused by how you're 244 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:02,960 looking at things. You came through the trial and you thought everything's what 245 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:08,720 was going to be made for you. Oh man, it's going to get quiet now. Hallelujah. You 246 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,000 thought it was all going to be set up. You thought it was just going to be 247 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,640 waiting for you, and just, you know, the table's already set, praise God. I mean, 248 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:19,040 we like when that happens, right? The table's already set. Everything's already 249 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:24,280 in order. It's nice showing up when things have already been prepared. Huh? 250 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:28,880 That's right. Isn't that nice? You show up somewhere. Hey man, everything's already 251 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:33,400 done. All you got to do is partake, and then you can head out, right? That's nice. 252 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,880 But for the things that God is doing in our lives, you know, we got to learn how 253 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:43,280 to cultivate. And sometimes your frustration is not over the fact that 254 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:47,440 God hasn't moved because God has moved. It's that you don't recognize the form 255 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:57,160 that God has moved. You're waiting for God to do your job. Oh my Lord. I'm gonna go 256 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:04,720 back and watch this sermon all by myself. I like it that much. Huh? How many of us 257 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:11,240 are praying and asking God to do things that we have the power to do ourselves? 258 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:16,160 Asking God to fix things, resolve things, get his hands dirty. You know, God said, 259 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:21,400 I've already done the heavy lifting. I already brought you out of the flood, and 260 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:26,240 I brought you out of the flood so that you can learn how to work your faith in a 261 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:31,560 different realm, how to get your hands in the soil, and get back to doing what I 262 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:40,480 called you to do. God, I just need you to fix that person over there and just deal 263 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:45,480 with them. I say, no, that's why I gave you the Holy Ghost so that you can be a 264 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:49,880 peacemaker and talk to that person, ask for forgiveness, figure out what's going 265 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:57,640 on, and make it right. Now we're getting somewhere. And I just, I just want that 266 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:03,040 job, Lord, just just just give it to me. Huh? That's wonderful. All right. But what 267 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:07,480 are you doing to prepare for that job? Why should God give you something you 268 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,640 can't sustain? 269 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:22,920 God, I want more. Everyone wants more. What have you done with less? You couldn't 270 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:33,400 tie on the, oh, we have it, every careful. And you want God to bless you with more? 271 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:38,080 God's just must be scratching his head sometimes. 272 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:48,200 No, he, he had to change his mentality because all up to this point, he, he was 273 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:52,760 just a survivor. He was living to keep his head above water. He was living to 274 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:57,760 just stay, stay afloat. And you see, in order for Noah to plant, he had to stop 275 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:03,800 thinking like a sailor and start thinking like a farmer. On the boat, you know 276 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:08,240 what he did? He floated for a living. You know, the, you know, the cool thing 277 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:13,160 about being on a boat like Noah, you just go wherever the wind takes you. You go 278 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:19,360 wherever the doors open. I'm gonna get into some things right now. You know that 279 00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:23,720 Noah's boat didn't even have a sail on it. He didn't even have a rudder on it. It 280 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:29,520 literally went wherever the current took it. And there are times in life I get it 281 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,600 where we just go wherever the current is gonna take us. But you can't live your 282 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:39,680 whole life like that. Oh my God. You can't just go, well, wherever door opens, that 283 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:46,800 must be it. Are you sure? My God. You got to get to a point now, like Noah did. He 284 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:51,840 realized I can't think like a boat dweller anymore. I can't think like a 285 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:57,720 sailor. I got to start thinking like a farmer now. And sometimes that means 286 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:03,000 creating something that wasn't there before. He had to change his mentality. 287 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,240 While he was in the boat, it was, can I tell you something? It's the will of God 288 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:14,520 until it's not. It was the will of God to get him through and then to stop being 289 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:19,320 the will of God because he told Noah, get out of the boat. 290 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:25,440 Plant, cultivate. It's time to move on the greater things. It's time to see that 291 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:30,200 harvest and produce this in your life. And so he had to change his mentality and 292 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:35,920 pivot so that he can thrive. And I just want to just offer this for whatever it's 293 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:41,240 worth to somebody today. It could be that half the frustration could end today. I'm 294 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:46,160 talking about in this service, half of your frustration could end if you would 295 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:51,720 simply pivot from the mindset of a floater to the mindset of a farmer. Oh 296 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:58,360 my God, I'm gonna help somebody to, half your frustration could be solved if you 297 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:02,760 just change the way you're looking at your life and the things that how they 298 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,560 are happening and what's going on and say, maybe God's trying to teach me a new 299 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,480 trick, huh? Maybe God's trying to develop me in a new way. Maybe God's trying to 300 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:14,800 stretch my fate and move me in a area that I may not be comfortable with, but 301 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:19,160 I'm gonna learn how to do this. I'm gonna grow where I'm planted. Come on, 302 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:26,480 somebody give the Lord some praise today. Hallelujah. You got to learn how to adapt. 303 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:32,680 Someone say adapt. You know what happens if you don't want to adapt, you end up dying. 304 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:37,560 You got to learn to adapt. There's a big difference between adapting and 305 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:41,400 compromising. We're not talking about compromising, but there's nothing wrong 306 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:46,760 with adapting to where God has you right now. What sustained you in the last 307 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:50,280 season, I'll be just a few more moments, amen. I'm almost done with my introduction 308 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:58,200 here. Getting you all nervous, but I have plans at four. I know, we're gonna help 309 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:02,440 you out right now. Listen, what sustained you in the last season may not work in 310 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:10,000 this season. I wrote this down and it really just spoke to me. Don't get caught 311 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:17,000 trying to sail through something you're supposed to plow. The flood is over. 312 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:23,600 Somebody say the flood is over. Now it's time to plow. Now it's time to plant. Get 313 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:28,400 your hands dirty. Some of you in your spiritual lives have never got dirt 314 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:37,480 under your fingernails. It's messy there. It's dirty there. Some people got no 315 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:43,280 blisters on their spiritual hands. You know, me and my brother, we used to have 316 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:46,600 this saying that we would call certain Christians in the church. We'll call them 317 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:51,640 blister Christians. You know what a blister Christian is? How many of you know 318 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:56,240 what a blister is when you're working? It shows up after the work's already been 319 00:30:56,240 --> 00:31:04,080 done. I'm gonna let you think about that one for a moment. Blister Christians show 320 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:11,840 up when the work is done. You need to earn your own blister. You need to get your 321 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:16,400 own blisters. You know, don't try to piggyback off of someone else's work. Get 322 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:20,200 your own blisters. Get your own hands involved in the work of God. Get your 323 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:24,160 own hands involved in the ministries that are happening in this church. Oh my 324 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,800 Lord, open up your own life. Open up your own home. Open up your own world, your 325 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:33,520 own family, your own works. Open yourself up. Get your own hands involved in 326 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,840 what God is trying to do so that you can experience how many of you want the 327 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:40,720 harvest that God has for you? How many of you want to see a greater 328 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:48,160 manifestation of God in your life? Hallelujah! Someone say, Hallelujah today! 329 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:51,280 Before I move on to my final point and wrap this thing up, I want you to 330 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:55,280 understand that the the season you plant are so important. So what I would 331 00:31:55,280 --> 00:32:00,200 encourage you to do is plant like in accordance to what you're believing 332 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:06,000 God's gonna do in your life. Plant like you're believing for a great harvest. 333 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:12,680 This is what the Word says, He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, but 334 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:18,480 He who so help me out, He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 335 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:26,000 God said, I will bless you in proportion to how you sow. So if you want to 336 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:31,280 experience more, if you want to experience a bountiful harvest, then sow 337 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:37,360 bountifully. And if you sow bountifully, I will show you that I will give you more 338 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:42,120 than just a little patch. Look, I don't know about you, but I want more than just 339 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:47,080 a little courtyard garden. I want more than just a backyard garden. I want a 340 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:54,480 whole field. I want a whole, my God, I want it. Not for me, for my own selfish 341 00:32:54,480 --> 00:33:01,360 purpose. I want it for the glory of God. I want it for my children. Come on. I want 342 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:06,400 it for those souls that are out there. And I invite the piano player to come on. 343 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:09,880 Let me give you the final thing is that is we have to wait for harvest. I want to 344 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,880 say wait for harvest. The hardest part about everything I have preached today 345 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:19,280 is not simply the carrying of the seeds. It's not just the protecting of the 346 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:27,920 seeds and the planting of the seeds, but it's waiting for harvest. Noah had to be 347 00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:38,800 patient in order to see the fruits of his labor. He had to wait for his vineyard to 348 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:46,760 produce. We don't know how long he had to wait, but I would imagine that he had to 349 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:53,240 wait the same amount of time that every vine dresser, every husband, man, every 350 00:33:53,240 --> 00:34:01,440 farmer, harvester had to wait because God promised there's going to be, while the 351 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:12,520 earth remains, see time and harvest. Planting and harvest, cold and heat. So 352 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:18,440 God said, look, I'm not going to fast-track you. You're going to be subject to the 353 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:25,520 season. Someone say seasons. So you need to plant in this season what you hope to 354 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:33,520 eat in that season. Oh, man, I got to say that again. You need to plant in this 355 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:42,680 season what you hope to eat in that season. But between here and then, there's a 356 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:49,920 period of time that we have to wait on God. Can I tell you nothing good grows 357 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:58,720 overnight? I'm skeptical of things that grow overnight. How about you? I'm 358 00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:04,960 skeptical of things that just from one day to the next is like, it's all, you know, 359 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:14,680 grown. Because typically that which grows quick doesn't grow long. That which 360 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:21,480 usually grows too quick, too fast. Typically does it last. And if I remember, 361 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:31,240 Jesus calls us to bear fruit and fruit that remains. God is bringing someone 362 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:35,920 today into that place. You're in a new beginning. You're in a new start. You're 363 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:40,880 in a new world. Maybe your whole life or maybe just one aspect of your life. But 364 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:45,040 this is what God wants me to encourage somebody with. You need to hold on until 365 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:52,280 you see your harvest. You got to hold on until you see the fulfillment. Hold on, 366 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:58,560 Noah. You're doing it the first time, Noah. You're the first farmer in the new 367 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:02,880 world. God's calling some of you to do some things that maybe have never been 368 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:07,560 done before. Some things that you've never even seen modeled before. You're 369 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:12,280 venturing into places that you've never been before. Trusting God for things 370 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:16,360 you've never seen before. Come on now, somebody. And the Lord wants you to know 371 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:21,280 that when you plant those seeds, you got to hold on and wait for the fulfillment 372 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:25,360 to come. It's not going to come overnight. It's not going to come right away. But 373 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:30,480 if you keep on trusting in him and you keep on believing in him, oh, hallelujah, 374 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:35,840 and you keep on waiting on him, I know this Paul said, and let us not grow 375 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:42,680 weary while doing good for induced season. We shall reap. Everyone say reap. Oh, 376 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:49,320 come on. Say it again. Say reap. We shall reap if we do not lose heart. Would you 377 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:56,760 stand with me this afternoon today? Oh, my Lord, waiting is the hardest part and 378 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:02,840 all that you've got to do is wait and not lose heart. Wait and I'm talking to 379 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:07,080 somebody today that might be losing heart. Somebody that might be losing 380 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:13,120 patience. You're not, you're losing patience. You're losing heart. You're 381 00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:20,520 wondering God when are you going to do it? When is it going to happen? Can I tell 382 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:29,480 you that God's not moving on your timetable. He's moving on his. There is an 383 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:34,000 appointed time. I'd like you to close your eyes for a moment. I just feel 384 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:42,440 off. We're at a very sacred and holy moment right now in the service. Not 385 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:49,320 because it's me standing behind this whole bit. Not because the music is just 386 00:37:49,320 --> 00:38:03,400 right, but because the word has gone forth from the mouth of God and God, God is 387 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:09,840 trying to get you to see what has always been there. Some of you as a minister 388 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:13,400 right now, if you can keep your eyes closer a moment as a minister, some of 389 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:23,880 you have given up silently, privately given up on things. Some of you have been 390 00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:32,520 struggling and wrestling with the delay of your harvest. And you think at times 391 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:39,520 that God has forgotten about you. You think at times that it's possibly never 392 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:48,760 going to come. You think at times that maybe his blessings passed you by. But 393 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:53,840 the Lord sent me here today to remind you that he did not bring you through 394 00:38:53,840 --> 00:39:04,640 everything he did. He did not bring you through the flood. Write your name in the 395 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:10,400 book of life. Wash your sins away. Feel you with his spirit. Sanctify you and give 396 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:15,160 you a name. He didn't do all of those things just so that you can stay where 397 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:20,680 you are. He didn't do all of those things so that you would be fruitless and 398 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:30,940 barren. Oh no God brought you through those things. Kept you. 399 00:39:30,940 --> 00:39:43,200 Sustained you, healed you, saved you so that you would produce a harvest in due 400 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:48,280 season. I feel the Holy Ghost right now. I know I'm talking to 401 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:52,520 somebody right now. You just got to begin to respond to what the 402 00:39:52,520 --> 00:40:00,720 spirit of the Lord is speaking into your spirit right now. Oh, you're 403 00:40:00,720 --> 00:40:09,360 shunned. God said I didn't bring you all this way. Oh my God, my God, my God. To 404 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:17,880 leave you high and dry. Oh my love. But I brought you to show you that you would 405 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:26,120 see the goodness. Oh my Lord. David said I would have given up. He said I would 406 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:31,640 have given up unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in 407 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:36,520 the land of the living. I've come to tell you that God's got a living land for you. 408 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:56,920 God's got a harvest for you.