WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:03.790 And I'm going to read today out of Psalm one, 00:00:03.810 --> 00:00:07.230 verse three, Psalm one, verse three. I hope that 00:00:07.230 --> 00:00:09.570 you have been meditating on this entire psalm 00:00:09.570 --> 00:00:14.050 and even challenging yourself to not just meditate, 00:00:14.169 --> 00:00:17.510 but even memorize portions of it or the whole 00:00:17.510 --> 00:00:20.890 thing. If you're up for the challenge, not too 00:00:20.890 --> 00:00:23.690 long of a psalm, but but it'll bless your life. 00:00:23.750 --> 00:00:27.250 It'll strengthen you. And in verse three, it 00:00:27.250 --> 00:00:32.369 says he shall be. Like a tree planted by the 00:00:32.369 --> 00:00:37.049 rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in 00:00:37.049 --> 00:00:41.729 its season. Everybody say fruit. Whose leaf also 00:00:41.729 --> 00:00:47.570 shall not wither and whatsoever he does shall 00:00:47.570 --> 00:00:53.670 prosper. Amen. I'm going to speak for a few moments 00:00:53.670 --> 00:00:57.750 today about the laws of fruitfulness. The laws. 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:05.040 In week one, we looked and we talked about soil. 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:08.680 It was all about soil, where you are planted. 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:16.780 Week two was all about seeds and roots and what 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:20.540 grows beneath. But today, we are moving from 00:01:20.540 --> 00:01:29.200 roots to fruit. You cannot see the roots. But 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:35.640 you can taste and see its fruits. And healthy 00:01:35.640 --> 00:01:44.939 roots should always produce fruit. Should always 00:01:44.939 --> 00:01:49.739 produce fruit. And this is why a farmer does 00:01:49.739 --> 00:01:55.680 not need to command an apple tree to produce 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:59.730 apples. He doesn't have to go up to an apple 00:01:59.730 --> 00:02:02.390 tree and declare, you're going to produce apples. 00:02:03.709 --> 00:02:07.409 Because if the seed is planted in good soil and 00:02:07.409 --> 00:02:11.969 receives the right care, it will naturally produce 00:02:11.969 --> 00:02:19.729 what it is. It's the law of nature. And the same 00:02:19.729 --> 00:02:24.469 is true spiritually. You do not have to command 00:02:24.469 --> 00:02:28.699 fruit into existence. In your life, you don't 00:02:28.699 --> 00:02:32.659 even have to pray for fruit. I know that sounds 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:37.819 a bit odd to hear, but you shouldn't even have 00:02:37.819 --> 00:02:42.199 to pray for fruit. Because if your roots are 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:49.020 deep and healthy, fruit is inevitable. Fruit 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:53.560 ought to come. In fact, there are some who are 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:59.159 erroneously. praying for fruit instead of addressing 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:03.819 their roots. We're praying for things that our 00:03:03.819 --> 00:03:09.580 roots cannot sustain. But the purpose of a tree 00:03:09.580 --> 00:03:14.780 is fruit. And since you and I, as God's people, 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:19.740 are trees of righteousness, as we have read in 00:03:19.740 --> 00:03:22.939 Isaiah, the planting of the Lord. God's purpose 00:03:22.939 --> 00:03:29.939 for our lives is to bear spiritual fruit. Somebody 00:03:29.939 --> 00:03:36.479 say amen. You need to know that God designed 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:40.520 you to bear fruit. Each and every one of us. 00:03:40.539 --> 00:03:44.759 He's called us to bear fruit. If you want to 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:49.879 know what your purpose is in life. Why God saved 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:55.050 you. sanctified you, transformed you is so that 00:03:55.050 --> 00:04:00.729 you could produce spiritual fruit. I know that 00:04:00.729 --> 00:04:04.930 there are lots of ways in which we can talk about 00:04:04.930 --> 00:04:09.289 our purpose, our individual unique callings and 00:04:09.289 --> 00:04:15.849 passions and desires that are very tailored to 00:04:15.849 --> 00:04:19.410 who you are as an individual. But by and large, 00:04:19.449 --> 00:04:22.889 we are all called to that primary calling of 00:04:22.889 --> 00:04:26.949 producing spiritual fruit. Now, God can see our 00:04:26.949 --> 00:04:30.110 roots because God sees what is growing beneath. 00:04:30.610 --> 00:04:35.110 He's got x -ray vision. He's got vision that 00:04:35.110 --> 00:04:39.389 allows Him to see us in our private, personal, 00:04:39.709 --> 00:04:43.870 dare I say, secret lives. There are no secrets 00:04:43.870 --> 00:04:50.300 with God. Amen. But the world, can only see your 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:53.180 fruit. The world cannot see your roots. They 00:04:53.180 --> 00:04:56.839 only see your fruit. You can tell them all you 00:04:56.839 --> 00:05:01.420 want about your roots. I've got good roots. And 00:05:01.420 --> 00:05:05.759 all they'll hear is what you can say, but they'll 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:09.939 only know you by what they see on the outside. 00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:14.240 And if we are to be true witnesses of Christ, 00:05:15.339 --> 00:05:18.459 who have been converted and transformed by the 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:21.899 power of the gospel, by the power of God, then 00:05:21.899 --> 00:05:29.699 our fruits, what we produce, should confirm our 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:35.300 confession. And if ever there is a contradiction 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:40.879 between what we confess with our mouth and what 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:43.949 we produce in our life, That ought to cause us 00:05:43.949 --> 00:05:46.829 to go back to the word, back to an altar, back 00:05:46.829 --> 00:05:51.089 to a place of God reforming, reshaping, developing 00:05:51.089 --> 00:05:55.029 us because there ought to never be that contradiction. 00:05:55.310 --> 00:05:58.949 We have to be consistent in who we say that we 00:05:58.949 --> 00:06:03.250 are. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 7 that 00:06:03.250 --> 00:06:09.050 you will know them by their fruits. You will 00:06:09.050 --> 00:06:12.579 know them by... He didn't say by what they say. 00:06:12.899 --> 00:06:16.620 Come on, somebody. He didn't say by who they 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:22.139 know or how well they perform in front of others 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:25.920 or in the church even. By how dutiful they are, 00:06:26.060 --> 00:06:29.379 how religious they are in the temple. No. He 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:32.660 said you're going to know that they are who they 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:36.019 say they are by their fruits. Somebody say fruits. 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:41.660 That's it. That's what it comes down to. Our 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:45.620 fruits. So at some point, there must be an outward 00:06:45.620 --> 00:06:51.000 sign of an inward change. If the tree is healthy, 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:55.399 it's going to produce fruit. Those fruits will 00:06:55.399 --> 00:07:00.759 eventually appear on the branches. And without 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.740 announcing itself, an apple tree doesn't have 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:06.439 to put a sign in front of it that says, I'm an 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:11.399 apple tree. In case you didn't know. He doesn't 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:13.000 have to say. He doesn't have to announce to the 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:16.279 world. An apple tree doesn't put a bumper sticker 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:20.720 on its car that says, I'm an apple tree. You 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:24.079 will know it's an apple tree by its fruit, by 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:28.240 its conduct, by its demeanor, by the way that 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:31.540 it produces the fruit, you'll know. And that 00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:34.600 is the power of a true witness of Christ, church, 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:38.399 is that it doesn't matter what we say. Our actions 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:43.399 speak louder. than words. Amen. Why don't we 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:47.439 give God a hand of praise for that? Amen? Praise 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:51.699 God. According to Galatians 5, the fruit of the 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:57.180 Spirit is love, joy, peace, long -suffering, 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:03.139 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:07.399 and one of my personal favorites, self -control. 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:13.279 But the Bible also speaks of other types of fruit, 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:18.560 not just these that we've heard about, possibly, 00:08:18.579 --> 00:08:20.980 but the Bible also talks about the fruits of 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:24.699 repentance, fruits worthy of repentance, fruits 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:29.300 of righteousness, and even the fruit of our speech, 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:34.059 the fruit of our speech, and talks about the 00:08:34.059 --> 00:08:38.360 fruits of our labor. Amen. The reward that we 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:42.899 receive for the honest hard work that we put 00:08:42.899 --> 00:08:47.700 forth. He even talks about the fruit of our praise. 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:51.840 Amen. The praise as the fruit of our lips and 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:55.440 thanksgiving. These are all fruits. And I'm not 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:59.440 going to today examine every one of them. You 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:03.059 can through your own Bible reading and your own 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:06.940 study. Examine the types of fruit. We're not 00:09:06.940 --> 00:09:10.820 going to do an inspection of all the fruits. 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:15.220 But just know that there are various fruits, 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:20.580 various outworkings or expressions of faith that 00:09:20.580 --> 00:09:25.240 say to our neighbor, to our family members, to 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:29.980 others who we are. Jesus said that the branch 00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:36.519 cannot bear fruit of itself. Unless it abides 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:40.519 in the vine, neither can you unless you abide 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:46.379 in me. So one of the reasons why we don't have 00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:48.860 to inspect and look at every one of these fruits, 00:09:49.100 --> 00:09:52.580 sometimes people go, how can I grow in joy if 00:09:52.580 --> 00:09:55.179 I just got to grow in more joy? So this week 00:09:55.179 --> 00:09:59.539 I'm going to work on the joy fruit. Next Sunday, 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:01.700 next week, I'm going to work on the self -control 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:03.740 fruit. Let me tell you something. Let me unlock. 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:06.919 And make it real simple for you today. You don't 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.779 have to work on your fruits. If you work on getting 00:10:09.779 --> 00:10:12.659 planted and rooted, the fruit will take care 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:19.480 of itself. Amen. He said, just abide in me. Because 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:22.379 every one of these fruits are all attributes 00:10:22.379 --> 00:10:26.320 of Christ. They're all characteristics of Christ. 00:10:26.379 --> 00:10:30.990 So if we just focus on... The planting of our 00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:34.210 lives. Focus on nourishing and growing as a believer. 00:10:34.450 --> 00:10:37.330 These fruits are going to come. And they're going 00:10:37.330 --> 00:10:40.110 to flourish in our lives. But I want today, before 00:10:40.110 --> 00:10:42.750 I conclude this message, I want to share with 00:10:42.750 --> 00:10:45.850 you three laws. I call this message the laws 00:10:45.850 --> 00:10:49.009 of fruitfulness. And there are three for your 00:10:49.009 --> 00:10:52.289 consideration, for your study, for your growth 00:10:52.289 --> 00:10:55.960 today that I want... To guide you with three 00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:59.120 laws, three spiritual laws of fruitfulness. The 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:04.980 first law is this. Is that fruit exists for others. 00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:12.240 Someone say others. Say it again. Others. You 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:17.019 know that trees don't eat their own fruit. They 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:20.379 don't eat their own fruit. They exist to feed 00:11:20.379 --> 00:11:27.179 others. But a fruitless tree exists only for 00:11:27.179 --> 00:11:31.039 itself. Think about a fruitless tree for a moment. 00:11:32.179 --> 00:11:36.799 That was in its DNA created to bear fruit, but 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:40.659 is fruitless. Think about that tree. Think about 00:11:40.659 --> 00:11:42.820 it in your mind for a moment. It stands there. 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:47.620 A fruitless tree stands there very proudly, almost 00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:53.019 like a statue or a monument. And since it has 00:11:53.019 --> 00:11:57.340 nothing to really offer, what it thrives on is 00:11:57.340 --> 00:12:02.019 attention. A fruitless tree, the only thing that 00:12:02.019 --> 00:12:06.460 really keeps it going is waiting to be noticed, 00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:12.740 appreciated for its beauty. It stands there with 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:17.600 its lush green leaves, outstretched branches. 00:12:18.990 --> 00:12:21.370 And the only thing it can really, the only value 00:12:21.370 --> 00:12:24.990 that it really brings is the value of bringing 00:12:24.990 --> 00:12:28.570 attention to itself and saying, look at how wonderful 00:12:28.570 --> 00:12:35.190 of a tree I am. And so it gets its 15 seconds 00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:38.909 of fame, I guess. It gets a like. It gets a love. 00:12:38.970 --> 00:12:41.570 It gets a click. It gets a follow. But that's 00:12:41.570 --> 00:12:46.049 about it. Doesn't get much. Maybe like a compliment, 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:49.559 you know. Wow, what a. What a great tree you 00:12:49.559 --> 00:12:54.580 are. Huh? But I want you to understand that as 00:12:54.580 --> 00:13:00.480 glorious, as lovely, as green, as beautiful as 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:05.059 that tree might be, without fruit, it does nothing 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:09.340 to feed and to nourish the lives of other people. 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:17.440 God is not impressed with fruitless trees. No 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:22.059 matter how lovely, how holy, how wonderful they 00:13:22.059 --> 00:13:24.720 appear on the outside. Hear me today, church. 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:28.480 God is not impressed with fruitless trees. So 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:33.639 much so that when Jesus once saw a fig tree full 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:38.580 of leaves, but without fruit, the Bible says 00:13:38.580 --> 00:13:44.240 he cursed it. Think of that. Why would Jesus 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:49.539 curse a perfectly well -manicured, polished green 00:13:49.539 --> 00:13:53.980 tree? Like, what's wrong with that? In the eyes 00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:56.639 of man, it looks like something you might put 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.559 in the front yard, something to beautify. God's 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:03.759 not interested in just having beautiful fixtures 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:07.600 in his temple. Oh, my God, I might just preach 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.679 today. Hallelujah. God's not interested in just 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:15.559 having beautiful fixtures in his family. No, 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:18.139 that's not what he wants. And so he cursed the 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:21.000 tree. And what he was teaching his disciples 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.759 is that through this object lesson, he teaches 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:28.179 them that appearance without fruit is just empty 00:14:28.179 --> 00:14:33.240 religion. It helps no one. It might be beautiful. 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:35.960 It might be attractive. It might generate some 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:38.759 compliments, some likes. People might be impressed 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:42.019 by what they see and what they hear. But at the 00:14:42.019 --> 00:14:45.159 end of the day, nobody is being fed. Nobody's 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:48.340 coming to Christ. Nobody is being nourished. 00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:51.559 No one's being ministered to in a real, personal, 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:55.120 genuine way because there's all leaves and no 00:14:55.120 --> 00:15:00.649 fruit. And so Jesus, the most cursed people in 00:15:00.649 --> 00:15:04.889 the world are not those that are practicing witchcraft. 00:15:04.990 --> 00:15:08.169 They're not those that are worshiping the devil. 00:15:08.330 --> 00:15:10.690 They're not those that are practicing evil and 00:15:10.690 --> 00:15:13.309 darkness. The most cursed people in the world 00:15:13.309 --> 00:15:19.059 are those that have all green and no fruit. Jesus 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:22.059 never cursed the prostitute. He never cursed 00:15:22.059 --> 00:15:27.120 the wind. But he cursed a perfectly well manicured 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:31.039 tree because it was all branches and leaves and 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:36.980 it served no godly purpose. Now that might have 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:39.460 just blown somebody's mind for a second. You 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:43.840 say, wow. You mean I could be in a state of, 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:49.440 well, possibly. If we don't pay attention to 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:52.200 what God is calling us to do, the fig tree looked 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:54.659 alive, but it produced nothing. And it was a 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:58.799 picture that Jesus was drawing of the Pharisees, 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:02.940 a sect of religious hardliners. I mean, these 00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:05.700 people were hardliners. They dotted every I, 00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:09.019 crossed every T. If I could say it in the 21st 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:12.580 century, they were like the apostolic of apostolic. 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:17.120 I mean, they had it down. They were. Polished, 00:16:17.139 --> 00:16:19.019 they were. I mean, you couldn't find anything 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:21.700 wrong with these people because they spent all 00:16:21.700 --> 00:16:24.559 of their time perfecting their image, but no 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:28.600 fruit. They weren't helping anybody. And eventually, 00:16:28.940 --> 00:16:32.200 they themselves were cursed. You see, why is 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:34.039 this principle so important today, church? I'll 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:37.019 tell you why. It's because people cannot eat 00:16:37.019 --> 00:16:46.080 leaves. They're hungry for fruit. People can't 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:49.039 eat leaves as beautiful as it might be. Oh, look 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:51.779 at that wonderful person. Look at how sparkly 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:54.360 clean they are with all of that beauty and all 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:57.000 of that holiness and all that. Hey, that's wonderful. 00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:02.039 But nobody can eat from that tree. It looks impressive 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:05.000 from a distance. And it creates the appearance 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.519 of life. Hey, it looks like they got it all together. 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:10.359 Man, things must be going well. They must be 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:14.329 blessed. They must be prosperous. When you take 00:17:14.329 --> 00:17:18.119 a closer look, you'll see. That it's just branches. 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:21.819 Oh, it may look like it's got life in it. They 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:25.299 rustle in the wind and they cover the branches 00:17:25.299 --> 00:17:29.180 with color. But they cannot satisfy hunger. I'm 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:31.220 here to tell you today, church, in a spiritual 00:17:31.220 --> 00:17:33.799 sense, God is not looking for a church that only 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:36.339 has activity. Hey, we can have a lot of activity. 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:39.279 How many know we can make a lot of noise, right? 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:42.019 We can make a lot of noise. We can do it with 00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:44.619 or without a microphone. We can run all kinds 00:17:44.619 --> 00:17:47.460 of programs in our church. We can have excellent 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:50.500 presentation. Good for here. Good for online. 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:53.480 I mean, we can really make ourselves a spectacle 00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:56.099 and say, well, we really got it going on here. 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:59.640 But that's not going to feed hungry people if 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:02.339 there is no fruit. People are not looking just 00:18:02.339 --> 00:18:06.119 for the, they're not just looking for wind in 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:08.900 the breeze of the leaves. They're not just looking 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:11.160 for activity. They're looking for something that's 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:13.819 going to satisfy their soul. They're looking 00:18:13.819 --> 00:18:18.019 for truth. Transforms for love that heals, for 00:18:18.019 --> 00:18:21.180 power that sets them free, and for grace that 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:23.839 restores. Let's give God a hand of praise today. 00:18:23.980 --> 00:18:28.059 Hallelujah. That's what they're looking for. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:33.519 Leaves attract attention. And you'll know that 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:37.339 someone is a leafy Christian is when they stop 00:18:37.339 --> 00:18:40.420 getting the attention, they start revealing their 00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:45.720 true nature. But when you're producing fruit, 00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:49.099 you don't care about the attention. Because that 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:52.240 fruit is changing people's lives. We're not just 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:53.940 called to look the part, church. We're called 00:18:53.940 --> 00:18:58.299 to bear fruit. Somebody say fruit. So the first 00:18:58.299 --> 00:19:03.559 law is that fruit exists for others. Number two 00:19:03.559 --> 00:19:08.799 is that fruit takes time. Someone say it takes 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:17.009 time. Psalm 1 tells us that the tree brings forth 00:19:17.009 --> 00:19:24.869 fruit in its season. Why in its season? Because 00:19:24.869 --> 00:19:29.230 fruit cannot be rushed. It's a process. Somebody 00:19:29.230 --> 00:19:34.490 say, it's a process. It's a process that works 00:19:34.490 --> 00:19:40.009 in conjunction with the cycles and the seasons 00:19:40.009 --> 00:19:45.789 of nature. Ecclesiastes 3 .1 says it this way, 00:19:45.829 --> 00:19:49.710 to everything there is a season, a time for every 00:19:49.710 --> 00:19:54.049 purpose under heaven. And it goes on to talk 00:19:54.049 --> 00:19:58.970 about there being a time to plant, a time to 00:19:58.970 --> 00:20:05.289 pluck what has been planted. But something we 00:20:05.289 --> 00:20:08.750 should be aware of is that if you pluck the fruit 00:20:08.750 --> 00:20:12.380 while it's still green, And unripe, if you try 00:20:12.380 --> 00:20:16.440 to take the fruit from a tree that is not ripe 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:22.500 yet, it has no flavor. It's bitter. Some of the 00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:24.859 source of the sourness in people's lives and 00:20:24.859 --> 00:20:26.940 the bitterness is not because God doesn't love 00:20:26.940 --> 00:20:28.759 them and doesn't want to use their life. It's 00:20:28.759 --> 00:20:30.720 because they try to pluck fruit from a tree that 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:34.779 wasn't ready. And instead of going back into 00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:38.519 the... into the lab instead of going back into 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:41.079 the process you got bitter because someone didn't 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:42.420 believe in you or someone didn't give you the 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:44.859 opportunity you got sour with people but that 00:20:44.859 --> 00:20:46.819 would have never happened if you simply waited 00:20:46.819 --> 00:20:50.759 for your season oh my god I think I'm gonna have 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:52.700 to go listen to this live stream next week just 00:20:52.700 --> 00:20:55.259 to encourage myself because I can't I gotta tell 00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:58.539 you sometimes I myself have gotten a little bitter 00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.019 and say wait a minute You need to take your time. 00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:04.240 God's not done yet producing the fruit that he 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:08.400 needs to in your life. It takes time. Fruit will 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:11.160 be ripe for the picking in the right season. 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:15.099 An apple tree has got everything it needs to 00:21:15.099 --> 00:21:18.460 produce that fruit to feed others, but it cannot 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:25.200 rush ahead of the season for producing. All the 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:27.079 while that's getting ready, you must understand 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:33.019 that God works in seasons. Some might say he 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:36.720 works in seasons. I've had to learn this lesson, 00:21:36.779 --> 00:21:39.859 church, throughout my life at different points. 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:44.119 And I began, as I was preparing and meditating 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:46.900 over this, I started thinking about the different 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:49.700 times where I had to remember and learn about 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:54.730 the seasons of God. And I do remember. Early 00:21:54.730 --> 00:21:57.829 on in my writing ministry, for everyone knows 00:21:57.829 --> 00:22:02.589 that I write books and I've written a few. But 00:22:02.589 --> 00:22:06.049 very early on in that journey, I went through 00:22:06.049 --> 00:22:09.049 a period where I felt like my time, my talent 00:22:09.049 --> 00:22:14.670 was being wasted. Because guess what? I thought 00:22:14.670 --> 00:22:16.869 I was this great writer, but nobody wanted to 00:22:16.869 --> 00:22:21.349 read it. I couldn't get an audience. I tried 00:22:21.349 --> 00:22:24.130 so many different ways, you know. websites and 00:22:24.130 --> 00:22:27.950 all kinds of, I mean, whoever would bother, I 00:22:27.950 --> 00:22:31.789 would, you know, I'd want them to read, but I 00:22:31.789 --> 00:22:33.470 went through a period where I felt like I wasn't 00:22:33.470 --> 00:22:36.230 making any progress, that part of my ministry 00:22:36.230 --> 00:22:40.529 wasn't going anywhere. It wasn't producing. But 00:22:40.529 --> 00:22:43.970 you know what I did? I just kept writing. I wrote 00:22:43.970 --> 00:22:47.890 books that nobody read. Because I realized that 00:22:47.890 --> 00:22:50.970 you don't show, you don't get ready when it's 00:22:50.970 --> 00:22:55.410 time to get ready. You've got to be ready. And 00:22:55.410 --> 00:22:57.849 you have to stay active. You've got to stay working 00:22:57.849 --> 00:23:02.410 and developing and nourishing and growing. And 00:23:02.410 --> 00:23:06.230 so that's what I did. Behind closed doors, I 00:23:06.230 --> 00:23:08.890 was working and working. And probably around 00:23:08.890 --> 00:23:11.829 that point where I felt like maybe this is not 00:23:11.829 --> 00:23:14.210 for me. Maybe I just need to move on to something 00:23:14.210 --> 00:23:18.650 else. Out of nowhere, my wife's a witness. It 00:23:18.650 --> 00:23:21.220 was a very... Very fragile time in our life, 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:22.819 in our marriage. A lot of things, lots of changes 00:23:22.819 --> 00:23:24.980 were happening. And then out of nowhere, I get 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:30.519 a call from a publisher that had no idea was 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:33.640 even paying attention to me. Out of nowhere, 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:39.259 and offered me a job to write full -time as a 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:44.319 writer. And I mean full -time, like with benefits 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:51.190 and everything. Praise God. It came out of nowhere. 00:23:51.910 --> 00:23:55.650 I wasn't looking for it. I didn't know. It just 00:23:55.650 --> 00:23:59.109 completely out of nowhere. I knew it was God. 00:23:59.750 --> 00:24:03.529 I knew it was God in that moment. But I was reminded 00:24:03.529 --> 00:24:07.029 of just how God works. And the greater blessing 00:24:07.029 --> 00:24:10.630 for me is that I was producing fruit now that 00:24:10.630 --> 00:24:13.829 was being plucked in the form of books and curriculum. 00:24:13.950 --> 00:24:16.250 It was being spread to places and the people 00:24:16.250 --> 00:24:19.650 that I could have never reached on my own. No 00:24:19.650 --> 00:24:21.670 matter how much money I would have pumped into 00:24:21.670 --> 00:24:25.000 a marketing campaign. How much money I would 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:27.900 have pumped into a promotional campaign. And 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:29.940 how many doors I would have knocked on. And how 00:24:29.940 --> 00:24:31.680 many people I would have begged. Free copies 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:34.339 of my... None of that would have done what a 00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:36.779 God moment could do in my life. And I've come 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:39.680 to tell somebody, it's the same with you. As 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:42.059 long as you're not worried about who gets the 00:24:42.059 --> 00:24:44.619 credit. As long as you're not worried about who 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:47.059 gets the attention. As long as you're not worried 00:24:47.059 --> 00:24:50.380 about anything except for God to be the glory. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:53.390 And people be nourished and encouraged. then 00:24:53.390 --> 00:24:56.809 when God says your season has come, you better 00:24:56.809 --> 00:24:59.650 get ready because God's about to show you his 00:24:59.650 --> 00:25:02.349 power and his glory. I've come to tell somebody 00:25:02.349 --> 00:25:05.109 today, just continue to be fruitful, continue 00:25:05.109 --> 00:25:08.009 to work, continue to serve, and watch God do 00:25:08.009 --> 00:25:10.150 the rest. Come on, give God some glory today. 00:25:12.390 --> 00:25:16.369 I had to live out this love. and remind myself 00:25:16.369 --> 00:25:20.230 what the Bible says in Galatians 6, 9, and let 00:25:20.230 --> 00:25:25.890 us not grow weary in doing good. For in due season 00:25:25.890 --> 00:25:33.789 we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Your fruit 00:25:33.789 --> 00:25:36.069 may not appear today, but if you stay planted, 00:25:36.170 --> 00:25:39.519 this is what God... It's saying to the church, 00:25:39.579 --> 00:25:40.960 this is what the Holy Ghost is saying to you. 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:43.779 You may not see fruit right away. It may not 00:25:43.779 --> 00:25:47.420 appear today. But if you stay planted, someone 00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:53.220 say planted your fruit, your season will come. 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:57.279 It will come. And for those who feel, well, I'm 00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:59.799 already in my season. Do you think God can do 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:03.779 even greater than that? I don't know about you, 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:06.819 but I'm not satisfied. Say, well, God's blessed 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:11.590 me. Well, I serve the God of the overflow. Oh, 00:26:11.590 --> 00:26:14.710 hallelujah. I believe that he's got more where 00:26:14.710 --> 00:26:18.069 that came from. I believe that God owns the cattle 00:26:18.069 --> 00:26:21.329 on a thousand hills. I believe that God's got 00:26:21.329 --> 00:26:24.470 treasures laid up in store for me. I believe 00:26:24.470 --> 00:26:27.349 that there is a reward. I believe that he is 00:26:27.349 --> 00:26:30.470 a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 00:26:30.670 --> 00:26:33.309 Does anybody else believe that? And so, hey, 00:26:33.410 --> 00:26:37.049 we've got to go from season to season, from glory 00:26:37.049 --> 00:26:40.589 to glory, from faith to faith. See the wonders 00:26:40.589 --> 00:26:43.029 of God unlocked in our life. And it's going to 00:26:43.029 --> 00:26:45.410 happen when we recognize the season that I'm 00:26:45.410 --> 00:26:47.190 in. And some of you might be a little discouraged 00:26:47.190 --> 00:26:49.190 right now. Say, well, I'm not seeing any productivity. 00:26:49.589 --> 00:26:51.950 I'm not seeing anything come. I have put in the 00:26:51.950 --> 00:26:54.630 time. I put in the effort. I put in the I've 00:26:54.630 --> 00:26:57.230 dedicated myself. I've been I've been preserving 00:26:57.230 --> 00:26:59.490 myself and all of it. And when is it going to 00:26:59.490 --> 00:27:01.930 come? Hey, you just hold on, my brother and sister. 00:27:02.089 --> 00:27:04.890 You just keep the faith. Come on. I come to tell 00:27:04.890 --> 00:27:07.569 somebody, keep the faith today and keep believing 00:27:07.569 --> 00:27:10.500 and keep working. and keep striving and keep 00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:13.000 producing that fruit and you'll watch one day 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:15.700 just the right thing at the right time. God's 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:17.880 going to say, now is your time for a harvest. 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:21.240 Now is your time. I'm believing not just for 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:24.299 you, I'm believing for this church. We are planted 00:27:24.299 --> 00:27:27.400 right here in Mountain View and God is going 00:27:27.400 --> 00:27:30.680 to give us a harvest. God is going to give us, 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:34.140 I believe in the name of, if we just stay planted 00:27:34.140 --> 00:27:40.920 in the things of God. And the test for us in 00:27:40.920 --> 00:27:44.140 this season is to wait on the Lord as our church 00:27:44.140 --> 00:27:49.180 goes through its own seasons and its own cycles. 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:52.299 I'm going to tell you something. I've been the, 00:27:52.420 --> 00:27:54.779 I was the founding, by the grace of God, the 00:27:54.779 --> 00:27:56.759 founding pastor of this church. When we planted. 00:27:58.029 --> 00:28:00.849 I have seen different seasons. I've seen the 00:28:00.849 --> 00:28:04.289 seasons. I've seen the cycles. And all through 00:28:04.289 --> 00:28:06.609 it, I have seen the hand of God. I've seen him 00:28:06.609 --> 00:28:09.210 move and I've seen him demonstrate his goodness, 00:28:09.329 --> 00:28:11.809 his faithfulness in my life. And one of the things 00:28:11.809 --> 00:28:14.470 that God has been speaking to me lately into 00:28:14.470 --> 00:28:18.609 my spirit is that the best is still yet to come. 00:28:19.650 --> 00:28:21.710 Come on, clap your hands and give God praise 00:28:21.710 --> 00:28:26.670 for that. How many of you believe the best is 00:28:26.670 --> 00:28:30.869 still yet to come? And we haven't seen the greatest 00:28:30.869 --> 00:28:32.869 that God has. We haven't seen the best. We're 00:28:32.869 --> 00:28:34.769 going to fill up that baptism tank. Don't you 00:28:34.769 --> 00:28:36.890 worry. We haven't filled it up in a while. Don't 00:28:36.890 --> 00:28:39.250 you worry. God's got souls that he's going to 00:28:39.250 --> 00:28:41.730 give. God's got people that he's going to restore. 00:28:41.869 --> 00:28:44.750 God's got family that he's going to bring. But 00:28:44.750 --> 00:28:47.730 what you and I have got to do is remain planted 00:28:47.730 --> 00:28:52.069 and rooted in the things of God, in the house 00:28:52.069 --> 00:28:55.470 of the Lord. Hallelujah. And watch what, does 00:28:55.470 --> 00:28:58.230 anybody believe with me here today? Does anybody 00:28:58.230 --> 00:29:03.609 join with me in faith today? God is going to 00:29:03.609 --> 00:29:07.630 do it. So for you and I today, church, us and 00:29:07.630 --> 00:29:11.009 our family as a church that we are, what we've 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:14.529 got to do is remain planted. And just let the 00:29:14.529 --> 00:29:19.230 seasons take place. Let the seasons unfold. And 00:29:19.230 --> 00:29:21.849 we're going to see. Amen. We'll look back on 00:29:21.849 --> 00:29:25.130 these days and we'll say, wow, look at what the 00:29:25.130 --> 00:29:31.549 Lord has done. Hallelujah. Oh, when I think about 00:29:31.549 --> 00:29:33.769 the Lord and all that, we're going to look back. 00:29:33.809 --> 00:29:39.769 But we got to be patient and wait on him. Amen. 00:29:40.619 --> 00:29:44.059 Let us not grow weary in well -doing. Don't get 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:47.259 tired. I mean, we do get tired, but, you know, 00:29:47.319 --> 00:29:50.839 pick yourself up. Amen. Revive yourself. Don't 00:29:50.839 --> 00:29:54.119 quit. Someone say, don't quit. Don't walk away 00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:57.380 from your tree because it hasn't produced fruit 00:29:57.380 --> 00:30:00.619 yet. You keep watering. You stay close to the 00:30:00.619 --> 00:30:03.259 water. You keep nourishing, and you watch what 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:06.039 God's going to do. Law number three is that fruit 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:10.640 comes in different measures. Before I close today, 00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:13.319 I want to tell you that fruit comes in different 00:30:13.319 --> 00:30:17.519 measures, different increments, different scales. 00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:24.240 Fruitfulness. Somebody needs to know this. Fruitfulness 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:29.759 is not identical for everyone. It's not identical 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:34.000 for everyone. In the kingdom of God, fruit develops 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:37.569 and increases over time. Just as a tree does 00:30:37.569 --> 00:30:39.930 not produce a full harvest the moment it begins 00:30:39.930 --> 00:30:44.170 to grow, you might call that overnight success, 00:30:44.309 --> 00:30:47.609 overnight growth. Doesn't happen in the natural 00:30:47.609 --> 00:30:51.230 world. And most times it won't happen in the 00:30:51.230 --> 00:30:54.490 spiritual world either. Spiritual fruit must 00:30:54.490 --> 00:31:00.490 mature progressively. And it will produce at 00:31:00.490 --> 00:31:04.039 different levels of fruitfulness. Jesus taught 00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:07.380 this principle in John 15. He was talking about 00:31:07.380 --> 00:31:09.279 the vine and the branches. And he describes, 00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:11.220 if you want to study this on your own, I don't 00:31:11.220 --> 00:31:14.559 have time right now. But in a nutshell, he talks 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:17.039 about just the levels, the progression of fruit. 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:22.880 And he says that in his example that there's 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:26.599 a no fruit level where you're just not producing 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:29.400 anything. And then he talks about some fruit. 00:31:29.859 --> 00:31:34.109 And then more fruit. And finally, much fruits. 00:31:35.109 --> 00:31:38.190 God describes that there are levels of fruitfulness. 00:31:39.589 --> 00:31:43.990 And so it's important to realize that as long 00:31:43.990 --> 00:31:46.390 as you're growing, as long as you're producing, 00:31:46.569 --> 00:31:50.309 it doesn't matter the size of the fruit, the 00:31:50.309 --> 00:31:52.910 scale of the fruit. What matters is that what 00:31:52.910 --> 00:31:59.930 you produce is true and genuine. Amen. Hallelujah. 00:32:01.549 --> 00:32:04.009 It ought to deepen and multiply over time though. 00:32:04.089 --> 00:32:07.569 It shouldn't stay that way forever. But this 00:32:07.569 --> 00:32:10.109 is an important spiritual principle I pray that 00:32:10.109 --> 00:32:15.490 every one of you gets in your life today. This 00:32:15.490 --> 00:32:17.410 same principle appears in the parable of the 00:32:17.410 --> 00:32:22.430 sower in Mark 4. There Jesus taught that those 00:32:22.430 --> 00:32:25.250 who receive the word of God and allow it to take 00:32:25.250 --> 00:32:28.730 root and bear fruit in their lives, it will come 00:32:28.730 --> 00:32:34.950 out in different ways. Watch this. The Lord said, 00:32:35.230 --> 00:32:41.470 but these are the ones sown on good ground. That's 00:32:41.470 --> 00:32:45.109 why it's so important to be in good ground. You're 00:32:45.109 --> 00:32:49.950 in good ground today. Hallelujah. Amen. But these 00:32:49.950 --> 00:32:53.609 are the ones sown on good ground. Those who hear 00:32:53.609 --> 00:32:55.690 the word. How many of you heard the word today? 00:32:56.170 --> 00:32:58.130 I said, how many of you have been hearing the 00:32:58.130 --> 00:33:01.210 word? And accept it. Are you accepting the word? 00:33:01.529 --> 00:33:07.450 Amen. Amen. And bear fruit. So if you hear the 00:33:07.450 --> 00:33:10.569 word, you accept the word into your heart, you're 00:33:10.569 --> 00:33:13.670 going to bear fruit. But watch the levels of 00:33:13.670 --> 00:33:18.089 fruitfulness here. He said some thirtyfold, some 00:33:18.089 --> 00:33:31.849 sixty, and some a hundredfold. Jesus... to the 00:33:31.849 --> 00:33:34.410 same body but we're not all going to produce 00:33:34.410 --> 00:33:38.029 the same measure of fruit in our lives that's 00:33:38.029 --> 00:33:40.849 not to discourage you actually that's to encourage 00:33:40.849 --> 00:33:44.230 you why so that you never fall into the comparison 00:33:44.230 --> 00:33:48.250 trap of comparing your level of fruit with your 00:33:48.250 --> 00:37:05.039 neighbor's level of fruit is still through. I 00:37:05.039 --> 00:37:08.159 wrote every message by this Friday night at the 00:37:08.159 --> 00:37:13.039 general convention. I don't water it down. I'm 00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:14.980 like, well, there's only going to be probably 00:37:14.980 --> 00:37:17.079 like 10 people. I'm going to preach a 10 people 00:37:17.079 --> 00:37:23.119 message today. The devil is a liar. Start producing 00:37:23.119 --> 00:38:12.750 and ministering at the level we're getting. right 00:38:12.750 --> 00:38:14.809 there where you are, just begin to connect with 00:38:14.809 --> 00:38:18.250 Jesus and with God. God has spoken to you today. 00:38:19.730 --> 00:38:23.610 The word of the Lord has gone forth into your 00:38:23.610 --> 00:38:27.610 life. Now the question is, what are you and I 00:38:27.610 --> 00:38:31.230 going to do with this? The danger is not delayed 00:38:31.230 --> 00:38:34.989 harvest. It's going to come. The danger is uprooting 00:38:34.989 --> 00:38:39.449 yourself before your season arrives. Don't uproot 00:38:39.449 --> 00:38:46.210 yourself before heart has come before you see 00:38:46.210 --> 00:38:50.230 the answer and the hallelujah, the fulfillment 00:38:50.230 --> 00:38:55.070 of Jesus, the fruition of God's blessing and 00:38:55.070 --> 00:38:58.750 his word in your life. Stay planted in the word 00:38:58.750 --> 00:39:01.150 of the Lord. Stay planted in prayer.