WEBVTT

00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:03.240
Our Gospel reading this morning will be coming

00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:06.299
from the Gospel according to St. Luke the 13th

00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:10.740
chapter. So starting with verse 1, there were

00:00:10.740 --> 00:00:13.199
some present at that very time who told Jesus

00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:16.359
about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled

00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:18.800
with their sacrifices. And he answered them,

00:00:19.019 --> 00:00:21.899
do you think that these Galileans were worse

00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:24.219
sinners than all the other Galileans because

00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:28.579
they suffered in this way? No, I tell you. But

00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:31.920
unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:35.240
Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam

00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:37.759
fell and killed them, do you think that they

00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:40.439
were worse offenders than all the others who

00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:44.000
lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you. But unless

00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.340
you repent, you will all likewise perish. And

00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:51.200
he told this parable. A man had a fig tree planted

00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:53.539
in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on

00:00:53.539 --> 00:00:56.920
it, and found none. And he said to the vine dresser,

00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:00.340
Look, for three years now I have come seeking

00:01:00.340 --> 00:01:03.780
fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut

00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:07.459
it down. Why should it use up the ground? And

00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:11.379
he answered him, Sir, let it alone this year

00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:15.079
also, until I dig around it and put on manure.

00:01:15.739 --> 00:01:18.359
Then, if it should bear fruit next year well

00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:22.480
and good, but if not, you can cut it down. This

00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:26.719
is the gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

00:01:26.989 --> 00:01:35.150
you may be seated. So on Monday, I was actually

00:01:35.150 --> 00:01:38.989
trying to get myself over to the livestock show

00:01:38.989 --> 00:01:41.310
and rodeo. How many of you have made it to the

00:01:41.310 --> 00:01:43.609
livestock show and rodeo this season? All right,

00:01:43.689 --> 00:01:45.769
a lot more people this service than the early

00:01:45.769 --> 00:01:49.170
service. I have no idea why, but with it is,

00:01:49.530 --> 00:01:50.769
you know, y 'all got a chance to see some good

00:01:50.769 --> 00:01:53.409
concerts, you know, had a chance to see some,

00:01:53.409 --> 00:01:55.590
you know, some roping, some Bronx, everything

00:01:55.590 --> 00:01:58.670
else. I was excited, I hadn't been this year,

00:01:59.150 --> 00:02:01.450
and right as I was gonna pull out of the parking

00:02:01.450 --> 00:02:07.730
lot, my tire ran over a giant spike. It was right

00:02:07.730 --> 00:02:10.550
there. And you know what, normally if you get

00:02:10.550 --> 00:02:13.409
like a small puncture in the tire, you can fix

00:02:13.409 --> 00:02:15.689
it, right? I mean, you know, my dad showed me

00:02:15.689 --> 00:02:17.310
how, it's not a big deal. This was not one of

00:02:17.310 --> 00:02:21.009
those. It sliced the side of the tire, like just

00:02:21.009 --> 00:02:24.469
this long strip there. There was no fixing this

00:02:24.469 --> 00:02:26.370
tire at all. But you know what? It was okay.

00:02:26.449 --> 00:02:29.729
It was okay because I have a spare, not a problem.

00:02:30.069 --> 00:02:32.669
I had just been to the tire dealer not too long

00:02:32.669 --> 00:02:34.689
ago. Won't mention which one at this moment.

00:02:34.949 --> 00:02:37.770
But with it is, I'm thinking, not a big deal.

00:02:38.030 --> 00:02:39.889
And one of the preschool parents was actually

00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:42.750
there and helped me to get the tire up. I'm fully

00:02:42.750 --> 00:02:45.530
capable of taking a tire off myself. It just

00:02:45.530 --> 00:02:50.189
made it go faster. But putting the spare on there,

00:02:50.490 --> 00:02:53.569
and after he'd already left, I realized that

00:02:53.569 --> 00:02:58.360
spare didn't have the air trying to get three

00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:01.800
blocks just three blocks to go and air it up

00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:05.000
couldn't even get there and it rolled over the

00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.659
little nozzle and tore it off so the tire is

00:03:08.659 --> 00:03:12.620
done the spare is done and i'm just like i'm

00:03:12.620 --> 00:03:15.280
not going to the rodeo today oh my word so i

00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:18.159
got one of those 24 hour you know tire places

00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:20.699
took a while I think it was like three and a

00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:24.319
half hours, the whole deal. But while I was there,

00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:27.020
there were some different people that stopped

00:03:27.020 --> 00:03:31.199
by to make sure that I was okay. I mean, you

00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:33.439
know, normally there are pains in the butt, but

00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:36.639
you know, this time they were great. But point

00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:40.599
being is that as we realized they were checking

00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:43.750
on me. Because they could have just assumed that

00:03:43.750 --> 00:03:45.349
everything was okay. I mean, you know pastor

00:03:45.349 --> 00:03:48.830
Jason's a capable guy He knows what he's doing.

00:03:49.069 --> 00:03:52.150
I'm sure things but but no You're got to check

00:03:52.150 --> 00:03:55.270
to make sure and make sure that you are going

00:03:55.270 --> 00:03:57.849
to see that the he's okay And so they did and

00:03:57.849 --> 00:04:00.469
it was great the guy was still on his way It

00:04:00.469 --> 00:04:02.750
made sense for me to stay there, but it was nice

00:04:02.750 --> 00:04:05.919
to know that someone was looking out for me And

00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:08.039
this idea of what it is that there are those

00:04:08.039 --> 00:04:10.599
who are watching out for you is something we

00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:13.800
really want to have on our minds today as we

00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:16.839
are thinking about our Ezekiel passage, the watchman.

00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:19.660
And to realize what it is when the watchman is

00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:22.540
there to warn people about what is coming. See,

00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:26.180
y 'all got to remember is that back in the day,

00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:29.750
whenever you had a city... There was no getting

00:04:29.750 --> 00:04:34.670
onto CNN or Fox or ABC or NPR or whatever and

00:04:34.670 --> 00:04:36.750
trying to find out what's about to happen to

00:04:36.750 --> 00:04:38.910
the world around you. How did you find out what

00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:40.970
was happening in the world around you? When the

00:04:40.970 --> 00:04:44.550
army from another city is coming at you. That's

00:04:44.550 --> 00:04:47.089
how you find out what's going on. And that's

00:04:47.089 --> 00:04:49.910
the thing about this is that the watch person

00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:52.970
is up there and this watchman is looking out

00:04:52.970 --> 00:04:56.490
and has to be checking because if they see someone

00:04:56.730 --> 00:04:59.730
Coming along the horizon, this army that they

00:04:59.730 --> 00:05:01.889
need to be careful about, they're the ones to

00:05:01.889 --> 00:05:05.930
warn everyone in advance. Now, you're responsible

00:05:05.930 --> 00:05:09.629
if you know something that you're meant to then

00:05:09.629 --> 00:05:13.410
make sure everybody else knows it. Now, it seems

00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:17.689
fairly straightforward. If you warn somebody

00:05:17.689 --> 00:05:21.310
about something and they ignore you, well that's

00:05:21.310 --> 00:05:24.029
on them. They've chosen to ignore you, that's

00:05:24.029 --> 00:05:26.879
their choice, okay. but if you know something

00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:32.319
and you don't warn them it's on you because you

00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:35.319
could have warned them which explains why it

00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:37.519
is that at the end of Seinfeld all four of them

00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:40.560
are in prison I felt really good when I saw that

00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:44.519
just for the record but what we realize is that

00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:49.560
we are actually more afraid of telling people

00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:51.860
what they need to hear than we realize as a kid

00:05:51.860 --> 00:05:54.459
and I'd hear this passage and I was like that

00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:58.319
should be Straightforward like if somebody needs

00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:00.519
to know something tell them why wouldn't they

00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:03.240
I? Remember there was this little Bible tract

00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.620
that I that I got as a kid. You know those little

00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:08.490
booklets tell you about Jesus, right? And you

00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:10.430
can leave them different places. I remember them

00:06:10.430 --> 00:06:12.449
because my parents always made sure that when

00:06:12.449 --> 00:06:14.990
they gave out candy at Halloween, they also gave

00:06:14.990 --> 00:06:17.269
out a little Bible tract. And then at the end

00:06:17.269 --> 00:06:19.129
of the night, we'd go and find every single one

00:06:19.129 --> 00:06:21.050
of them at the end of our driveway that they

00:06:21.050 --> 00:06:23.829
just tossed at the side. Maybe not the most effective

00:06:23.829 --> 00:06:26.970
use, just thinking. But these little Bible tracts,

00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:30.769
there was one that showed a car about to go off

00:06:30.769 --> 00:06:33.490
a cliff. And there's a person standing there,

00:06:33.629 --> 00:06:35.879
and they need to wave them down. and let them

00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:39.199
know you're about to drive off a cliff but then

00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:41.579
I noticed that the guy in the little cartoon

00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:46.100
is like I don't know he might be mad at me I

00:06:46.100 --> 00:06:48.279
don't want to really offend them maybe they know

00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:51.160
and they've already decided to keep driving I

00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:53.220
mean there's any number of reasons I might do

00:06:53.220 --> 00:06:55.379
it wrong maybe I shouldn't let them know and

00:06:55.379 --> 00:06:58.120
then it shows the car careening off and he's

00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:01.500
like Probably should have just said some you

00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:03.300
know this sort of a thing with the little cartoon

00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:05.720
and as a kid I'm thinking this is ridiculous

00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:10.300
But as I've gotten older I realized more and

00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:15.019
more of How real it is to be afraid of sharing

00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:18.000
with people? Something that they may need to

00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:22.540
hear Because in our world today It's not even

00:07:22.540 --> 00:07:24.040
just whether or not they're going to be upset

00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.779
at you, but that person the car may very well

00:07:26.779 --> 00:07:30.079
stop the car get out, attack you, get back in

00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:33.000
the car, and keep driving off of the cliff. And

00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:35.319
that's the thing, is that there are major reasons

00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:38.420
why we're sometimes concerned about whether or

00:07:38.420 --> 00:07:42.279
not we should tell people what God may need them

00:07:42.279 --> 00:07:44.480
to hear. And sometimes, you know, we're making

00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:47.819
sure, is it genuinely something big enough? Is

00:07:47.819 --> 00:07:50.040
it a major problem that they need to know? Because,

00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:52.959
you know, there's some people where they're going

00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:55.199
to tell you their opinion about everything, whether

00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:57.959
you need to know it or not. Everybody's got at

00:07:57.959 --> 00:07:59.639
least that one person in their life and you're

00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:02.600
like, okay, you didn't really need to tell me

00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:04.579
that my shirt and my pants don't really match

00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:07.000
that well. I'm a single guy, leave me alone,

00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:11.279
okay? But there are bigger things that actually

00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:15.459
do matter in sharing with people. But second

00:08:15.459 --> 00:08:18.339
is also this question of, do you have a level

00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:21.819
of trust with them? See, here's the thing. The

00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:24.819
people who stopped by to check on me, I know

00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:28.319
them. I trust them. Terrible sense of humor with

00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:29.920
at least one of them, but they're still great

00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:32.779
people. And when thinking about them coming by,

00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:36.080
I trust them. So when they say that they're willing

00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:41.059
to help, I'm open to it. But then thinking about

00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:45.200
this, are we opening up to people that we've

00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:48.639
developed trust with? And not only that, but

00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.019
the fact that the ones we're most likely to be

00:08:52.019 --> 00:08:56.649
listened to or listened by. are the ones that

00:08:56.649 --> 00:08:59.649
we're the closest to. And that makes it even

00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:02.769
harder. Because even though the people who would

00:09:02.769 --> 00:09:06.110
actually listen to us are the ones who would

00:09:06.110 --> 00:09:09.009
know us the best, they're also sometimes the

00:09:09.009 --> 00:09:10.950
ones that we're the most afraid to be honest

00:09:10.950 --> 00:09:14.710
with. Because we're afraid of losing them in

00:09:14.710 --> 00:09:20.370
our life. But even third to that is whether people

00:09:20.370 --> 00:09:24.460
always assume that they're always right. Now,

00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:28.159
we start off our worship service with this whole,

00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:30.559
you know, confessing our sins time event, and

00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:32.759
we say, God, we know that we have sinned, we

00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:34.379
know we've made mistakes, we need to confess

00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:36.259
to you. But let's be honest, as soon as we walk

00:09:36.259 --> 00:09:39.779
out that door, do we start everything assuming

00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:44.000
that we're in the wrong? We typically start pretty

00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:46.799
much everything assuming I've got it figured

00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:50.679
out. So, if you come to someone and you've let

00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:53.820
them know, hey, this is not a good idea and something

00:09:53.820 --> 00:09:57.580
needs to change you've already had to face what's

00:09:57.580 --> 00:10:00.840
already happening in their mind why are you telling

00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:04.460
me when I know I'm already in the right and that's

00:10:04.460 --> 00:10:09.159
a difficulty is that even the righteous must

00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:13.500
repent the righteous must repent and that's the

00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:15.580
thing about this is that it speaks in this passage

00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:19.779
that somebody may be seen as a righteous person

00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:26.179
But when they sin they need to repent The other

00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:29.259
side of it is also true is that if a person has

00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:32.799
been seen as Struggling and making mistakes over

00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:35.120
and over again, but they've changed and now they're

00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:39.440
on the right path That there's grace there's

00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.220
forgiveness Think about how many people that

00:10:43.220 --> 00:10:45.360
you have seen around you or the people that you've

00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:48.059
known in your life where you are like this person

00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:54.259
Has continually done great things and Then we're

00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:56.919
afraid to ever tell them when there's something

00:10:56.919 --> 00:11:00.179
difficult that they need to hear That whenever

00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:04.159
somebody has been a hero or has done things well

00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:06.519
But then we realize that we've never heard them

00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:11.440
say sorry I Will definitely be a person that

00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.779
will say I'm sorry Doesn't mean that I will then

00:11:14.779 --> 00:11:16.759
follow up and always do it right the next time

00:11:17.070 --> 00:11:20.330
But my thought is that no matter how much you

00:11:20.330 --> 00:11:23.750
may think that you're in the right Are you willing

00:11:23.750 --> 00:11:28.330
to be told? When you've maybe messed things up

00:11:28.330 --> 00:11:31.490
But the other side of that is how often are there

00:11:31.490 --> 00:11:34.830
people that we will always point at and say you

00:11:34.830 --> 00:11:38.149
are a terrible person And I will always assume

00:11:38.149 --> 00:11:41.669
that you're wrong The truth is that all people

00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:48.120
have been given God's Word through His Scriptures,

00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:50.480
through the people who represent Him, that God's

00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:53.200
Spirit is looking to convict people. It could

00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:56.799
be anybody that can have a time and an opportunity

00:11:56.799 --> 00:12:01.100
to change, to grow, to see what is true and what

00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:04.360
is right, because all people who have repented

00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:11.080
are now given new life in Christ. That's the

00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:14.620
difficult part though is whether we're willing

00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:20.139
to realize that we've been self -righteous Whether

00:12:20.139 --> 00:12:23.960
we are willing to admit When we've been the ones

00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:28.500
assuming we've got it all figured out You see

00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:32.179
it's easy to end up blaming everybody else for

00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:36.039
things and Not being willing to see it within

00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:40.779
ourselves see Jesus comes in, and as he's speaking

00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:43.639
to people, and he's letting them know, you need

00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:47.340
to stop acting like these other people are worse

00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:51.080
than you. And that's a point with this. When

00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:53.759
Jesus is talking about the blood mixed with the

00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:57.620
sacrifice, or the Tower of Siloam, is that they

00:12:57.620 --> 00:13:01.440
had seen that Pilate had come along, and had

00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:05.340
killed these people that he saw as breaking the

00:13:05.340 --> 00:13:07.940
law. See, that's the thing about this pilot was

00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:10.820
already on the scene before the whole Jesus crucifixion

00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:12.659
part of it, and he actually had a reputation

00:13:12.659 --> 00:13:17.700
of being way too hard on the people in his province.

00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:23.860
But when they saw what was happening, instead

00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:26.399
of realizing that maybe they were people being

00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:29.480
subjected to something unjustly, it's so easy

00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:33.460
to assume that their punishment must be something

00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:38.059
that they deserved. How often is it that we make

00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:40.940
that assumption? But did you notice? It said

00:13:40.940 --> 00:13:43.059
that the blood was mixed with their sacrifice.

00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:48.639
These people were there to make a sacrifice,

00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:54.000
to say, God, I'm a sinner, and I need your forgiveness.

00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:58.399
The very people that are exactly where God needs

00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:02.220
them to be, of coming in repentance, and they

00:14:02.220 --> 00:14:05.289
were the ones. that were killed at that time.

00:14:05.809 --> 00:14:08.590
And yet, it's easy to try to blame them that

00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:12.830
somehow they deserve this in God's eyes. Or more

00:14:12.830 --> 00:14:15.750
than that, the Tower of Siloam. Here's this tower

00:14:15.750 --> 00:14:19.629
falling down on people. And what is happening

00:14:19.629 --> 00:14:21.750
is, well, maybe they were in the wrong place

00:14:21.750 --> 00:14:26.110
at the wrong time. Well, maybe God needed them

00:14:26.110 --> 00:14:29.789
to be taken care of. How easy is it that we look

00:14:29.789 --> 00:14:33.659
at things and assume that when something terrible

00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:39.139
happens, maybe they somehow deserved it. We continually

00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:44.440
look to justify ourselves based on results. When

00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:48.120
things are going well, then clearly we must be

00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:51.379
doing something right. When things don't go well,

00:14:52.860 --> 00:14:57.980
what was it that was so bad? And with this is

00:14:57.980 --> 00:15:01.629
to realize that Jesus is not coming here to judge

00:15:01.629 --> 00:15:05.889
us based on what's happening around us, but rather

00:15:05.889 --> 00:15:08.830
is to look at what's happening inside. Because

00:15:08.830 --> 00:15:11.909
that's the thing, is that people coming to know

00:15:11.909 --> 00:15:15.710
Jesus and the need for salvation, it's not about

00:15:15.710 --> 00:15:18.470
what's happening on the outside. It's not just

00:15:18.470 --> 00:15:22.769
what the watchman can see on the horizon. It's

00:15:22.769 --> 00:15:25.529
a question of what this watchman needs to see

00:15:25.529 --> 00:15:29.250
happening on the inside. Because with all these

00:15:29.250 --> 00:15:31.799
things happening, That's truly what God cares

00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:35.659
about the most. What is it that He is speaking

00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:41.139
to you, whatever the circumstance may be? Because

00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:44.940
during this season of Lent, what we're doing

00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:48.200
is taking the time to look at the fruit of what's

00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:52.240
coming from us and to realize our need for grace.

00:15:53.500 --> 00:15:59.159
Because grace and nurturing are needed for the

00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:05.230
fig tree. There is that tree that cannot seem

00:16:05.230 --> 00:16:09.070
to get its act together. Three years, nothing

00:16:09.070 --> 00:16:12.649
came from it. I'm still learning about fruit

00:16:12.649 --> 00:16:14.870
trees. My fig tree is still sitting in a pot

00:16:14.870 --> 00:16:17.210
because I'm afraid of putting it in the ground

00:16:17.210 --> 00:16:19.529
and somehow messing it up. So everything's still

00:16:19.529 --> 00:16:23.470
okay. But at the same time, I'll be honest, there's

00:16:23.470 --> 00:16:26.190
a lot about fig trees I still have to learn.

00:16:26.450 --> 00:16:30.809
But what I do know is that When a tree stops

00:16:30.809 --> 00:16:33.870
doing what it's supposed to do, you can't help

00:16:33.870 --> 00:16:38.269
but wonder maybe that tree is broken or dead.

00:16:39.850 --> 00:16:44.909
When we see the fig tree, is that fruit coming

00:16:44.909 --> 00:16:48.950
from the tree the fruit of repentance and giving

00:16:48.950 --> 00:16:53.350
glory to God? All the other things that we may

00:16:53.350 --> 00:16:56.740
look at and try to figure out Is God somehow

00:16:56.740 --> 00:16:59.059
blessing this person or condemning that one and

00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:01.279
all this? And in reality, the thing we're supposed

00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:04.279
to start with is, what do we see coming from

00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:07.740
the Spirit of God inside ourselves? Do we see

00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:11.279
coming from a spirit of compassion? A spirit

00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:14.420
of joy and hope? Do we see a spirit that wishes

00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:17.000
to encourage and to love and to bless our neighbor?

00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:20.660
Or do we see a spirit that bears rotten fruit

00:17:20.660 --> 00:17:27.809
or no fruit at all? the vine dresser was not

00:17:27.809 --> 00:17:30.829
willing to give up yet. Give me one more chance.

00:17:32.250 --> 00:17:35.230
Let me try just a little bit harder. Let me dig

00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:38.650
around it. Let me add the fertilizer. Let me

00:17:38.650 --> 00:17:41.349
put what's needed there. Give me one more chance.

00:17:42.650 --> 00:17:44.890
Because isn't that the truth of what we see of

00:17:44.890 --> 00:17:48.269
ourselves with God? Is that as long as at this

00:17:48.269 --> 00:17:52.210
moment in time you are hearing these words, then

00:17:52.210 --> 00:17:57.799
the day of the Lord is today. Whatever it is

00:17:57.799 --> 00:18:01.000
that God is speaking to you right now, the day

00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:07.700
to listen is today. As we grow, as we look, it

00:18:07.700 --> 00:18:10.400
is not a point of looking on the horizon to try

00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:13.099
to figure out what does everybody else need to

00:18:13.099 --> 00:18:16.799
hear, but to start off by saying what is it that

00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:21.140
God wants me to hear? And only as we let God

00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:25.440
change us, then God will show us the people that

00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:30.119
He is calling us to speak to. God will change

00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:35.059
us, and then through us, speak to others around.

00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:40.440
As we look at all of these, we may have to deal

00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:43.740
that maybe there's a little manure in our life

00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:46.200
as we're trying to figure out the next step.

00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:51.039
But the vinedresser is still working in your

00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:54.730
life, and he's still working in mine. So whatever

00:18:54.730 --> 00:18:57.670
it is that God is calling us to see for ourselves

00:18:57.670 --> 00:19:01.009
and then moving us to share with those we are

00:19:01.009 --> 00:19:05.150
closest to May God's word be the very thing to

00:19:05.150 --> 00:19:07.890
lead and guide us now and always