Many of you may remember, you know, last year
I had bought some trees. I bought a fig tree.
And then while I was there, I was like, well,
I'm already here. I might as well buy two more
trees anyway. I don't plan on coming back next
year per se. And I bought two avocado trees at
the same time. So now I've got these three trees
that are sitting there. And over and over again,
I just keep wondering, what have I gotten myself
into? You know, with these trees, Each one kind
of has a life of its own, kind of does its own
thing. And each one, it's got its potential for
new life and new growth. But every day I'm looking
at them and I'm just wondering, are they doing
okay? Are they struggling? Is something wrong?
What's actually happening with them? Sometimes
I'm looking to maybe the leaves look like they're
small or drooping or, you know, they're still
young so they don't have any fruit on them yet.
The branches are still bare. And then there are
also times whenever I see some of the leaves
and they get a little brown at the edges and
I'm like... Oh no, what do I do? And I water
them more, and I put them into bigger pots, and
maybe check to make sure to add some nutrients,
and I want to give them every chance to thrive
because these trees, they want to grow. They
want to do this. But I need to look out for them.
This black thumb that I've had for so many years,
I have got to get over it. for their sake. Because
if the roots don't go deep enough, if the water
doesn't reach them, if the soil doesn't have
the right nutrients, it won't matter how much
sunlight they get. They won't blossom. Today's
scripture is giving us a tree of what it is that
God is doing in our lives. A tree that doesn't
just bloom, but blooms every month of the year.
A different fruit for each month. But what's
the secret? Is the secret that the tree has better
genetics or that somehow, you know, that it's
got the best fruit that it could ever be? The
secret is the river that it's planted on. The
tree is planted beside the river of life that
flows from the throne of God and from the Lamb.
And that's the kind of life that we've been looking
at for the last month. These last several weeks
that we're looking at different parts of what
it is to be rooted in the river of God. What
it is that His Word continues to strengthen us
by His Spirit. A life that is rooted, nourished,
and fruitful because it flows from Christ. As
John said it, we are in Him the way He is in
the Father. Deeply rooted, fully connected, completely
alive. We are being called to abide in Him. a
place where the living water will nourish us,
heal us, grow us into something that we could
not be on our own. Because faith is not something
just that we say one time as a statement. It
is a tree that continues to be fed in order to
grow and to thrive. But you know, I'm trying
my best to learn a little bit at a time about
these trees and one of the things you know about
trying to figure out how it is to make sure that
it's fruitful and That that it can be abiding
in what is needed go back one go back one real
quick. I want to show you This one that's the
fig tree all right, and that's the one I was
really excited about all right now thinking about
this is I was wondering whether or not there
were enough nutrients in that soil. So I went
ahead and added some that I had gotten from Home
Depot. And if that's a bad place to go for plant
nutrients, just don't tell me. Just go with it.
But the nutrients that are in the soil, one of
the things that I was realizing is that apparently
you have to worry about the pH level that's in
the soil. This is a little different for me because
like I stick my finger in the soil and I'm kind
of like, I don't know, does that feel like the
right pH level or something like that? Maybe
I should lick it or put it in the air or something
like that. I don't know. And I have no idea what
to do with that. How in the world do I figure
out the pH level? Because the thing about it
is that if you have the wrong pH, if it's too
acidic or too basic, then apparently the plant
will still starve. even if it has everything
else that it needs. So realizing that it could
have food and light and water and everything,
and if the pH is wrong, then it's not reaching
out to any of it. And that's oftentimes what
we end up seeing, like with our own hearts. We
could be hearing the Word of God, Receiving encouragement.
We could have people around us that are speaking
words of comfort to us, but sometimes when the
heart that we have inside, if it's too acidic,
too biting, too angry, or maybe too basic, it
just doesn't really want to receive what's there.
Then it doesn't matter how much nourishment is
there, our hearts are just pulling back. See,
we talked a few weeks ago about how oftentimes
we let fear control us. We say that we're being
faithful, but in reality we're letting fear keep
us away from people, places, opportunities, to
comfort and to encourage. We allow ourselves
to be pulled away because we're afraid. I mean,
what is it that whenever we don't want to step
out to the responsibility the sensibility that
might be there. I remember how afraid I was,
even just getting in the car to go and drive
and get those trees, because I'm like, what kind
of life is it going to be for them? What happens
if they die and then I bought them and it was
pointless? And I kept hearing from the gardeners,
don't worry, they're really good plants. You're
not going to be able to kill them that easily.
And I'm like, give me a chance. But you know,
I remember reading about Jesus and the fig tree.
And when he saw that the fig tree didn't bear
fruit, and he comes back later and he had said
that he would condemn this fig tree. How afraid
are we? We're afraid oftentimes in this Christian
life. Don't want to try something that may be
different. We don't want to reach out. We don't
want to try something that is a little bit beyond
us. Because we're spending the time saying, what
happens when I fail? And this fear, this feeling
of, is it even worth trying? But you see, the
point with the fig tree was not about whether
or not the fig tree by itself was able to do
it. Jesus was there. and the fig tree still didn't
want to bear fruit. This isn't about God trying
to condemn us to try to say, hey, you're not
a good enough tree. But rather is that God keeps
bringing us His waters of life to feed us so
that we can bear that fruit. We're not trying
to bear that fruit because we're good enough
on our own. We're only able to do it because
Christ is with us. It's not just about drinking
the water, it's being rooted in it. Because instead
of just being afraid to reach out and get what
we need, instead, are we willing to dip down
into what God has given us? His Word, His forgiveness,
His life, His hope. Are we willing to dig down
deep? Are we willing to try? But you know there's
a lot of other things that may end up happening
We may even be looking at apparently that there
is a lack sometimes of iron that might be there
Maybe there's not enough iron so apparently pumping
iron is not just for people my fig trees are
supposed to be doing the same thing but Realizing
that with an iron deficiency even if they're
getting all of this light It can't photosynthesize.
It can't take the light and turn it into energy
if it doesn't have the right iron content. And
apparently that throws off the pH and everything
else. How often is it that we're worried that
somehow we're not going to grow the way that
others are around us? We don't have the energy.
We don't know if we're in the right soil. We
don't know if we're in the right place. See for
me as I was looking at those trees and I put
them in my backyard The whole time I'm thinking
of myself. This is not where they belong They
need to be at an orchard. They need to be around
the other trees You know as I'm thinking together
How are these trees going to make it on their
own? with just me and As I'm looking at this
and I'm thinking what's going to happen to them
and realizing It's not the orchard. It's not
the other trees that they're around that's going
to make it better. It's whether or not they're
being cared for by the gardener. That's a thing
for me is to realize that it's not about whether
we're always on the same page with each other.
If we're all in the same place. It's asking whether
each one of us is being rooted in Christ Jesus.
Whether or not we are receiving what it is to
make us strong, that we could be seeing the light
that's coming to us and not do anything with
it. See, Jesus isn't just looking for us to abide
with each other. That's not the point. The point
is that as we all abide in Christ, we find a
unity because of what actually matters. Because
of what God's Word is doing. in each and every
one of us, because unity, it's not about the
togetherness. If it were, we would just find
our little tribes, just stick with the people
that we're the most comfortable with. The trees
would never leave their orchard, they'd never
go any place else. But even more than that, they
would just tolerate everything else around them.
There would be one of the things that I saw was
that apparently the avocado trees Apparently
if you put two different ones by each other they
can be able to cross pollinate and there's other
opportunities there So I bought two But I've
been worried about this one here I've been worried
about this one right here, and I'm feeling like
there might be more That I may need to do for
this And that also kind of reminds me that in
a lot of ways, I'm also wondering, well, yeah,
but if I mess up, do I have a second chance?
But you know, there is a second chance. Turns
out, I did buy a second one. I don't know, that
one's looking a whole lot better. But you know,
with that being the case, what else might be
happening in these plants? It's the same gardener
doing the same thing. Why is this one all green
and pretty, the other one not so much? And it
turns out that there is actually times where
you might put too much nitrogen in the soil.
And then it turns out that it may have beautiful
green leaves, but it wouldn't necessarily bear
fruit or flowers. It could look healthy and completely
miss the point. We oftentimes, in our lives,
do the things that look beautiful and amazing.
We have things that we take joy in and pride
in. The beautiful family, the beautiful home,
the great career, having money for the vacations
and all the things that we're just so proud of.
But are we bearing fruit? Like the actual fruit.
The love, the joy, the peace. Are we patient?
Are we kind? Are we good? Are we faithful? Do
we have self -control? What was the ninth one?
Faithfulness, gentleness. I always forget the
ninth one. To be gentle is something that our
world doesn't exactly take pride in. And that's
the thing with this tree, is this fear, is this
tree just growing pretty... leaves, and it won't
be able to produce the fruit when it's time.
But you know, today is still a day for me to
go and water this plant. Today is still a day
for me to go and check if I need to add anything
to it. Today is a day to look to see maybe it's
time to put it into a larger pot from this. Because
today is another day that as long as that stem,
as long as that root has life, There's still
a chance and it does because that life is still
there. As much as we may be frustrated at ourselves,
we are still called to try again. Why? Because
we're the ones that the nations need to look
to. If we give up on bearing fruit today, then
what is it that the rest of the world will ever
have to be restored? The world does not find
restoration without Christ, and Christ is not
known to the world unless we bear the fruits
that come from Him. But even more than that,
it says, come and take the water of life without
cost. Because as much as we may stumble with
bearing the fruit, that water is free for the
taking. There is nothing that God is looking
to do to shame us, to condemn us, to take us
away from the water that we need. But you know,
there's something a little different about that
water. Because the source of that river, it's
a little different. The source of that river
is God and His Lamb. Because it turns out that
the type of water itself may often be something
to be concerned about if you have salty water
or Contaminated water it actually might burn
the leaves and the plant can't grow and if it
grows the fruit It's like really small and undeveloped
Which just to let you know that yes, it can sometimes
be dangerous to be a little too salty you know
we often will take what God has given us and
instead of just sharing it with others, how often
is it that we ourselves are the salty ones, the
bitter ones, the angry ones, the ones who are
frustrated. But the true water is what comes
with forgiveness and grace and hope from Christ.
Imagine, though, If we were in Egypt during the
time of the plagues, and they had turned the
whole water supply, this whole sea, into blood.
Now that was such a concern because you can't
grow anything, you can't drink from it when it's
a sea of blood. But the irony is that that's
exactly where the water comes from in Revelation.
because the only way of finding actual restoration
is from sacrifice. See, it's not the times whenever
we let our saltiness, we let the times when we
are angry or upset, whenever we let the parts
that we just are biting and frustrated, those
can oftentimes pull people away, but rather is
when we go to a place of sacrifice. of loving
others even when it can be hard for us. That's
the only way to actually restore the world is
to love the world with the love that sacrifices
the way that Christ did. Because the world wants
healing and it may want it without sacrifice.
But any healing without sacrifice is like fruit
without roots. In order to truly come forth with
full life, it has to come from the life that
was already given. See, that's what we see here
with these trees. As much as I may be worried
about those trees in my yard, the best part about
it, though, is that they're not alone. They may
have a flawed gardener, but they do have a gardener
that actually cares. And that's something we
forget a lot. is that as we stumble through these
things that we face in our world, we're not doing
it with the God that has just kind of sat off
to the side as if He's forgotten us. This is
a gardener who loves us so much that He would
sacrifice for us. See, we're not alone. We're
not just meant to push ourselves harder as if
somehow the fruit is just something to try harder
to create. The fruit comes because we dig deeper
into what God has promised. That each part of
what His Word has been, that as His Spirit speaks
into us, it walks us through the struggles that
we have. Not just at the times when things feel
the easiest or the strongest, but in every season
of our life. Because God is continuing to speak
truth and life into us. And He needs to. Not
just for us. Because the world around us is desperate.
They are hungry. They are looking for what to
eat. And those who know Christ are the only ones
who have fruit worth consuming. Because the hungry,
the tired, the sick, they're coming for something.
And if the fruit that comes from us, if it's
missing that water from Christ, then it will
never be the true fruit to feed the world. You
may not feel like that tree. You may feel dry
or ordinary, but the miracle is that it's not
about the tree being special. It's about where
we're rooted in. So today, for our sake and for
the sake of the world, may we be rooted in Christ
Jesus. May we drink, may we wash these garments
white as snow, may we abide, not because we're
the source, we're the branch, we're the leaf,
we're the fruit, but we are rooted with where
the water and the fruit and the life truly comes
from. So may the world be healed by the water
that Christ has given us and to everyone, one
tree at a time. Thanks be to God.