Dramatic Intervention: Evangelism
Luke 5:17-26
I. Introduction
- Title is Dramatic Intervention
1. Could also be extreme measures
2. Or even desperate measures
- "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
1. People will do amazing/ crazy things in intense/ stressful situations.
2. Adrenaline, shock,
-What situations would lead you to dramatic intervention?
-Ill. TV show of a dramatic intervention
1. Family was worried about their loved one's drug addiction.
2. Gathered the family and talked to the family member about the addiction.
3. My family often had "family talks."
-What about a spiritual dramatic intervention?
II. Scripture
III. Barriers
-Some friends were bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus.
-Note: Oh that we might have friends like these!
-But the problem was that there were some barriers to getting to Jesus.
1. The crowd was too large.
2. Jesus was in a home teaching.
3. Couldn't just walk up to Him.
-Note: How many of us would have given up at that point?
-Point: Persistence pays off!
1. Barriers, deterrent, discouragement will not quench our resolve.
2. We are a people who have been commissioned by God himself!
-Scripture...
1. Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
2. 1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
3. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 "As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good."
4. God commending the church in Ephesus...
Revelation 2:3 "I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary."
-Pray without ceasing, but don't stop witnessing either!
1. Don't stop talking about Jesus.
2. You just keep sowing the seed!
3. Don't grow weary or discouraged!
-2 Corinthians 9:6 "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
IV. Regardless of Costs
-It took the paralyzed man's friends a long time to do all this.
1. They risked rejection by Jesus, lawsuit for a damaged roof, social embarrassment, etc.
2. Don't put a price on the human soul!
-Calling of Saul/Paul
1. Acts 9:15 [to Ananias] "Go, for he [Paul] is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel."
2. Paul was stoned, ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned, chained up, shipwrecked, snake bit, hated, etc. 3. But they couldn't stop him or silence him or keep him from carrying people to Jesus.
-v. 20a "when He [Jesus] saw their faith"
1. The faith of the friends made the difference.
2. It led to the paralyzed man's forgiveness.
-Query: Could your faith be holding back your spouse/ child/friend/neighbor?
-Ill. It's easy to tell when something is on fire.
1. If you put it close to something flammable it too will catch ablaze!
2. Any fire that does not spread will go out!
-Point: We are not the church, if the fire of the Spirit doesn't catch other hearts ablaze!
V. How Extreme is the Need?
-This is not some suggestion God has made to us.
1. It is not a hobby or past-time we do ‘on the side.'
2. It is not a secondary objective or a optional goal.
3. It is the primary thrust of who we are in Christ!
-Jesus said to Nicodemus that His mission/purpose was to seek and to save the lost.
1. So if we're Christian...
2. We adopt that mission/purpose!
-The greatest act of worship is ‘carrying' someone to Jesus!
-We're talking about eternity here!
1. The difference between Heaven & Hell.
2. The difference between being lost in sin and redeemed by the blood!
-Jesus' call to the disciples was: "Come with me and I'll make you fishers of men."
-Point: Some people are.... they need someone to...
1. ...so lost, they need more than directions to Jesus... escort them back to Him.
2. ...so blind...take them by the hand!
3. ...so weak...lean on all the way to Jesus.
4. ...so much pain....help them focus on the Savior.
5. ...wandering in the wilderness & ... lead them into the promised land.
6. ...tossed to & fro in the storms of life &... be the lighthouse that they might find Christ.
7. ...so busy...stop them and point to Christ!
8. ...living in so much hypocrisy... show them the truth of Christ.
9. ...so disoriented by worldly things... help them re-order life around Christ!
10. ...so paralyzed by sin... carry them to Jesus.
-These ppl might articulate it like this...
-Psalm 69:1-3, 13-15, 29
"Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. [2] I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. [3] I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. [13] But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. [14] Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. [15] Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. [29] But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!"
-There are some ppl in need of a dramatic intervention.
1. Something extreme.
2. B/c if it doesn't happen they may end up in Hell.
VI. Urgency
-Ill. A missionary coming home from a journey of about three days.
1. His son, John, comes running to meet him across a field with tall prairie grass.
2. As he ran, he suddenly fell out of sight.
3. At first the missionary thought it was a game, but then remembered there was an abandoned well in the field.
4. In a panic he ran to the spot and pulled his son out of the well.
5. His son's first words as he hugged his father were: "O Papa, why didn't you hurry?"
-Ill. When Jacob or Hannah fall & hurt themselves they will cry.
1. You'll never see a parent run faster than when their baby is in danger or hurting.
2. It is instinctual!
-Point: The ‘paralyzed' won't cry out in the same way a baby does, but they are hurting in a much deeper way!
1. Suicide... on the rise.
2. Depression... on the rise.
3. Addiction (alcohol/ drugs/etc.)... on the rise.
4. Despair, defeat, spiritual depravity, etc.... on the rise.
-Ill. Gen William Booth (founder of Salvation Army) was walking through London w/ his son, Bramwell.
1. His son was 12 or 13 and was surprised by his father when he took him by the hand and took him into a saloon.
2. The place was crowded w/ men & women participating in all kinds of evil.
3. Some were passed out, some were making passes at ppl other than their spouses, some were gambling, etc.
4. Gen. Booth said: "Willie, these are our people. These are the ppl I want you to live for and bring to Christ."
-May I suggest that some of the celebrity gossip shows wouldn't be so entertaining if you viewed them in light of eternity?
1. Maybe some of the worldly music you listen to wouldn't be so entertaining in light of a message echoed in Hell.
2. Maybe your heart would be broken if you measured your success not by worldly standards but by the measure of a soul!
-There are some ppl in need of a dramatic intervention.
-It's urgent that something be done!
VII. Whom Shall I Send?
-Query: What if God calls you?
1. What if you're the one to intervene in a dramatic way in someone's life?
2. What if you are the one with the call?
-Ill. Maybe today will be to you what Isaiah experience in Isaiah 6.
1. He experienced the glory of God!
2. Isaiah 6:8 "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I [Isaiah] said, "Here am I! Send me.""
-Ill. Maybe your call to work for the Lord has been coming for some time.
1. Maybe you're like Samuel.
2. Samuel was lying in bed and heard God call to him three times.
3. Each time he ran into Eli.
4. Finally Eli realized what was happening...
5. 1 Samuel 3:9-11 "Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. [10] And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant hears." [11] Then the Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.""
-Let me ask again: Could your faith be the ‘lynch-pin' for revival?
-This paralyzed man went home "glorifying God."
-v. 26 "And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen extraordinary things today.'"
-Sounds like something I want to be a part of.
-A dramatic intervention.
Response: "Here I Am, Lord"
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
A New Year's Message
Luke 13:1-9
Bearing Fruit in the Next Year: One More Year
I. Introduction
-Procrastination
1. Many things can be put off.
2. Someone once said: "Why do today, what you could do tomorrow?"
3. That just makes sense!
-The value of procrastination:
1. "The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
2. College papers (Bible & Theology papers) receive Holy Spirit inspiration when done moments before they are due.
3. If you do something early, you have nothing more to look forward to!
4. There is a thrill associated with accomplishing something at the last second... you never know what might pop up!
-Gloria Pitzer wrote this:
"Procrastination is my sin,
It brings me naught but sorrow
I know that I should stop it,
In fact, I will–tomorrow!"
-One wife said: "When a man needs to do a household job, he goes through three periods: contemplating how it will be done, contemplating when it will be done, & contemplating."
-But Spiritual Procrastination is one of the most dangerous things imaginable.
1. It is not a joking matter.
2. It is a serious problem... even among Christians.
II. Scripture
III. Focus on vv. 1-5
-Here we are in a vineyard this evening.
-In vv. 3 & 5 it says: "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
-I want to focus quickly on four words: All, likewise, perish, & repent
-#1- "All"
1. The story of the Galileans whose blood was mixed w/ the sacrifices was told to Jesus.
2. Implied is that the Galileans had, in some way, done something more evil.
3. Idea, even in Job, that suffering & tragedy in your life had to be a result of the judgement of God for your sin.
4. Rich = Good Christian.
5. Trials & suffering= sinful person.
6. What does your theology of suffering and sin call for in the face of this kind of tragedy?
7. Their sin wasn’t extraordinarily horrible, it was ordinarily horrible!
8. It was just as bad as our sin.
9. Jesus says that we are all just as deserving of the fate of the Galileans and those in Jerusalem who had a tower fall on them.
10. Example: Hurrican Katrina & Twin Towers in NY
11. Jesus is saying that all/ everyone is extremely sinful in God’s eyes.
12. Rom. 3:23 "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."
13. Rom. 3:10 "There is none righteous, no not one."
14. Point: What should amaze us in our sin is not that some are taken in calamity, but that we are all spared and given another day to repent.
15. The really amazing thing is not that sinners perish (that is a given); but that God is slow to anger and has mercifully allowed us one more opportunity to repent.
-#2- "Likewise"
1. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
2. "Likewise perish" can't just mean die, since that's going to happen even to those who repent.
3. So what does Jesus mean when he says that all unrepentant people will likewise perish?
4. The end those ppl came to was unexpected (they knew they would die; just that it wouldn’t end like that).
5. Unless we repent, that is the way it will be for us... a shock/surprise in the end.
6. Some casual Christians will be surprised on judgement day.
7. Some half-hearted disciples will be shocked at the Great White Throne.
8. In that sense you will likewise perish.
9. Luke 17:27-30 "They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. [28] Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, [29] but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— [30] so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
10. Only repentance can make you ready to meet God.
-#3- "Perish"
1. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
2. "Perish" must mean more than physical death.
3. Even repentant ppl die.
4. Perish has to do with what happens beyond the physical grave.
5. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
6. Matthew 25:46 about the separation of sheep from the goats, says: "The one will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
7. Perishing is eternal spiritual death; it is torment in the lake of fire. It is an abode in hell for eternity.
8. That’s how serious sin is!
9. Ill. All you can lose is your earthly life w/ disease, murder, violence, etc.
10. Luke 12:4-5 "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. [5] But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"
11. If our world is willing to pour millions into heart disease & AIDS research why are we who know the most important cure so unwilling to do whatever it cost to awaken our world to the real danger of sin?
-#4- "Repent"
1. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
2. Repentance involves believing God over the lies of Satan.
3. It is being convinced that the path I pave leads to destruction.
4. It is an acknowledgment that only Christ can deal with my sinfulness.
5. It is an acceptance of Christ’s Will in my life.
6. It includes sorrow & grief over past sins.
7. It includes a hatred for present evil tendencies in my life.
8. And it involves turning from evil ways.
VI. Now to vv. 6-9
-Now to illustrate this Jesus tells a short story/parable.
-#1- The owner of the tree made a reasonable request!
1. It was his tree. He planted it.
2. He planted a fig tree... to produce figs!
3. He cultivated it, cared for it, watched over it, and, in the end expected it to produce fruit.
4. It was in a vineyard (where trees and vines are cared for).
5. There is no excuse for you not to bear fruit if you are apart of this church.
6. The tree was specifically planted in a suitable place. (It was not a ‘volunteer’ on a rocky ledge.)
7. The owner wanted fruit.
8. Is that unreasonable? Is that unjust? Is that unfair?
9. God expects to find some fruit hanging on your tree!
10. "You can’t pink slip God & expect a bonus check of His bountiful blessings."
11. But every time the owner came, the tree had no fruit.
12. For three years it gave no fruit. (Fig trees produce annually.)
13. He gave it time to grow & mature.
14. He didn’t have unfair expectations that it would produce more figs than any other tree.
15. But it didn’t even produce one fig.
-#2- Fruitlessness requires eradication.
1. "Cut is down!"
2. I planted it, I protected it and I cared for it, yet it has produced no fruit; Cut it down!"
3. "Why should it use up the ground?"
4. John 15:2 "Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."
5. John 15:4-6 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch & withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."
-I’d rather be watered & fertilized than cut down.
-I’m glad that the vinedresser asked to spare the tree another year!
VII. Self-Centered Christianity
-People today view Christianity as something you take on as you journey through life.
-We market it that way.
1. We make God’s blessings material things.
2. We make His blessings happy "feel good" emotions.
3. Warm fuzzies, etc.
4. "God’s going to bless you in the new year."
-Point: God is not concerned about the new year; God is concerned about the new you!
-Too many Christians are the same old fruitless tree they always were with a new sign that says: fig tree.
1. You never see any figs.
2. In fact, we don’t expect figs anymore.
-We have become fruitless trees in the vineyard.
-Take, take, take... give me, give me, give me!
1. How selfish & self-centered!
2. To be given so much by God, to be provided for and nurtured by Him and to be fruitless.
3. Unacceptable!
-All we do is just keep expecting more from God.
1. A demanding, fruitless ppl.
2. Serve me! Amuse me! Entertain me! Educate me! Provide for my children!
3. Accept me w/out changing me! Don’t correct me! Don’t challenge me!
-But we’re not getting any better.
1. Year after year we are fruitless!
2. That’s why our churches are closing/ being cut down!
3. That’s why "Christians" are unfaithful, uncommitted, & uncaring about Kingdom things!
-We have wasted God’s grace & have become useless... just using up the ground.
1. We waste God’s grace by taking advantage of God’s undeserved, unmerited, loving action toward us.
2. We cheapen His grace by our unwillingness to forfeit our way, our will, our plans and accept His.
3. We remain fruitless b/c we remain unwilling to pay the price for true spiritual victory.
4. No fruit is produced b/c we refuse to take up our cross & follow Him.
VIII. Conclusion
-So if we have been barren and unproductive, the reasonable response to the Lord is that of committing ourselves to bearing fruit this next year.
-Luke 3:8a "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance."
-What is this fruit?
-Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
-Query: "Why do today, what you could do tomorrow?"
1. B/c tomorrow is not guaranteed.
2. B/c it is a reasonable request of God for us to produce fruit.
-Now is the time to repent and live lives of fruitfulness.
-And the next time that the owner of the vineyard comes with His reasonable request for fruit (that could be any day now), with joy, you can give Him all that He desires.
-How can I repay the Lord for all he has done for me?
1. You can’t.
2. But you can allow him to nurture the fruit of His Spirit in you!
Response
Bearing Fruit in the Next Year: One More Year
I. Introduction
-Procrastination
1. Many things can be put off.
2. Someone once said: "Why do today, what you could do tomorrow?"
3. That just makes sense!
-The value of procrastination:
1. "The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
2. College papers (Bible & Theology papers) receive Holy Spirit inspiration when done moments before they are due.
3. If you do something early, you have nothing more to look forward to!
4. There is a thrill associated with accomplishing something at the last second... you never know what might pop up!
-Gloria Pitzer wrote this:
"Procrastination is my sin,
It brings me naught but sorrow
I know that I should stop it,
In fact, I will–tomorrow!"
-One wife said: "When a man needs to do a household job, he goes through three periods: contemplating how it will be done, contemplating when it will be done, & contemplating."
-But Spiritual Procrastination is one of the most dangerous things imaginable.
1. It is not a joking matter.
2. It is a serious problem... even among Christians.
II. Scripture
III. Focus on vv. 1-5
-Here we are in a vineyard this evening.
-In vv. 3 & 5 it says: "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
-I want to focus quickly on four words: All, likewise, perish, & repent
-#1- "All"
1. The story of the Galileans whose blood was mixed w/ the sacrifices was told to Jesus.
2. Implied is that the Galileans had, in some way, done something more evil.
3. Idea, even in Job, that suffering & tragedy in your life had to be a result of the judgement of God for your sin.
4. Rich = Good Christian.
5. Trials & suffering= sinful person.
6. What does your theology of suffering and sin call for in the face of this kind of tragedy?
7. Their sin wasn’t extraordinarily horrible, it was ordinarily horrible!
8. It was just as bad as our sin.
9. Jesus says that we are all just as deserving of the fate of the Galileans and those in Jerusalem who had a tower fall on them.
10. Example: Hurrican Katrina & Twin Towers in NY
11. Jesus is saying that all/ everyone is extremely sinful in God’s eyes.
12. Rom. 3:23 "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."
13. Rom. 3:10 "There is none righteous, no not one."
14. Point: What should amaze us in our sin is not that some are taken in calamity, but that we are all spared and given another day to repent.
15. The really amazing thing is not that sinners perish (that is a given); but that God is slow to anger and has mercifully allowed us one more opportunity to repent.
-#2- "Likewise"
1. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
2. "Likewise perish" can't just mean die, since that's going to happen even to those who repent.
3. So what does Jesus mean when he says that all unrepentant people will likewise perish?
4. The end those ppl came to was unexpected (they knew they would die; just that it wouldn’t end like that).
5. Unless we repent, that is the way it will be for us... a shock/surprise in the end.
6. Some casual Christians will be surprised on judgement day.
7. Some half-hearted disciples will be shocked at the Great White Throne.
8. In that sense you will likewise perish.
9. Luke 17:27-30 "They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. [28] Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, [29] but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— [30] so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
10. Only repentance can make you ready to meet God.
-#3- "Perish"
1. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
2. "Perish" must mean more than physical death.
3. Even repentant ppl die.
4. Perish has to do with what happens beyond the physical grave.
5. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
6. Matthew 25:46 about the separation of sheep from the goats, says: "The one will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
7. Perishing is eternal spiritual death; it is torment in the lake of fire. It is an abode in hell for eternity.
8. That’s how serious sin is!
9. Ill. All you can lose is your earthly life w/ disease, murder, violence, etc.
10. Luke 12:4-5 "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. [5] But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"
11. If our world is willing to pour millions into heart disease & AIDS research why are we who know the most important cure so unwilling to do whatever it cost to awaken our world to the real danger of sin?
-#4- "Repent"
1. "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
2. Repentance involves believing God over the lies of Satan.
3. It is being convinced that the path I pave leads to destruction.
4. It is an acknowledgment that only Christ can deal with my sinfulness.
5. It is an acceptance of Christ’s Will in my life.
6. It includes sorrow & grief over past sins.
7. It includes a hatred for present evil tendencies in my life.
8. And it involves turning from evil ways.
VI. Now to vv. 6-9
-Now to illustrate this Jesus tells a short story/parable.
-#1- The owner of the tree made a reasonable request!
1. It was his tree. He planted it.
2. He planted a fig tree... to produce figs!
3. He cultivated it, cared for it, watched over it, and, in the end expected it to produce fruit.
4. It was in a vineyard (where trees and vines are cared for).
5. There is no excuse for you not to bear fruit if you are apart of this church.
6. The tree was specifically planted in a suitable place. (It was not a ‘volunteer’ on a rocky ledge.)
7. The owner wanted fruit.
8. Is that unreasonable? Is that unjust? Is that unfair?
9. God expects to find some fruit hanging on your tree!
10. "You can’t pink slip God & expect a bonus check of His bountiful blessings."
11. But every time the owner came, the tree had no fruit.
12. For three years it gave no fruit. (Fig trees produce annually.)
13. He gave it time to grow & mature.
14. He didn’t have unfair expectations that it would produce more figs than any other tree.
15. But it didn’t even produce one fig.
-#2- Fruitlessness requires eradication.
1. "Cut is down!"
2. I planted it, I protected it and I cared for it, yet it has produced no fruit; Cut it down!"
3. "Why should it use up the ground?"
4. John 15:2 "Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."
5. John 15:4-6 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch & withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."
-I’d rather be watered & fertilized than cut down.
-I’m glad that the vinedresser asked to spare the tree another year!
VII. Self-Centered Christianity
-People today view Christianity as something you take on as you journey through life.
-We market it that way.
1. We make God’s blessings material things.
2. We make His blessings happy "feel good" emotions.
3. Warm fuzzies, etc.
4. "God’s going to bless you in the new year."
-Point: God is not concerned about the new year; God is concerned about the new you!
-Too many Christians are the same old fruitless tree they always were with a new sign that says: fig tree.
1. You never see any figs.
2. In fact, we don’t expect figs anymore.
-We have become fruitless trees in the vineyard.
-Take, take, take... give me, give me, give me!
1. How selfish & self-centered!
2. To be given so much by God, to be provided for and nurtured by Him and to be fruitless.
3. Unacceptable!
-All we do is just keep expecting more from God.
1. A demanding, fruitless ppl.
2. Serve me! Amuse me! Entertain me! Educate me! Provide for my children!
3. Accept me w/out changing me! Don’t correct me! Don’t challenge me!
-But we’re not getting any better.
1. Year after year we are fruitless!
2. That’s why our churches are closing/ being cut down!
3. That’s why "Christians" are unfaithful, uncommitted, & uncaring about Kingdom things!
-We have wasted God’s grace & have become useless... just using up the ground.
1. We waste God’s grace by taking advantage of God’s undeserved, unmerited, loving action toward us.
2. We cheapen His grace by our unwillingness to forfeit our way, our will, our plans and accept His.
3. We remain fruitless b/c we remain unwilling to pay the price for true spiritual victory.
4. No fruit is produced b/c we refuse to take up our cross & follow Him.
VIII. Conclusion
-So if we have been barren and unproductive, the reasonable response to the Lord is that of committing ourselves to bearing fruit this next year.
-Luke 3:8a "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance."
-What is this fruit?
-Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
-Query: "Why do today, what you could do tomorrow?"
1. B/c tomorrow is not guaranteed.
2. B/c it is a reasonable request of God for us to produce fruit.
-Now is the time to repent and live lives of fruitfulness.
-And the next time that the owner of the vineyard comes with His reasonable request for fruit (that could be any day now), with joy, you can give Him all that He desires.
-How can I repay the Lord for all he has done for me?
1. You can’t.
2. But you can allow him to nurture the fruit of His Spirit in you!
Response
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