1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,480 I want to open with the scripture in Ezekiel chapter 47. 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,200 It shall be that every living thing that moves wherever the 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,920 rivers go will live. There will be a very great 4 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,560 multitude of fish because these waters go there, but they will 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:16,920 be healed and everything will live. 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,520 Wherever the river goes, it shall be that fishermen will 7 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:23,560 stand by it. From Engadai to Anglaim, they 8 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:25,840 will be places for spreading their Nets. 9 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,280 Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the great 10 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:33,680 sea, exceedingly many. But as swamps and marshes will 11 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,080 not be healed, they will be given over to salt. 12 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,720 And this has been our theme for the last few weeks, based upon 13 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,760 this visual that I'm sharing with you, which is a vision 14 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,520 given to the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet during a 15 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,080 time when the children were taken into captivity in Babylon. 16 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,600 And Ezekiel was someone who had been called to be a priest, but 17 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,280 all that was interrupted because Babylon came in, took over the 18 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,040 city, took them into captivity. So in his prophetic realm, he 19 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,760 began to see what God was doing in the future. 20 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:07,800 And part of that was this particular vision where he sees 21 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,080 the House of God. Now, in the Old Testament, to go 22 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,280 to the House of God, they had to go to the temple. 23 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,560 It was in the city of Jerusalem, and most people were not able to 24 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,360 make it on a regular basis. If you didn't live in the city, 25 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,280 for sure. So 3 * a year they would go to 26 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:26,200 experience the presence of God. God wanted Ezekiel to declare to 27 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,400 the people there's a change going on. 28 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,320 It's not just an accident that the city was destroyed and the 29 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:33,840 temple was going to be destroyed. 30 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,520 There's going to be a whole change in the way things are 31 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,320 going to happen because you're not going to come to the House 32 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:42,400 of God anymore. The House of God is also going 33 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,760 to go to you, and that's the pattern we have to understand as 34 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,280 Christians. We come to the church, which is 35 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,320 the House of God according to the Scripture. 36 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,200 The apostle poverty to Timothy and he said you need to know how 37 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,000 to behave yourself in the House of God, which is the Church of 38 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,040 the living God. It is the pillar and the ground 39 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,600 of truth, but God is working something in us in order that we 40 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,320 might become something that brings the life of God 41 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,440 everywhere we go. But we're talking about the fact 42 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:13,760 that the river is the source of life. 43 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,880 And if you notice in the vision that river is flowing from the 44 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,520 temple, which is the place where God's presence dwelled, then the 45 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,040 river flowed out from the house in order that the life of God 46 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,320 could go to all the nations. Remember in the Scriptures when 47 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,480 God came to Abraham, in the very beginning, he said, Abraham, 48 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,920 through your seed, every nation of the earth is going to be 49 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:37,200 blessed. So God can't dwell regionally 50 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,720 anymore, nor can our mindset be that he dwells regionally. 51 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,840 How do you know? We serve the God of the whole 52 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,120 earth, And the river represents the work of the Holy Spirit, 53 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:51,960 which is the source of life. And in these last really close 54 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,720 to 100 years now, we've had the Pentecostal charismatic 55 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:56,800 movement. We really got us poured out his 56 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:58,840 Spirit on all flesh in a whole new way. 57 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:01,920 And wherever this spirit has been allowed to go, there has 58 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:05,160 been life. And denominations of people were 59 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,600 transformed as they began to open up themselves through that 60 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,400 movement to the power of the Holy Spirit. 61 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,640 And it's important for us to note that wherever the river 62 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:17,000 goes, there's going to be life. That's why I'm Mount Zion and we 63 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:18,800 teach this in our New Beginnings class. 64 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,720 That's why we encourage people that are new to take that class. 65 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,960 We believe that the Holy Spirit wants to be a part of everything 66 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,360 that we do. So we would come into service. 67 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,440 We're not just singing songs, but the Bible says that as we 68 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,000 gather together in Jesus name, He's here worshipping in the 69 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,120 worshipping congregation. So when we come to a worship 70 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,840 service and open up ourselves to the river, how you know that's 71 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,240 something powerful that happens something the powerful happens 72 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,920 in the preaching of the word. It's not just a teaching, it's 73 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,160 not just an instruction, but it becomes the opportunity for you 74 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,600 to hear a word that can inspire faith in you. 75 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,200 That's only possible when you allow the Holy Spirit to do that 76 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,520 work as it's going forth. Same thing happens when we have 77 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,280 our altar calls or when we're taking communion. 78 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,360 We really believe it's important to understand there's a very 79 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,840 important spiritual work, and that only happens when we allow 80 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,760 the Spirit to go there. So we don't do anything just out 81 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,160 of tradition. We don't do anything just for 82 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,480 show. We should do everything to 83 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,200 experience the presence of God. Can I hear any men on that 84 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,880 church? That's so important for us to 85 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,720 know and understand? Now having said that, it says 86 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,560 along the Bank of the river and on this side and that we'll grow 87 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,440 all kinds of trees used for food. 88 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,040 Their leaves will not wither, their fruit will not fail. 89 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,880 They will bear fruit every month because their water flows from 90 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:43,400 the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and 91 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,400 their leaves for medicine. Of course, that's how the church 92 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,080 is going to be a blessing in every nation of the earth. 93 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:52,760 That's why we explained we have our community centers. 94 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,680 So we're reaching out to the Community Center through the the 95 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,920 community through the centers, I should say, so that we recognize 96 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:01,960 that not every everybody's going to come, but how, you know, we 97 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,400 should go to them. And then we do the same through 98 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,880 our international outreach as well, because God wants us to be 99 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,280 a people that are going forth now. 100 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,160 Each and every one of us becomes food and medicine to the world 101 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,520 in which we live. We are the antidote for what's 102 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,520 going on in the world. So if you watch news and hear 103 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,320 what's happening and you're disgusted about the darkness 104 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,560 that's covering the earth and the gross darkness of the 105 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,520 people, how you know we need to arise and shine so the glory of 106 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,120 the Lord can be seen upon us. Amen. 107 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:33,920 Amen. Give him a praise on that 108 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,360 church. And so it's important for us to 109 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,240 realize that it's not about just us. 110 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:44,720 It's also for what you can do for other people as well. 111 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,640 Now, having said that, I want to change the screen because I want 112 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:51,440 to focus on the tree that's next to the rivers. 113 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,520 And I want to focus on some very important aspects for us to 114 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,640 understand, specifically the roots there. 115 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,240 And if you notice, we put the roots system very visible, for 116 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,560 you can see this, it says blessed is the man who what 117 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,440 trust in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. 118 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:11,960 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which 119 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,720 spreads out its roots by the river. 120 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,760 It will not fear when he comes, but it's leaf will be green and 121 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:23,000 will not be anxious in the year drought, nor will cease from 122 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,680 what yielding fruit. How is that possible to survive 123 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,480 a drought? Well, when you have a root 124 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,640 system, you know that it gives you the capacity to reach out 125 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,720 for water that isn't necessarily visibly there. 126 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,760 The Bible teaches us it's very important that we would 127 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,880 understand our root system. Now, there's another way to 128 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:43,760 describe that. And the Bible talks about the 129 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:47,080 church as being a building with foundation stones, and that's 130 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,680 what we emphasize in our clash. The Bible says if the 131 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,560 foundations are destroyed, what shall the righteous do? 132 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:55,960 So it's very important that we understand foundation. 133 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,640 And of course, in this case, our foundation is understanding God 134 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,920 wants us to be a people with a root system that becomes our 135 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:08,240 what invisible power. That is very, very important 136 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:10,960 because you can see a very big tree and there's a very good 137 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,120 chance it's going to have a root system that's just as big as the 138 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:18,720 tree because the tree can't support a life on top that isn't 139 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,480 coming from the bottom where the nutrients come. 140 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:25,440 Now I put up a term here and it's called nutrient recycling, 141 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,200 which is a basically a scientific word if you would, 142 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,120 because it describes a process the trees go through that I 143 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,680 believe is very important for all of us to understand. 144 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,840 I've always told people how much I love trees and I think part of 145 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,120 that is is the Lord wanted me to focus on trees because this is a 146 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,560 part of our message, especially as we're moving forward at this 147 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,880 time, because I believe that the body of Christ needs to love 148 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,920 trees because we are the trees of the Lord we are as planting 149 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,720 that he might be glorified. That's why I had them put a 150 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,120 couple of trees in the main sanctuaries that come in. 151 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:02,720 There's a tree on either side just so we can think in terms of 152 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:05,800 trees, because trees are very, very important. 153 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:11,880 Now in Michigan, we are, I would say the most common tree is 154 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,360 deciduous trees. And what are those? 155 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,320 Well, they're the kind of trees that we see that start changing 156 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:19,760 color and then eventually going to fall. 157 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,880 And that's why people often talk about what is their favorite 158 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:24,920 season. People often say to me, oh, I 159 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,000 love the fall. I said, well, just think about 160 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,960 it, Fall, fall down. I like spring, spring up. 161 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,280 Amen. We all have something we like 162 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:36,520 and we have a lot of Maple trees around here. 163 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:40,280 And if you notice most Maple trees, some are Maple trees 164 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,159 would turn yellow, some will turn red, but that's typically 165 00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:45,720 the hard maples. But anyway, and to me the yellow 166 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,360 is caution. Caution winners coming. 167 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,680 Now there is a problem in our parking lot with some of our 168 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:56,800 trees because I'm not a fan of fall and fall starts with some 169 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,160 of our trees about July sometime. 170 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,840 And the reason for that is because they're planted in an 171 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:07,720 unnatural surrounding, if you would in a natural surrounding. 172 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,840 A tree is going to go through this process of having leaves 173 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,840 and then eventually those leaves are going to fall to the ground, 174 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,760 but in the natural condition, and that's where nutrient 175 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,880 recycling comes in. After they fall to the ground 176 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,040 and the fungus and bacteria and everything start breaking down 177 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:27,880 those leaves, eventually what they do is they go back into the 178 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:30,800 soil. And so believe it or not, the 179 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:36,200 tree is actually fertilizing itself because plants grow from 180 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:38,720 natural things. I remember I was a kid. 181 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:42,400 I always used to talk about the fact that I used to go to our 182 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,600 next door neighbors of Hamiltons because they did things that 183 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,080 were very intriguing to be. And part of it was like they had 184 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:50,400 like a farm, not a real farm, but they had gardens, they had 185 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:52,320 chickens, they had fruit trees, they had all these things. 186 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,320 So I was always running over there and talking mostly to Mr. 187 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:56,640 Hamilton. But I remember one day I was 188 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,760 talking to Mrs. Hamilton and as she was separating their dinner, 189 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:04,520 getting ready after dinner to do her dishes, I noticed that she 190 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,680 had a pile there where all the peelings from the different 191 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:10,480 things that she had prepared for dinner and even the bones from 192 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:12,560 our from what they had eaten were there. 193 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:14,200 And I'm like, what are you doing there? 194 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:16,960 Because for us, everything just went into the garbage. 195 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,560 And she showed me how that they used to keep all that stuff. 196 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:23,200 And then afterwards, she'd take it out and they put it in their 197 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:27,240 garden and something they called a compost pile because all these 198 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,760 natural things eventually become fertilizer. 199 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,680 And so at the end of the year when they were plowing up their 200 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:37,040 garden and some of the things that were left in the garden 201 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,880 become a part of that as well, the compost would be spread out 202 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,520 because guess what? All of that becomes fertilizer. 203 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:48,840 So when you put a tree like in we do in a place like in a 204 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,400 middle of a parking lot, according to the Township 205 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:56,040 regulations, they don't have an opportunity to do anything with 206 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:57,760 their leaves. We have to do some with their 207 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:02,200 leaves and they don't have the ability to get all the rain 208 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,080 water they need to guess what they're growing underneath. 209 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:08,560 And there's asphalt there. So they're not able to get a lot 210 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:11,040 of the rain or nutrients that would normally be there. 211 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,720 So in our parking lot, you can see where we have a high water 212 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,320 table because literally there's places on our church property 213 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,920 where the water table is at like 2 feet down. 214 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:24,040 Those trees are very green. The other ones, they're not 215 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:27,080 doing so well and so you have to keep up on it. 216 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,840 But that's the way the natural order works. 217 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,400 Now, this is a very important thing for us to understand 218 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,960 because the book of Romans chapter 1 tells us that God is 219 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,200 the creator of everything in the world. 220 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,880 And if you want to understand spiritual things, again, look at 221 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:46,320 the natural order and you can see why God does what he does 222 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:49,600 and what he's doing. And so this scripture in 61, 223 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,880 which I used a couple weeks ago as well, speaks about the 224 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,720 ministry of Jesus Christ. It's the ministry of the church. 225 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,480 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has 226 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:00,920 anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. 227 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,280 He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim 228 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,200 liberty as the captives and the opening of prison to those who 229 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:10,080 are bound. To console those who mourn in 230 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:14,680 Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for 231 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,360 mourning, and the government of praise for the spirit of 232 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,640 heaviness, that they might be called the trees of 233 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,680 righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be 234 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:28,200 glorified. Now as evangelical Christians, 235 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,640 the term the new birth is very important. 236 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,440 Jesus said if you want to see or enter into the Kingdom of God, 237 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:36,480 how many you know, you have to be born again. 238 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:40,600 And when a person is born again, they become a new creature in 239 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,200 Christ Jesus. Now there is somewhat of a 240 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,680 problem with that thinking because a lot of times people 241 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:48,760 think, well, I'm born again, I'm a new creature, creature, and so 242 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,160 my old life is gone. I just got to forget about it 243 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,480 and let it be buried. Just that we use in the 244 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,680 symbolism of baptism. But we have to understand, well, 245 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:03,840 there's more to it than that, that when God does this exchange 246 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,320 that we're talking about where he gives us in exchange for 247 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:11,960 those ashes and that morning and, and the difficulties we go 248 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,880 through, he gives us praise, he gives us joy, He, he gives us 249 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:17,680 beauty. How many know that's a wonderful 250 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:20,800 thing God does for us? But one of the things we have to 251 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,320 understand is God doesn't just take those things away. 252 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:28,240 It's important to understand that just like with the trees, 253 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,880 part of your life becomes fertilizer for the future. 254 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:37,040 We'll miss out on how we can become the best tree that God 255 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:39,960 has called us to be. Now, one of the ways I'll 256 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,560 describe that to you sounds a little bit unpleasant, but how? 257 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,120 You know, as human beings, we also create waste. 258 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,640 Several years ago everybody was into bumper stickers and one 259 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,440 said manure happens. Didn't say manure. 260 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:58,440 I just switched that to be more polite, but I did preach a 261 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:03,360 sermon on it from manure Happens because I'm, you know, waste is 262 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,560 a part of the human condition. Amen. 263 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:09,960 Now, just like it is for the trees, there's a use for our 264 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:15,600 waste, but it's not for us. It also can be fertilizer, but 265 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:18,440 in the meantime, you have to learn how to handle that 266 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,880 fertilizer. So when you first have children 267 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,360 and you enjoy them as children, that's one of the messy parts. 268 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,520 I was always glad Bonnie loved taking care of kids because I go 269 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:33,400 here because when there was a smell, I thought it would be 270 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:36,240 better for her to handle it. She was better at it than I was. 271 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,760 But anyway, there's a part of that unpleasant smell that's 272 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:43,520 there for a reason, because as human beings we have to 273 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,880 understand that might be fertilizer some places, but it's 274 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,680 can be very deadly in other places. 275 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,520 So it's a wonderful thing when we potty train our kids and all 276 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:55,960 of a sudden we don't have to deal with that mess anymore. 277 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:59,080 And how many know it isn't just enough to teach them to use the 278 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,800 potty, we also want them to learn to wash their hands. 279 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,280 And why is that? Well, that's because if not, 280 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,680 they could carry some of the germs that are in the waste 281 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:10,840 products that are there. So how many know it's a good 282 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,560 thing to wash your hands? I only heard one yes on that. 283 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,520 I'm kind of a germaphobe. So when I go into a bathroom at 284 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,640 a public place and it says, employees, please wash your 285 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:24,640 hands. I'm think thank you, Jesus. 286 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:27,000 And I know it's not for the employees. 287 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,760 It's for those germaphobes that are in there that are looking at 288 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,400 the signs. Because one time I was in El 289 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:35,920 Salvador and they had a lot of people that were getting sick. 290 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:38,040 And they said, well, you know, it's not always the food. 291 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,120 Sometimes it's the poor hygiene of the people that are serving 292 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:43,200 it or preparing it. And I'm like, oh, why did you 293 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,960 tell me that I'll never be able to eat in this country again? 294 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,040 But it's also true in our country as well. 295 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:51,640 You have to know how to handle it. 296 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,160 Amen. Well, that's important for us to 297 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,320 understand because it's important for us to realize that 298 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,400 when we become a Christian and the old things pass away, all 299 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:03,600 things become new. We have to realize that God uses 300 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:07,720 our past experience even as being Christians. 301 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,160 So in that sense, you don't want to just forget your old life 302 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:17,120 because sometimes that old life becomes fertilizer for where you 303 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,880 are going to work for the Lord. Because some of those past 304 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,880 experiences are a part of who you are and that gives you the 305 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:25,600 ability to minister to others. The reason I wanted to mention 306 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,040 how manure happens because how many you know, you still, it 307 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:30,600 still happens after your Christian. 308 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,160 So often times people say, oh, I'm a Christian now and 309 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:35,800 Hallelujah, Hallelujah, you make a mistake. 310 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,440 Oh my God, what happened to me? Or we do that with other people. 311 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:45,280 Do you know what so and so did? Well, manure happens. 312 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,680 The issue isn't whether it happens or not. 313 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:51,520 The issue is do you know what to do with it? 314 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,960 Because even our mistakes and our failures and our 315 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:59,320 disappointments, all these things can become fertilizer for 316 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:03,640 a better you and also fertilizer for ministry to help other 317 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:06,200 people. But we have to know how to 318 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:07,880 handle it. We don't just ignore it. 319 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:13,240 We have to understand what do we do with this that's in our midst 320 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:15,720 so that we can become who God has called us to be. 321 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,200 So as the church is becoming more mature, hopefully we begin 322 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:22,680 to understand, just like it is in the natural, so it is in the 323 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,280 spiritual. There is a process of 324 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:29,360 development, a process of change, and sometimes that 325 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:33,440 process works fast and sometimes we find out there's something in 326 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,840 our heart or something in our life, or we face a temptation 327 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,680 that's way down the line from being a Christian. 328 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:41,960 And we think, how did that happen to me? 329 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:46,120 Well, don't throw your life away now. 330 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:50,320 Just recognize the same God who forgives everybody else can 331 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:52,920 forgive you. How you know the Bible says if 332 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,000 we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us 333 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,240 of our sin and it cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 334 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:04,400 Now another way we need to talk about this is in John chapter 15 335 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,400 Jesus said I am the true vine. My father isn't the vine 336 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,840 dresser. Every branch of me that does not 337 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,640 bear fruit, He takes away, never branched the barest fruit He 338 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:17,400 prunes that it may bear. What more fruit for you are 339 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:20,280 already clean because of the word which I've spoken to you. 340 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:24,200 So it's important for us to have a clean condition in our mindset 341 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,560 about ourself, but also recognize there's this ongoing 342 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,040 process where the Father's working in us. 343 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:32,160 Now. In this case, he uses the term 344 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,760 vine, but it's the same as a fruit tree. 345 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:38,960 If you want the fruit tree to bear fruit and you want to be 346 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,880 good fruit, there is going to be a pruning process that's 347 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,080 necessary. It almost seems strange to think 348 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:49,160 that cutting off a branch or cutting back a branch is going 349 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:52,720 to produce more fruit. Might be easy to say it would 350 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:55,440 produce better fruit, but how you know it doesn't always make 351 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:58,240 sense. What happens as you look at this 352 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:00,640 fruit tree and you have to understand there's something 353 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,520 here you need to see in your own life because sometimes things 354 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:05,440 happen and you can't put it all together. 355 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,360 Why? And sometimes we get so caught 356 00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:12,760 up in the wise, we don't let God do what He wants to do in the 357 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,400 end. Now in a natural perspective, 358 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,800 again, all of us in life have to learn how to self prune. 359 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,280 When you're a child, you act like a child. 360 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,240 The Bible says you play with toys and have all kinds of fun. 361 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:27,520 Then you become an adolescent, Your body starts going through 362 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,160 some changes and you got to adapt to a new life. 363 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,320 And usually it's at this time that your friends have the most 364 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,400 influence on your life. And so how you know you got to 365 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,680 prune back the kid part of you so that this other part of you 366 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,320 can start growing. And if it's not just something 367 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:46,760 you're inclined to do, it's something your friends will tell 368 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,600 you to do because there's this pressure to change and become a 369 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,480 different person. Well, that process continues. 370 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:56,720 And when you become an adult, the same thing starts happening. 371 00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:00,320 Now, when you get ready to train for your future, whether it's go 372 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,040 to college or trade school or whatever you're thinking about, 373 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:04,680 sometimes you have to make a choice. 374 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:09,200 Well, what do I want to be? We have to make a choice. 375 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:10,520 I was talking to somebody the other day. 376 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:13,440 They have two very amazing skills, one that would lead for 377 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,240 a professional life, the other as a musician. 378 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,840 Now, you can't do both of those things and excel. 379 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:22,560 You're going to have to make a choice. 380 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,880 Now, in one side, there has to be a pruning process because we 381 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:28,720 should never get rid of our skills. 382 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:31,760 We should just realize that's just not the major focus of my 383 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,760 life, and I like to share. That's the place where the 384 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,760 church comes in because you have a lot of aspirations and skills 385 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:42,360 and desires and things that you could use in the House of God. 386 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:46,680 Especially it's easy to see with music or any of the technology 387 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,840 that we're using, but it's also true in the baby nursery. 388 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:54,800 My wife, Bonnie, she loved being a mom and she always liked the 389 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,000 best job in the church. She was a worship leader for 30 390 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,600 years. I asked her to lead worship and 391 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:01,720 she didn't want to do it. And I'm like, don't worry, I 392 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:06,720 just need you temporarily. So 30 years later, I said, OK, 393 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:08,840 it's time. Anyway, she went back to the 394 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:10,160 nursery. She loves the nursery. 395 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,120 She loves to clean too. So she's often here at the 396 00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:15,920 church cleaning nurseries when she doesn't have to because she 397 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,240 just likes, well, you know, they're blah, blah, blah. 398 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,720 And And so there's all kinds of things that we can prune and we 399 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:26,320 can still enjoy it, we can develop it, we can still use it 400 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:29,680 for some purpose. But how we know, again, we have 401 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,160 to let certain things begin to grow and develop along the way. 402 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,400 And sometimes people don't want to make choices in life, and 403 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:38,720 especially because it feels like you're going to experience a 404 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,000 loss. But life is about both losses 405 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:43,720 and gains, kind of hered. Amen. 406 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,800 So those are just some of the practical ways that as we go 407 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:49,320 through life, how do you know when you're single, single and 408 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,360 get married, you got to prune off a branch. 409 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:56,640 A few of you realize that when you get married, you're not 410 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:58,120 supposed to act single anymore. Amen. 411 00:21:58,120 --> 00:21:59,440 You're not going to hear an Amen there. 412 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,200 OK, That's the point. So some things you just have to 413 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,560 cut off because, well, they don't need to be a part of the 414 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:10,000 process anymore because you have to keep on going with life so 415 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,600 you can become that tree of righteousness, the plan to the 416 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:16,680 Lord that He might be glorified. Now it's important to understand 417 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,680 because I put here the cutting process because sometimes you 418 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,480 have to really just cut off parts of your life and say, 419 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:26,040 well, that's no longer who I am. I wanted to do this. 420 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,600 I want to get married, I want to have kids, I want to go to get a 421 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:31,000 career, I want to do this. And so there's something that's 422 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:36,040 going to be a part of the loss. Now Jesus said I am the vine, 423 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,880 you are the branches, and the Heavenly Father, He's the vine 424 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,320 dresser. So he's going to prune and he's 425 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:45,040 going to cut. And we have to recognize that. 426 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:47,880 Now there is a key difference how many We can do our own 427 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:51,280 pruning and cutting or we can let God. 428 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:55,440 The thing you have to understand is when we prune, we use pruning 429 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,120 shears, cut off a branch, we use a saw. 430 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:05,040 What does God use? Wind, fire, hurricanes. 431 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,240 I remember a few years back when all of a sudden they started 432 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,960 recognizing, hey, forest fires aren't always bad. 433 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,960 I grew up with Smokey the Bear. Make sure you get rid of that 434 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,400 campfire so you don't cause some forest fire. 435 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,960 And that would still be true. But the idea back then was fire 436 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,720 was always bad and they found out. 437 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,360 No, let's recognize it's necessary sometimes. 438 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,040 And so God uses fire. God uses hurricanes. 439 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,120 Now when a forest fire goes through and you see it, like if 440 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:34,360 you want California, from time to time, we used to visit a 441 00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:37,320 church there, some friends in California, and you say, oh, no, 442 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,760 they had a forest fire there. When you look at where it's been 443 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,400 burnt, you look at and think, oh, devastation. 444 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,920 But from a natural perspective, it's an opportunity for a new 445 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:49,720 future. So this is important to 446 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:52,320 understand because church, sometimes you go through life 447 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:55,160 and there's been an area of perhaps what you call 448 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,720 devastation. Maybe there's been a flood, 449 00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:00,440 maybe there's been a fire. Whatever you look at, you see no 450 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,280 hope. I mean, that's when you have to 451 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,720 have trust in the Lord, Amen. Because the Bible says all 452 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:08,680 things work together for good to those who love God and are 453 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,480 called according to his what purpose. 454 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:15,120 And so when we recognize that, we should understand that when 455 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:18,720 it looks like it's devastation, when it looks like there's 456 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,360 nothing left, we still have a God who's able to work on our 457 00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:22,200 behalf. Amen. 458 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:24,320 Amen. That's where this next verse of 459 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:26,280 Scripture comes in. You can praise him on that one. 460 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:32,760 That's a good thing, for there is hope for a tree if it is cut 461 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:37,360 down even that it may what sprouting in and that it's 462 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:41,800 tender roots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in 463 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:45,880 the earth and it's stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent 464 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:50,600 of water it will bud and bring forth branches a lot like a 465 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,680 plant. The beautiful thing about 466 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,400 rebirth, and that's why I said we talked about the new birth, 467 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,320 but I remember Pat Grutz, who was my teacher, she came here 468 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:00,600 one year and she said God gave me a message. 469 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:02,200 It's time to be born again again. 470 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,840 And it's like we don't need to be reborn again in the sense, 471 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:10,840 but we do need to have times of rebirthing because just like it 472 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,320 says here, sometimes it just feels like you've been cut down. 473 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,040 There's nothing left. And that's when you say, Lord, 474 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,600 thank you that I have roots in the ground, Amen. 475 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,960 Because as long as I have roots at the scent of water, Lord, my 476 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:27,040 life is going to come back to me, Amen. 477 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:32,080 So as believers give him a praise on that church, as a 478 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:35,760 believer, we always have hope in the future. 479 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:40,200 Now it does say something about the scent of water. 480 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:45,320 Now if you know anything about manure, it don't smell too good, 481 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:47,240 so of course you want to run away from it. 482 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:52,920 But if you believe your life is like a stump and you have roots, 483 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,120 how do you know when you know that the scent of water is the 484 00:25:57,120 --> 00:25:58,840 cure? How many know we should be 485 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,400 looking for the scent of water? Some people spend their whole 486 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,720 life just talking about the manure of yesterday, or they get 487 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,840 caught up in the devastation of today and they forget what the 488 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,560 Bible says. There's a river here. 489 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,760 We're not showing it real strong because we're emphasizing the 490 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,480 tree. But church, there's a river of 491 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:22,600 life that God says is available to every single one of us. 492 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,560 So we need to say, God, I want beauty for my ashes. 493 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,160 I want joy for the things that have been holding me back. 494 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,000 I want to get rid of this heaviness so that I can have a 495 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,320 garment of praise. Lord, send me some water because 496 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,960 it's the water that's going to make the difference. 497 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,080 What are you going to focus on? What's going to be your 498 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,960 mentality? We have to make the choice as is 499 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:48,680 trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he 500 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,560 might be glorified. This says the righteous shall 501 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,240 flourish like a palm. He shall grow like a cedar in 502 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,480 Lebanon. Those who are planted in the 503 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,360 House of the Lord shall flourish in the hearts of our God. 504 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:03,200 They shall still bear fruit in old age. 505 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,080 They shall be what fresh and flourishing. 506 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:08,280 I love that fresh and flourishing. 507 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,880 We need to understand God's a God of fresh starts. 508 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,000 Amen. And I love the Scripture that 509 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,320 says the blessings of the Lord are new every morning because 510 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,240 church, there's always something new in God. 511 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:20,760 I'm just so amazed as a Christian how that I go through 512 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,640 different circumstances in life and then I go to the scriptures 513 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,080 and I find something in the scriptures. 514 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:27,000 I didn't even see it that way before. 515 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,000 Or I'm writing this class. I'm writing now. 516 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,560 I'm like, Lord, why didn't I see that before? 517 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,160 I've been reading this for so many years now and then all of a 518 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:37,440 sudden you're like, what? That's there. 519 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,920 God always has something for us that we can flourish, but we 520 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,880 have to be looking for demon church and we have to understand 521 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:51,240 that the point is always that we be planted in the House of God 522 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:54,320 so that we can be what? Renewed in freshness. 523 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,640 Now This is why I like to talk from time to time about how I 524 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,920 started out young and I'm getting older because I think 525 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:04,360 it's important for us always to realize our life is always 526 00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:06,680 changing. You're not the person you used 527 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,560 to be. You might not know it, but in 528 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:11,920 the natural, I think it's every seven years, your body goes 529 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:14,120 through a total purging of all of its cells. 530 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:17,440 So you're literally not the person you were seven years ago. 531 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,760 But we change as individuals. How many know our circumstances 532 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,720 change, People change. How many we no, we got to be 533 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:27,680 prepared for change and if we're looking for a refreshing, 534 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:29,920 there's always something that God can do for it. 535 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:33,760 So as I'm getting older, I realized that, well, I'm looking 536 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,120 for God to do more than he's ever done before. 537 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:38,200 I always say to people, people say when you're going to retire 538 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,960 and say I've retired when I was 24 and went into the ministry 539 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:45,000 because this isn't a job for me. It's a joy and speak of them 540 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,600 full of glory. I love it now when I say that 541 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:50,320 and I say I don't ever plan to retire. 542 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,000 Don't worry. I'm not going to come out here 543 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:57,800 and with a Walker one day and go the germ with me to Genesis. 544 00:28:58,960 --> 00:29:06,760 What chapter is that chat? What what book was I going to 545 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,280 do? How? 546 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:12,600 You know, there's one thing we there's something we can always 547 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:16,640 do And one of the best things that the Bible talks about is as 548 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:18,320 elders, we can teach other people. 549 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:21,800 We can not just teach them the word, but hopefully we have some 550 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,240 life experiences that we can give to other people. 551 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,480 I remember talking to somebody about this once. 552 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:30,960 But you know, how many of you when you're know, when you're a 553 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:33,240 kid and you're learning sports that always say, oh, it isn't 554 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:35,200 whether you win or lose is how you play the game? 555 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,480 Well, my dad, Papa Bill, he didn't have that philosophy. 556 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,680 His philosophy is if you win, that meant you played a good 557 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:45,480 game. Simple as that, you know. 558 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,560 So we used to do family things. We used to have five of us on a 559 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,520 men's bowling league. And I was very important to that 560 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,120 team because I was the only one with a handicap. 561 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,400 So we needed is from time to time. 562 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:02,000 And then he'd go golfing with the boys and stuff like that. 563 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:04,120 And he always wanted to beat his boys. 564 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:08,680 And as he got older, it got a little bit harder, a little bit 565 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,400 more harder. Now my dad had to make a choice. 566 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,680 Do I keep doing this when I'm not going to win? 567 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,240 And he started the bowling league, the church bowling 568 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,080 league. We have starting again for the 569 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,480 fall. Another opportunity for you. 570 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:27,160 And so it's like, dad, you start the bowling league, you can't 571 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,960 quit. Well, what he is able to do is 572 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,360 become a teacher and anybody that was on the bowling league 573 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:36,800 and my dad was on the even if he's on the opposite, he he's 574 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:38,800 going to tell you, well, you shouldn't be doing this and 575 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:40,440 shouldn't be doing that. After the first service, 576 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,040 somebody said, yeah, your dad always said, hey, act like 577 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,720 you're answering your phone, you got to get that hand up there, 578 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:48,880 whatever. But it's an opportunity. 579 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,600 We always have something that we can impart to other people, and 580 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:55,640 so sometimes a certain branch is going to be pruned and other 581 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:57,960 one's going to grow, but sometimes you got to look for 582 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:01,400 the branch that works for you. But there's always something can 583 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,560 happen. When we allowed ourselves to be 584 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:06,520 renewed in the Lord. The Bible says that Christ may 585 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:09,160 dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and 586 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,560 grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the Saints. 587 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:18,520 What is the width, the length, the depth and height to know the 588 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:22,160 love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled 589 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:24,960 with all the fullness of God? Anybody want to be filled with 590 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,160 all the fullness of God? What an amazing thing. 591 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,040 Now the Bible says we should be planned in the House of God and 592 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,720 I believe what the Bible says that the apostle Paul so told 593 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,480 Timothy, he said learn how to behave yourself in the House of 594 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,920 God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and 595 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:45,760 ground of church truth. I believe we should all be 596 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:49,960 planted in the House of God. One of the hindrances to that is 597 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:53,360 because oftentimes people don't like the people connections or 598 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:57,040 the friction in their mind that comes being around people or 599 00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,760 whatever The reason I've often heard people say, well, you 600 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:02,040 know, I love God, but I don't want to go to church because 601 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:06,280 that's too much trouble. Well, the Bible says we need to 602 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:10,200 let Christ dwell in our hearts and we need to be what? 603 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:15,360 Rooted and grounded in love. And as we grow in that love that 604 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:18,560 is rooted and grounded in us, that's when we really get to 605 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:23,080 know Christ in the way that passes our human experience and 606 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:25,040 are filled with all the fullness of God. 607 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:28,680 Church, we need to grow in love. Love isn't just something you 608 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,040 fall into. Love is something that you look 609 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,280 for. Love is something that you 610 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:37,200 develop. Love is something just like the 611 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:41,200 tree that's pruned and cut back whatever it takes and work. 612 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:45,000 And so as Christians, we need to be committed to be planted in 613 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,360 the House of God. And as a part of that, we need 614 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,000 to make a love commitment, say God. 615 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:53,200 This is the best opportunity when I'm around other people to 616 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,040 really realize what your Love Is All about. 617 00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:00,320 Because God, I know that well. You love us no matter what we 618 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:02,760 do. Your love doesn't quit. 619 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,000 Isn't it good to have a God like that church? 620 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:10,280 The Bible says that God's love surpasses our human knowledge. 621 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:13,760 So if you're facing a situation where the love is demanding 622 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,720 something of you that you don't want to give wonderful 623 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:21,760 opportunity, you can get to know the love of God that surpasses 624 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,520 your choices. And you will be what filled with 625 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:29,240 all the fullness of God as you allow that to happen in your 626 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:31,040 life. And that's where revelation 627 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,440 comes because all of a sudden you begin to look at things from 628 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:40,400 a whole different perspective because you realize what you're 629 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:44,240 looking for is love. And love isn't magical. 630 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:48,160 It's actually very practical. It's something you have to build 631 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,560 on, something you have to develop, something that you have 632 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:55,520 done not just to make a choice to love, but you have to make a 633 00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:58,400 choice to keep on loving. Can you say Amen to that church? 634 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,320 And then in closing, this scripture from Psalm 92 says 635 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,040 this. It is good to give thanks to the 636 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:06,760 Lord. And this thing praises to His 637 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:11,679 name almost high to declare your loving kindness in the morning 638 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:15,639 and your faithfulness every night on an instrument of 10 639 00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:20,320 strings on the lute on the heark with harmonious sounds for you, 640 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:25,679 Lord, this is a key have made me glad through your work. 641 00:34:26,199 --> 00:34:31,000 I will triumph in the works of your hands as we have our 642 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,800 worship and praise and even as we open up our hearts at the 643 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:38,320 altar time that we will go into in just a moment. 644 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:40,960 You need to hear what the psalmist said. 645 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,280 It's time. Not that we use lute and heart 646 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:44,679 now. We use the guitars and 647 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:47,719 keyboards. Whatever to say. 648 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:52,159 OK, God number one, I know that you are working in my life. 649 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:57,320 You're doing something. I want to praise you for that. 650 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:01,360 And I want to praise you, Lord, so much so that all of a sudden 651 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:06,120 my eyes get open to say, wow, these things I thought were only 652 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:10,480 bad are now going to be good because they're in my father's 653 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:11,160 hands. Amen. 654 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:14,320 Church. This is Pastor Lauren Corbubius 655 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:16,880 from Mount Zion Church. We thank you for joining us 656 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,880 today and invite you to connect with our church family by 657 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,640 visiting mountzion.org and following us on social media. 658 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:24,640 God bless you.