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Thank you brother Matthew 21. 
We're in verses 19 or sorry, 18 

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through 22. 
In the morning he was returning 

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to the city, and he became 
hungry, and seeing a fig tree by

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the wayside, he went to it and 
found nothing on it, but only 

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leaves. 
And he said to it, May no fruit 

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ever come from you again. 
And the fig tree withered at 

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once. 
When the disciples saw it, they 

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marvelled, saying, How did the 
fig tree wither at once? 

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And Jesus answered them Truly. 
I say to you, if you have faith 

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and do not doubt, you will not 
only do what has been done to 

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the fig tree, but even if you 
say to this mountain be taken up

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and thrown into the sea, it will
happen. 

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Or whatever you ask in prayer. 
If you whatever you ask for in 

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prayer, you will receive if you 
have faith. 

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God, thank you for your powerful
promise here and thank you for 

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your example. 
Thank you for the wisdom of 

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Jesus in all things at all 
times. 

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Or this is the moment that we 
pray. 

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You would just continue to sink 
your word more deeply into US. 

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Make U.S. 
Open, make us hungry, make us 

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humble. 
Lord, if we've read it before, 

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if we've seen it before, I pray 
you would still shine fresh 

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light and bring fresh 
revelation, fresh manna for 

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today. 
Today's bread that we need, the 

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daily bread that we prayed for. 
We receive it by faith, 

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gratitude, and we commit not to 
just conviction, but to 

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obedience in Jesus name, Amen. 
So in this in this quick short 

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passage here, we have the same 
account given by Mark. 

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I just want to clarify because 
if this could, if you were to 

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read them separately, you could 
be confused, but wait a second 

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to the fig tree wither right in 
that moment or to the fig tree 

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wither the next day. 
So I'm going to give you a quick

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timeline and a quick explanation
just so you're not stumped by 

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anything you see or read in your
Bible. 

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What you'll notice a lot of 
times in Matthew is Matthew is 

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emphasizing something in 
particular. 

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The Holy Spirit is having 
Matthew prioritize the themes of

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who Christ is. 
So the Holy Spirit does not have

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Matthew agonize over the details
of the chronology. 

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What is the order of in which 
the things happen? 

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That's not Matthew's point of 
writing to the Jews that he's 

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writing the the Gospel of the 
Kingdom about Mark. 

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However, Mark is much more 
detailed and precise in his 

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timeline and putting things in 
chronological order. 

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So if you read both of their 
accounts, whenever you read 

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Matthew, it says, hey, curse the
fig tree and the fig tree 

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Withers up immediately and then 
you know, they move. 

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They move on to the rest of the 
teaching. 

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Mark reveals that he cursed the 
fig tree on his way in to 

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Jerusalem. 
So the timeline looks something 

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looks not something look 
timeline. 

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Actually what actually happened 
looks like this Sunday, Jesus 

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that morning, triumphal entry 
into Jerusalem. 

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Hosanna blessed is he who comes 
in the name of the Lord Jesus 

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goes into the temple. 
He doesn't overturn everything 

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yet he looks around, he 
observes, he makes note. 

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Then he leaves, returns to 
Bethany for the night. 

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He probably went to Bethany all 
week at night. 

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Monday, he's on his way into 
Jerusalem. 

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He condemns the fig tree on his 
way into Jerusalem. 

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Then he goes into the temple. 
He condemns the false worship in

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the temple. 
He cleanses the temple. 

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Then Tuesday Mark reveals the 
disciples see the fig tree 

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withered and then Jesus teaches 
on faith and prayer. 

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So again, the point is Matthew 
shows it withering immediately 

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because he's emphasizing the 
power of Jesus words. 

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I think if you cursed A fig tree
today, if you cursed the palm 

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tree right outside there, if you
cursed it today and tomorrow it 

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was dead. 
That's immediately like you 

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cursed a tree and it died like 
24 hours later. 

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Like Oh my goodness, that tree 
you spoke to yesterday, Jesus 

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said no one will ever eat fruit 
from you again. 

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They thought, I guess that tree 
will never bear fruit. 

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But no, it had withered up from 
the roots and shriveled up and 

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died in a 24 hour period. 
So it immediately happened. 

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Matthew wasn't confused. 
The Bible was super strong. 

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This isn't some argument to get 
stumped on. 

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Just want to give you that quick
clarification in case anybody's 

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like really particular people 
get stumped on some silly things

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sometimes and sometimes they 
think like this has somehow 

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become the great undoing of all 
of God's scripture and it is in 

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no way no how anything close to 
it. 

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So there's no contradiction, 
just two explanations. 

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Mark giving the actual time 
fuller timeline, whereas 

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Matthew's giving the thematic 
idea what's going on here? 

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But what's again now? 
Now that we can get past that, 

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what's actually taking place 
with this fig tree Is Jesus just

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in a bad mood and he takes it 
out on a fig tree? 

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Man, I was hungry. 
I thought I could get some 

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breakfast. 
I'm sick of this. 

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And now you have to die. 
Why? 

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Because I'm God and I can just 
ZAP stuff with lightning 

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whenever I feel like it. 
That's not at all what's taking 

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place. 
There's something profound 

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that's taking place here. 
And in fact, Jesus is 

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pronouncing judgment on Israel 
by condemning the fig tree, and 

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I'm going to show it to you. 
All throughout the Old 

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Testament, Israel's referred to 
as a fig tree. 

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So the fig tree is referencing 
Israel. 

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I could take time. 
I thought about it, but it's 

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like I'm not going to walk them 
all over the place. 

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Go look it up for yourself. 
You'll find it out really 

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quickly, very truthfully. 
So here we have Monday morning. 

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It's all about to go down. 
Jesus is going into the temple. 

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Remember, He's already 
overthrown things in the temple 

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at the beginning of his ministry
three years ago. 

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And now he comes back again to 
look things over, to inspect 

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things again, to look for fruit,
and he's getting ready to go and

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he knows there's not fruit. 
He was there last night. 

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He looked around the whole 
temple. 

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He saw everything. 
He was disgusted. 

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There's a gate behind the 
temple. 

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People were using that. 
Instead of using the propagate, 

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they're walking through the 
temple courtyards. 

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The Gentiles who were supposed 
to be able to come to the temple

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courtyards to be able to 
worship, they can't because 

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there's all this chaos, because 
the Jews have made the Gentile 

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courtyard just full of 
merchandise and full of business

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dealings and full of extortion 
of the poor and everything else 

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that's going on. 
Like I told you before, if you 

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were poor, you could sacrifice a
dove. 

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Oh, the priest says your dove's 
not good enough that you brought

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for 2 pennies. 
You have to buy our dove. 

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Now here in the courtyard we 
have doves that are pre 

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qualified. 
They're only $4.00. 

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So what? 
We're going to give you a great 

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deal. 
Like I said, it's like going 

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through TSA and buying a bottle 
of water. 

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You had to pour yours out. 
But ours is good. 

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Ours is safe to fly all over the
nation. 

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But the water you brought in 
very dangerous water. 

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So the Pharisees are doing this,
the Jews are doing this. 

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Jesus hates it all. 
He he's before he goes in, 

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though, he makes an object 
lesson. 

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He makes a parable out of this 
tree that he walks into. 

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So the fig tree of Israel is 
where he goes and he finds 

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leaves on it, but he finds no 
fruit. 

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So here's another thing you need
to understand about fig trees. 

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Fig trees will give off their 
fruit before they give off 

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leaves. 
It's an interesting fact. 

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So whenever you if you're in the
distance and you see a fig tree 

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with leaves on it, yes, you know
already that it has figs because

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it was it was in spring. 
It would have been an early 

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fruit, fruit bearing for the fig
tree. 

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That's why Mark also tells us 
because it wasn't the season for

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figs. 
Like Jesus, why are you cursing 

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a tree? 
It doesn't have figs on it, but 

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it's not the season to have figs
on it because it already had 

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leaves. 
So the fact that it had leaves 

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indicated, hey, I bought it 
early this year, which means my 

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fruit has been here for a couple
weeks. 

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It's going to be small, but it's
going to be edible. 

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And Jesus, who is hungry because
he is fully God and fully man, 

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He wants breakfast, He wants 
something to eat. 

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So he goes up to it expecting to
find fruit. 

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Why? 
Because leaves indicate fruit is

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already present on a fig tree. 
He goes, there's only leaves 

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here. 
This is a malfunctioning tree 

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and it's almost as if as Jesus 
is right there, it's almost as 

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if he it's not almost as if it's
what he does. 

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He connects the whole thing to 
Israel as if to say, like Israel

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you have leaves and you present 
to have fruit, but upon close 

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inspection you have no fruit. 
I know what I'm about to do in 

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about 30 minutes when I get into
the temple. 

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I'm doing the same thing to you 
right now. 

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May no one ever eat fruit from 
you ever again. 

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And he curses the fig tree just 
like he's about to go in and do 

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in the temple. 
Look at all of our leaves. 

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Look at all of our religion. 
Look at all of our Jewishness. 

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Look at all of our whatever. 
And Jesus goes. 

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It's disgusting, it's filthy, 
and I'm overturning the whole 

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thing. 
The fig tree is a parable of 

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Israel and judgment has fully 
come on to Israel. 

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Christ, he judged, he corrected,
he's come back again to say, 

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have you cleaned things up? 
Have you surrendered? 

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Have you obeyed? 
And he goes to the temple and 

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finds, no, they haven't. 
So the fig tree event really 

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happened. 
And it's also a parable like 

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many things were against Israel.
Go in your Bible to Luke chapter

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13. 
Luke chapter 13 verses 6 through

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9. 
This is another parable that he 

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tells. 
This is a parable about 

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repentance. 
You can read before to see more 

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about that. 
But in in verse 6 of chapter 13 

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of Luke, and he told this 
parable, a man had a fig tree 

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planted in his vineyard and he 
came seeking fruit on it and 

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found none. 
And he said to the vine dresser,

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So this guy, he owns all this 
property, but he's got the guy 

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who manages the the orchards and
the vineyards. 

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He has looked for three years. 
I've been coming seeking fruit 

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on this fig tree and I find 
none. 

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Go ahead, cut it down. 
Why should it use up the ground?

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And he answered him, Sir, leave 
it alone this year also until I 

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dig around it and put on some 
manure, some fertilizer. 

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And then if it should bear fruit
next year, then that's well and 

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good. 
But if not, then you can cut it 

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down. 
So, and the owner says, man, 

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this tree's been three years and
we haven't got nothing from it. 

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Cut the thing down. 
He's like, hey, hey, let me, let

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me have one more year. 
Let me try and get some fruit. 

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So he's he's he's pleading with 
the master. 

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He said, let's be compassionate.
Who's that Reminds you of? 

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Of course, reminds us. 
My mind goes to Moses pleading 

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for the Israelites. 
God's like, I'm going to kill 

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everybody. 
And Moses like, hey, hey, hey, 

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hey, hey, don't kill everybody. 
Hey, you don't, you wouldn't. 

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That's not really what you want 
to do. 

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And he's interceding on behalf 
of the people. 

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He's why? 
Because the Lord is testing 

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Moses. 
He's testing his shepherd. 

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He's testing his man. 
The Lord is compassionate. 

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Moses doesn't love the people 
more than God loves the people. 

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But he's testing his man, Moses,
and he's getting to intercede. 

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He does the same thing before he
destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. 

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Abraham intercedes. 
He goes, hey, hey, would you 

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really destroy the whole city? 
What if there's somebody 

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righteous in it? 
What if there's 50 righteous? 

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The Lord goes, there's 50 
righteous people. 

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I won't destroy it. 
So he he negotiates with him. 

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When you see that compassion 
taking place here as well. 

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But what's the point? 
The Lord is expecting fruit. 

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The Master expects fruit. 
Is he patient? 

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Yeah. 
Will prayer increase his 

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patience? 
It sure can. 

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Compassion of his people to 
plead with the Lord for mercy 

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00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:31,080
like Jesus did on the cross. 
Father, forgive them. 

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They don't know what they're 
doing. 

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00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:35,800
Father, they don't know what 
they're doing. 

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They don't know who I really am.
We've told them and we've shown 

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them, and still they don't know.
Father, forgive them. 

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00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:44,360
They don't know what they're 
doing. 

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But still there comes a limit 
and there comes a time. 

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So let me fertilize it more. 
It's three years and no fruit 

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00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,040
for this particular fig tree. 
Well, Jesus's ministry has been 

235
00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:58,720
three years and still there 
hasn't been fruit. 

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00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,360
Jesus is very fruitful, but 
there hasn't been fruit in 

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Israel. 
There hasn't been the turning 

238
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that there should have been, as 
is evidence from the Sunday 

239
00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,760
triumphal entry to the Friday 
cries to crucify him. 

240
00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,160
They wanted a different leader 
than the true leader of Israel, 

241
00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,320
the true king of Israel, who 
Jesus really is. 

242
00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,000
So Israel is the fig tree. 
God is patient. 

243
00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,680
He gives it years, but there 
does come a time to cut it down 

244
00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,320
and plant something better in 
its place. 

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00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,960
And that's what Jesus is coming 
and doing when he goes into the 

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00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,480
temple. 
I am cutting this down, and I'm 

247
00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,040
putting something better in its 
place. 

248
00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,200
Now, let me clarify a point with
that. 

249
00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,600
That is not to say if Israel had
just been good boys and good 

250
00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,800
girls, Judaism would have 
somehow continued parallel with 

251
00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,160
Christianity. 
Absolutely not. 

252
00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:50,720
That's not the point. 
The Church is not a Gentile 

253
00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,320
substitute for a failed Israel. 
That's not what I'm saying. 

254
00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:58,040
I'm not saying that God cut down
Judaism and said we're getting 

255
00:12:58,040 --> 00:12:59,640
rid of that religion. 
That one didn't work. 

256
00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,760
Let's just start a new thing up.
We'll call it Christianity. 

257
00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:05,880
No, no, no, no, God is God. 
He's always been God. 

258
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:07,400
His truth has always been the 
truth. 

259
00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:09,880
And you could follow God and 
walk along with his truth and in

260
00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:11,920
any given moment, step outside 
of it. 

261
00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,280
You can walk away just like a 
Christian can walk away from the

262
00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:18,960
faith. 
Are they, are they always a 

263
00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,440
Christian? 
The way you got saved is the way

264
00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,280
you stay saved by God's grace 
through your faith. 

265
00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:31,200
So can can I lose my salvation? 
Well, do you believe in God? 

266
00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:32,920
Are you trusting in Jesus any 
longer? 

267
00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,880
Well, no. 
Well, then you're obviously not 

268
00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:39,040
a child of God. 
So what we're saying is that 

269
00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,760
God's truth has always been 
God's truth and he's always been

270
00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,600
walking out his story and 
everything's always been 

271
00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,640
pointing to Jesus and the past 
was pointing to Jesus. 

272
00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:49,520
The future has been pointing to 
Jesus and it all culminated with

273
00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,880
Christ. 
So what we're saying the church 

274
00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:56,080
is not a Gentile substitute for 
a failed Israel. 

275
00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:01,040
The church is the true Israel. 
That's what the New Testament 

276
00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,120
teaches. 
The church has genetic 

277
00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,520
descendants of Abraham, 
historically known as the Jewish

278
00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:10,280
people. 
So if if you can trace your 

279
00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,880
bloodline all the way up through
Abraham, you would say, well, 

280
00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,480
I'm a Jew ethnically. 
OK, so genetic Jews are a part 

281
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,600
of the body of Christ, not 
because they're genetic Jews, 

282
00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:23,240
but because they have faith in 
the blood of Jesus and Gentiles 

283
00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,200
like you and I, who, as far as I
know, I don't know, maybe some 

284
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,560
of your genetic descendants of 
Abraham, but if you're a genetic

285
00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:31,840
descendant of Abraham, you're 
not automatically a part of the 

286
00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,360
church or the true Israel. 
You have to come under the blood

287
00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:36,480
of Jesus. 
And if you're just a Gentile, 

288
00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,120
like probably most of us are, 
you also have to come under the 

289
00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,400
blood of Jesus. 
So the church, the true Israel 

290
00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,960
is the church, the genetic 
descendants of Abraham and 

291
00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,000
Gentiles united in Christ as 
true Jews. 

292
00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,600
The Lord is judging. 
The Lord is setting his church 

293
00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,720
up and he is transitioning 
things and he is judging Israel.

294
00:14:57,720 --> 00:14:59,160
That's what's going on with the 
fig tree. 

295
00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:01,520
You thought Jesus was just 
grumpy, in a bad mood and he 

296
00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:03,680
wanted breakfast. 
That's not what was going on. 

297
00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:07,360
He's going, this is just like 
Israel, full of leaves. 

298
00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:11,640
Look at all of my presentation. 
Look at from a distance. 

299
00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,720
I can deceive you from a 
distance. 

300
00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:17,280
I would like the picture of 
health, but upon closer 

301
00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:21,000
inspection, it's not that at 
all. 

302
00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:26,760
The same thing applies for us 
and Luke 13 as well. 

303
00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:28,000
So we were applying it to 
Israel. 

304
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,480
Let's apply Luke 13 to us. 
A man planted A fig tree in his 

305
00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:33,520
vineyard. 
He came seeking fruit on it and 

306
00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:35,520
found none. 
He said to the vine dresser. 

307
00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:37,920
For three years now I've come 
seeking fruit on this tree and I

308
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:39,680
find none. 
Cut it down. 

309
00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:42,680
Why should it use up the ground,
Sir? 

310
00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,240
Leave it, Leave it alone. 
One more year. 

311
00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,440
Let me dig around it. 
Put in fertilizer, manure, then 

312
00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:50,080
it should bear fruit next year. 
That's well and good. 

313
00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,360
If not, you can cut it down. 
There's a season, there's a 

314
00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:59,000
patience, but but ultimately, 
after you've had time to bear 

315
00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,480
fruit, eventually there is a 
limit. 

316
00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,760
Who knows when that is? 
Only God does, and this should 

317
00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:07,320
fill us with humility. 
The Master expects fruit from 

318
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:08,800
all of his people, not just 
leaves. 

319
00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:11,960
There are people who have leaves
on their life. 

320
00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:13,840
The picture. 
What do leaves represent? 

321
00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,000
The leaves represent the 
pictures of of religion, the 

322
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,520
presentation of religion. 
I know what to say. 

323
00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:21,800
I know how to look, I know how 
to act. 

324
00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:25,160
Now, if you got close and 
inspected, you would see 

325
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:27,440
something quite different. 
But the leaves of the 

326
00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:31,360
presentation, I can, I can 
present for a while, and as long

327
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,400
as you don't get too close, I 
can keep the storyline going. 

328
00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:40,360
We're not told what comes next 
in that particular parable, and 

329
00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,080
we're not told what comes next 
in our stories either. 

330
00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,360
Does that tree come around? 
Does it eventually bear fruit? 

331
00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:48,400
We don't know. 
The good news is you get to 

332
00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,600
decide what you're going to do. 
We can surrender and life will 

333
00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,000
flow through us so that we do 
bear fruit. 

334
00:16:55,000 --> 00:17:03,320
Go back to Matthew 21. 
I don't want to hit it while 

335
00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:04,920
it's on the podium. 
I don't want you to hit it while

336
00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:08,160
it's on the podium either. 
You can just sit tight. 

337
00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:16,640
I got it back in Chapter 21 of 
Matthew and verse 19. 

338
00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:22,920
May no one ever, may no fruit 
ever come from you again. 

339
00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:26,720
So here we see the only 
destructive miracle in the 

340
00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:30,240
Gospels. 
This is why we should be able to

341
00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:32,680
rebuke the flies this morning. 
Just like I'd like to see you 

342
00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:34,880
just has the most faith. 
Just start cursing flies. 

343
00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:39,560
May you never fly again. 
They just drop. 

344
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:48,920
Yeah, maybe 24 hours. 
The only destructive miracle in 

345
00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:52,600
the Gospels. 
Contrary to what many Christian 

346
00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,240
theologians would teach, all 
throughout the Gospels, we've 

347
00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:58,560
seen it over and over and over. 
Healing and blessing, Healing 

348
00:17:58,560 --> 00:17:59,920
and blessing. 
Those are the nature of the 

349
00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,480
miracles of Jesus. 
Healing and blessing, healing 

350
00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,080
and blessing. 
But here he destroys and he 

351
00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,120
kills. 
So we've said before, Jesus has 

352
00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:09,280
different gears. 
He's the right thing at the 

353
00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:11,400
right time. 
He's not stuck in one gear. 

354
00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:14,600
He always does what's best and 
He always does what's right. 

355
00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:19,040
There's been a time and a season
for patience, and now He's 

356
00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,360
showing that this judgment 
comes. 

357
00:18:21,360 --> 00:18:23,000
But when does this kind of 
judgment come? 

358
00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,360
This kind of judgment comes when
there has been a persistent 

359
00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:30,240
refusal to produce what God has 
patiently waited for. 

360
00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,000
And this is the warning of our 
particular moment. 

361
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,320
It's just so beautiful. 
The sovereignty of God is as 

362
00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,920
He's brought us to where He's 
brought us in the Scriptures, as

363
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,160
the words have come from the 
Holy Spirit through different 

364
00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,320
believers over these past few 
weeks. 

365
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,040
It's so. 
I mean, it should just be very 

366
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,360
humbling. 
It should be very alarming and 

367
00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:52,640
it should be very exciting. 
It should just be exciting 

368
00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,240
because we just go, I'm making 
the switch, I'm making the move.

369
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,520
I'm making the change that the 
Lord is calling for me to make. 

370
00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,160
And therefore that brings 
breakthrough and blessing. 

371
00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,160
When does this kind of judgment 
come? 

372
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,000
This doesn't come because you 
had a bad day. 

373
00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:06,880
This doesn't become come because
you send this. 

374
00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,680
Come because this comes because 
you kept choosing sin. 

375
00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:11,840
And the Lord said, can I have 
that? 

376
00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:15,280
Yeah. 
He's like be patient. 

377
00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:20,240
And then he asked again and he 
asked again and he asked again, 

378
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:23,280
and I don't want to give you a 
false comfort and extend 

379
00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:25,160
something, create some timeline 
that he doesn't create because 

380
00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:26,400
I'm not in charge of it. 
He is. 

381
00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:28,920
But the point is, with the Lord 
has asked for it, you better 

382
00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:31,360
give it. 
If the Lord has told you to do 

383
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:34,040
it, you better do it because 
it's connected to something as 

384
00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:36,040
well. 
It's connected to a blessing, 

385
00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:38,240
but it's probably also connected
to a curse. 

386
00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,240
It's probably also connected to 
a consequence. 

387
00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,840
So eventually that leads to 
something The Lord's kindness is

388
00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,640
what leads us to repentance. 
But ultimately, if we don't 

389
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,120
respond to His kindness, what's 
left? 

390
00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:57,800
Go to Hebrews chapter 10. 
What's left if we don't respond 

391
00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:00,440
to what the Lord has done, to 
what the Lord has provided, to 

392
00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:05,800
what the Lord has shown? 
Hebrews 10, verse 26. 

393
00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:09,760
For if we go on sinning 
deliberately after receiving the

394
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,840
knowledge of the truth. 
There no longer remains A 

395
00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:19,840
sacrifice for sins. 
I'm going to read that again. 

396
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:25,000
If we go on sinning deliberately
after receiving the knowledge of

397
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:30,040
the truth, there no longer 
remains A sacrifice for sins, 

398
00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:36,360
but a fearful expectation of 
judgment and a fury of fire that

399
00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,560
will consume the adversaries. 
Anyone who set aside the Law of 

400
00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:45,480
Moses dies on the dies without 
mercy on the evidence of two or 

401
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,040
three witnesses. 
How much worse punishment do you

402
00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,360
think will be deserved by one 
who's who has trampled under 

403
00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:54,760
foot the Son of God and has 
profaned the blood of the 

404
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:59,000
covenant by which he was 
sanctified, and has outraged the

405
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:05,480
spirit of grace? 
For we know him who said 

406
00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:09,640
vengeance is mine, I will repay.
And again, the Lord will judge 

407
00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:11,960
his people. 
It is a fearful thing to fall 

408
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:13,960
into the hands of the living 
God. 

409
00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,680
So I have to make sure that you 
remember that I'm not pulling 

410
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,480
something out of context here or
reference in Jesus's judgment of

411
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,680
the fig tree. 
Jesus is coming to judge the 

412
00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,000
living and the dead. 
He's coming to judge everything 

413
00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:28,400
and everybody. 
And he's not looking for leaves,

414
00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,680
He's looking for fruit. 
So what could leaves be? 

415
00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,080
Well, leaves could be any number
of dead things. 

416
00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:35,600
Leaves could be church 
attendance. 

417
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,320
Leaves could be Bible reading, 
leaves could even be prayer. 

418
00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:44,760
Fruit is fruit, and fruit can't 
be faked when somebody's up 

419
00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,640
close in your life. 
Fruit can't be faked when you're

420
00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:49,080
up close in anybody's life. 
Fruit. 

421
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,040
I can't fake fruit when you're 
up close in my life. 

422
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,200
Now, generally, generally when 
you keep people in a distance, 

423
00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,360
you can keep them fake, which, 
you know, here's a life hack for

424
00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:00,680
Christians. 
You should always have a pastor 

425
00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:02,240
who you can get close to his 
life. 

426
00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:05,360
And if you can't get close to 
his life and if you can't get in

427
00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:09,480
his living room and if you can't
see his family, then you can't 

428
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:11,080
know him. 
That doesn't mean he's an evil 

429
00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,080
villain. 
The point is, my only point is 

430
00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:14,480
you can't really inspect his 
fruit. 

431
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:17,200
You might hope that it. 
Well, I like this guy. 

432
00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:18,760
I think he's a great minister. 
I hope so too. 

433
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,080
I'm not a cynic and I'm not 
suspicious of everybody. 

434
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:24,320
I'm just saying you don't know 
unless you actually know, and 

435
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,360
then you know everything else 
is. 

436
00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:28,440
I hope he is what he presents to
be. 

437
00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:30,320
Look at the fruit of the 
ministry. 

438
00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:33,880
Well, that's that's a place a 
lot of Christians get confused. 

439
00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,040
The Lord will always bless his 
word and he will always bless 

440
00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:40,000
the body of Christ. 
And that guy was in a scandal 

441
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:41,680
for 30 years and nobody ever 
knew it. 

442
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,080
How could that happen? 
Because God is good to his 

443
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:46,160
church and God is good on his 
word. 

444
00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:48,760
And if you had been up close in 
that guy's life, you would have 

445
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:50,520
seen that known that. 
Yikes. 

446
00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,040
These are some red flags. 
I think I'm going to distance 

447
00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,240
myself with it. 
But Christians are too often 

448
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,640
impressed by leaves. 
Christians will follow after 

449
00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:01,080
leaves like it's nothing. 
You'll follow leaves and reels. 

450
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,120
You'll follow leaves and books. 
You'll follow leaves on 

451
00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:05,120
television. 
You'll follow leaves on YouTube.

452
00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:10,040
Like I like their preaching. 
Like I like preaching too. 

453
00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:12,480
But we don't know anything 
unless we actually know 

454
00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,000
something. 
And the only way to know is with

455
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,200
close inspection. 
Jesus thought that tree was 

456
00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,920
fruitful. 
Jesus went up and found you're 

457
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:22,680
not. 
These are just leaves. 

458
00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:25,720
Fruit is what the Lord is after 
in the believer's life. 

459
00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:27,760
Fruits, what the Lord is after 
in everybody's life. 

460
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,040
But if we reject Christ after 
knowing the truth, there is no 

461
00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,240
Plan B to save us. 
I've described it this way 

462
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:36,680
before. 
If you're driving towards a 

463
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,880
Cliff, there's one thing between
you and the Cliff and it's 

464
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,280
Jesus. 
And if you run him over with 

465
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:46,520
your car, there's nothing else. 
There's nobody else. 

466
00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,760
He doesn't climb up and get up 
and run around again and catch 

467
00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,240
up to your car and allow you to 
run him over and over. 

468
00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,120
That's what Hebrews 10 just told
you anyway. 

469
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,080
Once you've trampled Christ and 
you say no, no, no, no, no. 

470
00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,200
Well, and no one's ever dumb 
enough typically to say I hate 

471
00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,200
Jesus and I reject him as Lord. 
I've never known anybody that 

472
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,760
stupid, and I doubt you have 
either. 

473
00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,000
Maybe you have. 
Can they be saved? 

474
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,760
Yes, through repentance. 
But the dangerous thing is those

475
00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:18,160
who continually through a life 
of sin keep rejecting, keep 

476
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,680
rejecting, and through the false
comfort of leaves, because 

477
00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,120
leaves bring shade. 
Leaves aren't evil. 

478
00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:29,240
Leaves aren't wrongdoing, but 
they're false without fruits. 

479
00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:33,000
So we just have leaves in our 
life, but not fruit that can be 

480
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,760
inspected and say that tastes 
good, that tastes sweet, that 

481
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,520
tastes like Lovejoy, peace, 
patience, kindness, goodness, 

482
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,280
faithfulness, gentleness and 
self-control. 

483
00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:46,360
Those are the fruits that need 
to be growing on our trees. 

484
00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:50,200
But when those things are absent
and we only have leaves like 

485
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:55,120
Israel, then all that's 
obviously left is judgement. 

486
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:59,080
The fig tree is a picture of a 
heart that keeps saying no until

487
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,520
the window of mercy closes. 
That's the picture of the fig 

488
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:07,160
tree. 
Leaves can deceive. 

489
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,920
You've got to get really close, 
and that's the only way you can 

490
00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:13,240
really know. 
That's the danger of having some

491
00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,720
appearance. 
Wow, they're so spiritual, are 

492
00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,240
they? 
Wow, they're so holy, are they? 

493
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:25,320
Wow, they're so mature. 
Well, you should be talking 

494
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:31,280
about fruit specific biblical, 
godly, New Testament fruit. 

495
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:32,960
If those are the kind of 
compliments you want to give to 

496
00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:34,920
somebody, give them. 
Be generous. 

497
00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,440
Let's be quick to bless and 
compliment and encourage, But 

498
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,400
we're assessing fruit. 
We're not assessing 

499
00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:41,800
presentation. 
Man, Joe Michael can preach. 

500
00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:44,280
That's not a New Testament 
fruit. 

501
00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,560
That's not a fruit. 
Well, I'm edified by it. 

502
00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:48,320
Good. 
I'm glad you. 

503
00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:51,280
I'm glad you're blessed by, but 
that's not the same thing as the

504
00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,840
fruits of the spirit in my life.
What if God and his goodness and

505
00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:59,160
graciousness to you has anointed
me for your sake and I'm still a

506
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,920
mess and I'm still a wreck? 
That's not the same thing. 

507
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:05,000
So that's why I should never be 
on a pedestal. 

508
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:06,800
It's why no minister should ever
be on a pedestal. 

509
00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,760
Only Jesus goes on the pedestal 
and all the rest of us just get,

510
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,000
just continue to say, let's 
glorify him. 

511
00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:18,400
Let's praise him. 
They're so this, they're so 

512
00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:19,800
that. 
Maybe they are, maybe they're 

513
00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:21,280
not. 
Have you been close enough to 

514
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:25,040
inspect fruit, though? 
That's the ultimate test. 

515
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:29,000
Look at their family, look at 
their marriage, look at their 

516
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:30,760
kids. 
These things communicate 

517
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:32,440
something. 
These things tell us more about 

518
00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,760
fruit And we go, hey, I can 
start to connect the dots. 

519
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,680
The younger I was in the Lord I 
was in, I was so much more 

520
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,040
impressed with leaves. 
It didn't, you know, it didn't 

521
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,400
take much. 
If somebody could talk the talk,

522
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:47,240
I would be impressed with 
leaves. 

523
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,240
And I was like, man, that guy 
knows the word or that woman 

524
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,400
knows the word and I'd be 
impressed with knowledge. 

525
00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:56,960
They know this. 
They can quote this, they can 

526
00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:58,560
quote that. 
I remember, but as a young man 

527
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,720
being so impressed with that. 
And then but I would see 

528
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:04,800
something in their life not even
with clothes, fruit inspection. 

529
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,680
I'm not even talking like living
room quality time. 

530
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,440
I'm just talking like, man, it's
kind of a weird situation with 

531
00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:13,440
that. 
Oh well. 

532
00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,560
And I would dismiss the fruit 
because I was so infatuated with

533
00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:19,240
the leaves. 
I'm like, the guy knows the 

534
00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:21,520
Bible better than anybody I've 
ever seen in my entire life. 

535
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:24,560
That fruit is just, I don't 
understand that fruit. 

536
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,360
And I would dismiss the fruit 
and I would dismiss fruit and 

537
00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:29,480
dismiss fruit. 
Dismiss fruit, dismiss fruit. 

538
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:31,760
And I'll just go look at these 
leaves. 

539
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:33,320
I don't know what's up with this
bad fruit. 

540
00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:36,920
And foolishly, I would dismiss 
it. 

541
00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:38,880
And it should have been the 
exact opposite. 

542
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,200
It should have been. 
The leaves are pointless. 

543
00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:43,360
I'm glad he's memorized his 
Bible. 

544
00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:45,280
All the Pharisees had done the 
same thing. 

545
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,120
Jesus is unimpressed with their 
presentation, but the fruit is 

546
00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:52,320
what the Lord is after. 
So instead I'm going look at 

547
00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:55,400
this person like he didn't know 
anything. 

548
00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,120
He hadn't been around too long, 
but I'm seeing some good fruit 

549
00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:00,560
here. 
That's a blessing. 

550
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,440
And what do you do for the 
person who has fruit, who has 

551
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,120
leaves without fruit? 
Well, you're praying for them. 

552
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:09,520
You're not condemning them. 
I'm not Jesus, I'm not the one 

553
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:11,680
who condemns it says time's up, 
fig tree. 

554
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:14,640
That's the Lord's doing. 
So whenever I see that, that's 

555
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,320
when I'm praying even more so 
I'm like, oh Lord, help them to 

556
00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:18,960
bear fruit, not just bear 
leaves. 

557
00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,000
The the Psalm we read, we're 
supposed to have both. 

558
00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:25,080
We're supposed to have fruit in 
season and leaves. 

559
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,840
Our leave never Withers, but 
we're supposed to have the fruit

560
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,720
at the right time. 
Leaves can deceive. 

561
00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,640
Leaves without fruit means that 
the tree is a hypocrite. 

562
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,160
Leaves are the outward signs of 
religious vitality, but they 

563
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,920
lack the substance thereof. 
Leaves are a person who will 

564
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,040
profess Christ but not have the 
fruits of repentance. 

565
00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:52,800
Leaves make promises, but fruit 
reveals reality. 

566
00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:55,800
And the fig tree? 
It's just all throughout the 

567
00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:59,360
scriptures. 
What was it that Adam and Eve 

568
00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:04,000
sought to cover their sin with? 
Fig leaves. 

569
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:08,200
That was their covering, fig 
leaves, nothing to do with any 

570
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,320
fruit. 
They just said the fig leaf, 

571
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,560
it's big, it's useful. 
This is how we'll cover 

572
00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,560
ourselves. 
Adam goes to a fig tree to be 

573
00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:19,080
covered by its leaves. 
Jesus, the second Adam comes to 

574
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:23,120
the fig tree and he demands 
fruit from it, he will not 

575
00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,080
accept a covering. 
He wants the real substance. 

576
00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,720
And like I said, this church 
environment is a fertilizer for 

577
00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:32,640
you. 
A healthy church is a fertilizer

578
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:33,640
for the Saints. 
You go, man. 

579
00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:35,720
Like sometimes I'm struggling to
produce fruit. 

580
00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:37,760
Hey, we'll keep getting around 
the rest of the body. 

581
00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,960
This is a fertilizing soil. 
This will bless you. 

582
00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,440
This will help you. 
This will encourage you. 

583
00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,520
This will raise you up, not 
condemn you. 

584
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:48,440
When you got something new to 
surrender. 

585
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:49,960
People go, aha, I knew it. 
They go. 

586
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,280
Give it to the Lord. 
Give it to the Lord. 

587
00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:54,400
Be free. 
Receive breakthrough, receive 

588
00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,280
blessing. 
So if you miss out on going into

589
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:01,560
the new season that the Lord has
prepared for salt, there's no 

590
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:05,240
other reason, then it's because 
you chose to not surrender to 

591
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:07,200
it. 
You chose to not submit and you 

592
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,480
chose to not obey the Lord. 
God wants to bless you. 

593
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:14,560
I can say with confidence right 
now as the pastor, the door is 

594
00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:23,120
open as of July 26th, 7th. 
I can say for sure right now the

595
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:25,800
door is open for this next 
season and this new season. 

596
00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,880
But to walk through, you must 
surrender more deeply. 

597
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,760
Our Father is saying, hey, we're
moving to a new house, but you 

598
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:36,240
can't bring all your old stuff 
to it. 

599
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,440
We're going to a better house, a
bigger house, a more beautiful 

600
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,760
house, all the things. 
What is it exactly, pastor? 

601
00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:45,240
I don't know. 
That's not my jurisdiction. 

602
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,520
The Lord has all that covered. 
It's probably going to be some 

603
00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,800
things for individuals. 
There's already a big thing 

604
00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:51,840
that's happening for our church.
That's the good news I'll be 

605
00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,320
sharing with you sometime soon. 
There's already going to be 

606
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:55,560
breakthrough. 
Some of you are already 

607
00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,080
experiencing breakthrough in 
your lives because of the depth 

608
00:30:58,080 --> 00:30:59,840
of surrender that you've already
going into. 

609
00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:02,720
So I don't, I don't make all the
promises and guarantees for what

610
00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:04,840
the new season holds. 
I just know that's what 

611
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:08,000
surrender is about. 
Surrender says I surrender, I 

612
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:11,840
surrender, not I negotiate, I 
surrender. 

613
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:16,520
Negotiation is I'll give this up
Lord, if you he says, I'm not 

614
00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:17,680
telling you everything that's 
coming. 

615
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:19,560
I'm just saying surrender. 
That's it. 

616
00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:22,760
He didn't tell Abraham kill 
Isaac and I'll raise him from 

617
00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:23,680
the dead. 
He didn't. 

618
00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,680
He didn't tell Abraham kill 
Isaac. 

619
00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:27,360
Just kidding. 
I'm not going to let you kill 

620
00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:30,320
him. 
I'll stop you right before he 

621
00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:32,800
just said your. 
Your job is the full obedience 

622
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:34,840
and surrender. 
Saints. 

623
00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:36,880
I've become more and more 
convinced as I've meditated on 

624
00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,760
this and prayed on this. 
This is the blockage. 

625
00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:43,280
This is the blockage in the 
Christian life. 

626
00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,640
It's a lack of surrender. 
This is the thing. 

627
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,440
Why don't we see this in the 
church? 

628
00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:48,880
Why don't we see that in the 
church? 

629
00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:50,200
Why don't we see this in my 
life? 

630
00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:51,800
I've been praying this thing for
years. 

631
00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,560
I'm more and more and more 
convinced because we haven't 

632
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,800
surrendered, we don't qualify. 
I don't qualify for the thing 

633
00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:00,880
because I haven't get taken 
myself to the place he's called 

634
00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:02,960
for. 
I still haven't obeyed the last 

635
00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,480
obedience he's called me to from
three years ago. 

636
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,960
And but I'm like, I'm so 
hardened to that thing he's 

637
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,360
asked for of me. 
I'm so far past obeying it. 

638
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,080
There's so not a chance of me 
obeying it anymore. 

639
00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:19,120
Then I don't even think about it
anymore and I'm so far past it 

640
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,400
that I'm frustrated that my 
prayers aren't answered over 

641
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:23,960
here and my prayers aren't 
answered over there, or I'm not 

642
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:26,160
seeing this in my life or that 
in my life, and he just feels 

643
00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:27,880
distant. 
I'm like, I don't know what's up

644
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,040
with God. 
And then I walk away from the 

645
00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:33,480
Lord and it's like, buddy, 
buddy, if we could rewind the 

646
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:37,320
clock, you stop following. 
No, I didn't. 

647
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,200
I kept reading my Bible. 
I kept going to church. 

648
00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:46,960
I kept playing worship music. 
Buddy, buddy. 2015 January. 

649
00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:50,760
He asked you for this thing, and
you were like, yeah, and you 

650
00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:52,200
were a little bit tender about 
it. 

651
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,920
And you have hardened and 
doubled down and tripled down 

652
00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,840
and quadrupled down, and now you
have a hard heart. 

653
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,920
And you thought your Bible 
reading and Holy Spirit, all the

654
00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:05,440
things that the Pharisees 
thought we tithe, we do this. 

655
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:08,520
The Lord said, of course you 
should do those things. 

656
00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:12,360
Do you want a Gold Star? 
But I asked for the greater 

657
00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,480
thing. 
I'm asking if you'll love me. 

658
00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:18,120
I'm just convinced. 
I'm convinced in my own life and

659
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:23,920
your life and every human in 
everybody's life, surrender is 

660
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,760
the key to the next thing. 
And it's so good. 

661
00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:30,720
It's so perfect because it 
opposes the proud surrender. 

662
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:32,560
Like you can't be prideful and 
surrender. 

663
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,280
You can't keep up the facade and
surrender. 

664
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:39,320
That's the whole point. 
It exposes and then it elevates,

665
00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:41,520
but not in the way that I want 
to elevate myself. 

666
00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,760
I want to elevate myself. 
Look at me, go from strength to 

667
00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:45,680
strength to strength. 
Everybody and everybody goes, 

668
00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,200
he's amazing. 
Then you can know something's 

669
00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:53,320
wrong unless there is humility 
in getting lower and lower and 

670
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:57,720
more childlike. 
The Lord is calling you into it.

671
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:01,920
But man, that's really where the
rubber meets the road. 

672
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:03,880
That's like, I've just been so 
convicted. 

673
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,320
Like I said, it's so easy to 
talk about. 

674
00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,440
Take up your cross and follow 
Him and everybody go. 

675
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:10,520
Amen. 
That is a good word. 

676
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,360
But then when you get specific 
about what that might look like,

677
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,280
go. 
How do I interpret it? 

678
00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:23,280
The same way I trust the Holy 
Spirit in you church, I can tell

679
00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:26,360
you that for sure. 
I trust the Holy Spirit in you. 

680
00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:30,239
You can trust the Holy Spirit in
you as well. 

681
00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:36,360
God is judging Israel. 
God judges people who 

682
00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:41,440
continually harden present 
leaves without fruit keep going.

683
00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:46,280
Our third and final point now is
we're looking at this faith that

684
00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:51,000
Jesus says moves mountains. 
So we're in Matthew 21 still 

685
00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:54,880
verse 20. 
When the disciples saw it, they 

686
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,600
marveled. 
So we know chronologically, 

687
00:34:57,600 --> 00:34:59,520
according to Mark, we know that 
this is actually the next 

688
00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:00,920
morning. 
So he's cursed. 

689
00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:03,480
It goes into the temple 
upheaval. 

690
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:07,520
Hundreds of thousands of people,
Massive, massive, massive 

691
00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,840
crowds. 
He's tearing up the place, 

692
00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,240
stopping everything. 
He's a man of power. 

693
00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:15,640
He's a man of actual physical 
strength. 

694
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,040
They're scared to even stop him.
He's in charge of this temple 

695
00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:21,800
right now, and nobody's like 
grabbing him. 

696
00:35:22,240 --> 00:35:25,640
The temple guard isn't grabbing 
him and stopping him. 

697
00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:29,240
They're not arresting him. 
This is some dude causing a 

698
00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:30,760
scene. 
No one grabs him. 

699
00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:36,120
It's one man mighty in power 
overturns everything goes back 

700
00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:40,240
to Bethany that night comes back
Tuesday morning might get my 

701
00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:45,160
timeline right Tuesday morning 
and now they're coming to go 

702
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:48,120
master that fig tree. 
This is that moment. 

703
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:51,400
How did the fig tree wither at 
once? 

704
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:57,240
And Jesus answered them truly. 
I say to you, if you have faith 

705
00:35:57,240 --> 00:36:00,400
and do not doubt, you'll not 
only do what has been done to 

706
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:04,440
the fig tree, but even if you 
say to this mountain, so he's 

707
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:07,320
referencing the mountain that 
they're climbing down, you can 

708
00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:09,360
say to this mountain or the one 
they just climbed down. 

709
00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:13,400
You can say to this mountain. 
He's pointing at it actually be 

710
00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,800
taken up and thrown into the sea
and it will happen. 

711
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:21,320
And whatever you ask in prayer 
you will receive if you have 

712
00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:24,040
faith. 
What a mighty promise. 

713
00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,400
What a powerful, powerful 
promise from the Lord. 

714
00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:36,320
How did the fig tree wither? 
Jesus didn't say because I'm God

715
00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,800
and I can do anything. 
Don't try this at home. 

716
00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:44,280
But that is what most Christian 
theology would teach you 

717
00:36:44,280 --> 00:36:47,440
Functionally, they would never 
undo the words of the actual 

718
00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:50,920
scripture. 
But surprise, surprise, in my 

719
00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,440
preparation this week as I 
listen to many faithful men 

720
00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:56,760
cover this passage, they focused
on the judgment part of the fig 

721
00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:00,080
tree, appropriately so. 
And they just completely ignored

722
00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:04,520
Jesus's promise of you will do 
this, you will say this, you 

723
00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:08,320
will pray this. 
Or they just said like a little 

724
00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:10,160
tagline at the end of their 
sermon, like you got to have 

725
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:14,160
faith when you pray. 
Is that the point that he was 

726
00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:16,040
making? 
It's like, I think he undersold 

727
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:18,200
it a bit. 
I think there's a bit more here.

728
00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,520
And again, this isn't isolated, 
this isn't the only place. 

729
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:25,440
So Jesus didn't say I can do 
that because I'm God, I can do 

730
00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:28,400
anything, duh, I'm the Son of 
God, don't try this at home. 

731
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:33,000
He did say truly, I say to you, 
if you have faith and do not 

732
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,760
doubt, you're not going to do 
with sun for the fig tree. 

733
00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:37,080
So they're impressed by the fig 
tree. 

734
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:40,000
He didn't say, boys, boys, y'all
can do that too. 

735
00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:45,800
He doubled down and said, boys, 
you could do that, boys, you 

736
00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,520
could tell the mountain to be 
picked up and thrown into the 

737
00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,000
sea. 
One of those is bigger than the 

738
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,760
other, right? 
So he's not just saying, guys, 

739
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:54,840
you're right. 
You should be impressed by that.

740
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:58,600
Hey, someday if you really grow 
up into big boy faith, you'll be

741
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:02,240
able to do that kind of thing. 
He tells them, guys, if you will

742
00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:04,840
just believe when you pray, you 
could tell the mountain be 

743
00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:08,080
thrown into the sea. 
It will happen. 

744
00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:11,960
Whatever you ask in prayer, you 
will receive if you have faith. 

745
00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:17,080
Everybody say if so, that's not 
an absolute guarantee going to 

746
00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:20,360
happen no matter what. 
Just like going into this next 

747
00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:22,880
season, Just like walking into 
the promised land. 

748
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:26,080
I thought it was promised. 
It's promised with conditions. 

749
00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:29,440
If you do these things, you'll 
walk into the promised land and 

750
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,160
be victorious. 
If you don't, you won't. 

751
00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:36,080
If you pray in faith, you'll 
receive this kind of thing. 

752
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:39,800
If you don't, you won't. 
This is not a new teaching. 

753
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:43,520
This is not an isolated event. 
He's been teaching this all 

754
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:46,360
along the way. 
Let me remind you in Chapter 7 

755
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,960
of Matthew, he taught us to ask,
to seek and to knock. 

756
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,560
And he said if we did, we would 
receive, then we would find and 

757
00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,400
the door would be opened. 
And in Matthew chapter 8, 

758
00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,560
remember the Roman centurion, 
his servant was sick. 

759
00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,240
Jesus said I'll come to your 
house and he goes, no, don't 

760
00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:04,720
come to my house, Lord, I 
wasn't. 

761
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:06,760
You thought I was asking you to 
come all the way to my place. 

762
00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:10,080
No, just say it and it'll be 
done. 

763
00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:13,080
Bro, really you're just making 
stuff up and telling Jesus what 

764
00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:14,880
to do now. 
Says who? 

765
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:17,000
Says who? 
Roman Centurion. 

766
00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:20,680
Where did you get that? 
What verse do you have that 

767
00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:22,160
you're standing on for that 
dude? 

768
00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:25,280
You're just making stuff up now 
and telling Jesus to do it. 

769
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,400
And Jesus rebuked him, right? 
No, he didn't. 

770
00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:33,560
Jesus was impressed and Jesus 
held him up in front of all the 

771
00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:35,720
Jews who were following around 
Jesus. 

772
00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:40,840
And Jesus goes, I like this guy 
and they're like, yuck, we hate 

773
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:46,560
Romans and Jesus going this guy 
right here legit to rub their 

774
00:39:46,560 --> 00:39:49,640
noses in it. 
Jesus like, oh, the Romans are 

775
00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:51,480
really. 
I haven't found faith like this 

776
00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:56,160
even in Israel. 
That is a sick burn, as they 

777
00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:59,080
would say, and he's doing it on 
purpose. 

778
00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:04,800
Just speak the word and Jesus 
marvels at this guy's faith. 

779
00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:08,080
Bro just making stuff up. 
Hey Jesus just do this and it'll

780
00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,320
happen. 
Jesus like done and his servant 

781
00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:14,960
was healed at that very hour. 
Then the same thing in Chapter 9

782
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:18,760
a woman said if I could just 
touch his clothes and be healed.

783
00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,800
Says who lady, where'd you get 
that from? 

784
00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:26,120
Got a verse for that sister. 
She knows the nature and 

785
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,080
character of God and God says I 
love it, I love it. 

786
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,280
Jesus isn't even aware of it. 
How's that handle? 

787
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:33,720
How to use your theology? 
Handle that. 

788
00:40:33,720 --> 00:40:36,800
I'd like to know who touched me,
Who touched me? 

789
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:39,280
Lord, everybody's touching you. 
No, no, no, no, no. 

790
00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:41,560
Somebody touched me and power 
went out of me. 

791
00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:44,560
He wasn't drained like a 
battery, but he sensed the 

792
00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,520
movement of the Holy Spirit. 
He's going, oh, somebody 

793
00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:48,480
received. 
Everybody wants to touch a 

794
00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:52,400
celebrity. 
He's a celebrity somebody, 

795
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,160
actually. 
But somebody came to receive and

796
00:40:55,160 --> 00:41:03,880
there was a difference. 
Jesus told her your faith has 

797
00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:06,040
made you. 
Well, he didn't say, of course 

798
00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:08,000
my clothes healed you. 
They're son of God clothes. 

799
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:09,440
I you can only buy them in 
heaven. 

800
00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:11,800
Anyone who touches these clothes
is healed. 

801
00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:13,200
Now everybody's touching his 
clothes. 

802
00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:15,520
Nobody else was having these 
crazy testimonies. 

803
00:41:15,880 --> 00:41:17,920
She had attached her faith to 
something. 

804
00:41:18,240 --> 00:41:21,200
Where'd it come from? 
The nature and character of God,

805
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:24,960
knowing who he is, knowing his 
nature and character, not even 

806
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,120
having a this is the verse I'm 
standing on. 

807
00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:29,360
By the way, Church, I want you 
to stand on verses. 

808
00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:32,120
Your pastor's not minimizing you
standing on verses. 

809
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:35,960
I'm maximizing you standing on 
verses, but stand on other 

810
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:38,680
verses too. 
They would say in a sense you 

811
00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:41,880
can write your own script. 
Let's put the disclaimer on it 

812
00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:45,840
when it is in the will of God. 
So healing always. 

813
00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:50,920
Yes, Lamborghini, in Jesus name.
No, you weren't promised that. 

814
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:54,440
Well, I think the Lord might 
bless. 

815
00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:57,040
OK, well, you can work hard and 
you can earn things and I'm not 

816
00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:59,440
opposed to any of that. 
And Julia Lamborghini, I'd like 

817
00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:03,600
to ride in it when you get it. 
I'd like to drive it, if you 

818
00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:12,960
don't mind. 
Faith that moves mountains is 

819
00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,120
not a new concept. 
The Lord has been teaching it. 

820
00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:19,320
He's been revealing it. 
He has been rewarding it. 

821
00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:23,560
In chapter 17, a man comes 
kneeling and begging for Jesus 

822
00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:26,120
to drive a demon out of his son.
Jesus comes down from the 

823
00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:28,120
mountain. 
Your disciples haven't been able

824
00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:30,160
to drive this demon out of my 
son. 

825
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:34,720
If you can do anything, Jesus, 
stop right there. 

826
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:39,200
You just said if I can do 
anything, if you can believe, 

827
00:42:39,720 --> 00:42:41,720
all things are possible for 
those who believe Jesus. 

828
00:42:41,720 --> 00:42:44,480
That is not nice. 
That's not a nice way to talk. 

829
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:45,960
This poor guy. 
Don't you think this guy's 

830
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:48,680
prayed before? 
Does anyone think this guy's 

831
00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:50,720
ever prayed for his son to be 
delivered from demons before? 

832
00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:52,840
I bet he had. 
I bet he had. 

833
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:55,960
But Jesus is saying there's a 
problem with him if you can 

834
00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:57,280
believe. 
And then he told his disciples, 

835
00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:01,400
if you were praying and fasting.
But all this was connected to 

836
00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:04,400
faith. 
But it's not a formula. 

837
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:07,160
You can't just make up formulas 
of faith. 

838
00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,800
I was taught as a young believer
that I could make up formulas to

839
00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:13,880
faith. 
No one said it to me that 

840
00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:15,800
plainly, but that was the lesson
that I understood. 

841
00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:18,920
In my ignorance. 
I thought that if I just said 

842
00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:23,520
this thing, if I just did this 
thing, then God was obligated 

843
00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:26,680
like if I just said it. 
And I thought it was like a 

844
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:30,320
mathematical formula that he was
locked into instead of 

845
00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:32,600
understanding. 
Heart faith has some mystery to 

846
00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,560
it. 
Heart faith is a living thing. 

847
00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:38,520
It's not a mathematical formula.
Mathematical formula and a 

848
00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:41,320
textbook. 
I do this and God must do that. 

849
00:43:41,320 --> 00:43:44,960
Well, as long as we're talking 
about I really believe with the 

850
00:43:44,960 --> 00:43:49,120
heart, then yes, God will move. 
But we can't minimize it and 

851
00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:51,480
say, I heard one time so and so 
received from the Lord by doing 

852
00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:53,800
XYZ, therefore I'm going to go 
to XYZ. 

853
00:43:54,200 --> 00:43:56,920
No, no, that's not a living 
faith. 

854
00:43:57,240 --> 00:43:58,680
You're trying to eat somebody 
else's meal. 

855
00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:02,400
That meal's already been eaten. 
It actually requires you to walk

856
00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:05,040
with the Lord. 
It actually requires you to know

857
00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:07,200
Him and to pay attention to what
He wants. 

858
00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:10,240
Your pastor's not complicating 
faith for you right now. 

859
00:44:10,240 --> 00:44:13,360
He's simplifying it. 
I am simplifying it and telling 

860
00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:16,440
you that it is something that 
happens in the heart and it 

861
00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:21,000
comes from God's Word and it is 
real and it can grow and you 

862
00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:24,520
should normalize whatever level 
you're at in your life. 

863
00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:26,440
Maybe you're not. 
Clearly none of us are to the 

864
00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:28,920
place yet where we can rebuke 
flies and they drop dead. 

865
00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:31,560
Obviously they've still been 
buzzing around. 

866
00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:33,680
We got a flyswatter. 
That's all the faith we have 

867
00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:35,680
today is faith for a flyswatter.
So. 

868
00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:39,000
So maybe you're not at a place 
to move at a literal mountain 

869
00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:40,760
yet. 
Thankfully, you probably don't 

870
00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:42,800
need to move one, right? 
That'd be quite a tidal wave you

871
00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:44,160
would create, throwing it into 
the sea. 

872
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,080
Lots of consequences. 
But wherever you are in your 

873
00:44:47,080 --> 00:44:52,400
life, what do you have need of? 
Get familiar with God's word and

874
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:54,600
get familiar with believing God 
for that thing. 

875
00:44:55,160 --> 00:44:57,360
Don't compare yourself to 
somebody else who you're 

876
00:44:57,360 --> 00:44:59,960
impressed by by their leaves or 
by their fruit. 

877
00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:04,360
Just say, Lord, help me to 
believe you, help me to trust 

878
00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:06,400
you. 
Help me to actually walk by 

879
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:09,200
faith in this thing. 
Lay your faith wherever you can.

880
00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:11,680
Lay your faith with whatever 
measure of faith you have. 

881
00:45:12,640 --> 00:45:13,840
Well, I've got very little 
faith. 

882
00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:18,320
Well, again, Jesus emphasizes 
it's not the size of the faith. 

883
00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:24,160
He emphasizes that it's just 
pure faith itself. faith in God 

884
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:27,880
will do a ridiculous thing. 
Seems ridiculous to us. 

885
00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:31,840
It's all easy for him. 
Whatever you ask for, you will 

886
00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:38,280
receive if you have faith. 
Not just believing God exists, 

887
00:45:38,480 --> 00:45:41,400
but believing He's a rewarder of
those who diligently seek Him. 

888
00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:48,000
Faith in who He is, knowing His 
nature, knowing His character. 

889
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,240
The point I want to make is that
your faith matters. 

890
00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:53,520
Your faith actually matters in 
your Christian walk. 

891
00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:55,840
Is God sovereign? 
Absolutely. 

892
00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:59,120
Our God is sovereign. 
Is He ruling and reigning over 

893
00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:00,040
all? 
Absolutely. 

894
00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:06,040
He's ruling and reigning over 
all, but He is not by his own 

895
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:09,360
choosing. 
He is not in control of every 

896
00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:11,920
single thing that always 
happens. 

897
00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:15,600
Could he be if he chose to be? 
Of course He's chosen not to be,

898
00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:17,920
though. 
I got to choose to do this with 

899
00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:19,720
my hands right here. 
I'm choosing to do that. 

900
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:22,200
You can't convince me, and you 
won't be able to do it 

901
00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:24,440
biblically, that the Lord 
preordained that I would do this

902
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:26,440
right now with my hands or that 
these flies would have been 

903
00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:28,160
landing around these different 
places today? 

904
00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:31,960
I don't believe it, and I don't 
think you can show it to me from

905
00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:33,120
the Word. 
And if you could, I would 

906
00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:37,080
absolutely say then I believe 
it, but I've read too much Bible

907
00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:40,360
and I've seen too much of the 
Lord's judgment, which is just 

908
00:46:40,360 --> 00:46:43,200
an illogical argument, right? 
To judge and condemn people who 

909
00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:45,160
you have already preset to 
behave the way that they're 

910
00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:50,880
behaving anyway. 
So your faith matters in your 

911
00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:52,200
walk. 
That's the simple point. 

912
00:46:52,680 --> 00:46:55,720
Your faith actually matters. 
It actually bears weight. 

913
00:46:55,720 --> 00:46:58,960
And what's going on? 
Your unbelief actually has 

914
00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:00,480
weight. 
It actually has consequence. 

915
00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,200
This isn't to condemn you, man. 
I think it. 

916
00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:05,080
I think I haven't received this 
saying because of my own 

917
00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:08,440
weakness, my own faith, and my 
own, hey, welcome to being 

918
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:11,360
human. 
I too am a human. 

919
00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:13,840
I too have many unanswered 
prayers. 

920
00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:17,000
I too have seen many things that
didn't go the way that I believe

921
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,600
God wanted them to go even 
though I prayed. 

922
00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:21,920
But I don't think I prayed in 
faith. 

923
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:26,400
And I think I can accept that. 
So often church, we reverse 

924
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:29,720
engineer our beliefs about the 
Bible based on what we've seen 

925
00:47:29,720 --> 00:47:33,440
or what we haven't seen in life.
That's how most theology is 

926
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:36,480
formed around faith. 
The scriptures say some like 

927
00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:39,200
really on the nose kind of stuff
that's hard to get away from, 

928
00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:42,920
but it's so it's so easy and 
tempting for me to reverse 

929
00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:46,360
engineer my theology based upon 
what I've experienced and what 

930
00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:48,320
I've personally seen. 
Well, I've seen this and I've 

931
00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:50,600
seen this and I've seen this and
I've seen this. 

932
00:47:50,800 --> 00:47:53,560
We lower our faith to match our 
disappointments. 

933
00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:58,000
We let our unanswered prayers 
rewrite the Scripture instead of

934
00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:01,720
letting Scripture rewrite us. 
But Jesus doesn't tell us to 

935
00:48:01,720 --> 00:48:05,160
believe what we've seen. 
He tells us to believe so that 

936
00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:07,760
we will see. 
Faith does not flow from what 

937
00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:10,360
we've experienced. 
Faith flows from who God is and 

938
00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:15,320
what He has said. 
Man, that brings me back into 

939
00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:17,600
accountability. 
I know, I know. 

940
00:48:18,200 --> 00:48:20,480
Lord, help me. 
Help me to walk with you. 

941
00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:22,120
Help me to know you, Help me to 
love you. 

942
00:48:22,120 --> 00:48:24,520
Help me to trust you, Help me to
enjoy you. 

943
00:48:24,520 --> 00:48:28,520
Help me to believe you. 
And we're closing now. 

944
00:48:30,240 --> 00:48:33,280
I want to pray over you. 
I want to bless you. 

945
00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:38,840
I want to encourage you. 
We're in this moment, this new 

946
00:48:38,840 --> 00:48:42,480
season. 
Jesus is still inspecting for 

947
00:48:42,480 --> 00:48:47,440
fruit, not just leaves. 
And you and I in Salt Church, 

948
00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:49,880
He's looking for surrendered 
people. 

949
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:54,600
His warnings are real, and his 
judgment comes when people 

950
00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:57,480
continue to say no to him. 
But the invitation is just as 

951
00:48:57,480 --> 00:49:00,600
real. 
Set the invitations, surrender, 

952
00:49:00,920 --> 00:49:05,520
and then freedom will flow 
through you. 

953
00:49:05,520 --> 00:49:15,840
Faith will rise up within you. 
A freshness, a new life, a new, 

954
00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:20,240
a new power in your prayer life,
a new enjoyment in your prayer 

955
00:49:20,240 --> 00:49:24,320
time. 
I know I'm not the only person 

956
00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:28,360
who gets stale, right? 
We still love the Lord, but 

957
00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:29,680
you're like, man, I'm just 
stale. 

958
00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:35,040
I love you, Lord, but I'm blah. 
I'm blah in my spirit. 

959
00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:41,360
I'm blah in my walk this new 
season. 

960
00:49:41,360 --> 00:49:44,080
And again with the word that 
again came this morning about 

961
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:49,200
refreshments and from the 
Scriptures about a tree that 

962
00:49:49,200 --> 00:49:51,560
bears leaves but doesn't bear 
fruit when it should be bearing 

963
00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:55,800
fruit as well. 
The encouragement to walk in a 

964
00:49:55,800 --> 00:50:01,200
big faith that actually serves 
others in ministry, not just for

965
00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:03,960
myself, not just a Christianity 
that's staring in the mirror. 

966
00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:06,320
What about me? 
What's my next blessing? 

967
00:50:06,320 --> 00:50:08,840
Or what's my next breakthrough? 
But one that gets me past the 

968
00:50:08,840 --> 00:50:11,400
place where I'm like, ma'am, 
wouldn't it be nice to live in a

969
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:13,320
place where I don't need a 
breakthrough constantly? 

970
00:50:14,280 --> 00:50:16,000
Wouldn't that be the ideal to be
man? 

971
00:50:16,160 --> 00:50:18,520
Look what the Lord has done. 
He is, He has strengthened me. 

972
00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:23,280
He's equipped me who I am like 
focused on the outside, I'm 

973
00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:24,760
focused on others. 
I want to act. 

974
00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:26,520
I have something worth exporting
now. 

975
00:50:28,960 --> 00:50:31,800
Lord, I pray for your people 
that they would feel the 

976
00:50:31,800 --> 00:50:36,160
refreshment that you have 
intended for them today and that

977
00:50:36,160 --> 00:50:39,520
if they feel any blockage or 
hesitation that you would just 

978
00:50:39,520 --> 00:50:41,360
point out the area of surrender 
that's needed. 

979
00:50:43,120 --> 00:50:45,400
Nothing will separate them from 
your love, Lord. 

980
00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:51,680
Your love for them is constant. 
It's kind, it's gracious, and 

981
00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:58,240
it's patient, but I pray that if
there's any blockage, you would 

982
00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:01,400
reveal the needed surrender to 
accompany it, to free that thing

983
00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:04,800
up so that that water can flow. 
Lord, like you were prophesying 

984
00:51:04,800 --> 00:51:08,000
to us that water would flow and 
that we would be just flowing 

985
00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:10,200
like water. 
Just wherever the river's taking

986
00:51:10,200 --> 00:51:12,720
us. 
You're in control, not us. 

987
00:51:12,720 --> 00:51:14,600
We don't have a paddle, we don't
have a sail. 

988
00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:20,320
It's all up to you. 
We're not swimming, we're just 

989
00:51:20,320 --> 00:51:25,720
resting. 
Will bring breakthrough to your 

990
00:51:25,720 --> 00:51:26,160
people.