No Fruit Without The Fight | Deuteronomy 1:25-36 (2)

No Fruit Without The Fight | Deuteronomy 1:25-36

Opening Remarks:

Deuteronomy comes from a Greek word that means “second law” or “law repeated.” It’s Moses’ farewell address to a new generation.

Think about it – all of the Israelites over 20 died in the wilderness. Now their offspring were about to enter the Promised Land. So this new generation needed to be reminded of their past so it could help shape their future.

So Moses rehearses their wanderings in the wilderness. And his primary message was this: If you obey you’ll be blessed. If you disobey you’ll be judged. That’s essentially the message of the Bible. And Moses had learned the hard way. He had disobeyed by striking the rock and God said, “You can see it but you don’t get to go in.”

So Moses brings the Children of Israel to the edge of Canaan just on the other side of the Jordan and gives them a charge. And part of his charge is a reminder of how they blew it the last time. They had been in this position about to take the land 40 years earlier. And Moses reminds them what he told them back then.

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Introduction:

This past week our family got to enjoy something we’ve been waiting months for. In the spring we planted a garden with Tomatoes, Habaneros, Jalapenos, cilantro, and onions with the sole purpose of making salsa. We’re big chips and salsa fans. So we planted the garden and have been doing our best to keep it watered and sprayed for bugs and all the other things you have to do. The only thing we weren’t able to protect was the cilantro. Apparently wild animals love the stuff. But this week, Erin made salsa with ingredients out of our garden for the first time. I’m telling you, it tasted awesome. Now, for my taste, it’s a little mild, so I asked her to make one batch of it a little spicier. So she went out, literally picked a habanero, brought it in, washed it off, sliced it up and added it to one of the batches. As she did that, I grabbed a little chunk of it and threw it in my mouth just to make sure it passed the test, and it did. My lips got numb, my eyes were watering, but my family was watching me, so I couldn’t take a drink. They even pulled out the milk like I would need that, but my dad pride refused to relent and I pulled through. But the salsa with the added habanero was perfect!

That story illustrates a truth I’d like to make tonight. There are a few things more satisfying than getting to enjoy the fruit of something you’ve worked for. I’m not saying we made the sunshine and the rain come down, but there were plenty of early mornings where sprinklers were being turned on and off.

There were plenty of times we were out in the yard spraying bug spray to keep the bugs off. Or spraying that nasty smelling stuff that keeps the rabbits out of the garden. I think Sioux Falls has more rabbits per capita than any other place I’ve ever been. Last year we got tired of it and one of my children shot one of them with a pellet gun and killed it right in the yard. I had to remind her that we don’t live in the country anymore.

But here’s the truth – our enjoyment of that salsa was a small-scale picture of life. You don’t get to enjoy the fruit unless you’re willing to put in some effort to get there.

Boxing – You don’t enjoy a win in the ring without months of training in the gym.

Finances – You don’t get to enjoy a savings account without countless small decisions not to spend money every day.

School – You don’t get a diploma unless you’ve simply buckled down and done the work.

Farming – You don’t have a productive crop without hard work and consistency days and weeks and months at a time.

In many ways this was a spiritual lesson the Children Of Israel had to learn.

Vs. 19-21 – 40 years before they were essentially in the same position. Ready to take the land. God had told them “Fear not, neither be discouraged.” Every challenge has two opposing sides – fear or faith. It’s easy to operate out of fear instead of faith.

 Vs. 22-25 – The spies went into the land and came to a valley with a brook called Eshcol. The grape clusters were so large that they cut one off and carried on a staff between two of them. It was a land that flowed with milk and honey – meaning it was a beautiful, fertile, fruitful land.

But the grapes weren’t the only thing large in the land.There were also giants. The spies came back and said, “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there (giants).”

Even though Caleb said, “Let’s go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it!” The others said, “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we…all the people we saw in it are men of great stature. We were like grasshoppers in their sight.”

So now in Deut. 1 Moses reminds them of what happened. He’s telling a new generation of Israelites about the failure of their parents. Way back 40 years before they had all admitted it was a good land, and they brought fruit as evidence. It’s not like they didn’t want what the land had to offer. But they didn’t obey.

Vs. 26 – It wasn’t just fear. It was disobedience. Rebellion. That’s why God judged them for 40 years. By the way, fear is disobedience. You make a choice not to trust God.

Vs. 27-28 – Wallowing in self-pity

Vs. 29-31 – Moses said, “Let God fight for you!”

Vs. 32-36 – They missed out on God’s plan for their lives.

Fruit was available.

Lots of it. A whole land full of fruit. A land flowing with milk and honey. It was the land of their dreams. But there were giants. They were big. They made them look like grasshoppers. So they decided against it.

Truth is, they wanted the fruit. They just didn’t want the fight. They desired the benefits of the land. They even brought the fruit as evidence that the land was worth taking. But they weren’t willing to fight for it.

Even when Moses said, “Let the Lord fight for you. He already fought for you when you came out of Egypt. How is this different? He’s carried you like a man carries his son up to this point. He’ll do it again. What are giants compared to God?”

Vs. 32 – “Yet in this things ye did not believe the Lord your God.” Fear won over faith. And when fear wins over faith, we lose our fight. And we don’t get to enjoy the fruit.

And here’s the principle that we need to grasp tonight:

You don’t get the fruit without the fight

Too often we want the reward without putting in the effort.

We want to be good at our job without having to do all the training.

We want to find the biggest bull or buck without having to hike all the way into the back country.

We want to get stronger without working out consistently.

We want to have a great retirement account without having to go without something.

But here’s the truth that we all understand but we need to moved by tonight:

We don’t get the fruit without the fight.

Every man has certain fruit that he wants:

Whether it be at work or with a hobby or a new truck or financial goals.

But let’s talk about the most important fruit:

I. Spiritual fruit

The Promised Land represents the Abundant Christian life. I imagine most men are here this weekend because you want to experience the fruit of an abundant Christian life.

You on some level desire to be a spiritual man and please God with your life.

So what kind of spiritual fruit should we be after?

#1 - Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

We desire the fruit of the Spirit. The problem is, the fruit of the Spirit doesn’t come naturally. If you want the fruit, you’re going to have to be willing to walk in the Spirit.

Because biblical love, and internal joy and true peace and real patience, and faith and meekness and temperance don’t come naturally. We have to fight for that fruit.

My point is – We want the Fruit Of The Spirit, but we have to be willing to walk in the Spirit and say no to the flesh to get it. It’s a constant fight.

#2 - A Genuine Walk With God

Fight:

1. Get out of bed

2. Discipline mind when reading

3. Take the time to actually pray

4.  Submit to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word

#3 - Change for the Better

Fight:

Willingness to be correctable. Fight against being defensive.

2.  Too many Christians stay what they are instead of improving because they’re defensive.

3.    Don’t be the kind of person that others are afraid to mention something to. I don’t mean we want to create an environment that people just go around callously laying into everyone. That’s not Spirit filled either.

4.    But when someone that loves you and has interest in your life and maybe even is in a position to say something but can’t because of your defensiveness, you’re missing out on becoming what you’re supposed to be.

#4 - Souls For Christ

Fight:

1. Courage To Speak Up

Most men I know are limited in their witness because of fear

The fear of man is a snare. It is bondage.

But the reason most men aren’t faithful witnesses is a lack of courage.

They’re afraid of the backlash at work if they speak up.

They’re afraid of what the person behind the door is going to say if they knock.

Don’t let anyone convince you that men don’t struggle with insecurity like women do.

We can be just as focused on what others think of us. We can be just as obsessive over fitting in.

I know it’s in our nature to be bold and adventurous and fearless and individuals, but I believe our culture is erasing that in men.

If there’s anything that ought to describe men it’s “Bold Faith.”

Unafraid of backlash. In spite of what people think.

But it’s a fight for men. And we won’t have the fruit of souls unless we overcome the fight of fear.

2. Knowledge To Present The Gospel

This is a fight. Too many Christian men can’t walk someone else through the Gospel and present it clearly.

If you don’t know how to present the Gospel, ask your Pastor to teach you. Or some mature man in your church.

The reason you don’t have opportunities is not because they’re not there. It’s because the Lord doesn’t give an unprepared man many opportunities to be a witness.

You can’t have the fruit of souls with overcoming the fight of knowing the Gospel.

#5 - Impacting God’s Kingdom

Fight:

1. Surrender Our Plans To God

2. Make His Church A Priority

Men, there’s no fruit without a fight.

II. Family Fruit

#1 - Strong Marriages

Fight:

LEADERSHIP

Most men want to be the leader of their home but they just don’t do it.

Lead spiritually by setting an example in your relationship with Christ.

Lead financially by making good decisions instead of making impulse buys with your money.

Lead in decision making rather than sitting this one out and making your wife feel all that pressure.

LOVE

Man just this past week who left his wife and moved across the country without any warning.

They were having some troubles, but rather than choose to LOVE he chose to LEAVE.

Why? Because it was easier. But if you want a strong marriage, you’re going to have to fight for it.

Husbands, love your wife as Christ loved the church and GAVE himself for it.

Christ didn’t love us in word only, He loved us by sacrificing Himself. He was willing to fight to prove His love.

In too many marriages, the husband is great at fighting with his wife but not fighting for her.

Get off the couch, take her by the hand, tell her she’s worth it and do whatever it takes to fight for her.

That’s true love. Not emotion or feeling. But choosing to make the right decisions day after day after day.

SELFISHNESS

So many selfish marriage partners out there.

It’s all about me. What I want. How I feel. My needs.

Pride is destroying so many homes. We’re just all about ourselves.

But maybe you should go home and read 1 Corinthians 13 tonight and be reminded about what biblical love looks like.

It’s not selfish. In fact, it’s selfless.

It’s not about thinking less about ourselves less. It’s thinking about ourselves less.

You want a strong marriage, you’re going to have to put in the time and fight for it.

It’s not easy. Never has been. But a good marriage is fruit worth fighting for.

#2 - Godly Children

Fight: Setting The Right Example

Fight: Staying Consistent

Fight:

rain them up in the way they should go

1.     Train them to obey

a.     How about this: Obey the first time, right away, with the right spirit.

b.     If you give instruction, teach them to obey the first time, right away, with the right spirit. If they don’t, show them what it looks like to do it right. Make them practice.

c.     You might say, “They’re not old enough.” You can begin training them much earlier than you assume. 6 months, 8 months…you can begin doing little things to let them know what’s right and wrong.

d.     A flick of that chubby little hand may provide the shock of their lives, but it will begin training them.

2.     Train for church

a.     Sitting still – Our children start sitting in the services when they turn 3. Don’t wait to train until the day before their first service. Practice church. That’s what we did. And I could count on one hand the number of times we had to take any of our kiddos out of a service

b.     Were they perfect? No. We taught them their name and started making marks next to it each time they acted up. That’s pretty good motivation.

c.     Being quiet. The reason we have a nursery is so the Word of God can be heard unhindered. I know having your children with you in a service is important. I’m all for it. But if they’re too young to sit quietly without distracting others work on it. Or wait.

d.     Parents, if you insist on having young children in the service, all I ask is that you train them not to be a distraction to those around them. I’m not against families sitting together. That’s healthy. But I would never presume that my preferences come before someone else hearing the Word of God clearly. I would instead fight for the right fruit.

e.     Since we’re already here…how about going to the bathroom during services? That can become an epidemic. Parents, be diligent to make sure your kiddos go to the restroom before the service begins.

f.      Listen, we’ve been here for 2 ½ years and I can’t remember the last time Jase got up to go to bathroom. Does that make him a superhero? Maybe. But I think it more indicates that it’s possible to train our children to do the basics. If it’s important to us we’ll train for it. By the time they’re teenagers, it should be the rare exception that they get up during the service.

3.     Discipline is a Fight

a.     Get on the same page with your spouse. It’s important that you and your spouse decide what your priorities are so you can be consistent with each.

b.     Consistency is the key to discipline. Consistent with your spouse. And consistent in the discipline itself.

c.     If you deal with an issue of attitude or disobedience 8 out of 10 times that sounds great, but those 2 times you let it go could very well undo the other 80%. Be consistent.

4.     Raising expectations is a Fight

a.     I’d say our trend as a culture is not that we expect too much of our children but that we don’t expect enough.

b.     They should be able to say hello to adults.

c.     They shouldn’t throw a fit when they’re told no.

d.     They can walk through the church halls.

e.     You shouldn’t have to raise your voice to get a response.

5.     Deal with every act of rebellion. Don’t assume every act is rebellion, but deal with it when it is.

a.     I know it’s kind of funny and cute when they’re little, but don’t let it go.

b.     You may laugh it off now, but when they’re teenagers, those acts of rebellion won’t be laughing matters. Take care of it right now. You’re way bigger than they are!

c.     With teens – Parents, don’t cater to the things our kids already do naturally (Video games, Sleeping in, Taking the easy route, Not helping with dishes, Not doing chores, Not being friendly to people they don’t know, etc.).

d.     Those are all things my kids are naturally good at. So I refuse to create an environment in which those things are reinforced.

V.   Fruit we all want: A strong, healthy, unified, growing church

A.   Fight: Serve well with other people.

1.     Humility – It’s a fight because we seek our own.

2.     Forgiveness – It’s a fight because forgiveness isn’t natural

3.     1 Cor. 12 – Suffer when one member suffers. Rejoice when another member rejoices. If we rally around each other when things are bad and are happy for each other when things are good, that’s the sign of church health. It’s not natural, but it’s the sign of a healthy, fruitful, church.

B.    Fight: Serving in our ministries the best we can

1.     It’s easy to give God the leftovers. Life is busy. But doesn’t the One who’s given us His best deserve ours?

2.     It’s a fight to give God our best every time. But He’s worthy of it. 

3.     Choir practice, SS lesson prep, being in your place, etc

4.     It’s a fight to give God our best every time. But God is worthy of it. And so is His house.

5.     Fruit: A nice building. But it’s a fight.

a.     Resist the urge to throw your gum in the parking lot

b.     Leave an area better than you found it. For example: our kitchen. It’s accessible to everyone and anyone can use it, but all it takes is a few times of people leaving it worse than they found it and it turns into a two-day cleaning job.

c.     Leave an area better than you find it. It’s a fight, but it’s a worthy fight.

d.     Don’t leave trash laying around. Pick up something out of place.

e.     Don’t let projects go unfinished. Finish the job. We have to fight against those mindsets if we want the fruit of a beautiful, well-taken care of building.

C.    How about timeliness? We should desire the Fruit of things done decently and in order.

1.     One of the definitions of “in order” is “a fixed succession observing a fixed time.”

2.     It’s a fight to be on time. For SS, for choir, for services. This is an area that creeps.

3.     But let me ask – Would your boss let you be as loose with your time at work as you are when it comes to God’s house?

4.     We have business owners in here – if an employee consistently came in late to their shift, would you say something?

5.     Why? Because being on time makes a statement to customers.

6.     So should we be more concerned about it in the workplace than in God’s house? It’s important in both places.

Conclusion:

Moses said something interesting in vs. 30. He told them to let the Lord fight for them. So you might say, “See, we’re not supposed to fight. God does the work.” But wait, how many times did the Lord just defeat an enemy without the Children of Israel leaving their tents? Very few. He told them to go up or go down. He told them to march around seven times. They were to take some steps and then depend on God’s strength.

Here’s the thing – Our fight is not to make sure we accomplish the task. Our fight is to do all we can do so the Lord can do what only He can do. God doesn’t move on our behalf until we move on His. He doesn’t give the fruit to those unwilling to take their own steps.

The children of Israel didn’t get the fruit because they weren’t willing to fight. Look at Caleb’s testimony in vs. 36. God promised that Caleb would enjoy the fruit of the land because he had done all he could. Was it Caleb’s job to defeat His enemy? That may have been part of it, but victory was God’s responsibility. All Caleb was asked to do was wholly follow the Lord. To get into the fight and let God do the rest. And he eventually got to enjoy the fruit of the land for himself, although he had to wait 40 years because others weren’t willing to fight.

Think about it – the Children of Israel got one cluster of grapes. They got a taste of the fruit. But because they weren’t willing to fight they didn’t get to experience all the fruit they could have enjoyed. That’s how Christians are too. We enjoy a little taste of the fruit and we settle there, yet God has a whole land of fruit that He wants us to enjoy. But because we’re not willing to take the extra steps to fight the fight for it, we don’t get to enjoy all that God intended us to.

Enjoying the fruit means choosing the fight over the fear.

What areas of your life are essentially fruitless because you’ve been fightless?

If you want the fruit, you have to be willing to face your fear, have faith in God, and get in the fight.

Pastor Rick Henry – Building a building on Sycamore, then moving to the other location on Sycamore, he told me about ups and downs, splits, trouble, but he also told me about some really great times and memories. And we get to enjoy this because men like him were willing to fight for it.

What fruit will the next generation get to enjoy based on our willingness to fight? I hope it’s even better than this.