Untitled Sermon (4)

(Slide 1)

The best time to plant

(Slide 2)

"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago" – Warren Buffet

Here is a thought I want to explore briefly as we get started into today’s message. If each one of us had to invent everything we use from scratch how far would society be? Think of it like this if when I was born, I did not receive the benefit of anyone else’s knowledge, survival would be nearly impossible. We have each benefited from the knowledge and lessons learned by those around us and the generations that came before us.

(Slide 3)

"He plants trees for the benefit of later generations" – John Quincy Adams

What trees have you planted for future generations?

Trees are good metaphors. We benefit from so much in todays, such as the invention of air conditioning.

During the lifetime of John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), residential air conditioning was not available. One of the richest men in the world in his time did not have the luxury of air conditioning

At this very moment, each of us and this church body, are here today as the result of an unbroken line of disciples who were obedient to Christ commands. If we followed that path, backwards, we would eventually find one of the apostles and Jesus himself.

Each person in an unbroken chain of obedience allows us to be here to hear the word.

Let that sink in a moment

All of us here today are partaking in the results of someone else’s effort to advance God’s kingdom.

How does that make you feel?

I am truly grateful for one. I also feel like I’ve been given stewardship of something important. A responsibility that I have received is able to be passed one to the next generation.  

Am I alone in feeling this weightiness?

We therefore have a responsibility.

· First to continue the advancement of the kingdom of God.

· Second, steward our God given inheritance in a manner which not only preserves it, but also grows it, for the next generation, and generations to come.

We need a plan. Not only for planting seeds but a process which will continue to produce a harvest long past our time.

How long does this process have to last into the future?  

(Slide 4)

This passage picks up just after the flood and the ark came to rest on dry ground and they were able to get out.

Genesis 8:20-22 ESV - God's Covenant with Noah

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Did you catch what God said?

We see that God said for as long as the earth remains this cycle of seedtime and harvest will not stop.

It is my understanding, when I read Revelation, that the earth remains until sometime after the millennial reign of Christ. I think this means our responsibility to plant seeds and grow the kingdom of God, does not end until God says it ends.

I want us to take a moment and think about this;

o What are these seeds we are to plant?

o What is the harvest which bring about the advancement of God’s Kingdom?

We should all know there are good seeds and bad seeds. Not all seeds should be encouraged to grow. Our next verse will give us some discernment.

(Slide 5)

Matthew 7:16-20 - ESV

16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Let’s ask a couple of more questions.

· What kind of seeds can we plant that will bring forth good fruit?

· How do we guarantee we are one of the healthy trees?

Before we answer these questions, I want to make sure we “weed out”, some possibilities and get a clearer understand of what needs to be “pruned”.  Puns intended

(Slide 6)

Galatians 6:7-10 ESV

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Take special note with wat that passage just said.

In due season we will reap! This means that when a seed is planted, good or bad, you will receive a harvest.

Unfortunately, as fallen people in a fallen world we may have planted some bad seeds. Some of us have reaped those harvests, and some of us have harvests which have not yet arrived.

Lord, have mercy on us. Show us what we have sewn and need repent of. I ask that as something comes to our mind and it pricks our heart that these harvests are brought under the blood of Christ.

At this point I feel it is important to take a side trial before we continue.

It is not just our actions but also our speech which plants seeds. The tongue has got to be the fastest and most uncontrolled seed planter there is.

(Slide 7)

Proverbs 18:21 ESV

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

 We can speak life, we can speak death, we can speak blessings, and we can speak curses. With what comes from your mouth. You can come into agreement with God, or you can come into agreement with the enemy.

This is an aspect of spiritual warfare we should be highly aware of. Demons don’t have tongues; therefore, their speech has no power, until we come into agreement with that speech and use our tongue to give it power. We must be slow to speak so we do not give the devil access to the power of our tongues.

This verse said those who love it will eat it fruit. What fruit produces life? That would be the fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit of the spirit brings us back to the path we were following.

(Slide 8)

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

God is so good he never leaves us without sound instruction, Amen.

This reminds me of an applicable expression, “you are what you eat”.

If we consume the fruit of the spirit, and let it become a part of us, our speech and actions will reflect these same attributes. We will speak, life and blessings into the lives of others as well as our own lives. We will plant seeds which will produce a harvest of good fruit. These are the seeds which will give us a harvest we can look forward to receiving.

(Slide 9)

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now" – Chinese Proverb

Unfortunately, we cannot go back 20 years ago and plant seeds which would benefit us today. We can plant seeds which will benefit those who come after us.

The boy scouts have a phrase they try to model. “Leave it better than you found it!”

· How do we leave this world, our community and this church better than we found it?

· How do we plant for the benefit of future generations?

We need to produce fruit in keeping with the spirit and be obedient to Christ’s commands. When we look in the scripture we are going to find our answers.

(Slide 10)

Matthew 28:16-20 ESV - The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In this passage God has given us a set of instructions, which we can use to perpetuate  that which, we have found great benefit. We can ensure our responsibility to the advancement of God’s kingdom will be fulfilled.

 The Hebrew and Greek word for baptize each, mean immersion in water. We commonly think of dunking someone in water as baptizing.

 What if we look at immersion with a deeper meaning?

Such as to fully immerse them in full knowledge and authority of The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This immersion would include understanding of relationship, surrender, faith, trust, covenant, and so many other topics which seem to be lacking in the casual believer or cultural Christian.  This type of immersion is evident in those who are disciples of Christ.

 In this scripture Jesus says to make disciples. Disciples are more than just students. Student study and learn about a subject for informational purposes and may not necessarily put that information to use in practical application.

Disciples are followers who not only learn but also apply what they learned. The application of the information in a disciple’s life will cause them to reflect the life of Jesus.

We cannot make disciples if we are not disciples ourselves.

We must ask ourselves some important questions.

o Are we submitted to Christ?

o Are dying to ourselves daily, setting aside the desires of the flesh?

o Do we value spiritual over the physical?

o Are we allowing the holy spirit to lead us?

o Are we making decisions in obedience to God?

o Have we taken up our cross and followed Jesus?

We can read the bible repeatedly. We can study and repeat scriptures. We can listen to sermons. We can blast worship music everywhere we go. It is all vanity if we are students and not disciples.

Are you a disciple? Is true discipleship attainable by our own effort?

(Slide 11)

John 14:16-17 ESV

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Most of us know the helper Jesus speaks of. It is the Holy Spirit. Being a spirit filled believer is a life led in obedience and submission to God.

At one time I claimed to believe and have faith. The Holy Spirit whispered in my ear, “you say you have faith, why don’t you go and get prayer?”

 In other words, do you have faith, if you do not act?”

  A short time later I wound up in total surrender, asking the Lord to change me, change my heart, change my mind, make your will for my life my truest desire. I knelt at the altar and emptied myself out. I asked the lord to fill me with his Holy Spirit. The Lord poured back into me the Holy Spirit and started making the appropriate changes I needed. My life has changed and not been the same. Trials and tribulation still come but they do not crush me like they used to. The devil still tries to derail me, but resisting is different stronger, more powerful. I walk in the confidence one can only find being in covenant with the one true God.

I know when you submit to God, you truly give your life over to him. God will change you and you will know you are born again. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit you will have the same power in you God used to create everything. The Holy Spirit will help guide you and teach you. He does not remove your free will or choices, but he will convict you of your wrongdoing and encourage you to repent. The Holy Spirit will help guide you along the narrow path. If you are willing the Holy Spirit will equipe you for the calling God has for you to advance his kingdom.

(Slide 12)

John 14:12 ESV

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

There is a phrase

"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life!"

Are you as an individual, and are we as a body of believers, willing to plant trees by becoming the disciples God had intended us to become, and selflessly make disciples?  This idea fulfills the great commission Jesus charged us with and encapsulates selfless giving of ourselves and long-term thinking. It highlights the value of contributing to something larger than oneself, God’s kingdom. We need to plant for