FRUIT TO ROOT

a man Well, I want to talk this morning about a process called fruit to root a process of applying the gospel to our Lies Over the last several weeks. As I said, I've been laying the groundwork the gospel is nothing to ever be ashamed of the Gospel is the power of God for our salvation and that's not just get out of hell and go to heaven that is freedom from sin and freedom to be the men and women that God has designed us to be and that our hearts long and crave to be the gospel is good news. And for far too long in the church, we've memorized and reduced the gods. Just something that is for people outside of the church now clearly those that have not yet her the good news need to hear the good news, but the reality I've heard the good news and I need to hear it again and again and again and again and against the gospel is not for somebody else. The gospel is for all of you. Don't start with the Gospel of Jesus and then move on to something else you start with the gospel. You stay in the gospel and by God's grace you finish in the gospel.

And yet smart as I said far too often in the church. We don't think that way. We think of the Gospel as a box to be checked the prayer to be prayed at Ruth to be believed and once we do that we move on. mmm, when we do that we move on from the power of God for salvation. We move away from the spirit of God who is to lead us and guide us. We stepped outside of the blessing and the power of God that brings the freedom and transformation that we also desperately need the gospel is God's plan. For our transformation and for our experience of freedom. I sent this way the last couple of weeks. We got start thinking differently about the gospel. We've not just been saved from something. We've been saved for something. So this way we've been saved from the penalty of sin. For the purpose of being his beloved children. Note that the Holy Spirit comes and takes up residence within a not only brings forgiveness of sin, but brings adoption as Sons and Daughters brings empowerment for the family business of Salvation and Redemption. We've been saved from something for something. I want to I want to continue to think about that this morning. I'd like to start in Romans chapter 1. So if you got your Bibles, let's go there Romans chapter 1 we're going to start in verse 18. I want to think about what is that? We've been saved from and what it is that we've been saved for out of Romans chapter one here.

Romans chapter one says this is for the wrath of God. Is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Stop there for sec. Unfortunately, we do just stop there. I think in our culture both inside and outside of the church, when when we think about the wrath of God if we think about the wrath of God at all, we think of it in connection to certain behaviors or since the challenge in this is that we're pretty sure God's not raffle about our pets Sims and we're pretty sure God's really ticked off about everybody else's right is that that's just the way it works and so we make this connection with God's Wrath to behavior and Dirt listen God does not like sinful Behavior, but that is not the root and core that makes him wrathful what types of the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who buy their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

In other words, the behaviors are symptoms or masks of a deeper problem. We engage in the sinful Behavior because we're trying to suppress the truth. The distances are South we want to ignore the truth so that we can do something else. This is what Kindles the wrath of God the suppression of the truth. What what's what's the truth? He says for what can be known about God is playing to them because God has shown it to them. The wrath of God is that we have rejected God for something else. We suppress the truth about who God is so that we can create our own sense of Truth, which allows us to live in our own agenda and pursue behaviors that maybe God doesn't want us to pursue. What is known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to him for his invisible attributes namely his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.

but I know we live in a culture that is so radically rejected guy that is moving so far away from the idea of a Creator and yet

it's right that we went camping this week. And you look at the beauty of Sedona you watch a sunrise over the mountains. You see the sunset at you. Look at the Grand Canyon. You just look at a tree or a the beauty of a bird and you go creation. When something there is order and there is design. It breaks my heart this this false battle between faith and science. That's that's developed in our culture over the last 50 60 years. They are not mutually exclusive. You don't have to turn off your brain to follow Jesus. You don't have to ignore science to believe what God says, and I know that a lot of people in our culture and our world tell you that you have to do that so you don't have to do that.

I love the Simplicity of what Paul saying here just look at the beauty and Glory of creation. There's a Creator when you see the beauty and Glory of creation is manifesting and proclaiming something about the one who create.

It's so that they are without excuse. There without excuse God has made himself abundantly evident not necessarily in the way. We'd like him to make himself abundantly evident.

But they are without excuse for although they knew God they did not honor God. They did not honor him as God or give thanks to him but became futile in their thinking and then their foolish Hearts were darkened. This is an important process that the Paul is out outlining here when we reject God when we refused to honor him for who he is and what he is and what he's done when we reject the one who has made us what happens that we become beautiful in our thinking that there is a way that seems right to a man. But in the end it leads to death or destruction when we were jecht. What we're doing is rejecting reality. God is the Ultimate Reality God is the one who speaks and things come into existence. God is the one who defines. What is good. What is evil? What is right what is wrong with his beautiful wife just wouldn't be worth while God is the one that defines reality. He is the Ultimate Reality. So when we turn away from God, we're actually turning away from reality. That's why I said we turn from God you move to futility. You may sound smart. You might look Smartwatch. I'll just put my glasses on. I look like 10 IQ points Marta right? You may you may get a PhD you might write books. You might get a TV show. But if you rejected Ultimate Reality of God, you submitted yourself to futility of thinking.

And what happens then? It's been a foolish Hearts were darkened. There's a process the farther you move away the worse it gets. Their minds are subjected to futility and their hearts are darkened and I got to be careful by using the their language because I'm really should be using our language. This is not describing really bad Wicked people somewhere else. This is describing all people everywhere. This guy being me and you we don't want God to be God. We have rejected God we have turned from his reality. We have become futile in our thinking our hearts have been darkened by the deceitfulness of sin. And I'm not just talking about in the past. I'm talking about this morning.

Does that claiming to be wise they became fools? Claiming to be wise to become Falls.

God they've exchanged the glory of the immortal God. 4 images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping Thanks. Other words they can move to some sort of idolatry. And before you let yourself off the hook cuz you don't have a Shelf with some Idols in your house. All I got to do is look at your phone and your bank account and I'll tell you your Idol. Because I'm a Dollar Tree at the end of the day. It's simply turning from the Ultimate Reality of God for life and satisfaction and truth and meaning to anything else. I move from the Creator or to the creative exchange of God's goodness God's Beauty for something else. And by that definition there's not a single one of us in this room. That is not an idolater.

Right now I don't care how long you been in the church. I don't care how long you've known Jesus. I don't care how long or what your experiences are or even if you volunteered at VBS, right? Like I like you get a gold star for that. Thank you.

The challenges we're constantly caught in this cycle were in a battle. We're not in a battle. You not struggle everyday of every week of every year that God gives you likes to desire the things that you know that you're supposed to desire and to not desire the things that you know, you're not supposed to Do not live in the reality of that you you know the right answer. But it doesn't quite seem to be working in your life.

Work work work work hot in this battle for far too long. The church has tried to kind of pretend like there's no battle. We created kind of church culture where we're supposed to be because we're Believers. We're supposed to have it all figured out since supposed to be done. We're supposed to have all the answers. So when we come to church we put on our son we put on our Shiny Happy Christian Mast our world may be falling apart, but you come to church today. Hey, how you doing? I'm doing great, brother.

We're denying the reality of the world in which we live by doing. So we're denying the reality of the need for Jesus to die and rise again, which makes us Knights the power of the Gospel to actually bring us freedom.

It's so we're not experiencing freedom. We're stuck in that Romans 1 Loop. A rejecting the reality of God's becoming futile in our thinking and enslaved in our passions. And we just deny every tens but everything is okay. How about we stop that church? How do we admit that every single one of us in this room has a lot of growing left to do? The holiest person in this room again to you, it's not me.

Is an infant considered the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ? But if you're still here, they're still breath in your lungs. Still letting your heartbeat. They're still growing left to do. They're still Freedom yet-to-be-discovered. They're still Beauty yet to be seen there still goodness yet to be experienced. The best is still yet to come Church.

We are on that were in a battle. I love 2nd Corinthians 10 because it tells us really what the battle is. And this is what I've been trying to lay the groundwork for these last several weeks does though we walk in the flesh. We're not Waging War according to the Flash.

I wish it was that easy or head like if you struggle with materialism that you can't just go burn down the Apple store, right or you can like that wouldn't change the problem. Cuz the problems deeper it since its internal it in our mind and in our heart. We walk in the flesh, but we're not Waging War according to the flesh the weapons of our Warfare are not of the flesh but have the divine power to destroy strongholds. God has given us a way to fight the battle that we are in let's not like the world. It's not of the world because that's not who are ultimately fighting. We're fighting a battle. Of the mind and heart were fighting a battle of faith. We're fighting a battle of belief. The our weapons have the divine power to destroy strongholds. What's a stronghold? I'm glad you asked. He says this we destroy arguments. And every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Potter's lightning this is what we need learn here. Our battle is a battle for our heart. Our battle is a battle for our mind. Our battle is a battle of Faith. Who will we choose to believe what we choose to believe how we choose to believe in God stands before us in Jesus Christ offering us the good news the gospel a way of life that is vastly superior other way of life and we are confronted with the choice. Who will we believe in how will I believe in?

cuz cuz everyday media the movies and music the reality of our culture is constantly bombarding our minds and our hearts with other Gospels.

our own Flash betrays causing us to lust and desire things that do not honor God or benefit ourselves.

The fight the fight is not out there. It's not against the bat. The fight is Cheer the fights the one you see in the mirror everyday.

Jesus came to set us free. He sets us free from Marcel.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive.

so that Christ how do we do that? That's what I want to really get you this morning. How do we do that? How do we take every thought captive to obey Christ? First off? Let me say this again at set up the last couple weeks. You don't do it by yourself. God gave us the spirit to help us do this. I read to you Galatians chapter 5. 16225 thank you for your permission. I was going to do it anyway. I say walk by the spirit live by the spirit The spirit is the power of God the the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in our mortal bodies. We don't wage war in our strength. Not by might not by strength, but by my spirit says the Lord God Almighty you want to be free if you want to grow you you want to experience the power and truth of the Gospel. It only comes to the power of the spirit in your life.

The walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the spirit. Desires of the spirit are against the flash to keep you from doing the things that you want to do. Like he's been reading my diary.

I'd rather keep the diary. I didn't sound very manly when I said it I don't like it. Where do you live by the spirit? You're not under the law.

The Works of the flesh are evident sexual immorality and Purity sensuality idolatry sorcery and the T Strife jealousy fits of anger rivalries dissensions divisions Envy drunkenness orgies and things like these that's not a good list.

Nothing to be proud of it's also not an exclusive or exhaustive list things like these.

I warn you as I warned those before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God if you if your life is dominated by a way of life. That is separate from God. The matter if you show up in church once a week doesn't matter if you got dunked in a baptismal tank doesn't matter if it's your life. Is Matt led by the spirit? The spirit of God doesn't dwell in you than you actually don't belong to Christ at all. If your life is dominated and controlled by these works of the flesh rather than by The Works of the spirit, there's no security in that.

but the Fruit of the Spirit

fruit of the spirit is love joy. Peace. patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control

Against these things there is no law.

That says that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live by the spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit.

So there's there's there's two types of fruit. In this tax, there's a type of fruit that we all have that we don't want. And then there's a type of fruit that only the spirit can give that we all need. Anna and I want to walk you through the process of applying the truth of the Gospel lead and empowered by the spirit. The deal with the realities of the battle in your life. So your life is a tree you bear fruit write the fruit of your life points to the roots of your faith. The fruit of your life reveals what you actually believe.

so sadly are fruit often looks like this, right? lost sphear anger We're following Jesus. We still got issues. Right? We've got these things that crap up these attitude these emotions these responses. We got unforgiveness or bitterness. We we we hold onto anger. We've got our our sins that we just don't want to let go

This fruit and it's not the fruit of the spirit. It's not the fruit of belief. It's the fruit of unbelief. We're exchanging the truth of God for a lie. When when when these behaviors and attitudes and sins crop up in your life, they don't just appear out of nowhere. They flow from the roots of unbelief.

To deal with them. This is this is what the church has been doing. This is the kind of church mentality that I grew up in.

That doesn't work. We'll pull out our second best awesome option shame shame on you. I can't believe you struggle with that. That only happens once right if you got any form of intelligent you open yourself up at church or in a small group you own your sin. You let people know that you struggle and they go stop it and you go. I'm trying to stop it and in a moment you go. I'm never going to open up again. I'm never going to open it. And in that moment you close yourself off from the Beauty and the power of the Gospel to actually get you freedom. Okay, so listen. You got some bad fruit. You do I do we've got some bad fruit that is growing from the fruit from the roots of unbelief. It's a battle that we don't you don't deal with the fruit you deal with the unbelief.

So we have to ask ourselves some questions when you're feeling fear or anxiety or Lustre what whatever kind of sinful reality you got to start applying the gospel to yourself. What is it that I am believing? Who is it that I'm believing? Let me let me help you walk through this process first Hugo. Okay. What am I experiencing? What am I feeling? What am I doing in this moment? What is it that I'm actually Desiring or struggling with we going to get past the symptoms of the underlying car? Do you have an angry Outburst? What is it that caused that anger? What is it that you're actually frustrated with? What is it that you're afraid of what is emotionally going on with any what is it that you're believing?

But it's not just what are you doing? But but what do you believe about yourself? Who are you? Who how do you see yourself? Because identity is everything. Denny's everything what am I doing? Who am I? What is God doing? Where is God in this?

We always got to deal with the reality of God's omnipresence. He's always with us his omniscience. He's off knowing what is it that we're believing about God in the moment of our struggle and sin. What are we believe God is doing or not doing in this moment? Orzly, who is that what we believe about God? Did the digital believe question I'm a walk you through a very concrete example from my own life this morning. Okay, but before we do that emit, let me finish the process what once we examine. Where were at in terms of our unbelief that is generating the fruit or the behavior that we don't want we got to then do something that the Bible calls repentance. Which is better examine the truth of God. And allow it to shape and bear the fruit that only he can bear with us. So so we move over then so I went the wrong way. Who is God really? What is the Bible say God is actually doing? What does God say that I am what is my actual and true identity? And what is it? The guy is calling me to Experian? My family and I went camping this week. We went camping for the first time by ourselves. at which was a first we went camping for the first time with our pop-up trailer. What I love about camping is that you build memory. And what what what what what kind of memories do we Bill crazy ones that we laugh about that? We Delight infant boy in the moment. Maybe we don't laugh it started. As were packing up and loading the trailer and it's hot and sweaty and I tweaked my back and so I start out I feeling old. I don't like to feel all. Hey, man, I just don't like it in my mind when I dream. I ain't all I don't know how I am, but I ain't No Hoe. Feeling pain on I'm upset. I'm already I'm I'm not I'm not in a happy sort of place. So we we we go we get gas we get our last-minute groceries at Safeway we go around the traffic circle. We pull on the Cotton Lane. We hit a bump and my pop-up trailer pops up off the hitch and starts dragging down cotton length.

We have the biggest biggest safety chains on there that you can buy. It's snapped one of them like it was paper. So I managed to get over to the side another 20 cars pasta. Nobody even slows down.

Right. Stop Jenna and I get out. And we're looking at let's try to lift it up. What's uploaded? Duggins way under the dirt

I'm literally going let's just get in the truck and drive away and somebody else can take the pop up. Let's go see a movie. we're going to Scottsdale for a staycation like we're just we're not like

Calm down. I threatened you that I say I did if we can't lift this thing. We're going to have to take everything out of the pop-up that we just loaded for 2 hours his eyes get really big is like no we can do this. And so the Incredible Hulk shows up. We lift our this thing up get it back up and get it on right this time. Make sure everything's secure. Are we still got one safety chain? I'm going. Okay, what do I turn back and go home or do we keep going? We kept going.

We drive up. We get up to Munds Park with drive up in the middle of nowhere and I done last week and we Scout it out this camping area that we really like this. It's dry camping. No Reservations or hoping it's nobody there we get there as a little concerned about getting into it cuz there was one little narrow space. I wasn't sure I was going to fit between two trees but when I didn't think about was the turn off from the tree from the road onto the path and that there was this What are the dip? You see where this is going already. To make it worse as we're pulling up to it. My 15 year old son says Dad just go early over that grass there cuz it's straighter there and it'll be fine. I'm like, I don't need to do that. So I ignore him.

And I go and I pull into the dip and my back wheels sink down and the pop up in the trailer hitch dig into the ground. Dig into the ground this thing's not moving. Now my Jack and stuff is underneath the bed of the truck, which I cannot now get you because it's so deep in the same work out of cell phone coverage.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm feeling anxiety. I'm feeling like a failure. I'm feeling frustration. I feel like fear. I'm feeling stupid. I don't like to feel stupid don't get like to feel incompetent don't like to feel like a failure on my wife and my son they're all going to die out in the middle of nowhere my fault to be on the news everybody doing all this stuff. We we get out of the truck. We're looking at it Wanda gets out. She let the dog out to go to the bathroom. I've never been out camping before in the forest. So she's freaking out. Put her on a leash. I don't need anything else to worry about. Please just put her on at least I don't have to worry about anything else. She goes, okay, then turns around and just walked off with the dog without a leaf. At which point something in me just snaps. She goes you gave me the look of death. In this moment, I'm just full of anger and fear and rage and frustration and all our stuff. What am I going to do?

I did this. did this I started with what am I doing? What am I actually feeling here in this moment what I was feeling inadequate. I'm feeling insufficient. I'm feeling out of control. I'm stealing all these things in it and that's generating anger. I'm wanting to take it out on my wife and my son wrecked. I'm looking for something to vent to a place to eat to not look at the reality of what's going on Within Me. So I have to stop and look at what's going on in me. What what is going on? What are you feeling by just so then what do I believe about myself in that moment? I believe I believe that I was a failure. My wife and son weren't respecting me. I'm not worthy of respect.

I can't provide I can't protect that I am an absolute failure. Who I want to be I don't want to look at myself. I don't want anybody to see me. Why because I don't believe that I'm worth looking at in that moment.

I got it. I got to stop and work through that because that's not a conscious stop. Those are subconscious realities and attitude that are that are building up. I got to work from the fruit down to the root. What am I feeling? Okay, this is what's going on inside. This is what I'm thinking. This is what I'm experiencing. This is what I'm feeling. Why am I why am I feeling experienced not cuz this is what I'm believing about myself. I'm a loser. I'm a failure. And I can't pull it off. I'm out of control.

Where do I think God is in this? Well, I think he's absent. Why would you let me do that? Why didn't you stop me? Why didn't Angel come down? Road self up into a ball and let my truck drive right over it.

What am I what's God doing God's looking at me and judging me. God's going what a failure. God doing here. What a loser. Who like who do I believe God is in that? I will. God's unloving. God's absent got distance. Maybe God's impotent.

All right. That constant struggle either. God loves me, but he's unable to help me or is able to help me, but he doesn't love me. All of that is going on in me at that moment. You're not a moment.

Just stop being angry Jeremy.

Stop desire if I got shame on you, but that doesn't help. There's no freedom in that. Don't forget to the root of our unbelief. And in that moment, I got a choice. I can continue to believe all of that and live out of that identity and yell and scream and snap and be miserable.

Or I can apply the gospel. That's that's what repentance is in that moment. I repent. I don't really believe God that you're out of control and I really don't believe God that you don't love me. How do I know that cuz of Jesus?

Was there ever a time in the history of History?

What look like God was more out of control than on the cross.

Get your world made look out of control the gods never out of control. It may look like God has abandoned you but God has not abandoned you it may look like God doesn't love you. But God loved I know this because of Jesus in that moment. I turn to Jesus got to argue. We get the one who loves us so much that you gave your son. Nnn, even when they put him on a cross and he died you Rose him from the dead. So you are able to deal with the Brokenness of this world. You are a loving presence God in the midst of trial and suffering. What is God doing? I got to remind myself in the word of God says Jesus is interceding on behalf of the same. The Jesus is present with us in his spirit that Jesus distant kid right here. The Jesus isn't uncaring. He's actively involved.

Who am I in Jesus? Am I really a failure? Am I really a loser and I really unloved and unrespected in my really unworthy.

Or did God love me so much. The Jesus died and rose again.

So if these things are true. It got Skeeter is not powerful of God's loving if I'm accepted if I'm forgiven if I'm valued if I'm worthwhile.

That belief produces different fruit. I see that the fruit of the Gospel the fruit of the spirit. Love joy peace patience.

None of my circumstances changed in that moment right truck still stuck. Still can't lift. It don't have any options. but everything changed inside my belief moved from unbelief to faith in Christ. I saw myself differently now all of a sudden instead of fear and anxiety and anger. I felt homeless. And a little bit of peace. Maybe a sliver of patience. Joy wasn't there yet.

But self-control showed up and that's really what I needed at the moment. But take a breather. Lord I trust you, I don't want to bear that fruit. I want to believe the gospel. Thank you Jesus for who you are thank you that even though I've made a radical mess of this. You still love me. And within the next 5 minutes for people showed up for different Vehicles. We had a grand old strategy party on how to unhook and unhitch and

5 minutes later We're back on the road, right? but I'm working through the gospel like that. Here's here's the fruit. I got to get down to the root of unbelief. If I'm going to deal with that fruit of sin in my life. I got to deal with the root of unbelief and move to Faith in Jesus.

And it's that that is going to produce the fruit of the spirit the beauty of that is it just produces, right? It it's not about effort. It's about the power of the spirit Pastor Mike when he was here. He's all so you don't ever hear a fruit tree grunt. Right, that would be awkward, right?

Love you.

Can't do it can fake it. I don't want you but I don't like fake fruit.

And the real thing comes naturally through the spirit as a product of faith. When we align ourselves to the truths of the Gospel when we align ourselves to the one who is the truth Jesus. That's a produces the fruit fruit of the spirit the fruit that we all crave have in our life. That's what we want to be known for isn't it?

If you want to experience freedom. You got to deal with the root of unbelief. We go from fruit to root from root.

That's about faith in the person of Jesus. And in the gospel of his kingdom. May God grant us all Freedom. Amen.