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Our sermon will be on Acts 9:1-19

We have a website: https://tahlequahworshipcenter.com/

We are starting Wednesday Night service back up

Prayer requests:

Sue

Georgey

Billy and his Dad

Dorcas

Mark Wilson

Cristy’s Grandparents

Sandra

My Mom

Songs

The Star Spangled Banner - Eb - 710

I Feel Like Traveling on - Db - 673

How Long Has it Been - Eb - 596

Can We Tell Who Is Saved?

How many times have you seen someone who was fake?

Several years ago, I started a new job as a programmer.

I was in a bigger room with several desks in them.

We had a nice view - it was on the second story.

I had only been there one day when another guy who was sharing the room with me started asking beginner level questions.

I thought maybe he hadn’t dealt with this particular technology before.

Something was off about him, but I didn’t know what.

On the 3rd day, my boss came upstairs and asked all of us to come downstairs into his office.

I think there was 1 other programmer in that office with us.

The one that was a little off wasn’t there.

My boss first of all told us that this guy had been let go.

Now, you can imagine that I was worried about my job there.

Some of what we were doing was something that was completely new to me.

Then he said I know you must be worried since you have only been there 3 days.

He assured me that my job wasn’t in jeopardy.

He then asked us if this guy had asked us any questions about programming.

I told him about the questions he asked me.

I was still worried, but I had added some code to the project. I thought I was safe.

A couple of days ago was Veteran’s Day.

There are people who pose as veterans for some reason.

I don’t know why they do it.

But our veterans are the ones who went out and actually put their lives on the line for us.

Some people pose as christians like that.

We are going to talk about how to look for them and how to find them.

Luke 13:1–9 NKJV

1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”

Can’t tell by what happens to them

We can’t tell if a person is a Christian by what happens to them.

We live in a world where bad things happen. There is something wrong

There are 2 general types of evil:

Natural Evil

Moral Evil

Natural evil happens when natural things happen like a hurricane or a tornado. It’s hard for me to not understand the impact of tornados when 71 died in the 1920 Peggs tornado, one of them being my great great grandpa. Many of those victims are buried a half mile from our home.

The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 is another example of a natural disaster.

The aftermath of that tsunami includes the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.

Jesus gives an example that may be natural - the tower of Siloam where 18 died.

Moral evil are things that happen because of the free will of people. An example of this includes the holocaust where about 17 million people died.

Or the 20 million + killed by Stalin.

Jesus uses an example of Galileans who were killed by Pilate.

There’s other examples where a natural disaster is a trigger for a moral disaster. An example would be the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The tsunami caused a nuclear disaster that could have been avoided if they had moved the generators or had built a higher sea wall.

The point that Jesus makes here is that these deaths were not caused by the people that died.

We’re not talking about a Redneck who says “Watch this” or “Hold my beer.”

We are talking people that are true victims.

Jesus unequivocally says here that they were no worse than anyone else.

There’s an unwritten rule in Christianity where if something is wrong with you or you don’t have enough faith.

I struggle with this idea almost every day.

I think, what did I do to deserve all the pain that I’m in.

Some of you know what I’m talking about.

Jesus tells us that is not the case.

I know, the Bible talks about people that are sick because of their sin, but I don’t think that is the norm.

There are only a handful that are even talked about in the Bible.

So, it’s not your fault.

And here’s the kicker. Having a good life or pain free life doesn’t guarantee that you and God are good.

Can’t tell by where they’re planted

We can’t tell if someone is a Christian by where they are.

It used to be said that you were a Christian by where you lived.

Many people used to call themselves Christian because they were American.

That’s just not true.

And just because you go to church doesn’t mean you’re a Christian either.

I belong to several different kinds of ministry groups on Facebook.

Do you know how many times I’ve seen pastors hurt by people in their church?

There are about 3700 churches that close each year in America. About half of those are unsuccessful new churches.

that still leaves 1800 that aren’t new. That means that about 3 established churches close every day.

Most of the time it’s caused by either false pastors, or false members.

I’ve heard of churches split or closed over the silliest things.

In this parable, Jesus talks about a fig tree that’s planted in a vineyard.

It’s in the right place, but something is wrong with it.

You are in the right place to be a Christian.

We are teaching the truth of the gospel.

The question is are you developing like you should.

If you are not, it doesn’t mean you need to be transplanted.

We need to look at your fruit.

Can Only Tell by their fruit

We can tell if someone is a Christian by their fruit.

Cristy and I have some fruit trees.

They’re alive, but ...

They aren’t really growing.

I don’t know what the problem is.

At the last place we lived, we had an apple tree.

The last year we were there, one limb was so full of apples that it broke the limb.

And those apples were good.

As I said before, Jesus used a fig true as an example for someone that is truly a Christian.

The problem is that much of fruit is not there or the fruit is bad.

In Isaiah 5:1-2, God compares the Jews to a vineyard that produces bad fruit.

Isaiah 5:1–2 NKJV

1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.

Isaiah had bad news for the Jews a lot. This is pretty bad.

In this Parable, the land owner has given this tree 3 years and it hasn’t produced fruit.

I don’t know if God is the landowner and Jesus is the keeper or what, but we see that the keeper stays the hand of the landowner.

The good news is the Lord is patient and he keeps giving us chances.

I for one am glad, because he gave me a bunch of chances.

I was lost as a goose in a snowstorm or so that my kids will get it, I was as lost as the folks on Gilligan’s Island.

Forget having fruit, I wasn’t even planted.

But God came into my life, and then I got saved.

What’s the point here?

Hope is not lost.

God is a miracle worker and he can plant and you can start producing fruit immediately.

There are lot’s of verses that I could bring in here like Jesus being the vine, but let’s get to the end of all this.

Jesus has 2 main themes.

Those who are haven’t repented

And those who aren’t working.

If you’re not producing fruit, you need to look inside.

You need to become a new plant, you need to trust in God.

But let’s not forget God’s grace.

How many times did Jesus go to the cross?

Yes, with true repentance by God’s grace, we are forgiven.

But with that faith comes fruit

Faith without fruit is like a grape vine without a grape.

It’s good for nothing.

But here’s the kicker - God’s grace can cover all

We just need faith