Bible Exploration
Examining Christian growth stages; fruiting
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0:00 [Music] all the glory must be to the lord 0:07 [Music] 0:16 no one on earth 0:21 [Music] [Applause] 0:28 [Music] 0:34 praise the lord praise ye the lord 0:40 hallelujah let us pray our father we bless you we 0:45 give you glory we give you honor we give you praise father we thank you for the privilege 0:51 again of life of being able father to come together with my brothers 0:58 and sisters and examine your word 1:04 daddy please speak to us open our eyes upon our hearts 1:10 and give us faith father to mix with your word so that it will be profitable unto us we 1:17 pray in jesus mighty name amen 1:22 god bless you brothers and sisters this is brother josh here 1:29 um just going to uh pick up on where we stopped 1:34 at the last episode we were speaking about luke 16 1:41 19-25 on 1:47 the rich man lazarus and father abraham 1:53 our father in the faith and how the rich man 1:59 remained a son of abraham and therefore son of god 2:06 but was in hell the bible says 2:13 and lazarus was also a son of abraham 2:20 and um that was i guess i got excited 2:26 maybe i was going ahead of myself but 2:31 some people think 2:37 that some of the things that we've been outlining 2:44 is a performance-based christianity 2:54 that because we're children of god sons of god 3:00 we do not have 3:05 consequences for walking in disobedience 3:10 to god's word god's expectations for our life 3:17 but let me not again get too much ahead of myself 3:23 but we having if you go back to the previous episodes i hope you do start from 3:29 the introduction the very first podcast because it it it's a line upon 3:36 line kind of thing we've been talking about growth stages in christianity 3:44 and like we said it is not the only way you can categorize 3:50 going growing in christ i mean the lord can show you other ways 3:55 i mean you can classify it various ways so long as it's scriptural this is just 4:02 one way that i learned from the lord 4:08 now we talked about babes we talked about 4:14 little children we we talked about young men and we're talking about adults 4:20 or saints or dear children that that's what we've 4:25 been talking about and and when we kind of continue that a little bit i 4:32 don't know uh for how long but as the lord leads 4:39 but i want us i want to point out very quickly that even when we become quote 4:45 unquote adults in christ we 4:50 do not stop growing 4:56 we do not stop growing because uh the bible uses a peculiar expression 5:04 in ephesians 4 verse 5:09 12. all right let me back up and start from verse 11 ephesians 4 verse 11 5:15 and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and 5:22 teachers for the perfect 10 of the saints right there beloved 5:28 note the expression perfect 10 of the saints 5:34 present continuous perfect 10 of the saints 5:39 beloved there is always a new level of glory in christ to 5:45 grow into that's what the bible says we go from 5:52 glory to glory this does not render the saint imperfect 5:57 at the previous level but is a call to a higher level still 6:04 beloved we can be perfect in first grade because we know all our alphabets 6:12 and numbers from one to a hundred 6:20 because we're babes in first grade 6:26 now when we get perfect in first grade we get to know that there's a new level we can attain 6:32 onto we cannot learn how to spell two three four letter words 6:39 you know we now we can now learn how to add and subtract certain basic numbers 6:47 then we'll move on to second grade that's where that is taught 6:53 then when we get perfect for that level we have to learn then to spell ten 7:01 letter words we have to learn then to master more arithmetic operations 7:08 is from glory to glory we don't unlearn what we learned in 7:15 first grade we get perfect in first grade and we 7:20 have to move to second grade 7:25 i hope you get a picture i i hope you get a picture for the perfect perfecting of the saints 7:34 oh well let me move back to ephesians 4 7:42 and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some 7:48 pastors and some teachers for the perfecting of the saints 7:56 for the work of the ministry for their defined of the body of christ verse 13 till we all come in the unity 8:02 of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of god unto a perfect man some folks don't like 8:09 that oh well 8:15 complete man okay i will use the you know another word some translations use 8:22 but next claus says unto the measure of the stature of the 8:29 fullness of christ so if you don't like the word perfect no problem 8:36 it is restated in the same verse as the measure of the stature of the 8:42 fullness of christ again i'm talking to myself 8:50 i always talk to myself beloved god says 8:55 in his word that he gave apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and 9:00 teachers until i josh 9:06 grow let me leave perfect man grow into the measure of the stature of 9:14 the fullness of christ not one fifth of christ 9:21 not a third of christ not half of christ not two-thirds of 9:26 christ not three-quarters of christ not seven eighths of christ the statue of the fullness of christ 9:35 and like we said previously god never commands the impossible never 9:45 [Music] because if he commanded the impossible 9:52 after his command the impossible became possible 10:01 he told a dead man to get up that's an impossible statement who does 10:07 that lazarus come out 10:12 well after that command went forth the dead 10:18 that previously could not hear well because they were dead 10:24 could hear and the lord gave the dead the ability 10:32 and capacity to get up and come out so for as long as the dead 10:41 after the word the command opened their ears to here 10:47 and the command gave them the capacity to get up even 10:53 though they were bound and tied up so long as the dead 11:00 obeyed that word they were able to come out of a tomb 11:07 mm-hmm [Music] 11:14 and so long as the lord gave command 11:21 to a man called peter to walk on water 11:30 before that commandment it was an impossibility 11:36 [Music] but after the commandment went forth 11:43 so long as peter obeyed the commandment 11:49 he found that the impossibility was no longer impossible 11:58 key word so long as peter obeyed the commandment he had to get out 12:05 of his boat so 12:13 the scripture says faith without walks is dead 12:19 oh well so when the lord says when he says 12:25 that i can grow into the measure of the statue of the 12:31 fullness of christ he knows what he is saying i mean disputed and quote great 12:37 theologians and greek and hebrew and all kinds of stuff and say it is not 12:42 possible that this and that yes 12:50 mhm peter had been fishing for several years i would assume 12:58 when had he ever seen a man walk in water 13:04 never the fact that you have not 13:11 yet experienced something or you have not seen somebody 13:16 manifest something does not change the fact that 13:22 god said that that thing is possible 13:27 [Music] it does not change that 13:35 you have two choices beloved 13:40 two stick with the ten spies and stay in disbelief 13:48 or go with the two spies and say if god said it 13:54 hey i'll die trying oh lord help me 14:04 peter taking that step upon 14:10 the waters as the lord commanded him 14:17 was taking the chance of drowning 14:25 yes he was yes he was 14:32 he said i'll die trying but my lord said i can 14:43 the two spies said daddy said i can 14:48 take this land yes he did 14:56 i would rather die fighting these giants 15:03 lord help me i would rather die 15:08 fighting this giants 15:17 then stay in egypt of the wilderness 15:24 in unbelief the devil is a liar 15:31 yes he is yes he is yes he is 15:48 beloved i can do all things through christ 15:53 who strengthens me all things includes 15:58 doing what god said i can do 16:07 if he says i can live right yes i can live right through christ who strengthens me 16:14 if he says i can live holy yes i can live holy through christ who strengthens 16:20 me if he says i can live righteously yes i can live righteously to christ who 16:25 strengthens me if he says i can live soberly yes i can live soberly through 16:31 christ who strengthens me if he says i can do all this in this world 16:38 not in heaven in this world yes sir 16:43 i can do all things through christ who strengthens me 16:56 beloved is for the perfecting ephesians 4 verse 12 of the saints 17:02 perfecting present continuous for the perfect 10 of the saints 17:09 he gave some apostles and prophets and evangelism pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints 17:20 until we get to a perfect man 17:26 until we grow into the measure of the stature 17:31 of the fullness of christ fullness the way christ is and was 17:38 on earth until we get there that's why he gave us 17:45 fivefold ministries and we'll be talking about what pictures 17:51 babes in diapers infants growing up learning to walk stumbling running and so forth 17:57 young men and adults those five-foot ministries sticking with 18:04 our world picture the little babe trying to crawl for the first time 18:11 you see the mama stretching out her hands come come this way come this way then you put you put a little toy in 18:18 front of that baby and baby starts to crawl towards it good boy good boy good girl come come come come and he's trying 18:26 after while he tries to get up trying to get his balance or her balance 18:33 baby boy baby girl take your pick tries to stand 18:39 it's a process who are the that baby's five-foot ministry 18:45 the mom the dad the brother the sister older brother older sister 18:52 auntie uncle babysitter those are the apostles the prophets the teachers the evangelists 18:58 around that baby forward purpose to guide that baby to grow into the 19:06 stature of the fullness of a man or a woman 19:13 that's why they're there that's why that baby was not born full-grown 19:18 that's why that baby was not born an adult that's why that baby was born a baby 19:24 even jesus the son of the most high was born as a baby 19:30 and mary and joseph had to raise him 19:38 they are our fivefold ministry sticking with our world pictures stay with me 19:48 and the baby is in diapers it's a baby guys 19:54 i'm i guess i'm recapping where we've come from so far 20:01 it's in the baby's in diapers what's that smell well 20:06 baby pooped okay he's a baby whatever deal with it 20:12 ain't you glad a child is born yeah 20:18 it's a big deal but from being born you have to now 20:24 start polytraining this child it's a process 20:34 you have to start teaching baby how to stand up crawl stand up walk and run 20:40 it's a process 20:47 the sad thing however is that some five-foot ministries 20:56 instead oh jesus help me 21:03 instead of trying to perfect the baby perfecting means 21:10 urging encouraging teaching directing the baby on how to transition 21:18 from a baby in diapers to a full-grown adult remember ephesians 4 21:25 verse 13 says till we 21:30 get onto the measure of this touch of the fullness of christ 21:35 a baby born is not a fullness it's not in the fullness of of of a human being 21:41 a man or a woman it's a baby but it's a human being but it's not in the fullness yet 21:48 because it's a process but you now have some five-fold ministries 21:55 no i'm not complaining guys i'm not telling on anybody i'm just 22:01 saying please please 22:06 you know i have fivefold ministries telling the infant in diapers 22:13 it's okay you're only eight years old 22:19 diapers are okay with you you can poop what you want 22:24 um yeah yeah yeah yeah you have teacher wonderful and and 22:31 prophet wonderful telling beguiling 22:36 deceiving the children of god that they can be 14 22:44 and poop and pee anywhere in the middle of the living room in the kitchen 22:50 you know it's all right whatever your parents don't smell your poop they 22:56 see the blood that's it just the blood you're covered you bear the last name 23:03 that's the blood you're covered um 23:13 really really 23:20 oh well beloved 23:28 that's regression not progression 23:34 a 15 year old acting like a 15 day old is regression 23:42 that is contrary to why god gave the fivefold ministry 23:48 no no no no the five-foot ministry ephesians 4 11 12 and 13 23:53 is to walk the 15 day old to become a 15 year old 24:00 and a 50 year old and it's 75 year old in that direction 24:09 mm-hmm let me let me let me leave that level 24:16 then kind of kind of come back to to this issue of growing 24:27 i will continue 24:32 it may sound like a digression but it's a continuation when we talk about growing 24:37 in christ because we'll talk about the issue of 24:43 of of having fruit which is of necessity a part of growing up 24:54 having fruit is proof 25:01 that you have attained a certain level of maturity 25:08 having fruit i don't i'm not trying to be graphic but there's a difference between 25:16 a 15 day old boy or girl and a 15 year old boy or girl 25:27 the latter group is they're called teenagers and 25:32 at 15 probably in puberty already they're semi-adults 25:38 but the one that's 15 day old uh 25:43 the babes the 15 16 year old 25:50 can start to have fruit now it's not 25:56 yet time they're teenagers but you know what i'm saying they can start reproducing 26:03 the 15 day old cannot but they are they're human beings 26:09 they're male or female but they can't reproduce yet 26:15 because there's not time yet they've not grown to reproduction stage yet they've not 26:22 grown to fruiting stage yet 26:29 but it is part of the process is program in the 26:35 process having fruit means simply shows 26:44 that you are reproducing that from which you were planted 26:50 that's all fruitiness [Music] 26:57 let me say that again having fruit is simply reproducing that 27:04 from which you were planted first peter 1 23 27:10 says being born again not of corruptible seed but of 27:15 incorruptible by the word of god which leave it in a body forever 27:26 we are born again not of corruptable seed but of 27:31 incorruptible 27:37 so our fruit 27:45 when we have gotten to the stage of being able to fruit 27:51 our fruit should be incorruptible fruit 27:56 not corruptable fruit because we're born from incorruptable seed 28:04 i i i i hope you got that josh look 28:12 first peter 1 23 being born again not of corruptable seed but of incorruptible by 28:17 the word of god which living on a body forever so our fruit 28:23 should be that which is incorruptible 28:31 not that which is corruptible okay we'll come back to it later let me leave 28:36 that alone for a minute the lord makes it clear to us that not producing fruit at the expected time 28:46 is dangerous 28:52 let me say that again not producing fruit at the expected time 29:00 who says the time god does no not me not you 29:07 god knows when to expect fruit from us 29:13 and not fruiting at that time is dangerous because he knows the time he 29:22 has graciously allowed for us to grow god knows the time that he has 29:28 graciously set for us to grow he knows the time 29:34 he knows the time 29:40 he has set a time for us to grow he has set a time for us to move from 29:45 grace to grace from glory to glory 29:50 he knows what we can produce at each grace level 29:59 let me say that again he knows what we can produce 30:05 what he expects at each grace level each level that grace has 30:13 taken us to where we ought to be okay let's let's let's go to the scriptures 30:19 let me just copy and paste now luke chapter 13 verse 6 to 9 luke 13 6-9 30:28 the bible says jesus spoke 30:37 also this parable luke 13 luke 13 verse 6 to 9. 30:42 he said a setting man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came and sought through deron and found none 30:52 then said he unto the dress of his vineyard behold these three years i come seeking fruit 30:58 on this fig tree and find none cut it down 31:07 why compare it hit the ground i want us to observe certain things with 31:12 that scripture right there about the specificity of god 31:20 number one he planted a fig tree in his vineyard now if he has a vineyard 31:27 means uh the other planted vineyard 31:36 now he's not addressing the other plants in the vineyard he's addressing this plant 31:42 in his vineyard mm-hmm yeah yeah yeah the one the person 31:49 that knows the number of hairs on my head knows who i am [Music] 31:56 yes he does so let's not be like peter in the book 32:02 of john when jesus said peter this is how you're going to die and 32:08 peter said uh lord uh what about this one talking 32:13 about john and jesus said 32:20 if i want him to tear it to like come what is that today it's none of your business peter i'm not talking to 32:27 i'm not talking to you about john talking to you about you 32:33 you see that in john 21 verse 18 to 32:39 22. god is specific to each and every one of us 32:45 i'm sorry i jump around scriptures a lot so forgive me let me go back to luke 13 32:51 verse 6 and verse 7. he planned his this fig tree 32:57 he came and sought fruit and he found none 33:02 then he said cut it down. he said it's been three years and there's no 33:08 fruit on this fig tree so cut it down it's just it's wasting my time 33:14 but hold on he did not plant the fig tree to cut the 33:20 fig tree down let me say that again 33:26 the man did not plant the fig tree to cut the fig tree down no he planted the 33:33 fig tree don't forget the victory the implant itself is by grace 33:39 [Laughter] 33:45 he planted a fig tree so the fig tree will yield the fruit of figs from which he planted the fig tree from 33:57 and he waited he knew 34:03 that by three years he ought to have fruit from the fig tree 34:09 so by it doesn't mean god gives us three years this is specific to this fig tree i 34:14 don't know much about figs but this man knew about figs jesus knows 34:20 about figs how much time does he give human beings 34:25 i don't know but he knows and he will let us know 34:35 he said verse seven 34:40 behold this three years i come seeking fruit for the sick tree i'm fine on and so forth verse eight 34:45 and he who is he the dresser of the vineyard answering said unto him lord 34:51 let it alone this year also till i shall dig about it and dung it 35:00 now if you're a fig tree dong is good stuff for you [Music] 35:07 yeah trees love that dong that's some good food 35:14 the bible says the goodness of the lord lead us to repentance 35:22 yeah if you are a tree dung is good stuff that's rich manila rich rich mania rich 35:28 goodness that we don't deserve richness goodness 35:36 life breath health the dresser said 35:41 lord leave it alone another year let me dig around it and dunk it verse 9 35:49 and if he bear fruit well if not then after that 35:57 thou shalt cut it down 36:06 let's look at mark chapter 4 verse 28. 36:13 we're talking about fruiting being of necessity a part of growing up 36:22 mark chapter 4 verse 28. 36:27 the bible says 36:32 let me start from 26 and he said this is jesus speaking so is 36:38 the kingdom of god as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep and rise night and day 36:43 and the seed should spring up and grow he know it not how verse 28 36:51 for the earth bringeth fought fruit of herself first the blade 36:58 then the ear after that the full corn in the ear 37:04 i want us to get that picture let me read it again verse 28 for the earth bring god fought 37:12 fruit of herself 37:17 for the earth bring it fought fruit of herself remember the parable of the soil 37:24 this parable that is in mark 4 26-28 37:29 is also about seed and the ground it says here in verse 28 the earth 37:35 bringeth forth fruit of herself in the parable of the sower the earth 37:42 was you and i that receive that seed that word of god 37:49 and he is saying the earth is bringing forth foot of herself first the blade then the ear then the 37:54 full corn on the ear notice that the fruit here 38:01 includes the blade the ear 38:07 and the full corn in the ear what does that mean 38:13 meaning that when 38:18 or put a different way the fruit you see the fruiting from that seed that 38:26 incorruptible seed as a process when you plant corn 38:34 you don't just see the cob of corn sticking out from the ground no 38:40 first a blade should start from the ground a blade just a tiny shoot comes from the ground 38:48 and in verse 28 that is part of fruiting meaning when we are growing it is part 38:56 of the fruiting process a baby has to transit 39:02 to a toddler to a teenager to an adult before you start talking 39:10 about the full ear of another baby being born 39:16 because part of the fruiting process is they have to pass through puberty as 39:22 teenagers and some things get put in place and they're fruiting those things 39:29 you know what i'm talking about i don't have to be explicit it's part of the process 39:37 but it's not just development physically it's also development mentally 39:43 spiritually it's a growth process 39:49 if we refuse to grow will become stunted in growth 39:57 and there's no benefit from that 40:04 galatians 4 verse 1 to 2 galatians chapter 4 verse 1 to 2. 40:10 now i say that the heir as long as he is a child 40:16 that is a babe different nothing from a servant though he be lord of all verse 2 40:23 but is under 2000 governors until the time appointed of the father 40:30 there is a time god has appointed for that victory he appointed three years 40:37 three years i ought to have some figs by now 40:43 galatians four verse two but is under two dozen governors until the time appointed of the father 40:56 you can hear you can you can you can hear the lamentation 41:06 the spirit of god in hebrews chapter 5 11 to 13. 41:15 i consider the lamentation you may disagree but that's fine 41:20 hebrews chapter 5 verse 11. of whom he now is talking about 41:26 melchizedek in verse 10. it's not relevant for our conversation here but 41:31 i want to read verse when he says of whom he starts in verse 11. i just want us to know that he's 41:37 talking about mecca you can read that in verse 10. but here's what he's saying in verse 11. 41:45 of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered 41:52 seen you are dull of hearing 41:58 hebrews is saying look i want to tell you some things about melchizedek 42:05 but there are things i want to tell you but you are dull of hearing 42:11 meaning your ears are not open right your understanding is still 42:18 compromised it's not developed verse 12 for when 42:23 for the time you ought to be teachers josh you are 24 years old 42:30 mm-hmm at least 42:36 at least you should have grown such and such by now 42:42 mm-hmm four verse 12 hebrews 5 12 for when 42:49 for the time you ought to be teachers you have need that one teach you 42:55 again which be the first principles of the oracles of god 43:03 josh the time you ought to have been running your your marathon the time you 43:08 ought to have been running races 43:14 i see you in diapers crawling on the floor 43:19 let's let's read it the time for when for the time you ought to be 43:26 teachers you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles 43:31 of the oracles of god and are become such as have need of milk and not strong 43:38 meat verse 13 for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the world of righteousness 43:45 for he is a babe 43:50 but strong meat belonged to them which are full age even those who by reason of 43:56 use have their senses exercised to discern about good and evil the time josh you should have been of 44:03 full age your baby the time you should have been eating meat you are still drinking milk 44:09 if that's not a lamentation i don't know what is ah my time is gone 44:20 god bless you beloved until next time may the lord bless you and keep you make 44:25 his face shine upon you and me gracious unto you lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace 44:31 in jesus precious name amen 44:37 [Music] 44:59 [Applause] glory must be 45:06 [Music]