0:01 Before I share what I prepared for today, what the Lord laid on my heart, I was just reminded and really uplifted by one thing, and it's regarding it was an illustration that we've heard many times, but I'll just read it as a poem here. 0:19 Three men were walking on a wall, feeling faith and fact. When feeling took an awful fall and faith was taken back. So close was faith to feeling that he tumbled then anew. But fact remained and pulled faith up, and faith brought feeling, too. 0:37 So, you get the picture. There's the the there's the three people on the fence and the one in the front, they're walking along and the one in front is fact. And the one in the middle is faith and the one in the back is feeling. 0:51 And so, feeling started getting a little wobbly and faith said, "Oh, what's going on back there?" And they tumbled down and fact had to reach down and grab them and pull them up. And what is fact? John 7:17 tells us what fact is in the 1:08 illustration there. Jesus said, "Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth." So, the the fact that we look forward to is God's word. And so, the the uplifting thing to me was confirmed with a conversation with a brother I had today 1:23 already was we have to be grounded on fact. God, like we just heard facts, like we just heard God loves me. What our our feelings, we may be in a feeling season right now where the feelings are falling down, they're in shambles. 1:40 Maybe we're really struggling with something, but I was encouraged by that. Look at fact. Just because you're struggling inwardly right now, maybe in a season, it doesn't mean there's no hope. It doesn't mean your spiritual life is 1:54 in shambles or that your God doesn't is not happy with you, it may just be a feeling that you need to set aside and look to God's word. And so I was reminded of that. As long as there's no conscious sin that I'm aware of 2:08 uh in my life, I should be at rest. And and I think we can take um uh comfort in a lot of comfort in that. I do I know I do because sometimes when I'm in a season where my feelings are down for a while, say Lord, something is 2:23 what's wrong? What's wrong? And the Lord um has to come for me with this word, it's just a feeling. Nothing's wrong. Um and so that helped me a lot and lifted me up um and I felt uh yeah, I like to share that before I get into it. 2:39 It's a bit related to what I'd like to share today. The main thing that I wanted to share um was about a keyword that probably a lot of churches are talking about today, um but in hopefully a bit of a different way. The keyword that a lot of churches 2:54 probably are talking about and that we should talk about too is resurrection. And it's important um to remember the hope that we have in Christ because he rose again, we have that hope too. And we usually talk about it with regard 3:08 when I think of it, I usually think of Jesus rose from the dead, he's going to live forever. We have that same promise and hope. We're not going to be floating around like clouds forever doing who knows what. We're going to have actual 3:19 resurrected glorified bodies, the Bible says. It's the one of the first things that Jesus did as the first resurrected man was ate fish. And so uh it helps me to remember, I don't know if eternal life is going to be that different than what we're 3:33 walking around doing right now. Uh but there won't be sin there. And it will be um and there won't be the stain of uh of sin and Jesus will be there in person. And uh we'll be full of the Holy Spirit sharing that eternity with people who 3:50 have the same mind. And so the the the promise of the resurrection is one of the most important ones that gives us hope, but there is something else I wanted to talk about and it was a phrase regarding resurrect the word resurrection and it's 4:04 in Philippians chapter 3. If you can turn there. I'll start from verse 10. This was Paul he's talk Paul is talking about my mindset, the goal of 4:24 my life. He he said that in verse 10, Philippians 3:10, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I 4:44 have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. So it's an it's an important question I think is 5:02 if the resurrection after we die being physically raised from the dead is the only thing that we're looking forward to, then what was Paul working so hard for? What was he saying? Why did he say this that I I want to know the power of his 5:17 resurrection. I want to know God Christ himself and the power of his resurrection. Um what was he talking about there? He said, "I want to know his sufferings, fellowship of his sufferings." And I think it's important to answer that. Um 5:29 and I think one of the clearest explanations to me of this to know the power of his resurrection and that this is what I have to have in my mind too is in Romans 6. And he talks here 5:48 about the resurrection life and what it means. And I'll start reading from verse three. Romans 6:3. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him 6:06 through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the 6:20 likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him. So, he's talking about the resurrection here in verse five. And he's And talking about death and resurrection, he starts talking about what it means practically. 6:34 That our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died is free from sin. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with 6:48 him. Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again. Death no longer is master over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, 7:02 consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its lusts. And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of 7:17 unrighteousness, but present Yourselves to God as those alive from the dead. And your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. 7:32 So, it's talking about the resurrection. And it's saying here in the same just in the same way that physical death doesn't have a hold on us anymore in the future. We don't have to fear it. We don't have to Um we're not going to be slaves and 7:47 taken by physical death. He's saying spiritual death also does not need to have a hold on us anymore, which is sin. We don't have to be mastered by it anymore. And I I know I I don't know how many of you were surprised to hear it, but to 8:01 know that there's a It was a big huge thing for me to know that there's a victorious life that God has for us that we can live here um a a a resurrected life, the power of his resurrection. And I probably a lot of Christians don't 8:17 know about it, the freedom that we can have in Christ and um the the ability, God's life and the power that he gives to live this resurrected life. And it's not just a this res- the power of this resurrection is not just waiting 8:31 until death, but um but I'll try to give some examples just to explain as simply as as I can what I believe it looks like. It's resurrection power to overcome temptations that were defeating us before, that we were slaves to, that we 8:48 couldn't control. It's God's power in us to control our tongue. That um a lot of people they say things they wish they didn't say. Oh, I I just I just couldn't help it. I could I I just couldn't help myself. I just let it slip. 9:05 But God gives us a power, a resurrection power to have control over our tongue. That even some of the greatest people on earth couldn't control their tongues, but God has a um I think in Proverbs it says something to the effect of the one 9:18 who can control their tongue is greater than kings. Something to that effect. Um God's power in us, it's the power to it of his life to not be anxious even in overwhelming and busy season. It's a power to not be have anger 9:33 control us anymore. Just angry person, we don't have to be um it's power to have victory and a hope. Uh It's a a faith in hopeless situations that God that we don't that they don't have to be dominating us anymore. To have joy even in the worst seasons. 9:52 It may not be laughing outside but us an inward rest and a satisfaction that God is in control and he's working it for our good on the inside. That's a a real joy lasting joy. To to have self-control. I think of the fruits of the spirit 10:09 self-control is a fruit of the spirit and maybe maybe we just can't control our eating. We wish we could eat less sugar but we just can't help ourselves. We wish we could control our spending habits. I just find myself spending too 10:21 much how much trouble people get in because they can't don't have self-control health problems physical problems family problems. But God there's a resurrection power that God can give us. To have a power in our life that 10:38 can come when we're surrendered and when we died to ourself and we're raising raising again and it's a process that's a daily thing. Paul said I'm striving I'm pressing on into this life. And um And so yeah that's the when when I I 10:55 think of these things I think of the the God's power in us we really have to have that to to overcome to overcome sin and the things that were slaves to us before and that's the the thing that I see Paul is saying I want to know that life. And 11:09 that's not just for comfort or because Paul wanted to feel happier. He wasn't he really wanted God to get glory from his life and he loved the Lord and he wanted to know God himself and I see that partaking of this life that's the only way to really 11:24 give God glory from our life and to to know him intimately is to to have this to strive be striving for that. And so, I'm thankful that our goal is very clear. Our Our race The Christian race is not God didn't make it hazy. It's a 11:39 very clear. What do we do? It used to be hazy for me. I used to think, "What do I What should I do with my life for God? I love him. I want to please him. What do I do?" And so, I mean, it came out in a lot of ways serving God. Oh, let me 11:49 think all the things that that I can do to make an effect for God's kingdom. That's how it used to come out for me. But, God made the way very clear now. I want to attain to a resurrected life where I'm living in Christ like Jesus 12:04 inwardly mainly. And then, other stuff kind of comes after that comes in It falls into place. And so, I'm thankful for the clarity that God gave to change my life after I knew him and loved him and was sincere, but was confused. And 12:19 so, I see that clarity that Paul had. He knew what he It would If there's one thing about a gold medalist who's in the Olympics, they know what race they're in. That nobody's confused about what they're going to be doing when they get 12:30 on a field. And so, for us, I think it's important that we have a clarity. I should know what my Christian life should look like, what I should be striving for, how to please God, what I want to be living like, how I want to give my life to God. 12:43 And that's one of the most important things we can get early on so that we don't waste our life. So, So, yeah, just in in relation to this, another a couple of other passages that I wanted to to share about living this resurrected the power of this 13:01 resurrected life and making our life count for God. One is in Galatians 2. He said in verse 20, Galatians 2:20, 13:26 "I have been crucified with Christ and it's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved him me and gave himself up for me. So, there's a death that when I think of 13:41 the death, I think of totally total surrender to my will. But then there's also a freedom here. I think that I've run into some really hard seasons where as far as I knew I wasn't in sin, but like I mentioned earlier, I was I could 13:58 live in still such a a frantic panic of slavery of am I living right? Am I doing God's will? Um, am I missing something? But I see just this faith to me it means a resting trust that um, the Lord loves me 14:17 and he'll guide me as long as I keep that loose hand on everything that I shouldn't be a frantic, but look at his love. I can't I've often gone the wrong way and um, sometimes we can go the wrong way in not giving up our 14:33 will. But then there's another wrong way to go which is not seeing God's love like we heard earlier. If there's uh, both both of those are necessary. I have to die at the same time I have to have faith. Faith means trusting that God is loves you. 14:47 If uh, as simply as I can think to put it. Um, and uh, that he gave himself up for me. And so to to see that this is the the double-sided coin. It it um, I need to keep coming back to that one. Usually I've I stumble um, 15:06 I I stumble on both sides, but a lot of times as we mature I think we find ourselves we can stumble on the second one much more, which is why we remind our church of God's love so much. Such a foundational thing. And and so when I live like this, I see that 15:21 the power, God's power, resurrection power can come and the Galatians goes on to say the fruit, talks about the fruit of the Spirit. And so, I see fruit the fruit can come. And so, just the the last main passage I was thinking in this regard was in John 15:39 15. And I was meditating on some things that Jesus said here, John 15. And I believe which I believe is related to bearing this fruit and living the this life. And specifically two things. One is abiding. And the second one is pruning. 15:58 And he's talking here I won't read the whole passage, but it's basically from verse 1 through 11. You can read about the the vine and the branches and the it's Jesus started out by saying that he's he's the true vine and the father 16:13 is the vine dresser. And he's he's saying how God he prunes the the branches that aren't bearing fruit. And he said that in verse two and then he he talked he says you need to abide in me verse four. Abide in me and I in you. You need to 16:31 stay uh connected, close, and depending, and and I think I first of all this this idea of fruit when he saying that um in verse 16 here he said 16:50 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain. So, it's God's will to for us to bear fruit. That that's he's really looking for in my life is fruit. And 17:04 that it helped me to understand what the fruit was. And when when we know the Bible, we know that the fruit is very clearly defined in Galatians 5. So, uh all the characteristics of Jesus' character, love, joy, peace, patience, 17:20 all those things, the fruit of a godly life and inner life. It's not I used to think it was the fruit of results from whatever I did. The fruit of I helped out the tech uh and now the the the the sound is all hooked up, it's working 17:34 with no static fruit or something, whatever. Uh that's good, but um the main thing is the the fruit of a Jesus' character in his life coming through. And so I see that um what it says here is I need to abide, that's something I do for my side, and 17:50 it's saying God does something from his side. And it says that he's pruning us. And so when I when I think of the the pruning, I think of 18:08 uh the things that hurt. Pruning is when it cuts the branch. And there's a lot of things that hurt, but it's helped me to remember God is looking for fruit. God is looking for fruit. God is looking for fruit. Why is this Why is this pruning 18:22 that was such a big part of me that God cut off, such a big pain that lasted for so long, such a such a drastic thing? God is looking for fruit. It's helped me to remember the the image of the vine. God is looking for fruit from my life, 18:38 and that's the only way that he can get it. And so I was uh I was blessed by by that thought that God is he wants to fill me, he wants to empty me and fill me and help me to bear fruit. I need to abide in him. And uh I I was blessed when I heard 18:55 someone say recently when God called them to serve to to serve um God called them to follow him. He said, "God I I told God I'm going to serve you, Lord." And the God spoke to his heart, "You're not just going to serve me, I my will is that I'll fill 19:11 you. Uh it's not just serving God, it's being filled with God. And I just was challenged, that thought challenged me. That I I need to be totally filled with God, to surrender to whatever pruning you want to do, Lord. Fill me, and you produce your fruit. So, 19:28 having that that picture of fruit in my mind and say, this is what God is after with my life. It helped to bring a clarity. And um And then lastly, uh from my side, I see that the abiding means 19:47 being cooperating with God. Being being honest about my sin, and saying, Lord, I don't want it either. I'm I'm going to face it head-on and say, uh Lord, whatever you want, I I'm willing to give up um anything that is not of your will. 20:04 And to ask God for help and the strength to do it. It's not always easy, but I I remember hearing a story of uh David Wilkerson, who uh he was in a ministry already, I think he was uh pastor or something, and every night he would watch a um couple hours 20:21 of television. And he um was watching one night, and God just prompted him, just turn off the TV and spend a half an hour with me. And uh his his feelings started to kick in. Yeah, maybe I'm uh I I'm a you know, I work so hard. I I 20:39 need some rest, though. Like, maybe it's not really of God. Uh and so, he this little prompt uh of the Holy Spirit, he could have ignored it, but he's like, okay, I'll I'll get a give a fleece out there. Uh I'll put an ad in the paper for my television 20:55 tomorrow, and I'll give people a half an hour to buy it. And 30 minutes, if nobody calls, then this wasn't the Lord's will. We'll keep the TV. And uh his wife said something like, 30 minutes, you really want to keep that 21:05 TV, don't you? And um and so, he put it in the newspaper and he said okay Lord whatever you want and so 10 minutes passed by 20 minutes passed by 25 minutes passed by 26 27 no call no call 28 29 minutes passed by no call all of a sudden the 21:20 phone rings at 29 minutes and somebody he answers the phone and somebody asking about the TV and he he said hey how much is your TV so $100 okay and and he said don't you want to come look at it and make sure you want it first he's like no 21:36 I I'll I I trust you I'll take it and so that was his answer right there and that was the start of David Wilkerson's real ministry I think that probably if that didn't happen I don't know if any of us would have even heard of him today 21:51 but to me it was just a little example of when the Bible says don't quench the spirit first Thessalonians 5:19 cooperate with God it's part of the abiding life and how God produces the fruit is this cooperating with God say 22:08 Lord I want your will to I'm weak but if you show me clearly which way to go then I'm willing to take it and I'm even so weak that I'll I'm only giving me half an hour for you to work but if you really want to confirm it then in that time then 22:27 then I'll do it and so and and I don't think it meant means just to an aesthetic life because I believe that's a slavery too I don't I'm sure David Wilkerson relaxed and had fun after that maybe even watch TV again and I'm not sure but the main point was he 22:43 had a loose hand on everything and so to me when I see this abiding life and how we can live this the power of the resurrection and producing the fruit for God to say I have to have a loose hand on everything and say Lord I 22:56 what I want for my life mostly is at number one is to that you would get the fruit that you're looking for. And whatever the the pruning is to to lay that on the altar. For David Wilkerson, it was giving up a a TV. Maybe the pruning is a financial 23:15 situation. You lost an opportunity for some some job that you got turned down for or maybe it's health or maybe it's a pruning of a relationship. Somebody's up upset at you for something or somebody passed away. I find that when I lose 23:30 loved ones when I times when I've lost loved ones, the pruning I never saw God's closeness so clearly as when I lost somebody that I was loved me and I loved them. That when they passed away is pruning. God is producing so much precious fruit from 23:46 pruning pruning. And it hurts but such rich fruit is coming from it. Um maybe it's pruning of our our ego in some way. Maybe there's a bully at school. Or we got some bad grade. We were in some really embarrassing situation. Some I'm sure most of us 24:03 adults can look think back and think of some pretty embarrassing times that when we were in school. Some something happened. Somebody said something. We did the wrong thing. Um but God allows these things and whatever it is uh 24:16 to to have the right heart and say I want to produce fruit for God that Lord can work these things for good. And so um yeah, I I was blessed to think of the pruning. So much pruning that happens every day. Even we hit a little bit of traffic. God 24:36 is pruning our time. We we get sick and we can't do a lot of things that we planned. God is pruning some our schedule maybe. Maybe he's saying, "Why don't you just rest for a little while? You're sick. Just sit down to slow down. 24:51 Yeah, um it's uh jump out of the box of the rat race for a minute. Uh the rat race in the of the Bay Area and so pruning pruning see the Lord is looking for fruit. And and so yeah, lastly I and I see lastly just to the last point is I just 25:08 want to say how I see God is very detailed. A lot of little things happen and we think why what could God be doing from this but remembering how God is detailed in his pruning. He's so careful in what he does. And I was blessed the other day even 25:22 just remembering how it says that the when the empty tomb people entered it there was a face face cloth rolled up in a separate place from the other cloth. And the first thing that resurrected Jesus did was to fold up a little detail of 25:41 cloth and and put it on the side maybe thinking of other people later. Jesus was so detailed in the way he lived. God is so detailed in my life on how he works. Not no little thing is a coincidence. Um I heard a phrase that I heard I don't 25:59 know if maybe Tyler can confirm I've heard this used with guns maybe in in war aim small miss small. Uh and I think a lot of the things that happen is because God is aiming small. Aim small miss small where try it as best as you can to get the 26:15 center of the bull's eye. Aim for that. That's what we're really looking for. It's pressing on to perfection and that's what God is doing in our life. He's aiming small. All these little things that happen they're not coincidences. This is God's working. See 26:28 it as God is producing fruit. Um and he wants me to have the same zeal to the bear the fruit in my life. And so I see I really have to grow in that zeal. I don't have that much zeal for that. I have but I want to have more 26:42 zeal and I have faith that God will help me. God is glorified says is glorified that we bear much fruit. So I want to have that heart towards all the pruning that he does and um also have that goal like Paul had of living this resurrected life. 26:58 Amen.
