Blessed to Be Twice Fruitful [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright did not matter whether you just did you have fun case there might be one of these boys might be a surgeon one day and comes home and says I lost a patient today and why Santos I will did you have fun though sometimes it matter whether you win or lose that excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series. Power to bless taken from Pascarella's book of the same title is presented in an old church in North Carolina. I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer.

Contact us@pastorandhowand.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright I got kinda competitive nature and have a kind of deal with that often over the years when our son Bennett was little, I wound up in up coaching a soccer team there for a while.

Dan Anthony get Elder in our church. He was coaching and I helped him a little bit.

They were pretty good back there when Dan was doing. By the time that the team though I don't. I would also of our key players and we just weren't very good and we were losing most all the games I was. It was part of the more laid-back league in town the optimist Lake where there's not a lot of pressure on in the first place. Remember that God at the time that was heading it up and got all the coaches together for training a set listen. He said your kids, there's two things they want to do. They want to kick a ball and they want to eat a snack. He said so here we do the optimist soccer league. We make sure every kid gets a chance to kick the ball and every kid is to eat a snack. And so it was required that every kid get to play at least half a day and you always about was that it was pretty funny guy. He said also when you're practices I want you to employ the dead man's role. It was it was a dead man really said that means that you can't do anything at practice. Ask your kids to do something that a dead man could do and that includes just sitting still and listening to you talk to go out and have a snack and so you we aim to just have fun with this but would skip losing week after week. I me. I think maybe the first sees I'm not sure we want to game or not. And every week. We believe in the house minute not walking out I got my little whiteboard and I draw stuff on and I got practice soccer balls and began Bennett and were going out every week my wife she say she said Ellis and Bennett just go out there and have a good time.

Remember, it's not so much whether you win or lose, but just that you're having a good time doing this will I okay I you got to be it was just it was just regular as we are right. She could not remember and and we like Wayne Lano mom and unmount well in allusion to delay or we could submit so well with it and I and and Susie. Also, she is aware that we were losing most of the time is what, disappointed son, come help but find that galleon I said honey yes it would would you mind not saying that anymore because honestly, I'd like to win sometimes and I said another thing is I'm trying to help teach these boys some life lessons and one day they're going to probably go out and have a job in this, it can be a little bit competitive product you know I'm asked that I think there may be a kid on the team he grows up and and he's he's eased in a sales job and he comes home, and he's just lost a $20,000 a year commission and he says to his wife. He said honey, I got bad news, I just lost for my biggest clients and I don't think I did a good job on the presentation and they're going to go with somebody else and is wise.

Probably not to say, well, honey, it doesn't matter whether you will lose it just did you have fun. Probably will be the case, there might be one of these boys might be a surgeon one day and comes home and says I lost a patient today and why Santos I will. But did you have fun though sometimes it matters whether you win or lose.net and Jacob didn't lay his hands on these two grandsons and say I just bless you to have fun in life and always remember, it's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game. That's not what he said is it he blessed the fruitfulness of their lives, and Jacob himself had had the fruitfulness of his life. Be blessed and so the answer to having peace in this world and not feeling pressure can't be to just simply pretend that success never matters and as we look at who God is and I will show you the theological foundation of fruitfulness, you'll realize that it's in God's heart and his own nature, for that which is good and made by him as something good to be able to prosper, to flourish, to increase will start back in Genesis chapter 1 verse 11 God said, let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind on earth and it was so. The design of God is that there would be plants and they have branches in those branches will blossom have leaves and stuffed it blossom right in and from that fruit inside the fruit is seat and you could take the seed and that fruit planted more trees grow more fruit more seed so it's a plan for exponential increase and it verse 26 we see the pinnacle of God's creation in Genesis 126, God said, let us make man in our image, in our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth. So God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he graded them and so he's made humanity in his own image, very much like God, that's who we are and then in verse 28 God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven so the nature of God is to create bringing order form and beauty out of the chaos and the take that which he has created and bless it to identify how good it is to will it's increase to blessed with a positive vision for the future so that what he is made will increase. And this is why God has made everything in the world. Their seed is planted it grows it flourishes its fruitful and this is the nature in which he made people to live fruitful lives and what what is is compelling on the Scripture we realize is that God is relentless in his intent to blessed humanity to be fruitful, just as he originally said so even after the fall of humanity in Adam and Eve send and there such brokenness in the world, you'll see throughout the Scripture, God still intent on increasing the place of his good people in his good intentions in the world. Genesis 822 is after the great flood and God promises James. They 22 with the earth while the earth remains seed time and harvest. There it is again cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, be fruitful and multiply, and fill dirt so you see this, the thing that was spoken to Adam and Eve then great sin comes in the world of the huge flood in God and a sense of starting over with this one man, Noah, and he blesses him and he says same thing you did Adam and Eve, be fruitful and multiply largely blesses him right will have more teaching moment from today's important series inspiration and practical help to grasp is in conjunction with the excitingly suppressed Allen's new book, the power at last put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking, life empowering people you that the toolkit includes a message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious blessing of FM MMR gateway to understanding the power of all blessing also included in the kit is a booklet with a list of scriptures that can be spoken directly as pressing blessing scriptures and product pricing can easily access them for specific situations when you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries this month will happily send you the power to blessed toolkit is our way of saying thanks for your partnership resources are available for immediate digital download or available in CD and a partner with us and be inspired and equipped to bless someone's life to the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries today is the final day were offering the special product when you get today.

We will send you a special offer, six 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Rowan.work days teaching you once again is and what he calls Abraham this mysterious character we don't know anything about about the early call these and he says to me. Genesis 12 one. He said to Abram, I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing I will bless those who bless you and him will dishonors you I will curse. And in you all the families of earth shall be blessed. What is God doing God is made humanity in his own image and he says here's my will. Here's my heart.

Here's my desire is that my image is expressed through human beings is going to increase across the face the earth that the glories of God, the goodness of God represented in the ones that are made in his image will continue to increase. God likes to form out of the chaos make something beautiful. Make something wonderful bless that and release it to be increased in Genesis chapter 27 Isaac inadvertently bless the wrong son Jacob. In verse 27 read about it what you notice what he blessed them towards.

He came near and kissed him and Isaac smell the smell of his garments and blessed them and said see the smell of my son is is the smell of a field that the Lord is blessed instrument, a very fruitful field very fruitful fruitful crop. May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine let people serve you and nations bow down to you. Be Lord of your brothers, your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone occurs is you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you he blessed him for fruitfulness. The people of God eventually end up spending 400 years in Egypt and when Joseph has died as a Pharaoh doesn't remember Joseph and those people get persecuted and you know that there's a promised land.

That's awaiting them because his promise to Abram they might say what's going on for 400 years. Here's what's going on there. Increasing Exodus 146 Joseph died all his brothers on that generation the people of Israel were fruitful and increase greatly.

They multiplied and grew exceedingly strong. So the land was filled without the plan of God has been still is and always will be, but he takes that which he has made in his own image and blesses so that humanity increases in his image, increases across the earth but something was needed because we were so broken and sinful that we always sabotaging this healthy increase, God would bless and release and we would rebel. So what is God to do. He sent a new Adam he said, a new man, the son of God. Jesus came, the word became flesh, God in the flesh, to live the sinless life that Adam didn't live so that he could eventually go to the cross take the curse that was due to humanity. So anyone who trusts in him could be blessed and so in other words, God has sent Jesus and one cents to restore the blessing of fruitfulness of the spread of the image of God.

This is why and the very last thing Jesus did on earth in Luke 2449 was to bless his disciples hold.

I'm sending the promise of my Father upon you.

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, but stay in the city into your call with power from on high and he led them out as far as Bethany and lifting up his hands.

He blessed them, and while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried into heaven, he had just said you will be my witnesses and he blessed them, you're going to spread the image of God across the intent of God was in the beginning is now and always will be that which he forms which is good is blessed in such a way that it prospers and grows and increases and the increase that he has in mind, ultimately, is the spiritual advance of the love of God that leads people to Christ. I say all of that to just make this point God wants us in Christ to bear much fruit, abide in me, Jesus said, you will bear much fruit. So the question is not, are we to bear fruit, and in the best sense the word succeed in that which God gives us. Yes, we are. He wants us to prosper you wants us to build increase he wants for the good work of your hands and what you're given to do in this world. He wants that to be blessed and to grow and prosper. But there's a big difference between feeling pressured to perform or to succeed versus being blessed in order to succeed motives just luscious turn our attention to some of the practical consideration here. The difference repressuring and blessing because this is really where the rubber meets the road and how we interact with one another how you help your kids or a friend or a coworker out how to have you had you help encourage someone to have that life of fruitfulness and in God's given us the power blessing to do that. The power blessing where you are in accord with God's word announcing a positive vision that helps shape their identity and from that identity, then you're helping to to forecast and to help them see a positive future that can come forth in the something mystically powerful about that pressuring is is opposite pressuring is where essentially you are you are exerting some manipulative effort to try to get them to work harder and this difference in pressuring blessed what you hear. Here's the first think this a foundational pressuring someone we will put pressure on someone. It's an expression of law. If you really bullet down and blessing is an expression of grace really law versus grace is some of you may have heard me years ago. Tell this story and is what I included them in the book power blessed the subject as is. The best example I can think of about how law doesn't, in the end actually empower us to do the very thing that we we were called to an grace does so many years ago, our son Bennett, whose love golf and in our good friend and elder church Bob roach said that he he wanted to get Bennett a new Potter and Bennett needed a new Potter and Bennett knew exactly the putter that he wanted. He been wanting it for a long time.

Putters are not inexpensive and it was a big lesson for Bobby said I say what winter will go down the golf galaxy and we want to make sure that putter works good for you and if it does then I will get that putter so we went all excited young Bennett goes down there. He gets exact putter that he wants Zach hike same putter I really want and I am sorry said this is it right hereabouts is all right was make sure this thing work.

He set up a what does it put a hearing it's balls and here to see you make some six footers a set out today if you can you can make make 8/10 of those and I get to the putter. You know it is, laugh about. So Ben is down there and and he put some balls and he starts by this little pie limits on the flat ground of the store there no break to it.

It's a easy little pot and that is a good putter and he's making pot after pot. I think you know one or two of him, then flipped out and all son Bob goes okay that's it.

I think that's nine plants and you've made seven of them.

You gotta make this last one. If you get that putter and Bennett looked at him and Bob give him a real serious looking like all know Bennett was like I thought this was just a gift, he said. Now I realize I gotta make this last part is been a bit so that it was just good, but this is the way we do the Steve benefit is making pot megabucks mega but also you get nervous about it know that a lot been laid as I don't know how to do it or else he stepped back, like usual lineup, pot, start thinking about a lot, get back over it and just hit the worst. Plus missed the whole totally because it is funny how when the pressures on here at your worse and looked over Bob and Bob said you got a little exactly what he said but he just got a chocolate is there.

Well, is that I'm exist, no just joking with you to get out of the putter and submit your article that putter grace he had determined that we give runner-up a place of his best golf and I think you still use that same that same putter.

It's it's a contrast incident when the pressures on and we feel that we get anxious and we don't do well. Helen writing today's good news message blessed to be twice fruitful from the series the power to blessed which is also the name of Pastor Alan's book and Pastor Alan is back with us in the studio, sharing his parting good news thought for the day and just a moment of inspiration and practical help to grasp is that in conjunction with the exciting release of Pastor Alan's new book power at last put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking, life empowering people you that the toolkit includes an idea message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious blessing of FNMA marks the gateway to understanding the power of all blessing also included in the kit is appropriately a list of scriptures that can be spoken directly as blessings breaking scriptures and product pricing can easily access them for specific situations when you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries this month will happily send you the power to bless toolkit is our way of saying thanks for your partnership resources are available for immediate digital download or available in CD and a partner with us and be inspired and equipped to bless someone's life. Today the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries today is the final day were offering the special product when you get today.

We will send you a special offer Collison 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Rowan.org that you're in the studio with pastor out as we place a bookmark here blessed to be twice fruitful and again were starting with the word blessed nets can be the theme throughout this teaching and it's not goby fruitful.

Then get a blessing and then you then you'll find your second fruit your second instance of report that's important right God blessed Adam and Eve and then he said, be fruitful and multiply. Here's the here's what God does he create order and beauty out of what would otherwise just be chaos and then he blesses that good creation so that it will increase and multiply. He started this by showing us the picture of it in the way he made plants a tree grows limbs and branches that are attached to the healthy tree grow and then blossoms, and fruit comes in inside the fruit's seat. All that seed then can get planted more healthy trees more branches, more fruit inside. All that sweet fruit more seat so it's a plan for the exponential growth of that which God made is good and he blesses it now I've made you. I bless you to fill up the earth and that's what he said Adam and he as well when he said, be fruitful and multiply spacing have dominion fill the earth. So God has a way of in our lives of affirming what's good in us that he's put their and then blessing that to be manifest in its expansion is altogether's were learning today is altogether different than merely blind ambition for success. This is the the blessing of God abiding in Christ we bear much fruit and blessing helps release it.

Productivity is a catchword I think one that you get is my year when I hear it and so we talk a lot in this series about how to bless others, but long times of productivity, you find that in the self-help section and so is there something to be said that hey if you want a more productive life even for yourself.

Understand your your place in the kingdom in that and understand that you are blessed will absolutely unit one of the things should be worth noting here. Daniel is all truth is God's truth.

People often ask me this or will you know something you're saying like I could be in some self-help book while it might be, but see if it's true, it's true, and God is the one who made it true.

So for example the whole movement of self-esteem whether some things about about self-esteem that in the end don't work totally but the idea that were better off to have a value of self rather than a disdain of self is absolutely spot on.

Love others as you love yourself. The word says will, in the same principle to to look at your life and go you know I'm not bearing the kind of fruit that I like to and maybe somebody's listening you've had some secular coaching along this way to help coach you towards a more fruitful life and it may be very well that some of that is really helped, but I guarantee you that even if it was not spiritually base is still building on God's word because whatever he all life coaches recognize and and what we would if we ever going to really prosper in our lives is we all because we've got to get a positive vision of our life. We got to begin to see ourselves differently, it always begins with so is just that this is not the world's truth. This is God's truth and sometimes the world figures it out a little bit so absolutely it will help you to grow and be productive.

If you receive and practice blessing, and in some ways that truth is reflected in in the cultural realms.

Thanks for listening today. Visit us online pastor and how and.org or call 877-544-4860 877-544-4860 if you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources, and pastor out.org that's pastor out.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries