There is an 'I' in the 'I AM' (Part 6)

I know that most of you have read or heard about the book, the tale of two cities will actually this morning I want to tell you about the tale of two trees, one grows in the Middle East.

The other one grows in the tropics the tree that grows in the Middle East. If you look at it from the outside it looks just like an olive tree.

It actually occupy the same space as an olive tree. It absorbs the same amount of sunlight as an olive tree. It consumes about the same water and nutrients from the ground as an olive tree, but it does not produce olives and it's called polyester tree. But then there's another tree that grows in the tropics.

The tree is very different. This particular tree grows wind and high its trunk is thick and, in fact, because of its shape.

It looks not only glorious but is beautiful because of the shade. Its branches grow wide then they drop to the ground and then they drop to the ground. They produce new shoots new trees. In other words, if it multiplies itself and that tree is called the bunion tree. Now I hope that throughout this message you asking yourself the question on my and all he has to tree or a bunion entry because make no mistake about it, every church has people who are either on a polyester tree or upon entry. Those who are like a polyester tree lots of foliage, no fruit, and those like the bunion tree constantly reproducing themselves, those who are like a polyester tree.

They take all of the preaching of God's word, they would take all of God's blessings. They take all of the ministries that they can get and I will take and that will take then the gonna take some more and all it produces hyper activities foliage, no fruit. But then there is the other. Those who are like a bunion tree.

They are forever reproducing yourselves you are forever passing on the blessings of God, you are forever giving of yourself. You are forever serving and going and giving your forever spreading the godly influence being a conduit through whom God is accomplishing his work using you and me and as we come to the second from the last messages from the series of messages I'm calling.

There's an iron AIM we find the Lord Jesus talks about himself as a tree and the believers are the branches of vine is a tree and he talks about himself as a fun if you would turn with me please to John chapter 15.

When Jesus took them from the upper room and he began to tell them. Let not your hearts be troubled you believe in God believe also in me. And there he made this incredible declaration.

I am the way, in which choice the only way the truth and the life and from there, as he was comforting them. 1130 last verse of chapter 14. He says let's get out of here.

Let's get out of this place and so they go down the Kidron Valley that whole Kidron Valley at the time.

During the time of Jesus was filled with vines. Not only that there is this time of the year because he remember he immediately went and got arrested in Gethsemane and went to the cross was the springtime.

Those vines have just been clipped. They've just been pruned because the harvest in September and everywhere you walked, according to historians who smell of smoke. There will burning these branches that they cut off Jesus probably was pointing to the vineyards themselves. And he said I am to find the true one. Any other one is not to, and only 21 and is in the Scripture Israel is upon you find it in Psalm 80 verse eight and you find it in Isaiah 5 you find it in Jeremiah chapter 2 you find it in Ezekiel 15, 17, 19, all indicate that Israel of all was looked upon as a find of God's own planting. But they failed to produce fruit. You say why I'm going to tell you why listen carefully as root of all old become inward looking Israel of all old. The salvation message to themselves. So instead of being lied to the nations they got into a what I call a navelgazing operation. They made it impossible for Gentiles to come to know the one true God and worship him and believe in him even later on when they did they made it very difficult for them. They become so preoccupied with their little rules in the rituals of Smalltalk and all that stuff in the last vision of the big Yahweh, the great God of the universe. They met the God down to the size and that is why Jesus said I am the vine, the 21. I am now the true vine Israel of old was the shadow, and when you see a shadow. You know that the person is behind the scene but as soon as a person appears the shot is not a part and then you have to ask the question what is true mean one raises on the simply means all the other so that not true only one truth right.

In fact, the word true is mentioned in the Bible and the New Testament 64×16 of those in the Gospel of John. What does the word true mean. Listen carefully, it means the perfect one.

It means the trustworthy one. It means the ideal one and says Jesus is the only one true vine, and the believers are the branches. Then they have to be only two kinds of branches. The fruitful and the fruitless. That's it. The difference between the two branches is like night and day. The difference between the two branches is like the difference between the audience to tree in the bunion tree. Now I grew up with vines. We had a major grapevine. In fact we had was a beautiful shade and assert the time of the year the gardener that my dad hired would come in and he will trim these vine. The Slip, slip, slip, slip, he is interested in one thing, what is it grapes.

He's interested in fruit.

In fact, he would call these sucker shoots Lisa second cute and had to be snipped up and thrown away these sucker shoots take the water and that you nutrition away from the fruitful branches these sucker shoots suck the life out of the vine.

This sucker shoots take the space that could be used for fruitful branches. In fact, in the long term. These can be very harmful unless they snapped off and so it's out of necessity that the vine dresser.

The vine dresser has to trim them has to prune them who prunes that who takes the sucker shoots out the father not you and me, his only one who does, but there's something else I really want to do not miss what is it he trims the fruitful branches so that they might produce even more fruit. But I wanted tell you, and you can justify trimming and pruning is not fun.

It really is and it is not a joyride trimming out of our lives. Those things that don't belong to a fruitful servant of God can be very painful at cleaning and purifying our hearts and removing away the junk that we allowed to comment on our life and stay in our lives all it's very painful but is very important.

Taking away the cobwebs of sin and removing the trash that seem to accumulate into our lives, scrubbing the floor of our hearts, they are all painful, but they are the best thing for us.

I been through it. Many of you been through it but to see the vine dresser doesn't because he loves you because he loves me he doesn't do it because punishes none because he loves you. I'm sure some of you are asking a question. What is that fruit that is expecting that that we can have the father expects now because Jesus talking to the disciples were Jewish.

They understood the Old Testament they understood what the Old Testament said about fruit and and are summarized to you. Isaiah 57 is complete obedience in the New Testament we say it Christ likeness. Theologians have a big word for sanctification being like Christ every day and if you think that's easy. I need to see you at the end of message. The natural question is, can I produces fruit, produces fruit read my lips. You cannot produce it. I cannot produce it. We cannot produce it. You cannot conjure it up. You cannot manufacture it. You cannot produce the fruit of the spirit is hoped this would be patient with me. In Galatians chapter 5, Paul is expounding on what Jesus said nine character qualities of the fruit of the spirit of the fruit is in the singular, and he tells us, you cannot manufacture them.

You cannot produce them again. This is not in the city can produce it for Jesus also said all but let me tell you something I can produce very easily the works of the flesh. There's 19 works of the flesh, I can produce these in a split second I really can't.

I'm very capable of producing the works of the flesh at any time. He actually gives you a partial list here and is if you decide you add yours. Let's construe the very quickly. Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissension, factions can add to this I really care about you can to and I can produce small but had could never produce the nine character qualities love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I can produce leads I can sum it was a Michael wait a minute when a minute you making it sound impossible.

This hope is I'm going to tell you what Jesus said, look at that verse now and in John's 50 and four, Jesus is basically affirming that you can't manufacture it you can produce it is what he said.

Remain in me and I remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It's impossible. It must remain in the vine. Nana can you bear fruit unless you remain in me is the only way I know fruit can be produced in our lives beloved. What Jesus is telling us that this is a two sided process our side in his side. If you want to be fruitful branch, you better stick to Jesus like a crazy glue and he always because he binds himself.

The promise okay and I'm telling you he never, never, never, never once went back on his promise.

He bound himself. You can take that to the bank.

The problem was with me and the problems with you the rest. We don't stick to Jesus. We think we can do it and then fall flat on our faces, but I'm sure the next question is how do I know that I am abiding in Jesus look at those non-character qualities of the fruit of the spirit again. They are vertically so the question is are very obvious to all people around you that there were people look at you and look at me and they said all is bearing fruit trees bearing fruit. They really are my fruit can only be seen by others, and that's what I mean by authentic listen faking it with others is easy but when I'm in accountable and then I fail miserably.

I'll get up repent turnaround and get back on the road again on the road again see that is not Willie Nelson that sorta got to get back on the road again when there is accountability there is no fear. The beauty of accountability isn't having people around you and around me helps me in my heart desire of unconditional obedience and surrender. It helps me to continuously being cleansed of the garbage of sin that is counseling try to stick to make it. Having myself being accountable to someone will do even more than that we can have lots of fall H looks good. We can create hyper activities. We can look like being fruitful and busy right it's impossible to be a fruitful Christian without Christ. Some possible this can be an active Christian without Christ, you can raise your family without Christ. He can run your business without Christ. You can even print some people preach and write books teach without Christ. People see the foliage people see the hyper activities people see this busy this and people see all of these things green leaves and they say always and that oppressive others and we can impress a lot of people.

But that's not who matters there's only one that matters because if were not abiding in Christ Sargon accountable for his fruitless, what am I trying to tell you listen carefully, as when I'm trying to tell you. Don't ever, ever, ever forget that there is a cost for obedience. There is a cost for fruitfulness. A lot of people think that they can be Christians on the cheap. A lot of people believe in cheap grace. But you know and I know that there can be no resurrection without the crucifixion there can be no testimony without a test they got me no Pentecost without political cost. First, the discipline of abiding in Christ and the willingness to be pruned so that you become fruitful more fruitful for fruitful acid obedience is very costly. Listen to me. Anybody who says to you, obedience is easy. Chances are that person is not in obedience very well known preacher and author was invited to speak to members of an exclusive club in West London and he stood before these men and women. He said ladies and gentlemen the entrance to the kingdom of heaven. Cost you nothing but the annual subscription is everything David said God for that I give the Lord that which cost me enough. I was thinking about this and thought of this true story wanted to list here. As I conclude two men were leaving the church not this church. There were leaving the church. At the same time. One look to the other and he said well, we've heard it again today began willingly give regular give generously give, give, give.

When will all this preaching about giving his gun and his friends looked at him and he said Bill you remember my son Jimmy man nodded is when Jimmy was born came into this world. Cost me a party so the doctors in the hospital.

You had to buy a career urban preparer nursery and we spent a lot of money on him as is growing up. What medicine, food and clothing and as Jim grew so were his expenses, school fees, school activities, his teeth needed braces and that cost me a tidy sum and then he went to college and you can only imagine what the cost was. You remember Bill just weeks before graduation. Jimmy was killed in the correct bill nodded, and then this man continued said, you know, Bill. Since we've bettered my boy the cost me nothing. How I wish that I had him back so I can spend something on him, my beloved church listen to me anything that's a life cost plus being fruitful cost plus being obedient cost us to be fruitful branch of the true vine.

There is a cost for authentic Christian discipleship. The cost to be fruitful. You need spiritual discipline, but more importantly, abiding in obedience to the two vine and so I and where I began the tale of two trees there. Ali Esther three in the bunion tree polyester tree look from the outside.

Great, but the bunion trees constantly producing and reproducing itself. Are you and Ali Esther Trio are you in abiding obeying fruitful branch of the tree. Father, we are so grateful to you that you have not left yourself without a witness with so grateful for your word and for the preservation of that word all the way to us today that we can be blessed by father, we thank you and we bless your holy name, and I pray for myself and I pray for all of that as we see that they growing near that we would become a fruitful branch of the true vine we give up our small ambitions over give up Smalltalk would give up all his silly stuff and father that we would have a big vision because we have a big in Jesus name, amen.

Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.Ward