Grafting in the Good Fruit

CLICK TO EDIT MASTER TEXT STYLES 1 LET’S SAY YOU WANT TO GROW A CERTAIN TYPE OF PEAR. ONE WAY TO DO THIS IS TO USE A GRAFT. A GRAFT IS A PORTION, A SHOOT, OF THE VARIETY PEAR YOU LIKE. YOU TAKE A COMMON WILD PEAR TREE AND HACK INTO IT. 2 INTO THAT WOUND WHICH YOU HAVE MADE IN THE TREE, YOU PUT THIS SHOOT, THIS SPROUT. THEN YOU BIND THEM TOGETHER. NOW AT SOME POINT DOWN THE ROAD YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THE TYPE OF PEAR YOU WANT. 3 BUT THIS TAKES TIME, EFFORT, IT’S A PROCESS. THIS CHANGE DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. ( PAUSE ) THERE IS A LIFE WE ARE CALLED BY GOD TO LIVE. LIVING THIS LIFE REQUIRES THAT WE MAKE SOME CHANGES. 4 SOME CHANGES INVOLVE CUTTING OUT WHO WE USED TO BE. SOME INVOLVE GRAFTING IN THESE CHANGES TAKE TIME, THEY ARE A PROCESS. TODAY WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT PAUL’S INSTRUCTIONS FROM ABOUT WHAT WE NEED TO GET RID OF. 5 WE WILL SEE JUST WHY THEY HAVE TO GO. ( PAUSE ) TURN WITH ME IF YOU WILL IN YOUR BIBLES TO COLOSSIANS 3:5. PAUL HAD JUST TOLD US TO FOCUS OUR LIVES ON HEAVENLY THINGS. 6 NOT ON EARTHLY THINGS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN RAISED IN CHRIST AND OUR LIVES ARE IN HEAVEN WITH HIM. TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS PAUL WILL TELL US WE HAVE TO PUT TO DEATH SOME EARTHLY THINGS THAT WERE PART OF HOW WE ONCE LIVED. 7 COLOSSIANS 3:5–7 THEREFORE CONSIDER THE MEMBERS OF YOUR EARTHLY BODY AS DEAD TO IMMORALITY, IMPURITY, PASSION, EVIL DESIRE, AND GREED, WHICH AMOUNTS TO IDOLATRY. 8 FOR IT IS BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS THAT THE WRATH OF GOD WILL COME UPON THE SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE, AND IN THEM YOU ALSO ONCE WALKED, WHEN YOU WERE LIVING IN THEM. 9 CHANGE WHAT DRIVES US GOD, AT THE CROSS, BROKE THE POWER OF THE SIN OVER THE BELIEVER’S BODY. THE BELIEVER HAS THE JOB OF LIVING THIS OUT. HE HAS TO PUT TO DEATH HIS SINFUL IMPULSES, THAT IS, REFUSE TO OBEY THEM. 10 KILL THEM; SUPPRESS THEM, AS YOU WOULD WEEDS OR VERMIN. THE OLD US MAY HAVE BEEN DRIVEN BY THESE THINGS. 11 THE NEW US NEEDS TO BE DRIVEN BY HIGHER THINGS. PAUL HAD JUST TOLD THEM TO SET THEIR MINDS ON THINGS ABOVE, HEAVENLY THINGS. ( PAUSE ) 12 WE CANNOT HAVE OUR MINDS ON HEAVENLY THINGS IF WE ARE DRIVEN BY THE GUTTER. IMMORALITY: IS THE GREEK WORD PORNEIA, THE WORD WE GET PORNOGRAPHY FROM. IT MEANS “ANY SEXUAL ACT OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE” 13 IMPURITY: UNCLEANNESS IN A MORAL SENSE, THE IMPURITY OF SELF INDULGENT LIVING. PASSION: INTENSE OVERWHELMING DESIRE, WICKED CRAVINGS. 14 EVIL DESIRE: TO STRONGLY DESIRE TO ENGAGE IN AN ACTIVITY WHICH IS MORALLY WRONG AND GREED: LITERALLY COVETOUSNESS, THE DESIRE FOR SOMETHING THAT IS NOT OURS. 15 WHICH AMOUNTS TO IDOLATRY: THIS PHRASE IS NOT JUST TALKING GREED, ALL THESE THINGS ARE IDOLATRY ANYTHING THAT DOMINATES CONTROLS OR DEMANDS ATTENTION BECOMES AN IDOL BECAUSE IT REPLACES GOD. 16 ALL OF THESE ARE FORMS OF SELFISHNESS. ( PAUSE ) I WANT.. I WANT.. I WANT.. AMOUNTS TO SELF-WORSHIP, THIS OPPOSES GIVING GOD HIS DUE. 17 CHANGE OR FACE WRATH “ FOR IT IS BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS THAT THE WRATH OF GOD WILL COME UPON THE SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE” THIS IS THE REASON WE SHOULD PUT THE EVIL IMPULSES TO DEATH. 18 THE ‘SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE’ ARE LIVING BY THESE IMPULSES. AND THEY WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF GOD. SO, WHO ARE THE “SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE”? ( PAUSE ) 19 ARE THEY STRICTLY UNBELIEVERS OR CAN CHRISTIANS BE A SON OF DISOBEDIENCE? PAUL IS WARNING CHRISTIANS THEY MUST PUT THESE THINGS ASIDE. IT ONLY MAKES SENSE TO WARN THEM IF THEY CAN BE SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE. 20 PAUL IS NOT TALKING ABOUT ETERNAL WRATH. HE IS TALKING ABOUT DISCIPLINE FROM GOD ON CHRISTIANS WHO SIN AND DO NOT REPENT. 21 WE MUST KNOW AS CHRISTIANS THAT WE MAY FEEL THIS WRATH. IF WE LIVE LIFE DRIVEN BY EVIL IMPULSES PAUL SAYS WE WILL BE “SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE”. 22 CHANGE FROM WHO YOU WERE “ AND IN THEM YOU ALSO ONCE WALKED, WHEN YOU WERE LIVING IN THEM.” THE COLOSSIAN CHRISTIANS HAD ONCE WALKED IN THE REALM OF THESE EVIL THINGS. SO HAD I! 23 MY ENTIRE LIFE WAS DRIVEN BY THESE SINS. PAUL TELLS THEM, NOW THAT YOU HAVE PASSED FROM THAT LIFE. SEE THAT YOU KILL OFF THESE SINS. 24 ROMANS 6:6 KNOWING THIS, 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; 25 WE MUST CHANGE FROM THE OLD SELF THAT WAS SLAVE TO SIN, TO DO THIS WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO. ( PAUSE ) BACK AT THE PEAR TREE. WE HAVE MANY THINGS TO DO. 26 WE DO NOT MERELY LEAVE IT ALONE AFTER WE GRAFT IN THE NEW SPOUT. WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE STRENGTH AND THE POWER, AS IT WERE. 27 THE LIFE AND THE SAP THAT COMES UP THROUGH THAT WILD PEAR TREE. WILL ENTER INTO THIS SHOOT AND IT WILL PRODUCE FRUIT. 28 BUT BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE GRAFTING. THE WILD PEAR TREE WILL STILL TEND TO THROW OUT ITS OWN WILD SHOOTS AND BRANCHES AND WANT TO PRODUCE ITS OWN FRUIT. 29 SO WE HAVE TO LOP OFF THESE WILD BRANCHES. WE HAVE TO CUT THEM, PRUNE THEM RIGHT DOWN AND. 30 IF WE DO THIS, A TIME WILL COME WHEN THE TREE WILL PRODUCE ONLY THIS WONDERFUL TYPE OF PEAR THAT WE ARE STRIVING TO GROW. 31 WE WILL HAVE CHANGED THE TREE FROM WHO IT WAS. ( PAUSE ) WE ARE CALLED TO CHANGE OUR IMPULSES BUT THAT IS NOT ALL WE NEED TO CHANGE. 32 COLOSSIANS 3:8–9 BUT NOW YOU ALSO, PUT THEM ALL ASIDE: ANGER, WRATH, MALICE, SLANDER, AND ABUSIVE SPEECH FROM YOUR MOUTH. DO NOT LIE TO ONE ANOTHER, SINCE YOU LAID ASIDE THE OLD SELF WITH ITS EVIL PRACTICES, 33 CHANGE OUR WORDS FIRST LIST WAS INTERNAL, THIS LIST IS MORE SOCIAL. THESE SINS DESTROY RELATIONSHIPS AND ARE MORE CONNECTED SPEECH. 34 SINCE OUR NEW LIFE IS TO BE LIVED IN UNITY WITH ALL CHRISTIANS. THESE CHANGES ARE NECESSARY TO RELATIONSHIPS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST. ( PAUSE ) 35 ANGER: AN ABIDING, HABITUAL HATRED THAT INCLUDES IN IT THE IDEA OF REVENGE. WRATH: THE BOILING AGITATION OF THE FEELINGS, A SUDDEN VIOLENT ANGER. 36 MALICE: ILL-WILL, DESIRE TO INJURE, WICKEDNESS, DEPRAVITY. SLANDER: SPEECH THAT INJURES ANOTHER PERSON’S GOOD NAME. 37 ABUSIVE SPEECH: FOUL SNEAKING, LOW AND OBSCENE SPEECH. ANGER, WRATH, AND MALICE ARE CONNECTED TO SLANDER AND ABUSIVE SPEECH. IN A WAY THAT SUGGESTS THE ANGER, WRATH AND MALICE WERE BEING EXPRESSED IN WORDS. 38 WORDS “DO NOT MERELY CONVEY INFORMATION”. THEY CAN CHANGE RELATIONSHIPS OFTEN PERMANENTLY. THEY CAN WOUND OR HEAL. 39 WE NEED TO TAKE CARE WITH OUR WORDS. WE NEED TO NOT BE WHO WE WERE. AND WE NEED TO NOT TALK LIKE WE USED TO TALK. 40 CHANGE WHAT YOU DO “DO NOT LIE TO ONE ANOTHER” THE WAY THIS IS WORDED MEANS THEY ARE TO STOP AN ACTION IN PROCESS. “STOP LYING TO ONE ANOTHER.” 41 THESE COLOSSIAN CHRISTIANS HAD CARRIED OVER INTO THE NEW LIFE, THE SIN OF LYING. LYING MAKES US LIKE THE DEVIL, WHO IS THE FATHER OF LIES. 42 THE COMMAND SEEMS TO SPEAK TO MORE THAN VERBAL LYING. IT SPEAKS OF ALL FALSEHOOD, WHETHER BY ACTIONS OR WORDS. 43 THIS COMMAND IS SET APART FROM THE OTHERS. THAT MEANS IT IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT. 44 EPHESIANS 4:25 THEREFORE, LAYING ASIDE FALSEHOOD, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER. 45 THEY SHOULD STOP LYING BECAUSE THEY HAD PUT OFF THE OLD MAN WITH HIS PRACTICES. THEY ARE NOW IN CHRIST JESUS. ( PAUSE ) 46 CHANGE BECAUSE YOU ARE DIFFERENT “SINCE YOU LAID ASIDE THE OLD SELF WITH ITS EVIL PRACTICES” THEY SHOULD STOP LYING BECAUSE THEY HAD PUT OFF THE OLD MAN WITH HIS PRACTICES. 47 THEY ARE NOT WHAT THEY WERE, AND THEY CAN NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. WHAT WAS NORMAL IN THE OLD LIFE IS NOW COMPLETELY UNNATURAL. 48 GROWTH IN CHRIST CONSISTS OF TWO PARTS: THE PUTTING OFF OF THE OLD MAN , AND THE PUTTING ON OF THE NEW. 49 EPHESIANS 4:22 THAT, IN REFERENCE TO YOUR FORMER MANNER OF LIFE, YOU LAY ASIDE THE OLD SELF, WHICH IS BEING CORRUPTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LUSTS OF DECEIT, 50 THE OLD MAN IS NOT CONVERTED, HE CANNOT BE; HE IS NOT RENEWED, HE CANNOT BE. HE CAN ONLY BE REPLACED BY THE NEW MAN. BACK TO OUR PEAR TREE 51 AT FIRST YOUR TREE WILL BE MOSTLY A WILD PEAR TREE. AS YOU PRUNE OFF THE OLD THE NEW WILL GROW MORE AND MORE. YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE A PEAR TREE WHICH PRODUCES THE TYPE OF FRUIT YOU WANT. 52 WE ARE PUTTING NEW LIFE IN SO THAT WE HAVE ONE TREE BUT WITH TWO NATURES— THE CULTURED, CULTIVATED NATURE, AND THE WILD NATURE. 53 AND BY PRUNING OFF THE WILD BRANCHES. WE SEE THE STRENGTH OF THE TREE IS ONLY ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE GRAFTED-IN BRANCH, THE NEW NATURE. 54 THE NEW NATURE WILL BE STRENGTHENED AND BEAR ITS FRUIT. IT WILL GRADUALLY DOMINATE THE OLD NATURE. THE OLD IS NEVER REMOVED ENTIRELY, BUT ONLY NEW FRUIT IS PRODUCED. 55 THIS IS HOW WE GROW IN CHRIST. WE PRUNE OFF THE OLD NATURE WE YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH GIVES STRENGTH TO THE CHRIST-LIKE NATURE THAT GOD IS RENEWING IN US. ( PAUSE ) 56 COLOSSIANS 3:10–11 AND HAVE PUT ON THE NEW SELF WHO IS BEING RENEWED TO A TRUE KNOWLEDGE ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE OF THE ONE WHO CREATED HIM— 57 A RENEWAL IN WHICH THERE IS NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN GREEK AND JEW, CIRCUMCISED AND UNCIRCUMCISED, BARBARIAN, SCYTHIAN, SLAVE AND FREEMAN, BUT CHRIST IS ALL, AND IN ALL. 58 CHANGE TO NEWNESS THE PUTTING ON OF THE NEW SELF IS A PROCESS. NEW REPLACES THE OLD. WE DO THIS BY CO-OPERATING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. 59 BEING RENEWED BY HIM. THIS RENEWING IS SOMETHING DONE TO US. WE MUST PUT OFF THE OLD AND ALLOW GOD TO PUT ON THE NEW. 60 2 CORINTHIANS 4:16 THEREFORE WE DO NOT LOSE HEART, BUT THOUGH OUR OUTER MAN IS DECAYING, YET OUR INNER MAN IS BEING RENEWED DAY BY DAY. 61 WE ARE NOT SAID TO DO THIS OF OUR OWN POWER. WE ARE CONSTANTLY RENEWED BY GOD 62 CHANGE TO CHRIST-LIKE “ TO A TRUE KNOWLEDGE ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE OF THE ONE WHO CREATED HIM” THE GOAL IS TO MAKE BELIEVERS LIKE CHRIST. THE “NEW SELF” WAS CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD. 63 CHRISTIANS BECOME INCREASINGLY LIKE JESUS AS THEY ARE REFRESHED IN THEIR NEW NATURES. OUR PART IN THIS IS TO YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. 64 CHANGE NOT BASED ON US “ THERE IS NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN GREEK AND JEW, CIRCUMCISED AND UNCIRCUMCISED, BARBARIAN, SCYTHIAN, SLAVE AND FREEMAN,” ALL HUMAN DISTINCTIONS ARE REMOVED BY THE GOSPEL. 65 THE ANCIENT WORLD WAS DIVIDED BY THESE DISTINCTIONS. CHRIST HAS OBLITERATED ALL THESE DISTINCTIONS. CHRIST HAS REPLACED THESE CHRISTIAN OR NON-CHRISTIAN 66 “CHRIST IS ALL, AND IS IN ALL.” WHEN WE ARE “IN CHRIST” ABIDING IN HIM, WALKING IN HIM. 67 WE GROW REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING ABOUT US. OUR GROWTH IS NOT LIMITED BY OUR HERITAGE, SOCIAL STATUS, WEALTH, GENDER. NONE OF THESE THINGS KEEP US FROM GROWING. AS LONG AS WE ARE IN CHRIST. 68 IN THE MIDST OF THE ORCHARD THERE WAS ONE PEAR TREE THAT WAS POOR AND SICKLY LOOKING. THIS WEAK TREE STOOD OUT. 69 ALL THE MORE IN CONTRAST, TO THE REST OF THE ORCHARD OF STRONG AND FLOURISHING TREES. YEAR AFTER YEAR THE TREE WAS SICKLY. 70 FINALLY THE OWNER STARTED TO DIG THE GROUND TO FIND THE REASON WHY. HE FOUND AN ABANDONED WELL WHICH HAD BEEN COVERED OVER WITH A CIRCLE OF WOOD. SHALLOW EARTH THROWN ON TOP OF THE COVERED WELL. 71 THE SICKLY PEAR TREE HAD VERY LONG ROOTS DANGLING IN THE THIN AIR OF THE WELL. PERHAPS SOME CHRISTIANS ARE LIKE THIS. THEY ARE NOT ROOTED IN CHRIST THEY ARE GETTING NO NOURISHMENT FROM THE WORD OF GOD. 72 THEY ARE SAVED AND HEADED TO HEAVEN BUT ARE BEARING NO FRUIT. ONLY WHEN WE ARE IN CHRIST, ABIDING IN HIM, WALKING WITH HIM. ONLY THEN CAN WE GROW TO BE MORE LIKE HIM. 73 WE ARE CALLED TO CHANGE WE MUST PUT TO DEATH THE OLD IMPULSES THAT USED TO DRIVE OUR BEHAVIOR. THIS REQUIRES WORK ON OUR PART. IF WE FAIL TO DO THIS GOD WILL DISCIPLINE US, CORRECT US. 74 WE NEED TO CHANGE NOT JUST WHAT DRIVES US BUT HOW WE SPEAK. THESE CHANGES MUST INCLUDE NOT LYING, IN WORDS OR ACTIONS. 75 WE NEED TO MAKE THESE CHANGES BECAUSE WE ARE NOT WHO WE ONCE WERE. WE PUT OFF THE OLD SELF 76 WE ALLOW GOD TO PUT ON THE NEW SELF. BY RENEWING US. THESE CHANGES ARE A PROCESS THAT TAKE TIME. THE REST OF OUR LIVES. 77 AND THESE CHANGES ARE NOT BASED ON ANYTHING ABOUT US. NOT OUR RACE, GENDER, AGE, NATIONALITY, SOCIAL STATUS, RANK, WEALTH. ( PAUSE ) IT IS BASED ON OUR POSITION… IN CHRIST. 78 IF THERE IS ANYONE HERE WHO IS NOT IN CHRIST. ANYONE WHO HAS NOT TRUSTED IN JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR… 79 80