- Producing Fruit
- We are looking at the Harvest of producing fruit for the kingdom of God
- We are made of dust and incapable of producing anything for the kingdom
- Jesus came in the image of Man and as the source of living water, we are able to produce life
- Abide means, not being different from one another.
We want to look at another aspect of Abiding, waiting for the harvest to come.
2. Need of a Mediator.
Before God does any time of work he is in need of a mediator. Someone to work through.
- Old Testament it is a priest or prophet
- In the New Testament it is the Messiah.
Leviticus 7 talks about the preparation of offerings that the people of Israel are to bring to to the Lord.
Vs 37 He commanded the children of Israel to offer there offerings to the Lord.
Chapter 8 Moses is anointing Aaron and his sons for the work of being a priest.
Vs 35 wait in the temple for seven days and keep charge of the Lord.
9: 1 and it happened on the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons out and they offered the offerings.
Vs 23Fire came from the presence of the Lord and consumed the offerings, the people saw it and they shouted and fell on their faces.
God could of done that at any time but only in working through a mediator, was he able to display part of who he was in front of the people and the response was worship.
Locked away seven days and on the eighth day they came out
8 = eternity even in math the symbol is close to an 8 which represents infinity.
Be hidden away is frustrating, but only after being hidden are we going to produce anything for eternity.
3. You are Clean
Vs 2, 3 He removes every branch in Me if it does not bear fruit and he prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it would bear more fruit. You are already pruned, (clean) because of the word which I have spoke to you.
Leviticus 19: 23 – 25 forbids harvesting grapes during the first three years after planting. They are unclean. the disciples have been with Jesus three years learning about the kingdom and they are now being consecrated (set apart) and sent out to produce the harvest of the kingdom of God.
Galatians 6: 9 due season reap a harvest.
We hate being locked away because looking at the needs, we want to be released to do something now.
Locked away can look so different but the Pattern is pretty much the same.
4. Examples of Being Locked Away.
- children of Israel after 400 years fruit of being set free all they could do was lift their hands and worship Exodus 4: 31
- Problems Paul and Silas beaten worship prison walls shake and person comes into relationship with God.
- Esther in prosperity and problem in life she fasts and goes before the king
- David
- Bringing food
- Goliath
- Put on Armor doing things the way we always do no real answer for that
- Goes to him with five stones
- Ministry gifts.
- Speaks prophetically to him.
Due season you will reap a harvest if we are faithful to him.
You are his mediator between people and hell and he will work through you.
You are already pure because of the word I have spoken to you. There are only eleven disciples there so I don’t know if they realized that one of them had already been pruned.