The story of Jesus cursing the poor fig tree has always bothered me a bit. The scripture says it wasn't the season for fruit so I thought it wasn't really the fig tree's fault it didn't have fruit. This talk has made me feel a whole lot better about this story. If you ever read something in scripture that bothers you do some research. God is good all the time. If we think something is wrong that He does, it is usually because we don't understan the entire situation.

I hope you enjoy this recording Shannon and I made called "The Fig Tree."

(We recorded this at our kitchen table because church was cancelled today. We hope you will take time to listen to the recording. Jane even chimes in a couple of times. It is a good sermon!)

A lot of us might be feeling like we are alone in the darkness right now. 

"Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God." Isaiah 50:10

"I will give you hidden treasures,
    riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:3

It's more important to be with Him in the darkness than to try and figure it out.

We live by promises, not by explanations.

How to navigate through the darkness:

1. Rely on God.
It isn't about reasons. It is more important to say "Here I am, God" rather than, "Why, God?"

God gets a lot of work done in the valleys.

This blessing of being challenged in the dark -- God is using it as a tool. God uses it. God gives examples in nature on how to deal with dark times, with "winter." 

(Here, Jane talks about decidious trees and how the process of dropping their leaves in the fall protects them for the winter. Also why evergreen trees bend their branches downward is mentioned -- really, listen to the recording -- you'll be glad you did). 

God's producing steadfastness in us. Challenges were necessary to prepare you for bigger challenges. The more challenges we get the more we rely on Him.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a]whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3

Clay and pot process:

baptism in water first step.

Kneading -- second step. Clay has to surrender to potter's hand, get maleable. 

Being thrown and shaped on wheel is third step. Here the clay gets its permanent shape.

It looks done but it needs to be fired and glazed and fired again. Fire finishes us. Sometimes the object will be fired a third time -- the firing solidifies and brings out the beauty and its usefulness. 

A great example in scripture of God's children not waiting on Him, trying to get out of the darkness quicker is Abraham and Sarah getting a child by Hagar. They ran out of patience. We need to be careful about doing it ourselves -- getting ahead of God. We can really make a mess of things for us and others.

We seek for reasons. Instead, seek God. 

3. God uses trials to prepare us to work with others. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

"The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountainin the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."1 Kings 19:11-12

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18

Praying in the Spirit

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49

The Spirit is fighting with us.

“‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams." Acts 2:17

Prayer is the breath of Christian life.

Prayer should be like oxygen for us.

Without prayer we will start to decay -- lack of prayer will make our hearts grow cold. We will just live in our heads.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." Romans 8:26-27

So many times we struggle on what to pray. We don't need to fret -- the Spirit prays for us.  Praying in the Spirit is power. We are in a battle every day. Continue your connection with God always. We then will always be ready.

Pray individually and pray together. God will speak to you. It helps strengthen us. The Spirit will lift us up.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
1 John 5:14-15

Pray according to God's will.

Recognize who God is.

Pray according to His will. What God has in store for us is always good. God isn't Santa Claus.j

A.C.T.S.

Adoration -- Confession -- Thanksgiving -- Supplication

Adoration - recognize who God is.

"in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.[a]" Proverbs 3:6

Confession -- without Christ there is no forgiveness.

9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Confession is part of our individual relationship to God. Talk to God about everything.

Thanksgiving

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Salvation paid for at a great price.

God does give. His grace is sufficient forever.

Supplication=the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.

Come to me with your problems.

Lean on Me.

Give them to God and don't take them back. Give me enough for today. Think about your relationships. You need regular and frequent communication.  God wants to be part of your life always. He wants to be in the forefront of our minds. God's "waiting on the Phone" for your call. Spend time with Him. Do we live in a prayerful way? Stop long enough to listen.
"Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

"I wait for the Lord

    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning." Psalm 130:6


Wait for the Lord like a night watchman waits for the sun to come up.

Sometimes God blesses us with things we don't want. He can change us through things we don't anticipate.

Ask God to show you the blessing in the suffering.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

"Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Unity and Diversity in the Body12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ."
1 Corinthians 12:1-12

Have a passion for God.

Have a gift.

Find your style.

Don't be ignorant of the Spirit.

Don't be ignorant of the gift(s) God has given you.

7 "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7

Everyone has at least one.

No one is without a gift.

It is something you'll find joy in.

It will be fulfilling.

An ability you'll perform with ease and effectiveness.

Do a search for spiritual gift inventory and you'll find sample quizzes you can take to find out your gift(s). Then ask God how you can put them to use for His kingdom.

(Shannon handed out a spiritual gifts inventory checklist to the congregation which we did in church).

Malachi 3:1-4a:  “Behold, I am going to send My [a]messenger, and he will [b]clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; [c]and the [d]messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like [e]fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord [f]offerings in righteousness.4 Then the [g]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lordas in the days of old and as in former years.

We normally don't think of fire as a blessing. 

Yet, fire can be used as a tool.

Every time you heat silver it gets a little more pure. Just a tiny bit of heat makes the silver turn black -- does nothing good for it. And too much heat will ruin the silver. God knows how to apply just enough heat to us to refine us. 

Matthew 3:11-12:“As for me, I baptize you [a]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you [b]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Weeds need to be thrown into the fire and burned up -- in real life and in us. 

A holy fire. God mentions fire in the Bible 368 times.

God spoke to Moses in a burning bush.

A column of fire led the Israelites at night.

Fire consumes but is also refines.

Acts 2:1-3:  When the day of Pentecost [a]had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire [b]distributing themselves, and [c]they [d]rested on each one of them.

Refining in us continues every day. More and more getting rid of the old and becoming the new.  God knows we can't fix ourselves by ourselves. We need Him to do lasting changes. 

God refines for a purpose.

1 Peter 1:6-7:  In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various [a]trials, 7 so that the [b]proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which [c]is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Rejoice in the process.

Correction, discipline, Don't we discipline them out of love? God does the same thing. 

God has to relight our fire sometimes. He's got to kick the coals, restart the flame if He must. We do best when we work with HIm.

"It hurts me more than it hurts you."

Jesus sees the pure silver in the raw material in us. He knows the good that's in there. 

It's work to get something shaped out of what you see. It's work to hammer and shape. God is with us all the time. it's a whole lot easier if you work with Him.

Hebrews 12:29, "our God is a consuming fire."

All to develop a deeper relationship with God. We want our children to move in the right direction. God wants the same for us.

It's pure when the craftsman can see his reflection in the precious metal. God wants to see His reflection in us.

No recording this week, but I'll try and type out some really good notes! The sermon was on discernment. 

P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute."

2nd largest income for Nigeria are the scam emails to US citizens saying if they send them money they'll get a bunch back. 

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." 1 John 4:1-6

There are a lot of spiritual scams. In Christan church some pastors have angles. We have to be careful. John was dealing with gnostics. The believed Jesus became Jesus at the baptism, that the Holy Spirit possessed HIm and made Him Jesus. The Holy Spirit doesn't possess us like demons possess people. 

There's a reason for discernment.

1 John 4:1 -- Test the spirits. 

Satan can't stop the message but he can and will twist it. People say it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in something. Wrong!

We must believe the Bible. Satan slides things off to the side. We can be like the frog in the boiling water.

We have to hold all things up to the light of God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-11: "that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send up on them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false,"

Satan and his deception -- Satan usually doesn't look evil. He comes across as sophisticated, polished, glamorous at times. 

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." Matthew 7:15

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:13-14

Satan will make it really appealing to follow Him. It's not about the miracle. It's about the miracle worker.

Who is performing the miracle and what does the miracle point to?

Discernment is based on Jesus.

"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Romans 10:9-10

It's about Jesus.

You believe. You confess that belief. You submit to that belief. 

Don't be fed magic beans.  Being a believer is not having a magic ticket. We aren't promised riches and fame and easy lives. 

We cannot be partial believers. Sort out the false things.

The one that is in you is greater than the one in the world.
:
Satan is much more popular than Christ because he's got the candy store and he likes to feed a person's lust.

Truth is often uncomfortable. The truth might be painful to hear but its for your benefit.

I care more about you than your hurt feelings. God doesn't water down His truth.

If we don't have the Holy Spirit how can we discern? We must be a Christn first to get discernment.

To become a Christian you gotta let go of the world.

Submission is the hardest part because we have a hard time of letting go of the easy, of the "it's good for me" mentality.

My will not yours.

All about me or all about He.

The challenge comes when Satan tires to take away your testimony, your witness.

High standard. I try to use discernment.

When Satan tempted Jesus, he used scripture.

Jesus rebuked Satan with the Word.

A.W. Tozer's list of questions to ask about teaching.

#1 How does it reflect my relationship with God?

#2 How does it affect my attitude toward Christ?

#3 How does it deal with scripture?

#4 Does the teaching lift up self or crucify self?

#5 What does this teaching do to my relationship with other believers? Divide or unify?

#6 Does it glorify the world? 

#7 How does this teaching affect my view of sin?