God’s First Command to Man:
“So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
-Genesis 1:27-28
Go Forth And Multiply…Again!
“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands… As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
-Genesis 9:1-2,7
Healthy Humans Multiply!
When children are born, parents have a certain expectation that they will grow and one day have children of their own.
We usually don’t worry too much about whether they will, we just expect they will.
It was a normal expectation that God had of Adam and Eve, and all of mankind…be fruitful and multiply…
Sometimes humans do not multiply…
Sometimes there are diseases, birth-defects, or barrenness.
Sometimes there is not a marriage where humans do not come together.
Some humans have simply not matured enough to multiply, they are too young.
Jesus’ Last Command to Man:
Go Forth And Multiply!
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus is the First and the Last!
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. -Revelation 22:12-13
Jesus’ First and Last Command to Man was to be fruitful and multiply. How important do you think it is?
Healthy Christians Multiply:
Some humans don’t reproduce because they are diseased, born with defects, or barren.
Christians don’t reproduce because they are diseased spiritually. How you might ask?
Effects of Sin…
“You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” -Exodus 20:5-6
“So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.” -Romans 7:4-5
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
-Galatians 6:7-8
Solution to Sin?
“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
Sometimes there is not a marriage where humans do not come together.
Christians don’t reproduce because they don’t have an intimate union with God.
"It is a joy to Jesus when a person takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be a visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ." - Oswald Chambers
"O, the fullness, the pleasure, the sheer excitement of knowing God here on earth."
-Jim Elliott
"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."
- Philippians 3:8
Where there is true Love…
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” -Revelation 2:2-4
Solution to No Intimacy With God?
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” - Psalm 51:10-12
Some humans have simply not matured enough to multiply, they are too young.
Christians don’t reproduce because they have not reached spiritual maturity.
Effects of Immaturity…
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. -Hebrews 5:11-14
Solution to Immaturity?
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…” - Hebrews 6:1
Conclusion:
Sin hinders Christian fruitfulness
Repent of sin, desire to be clean before God.
Lack of intimacy with God hinders fruitfulness
Fall in love with Jesus, the lover of your soul
Lack of maturity hinders fruitfulness
Grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and walk in His ways.
Our Marching Orders:
“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” 2 Tim 2:2
