Understand
Pt. 3 – Converted People
I. Introduction
We have been trying to get us all on the same page of understanding. It is essential that we all pursue and gain insight. You will remember that Solomon, the wisest man on the planet, implores us to get involved in the pursuit of wisdom, insight, and understanding. Solomon says (Proverbs 2):
Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That's right—if you make Insight your priority, and won't take no for an answer, Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God.
So we began talking about the what we must understand as a body and as individuals. Jesus spoke very clearly and then emphasized His words with His actions. You will hopefully remember that our understanding must be that Found People . . . Find People. That is our MISSION. Then last week we talked about the fact that Jesus talked about and modeled our MODE! We must understand that Found People . . . Find People as Saved People . . . Serve People. Service should be as natural as breathing for saved people. So let's go one step further. No only we must understand our mission, our mode, but we must also have a clear understanding about our MINDSET. Jesus tells a parable that illustrates this:
II. Text
Mark 4:26-29
He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn't know how. For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come."
Luke 13:6-9
6-7Then he told them a story: "A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any. He said to his gardener, 'What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?' 8-9"The gardener said, 'Let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down.'"
III. Understanding
Jesus tells a couple of parables that drive home today's understanding. The first, although full of many truths, addresses an understanding we must have in one simple, little concealed sentence that we probably miss. Jesus said, ""The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow." The seed should spring up and grow! So here is the understanding . . "Converted People . . . Change!" Or in other words, we should grow!
That would seem to be a very obvious truth an understanding for believers. However, what I have learned to be true is that most of us are plateau dwellers. We grew and then camped out! Too many of us are saved and stuck. We are challenged to convert and make the greatest change we could possibly make, from dark to light, death to life, and for some reason we want to stop changing after that. Our soul gets saved but we are still mean! Our soul is redeemed but we won't deal with our mouth! Our soul gets rescued but our appetites aren't addressed! We get converted by our confession but never let it change our condition!
We are like the little girl who kept falling out of the bed and when her dad asked her why her response was, "I guess I am staying too close to the getting in side!"
Some of us haven't moved an inch. We got to know Him as savior, but we haven't learned any more about the truths of the kingdom, we haven't followed Him in baptism, we aren't any more compassionate or generous than we were before conversion. We know no more Word than we did the day we met the Word.
Hear me carefully . . . If you are not changing you are not following. Just because He never changes does not mean that you will be allowed to remain the same! You can't follow Jesus and not change! You can be acquainted, you can know about, but you cannot be pursuing Jesus and not change! Seed is supposed to grow!
Jesus follows up the statement about the seed and tells us the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. He reveals something about us and then He reveals something about our Master.
He reveals that Fruit reveals growth. Gifts don't, Titles don't. Nicer things don't. Our growth is revealed (good or bad) by our fruit! No fruit ... No growth.
He reveals that the Master mandates growth!
Everything is supposed to grow. Our Master expects that a tree that has been loved on, nurtured, and properly fed will grow. He doesn't like to waste resources, effort, or energy without fruit to show for it. You are supposed to bear fruit! Now if you haven't been loved on, nurtured on, or properly fed then we will join God in giving you a season for that to take place! However, some of you have had more than adequate care, concern, and it is time to produce! If you are planted in good ground. If you are receiving love, wisdom, and Word, then you are expected to grow.
How much more truth do you need to grow? How much more tending, tilling, fertilizer (none of us want that - you remember one time I told you not to fear the fertilizer), pruning, and babying do you need to grow? Babies are supposed to grow up! The Master isn't going to be happy with you blooming once and then never producing fruit thereafter! In fact, Jesus says the Master will cut you down if you don't grow. You get cut off. How many of us are still hanging out in the vineyard, acting like a fruit bearing tree, expecting care/nurturing/attention when we have been cut off and should be ignored? Well they ignored me today. Maybe you need to be ignored to spur you to grow!
Look at your neighbor and ask them "Are you fruity?" Now some of you had already made conclusions about that and your neighbor. We have bought the lie that we aren't supposed to judge one another! The truth is we are supposed to be produce checkers!
Have you grown? Are you growing? Does your fruit prove it? Would the Master be pleased with your growth?
Jesus modeled our mission (Found people). He models our mode (Serve people). He didn't just tell stories about growth/change He once again models for us the understanding. He models our mindset.
Luke 2:52 states it, "Jesus grew in stature and in favor with God and man." Did Jesus become more God as he got older? No, but He grew! I think I can prove it. You will remember that at the age of 12 Jesus' parents lost God. They started home from Jerusalem and thought Jesus was in the caravan only to discover He was nowhere to be found. They go searching for Him and find Him in the temple. You will remember the scene. . . He is in the center of a circle and He was asking the religious leaders questions. The Bible says the leaders were confounded at His wisdom and knowledge. Notice something if you will as a twelve year old he confounds, but I can find no indication of anyone being moved to decision. None of the leaders were moved to surrender their heart to Him. However, as a thirty year old His teaching has matured and grown to the point that the religious leaders are asking Him questions and they have gone from being confounded to being mad! And the greatest indication that Jesus has grown is that now when He teaches peoples lives are radically changed and eternally changed. So much so that they will leave everything and give their lives for Him. Growth! We see it modeled in His life. There are so many passages of Scripture that I could read about the necessity of growth. However, I think the greatest testimony to the need for growth is that Jesus (the Word in flesh) grew! We should follow suite.
So here is the challenge to us . . . We have been converted. People were probably astounded that you made that decision. But how many of them are more than just astounded but challenged to change by the change they see in you since then?
What needs to change in your life since you have been changed?
