John 10:1-6

Starting our ROOTED series, Pastor Jeremy urged us to grow deep roots in the things of God. We want to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We have to be rooted in Christ. God is not silent and absent in our lives. He's always moving, working before us. God speaks. We need to respond. God speaks through our relationship with Him.

When God speaks..

1.He reveals Himself

He announces who He is. His character, His name, His attributes. In His word He reveals who He is with the Word and backs it up with His actions. If we can believe that God is who He says He is, we can have a faith that leads to action, and change our ways accordingly. When we obey Him, we come to know Him. We come to trust Him.

2. He reveals His purposes

So that we will know what He plans to do. Not what we plan to do. God ideas are better than good ideas. We can come to know that when we know Him. We adjust, we respond to what God is doing. God involves His servants, and often time He accomplishes His purposes through His people. But it's His work. God is more concerned with our relationship with Him than all the things we can do for Him. It's all about constantly being connected to the vine. Abiding in Him.

3. He reveals His ways

After God reveals Himself and His purposes, we still have to trust God to see it done His way. God's thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. God's sense is not common sense. We can't hear what He's doing and then go do it our way. It's His plan not ours. We have to be in step with Him all the way through. If we do, the miraculous will flow, the fruit will come and God will get the glory.

Dig your roots deep into the things of God with us church and we will grow like a cedar in Lebanon and bear His fruit now and in old age. Let us declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

We love ya church! We'll see ya next time.

What is the measure of a mature fruit tree? Is It just the age? Is it the sheer size or the amount of shade it provides?

In John 15 Jesus said "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." and "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." What is this thing we as believers are all being called to? What is it to bear spiritual fruit? We are all at different stages of our lives and different stages in our walk with Jesus. Much like the different types, ages and sizes of fruit trees. But the measure of every fruit tree is the fruit that it yields, and through the process of making fruit the tree reproduces. The seed is in the fruit of the tree.

Are we allowing Jesus to bear fruit through us? The fruit of the Spirit? And through that process, planting seeds and reproducing followers of Jesus? The truth is if we make Christ our Lord we have a great commission. This may begin to sound like something we do to deserve God's approval. It may begin to sound like religion. But remember we cannot do it apart from Him. It's Him. You are saved, but was your salvation just for your sake? Jesus has a ministry for you. A greenhouse of saplings that need to be discipled and tended to. We are the church and we are Growing Orchards of fruit bearing disciples of Jesus.

What is the measure of a mature fruit tree? Is It just the age? Is it the sheer size or the amount of shade it provides?

In John 15 Jesus said "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." and "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." What is this thing we as believers are all being called to? What is it to bear spiritual fruit? We are all at different stages of our lives and different stages in our walk with Jesus. Much like the different types, ages and sizes of fruit trees. But the measure of every fruit tree is the fruit that it yields, and through the process of making fruit the tree reproduces. The seed is in the fruit of the tree.

Are we allowing Jesus to bear fruit through us? The fruit of the Spirit? And through that process, planting seeds and reproducing followers of Jesus? The truth is if we make Christ our Lord we have a great commission. This may begin to sound like something we do to deserve God's approval. It may begin to sound like religion. But remember we cannot do it apart from Him. It's Him. You are saved, but was your salvation just for your sake? Jesus has a ministry for you. A greenhouse of saplings that need to be discipled and tended to. We are the church and we are Growing Orchards of fruit bearing disciples of Jesus.

Matthew 22:35-40 ESV

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

God is pursuing a relationship with you. We need to rethink how we live and approach God.

1. God initiates

All throughout the Bible God is the one initiating, reaching down, God approached Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah. Jesus sought out Peter, John, Matthew, Zacchaeus. The father of prodigals, God runs to us when he sees us coming. His invitation remains "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

2. The Shift

We don't often think of our own mortality. We act as if the life we are living will go on and on and on. But this life in this place will pass. We have to shift our mindset to the unseen. The eternal. Down here we measure everything by our time, success, relationships, achievements, but God created you not for time but for eternity with Him.

3. Love the Lord your God

God is not obsessed with our behavioral changes, he wants heart transformation. He wants your heart and to give you His. Through Christ we can have this relationship of love with God. And as we shake off the doing, the religious works, the striving, the earning and just sit in His love, we will love Him and the fruit will follow.

Have a blessed week, we love ya church!

In this passage God sends the prophet Jeremiah to a potter's house, and speaks powerfully to Jeremiah through the image of the potter and the clay. God is the potter, we are the clay. When the vessel in process is "spoiled in the potter's hand, he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do." God is shaping us, molding us, working our process into good.

1. The Sovereignty of the Potter

As the potter, God has the right to shape our lives when we submit to Him and He will. He is in control, the speed of the wheel, the pressure of His hands.In the process He has the image of our potential shape in mind. We must trust He knows what is best.

2.The Clay's Response

In a God Centered life we must surrender to His working hands, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. This where faith and trust come into our walk.

3.The Purpose of the Shaping: God's Glory and Our Good (Jeremiah 18:6)

The ultimate purpose of our lives is to reflect His glory, and it is for our good. God is not just shaping us randomly for entertainment or fun, but for His divine purposes. We are vessels to be filled with His Spirit and used in His Kingdom. Each one of us have a unique design for a specific life on purpose. Our God Centered life reminds us our lives are not merely our own but His Divine expression of love.

Let us ask ourselves

Are we yielding to God's shaping hands?

Do we trust that God's hands are capable and loving, even when we don't understand the process?

Are we trusting Him to mold us, even when it's uncomfortable?

Do we see our trials, our growth and our success as part of God's purpose to reveal Himself through us?

Are we living for His glory, knowing that He has a purpose for each of us?

May we live God Centered lives, being like the clay in the hands of the Potter, allowing God to shape us, reshape us, and mold us into the vessels He desires us to be.

In this passage God sends the prophet Jeremiah to a potter's house, and speaks powerfully to Jeremiah through the image of the potter and the clay. God is the potter, we are the clay. When the vessel in process is "spoiled in the potter's hand, he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do." God is shaping us, molding us, working our process into good.

1. The Sovereignty of the Potter

As the potter, God has the right to shape our lives when we submit to Him and He will. He is in control, the speed of the wheel, the pressure of His hands.In the process He has the image of our potential shape in mind. We must trust He knows what is best.

2.The Clay's Response

In a God Centered life we must surrender to His working hands, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. This where faith and trust come into our walk.

3.The Purpose of the Shaping: God's Glory and Our Good (Jeremiah 18:6)

The ultimate purpose of our lives is to reflect His glory, and it is for our good. God is not just shaping us randomly for entertainment or fun, but for His divine purposes. We are vessels to be filled with His Spirit and used in His Kingdom. Each one of us have a unique design for a specific life on purpose. Our God Centered life reminds us our lives are not merely our own but His Divine expression of love.

Let us ask ourselves

Are we yielding to God's shaping hands?

Do we trust that God's hands are capable and loving, even when we don't understand the process?

Are we trusting Him to mold us, even when it's uncomfortable?

Do we see our trials, our growth and our success as part of God's purpose to reveal Himself through us?

Are we living for His glory, knowing that He has a purpose for each of us?

May we live God Centered lives, being like the clay in the hands of the Potter, allowing God to shape us, reshape us, and mold us into the vessels He desires us to be.

1. What do you want?

We have to ask ourselves what are we seeking? Are you after religion for religions sake? Or are you seeking something real and authentic with God? You may be frustrated in your Christian walk. Do you feel like you're still not walking in the abundant life God wants for you? Maybe you believe in Jesus, but your spirit life has become dry and monotonous. Do you long to hear God's voice? in our Christian walk, direct connection and relationship with Jesus is the most important piece. It's the whole point. We can know God. We can hear Him. We can follow His Spirit, follow His promptings, His ways can be our compass. I want you to experience God and to be rooted in the Firm Foundation of Christ.

2. Factory reset

If you have been a follower of Jesus for some time, perhaps it's time for a factory reset. Back to a childlike faith, back to an easy faith, fully trusting, fully submitted, fully restful in the hand of your Heavenly Father. We have a habit of overcomplicating Christianity. It's easy to fall out of relationship and into religion. Is it better to do things for God or with Him? The truth is the only way we can do anything meaningful in the Kingdom is by doing it with Him. We can't get anywhere without Him in the passenger seat, giving us directions. And He tends to only give the direction as far out as we need to know. "Turn here." " Go back." "Follow me." Very seldom do we get the whole route, end from beginning. It does require faith to follow Him. But if you do, He will take you to places you never imagined possible.

3. Jesus is the Way

There are spiritual gifts and people with a call on their lives for leadership and even those given words of prophecy in the church today. However, Jesus is all we need to be in God's will. We and many other brothers and sisters in the faith often neglect Holy Spirt and look to external sources for spiritual guidance and validation. Because of Jesus, because of the cross, there is no middle man. Jesus is always available to you, now, right now, yesterday, today and tomorrow. If someone tells you God's will for you, you can hear them, but you need to take it up with Jesus. He is the Way.

Follow Jesus one step, one turn, one leap, one day at a time. He will keep you in the center of God's will.

We love ya church! until next time.

1. What do you want?

We have to ask ourselves what are we seeking? Are you after religion for religions sake? Or are you seeking something real and authentic with God? You may be frustrated in your Christian walk. Do you feel like you're still not walking in the abundant life God wants for you? Maybe you believe in Jesus, but your spirit life has become dry and monotonous. Do you long to hear God's voice? in our Christian walk, direct connection and relationship with Jesus is the most important piece. It's the whole point. We can know God. We can hear Him. We can follow His Spirit, follow His promptings, His ways can be our compass. I want you to experience God and to be rooted in the Firm Foundation of Christ.

2. Factory reset

If you have been a follower of Jesus for some time, perhaps it's time for a factory reset. Back to a childlike faith, back to an easy faith, fully trusting, fully submitted, fully restful in the hand of your Heavenly Father. We have a habit of overcomplicating Christianity. It's easy to fall out of relationship and into religion. Is it better to do things for God or with Him? The truth is the only way we can do anything meaningful in the Kingdom is by doing it with Him. We can't get anywhere without Him in the passenger seat, giving us directions. And He tends to only give the direction as far out as we need to know. "Turn here." " Go back." "Follow me." Very seldom do we get the whole route, end from beginning. It does require faith to follow Him. But if you do, He will take you to places you never imagined possible.

3. Jesus is the Way

There are spiritual gifts and people with a call on their lives for leadership and even those given words of prophecy in the church today. However, Jesus is all we need to be in God's will. We and many other brothers and sisters in the faith often neglect Holy Spirt and look to external sources for spiritual guidance and validation. Because of Jesus, because of the cross, there is no middle man. Jesus is always available to you, now, right now, yesterday, today and tomorrow. If someone tells you God's will for you, you can hear them, but you need to take it up with Jesus. He is the Way.

Follow Jesus one step, one turn, one leap, one day at a time. He will keep you in the center of God's will.

We love ya church! until next time.