Thoughts from Pastor Stan

INTRO

What is needed for healing?

“Time heals all wounds”

SCRIPTURE # 1: LUKE 13: 6 - 9 (the non bearing Fig Tree)

Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none.

QUESTION: How many years should one wait for fruit?

RESPONSE to FRUITFULNESS (from owner)

Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?

note: the owner, of the tree, considers the purpose of the tree to bear fruit

RESPONSE to OWNER (from gardener)

He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until i dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

NOTE: one more year

QUESTIONS

1. What is the purpose of a tree?
1. To grow
2. To bear fruit (the goal of the tree? from the owner’s perspective)

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 1: 1 - 3

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is LIKE A TREE planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

US (QUESTIONS)

1. If we are the tree,
1. What then is the fruit (goal/purpose)?
1. Super Man/Woman? Do it all? (leap tall buildings; lots of friends, meaningful relationships, success financial and etc.) (goal? purpose?)
2. What then is fruitlessness (or bad fruit)?

1. depression, anxiety, frustration

1. What is our response to fruitlessness (or bad fruit)

1. cut it down!

Have you ever “cut yourself down” (I should be able to do it all)

Do others “cut you down” (You should be able to do it all, what’s wrong with you?)

1. What then is Fertilizer? (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
1. That’s what we are going to talk about today?

LAST WEEK

GRACE - is unmerited favor of God toward his people. Grace is something we have not earned and do not deserve. Grace is unconditional love and acceptance.

GRACE is needed for a healthy relationship with God and others (& self)

TRUTH - Is direction. It helps to avoid the pitfalls in life. It speaks about actions and consequences. This is the knowledge of the difference between what is right and what is wrong. What will bring life down and what will life life up. It describes things how they truly are.

GRACE & TRUTH - needed for a healthy relationship with God, others & self

GRACE without TRUTH is license (anything goes, do it if it’s what you feel)

TRUTH without GRACE is JUDGEMENT (walking on egg shells)

GRACE and TRUTH is Justice (allowing both grace and truth to exist)

FRUITLESSNESS REVISITED

GRACE without TURTH: (sounds like excuses)

“It doesn’t matter”

“I can’t help it (fill in blank)...”

“I couldn’t help myself”

POINT: no change of behavior required

TRUTH without GRACE:

Is when we beat ourselves up over our fruitlessness

SOMETIMES we do BOTH (cut it down, it doesn’t matter)

TENSION

Sometimes we either ignore our failure or we condemn ourselves

SOLUTION

BOTH (“dig” and “fertilize”) (truth and grace) and TIME (model for counseling)

SCRIPTURE # 2: Ecclesiastes 3: 2 - 8

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, a time to die:

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, a time to heal:

a time t beak down, a time to build up;

a time to weep, a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, a time to dance;

a time to throw away stones, a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, a time to lose;

a time to keep, a time to throw away;

a time to tear, a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love,; a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

POINT: Everything happens in its own time

Relationships with God, others and self require time

CLOSING

So, what do we do with Grace, Truth and Time?

That’s next week when we talk about bonding with others.