in Hosea 14:8 listen to this verse Oh Ephraim what more have I to do with idols it is I who answer and look after you I am like a luxurious Cypress from me comes your fruit that's what God said Ephraim it's very important because that the word Ephraim the name means fruitfulness he named them fruitfulness but the problem was this tribe began to think they were the source of their own fruitfulness and God said no I am the source of all your fruitfulness another thing that this text teaches us is this we must resist the
pride that may spring forth from fruitfulness you know some progress in the Christian life can also be dangerous that's why God does not allow us sometimes to experience all the progress that we'd hope for because it would turn and work against us in pride because we're too immature to really be used to bear such fruit if you and I are always just pulling off this Christian life by means of our pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps if we are doing this Christian life in our own power then what we're going to see is a
constant state of inconsistency because we're inconsistent we are inconsistent and that evermore should encourage us to do what to abandon all hope in self and to draw upon Christ to draw upon Christ to draw upon Christ that we might bear consistent consistent proof his fruit that he bears in the life of the believer will always be a reflection of his own holiness and righteousness but the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control against such things there is no law don't you want to be like that well if you
desire to be like that you must abandon all hope all hope in self all hope and secondary means and you must run run run to Jesus Christ runs of Christ all other vines are useless all other sources are useless Jeremiah 2:13 says for my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living water to hew for themselves cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water my dear friend God will through his discipline is we're going to see in a moment work in every one of our lives destroying not only idols but
destroying every false source from which we might attempt to draw he will frustrate everything until we are focused in on Christ and Christ alone the excellencies of Christ the finished work of Christ the continuing work of Christ Christ Christ Christ all other vines also lead to Baroness Jeremiah 17:5 through 6 thus says the Lord cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength so it doesn't sound like a source or a fountain or a vine o my dear friends I would say of all things that men trust in other than Christ
it is the flesh and all all all sources that are offered to is nothing more than a manifestation of the flesh it's not Jesus Christ and makes flesh his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord for he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes but we'll live in stony wastes in the wilderness a land of salt without an inhabitant my dear friends brother and sister in Christ I am probably the most appropriate person in this building to give this message because I am so prone to
draw strength at times from things that give no strength whatsoever and even when the devil works because God does use the devil no it is for our good absolutely everything is for our good the problem is many times we do not understand the good the good isn't big men streets the good isn't fame in the Christian life the good isn't that after we die someone will write a book about it the good isn't that that we're respected as the greatest pastor on the world the good is that we look like Jesus then we look like
Christ I'm going to say something it's going to sound very very vulgar very hard but I'm going to say it so that you can grasp the meaning the the being like Jesus is so important in God's eyes in Christianity that one could rightfully say almost to hell with everything else so many times underneath us are these ulterior motives that are hellish what what is what is the greatest privilege to be able to preach like Spurgeon no to look like Jesus when we talk about fruit we're automatically in our American mindset thinking about activity instead of
character character character Christ likeness Christ likeness many times the Lord loves you too much to give you the things you're praying for because he wants to give you something better Christ likeness now if we look at this text he says every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away what does he mean let me just make this statement there are men and women young and old in every congregation who identify with the people of God but are unbelieving and fruitless and when they die they will go to hell that's exactly what this
passage means within those who within this let's just look at the church for a moment as a vineyard within this vineyard there are some who they kind of look like branches they kind of act a bit like branches on a superficial level but when you really look at them they are fruitless they're unbelieving they're not connected to the vine and they will be judged they will be torn away they will be judged they will be cast into hell listen to what Jude says in verse 12 these are the men who are hidden reefs in your
love feast and when they feast with you without fear caring for themselves clouds without water carried along by winds autumn trees without fruit doubly dead uprooted I have described a great majority of church membership roles all throughout this country and we think that we can somehow cure these men by more discipleship when in fact for the matter is they need the gospel and they need regeneration they eat right with you they they participate in the supper they go to your The Lord's Supper they participate in the feast that you might have afterwards all these things
and you never recognize them they're always caring for themselves one thing you will notice an unconverted person selfishness is the greatest it is the opposite of love all they care about is self they read you a passage in Ezekiel 1912 speaking of apostate Israel it says it's strong branch was torn off so that withered the fire consumed it okay how you're strong your religion is how strong your church life is I don't care how strong your morality is that day of judgment God will tear it down tear it down and it'll wilt it'll wilt whenever
humans declare themselves to be righteous they are doing it by contrasting themselves with other humans who are worse and you can get away with that but when your righteousness is contrasted with the righteousness of God there is nothing but to throw yourself down and declare your morality to be dumb believer here's really the question in a type of contemporary Christianity that makes comfort its goal you're going to have to make a decision what do you want do you want to bear more fruit or do you want to be comfortable and just grow wild I can
remember one time in Peru prior to having both of my hips replaced and arthritis that eaten my hips to the point of almost not being able to walk anymore every day was a trial every day was a struggle the pain was incredible and I walked out on this balcony one morning in Lima Peru and it was wet and rainy and the humidity was horrible and my legs were hurting so bad and I was tears running down my face and I walked out there I limped out on the Patti and I looked up at God and
I said why I hurt so bad no I did not hear voice but I knew exactly what the Lord wanted to say to me Paul dear dear son this is exactly what you asked me for and then I remembered all those times in college after my conversion all the times in seminary when with other believers you know we would pray through the night and say Oh Lord anything you have to do Lord to make me like Jesus do it you know you some of you probably lord kill me if it's necessary and I think he
allows us to pray like that in ignorance because if we really knew what we were asking for we would be too fearful to pray is it your greatest passion to produce the character of Jesus Christ that desire of yours may cost you absolutely everything it may be the reason God never allows you to go public become famous it might be the reason why you never get a megachurch it might be the reason why you never see any apparent success
