[Applause]
there we go
well good morning nice to see you it is
still morning you know when you are dead
you do not know you’re dead all the pain
is felt by others the same thing happens
when you’re stupid
[Laughter]
[Applause]
that was good
the Flat Earth Society has members all
around the globe first woman in space
houston we have a problem what never
mind
what’s the problem nothing please tell
us I’m fine I asked my grandpa after 65
years you still call grandma darling
beautiful and honey what’s the secret
grandpa responds I forgot her name five
years ago I’m scared to ask
alright last one last one
Pasteur had dinner at the home of a
couple in his church after he left the
wife said to the husband I think he
stole our spoon that bothered her for a
whole year a year later the couple had
the pastor for dinner again unable to
resist the wife asked did you steal our
spoon last year the pastor replied no I
put it inside your Bible
[Applause]
[Laughter]
that just felt good to read I just I
mattified just reading that one anyone
who has what seems to be appears to be
in a possible health condition financial
condition a relational condition stamp
appears to be an impossible health
situation financial or relational Church
family you guys know what to do by now
these people need your prayer find out
if it’s one of the three all three
whatever it might be and then just begin
to pray and I want you to ask the Lord
to release a spirit of breakthrough upon
them if you’re sitting down those who
are standing I want you to go to them
lay hand on them and begin to pray that
a spirit of breakthrough would come upon
them
please don’t leave anyone standing by
themselves those of you who are watching
our Bethel family at home just make
agreement with us for the ones here in
the room but also your household your
entire family line we just call right
now for a great harvest of souls in
family members the revival would spread
from family to family as people are
restored to Jesus the financial
breakthrough had come supernatural
supply but also wisdom and favor for
increase of income God we call for a
spirit of breakthrough in the whole area
of health just declare over them divine
health is your portion divine health is
your portion
divine health is your portion
now I want you just to confess this over
over them as we pray I bless you in the
name of the Lord I call for a spirit of
breakthrough to rest upon you your
health your family your money in Jesus
name Amen amen
hug him do something nice then be seated
[Applause]
love love love it all right if you’d
grab your Bibles please and open to the
Gospel of John chapter 15 the Gospel of
John chapter 15
this chapter is famous for two primary
reasons one is this is the chapter where
Jesus says to his disciples I no longer
call you servants I call you friends
this is the chapter where he unveils
that but the other is the first eight
verses deal with a parable metaphor an
illustration not a parable an
illustration of the nature of a believer
in our relationship of God and he uses
this terminology the vine dresser the
vine the branches and fruit he uses
those four things we’ll read it in a
moment but the vine dresser the one who
owns the vineyard is the Heavenly Father
Jesus himself is the vine the people you
and me we are the branches and the fruit
is that which is naturally produced
because of our connection to Jesus no
fruit tree no vegetable garden no
vineyard groans and travails to bring
forth fruit it bears fruit naturally if
it is fed well watered well and pruned
correctly God rewards all growth with
pruning
he rewards all growth with pruning
pruning in the kingdom is not punishment
people look at the discipline of God and
they often assume that the discipline of
or the pruning of the Lord has to do
with punishment and I say no that’s not
really right that’s not really true
well what about Jonah in the whale Jonah
ran into the whale when he was running
from the Word of God the Word of God is
what prunes us the voice of the Lord is
what prunes lets go to read all eight
verses and then we’ll back up and and
just try to go a verse at a time right
verse one I am The True Vine my father
is the vine dresser every branch in me
that does not bear fruit he takes away
every branch that bears fruit he prunes
that it may bear more fruit he rewards
all growth with pruning you are clean
already because of the word which I have
spoken to you abide in me and I in you
as the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself unless it abides in the vine
neither can you unless you abide in me I
am the vine you are the branches he who
abides in me and I in him bears much
fruit for without me you can do nothing
if anyone does not abide in me he is
cast out as a branch and is withered and
they gather them and throw them into the
fire they are burned if you abide in me
and my words abide in you you will ask
what you desire and it will be done for
you by this my father is glorified that
you bear much fruit so you will be my
disciples I don’t know if this is just a
portion of Scripture I never ever ever
get tired of because it seems to be this
invitation into fruitful
do you remember the story Jesus used a
parable actually of the landowner who
gave his ten servants each a minor a
minor is a sum of money then there’s
another story of three servants that
received talents talent is not an
ability to play the piano a talent also
was a sum of money and in each case they
were to invest that money to make a
profit to give back to the land owner
what I want you to see is that from the
beginning to the end God created
everything to be productive everything
is to bear fruit by nature everything
about our life is to be lives is to be
productive and fruit bearing god has
actually glorified by a system he
created where a peach tree will grow
peaches you eat the fruit you plant the
seed and it grows another tree that
brings more peaches that cycle of life
of seed a fruit parent of increase of
productivity is the cycle to which God
made everything his economy is linked
directly to his voice which is not only
all-powerful it is creative in nature
and God spoke let there be light and
there was light he spoke things into
being we know that excuse me when he
speaks to us today faith comes by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God
so his design is that everything would
happen through the voice of his word in
John 16 the very next chapter Jesus
describes how he has rien heritage
everything the father has given
everything back into his hands which is
fascinating because he forfeited
everything as God to become a man he’s
still 1% God so some people
misunderstand me at this point
he’s entirely God but he takes on flesh
and chooses to live with the
restrictions of a human being of a
person although he’s eternally God
but in that position as amen now here
Ian Harris everything he already had
everything is God but now he inherits
everything is man why because he’s our
elder brother and he now gets to include
us in the inheritance and in John 16 he
says Jesus announces all that the father
has is mine now listen carefully and the
Holy Spirit will take what is mine and
declare it to you he’s not merely making
an announcement he’s not just merely
showing off what he owns his
transferring resource from a heavenly
account into an earthly account and the
transfer takes place whenever he speaks
not only does God create not only does
he transfer resource through his decree
through his declaration but the Bible
says every molecule is held in place by
his voice by his word everything is
defined everything is empowered
everything is created everything is
sustained through his word so when we
come to this story this illustration of
us being a vine we have the Father God
as the vine dresser verse 1 verse 2
every branch in me that does not bear
fruit he takes away every branch that
bears fruit he prunes that it may bear
more fruit once again he rewards all of
our growth with pruning you are already
clean verse 3 because of the word I’ve
spoken to you you know think through
this you are already clean so he’s
announcing to the guys you said listen
when you bear a fruit I got a pruning
and I’m going to prune it because that
way we’ll get more fruit so you’ve got
to see that the Lord does everything for
the purpose of increase the father is
extremely focused on increased the story
of the talents and the minors
it was always about increase the minimum
level of profit allowed in those two
stories was 100 percent per year
I’m just quoting scripture now two
stories the Prophet the two people in
each story the one person in each story
that stood before the Lord in judgment
was the one who buried what they have
and the Lord said if they only would
have put it in the bank they would have
at least gotten interest the whole point
was I want you to see how God thinks he
thinks in terms of increase he thinks in
terms of things working to better to
better life to bring increase to be
productive the Sun gives light gives
heat leaves of the trees give oxygen
plants give seed to reproduce over and
over animals the same thing God has
created this cycle of increase in
productivity and he has brought you and
me into that life cycle of God himself
with supernatural increase in
supernatural supply so he has positioned
us he requires us to bring increase but
not increase that somehow we have to
drum up its simply increased that comes
by staying attached to the vine it’s
normal he’ll do the pruning you just
stay attached you don’t have to grown
you don’t have to climb I claim grapes I
claim grapes I’m confessing grapes right
now no grapes grapes are now gonna grow
I claim the grapes you don’t have to do
it you just have to stay connected it’s
the natural product he’ll do the pruning
you stay connected you will bear fruit
we’re gonna look at part of what that
fruit is so he says you are clean
already because the word I spoke to you
the word clean there and the word prune
of the basic same word so when he says
to his disciples but you are clean
already he is saying I’ve already pruned
you how did he from them by the word I
have spoken to you the pruning wasn’t
with a hand it was with the mouth it
wasn’t yelling and screaming it was
adjusting values so they could be more
fruitful
pruning their value system their
interpretation of things for example
Luke chapter 9 is one of my favorite
chapters for many reasons Jesus sends
the disciples out in ministry and they
are very very productive they come back
with with stories stories of
breakthroughs they saw miracles happen
they had never seen except with Jesus
but never with them and now they
actually saw through their hands through
their words and they’re beside
themselves with excitement so they come
back and they’re very very enthused the
very next moment you find them in a
group without Jesus there he walks upon
the group and he says what are you guys
talking about he already knew what they
were talking about they were arguing as
to who was the greatest some things that
are in your heart will not be dialed up
with failure and weakness it will only
be dialed up through success I remind
you that the hardest place to Minister
is at home so Jesus sent them home to
minister because a prophet is not
without honor except in his hometown if
you can minister at home you’ll learn to
do ministry out of obedience instead of
for applause so Jesus sends them home
and they got breakthrough and they bring
the reports back and the very next scene
they’re arguing is to as the greatest
why because of their success
it wasn’t failure in ministry that
caused that problem it was the fact that
they were fruitful they had stuff
happened they didn’t think it happened
to any other disciple because it was so
significant through them it was hard for
them to imagine John going I have my
announce Peter saw what I saw happen in
my town because they had this success it
dialed something up so what does Jesus
do he talks to them about what greatness
is what’s the point
people who hung out with Jesus began to
dream of personal significance in ways
they never thought of before there’s
something about being with people that
believe in you and Jesus how much did he
trust them he
trusted them enough to turn them loose
on their own cities having somebody
believe in them stirred something up
that was powerful and right it was a
sense of personal significance and what
happened they bore fruit what was the
fruit they had the miracles they had the
healings the deliverances they’re these
things there’s accurate representation
of Jesus in those towns even though
Jesus didn’t go there that’s good fruit
they came back together and argued as to
who’s the greatest that’s not so good
fruit what do you got you’ve got a big
bunch of grapes here and you’ve got a
branch and this branch is starting to
grow where only leaves are going to be
produced not grapes they’re about to
develop only in the look good looking
good look at me look at my leaves look
how good I look on the outside kind of a
ministry when Jesus wants them to be
productive and so he rewards the the
growth with pruning but here’s what he
does he points to what is developing in
them that’s not healthy doesn’t make
sense to you that every one of us have
gifts that under the lordship of Jesus
bring him great glory outside of the
lordship of Jesus that caused us great
problems to take Peter his boldness foot
in the mouth disease all the times
talking at the wrong time
interrupting God all kinds of rebuking
Jesus that was my favorite one rebuking
Jesus because he realized he thought for
sure he should not be going to the cross
it’s a bad idea so he rebukes the Son of
God that’s that’s all-time classic and
yet that same Peter when it’s under the
lordship of Jesus he stands before a
crowd of thousands mocking the
outpouring of the Spirit and the end
result is 3,000 people come to Christ
that boldness outside of the lordship of
Jesus caused him problems that bold us
in the lordship of Jesus brought fruit
so Jesus says all right you’ve got a
branch that’s grown here way past your
ability to bear fruit we’re gonna cut
that back and he says you see this child
that is significance that’s greatness in
the kingdom and he prunes the branch
back
The Heretic seen the disciples are
talking to Jesus and they said we saw
this group over here and they were
trying to cast out demons you new name
we told him to knock it off ah you see
our wisdom of course you see our loyalty
to the group right right
it’s it’s Jesus it’s us 12 and you will
change the world just 15 of us right
here just don’t die and their loyalty to
the group was healthy and in the sense
it was right it was good that sense of
loyalty but loyalty to one in the
kingdom never requires disloyalty to
another
that’s carnal and natural loyalty that
is humanistic loyalty that is not
Kingdom and so when they said we told
them to knock it off Jesus says no guys
listen if they’re not against us they’re
for us well that was a whole new concept
if they’re not against us or for us so
what did Jesus do is that this loyalty
thing is good you bore a good fruit we
got good grapes growing here but this
little branch deal you got going over
here it’s going to draw a lot of
attention to yourself and this is going
to create an atmosphere of loyalty that
is not kingdom of God at all so we’re
going to prune this thing right here and
he says if they’re not against us
they’re for us and he prunes the branch
he sets them up to bring tremendous
increase the next story is my favorite
though James and John had a brilliant
idea
they they they and the guys try to pass
through a certain town and city of the
Samaritans Samaritans did not want these
guys in their town and wouldn’t let them
come through and John comes to Jesus and
he says now you know John is coming to
Jesus because he thinks Jesus is gonna
like the idea you’re with me on this
he’s thinking he’s gonna be impressed
with my zeal is he’s gonna love my zeal
on my intensity in my focus I’m about to
bless Jesus so it comes to Jesus and he
says some of us have been talking and if
you just give us
mission we would love to just call down
fire on this entire city and kill
everybody in Jesus name of course we’ll
give you all the glory
[Laughter]
well it sounds so funny to say it that
way but that’s what they are asked
they’re actually calling down wanted to
call it on fire to kill a whole city so
I asked myself the question what kind of
meetings did they have in their hometown
to think they could pull this off I mean
what in the world did they have happen
when they preached in their own
communities to think all Jesus has to do
is go good idea I’m with you that they
thought they could actually call down
fire and swallow up an entire city I
don’t know what kind of meetings they
had but it must have been something but
Jesus looks at him and he says you don’t
get it I’m not here to take life I’m
here to give life what is he doing here
their sense of passion and zeal is good
it’s just misdirected so what does he do
he says this branch has grown way too
far in the wrong direction and he said
here we’re gonna need some real types
snippers on this one and he cuts it back
by saying I didn’t come to destroy life
they came to give life a just positioned
them for increase of fruit they had the
right zeal they had a sense of
significance they were committed to the
journey they made a lot of mistakes but
they’re still saying yes a lot of
leaders that see this kind of dilemma
when they empower people and they make
such messes just want to never empower
anyone again the very first verse of
chapter 10 that’s the end of chapter 9
the very first verse of chapter 10 it
says and Jesus gathered together 70
others also and empowered them to do the
same
now that’s divine humor right there I
don’t know if you got it or not but
that’s divine humor that what would have
made every one of us in the room nervous
with the 12 jesus said man this is
working so good let’s add seventy more
than the mix
the whole point was is he was willing to
make them successful to dial up issues
that only he could take care of through
pruning he didn’t lower them
he didn’t belittle them he didn’t punish
them he instead spoke to the issue and
as long as we are hewers of the word as
long as we are willing for God to speak
change into our life of course it’s true
he can add whatever circumstance to our
life he wants it he’s God but the point
is is he puts us in position so that
we’ll listen in the belly of a well it
was a good place to listen you don’t
have a lot to do but hang out wisdom
just kicked in it’s all right it happens
every once awhile
and just remember to joke but I’m
fighting I’m fighting the temptation
yeah it’s good yeah yeah well that’s
alright alright it’s it’s well what do
you do if you’re swallowed by an
elephant you’ll walk around to you’re
pooped alright where’s the just vanished
it just vanished
[Applause]
you heard it first right here right here
all right let’s move on hurry before I
lose it altogether good on to verse 5 I
am the vine you are the branches he who
abides in me I in him bears much fruit
without me you can do nothing now Jesus
announces to you and to me that we can’t
do anything without him but 10 chapters
earlier he announced he can do nothing
without the father all he’s done is he’s
trying to bring us into the same place
of dependency he lives in he has set the
example
he has modeled the lifestyle the value
system and he’s just working from day
one to bring us into the same place of
dependency because in the same way he
could do nothing without the father
that’s how much he emptied himself he’s
still eternally God but he emptied
himself to function as a human being
dependent on the father in doing so he
set an example and passed it off and
announces to you and me now you can do
nothing what’s that for
he puts you in a position where you can
do nothing and then he requires
everything which means we’re gonna have
to learn dependency to pull this off
because he’s expecting fruitfulness so
what is my responsibility Abidin stay
connected just keep the protecta
connection what about the fruit bearing
don’t worry about it he’ll prune you you
just listen listen to what he says the
fruit bearing will be natural all right
move on quickly and we’ll try to wrap
this up anyone does not abide in me for
six he’s cast out as a branch is
withered they gather them throw them
into the fire who is not abiding say
it’s a it’s a branch all right when the
branch is no longer connected it’s just
a stick it’s no longer a fruit grow
bearing branch
so it has no value it’s just put into a
fire verse 7 if you abide in me my words
abide in you you will ask what you
desire it will be done for you when Mary
the mother of Jesus heard of the angels
message over her son when the Wiseman
came
concerning what they had heard
concerning the star in the east when
they heard the prophetic words from Anna
and Simeon she heard all these different
words from God about her son the Bible
says she pondered these things in her
heart what it means is she took these
words she put them in a safe place
and then would bring them out to
reexamine and then return to a safe
place it’s a valuable thing to me when
God speaks I don’t paint it on the walls
of my house
I protect the word because it’s got to
be nurtured in a safe place
it’s got to be nurtured in the womb of
my heart where I remember what God has
said and I bring it out and look at it I
have things that God has spoken to me 30
and 40 years ago I still bring out and
reexamined them now put them in the safe
place what does Jesus say says if you
abide in me you maintain the connection
and my words have a resting place in you
then that combination of abiding the
connection relationally and the
connection with his heart in his mind
you will naturally pray for things that
the father will want to respond to and
by those answers he is glorified because
he created a system whereby you can be
eternally productive
he is glorified through fruit and in
this particular verse the fruit is
answers to prayer but he’s not answering
any whim because he refuses to answer
any prayer that undermines my purpose
I’ve also noticed the Lord will actually
answer the desire of an unbeliever
before the carnal desire of a believer
because the desire of an unbeliever can
woo them into a relationship with him
but if he emphasizes the carnality of a
believer he emphasizes that which
separates their heart from his he’s
looking for the relational journey where
when he says Amen to to the cry of our
heart that relationship is strengthened
it is enhanced what’s supposed to happen
in this walk with the Lord is that
desires are formed in us as the
offspring of our walk with God that
dreams and desires would form because of
our time spent spent not just with a
shopping list but spent with sharing the
heart of God that’s the context of
friends he says I no longer call you
servants are your friends why because
the servant doesn’t know what their
masters doing the servant doesn’t get a
picture of the behind the scenes this is
what moves me this is what marks me this
is my value system the servant doesn’t
get access to that set but the friend
does the friend gets to see what moves
him so if we pray out of an
understanding of his heart we would pray
out of this great privilege to make
cries in the earth that represent is
heart well the word here anything you
desire is two words in the New Testament
for a will of God and one is that which
is concrete it’s established you can
vote yes or no it doesn’t matter it’s
gonna happen anyway it’s like Jesus is
coming back well I don’t believe it
doesn’t matter you don’t get to vote
[Laughter]
your prayer has nothing to do with it
your belief system has nothing to do
with he’s just decided he’s going to do
it period it’s going to be done that’s
the will of God but there’s another part
of the will of God that is actually one
of the ways that could be described as
it’s a dream or desire I wish him done
you say well he can pull off anything he
wants he can force anything into being
that he wants to but his dream is not
the outcome his dream is the journey
with yielded people that helped to bring
about the desired outcome he values the
journey above the destination
so he brings us into this relationship
where we have the privilege privilege of
lifting up the cry of our heart the will
of God that were just set in concrete
then there’s the dream that wish you
know in you remember what we call the
Lord’s Prayer that really the disciples
prayer because in it is the confession
of sin and Jesus didn’t have any in that
prayer our Father who art in heaven
hallowed be your name your kingdom come
we’ll be done that word Willis dream
wish it’s a prayer of God we want your
dreams we want your dreams to happen
here just like they do in heaven there’s
no hindrance to your dream there but
there is here it’s called the will of
man that you empowered and so it’s a
it’s a mirroring of the heart of God I
tell people half humorously all the time
let’s say you tell me God doesn’t hear
you but when you pray we’ll talk to him
about what he wants to talk about it’s
really good it’s better than you thought
it was he’s really good talking about it
he really loves the nation’s talk to him
about it tell us dream gets is your
dream see that’s the whole point is the
interaction continues until we pick up
his heart with being into mirror back to
him not as robots robots programmed to
pray for specific things but as sons and
daughters that learn what our destiny is
all about and we lift up the cries of
the heart representing his heart and
there’s something happening in that
merging of hearts the marriage of hearts
where the father becomes glorified
because he delighted in your cry and the
answers and it says all of creation
celebrates that God created a system
whereby a covenant people can make a
difference in the course of world
history a covenant people can have
prayers answer and it is his delight to
do so it’s this by this my father is
glorified that you bear much fruit and
in this context the fruit is answers to
prayer
sixteen says you didn’t choose me I
chose you appointed you that you should
go and bear fruit interesting you’ve
been appointed to bear fruit me too and
that fruit should remain listen to this
whatever you ask the Father in my name
he may give you what’s the point the
point is is he’s trying to co-create the
relational connection between a yielded
heart and a generous heart so that his
purposes will be fully realized in the
earth and all creation will celebrate
his plan worked his plan worked
broken destroyed hell-bent humanity
redeemed and now they’re making a
difference in the course of world
history we never thought I could work
but it’s working look they were forgiven
now they look so much like Jesus this is
amazing it’s working all of creation
groans and travails for the sons and
daughters of God to realize who they are
and take their rightful place that is
this purpose this prayer heaven is
waiting to celebrate the answers to
prayer but as a result of not a request
as the result of a yes to a journey may
that increase on us a hundredfold beyond
what we’ve ever imagined or thought ever
heard of before I want to give one
opportunity here there’s always a chance
there’s a crowd this size that there are
people here that don’t know what it is
to actually walk with God as a son or a
daughter to God I don’t know what it is
to be forgiven don’t know what it is to
have said yes to follow Jesus as Lord as
master you don’t know what it is to be
forgiven and yet I want to give you the
opportunity before we do anything else
if you’d say bill I don’t want to leave
till I know I’m at peace with God I’m
right with God till I know that I’ve
been forgiven I turn my life complete
to Jesus to follow him if that’s you if
you’re in that place today and you’d say
bill I don’t want to leave til I’m norm
right with God put a hand up right where
you are cause we’re gonna pray right
down here wonderful nobody else right
over here’s another one give anybody
else wave your hand in you said you
don’t want to leave till I know I’m
right with God is that a hand back here
we got so many worshipers I can’t tell
you know who’s getting saved is one one
last crack at it anybody that I missed
put a hand up because I want to make
sure that every person you have I saw
you right here so all this one right
over here I missed you wonderful another
one there thank you so wonderful I want
to ask all of you to stand and hold your
places please we’ve got the freedom
banner over here all of you that raised
your hand this is not about Bethel it’s
not about joining any church in town it
is about a personal relationship with
Jesus to know what it is to be forgiven
and I’m going to ask every person that
just raised your hand please come
quickly right now right over to my left
to a trusted group of friends who want
to talk and pray with you
I would like ministry team people to
come to the front quickly as well I want
you to be able to come god bless you sir
bless bless you