[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