BEING WHOSE FRUIT IS IT? (3 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Mark 4:1-20
This content is part of a series.
Being Whose Fruit Is It? (3 of 4)
Series: Serving Jesus
Jeff Strite
Mark 4:1-20
OPEN: Back in the 70's, a man and his wife were driving to thru Cape Cod, when they spotted a field loaded with blueberries. They stopped and proceeded to eat their fill. As they turned back to the car, the husband noticed that the rear door was open. In the back sat a Cape Codder munching away on the cantaloupe that they had bought at a fruit stand.
''Hey,'' shouted the husband, ''that's my cantaloupe!''.
The old fellow swallowed the bite he had in his mouth and, with a nod in the direction of the field replied, ''Them's my blueberries.''
APPLY: Those tourists had treated that field of blueberries as if it belonged to them. But the field didn't belong to them. The blueberries didn't belong to them.
I. Likewise… there are people who forget that God is like that farmer: He owns everything. He owns everything because He created everything.
And, even more importantly, He owns us.
When we became Christians we gave ourselves over to Him. When we confessed that He was now our Lord and Master, we were declaring that we now belonged to Jesus. When we were buried in the waters of Christians baptism, we ''put on Christ.'' We said to Christ - ''you own me.'' ''You own EVERY part of me.''
Paul writes in Romans 7:4 ''So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to… him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
In other words: Jesus died for us… He bought us… AND because of that He ''owns us,'' and has the right to expect that we will bear ''Fruit.'' He has every right to expect that we will be productive with what He has given us.
IN FACT: throughout Jesus' ministry, He constantly talked about the fact that we should bear fruit:
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my na ...
Series: Serving Jesus
Jeff Strite
Mark 4:1-20
OPEN: Back in the 70's, a man and his wife were driving to thru Cape Cod, when they spotted a field loaded with blueberries. They stopped and proceeded to eat their fill. As they turned back to the car, the husband noticed that the rear door was open. In the back sat a Cape Codder munching away on the cantaloupe that they had bought at a fruit stand.
''Hey,'' shouted the husband, ''that's my cantaloupe!''.
The old fellow swallowed the bite he had in his mouth and, with a nod in the direction of the field replied, ''Them's my blueberries.''
APPLY: Those tourists had treated that field of blueberries as if it belonged to them. But the field didn't belong to them. The blueberries didn't belong to them.
I. Likewise… there are people who forget that God is like that farmer: He owns everything. He owns everything because He created everything.
And, even more importantly, He owns us.
When we became Christians we gave ourselves over to Him. When we confessed that He was now our Lord and Master, we were declaring that we now belonged to Jesus. When we were buried in the waters of Christians baptism, we ''put on Christ.'' We said to Christ - ''you own me.'' ''You own EVERY part of me.''
Paul writes in Romans 7:4 ''So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to… him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
In other words: Jesus died for us… He bought us… AND because of that He ''owns us,'' and has the right to expect that we will bear ''Fruit.'' He has every right to expect that we will be productive with what He has given us.
IN FACT: throughout Jesus' ministry, He constantly talked about the fact that we should bear fruit:
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my na ...
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