CMLC 2025-06-01 Sermon

Many of you may remember, you know, last year

I had bought some trees. I bought a fig tree.

And then while I was there, I was like, well,

I'm already here. I might as well buy two more

trees anyway. I don't plan on coming back next

year per se. And I bought two avocado trees at

the same time. So now I've got these three trees

that are sitting there. And over and over again,

I just keep wondering, what have I gotten myself

into? You know, with these trees, Each one kind

of has a life of its own, kind of does its own

thing. And each one, it's got its potential for

new life and new growth. But every day I'm looking

at them and I'm just wondering, are they doing

okay? Are they struggling? Is something wrong?

What's actually happening with them? Sometimes

I'm looking to maybe the leaves look like they're

small or drooping or, you know, they're still

young so they don't have any fruit on them yet.

The branches are still bare. And then there are

also times whenever I see some of the leaves

and they get a little brown at the edges and

I'm like... Oh no, what do I do? And I water

them more, and I put them into bigger pots, and

maybe check to make sure to add some nutrients,

and I want to give them every chance to thrive

because these trees, they want to grow. They

want to do this. But I need to look out for them.

This black thumb that I've had for so many years,

I have got to get over it. for their sake. Because

if the roots don't go deep enough, if the water

doesn't reach them, if the soil doesn't have

the right nutrients, it won't matter how much

sunlight they get. They won't blossom. Today's

scripture is giving us a tree of what it is that

God is doing in our lives. A tree that doesn't

just bloom, but blooms every month of the year.

A different fruit for each month. But what's

the secret? Is the secret that the tree has better

genetics or that somehow, you know, that it's

got the best fruit that it could ever be? The

secret is the river that it's planted on. The

tree is planted beside the river of life that

flows from the throne of God and from the Lamb.

And that's the kind of life that we've been looking

at for the last month. These last several weeks

that we're looking at different parts of what

it is to be rooted in the river of God. What

it is that His Word continues to strengthen us

by His Spirit. A life that is rooted, nourished,

and fruitful because it flows from Christ. As

John said it, we are in Him the way He is in

the Father. Deeply rooted, fully connected, completely

alive. We are being called to abide in Him. a

place where the living water will nourish us,

heal us, grow us into something that we could

not be on our own. Because faith is not something

just that we say one time as a statement. It

is a tree that continues to be fed in order to

grow and to thrive. But you know, I'm trying

my best to learn a little bit at a time about

these trees and one of the things you know about

trying to figure out how it is to make sure that

it's fruitful and That that it can be abiding

in what is needed go back one go back one real

quick. I want to show you This one that's the

fig tree all right, and that's the one I was

really excited about all right now thinking about

this is I was wondering whether or not there

were enough nutrients in that soil. So I went

ahead and added some that I had gotten from Home

Depot. And if that's a bad place to go for plant

nutrients, just don't tell me. Just go with it.

But the nutrients that are in the soil, one of

the things that I was realizing is that apparently

you have to worry about the pH level that's in

the soil. This is a little different for me because

like I stick my finger in the soil and I'm kind

of like, I don't know, does that feel like the

right pH level or something like that? Maybe

I should lick it or put it in the air or something

like that. I don't know. And I have no idea what

to do with that. How in the world do I figure

out the pH level? Because the thing about it

is that if you have the wrong pH, if it's too

acidic or too basic, then apparently the plant

will still starve. even if it has everything

else that it needs. So realizing that it could

have food and light and water and everything,

and if the pH is wrong, then it's not reaching

out to any of it. And that's oftentimes what

we end up seeing, like with our own hearts. We

could be hearing the Word of God, Receiving encouragement.

We could have people around us that are speaking

words of comfort to us, but sometimes when the

heart that we have inside, if it's too acidic,

too biting, too angry, or maybe too basic, it

just doesn't really want to receive what's there.

Then it doesn't matter how much nourishment is

there, our hearts are just pulling back. See,

we talked a few weeks ago about how oftentimes

we let fear control us. We say that we're being

faithful, but in reality we're letting fear keep

us away from people, places, opportunities, to

comfort and to encourage. We allow ourselves

to be pulled away because we're afraid. I mean,

what is it that whenever we don't want to step

out to the responsibility the sensibility that

might be there. I remember how afraid I was,

even just getting in the car to go and drive

and get those trees, because I'm like, what kind

of life is it going to be for them? What happens

if they die and then I bought them and it was

pointless? And I kept hearing from the gardeners,

don't worry, they're really good plants. You're

not going to be able to kill them that easily.

And I'm like, give me a chance. But you know,

I remember reading about Jesus and the fig tree.

And when he saw that the fig tree didn't bear

fruit, and he comes back later and he had said

that he would condemn this fig tree. How afraid

are we? We're afraid oftentimes in this Christian

life. Don't want to try something that may be

different. We don't want to reach out. We don't

want to try something that is a little bit beyond

us. Because we're spending the time saying, what

happens when I fail? And this fear, this feeling

of, is it even worth trying? But you see, the

point with the fig tree was not about whether

or not the fig tree by itself was able to do

it. Jesus was there. and the fig tree still didn't

want to bear fruit. This isn't about God trying

to condemn us to try to say, hey, you're not

a good enough tree. But rather is that God keeps

bringing us His waters of life to feed us so

that we can bear that fruit. We're not trying

to bear that fruit because we're good enough

on our own. We're only able to do it because

Christ is with us. It's not just about drinking

the water, it's being rooted in it. Because instead

of just being afraid to reach out and get what

we need, instead, are we willing to dip down

into what God has given us? His Word, His forgiveness,

His life, His hope. Are we willing to dig down

deep? Are we willing to try? But you know there's

a lot of other things that may end up happening

We may even be looking at apparently that there

is a lack sometimes of iron that might be there

Maybe there's not enough iron so apparently pumping

iron is not just for people my fig trees are

supposed to be doing the same thing but Realizing

that with an iron deficiency even if they're

getting all of this light It can't photosynthesize.

It can't take the light and turn it into energy

if it doesn't have the right iron content. And

apparently that throws off the pH and everything

else. How often is it that we're worried that

somehow we're not going to grow the way that

others are around us? We don't have the energy.

We don't know if we're in the right soil. We

don't know if we're in the right place. See for

me as I was looking at those trees and I put

them in my backyard The whole time I'm thinking

of myself. This is not where they belong They

need to be at an orchard. They need to be around

the other trees You know as I'm thinking together

How are these trees going to make it on their

own? with just me and As I'm looking at this

and I'm thinking what's going to happen to them

and realizing It's not the orchard. It's not

the other trees that they're around that's going

to make it better. It's whether or not they're

being cared for by the gardener. That's a thing

for me is to realize that it's not about whether

we're always on the same page with each other.

If we're all in the same place. It's asking whether

each one of us is being rooted in Christ Jesus.

Whether or not we are receiving what it is to

make us strong, that we could be seeing the light

that's coming to us and not do anything with

it. See, Jesus isn't just looking for us to abide

with each other. That's not the point. The point

is that as we all abide in Christ, we find a

unity because of what actually matters. Because

of what God's Word is doing. in each and every

one of us, because unity, it's not about the

togetherness. If it were, we would just find

our little tribes, just stick with the people

that we're the most comfortable with. The trees

would never leave their orchard, they'd never

go any place else. But even more than that, they

would just tolerate everything else around them.

There would be one of the things that I saw was

that apparently the avocado trees Apparently

if you put two different ones by each other they

can be able to cross pollinate and there's other

opportunities there So I bought two But I've

been worried about this one here I've been worried

about this one right here, and I'm feeling like

there might be more That I may need to do for

this And that also kind of reminds me that in

a lot of ways, I'm also wondering, well, yeah,

but if I mess up, do I have a second chance?

But you know, there is a second chance. Turns

out, I did buy a second one. I don't know, that

one's looking a whole lot better. But you know,

with that being the case, what else might be

happening in these plants? It's the same gardener

doing the same thing. Why is this one all green

and pretty, the other one not so much? And it

turns out that there is actually times where

you might put too much nitrogen in the soil.

And then it turns out that it may have beautiful

green leaves, but it wouldn't necessarily bear

fruit or flowers. It could look healthy and completely

miss the point. We oftentimes, in our lives,

do the things that look beautiful and amazing.

We have things that we take joy in and pride

in. The beautiful family, the beautiful home,

the great career, having money for the vacations

and all the things that we're just so proud of.

But are we bearing fruit? Like the actual fruit.

The love, the joy, the peace. Are we patient?

Are we kind? Are we good? Are we faithful? Do

we have self -control? What was the ninth one?

Faithfulness, gentleness. I always forget the

ninth one. To be gentle is something that our

world doesn't exactly take pride in. And that's

the thing with this tree, is this fear, is this

tree just growing pretty... leaves, and it won't

be able to produce the fruit when it's time.

But you know, today is still a day for me to

go and water this plant. Today is still a day

for me to go and check if I need to add anything

to it. Today is a day to look to see maybe it's

time to put it into a larger pot from this. Because

today is another day that as long as that stem,

as long as that root has life, There's still

a chance and it does because that life is still

there. As much as we may be frustrated at ourselves,

we are still called to try again. Why? Because

we're the ones that the nations need to look

to. If we give up on bearing fruit today, then

what is it that the rest of the world will ever

have to be restored? The world does not find

restoration without Christ, and Christ is not

known to the world unless we bear the fruits

that come from Him. But even more than that,

it says, come and take the water of life without

cost. Because as much as we may stumble with

bearing the fruit, that water is free for the

taking. There is nothing that God is looking

to do to shame us, to condemn us, to take us

away from the water that we need. But you know,

there's something a little different about that

water. Because the source of that river, it's

a little different. The source of that river

is God and His Lamb. Because it turns out that

the type of water itself may often be something

to be concerned about if you have salty water

or Contaminated water it actually might burn

the leaves and the plant can't grow and if it

grows the fruit It's like really small and undeveloped

Which just to let you know that yes, it can sometimes

be dangerous to be a little too salty you know

we often will take what God has given us and

instead of just sharing it with others, how often

is it that we ourselves are the salty ones, the

bitter ones, the angry ones, the ones who are

frustrated. But the true water is what comes

with forgiveness and grace and hope from Christ.

Imagine, though, If we were in Egypt during the

time of the plagues, and they had turned the

whole water supply, this whole sea, into blood.

Now that was such a concern because you can't

grow anything, you can't drink from it when it's

a sea of blood. But the irony is that that's

exactly where the water comes from in Revelation.

because the only way of finding actual restoration

is from sacrifice. See, it's not the times whenever

we let our saltiness, we let the times when we

are angry or upset, whenever we let the parts

that we just are biting and frustrated, those

can oftentimes pull people away, but rather is

when we go to a place of sacrifice. of loving

others even when it can be hard for us. That's

the only way to actually restore the world is

to love the world with the love that sacrifices

the way that Christ did. Because the world wants

healing and it may want it without sacrifice.

But any healing without sacrifice is like fruit

without roots. In order to truly come forth with

full life, it has to come from the life that

was already given. See, that's what we see here

with these trees. As much as I may be worried

about those trees in my yard, the best part about

it, though, is that they're not alone. They may

have a flawed gardener, but they do have a gardener

that actually cares. And that's something we

forget a lot. is that as we stumble through these

things that we face in our world, we're not doing

it with the God that has just kind of sat off

to the side as if He's forgotten us. This is

a gardener who loves us so much that He would

sacrifice for us. See, we're not alone. We're

not just meant to push ourselves harder as if

somehow the fruit is just something to try harder

to create. The fruit comes because we dig deeper

into what God has promised. That each part of

what His Word has been, that as His Spirit speaks

into us, it walks us through the struggles that

we have. Not just at the times when things feel

the easiest or the strongest, but in every season

of our life. Because God is continuing to speak

truth and life into us. And He needs to. Not

just for us. Because the world around us is desperate.

They are hungry. They are looking for what to

eat. And those who know Christ are the only ones

who have fruit worth consuming. Because the hungry,

the tired, the sick, they're coming for something.

And if the fruit that comes from us, if it's

missing that water from Christ, then it will

never be the true fruit to feed the world. You

may not feel like that tree. You may feel dry

or ordinary, but the miracle is that it's not

about the tree being special. It's about where

we're rooted in. So today, for our sake and for

the sake of the world, may we be rooted in Christ

Jesus. May we drink, may we wash these garments

white as snow, may we abide, not because we're

the source, we're the branch, we're the leaf,

we're the fruit, but we are rooted with where

the water and the fruit and the life truly comes

from. So may the world be healed by the water

that Christ has given us and to everyone, one

tree at a time. Thanks be to God.