The Year of Great Growth

Luke chapter 13 and we're gonna begin reading at the sixth verse today very familiar passage of Scripture but I think it is right on time for us the Bible says in verse 6 of Luke chapter 13 he also spoke this parable a certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and he found none then he said to the keeper or the gardener of the vineyard look he said 'i looked for three years i have come seeking fruit so i want you to get the picture you've got the owner of the vineyard who has come to the vineyard to seek something from the tree that he allowed to be planted in the vineyard and he has come year after year consecutively looking for fruit so this is this he's saying look I've come for three years I'm looking for fruit on this fig tree and I'm finding none so he makes an executive decision and he says cut it down cut it down why doesn't use up the ground the King James might say why does it encumber the ground why does it use up the ground but the gardener or the vineyard he answered and he said to him sir let it alone this year also I know you came last year in the year before that the year before that but I'm asking you to just let it alone see what you're hearing you're hearing two different perspectives you're hearing an owner and you're hearing a gardener [Music] it is important that we hear both perspectives you're hearing an owner that says I'm looking for a return on an investment that I've made and I'm not seeing a return and so since I'm not seeing a return I need to get it up out of here because we could possibly put something else there that will give us a return but then you had this gardener who is merciful so you got justice and mercy talking at the same time somebody ought to be happy today that mercy prevails hallelujah you don't have to tell us what you did but every last one of us we ought to be thankful that mercy prevails let it alone sir until I dig around it and I fertilize it okay I hate to be the bearer of bad news but look at your neighbors say there's some stuff coming your way there is some stuff coming your way but when it is all said and done we're trusting that it's gonna cause you to be a fruit and if it bears fruit well but if not after that you can cut it down so I want to just Sonny before last I talked about devote yourself to grow yourself I'm kind of gonna pick up along those same lines and I want you to look to somebody on your right and say neighbor 2019 is your year of great growth turn together neighbors say neighbor God has given you one year come on say that again God's given you one year you already into January by a couple weeks so you ain't quite got one year yet left but telling God's giving you one year for great growth Spirit of God I thank you for what you put in my heart and I thank you for the anointing to deliver what you're laid on the altar of my heart I thank you that people have used to hear minds to receive we don't take this for granted God we're hearing from you we live for you we love for you we pressed our way for you now cause also God if there's any wax in our ears that would cause us to not hear any wax of preconceived ideas any wax of generational curses if there's any wax in our ear of religious tradition that would stop us for me hearing a precise word on this Sunday morning in 2019 that you have blessed us to live to see break it open God dig around it cuz we want to hear you more than anything in Jesus name somebody shout amen amen amen you may be seated on your way down touch somebody and tell him you got to dig it you got to dig it you got to dig it you got it to get the psalmist David and many of you have heard me say this on many occasions that one of my favorite scriptures is Psalms 119 and 130 where the psalmist David said the entrance of thy word brings what it brings light the entrance of the word brings light that's why you got to open your heart and you got to open your spirit the message Bible says it like this it says break open your word and let the light shine out so the word goes in and once it is in our prayer is God break open that word that's within me and let the light of your word shine out that simply means whenever God speaks he penetrates of the darkness if you find yourself in darkness you don't have to stay there if such situations start clouding your life always remember that the entrance of the word brings light so whenever God speaks his word things have got to brighten up things have got to light up the Word of God is like a big flashlight and and the funny thing about it is you don't know how much you need that flashlight until the power goes out and when the power goes out you realize that you've kind of been taking the light for granted and when you turn on the light it just takes a little bit of light you'll find out that you can get by with a whole lot more less light than you thought you had to have when you turn on the light the flashlight will lighten up an entire room the same is true regarding the Word of God when the Word of God is broken open and the light comes out and it begins to shine you can see I can see I can perceive I can discern things that I could not distinguish in the dark I can distinguish in the light and once the word has been broken open then I have clarity and I have understanding I have insight I have knowledge and the B Clause of that Psalms 119 verse 130 in the pret and the passion translation says those with open hearts are given insight to your plan so the entrance of the word brings light it brings illumination and those that have open hearts they get insight to the plan of God those that have opened hearts get insight to the plans of God I need to know his plan more than I need to know anybody's plan Thank You mr. president for yesterday trying to roll out a plan but one one plan that's even more important than his plan is the plans of God those that's what we really got to know because it causes us to see the flip side to that is when the word is not broken open there is no light there is no clarity there is no understanding there's no knowledge there's no insight into the plans of God and since I have decisions that I have to make since you have decisions that you have to make since we have families to raise since we have marriages to work on since we have a destiny that we have been called to pursue since we also have a legacy that we must leave it is imperative that I hear the word of God so look at your neighbor and say I didn't come to hear you I came to hear him the entrance of the word brings light and without the word and without the light I am left in the darkness which means I don't know where to put my foot next I can't discern I can't see I can't recognize the objects that might be in my path so I find myself tripping over and falling for things that I would have never fell for and so I stumble and I I stagger I fail and I fall I trip over over the over little things just a little thing in the middle of the night if you ever tripped over something in the middle of the night just a little thing but it hurt because really it should have been moved out of the way but when you're you're in the dark you can't see that the light and the word is what empowers me and enables me to get over take it around to get above to get through to get beyond the darkness that wants to separate me from the purpose of God that he has for my life therefore I have decided that I can live without hitting the lottery and I can live without a whole lot of things but what I can not live without is the Word of God I can live without living in a wonderful beautiful amazing mansion I could live without fine cars I can live without designer clothes but I cannot I absolutely cannot live without the Word of God because life without the word means life without the light and if you have light without the light then you're going to stumble and you're going to fall so therefore my prayer is for me and for you in 2019 is that God would order our steps in his word and his word the Apostle Paul wrote an emergency letter to the Church of Ephesus and he said I pray in Ephesians 1 any TS and I pray that their eyes of your understanding would be enlightened and there's a reason I'm praying that because I want you to know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of his inheritance that is in the Saints and what he was actually saying to them he said I'm praying that your eyes will be enlightened enlightened I want the light to come on in your eyes because I want you to know what God was hoping for when he created you God had a hope in mind when he created every last one of us and he wants the light to come on in our eyes the songwriters had opened the eyes of my heart Lord open open the eyes open your word because if I don't know your word what happens I stumble I fall I stagger I stagger I hear the promises but I I stagger at the promises and I waver at the promises so therefore teaching becomes very vital to me because teaching points me in the direction that I need to walk towards so that's why as I was praying as over over us this morning I said God if there be anything that would stop me from hearing hearing hearing in my in my spirit break it open just just if there's tradition in me shake me loose of of the traditions of men shake me loose I've been in it for all of my life but I'm at a point now god that I say I don't want it to hinder me I want to grow I want to be open to the bigness of God want to be limited to what people have laid on my life I have a destiny to reach and I want to maximize my potential and I want to close the gap once and for all between what has been promised and what has actually been possessed there is a gap that is in between the two and so as your pastor and as as a shepherd in the flock of God as one who does have to give a account for your soul I really do take my job seriously and because of that I've said it before but I really want this house to be fed a balanced diet so that we can ultimately those of you that call the potter's house North Dallas your home I want you to be fed a balanced diet so that we can grow and that we can be healthy now I do want us to sing and I want us to rejoice I want us to have a spirit of celebration I want us to have great church but I also want us to grow amen and sometimes great church has hindered people from actually growing hello sometimes a great church will cause us to stop maturing it will it will stop us from from being who we need to be in God because we just can't come in and we get excited we've all we had great church but we walk out of here and we didn't take anything out with us we just had that we just had that moment or just that whatever but there was nothing there was no nutrients in it it was like waking up in the morning and eating a spoonful of sugar there's no protein in that there's nothing in that to help you on the journey look at somebody and tell them I got to be helped on my journey now what I love really is knowing that I've got some substance in me and still have great church that's what I love but through the years historically I've been in the church all of my life and I've seen so many different churches and and they made up they may abound in great Church but they're totally lacking area of growth so every time I go back to them over the last five 10 15 years when I go back they're still having great church but I don't see any growth I don't want that to be said of us and so I take my job seriously I want us to become stable ok there and it's sad but I'm gonna say it a lot of people who just have what we would call great church are people that not only do they not grow but sometimes they're mentally unstable hello they become mentally unstable because they're living on a feeling they're living on a drive they're living on an unsure and they don't know how to pay their bills on time they don't know how to talk to their children they don't know how to love their spouse they don't know how to be a kingdom citizen Wow but they know how to shout hello and I think if every preacher would for one minute stop preaching to saints and just start preaching to humans because we are humans and sometimes we get in a big way and we forget that people are humans and we just start talking to church folk but how many of you know church folks are human and I think it's just time for a balance are you happy about that in the body of Christ I'm happy we need that why do we need that because he theevans 4 and 14 says so that we're no longer children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and the cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive understand that there are people out there who are lying in wait to deceive us and too many good people have been deceived why because their children and God is saying uh-uh absolutely not it's time for you to grow up so that you are not tossed to and fro every new thing that comes out oh god isn't that God isn't that God isn't that and God is saying I'm in my church and what I want you to do is just come down for a minute stabilize and realize that we have a kingdom that has to be established I need leaders I need men I need women I need strong families I need strong marriages and okay if you've been shown in the church and still have a strong marriage but if shouting in the church is stopping you from really being able to work on your marriage because you don't have the tools that you need to work on your marriage then church needs to change because we need tools look at somebody tell them we need tools so I won I want us to grow I want us to be able to speak the truth okay truths there is that there is we are suffering from truth decay in the church today not tooth decay but truth decay we're not telling people the truth we're not we're not telling ourselves the truth you're not telling yourself the truth you just continue to believe oh one day is cobia it's gonna be better it's gonna be better Scott yes it will be better but there are things that you and I have got to do in order to make things become better okay can we get can we forget just sitting here spiritualizing everything and thinking that God is gonna come in like a ninja and start fixing everything in our life whatever your hands fine to do he said you do it let me come in when you got something that you can't do let me come in when you absolutely have to have a miracle but your lives are not meant to be live on miracles tell somebody a miracle is an exception but if we get to where we totally have to live our lives on miracles every day then that's stressful I want a miracle when I don't know how to fix it when I don't know what to do I want I want a miracle so we got to be able to speak the truth then we got to be able to speak any love why so that we can grow up unto into him into all things which is head even Christ so I want to preach until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the son and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ I want to preach until we are no longer destroyed so the lack of knowledge yes we know what church feels like but where we haven't we don't have a lot of knowledge outside of that feeling I want to preach until we come we come totally out of ignorance because ignorance is extremely expensive and ignorance threatens to destroy us ignorance is one of the worst enemies that you can have because ignorance see how can I say like this because ignorance is the enemy of progression I [Applause] thought I'd get a bigger amen but it's okay because if you don't give it to I said ignorance is the enemy of progression ignorance wants to stay put in our life so that we will stay where we are and we will never go any further it is the enemy it's the ignorance as the enemy of truth ignorance is the enemy of Revelation and it causes people to miss out on everything that they could potentially become we are not destroyed today for the lack of friends or the lack of money or the lack of possessions or the lack of church we are destroyed for the lack of knowledge and I for one am ready for knowledge to increase in my life ignorance is completely destructive ignorance is a curse and one of its favorite hiding places is in the church one of the hindrances favorite hiding places is in the church it's it loves to hide in people who are seemingly spiritual yeah look I scared of you okay I'm so serious or not that's why we don't just let anybody come in here and get all loud and start changing the order of what God wants to do I'm gonna be a shepherd I'm gonna protect you from all of that to the best of my ability I'm oh look at somebody and say move them take them out and pray for hit them lay hands on them but they're not gonna come in here with the religious spirit and totally take all of the attention off of God and what God is wanting to say and do in this room I'm a shepherd and I like it I'm the cow I am the kind of shepherd that I wanted my entire life I got tired of people coming into a church and just going off and now the whole attention of the church is on them and you walk out of here people people walk out of here with no knowledge with no word with no understanding why because that religious spirit acted up because he likes it when people walk out of here with no knowledge with no word and no understanding but that devil is a liar I mark you for who you are I said I mark you for who you are the blood of Jesus Hey thank you God so he likes to hide in people that come in and all spiritual people know how to act all churchy but that is exactly what it is it is an act can I tell you so much of it it's just learned behavior see I y'all may not come back again but the Lord will give me somebody who will need to hear what I have to say and with that with it whatever that somebody is that's who I'm gonna grab hold of and we're gonna run into the enemy's camp and take back every ounce of knowledge that he ever stole from us and we are going to be Kingdom citizens and we are going to grow up into him into all things we're coming until somebody will coming out of the dark if they act churchy they come to church this is what this is what I mean people come to church but they don't know why they come to church they shout but they don't know why they're shouting they run but they don't know why they're running and a lot of people they project them helps to be extremely spiritual so that they can hide behind so that they can hide their ignorance behind all of that spiritual fit veneer but look at somebody and tell him it ain't gonna work it ain't no work I'm full I'm full they come in here and shout over things that won't last they shout over things that won't last and they will completely ignore the things that will last shouting over things that are temporary but ignoring the things that are eternal we'd get excited and shout because we have a car we have a house we have a whatever and yet Jesus himself died for a serious blood for us went to hell first took the keys from Satan came and rose for us put the keys in our hand and he gave us something that would last forever and that doesn't that's not enough to move us but let somebody put five dollars in my hand come on Church something is terribly wrong with that and I don't want to give the best of my years of my life to something and be ignorant ignorance is a curse look at somebody and tell them it's gotta be broken how is it broken it's broken when we understand God I need to hear you I need to learn I need you to take every preconceived idea that Cheryl has and I ask God that you would just wipe it off if it's not your idea take it out of my life and calls me to be open to in your bigness God calls me to be open to a God that created the heavens and the earth calls me to open my heart open my mind to your word Jesus teach me how to sit down teach me how to be taught because teaching is necessary it brings revelation it brings restoration it brings renewal and it causes you to know have knowledge of who you are in Christ Jesus and when you know you are you walk different and you talk different and you can yourself different you'll walk right into the devil's Hill and say give me those keys those keys are not your give me those key you ain't got the key to my husband you ain't got the key to my gavel your life I take those keys once you get the word in you say what's the word gets in you you're not so needy and you're not so codependent because you're not so desperate there will always be people that are that are needy that are codependent there will always be people that are desperate and my cry is God bring the desperate into this place but you can't live in a desperate place not in season not and receive the word that we have been blessed enough to receive in this house the word ought to change us the Bible says as that as the word increased the disciples multiplied so the more you hear the word the more you ought to multiply they grew great why because the word increased if you are not growing in this church then there's a problem because the word is coming at you you don't don't sit here and throw it back at me and say huh ain't nobody nobody's feed me in this church well find you a church that will feed you and I mean that from the bottom of my heart because as much as word is going out it something ought to grab hold of you something ought to renovate your life something they ought to make you walk out of here and say I'm never doing it that way again I Know Who I am in God I'm not subjecting myself to that again God's anointing is upon me he's anointed me to heal the brokenhearted he's anointed me to bind up their wounds as the word increases the disciples multiplied look at somebody tell him I'm getting greater and greater because of the word good solid teaching is what enables us to grow it enables us to be liberated Jesus himself was the master he was a rabbi he was a teacher wherever he taught people were changed there's no doubt about it when he talked the word people were changed and whenever he talked he and talk to us in parables the power of a parabolic truth is that it can speak different things to different people at different times it's it's that you could you're your grandmother could have read it and it spokes something to her and you can read it it'll speak something to you but then your grandchildren will come along and they will be able to pick it up and it will speak something different to them it in this particular parable it is obvious that we have a vineyard we have the owner of a vineyard we have a vine dresser and we have a fig tree that he has been planted in the vineyard so let's let's observe a few important things about this tree and where this tree is concerned first thing I want you to do is look at your neighbor and say the tree is me now say it again so that you could hear it say the tree in this story is me okay glad we settled all that so one of the first things that I want to point to you in this story is the fact that the tree was actually planted okay the tree was actually set into the soil this was not just a wild fig tree it was not just a tree that happened it's not just a tree that was an accident it was not just an incident it was not a tree that's he was not a seed that just simply fell over the back of the truck along the roadside somewhere and now it's it's grown up to be a tree know this tree was planted and it was planted on purpose so that means that the owner of the vineyard had something in mind when he planted that tree he did not just put it in any old place he didn't say let's just put it on the side of the road he planted that tree in a very particular place look at your neighbor tell him he's very particular about me oh he's I've always believed that he's very particular about me he's very specific I hope he is about to but he's very specific about me he's specific who allows to come into my life he's specific who he brings into my space he's very strategic with me he's very calculated where I'm concerned why because he's got an investment in me and so he's very deliberate when it comes to my life and what he did was he prepared the ground for this seed to go in I don't know who I'm talking to today but I hope you heard that God has prepared the ground for you he did things in the ground that you would not be able to do yourself because you were just in seed form but he went before you and he prepared the ground he did something in advance to help you happen okay so whatever he does in your life you can never take the glory for it because if he had not went before you and prepared the ground had he not tilled the soil the soil has got to be tilled so he will disrupt and he will disturb the ground for you and for me he broke up some things for you he said that might have affected your mother but it will not affect you because I'm breaking it up for you I'm unsettling some places for you I've interrupted some people just for you I've moved somebody out so that I could put you in I cleaned out and I cultivated a spot just for you look at somebody and tell him he planted me regardless of how you got here you have got to know that you are not a mistake I said you are not somebody needs to say it out loud so your ears can hear your mouth say it say I am NOT a mistake you have got to know that your heavenly father planted you for his divine purpose he planted you with an intention you could have been planted in another family you could have been planted in another Church you could have been planted in another generation you could have been planted in another time but he planted you where he planted you like he planted you by whom he planted you for his divine purpose so now you can you gotta understand how can the one that was planted say to the one that planted it you were wrong about me he is not wrong about you he is right about you if anybody is wrong about you it is you that is wrong about you you have been planted by somebody that is bigger than you that knows more than you know whose thoughts are not your thoughts whose waves are not your ways he knows what he put inside of you he knows the potential that is locked up in you though you may not know it and don't may you may not like where you've been planted or you might not think it's fair or you might not understand it at all you have to accept that God is sovereign and his sovereign will in real regardless of your circumstances irregardless of your situation you ought to say everyday I am thankful that I have been planted I am thankful that I have been planted I'm no mistake I'm no accident I know I know mishap I am they an intention of God I am fearfully and I am wonderfully and I like me get somebody tell him I like me I like me that's why I'm waiting on you to celebrate me I will celebrate myself I do take myself out to dinner I will buy myself a purse I will buy myself a pair of shoes hi look at somebody tell him celebrate yourself now look back at him and tell us thank you for giving me permission I am meant to be Who I am I am meant to be where I am I am in the family he meant for me to be the color I'm supposed to be and the size I'm supposed to be I'm in the church I'm supposed to be supposed to be because I tell somebody I've been flattered now what that means Sadam that means I'm not alone y'all are teasing him you're making him think I'm there I'm not there that means I'm not my own I never been my own that means I never will be my own I was here before I was ever mind I was here when I didn't have anything I was his when I didn't have hair to calm I didn't have eyes to see I was here I was when I was dead in my trespasses and even in my sin I was his because he commended his love toward me while I was yet a sinner that means before I had a roots before I had leaves before I had limbs before I had branches I was his when I was in seed form I was his before the foundation of the world was laid I was his before he ever formed my hands and and and made me like he made me before he ever gave me blue eyes and blond hair is someone's gray now but I was his I was his before he ever gave me the personality that he gave me I was here before before my momma ever knew me I was here before my daddy ever knew my momma I was here before he gave me to them I was first yes oh and he knows me he knew me all along the way look at somebody and tell him he knows me he knows me and he has a divine purpose and a divine plan and under my strategy for my life and he wanted me that's the key he wanted me whether they wanted me or not he wanted me he we'll meet elmia that's why I couldn't die in her wall that's why I couldn't that's why I wasn't a card couldn't die of crib death that's why she could not abort me because he had already ordered my steps before ahead of flight he ordered my steps and he chose me and threw everything I've been through in life he sustained me Oh somebody ought to put a brick brace right here right now praise him for sustaining you oh I know there were times you felt like you were going under but come on come on come on somebody thank him for sustaining you think your people thought you would die but look at God he let you live they thought you would collapse I thought you would quit they thought you would throw in the towel but instead I'm still here because God sustain can't nobody keep your sustain like Jesus people thought that if they left you letting go make him they thought if they stopped helping you you wouldn't have any help that look at car help I said he is my help he sustained me here up miss Teddy the Lord is my keeper the Lord is my shade he's have a help sure if he's ever been there for you if he's ever catch you if he's ever sustained you open your mouth and tell him like you you sustain me God that means I didn't really go for too much too far forward but I didn't go back too far either that's God's sustainment brought me over brought me through brought me around other people are dead but I am still here I had to cry but I'm still here my heart was broken but I am still here I was confused but I'm still here I made it by the grace of God I need to know if there's any survivors that will give him up grace there's a reason you're here that's my point yeah sit down that's my point that's my point there is a reason okay we all get excited about saying yeah I'm a survivor but the truth is you were you survive for more than just to be able to say oh yes I'm a survivor you are still here you are you have been kept you have been sustained for divine purpose somebody shout divine purpose it's over my life say it again divine purpose it's over my life I don't know about you guys but that makes me hungry that by its all by itself right there makes me hungry it makes me thirsty that right there is what makes a worship her a worship her because I'm hungry now my next question is I know I've been planted okay now I gotta know why I know I know I survived but why did I survive I know overcame that but why I know that when it looked like I was not gonna make it you pick me up and you let me make it now I'm gonna catch my breath but my very next thought is why did I get out of what other people died yeah what do you want from me what did you put in me that you expect me to give back what is your purpose for my life and the purpose of God for our life is the most important thing because it does not matter how much money you make if you don't know your purpose it doesn't matter how many homes you have our cars you have or how many friends you have if you don't understand the purpose or the intention of the one that calls you you can make all the money in the world but you're never going to be satisfied because you don't understand why you were born but once you get a grip on your purpose nobody can manipulate you nobody can come in and up in you and twist you and make you fit into a puzzle in a place that you know you weren't born to fit in when you know your purpose you can look at that and say that's not who I am that's not who I'm ever gonna be because God has given me a purpose for my life and so now that you know you have a purpose UK you ain't gonna let people push you around you ain't gonna let people say you're nothing you're never gonna be anybody but devil is a liar you don't know what I went through to get here I am still here now I Know Who I am now I also know who's I am now I know what I am I know why I am here and I know where he's going to take me because I know that he planted me with something in mine hey hit somebody and tell him he is mindful of you that means his mind is full of you his mind is full of you he's mind is full of you his mind is full of you so he planted you with a purpose in mind nobody plants something that they don't want you're not gonna go into the garden shop and say yes could you point me in the direction of poison ivy seeds please he don't do that why because you don't want that therefore if he planted me I've got to believe then he wanted me and if he wanted me he wants me to prosper if he wanted me wants me to be productive he wants me to be fruitful and he wants me to grow 2019 must be your year of great growth look at somebody tell him great growth this year nothing less nothing less than great growth he planted a tree in the vineyard and he planted it with a divine purpose you are here on purpose there's a real difference between coming to church simply because you like the location you like the singers you like the preacher you like the children's ministry there's a complete difference when you come to church for that oh when you come to church because you know you've been planted okay and you need to know know that because if you don't you ain't coming for the right reasons and when you don't come for the right reasons you won't last okay eventually somebody will disappoint you the very singers that you love will have several Sundays that they don't sing your song the very preacher that your love will say something on that day that offends you and frustrate you eventually somebody will hurt your feelings somebody is going to make you mad and when they do you will be out of here like a New York minute now you see me now you don't but see that's the difference between you and somebody that's been planted because somebody that's been see you just blew up in here whenever you just kind of the wind just kind of blows you in here and you are just here cuz the wind blew you in here there's a difference between you and the person that's been planted look at somebody and tell them I've been planted I hope you didn't just blow up in here but I have been planted so what that means is I can't go as I wanted to okay I can't quit if I wanted to I can't throw in the towel if I want to chew somebody can hurt your feelings but when you've been planted you still keep coming and you still keep serving even when your feelings are hurt and you know what you keep on being blessed because those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God look at somebody and tell them I'm part of the house I'm part of the structure he has planted me in the field he set me down in his will and he gave me the good sense to stay where he put me Oh tell somebody I found the spot I found the spot one thing have I desired and that will I seek after that I made 12 end up in the house of the Lord all the day tell somebody I want to be in the house I want to be in the house in the time of trouble I got to be in the house when all hell is breaking loose hide me in the house is the good times put me in the house in the bad times I'm going to the house when I'm broke and when I got money I'm going to the house I got victory I'm heading to the house we have enough lights on my life I am going to church because I was glad to me depressed but I'm still going discouraged what I'm still going disappointed but I'm going because God is expecting something so sit down for three years consecutive years the master has come to his victory he should have been able to get what he needed he come to the very place that he planted the fig tree in his own vineyard he came looking for fruit but finding none in other words year after year after year the fig tree never changed the very fact that this tree has been planted in a vineyard tells me that it has been given a specially favored position it could have been planted in a place where there was no one to watch over it there was no one to care for it it could have been that seed that fell along the roadside and it looked like he was gonna grow up but it never did because of the weeds and the cares and the tears of life but this tree had been given a place of advantage we say that right there some of you think your life has been disadvantaged but let me tell you today that there is an advantage to being disadvantaged when it comes to God that well I can't stop doing preaching some of us have been given a better opportunity some of us have been given more than a fair chance to be productive I know what I'm getting ready to tell you it's very hard for you to do but I beseech you by the mercies of God then you touch your neighbor and say neighbor just reminding you that the tree is me in spite of every disadvantage you have had in spite of every disadvantage I have had he has given me more than a fair opportunity why because he has expectations' for Sheryl because we are occupying a space in his vineyard he comes checking to see if the fruit we are producing is anywhere near the kind of level of the grace that we are receiving I was saying again it comes to see if the fruit that we are producing is anywhere near the level of grace that we are receiving he says to us today leaves in a house like this I'm not good enough limbs are not good enough branches are not good enough being in the vineyard is not good enough there must be fruit sitting in this church sitting in this vineyard sitting under the anointing like we have in this house is not enough look at somebody tell him there must be fruit the master is looking for fruit and fruitfulness requires accountability and it requires responsibility I must say that again fruitfulness the thing that God is looking for requires accountability and it requires responsibility and if you are a leader of any kind under the sound of my voice this is the year for you to stop covering up and stop making excuses for lazy people you are not a real leader if you cannot hold yourself and those that are under you accountable take your title laws and go somewhere and sit down because holding people accountable is just as important as encouraging them Bishop Jake's walked into this church Friday was a week ago I listened to the CD again last night because I didn't want to sleep I didn't want just I didn't want to get it out look far out of my hearing don't want to keep it fresh in me and he stood on this platform and he said I declare and I decree a fresh anointing on this house a fresh anointing on every gift in this house on every musician in this house I declare and I decree a fresh anointing on every pastor in this house and every member in this house every joint every cell and every tissue in this house i decree and I declare that this house no weapon formed against you shall be able to prosper so I say to anybody that wants to form a weapon against this house don't waste your time I decree and I declare this house is planted I decree and I declare this house is unshakable it is unmovable it is surrounded by angels I decree and I declare that angels are flapping their wings house I hit the pause button because God immediately took me to Psalms 103 and 20 it's just praised the Lord you angels you mighty ones who carry out his plans who do as he commands who heareth his voice and your hearken unto the voice of his word he said there was the sound of angels that was flapping over this house now the Bible says that those angels are mighty and that they are strong and that when they come they come to carry out his plans they come to do as he commands they hearken unto the voice of not my word but they hearkened to the voice of his work in other words that there is movement in the heavens over this house you've got angels over this house that are revving up their engines they're about to go out and take what God has said about faithful people in this house and they're about to get whatever it is that God has promised those people because then hearken unto the voice of his word lord help me Jesus then he goes on to say there will be healing in this house there will be miracles in this house I guess there will be because the angels harkening unto the voice of his word this house this is what I could not have heard it almost every day this house will be the epicenter of victory of restoration and of change what is so I here I go trying to figure out what is epicenter I think I know what it means but how what what is it what does it mean God so finally this morning I don't even know what time five six o'clock this morning it hits me and I know where to go to look for it what does epicenter mean it means the hot bed it means the hot spot it means the magnet it means the attraction it means there's a draw in this house I'm drawing people into this house to change their lives that is why you cannot come in here and sit up Sunday after Sunday and soak up all the praise and all the worship and all of those things have never changed we are the epicentre of change because of this here's my charge to you to those that think in this church to those that work in this church to those that served in this church we must create a growth environment I said we must create a growth I did not say we must create a churchy environment we can do that we got that down but if we continue to just stay in that vein then we are strengthening what we're already strong at okay so tell somebody to develop the other side of you we have to create a growth environment in our families we have to create a growth environment in our ministries in our marriages we have to create a growth in fact if you are doing something that is causing your marriage to be stunted you need to stop if you are doing something that's causing your children to be insecure you have got to stop if you are doing something that is causing your businesses not to blow up like they should blow up simply because you are connected to the house our bestop bishop is a businessman part non there is no way in the world that we should be connected to him like we are connected to him and us not have any fruit us not have any businesses us not have any way to have a stream of income look at somebody tell him create a growth environment let me tell you something for all of you that just said I'm waiting on the Lord I'm just waiting on the Lord let me tell you this growth environments are not automatic I said they're not automatic they have to be put into place furthermore just being said how you make me nervous just being put into a growth environment alone will not change you okay you can be in a growth environment and still not change that's what happened to Judas Judas was in the crowd he was in an environment of growth but he still betrayed him you have to have not just a growth environment but you have to have a cooperating desire are not hearing me there has to be a cooperating desire within you that says I want to grow I never want to be where I am again I want to maximize everything that God put in me so simply coming to a church will not grow you any more than going to Pizza Hut will make you a pizza are y'all follow me you have to come in with the mindset that says I will devote myself to grow myself I'm not waiting on pastor to grow me this year I'll take what she says and our feet from it but when it is all said and done I'm going to devote myself to grow myself and win your inward cooperating desire align itself with the growth environment damn you have got fruit one more thing if you don't really want to grow a growth environment is only going to irritate you I said if you don't want to grow a growth environment is only gonna irritate you it's gonna add you takeyou why they change it again why they say this and then they said that why and next thing you know because we're growing environment whatever little position or title that you have been given now eventually it's we're gonna come to you and we go shift some things and now you gonna really be offended and really agitated but I'm here to tell you we got to grow with you or without you [Applause] preach pastor Brady why because everything that's changing is growing we are the epicenter of change so we have got to continue to grow that is why God is demanding that we devote ourselves to grow ourselves because listen here's something else what you what you devote yourself to nobody has to come to you and remind you you signed up nobody has to come to you and excites you nobody has to come to you and motivate you to serve nobody has to send you 15 emails from your church before you ever respond to one we don't want to send you 15 emails that's things that we could be doing that would dedicate we can dedicate ourselves to other areas of growth if you would take a minute and say count me in this is my year to grow no point you devote yourself to something you nobody has to encourage you nobody has to beg you be on time for church nobody has to beg you please be here for this meeting nobody has to beg you to do anything you know why because when you have devoted yourself you do it all for yourself you wake up to thinking wow I'd have to go to church today I can't miss I can't miss the first five minutes there's stuff that happens in the first five minutes I ain't no be late now I understand sometimes y'all are y'all are late because of parking issues I'm not talking about that I had totally understand that and we're gonna fix that - in the name of Jesus but I'm talking about people that are lazy y'all don't like me I don't really care back Hey after years of enjoying the privilege I got a go of being planted years of soaking up the Sun soaking up the nutrients soaking up the atmosphere years soaking up the preaching the praise in the presence years after years of drawing strength from the soil and yet rendering nothing worth substance in return the owner of the vineyard says get the ax cut it down but wait doesn't it have potential doesn't it have purpose doesn't it have capacity yeah it's got all of that but this tree has broken the spiritual law it has received and it hasn't given nothing in return it's taken in but it ain't putting that now comes in Sunday after Sunday and hears the word but walks out of here and never tells it to any man let me tell you in closing today at the days of us just enjoying the gospel and not bringing forth the fruit of the gospel over look at somebody tell him you better get it together get it together guys I'm not preaching anything to you that I'm not preaching to myself I really love to master everything that I preached but sometimes I mean I'm a work in progress - God has been patient with us but some of us are stretching his patience some of us are in covering the ground we're taking up space were hindering the whole and justice is demanding that the acts be laid to the roof look at somebody and tell him this is your year to get it together but what I love about God is he gave us that year and just in the nick of time mercy spoke up I said mercy spoke up I don't know who I'm talking to but mercy has spoke up in your life in 2019 God said I'm giving you a space I'm gonna lay the charges okay but I'm also gonna look for a return on my investment I have put something into your life and this is the year for you to let some things go so your hands can receive what I'm about to give you this is your year to be stretched this is the year to cut some people off and some things off this is the year to wake up and realize but I don't have time to waste continuously pouring myself into people that refused to really change they want your time they want your opinion they want to tie you up telling them what to do and then they walk out of your presence and never do anything that you have suggested that they do God said cut them off this is the year to prioritize your passion this is the year to make tough decisions so you've got yes and mean it this is the year to make your calling and election sure sure here to be stretched it's your year to not accept limitations put on you by man look at somebody and tell him don't accept it you're here to get rid of excess baggage whenever God brings you into a new season he releases you from old things go ahead and be release from it because you are in a new season here's your assignment here's your takeaway you go home and you dig everything out of your life that's hindering you look at your neighbor say can you dig you got to be a certain age to understand that can you dig it this is your digging season dig out of all of those self-inflicted delays that have held you back dig them out of your mind take them out of your spirit break up any lazy spirit break up eunuch get over spirit break up any uncomment uncommitted compromising break up the hard and the callous places in your life why because God wants us to know that ticking is an act of faith I said digging is an act of faith digging says I'm positioning myself for something that is coming there is a rain that is coming and I am positioning myself but faith I'm digging stuff out of my life digging it out so that the rain doesn't just rest on the surface of my life but when it comes it gets down deep into the root of my life so that I can grow and I want every opportunity to let God know you did not waste your investment in me put the shovel God into my life dig all around me move out friends I'm not supposed to have dig out relationships dig out habits that are causing me to fall short dig out my nasty attitude dig out depression take out discouragement dig out bitterness look at somebody and kill it get ready for a massive dig out [Music] because the rain is gonna fall the rain is coming the rain is coming that lorry is coming the Glory's coming so you have to didn't dig it all out of you you said it I'll dig it and then I'm gonna throw some myths in your direction let me see how you handle that well you know what he said I'm Oh dig it and I'm all dung it dung means waste it means I'm gonna throw some feces in your direction but if you keep the right perception that's feces ain't cuz I'm mad at you that's feces it's cuz I'm getting ready to grow you so I gotta fertilize you so fall of you that feels like in heaven has dumped a truckload of manure in your life that's really a compliment that's God saying I'm getting ready to grow you a truckload that's why I had a fertilizer like a fertilizer that's why the break-up where I had to break you because I need to break up the fallow ground and is gonna take all of that to help you it's gonna take all of that mess it's gonna take all of this stinky things that you went through in 2008 a to prepare you for what God has for you in 2000 and

Channel: Sheryl Brady

Views: 31,677

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Keywords: Pastor Sheryl Brady, Sheryl Brady, The Potter's House of North Dallas

Id: t7qBOCuuvOg

Length: 69min 24sec (4164 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 24 2019