BREATH OF LIFE
MINISTRIES PRESENTS:
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SERMON B533 - FRUIT
OR LEAF: WHAT ARE YOU?
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[music] BREATH
OF LIFE THEME MUSIC
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PB: Mark chapter
11, verse number 12.
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The Word of God
says, “And on the morrow,
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when they were come
from Bethany, he was hungry:
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And seeing a fig tree
afar off having leaves,
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he came, if haply he
might find any thing thereon:
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and when he came to it,
he found nothing but leaves;
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for the time of
figs was not yet.
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And Jesus
answered and said unto it,
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No man eat fruit of
thee hereafter for ever.
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And his disciples heard
it.” Go to verse number 20:
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“And in the
morning, as they passed by,
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they saw the fig tree
dried up from the roots.
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And Peter calling to
remembrance saith unto him,
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Master, behold, the fig
tree which thou cursedst
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is withered away. And
Jesus answering saith unto them,
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Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you,
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That whosoever shall
say unto this mountain,
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Be thou removed, and
be thou cast into the sea;
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and shall not
doubt in his heart,
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but shall believe
that those things which
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he saith shall come
to pass; he shall have
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whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you,
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What things soever
ye desire, when ye pray,
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believe that ye receive them,
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and ye shall have them.
And when ye stand praying,
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forgive, if ye
have ought against any:
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that your Father
also which is in heaven
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may forgive you
your trespasses.”
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Fruit or leaf? What
are you? Bless us now,
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God, for the next
couple of minutes.
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Move by your
power and your Spirit
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in this place. Let
the words of my mouth
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and the
meditations of my heart be
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acceptable in
thy sight, oh Lord,
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my strength, my redeemer.
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It's in Jesus'
name we pray. Amen.
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Aud.: Amen.   
PB: Now, people often
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read this text and
they shout on verse 22,
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when Jesus says,
“Have faith in God.”
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And yes, that's
something to shout about.
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We need to have
faith in God. Faith is
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the substance of
things hoped for,
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the evidence of things
not seen. Without faith,
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it is impossible to please God,
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because God is a
rewarder of those that
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diligently seek
him. Which means those
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that need God,
those that want God,
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and those that
ought to have God must
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first come to
God. But then we shout
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louder on verse
23, when Jesus says
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that if you have
a mountain in your
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way in your life,
don't climb up the
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rough side of the mountain.
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Jesus never told you to climb up
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the rough side of the mountain,
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but Jesus said,
speak to that mountain,
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and say to that
mountain, be thou removed.
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So stop trying to
climb your mountains
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and start
speaking to your mountains.
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Do I have a
witness in this place?
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But the true
context of this text is
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not solely rooted
in verses 22 and 23,
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but in the larger
context of this passage,
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Jesus is talking
about fruits and leaves.
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You see, in Mark
chapter 11, Jesus and
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his disciples are
entering the final
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week of Jesus'
earthly life. Jesus and
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the disciples are
traveling from Bethany
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to Jerusalem by
foot. But just before Jesus
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gets to Jerusalem,
he tells disciples to go
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get a donkey that
has never been ridden
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and bring the donkey to him.
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Now, the Bible says
of that donkey in verse
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number 13 that the
Lord hath need of him.
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Now, it's
interesting that our Lord would
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need anything. Jesus is
God. Jesus is our Creator.
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Jesus is King of
kings and Lord of lords.
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Why would Jesus
have need of anything? Of
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all the things
that he would need,
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would he really need a donkey?
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But when Jesus was
born into this world,
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he laid aside his
heavenly glory for a
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time to live in
this world as a man.
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Then the one who
then made all things
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became dependent
on the things he made.
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The Creator
became a helpless infant
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dependent upon his
mother for everything.
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The Creator created
the stars, but he had
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nowhere to lay his
own head. The Creator
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created everything
out of nothing, but he
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had to borrow a boat from
which to preach his gospel.
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The Creator created
every drop of water that
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exists in the
world, but yet he cried,
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“I thirst,” when he
was dying on the cross.
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He created every
tree, but he had to die on
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a borrowed tree.
He created every rock,
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but he had to borrow
a tomb to be buried in.
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He used the
clouds as his chariot,
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but he had to borrow a
donkey on which to ride.
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When Jesus was
born into this world,
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he remained fully God,
but he also became fully man.
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Two natures harmonized
but never completely blended.
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As man he got
tired, but as God he said,
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“Come unto me,
all ye that labor and
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are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.”
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As man he wanted
companionship, but as God
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he had to tread
the wine press alone.
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As man he got
hungry, but as God he fed
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5,000 with two fish
and five loaves of bread.
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As man he got
thirsty, but as God he said,
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“Drink of living
fountains and living
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waters that
shall never run dry.”
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As man he wept
at Lazarus' grave.
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But as God he resurrected
Lazarus from the grave.
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Jesus leaves
Jerusalem, goes back to Bethany.
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The next day he
leaves Bethany to go
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back to Jerusalem.
And this, my friends,
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is by foot, not in a
car. So stop complaining,
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young people, when
you have to walk from
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the dorm to the church or class.
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It could be much
worse. Are you hearing
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what I'm saying?
Jesus and his disciples
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go back from
Bethany now to Jerusalem,
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and the Bible
says he gets hungry.
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As he walks, the
Bible says he sees a
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fig tree afar off. The
tree is full of leaves;
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so because it's in
full leaf, Jesus goes
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to the tree hoping to
find some figs to eat.
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But when Jesus gets to the tree,
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he finds nothing but leaves.
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Now, this is
important, because if a
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fig tree has leaves,
the fig tree is supposed
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to have fruit. Are you
hearing what I'm saying?
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But not only is it
supposed to have fruit,
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it's supposed to
have a lot of fruit.
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Because fig trees
can grow to a height
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of 20-30 feet,
having branches between
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25-30 feet, which
means fig trees are very,
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very large. Fig
trees can produce as many
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as three crops in a single year.
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So, because
fruit then grows as the
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fig tree produces its leaves,
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it was only
reasonable for Jesus to assume
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that there would be
fruit on the tree when
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he saw all the
leaves on the tree.
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Somebody's going to
get this in a minute.
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But when Jesus
searched the tree,
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all he saw were
leaves. No fruit. Just leaves.
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Just leaves. This fig
tree was deceptive because its
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leaves promised
something it couldn't deliver.
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The leaves promised
fruit, but there was
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no fruit on the
tree. There was nothing
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wrong with the soil,
nothing wrong with the sap;
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there was simply no
fruit. This tree had
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been given everything
it needed to flourish.
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It sat in a good
location, it grew in good soil,
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it enjoyed the
sunshine and the rain, but still
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there was no fruit.
When we consider this text,
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we must take the
text in its context.
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Israel was just like
this fruitless fig tree.
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Israel had all the
signs of spiritual life,
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but they had no
fruit. They were keeping
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the letter of the
law, but they had no fruit.
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They were carrying
out temple ceremonies,
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but they had no
fruit. They were observing
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the ancient
feasts and sacrifices,
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but they had no
fruit. They were religious
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in every detail, but
they had no spiritual fruit.
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Israel had been
given every advantage that
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could be afforded to a
people, but still no fruit.
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They had received the
personal attention and
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redemption of an almighty
God, but still no fruit.
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They had been planted in
good land, but still no fruit.
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They had the Word of
God, the prophets of God,
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the temple of God,
but they had no fruit.
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They had
everything they needed for a
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spiritual bumper crop,
but they still had no fruit.
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Israel promised all
who saw her that she
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could show them the
way to God, when in reality
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all Israel could show
them was the way to religious
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bondage and the way to
hell. Israel had gone to leaf;
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no fruit, just
leaf. Israel looks alive,
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but Israel was
spiritually barren.
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And so today there's a
message in the text for us.
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When the Lord
examines our lives,
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what does the Lord
see? Does he see us bearing
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fruit to the glory of
God, or does he see just
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a tree that has
gone to leaf? Does he see
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fruit or does he
see leaves? Can we be
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honest and real
today? Like Israel of old,
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we have been given
every spiritual advantage
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that God has to
offer. We have his word,
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we have his church,
we have his Holy Spirit.
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He has blessed us in
abundance. There is no
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excuse for us
being fruitless leaves.
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We have the appearance
of life. We use the Bible.
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We sing the right songs,
we preach the right message,
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we walk in the
right path. When people
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look at this church,
they can see our leaves.
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But do they see our
fruit? Are we really
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in love with Jesus?
Are we really in love
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with one another? Is
Jesus really the center
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of all that we
do? Is there a real
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commitment to the
Lord, or do we merely
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give him lip service? Is
the Oakwood church all leaf,
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or do we have fruit
that honors the Lord?
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But then let's not stop
at the church collectively.
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Let's look at the
church individually.
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What about in
your individual life?
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Are you all leaves, or
do you have some fruit?
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Is Jesus the first
priority in your life,
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or is his will, his
worship and his work
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just an
afterthought? So you have the
00:12:17.57\00:12:20.44
symbols of
religion and salvation but
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no real commitment
to God? Do you sing,
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shout, clap, say
Amen, stomp your feet,
00:12:25.74\00:12:30.85
testify and pretend
to worship while you
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hold things in your
heart against somebody else?
00:12:34.15\00:12:37.12
Do you look and
act holy in church,
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but look and live like
the devil everywhere else?
00:12:40.69\00:12:44.19
Do you plan your
life around all the
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things you want
to do, but you don't
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see the need to
plan your life around
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the Lord's work? Do you
sing “Sweet Hour of Prayer,”
00:12:50.50\00:12:54.70
but content
yourself with five minutes
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of prayer each day? Do you sing
00:12:57.14\00:12:59.71
“Onward Christian Soldiers,”
00:12:59.74\00:13:02.08
but wait to be
drafted in the Lord's army?
00:13:02.11\00:13:05.11
Do you sing “I
Love to Tell the Story,”
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but never tell it to
your next-door neighbor
00:13:08.15\00:13:10.69
or your coworkers? Do we
sing, “We Have This Hope”
00:13:10.72\00:13:15.22
but have doubts
about his second coming?
00:13:15.26\00:13:17.73
Today, are you
fruit or are you leaf?
00:13:17.76\00:13:22.23
And because the
fig tree was barren of
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the promised
fruit, the Lord pronounced
00:13:24.60\00:13:26.13
a curse upon the
tree. The Lord declared
00:13:26.17\00:13:30.14
the tree to be
fruitless forever.
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Some people read this
text in Mark chapter 11,
00:13:32.91\00:13:35.48
and they think that
Jesus operated in rash anger.
00:13:35.51\00:13:37.85
The phrase at the end
of verse number 13 says,
00:13:37.88\00:13:40.05
“For the time of the
figs was not yet come.”
00:13:40.08\00:13:43.89
Israel is led then,
to conclude that Jesus
00:13:43.92\00:13:47.96
was expecting something
from the tree that the tree,
00:13:47.99\00:13:52.29
my friends, could
not do. And they believed
00:13:52.33\00:13:55.46
this because if there
were leaves on the tree,
00:13:55.50\00:13:58.40
there should have been
fruit on the tree as well.
00:13:58.43\00:14:02.00
But Jesus cursed
the tree. Why did Jesus
00:14:02.04\00:14:06.94
curse the tree? He cursed
the tree for its hypocrisy.
00:14:06.98\00:14:13.62
Listen to me. The lack
of fruit was not the reason
00:14:13.65\00:14:18.39
for the curse. The
lack of fruit was not the
00:14:18.42\00:14:22.36
reason for the curse.
The reason for the curse
00:14:22.39\00:14:25.36
was the deception of
the leaves. The tree was
00:14:25.39\00:14:31.70
making promises it
couldn't keep. And when
00:14:31.73\00:14:35.14
you pretend to be
something you're not,
00:14:35.17\00:14:38.51
that's
hypocrisy. That's pretense.
00:14:38.54\00:14:43.75
That's duplicity.
That's two-facedness.
00:14:43.78\00:14:48.28
That's fake, that's
phoney, that's hypocrisy.
00:14:48.32\00:14:52.85
Again, this is a
picture of Israel:
00:14:52.89\00:14:55.99
because Israel
promised life but only delivered
00:14:56.02\00:14:59.09
bondage and dead
religion, they were cursed.
00:14:59.13\00:15:02.43
Israel was judged for
their rejection of Jesus.
00:15:02.46\00:15:05.73
The Israelites didn't
acknowledge Jesus as Messiah.
00:15:05.77\00:15:09.94
They didn't
acknowledge Jesus as King of
00:15:09.97\00:15:12.51
kings and Lord of
lords.   But before we're
00:15:12.54\00:15:15.91
too quick to judge
Israel about being hypocritical,
00:15:15.94\00:15:21.05
make sure you're not
living in a glass house.
00:15:21.08\00:15:24.22
You can point the
finger at somebody else,
00:15:24.25\00:15:29.52
but you got
three fingers pointing
00:15:29.56\00:15:31.36
right back at you.
The story is told of
00:15:31.39\00:15:34.20
a young couple who
moved into a new neighborhood.
00:15:34.23\00:15:36.83
One morning when they
were eating their breakfast,
00:15:36.87\00:15:39.13
the young wife saw
her neighbor next door
00:15:39.17\00:15:41.37
hanging her wash
outside on the clothesline.
00:15:41.40\00:15:44.91
“Their laundry is not
very clean,” the woman said.
00:15:44.94\00:15:48.08
“That lady doesn't
know how to wash correctly.
00:15:48.11\00:15:51.55
Maybe she needs
better laundry soap.”
00:15:51.58\00:15:54.58
The woman's husband looked on,
00:15:54.62\00:15:58.05
but the man remained silent.
00:15:58.09\00:16:00.49
The husband didn't say a word.
00:16:00.52\00:16:03.02
But every time the young wife's
00:16:03.06\00:16:04.59
neighbor hung
her wash out to dry,
00:16:04.63\00:16:06.56
the young wife
repeated the same thing
00:16:06.59\00:16:09.46
about the dirty
laundry. About one
00:16:09.50\00:16:11.47
month later the
young wife was surprised
00:16:11.50\00:16:13.70
to see a nice clean wash on her
00:16:13.74\00:16:16.64
neighbor's clothesline. She said
00:16:16.67\00:16:19.11
to her husband, “Look, honey,
00:16:19.14\00:16:20.71
she has learned
how to wash correctly.
00:16:20.74\00:16:23.88
I wonder who taught
her how to do that.”
00:16:23.91\00:16:27.18
The husband then
looked at his wife
00:16:27.22\00:16:28.82
and he said,
“Sweetie, I got up early
00:16:28.85\00:16:31.22
this morning and I
cleaned our windows.”
00:16:31.25\00:16:36.76
[Aud. Reaction]  
Moral of the story:
00:16:36.79\00:16:39.33
before you talk
about somebody else
00:16:39.36\00:16:41.20
being dirty, you
need to clean your
00:16:41.23\00:16:43.73
own windows. Do I have
a witness in this place?
00:16:43.77\00:16:46.74
[Aud. Reaction]  
Don't judge somebody
00:16:46.77\00:16:49.40
else just because
they sin differently
00:16:49.44\00:16:52.64
than you do.
Everybody up in here is a
00:16:52.67\00:16:56.51
hypocrite about
something. You've got
00:16:56.54\00:16:59.21
some kind of
contradiction in your life.
00:16:59.25\00:17:02.78
You've got something
in your life that you
00:17:02.82\00:17:05.09
don't want
everybody else to know about.
00:17:05.12\00:17:07.12
Tell the truth. Shame the devil.
00:17:07.16\00:17:10.76
If I were lying, you
would tell your business.
00:17:10.79\00:17:13.76
But you don't tell
your business because
00:17:13.80\00:17:15.50
you've got
something in your life that
00:17:15.53\00:17:17.20
you don't want
anybody else to know about.
00:17:17.23\00:17:19.67
Oh, you don't believe me?
Let me call the roll today.
00:17:19.70\00:17:23.41
Everybody up in
here's got a contradiction.
00:17:23.44\00:17:25.81
You're teaching on
health and fitness,
00:17:25.84\00:17:28.24
but every now and
then you eat ice cream
00:17:28.28\00:17:30.48
late at night.
You're telling somebody else
00:17:30.51\00:17:33.45
to take off their
jewelry, but you're
00:17:33.48\00:17:34.98
eating out on the
Sabbath. You're telling
00:17:35.02\00:17:37.45
everybody that
you're a vegetarian,
00:17:37.49\00:17:39.85
you're a vegan,
but as soon as you can,
00:17:39.89\00:17:42.29
you get your
hands on some pot pies.
00:17:42.32\00:17:44.43
[Aud. Reaction]  
Don't act like you
00:17:44.46\00:17:49.36
don't know what
I'm talking about.
00:17:49.40\00:17:51.10
I'll call you out. I
got the mic right now.
00:17:51.13\00:17:53.74
I know you do it.
How do I know? I ride by
00:17:53.77\00:17:58.64
on Jordan Lane, at
the corner of University,
00:17:58.67\00:18:03.08
and I see you. 
  [Aud. Reaction]
00:18:03.11\00:18:06.72
Every now and
then you slip up. Oh,
00:18:06.75\00:18:10.65
you don't know I
know. I see you slip.
00:18:10.69\00:18:14.29
Some of you try to
do it late at night.
00:18:14.32\00:18:16.66
You can be holy all
day long, eating beans
00:18:16.69\00:18:20.40
and lettuce, haystack,
that's what we call it.
00:18:20.43\00:18:24.80
All day talking about
healthy campus, 20/20.
00:18:24.83\00:18:27.20
But at midnight,
when everybody's supposed
00:18:27.24\00:18:31.24
to be asleep, you
slip out to the drive-thru,
00:18:31.27\00:18:34.31
talking about, can I
have a two-piece snack?
00:18:34.34\00:18:37.31
[Aud. Reaction]   I
know what I'm talking about,
00:18:37.35\00:18:40.75
because I can
catch the latest flight
00:18:40.78\00:18:43.92
coming into
Huntsville during the week,
00:18:43.95\00:18:45.95
11:00, and I'll
ride by the church to
00:18:45.99\00:18:48.99
pick up
something from my office,
00:18:49.02\00:18:50.99
and then I make
my way on Jordan Lane
00:18:51.03\00:18:53.40
going home, and I
see you. [Aud. Reaction]
00:18:53.43\00:18:58.53
I smile. And you
know what? You can't hide,
00:18:58.57\00:19:02.64
because 50% of us have
an Oakwood University plate,
00:19:02.67\00:19:05.77
license plate, come on,
say Amen. So I know it's you.
00:19:05.81\00:19:09.54
When it's pot pies, it's funny.
00:19:09.58\00:19:18.32
But when it's a man
beating his wife, it's not.
00:19:18.35\00:19:24.63
When it's a child
being abused, when it's a
00:19:24.66\00:19:29.16
dysfunctional
marriage, when it's a
00:19:29.20\00:19:31.50
spouse acting
one way in public but
00:19:31.53\00:19:35.64
another way at home in private,
00:19:35.67\00:19:38.87
it's not funny
anymore. Are you fruit
00:19:38.91\00:19:43.98
or are you leaf?
Jesus curses the tree
00:19:44.01\00:19:49.22
because of its
hypocritical leaves.
00:19:49.25\00:19:53.12
I just want to
remind you that the same
00:19:53.15\00:19:55.42
scenario can be played
out in our lives today.
00:19:55.46\00:19:58.39
When we have the
appearance of life but
00:19:58.43\00:20:00.56
bear no fruit, we can
expect a visit from the Lord.
00:20:00.60\00:20:04.57
Verse 13 tells us that
the fig tree was afar off.
00:20:04.60\00:20:08.57
But Jesus made an
effort to get to the fig tree,
00:20:08.60\00:20:12.11
and just like he
went to that tree,
00:20:12.14\00:20:13.58
Jesus will come
to our lives and he
00:20:13.61\00:20:15.88
will examine if we
have any fruit in our lives.
00:20:15.91\00:20:18.51
If we're
hypocritical and we don't bear
00:20:18.55\00:20:20.65
fruit as he desires us to,
00:20:20.68\00:20:22.18
he might just set us aside too.
00:20:22.22\00:20:24.65
But before I sit
down, I love this text
00:20:24.69\00:20:27.52
I was reading
this week. This is not
00:20:27.56\00:20:30.29
all the text
teaches. Verse 14 teaches
00:20:30.33\00:20:33.23
that the disciples
heard Jesus when he
00:20:33.26\00:20:36.16
cursed the fig
tree. The next day,
00:20:36.20\00:20:38.80
according to verse
20, when they passed
00:20:38.83\00:20:40.50
by they saw the fig
tree, the Bible says,
00:20:40.54\00:20:42.80
was dried up from the roots.
00:20:42.84\00:20:46.91
Everybody say dried
up.   Aud: Dried up.
00:20:46.94\00:20:49.28
From the roots.
All right, in verse 21,
00:20:49.31\00:20:50.81
Peter calls the Lord's
attention to this miracle.
00:20:50.85\00:20:55.28
Understand, this
miracle was a clear
00:20:55.32\00:20:58.85
demonstration of
the Lord's sovereignty
00:20:58.89\00:21:00.79
over all things,
including nature.
00:21:00.82\00:21:03.43
What am I talking
about? You see, any gardener,
00:21:03.46\00:21:06.93
any biologist,
any biology student,
00:21:06.96\00:21:12.30
any landscape
specialist, any horticulturist
00:21:12.33\00:21:17.67
will tell you that
when a tree dries up,
00:21:17.71\00:21:21.54
it's supposed to dry
up from the top down.
00:21:21.58\00:21:28.22
That the root system
will be the last part
00:21:28.25\00:21:32.39
of the tree that dies.
You're all not hearing me.
00:21:32.42\00:21:36.19
But not this tree.
Jesus cursed this tree,
00:21:36.22\00:21:42.20
and the tree died
from the roots up.
00:21:42.23\00:21:47.07
This, then, is a
picture of total destruction.
00:21:47.10\00:21:51.27
From the root up.
From the ground up. Again,
00:21:51.31\00:21:55.88
this tree is a
picture of Israel.
00:21:55.91\00:21:58.11
They have been
judged by the Lord for their
00:21:58.15\00:22:00.35
hypocrisy and their
rejection of the Messiah.
00:22:00.38\00:22:02.55
They would now then be
destroyed from the roots up.
00:22:02.58\00:22:08.02
They boasted of their
knowledge, but they were
00:22:08.06\00:22:10.66
ignorant of the love
of God and they were full
00:22:10.69\00:22:12.86
of hypocrisy.
Just like the fig tree,
00:22:12.89\00:22:16.70
they spread their
pretentious branches
00:22:16.73\00:22:19.37
in the air, which,
in appearance, beautiful
00:22:19.40\00:22:22.47
to the eye, but
they yielded nothing but
00:22:22.50\00:22:25.27
leaves because they
died from the roots up.
00:22:25.31\00:22:29.21
Here is Jesus,
preparing the minds of the
00:22:29.24\00:22:33.18
disciples for what's
going to happen in this
00:22:33.21\00:22:35.25
final week of his life on Earth.
00:22:35.28\00:22:37.92
Israel would
reject him as the Messiah.
00:22:37.95\00:22:41.16
Which means the
same people who had just
00:22:41.19\00:22:45.59
shouted hosanna
were the same people
00:22:45.63\00:22:50.83
who would later
shout, “Crucify him.”
00:22:50.87\00:22:55.47
That's why you can't
put your trust in people.
00:22:55.50\00:22:59.64
Some trust in horses.
Some trust in chariots.
00:22:59.67\00:23:05.31
But I will trust in
the name of the Lord.
00:23:05.35\00:23:11.09
The disciples
saw what happened and
00:23:11.12\00:23:13.79
took it to
heart, or should I say,
00:23:13.82\00:23:15.89
some of them did.
Because one in their number,
00:23:15.92\00:23:20.30
Judas, he was like Israel.
00:23:20.33\00:23:24.43
He was all leaf and no fruit.
00:23:24.47\00:23:28.24
He preached, he
healed, he cast out devils,
00:23:28.27\00:23:30.61
but it was all
leaf. There was no
00:23:30.64\00:23:33.41
sincerity in what he did.
00:23:33.44\00:23:35.84
It was all hypocrisy.
He didn't know the Lord.
00:23:35.88\00:23:41.38
So as I take my seat,
be sure you know the Lord.
00:23:41.42\00:23:50.76
Make sure you've got
some fruit on your leaves.
00:23:50.79\00:23:58.33
The Lord is
looking for fruit in the
00:23:58.37\00:24:02.87
lives of his
people. The Lord is looking
00:24:02.90\00:24:07.01
for fruit in the
life of this church.
00:24:07.04\00:24:12.08
When God examines
us, what does God see?
00:24:12.11\00:24:17.92
Does he see all
leaf and no fruit?
00:24:17.95\00:24:21.99
What does God see? An
apple tree must bear apples.
00:24:22.02\00:24:28.66
A peach tree must bear peaches.
00:24:28.70\00:24:32.27
A cherry treat
must bear cherries.
00:24:32.30\00:24:35.64
And a fig tree is
not fulfilling its
00:24:35.67\00:24:38.41
purposes until it produces figs.
00:24:38.44\00:24:41.71
In this church,
sheep produce other sheep.
00:24:41.74\00:24:46.51
Disciples
produce other disciples.
00:24:46.55\00:24:49.92
People should
produce other people.
00:24:49.95\00:24:53.39
The fig tree was not
what it appeared to be.
00:24:53.42\00:24:56.76
The leaves were
attractive, they served
00:24:56.79\00:24:59.29
certain purposes,
they were valuable
00:24:59.33\00:25:01.26
in some sense of
their own, but the leaves
00:25:01.30\00:25:03.60
alone promised
something they couldn't deliver.
00:25:03.63\00:25:07.54
They were deceitful.
They were hypocritical.
00:25:07.57\00:25:10.87
Church, young
people, the Lord is looking
00:25:10.91\00:25:16.58
for fruit in our
lives. If he finds us,
00:25:16.61\00:25:21.55
he will bless us and
cause us to be more fruitful.
00:25:21.58\00:25:24.75
But if he doesn't
find fruit in our lives,
00:25:24.79\00:25:30.76
he will take
whatever steps necessary to
00:25:30.79\00:25:34.93
make us fruitful.
Today somebody said,
00:25:34.96\00:25:38.03
Pastor Byrd, what
about your theology here?
00:25:38.07\00:25:39.70
Listen to me. I
know somebody is saying,
00:25:39.73\00:25:43.20
“But Pastor, we're saved
by grace, not our works.”
00:25:43.24\00:25:48.44
And that is true. But
our works are evidence
00:25:48.48\00:25:53.28
that we're saved. It
is by your fruit that
00:25:53.31\00:25:59.95
people will know you.
So you may be the pastor,
00:26:00.06\00:26:05.63
you may be on
television, you may be the
00:26:05.66\00:26:10.83
greatest preacher in
the world, but if you
00:26:10.87\00:26:14.27
don't bear any fruit,
then you are a phoney.
00:26:14.30\00:26:19.77
You are fruitless.
You may be a doctor,
00:26:19.81\00:26:23.68
you may be a lawyer, a
professor, a president,
00:26:23.71\00:26:29.28
you may own the
biggest company in Huntsville.
00:26:29.32\00:26:32.59
You may have the
biggest house in this church.
00:26:32.62\00:26:36.32
But if you don't bear
any fruit in your life,
00:26:36.36\00:26:39.89
then you're a phoney
and you're fruitless.
00:26:39.93\00:26:43.26
You may be on the
dean's list, you may have
00:26:43.30\00:26:47.30
a full scholarship,
you may have a promising
00:26:47.34\00:26:50.84
career right in front of you.
00:26:50.87\00:26:52.87
But if you don't bear any fruit,
00:26:52.91\00:26:55.84
you are a phoney,
you are fruitless.
00:26:55.88\00:27:00.45
You may be a
vegetarian, you may be a vegan,
00:27:00.48\00:27:06.02
you may drink Silk,
you may drink soy milk
00:27:06.05\00:27:11.89
and eat Grillers. But if
you don't bear any fruit,
00:27:11.93\00:27:16.97
then you are a
phoney. You are fruitless.
00:27:17.00\00:27:21.54
Because when God
plants and God nourishes,
00:27:21.57\00:27:26.41
God expects some fruit,
not just leaves, but fruit.
00:27:26.44\00:27:35.75
Let me close this
way. Have you ever heard
00:27:35.78\00:27:40.26
the expression “Face the music”?
00:27:40.29\00:27:45.23
Time to face the
music. Here's how
00:27:45.26\00:27:50.73
that phrase came
about. Many years ago
00:27:50.77\00:27:54.10
a man wanted to play
in the imperial orchestra,
00:27:54.14\00:27:56.64
but he couldn't
play a note. He couldn't
00:27:56.67\00:27:59.21
play any
instruments at all. But since he
00:27:59.24\00:28:04.08
was a person of
great wealth and influence,
00:28:04.11\00:28:06.21
he demanded to be
allowed to join the
00:28:06.25\00:28:08.82
orchestra so that
he could perform in
00:28:08.85\00:28:10.32
front of the king. So the
conductor agreed to let him
00:28:10.35\00:28:14.12
>: Thank you for
joining us for another
00:28:14.16\00:28:15.52
exciting Breath of
Life television broadcast.
00:28:15.56\00:28:18.43
Tune in next
week at the same time,
00:28:18.46\00:28:20.73
as Dr. Byrd will deliver another
00:28:20.76\00:28:22.70
dynamic message from
the Lord, just for you.
00:28:22.73\00:28:25.77
Until next time,
may God bless you.
00:28:25.80\00:28:27.67
END
00:28:27.70\00:28:42.72