WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:04.879 You're listening to the Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk 2 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:11.839 about the Bible in fun in practical ways. All right, bring it home, 3 00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:14.960 Chris, we're bringing it here. It is. It's Friday, man. 4 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:19.320 So I think of I think of like I like growing up, I 5 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.399 used to watch a bunch of black and white movies. Really yeah, yeah, 6 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:25.960 all the time. But it's just hold you are. My father likes 7 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:30.320 black white movies. So so anyway, bring it home as always. Uh, 8 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:34.000 the two people are on stage dancing, right and then home and bring 9 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.640 it home. Then one guys, he just does this, you know, 10 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:40.640 big, big, big, you know the big show ending or whatever. 11 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:43.119 You know. It's just really good. There you go. That's it. 12 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:45.520 That's that's what That's what I was getting at right now, that's where my 13 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:49.000 mind went, right, that's right. Well, hey, Jeff, today 14 00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:53.399 you usually introduced this. I am very excited because this is everybody's favorite and 15 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:56.359 it's been a while. It's been it's quite a long time. It's been 16 00:00:56.439 --> 00:01:00.359 like four weeks. I know, so four weeks, man, you should 17 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:03.200 be ready around to go. I've got so you can't take the full twenty 18 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:07.959 two minutes. Things that I'm mad about. So it is everybody's favorite segment. 19 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:11.120 What made Chris mad this past four weeks? No, no, no, 20 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:12.920 this happened like this week two days ago. Okay, all right, 21 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:17.879 so it's it's the first thing that came to my mind. So I was 22 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:22.319 in a restaurant that I frequent often, okay, And I'm not going to 23 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:25.519 mention the name of the restaurant because that'd be rude. But it was BJ's 24 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:29.519 and it was right next to Heritage, yes, which if you can give 25 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:37.719 the initials, I'm going to tell you the names. Okay. So, 26 00:01:37.719 --> 00:01:46.319 so I order an appetizer, and I am very hesitant to place an order 27 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:51.159 before my appetizer comes because I don't want my food to come out and both 28 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:53.719 of them be in front of me at the same time. Are you with 29 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.599 me on this? I understand what you're saying. Yes, okay, So 30 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:00.000 it happens all the time. And and and by the way, I would 31 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:04.400 argue and say that, you know, a server is one of the hardest 32 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:07.319 jobs ever, right, it really is, Okay, is important, So 33 00:02:07.719 --> 00:02:10.680 timing is important. So I do I do? Do? I do understand 34 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:14.800 how difficult that job is. I really do, And especially my son was 35 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:15.919 a server, and he's like, Dad, you don't understand how hard it 36 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:22.879 is. Right, However, when you choose to place the order or put 37 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:28.000 the order in, that's actually simple in concept, right, So you just 38 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.599 you just wait until the person is you know, pretty much done with their 39 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:34.879 food or or after they've gotten their food or whatever it is, right, 40 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:38.599 just just you know, that's something you absolutely have to master as a as 41 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:42.479 a as a server, so that that part is very simple. So violating 42 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:46.120 that part should not ever happen, in my opinion, violating, Oh yeah, 43 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:52.520 it was. So. So he comes over and he's like, what 44 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:53.800 would you like? And I'm like, can I try this cup of soup 45 00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:57.439 whatever? It was actually like a bowl of soup. They don't offer cups, 46 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.159 so it's like a bowl of the soup and uh. And so he's 47 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:01.560 like okay, And so I'm waiting and then he comes back over and he 48 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:05.199 goes, you want to place your order? And in my mind I'm thinking 49 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:06.759 all this, but I'm not going to say it, but I'm like, 50 00:03:06.919 --> 00:03:09.120 ah, and I said, well, I don't I don't want I don't 51 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:10.599 want to get the food too early. And he goes, no, no, 52 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:12.919 no, no, I'll make sure, and I go, okay, 53 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:14.680 fine, I said, well, let me go ahead and you know, 54 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:16.639 get this order, you know, whatever it is. Uh, I think 55 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:21.599 I were at a steak actually, so then so anyway, so I'm sitting 56 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:23.120 there and all of a sudden, I'm waiting, waiting, waiting, and 57 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:24.319 all of a sudden she brings out my soup and she sets it in front 58 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:27.240 of me. I'm like, great, you know, and it's like it's 59 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:31.000 hot, and it's actually, you know, not exactly like too hot, 60 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:35.840 right, it's like almost it's just right, so it's not too hot. 61 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.599 So I thing, Okay, it's gonna be perfect. And then all of 62 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:40.680 a sudden two seconds later, and this is the part that gets me. 63 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:46.080 It's not the it's not my server. It's a runner, right, So 64 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:49.800 it's almost like that person has no concept of anything else other than hey, 65 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:53.280 my job is just to bring you this stuff, right, and then sets 66 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:55.080 it in front of me, and I'm literally taking like my third bite of 67 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:58.919 soup and and and he goes, you want to cut into that for me? 68 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:00.560 And I go, well, not really, I didn't say that, 69 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.319 but I'm thinking, I'm like, I don't really want to because get leaven 70 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:09.360 colder, right, and then and then finally I ended up abandoning the soup 71 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.800 because I'm not gonna let the steak gets cold. So I started eating the 72 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:15.039 steak. And then he comes back and he goes, don't you like your 73 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:17.959 soup? And I said, And the person I was with was my wife, 74 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:23.680 and I said, well, I just had to choose which one I 75 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:26.879 didn't want to eat cold, so the steak won, So could you go 76 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:29.439 back and eat this up? And then she's like, you know, you 77 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:30.560 didn't have to say that. I'm like, I kind of think, I 78 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:33.360 kind of think I did. Said, yeah, well you have. So 79 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:36.959 you were gently guiding them on how you prefer to be served. No, 80 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:42.839 no, no, how your world prefers to exactly because nobody prefers that I 81 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:46.079 keep forgetting you get upset for the world. It's on behalf of all of 82 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:47.560 us. Yes, yes, so you are correct on that one, but 83 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:50.240 you have to gently guide them. Yes, right, make him think about 84 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:53.480 it next time. Yes, we should have a little bit of a gap. 85 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:57.480 Offer the appetizer at the exact same time as the entree. The whole 86 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:03.319 point behind multiple elements of a meal that they're separate right right as opposed to 87 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:09.319 that should have been a soup entree and a and a steak entre, those 88 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:13.639 two together because it's in the appetizer section of the menu, should come first, 89 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.399 and earlier, substantially earlier. Yes, yes, I'm not disagreeing with 90 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:19.680 you on that, Chris. I am in alignment with you on this one. 91 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:23.079 Yes. Well, I got to tell you, you know, I'm 92 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:26.519 so upset about it. We should like make make signs and just start marching 93 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:28.639 out in front of BJ's until they get it, start getting it right. 94 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:31.240 Yeah, you know, man, how do you what would the sign read? 95 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:36.759 Would make some slogan? Uh? No, entrees before the app's finished? 96 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:43.199 Yeah, apps first? Yeah, yeah, I don't know. I 97 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:45.439 first, I don't yah, yeah, I don't know. We'll figure it 98 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:47.120 out. Yeah, we'll work on that. That's right. So there, 99 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:50.040 there you go, buddy. That's what made this week well good. Thank 100 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:53.720 you man. We appreciate it, and on behalf of all the rest of 101 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:56.360 the people in the world, we are grateful for your rage. On our 102 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:59.680 behalf and the server who blew it. His name's Kevin, Kevin. Thanks 103 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:02.360 Kevin, just kidding. I was like, oh man, you're going for 104 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:09.040 it today. You were violated. I don't know the server's name. I 105 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:12.279 don't know the server's name. Okay, that's so funny. That's funny. 106 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:14.319 I was like, are you serious? Did you just go do this? 107 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:16.240 Hey? Listen. I always have a slogan, which is, if a 108 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:19.920 person is not nice to the server, that is generally not a nice person 109 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:25.040 usually that's right. Yeah, that's right. So I I am always nice 110 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.720 to the server, as nice as I can be. But just because I 111 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:30.360 happened to mention the fact that, like, hey, I had to decide 112 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:33.720 which one I didn't want to eat cold, you know, my whole family, 113 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:36.319 not just my wife, my whole family's like, why are you going 114 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:40.240 to say things like that? Yeah? I mean because the owner of BJ's 115 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:42.720 wants me to say that, right, right, the owner of BJ's wants 116 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.160 it to be an appetizer, right as you're about finisher the appetizer your meals, 117 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:49.240 and so does every human in this restaurant, that's right. And then 118 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:54.199 so they don't bring you your sit there BJ's. The big dessert is the 119 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:57.800 pazuki, right, Yeah, well I've had that once. It was marvelous. 120 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:00.720 Yes, So they don't bring that to you. At the same time, 121 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:02.000 they brought you your stake, right, because the ice cream and melt. 122 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:06.800 That's correct. So they need to be thinking appetizers right. End the 123 00:07:06.839 --> 00:07:12.720 appetizer, entre, end the entree dessert. Right, So you need to 124 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.639 think of your appetizer as the dessert before the entree, you the puzuki being 125 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:21.360 the dessert after the entre. You should coach headquarters. Yes, give somebody 126 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:28.399 a call on the way, Okay, so we should leave that. Yes, 127 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:31.040 wasted enough time today, John fifteen, John fifteen, verses one through 128 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:36.879 seventeen another It's only in the book of John, but fundamental to Christianity is 129 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:44.199 this passage. So John fourteen, fifteen through one through seventeen says, I 130 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:46.720 am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. He cuts off 131 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:50.920 every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that 132 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:56.199 do bear fruit so that they will produce even more. You've already been pruned 133 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:59.639 and purified by the message I've given you. Remember it remain in me, 134 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:03.360 and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it 135 00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:07.360 is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in 136 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:11.079 me. Yes, I am the vine. You are the branches. Those 137 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:13.600 who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart 138 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:18.759 from me, you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me 139 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:22.160 is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into 140 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:26.399 a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words 141 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:28.120 remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will 142 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:31.720 be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. 143 00:08:31.960 --> 00:08:35.679 This brings great glory to my father. I have loved you even as the 144 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:39.600 Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, 145 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:43.639 you remain in my love, just as I obey my father's commandments and 146 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:46.279 remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will 147 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:50.039 be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow. This is 148 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:52.799 my commandment. Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 149 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:56.840 There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. 150 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.159 You are my friends. If you do what I comme, I no longer 151 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:05.000 call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you 152 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:07.200 are my friends. Since I have told you everything the Father told me. 153 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:11.600 You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and 154 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:15.879 produce lasting fruit so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for using 155 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:20.759 my name. This is my command. Love each other. Wow, love 156 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:24.679 one another, love each other, and produce much fruit. Right right, 157 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:28.399 those are the two things he's saying here. Yeah, So who is the 158 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:33.840 one that wrote that little Who's the one that wrote that little book? Uh? 159 00:09:35.080 --> 00:09:37.080 Come on, it was so famous. It was their second book the 160 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:43.799 night before Christmas. I don't know on the on John fifteen, on this 161 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:48.759 Uh it was Oh, I think it might have been Rick Warren. No, 162 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:54.200 it wasn't him anyway, it's I have it in my office. I 163 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:56.320 can't think of the author. Anyway. It sounds like it was life changing. 164 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:58.279 It was. It was this. It really was. Yeah. You 165 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:03.519 know why because when it says he prunes the branches, that word prunes, 166 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:07.879 he breaks that down and he actually talks about how there's more than one way 167 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:13.360 to prune. So prune can mean to cut right to to you know, 168 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:18.840 to for for for growth, but prune also means to lift up. So 169 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:22.480 did you know that? So so it's actually it was actually this word that 170 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:24.440 meant like overall care, and it was, and it was it was the 171 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:30.039 two It was the two ways to prune a branch, which is to produce, 172 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:31.639 because it says the ones that produces that he prunes, that makes more 173 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:35.360 fruit. Right, And he took that word and he said, that's a 174 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.120 different, different word than the previous word, which which is to cut. 175 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:41.360 And he says that, So so sometimes you cut a branch, which is 176 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:46.559 you know, either discipline or could could seem like it's it's in the in 177 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:52.360 the form of commandments and you know, obedience and things like that, he 178 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:54.200 says. And the other way is to lift up, which is a lot 179 00:10:54.200 --> 00:11:01.399 of times gardeners know and and vineyards, you know, vine gardeners know that 180 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:05.879 a branch will get grown in the mud and it'll be stagnant, and so 181 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:09.600 what it'll do is but it'll be a good branch because it's connected to divine 182 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:11.480 and they'll take it and they'll wash it off, and then they'll put it 183 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:16.639 up and then and then that branch will produce more fruit. And so so 184 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:22.279 it was it was both the seemingly more harsh obedience sort of angle and then 185 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:28.399 more of the gentle guidance and encouragement kind. And he really wrote it from 186 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:33.759 the perspective of a gardener's point of view, and and it was actually pretty 187 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:39.080 sweet because it sort of gave you the overall picture of God both challenging us 188 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:43.600 and encouraging us to obey. So when I was growing up, my mom 189 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:48.720 and dad bought a homestead. And on the homestead it had everything necessary that 190 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:50.440 we could provide almost everything for our families. Right, we grew all of 191 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:54.360 our own food, all that stuff. You said it was like a one 192 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:56.360 acre garden or something. Yeah, well, just the garden, our table 193 00:11:56.399 --> 00:12:01.799 garden was an acre. But we had we had a small orchard. We 194 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:05.480 had a bunch of apple trees, We had some pear trees. We had 195 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:13.240 you know, all the the blueberry bramble and the blackberries and the strawberries and 196 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:16.120 the raspberries and you know all that stuff. But the big trees. We 197 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:20.039 had some cherry trees. They never really did produce. Our soil wasn't the 198 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:22.840 right kind of soil. We had a plum tree that was really great. 199 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:26.919 We had some a couple of plum trees. We had the pear trees. 200 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.440 And I can remember one my day. Yeah, they are, especially when 201 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.759 you get them just right right. Anyways, my dad would go out in 202 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:41.039 the spring and trim when he was maintaining these trees, would trim the apple 203 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:45.080 trees to the point where and I loved climbing the trees. That's always the 204 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:46.759 climb in all of our trees. We had hundreds of trees on our property. 205 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:50.639 So I'm always climbing the trees and get up in the tree, eat 206 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:54.879 your fill, you know. And I can remember watching him trim the trees 207 00:12:54.919 --> 00:13:01.320 and go he just ruined that tree right right, How in the world, 208 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:05.159 Dad, you just ruined our trees and say no, they'll produce more next 209 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:07.879 year. And then sure enough, the next season come along and all of 210 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:13.200 a sudden, this tree that had good apples last year had great apples this 211 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:16.759 year. Sometimes almost too many apples, right, And it was because he 212 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:18.840 trimmed it back. He cut it back, he got rid of the other 213 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:22.559 stuff. So the tree can choose to focus on growing as branches. It 214 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:26.759 is what it naturally does. It just keeps growing as branches. It keeps 215 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:30.720 pushing towards the sun, basking in the warmth, putting out more leaves. 216 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:33.399 That's what puts all its energy. When it puts all its energy and growing 217 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:39.559 its leaves and growing its branches, it puts less energy into producing its fruit. 218 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:45.000 Right, But when you trim it back and it doesn't have the ability 219 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:50.440 to push all of its energy into the branch growing and the leaf producing. 220 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:54.799 It needs to produce enough leaves, certainly, it needs to have enough branches, 221 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.200 certainly, But if you trim it back to the right size, all 222 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:01.960 that extra energy will go into producing more fruit. So the tree doesn't want 223 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:05.600 to be trimmed back. The tree just naturally wants to go right. That's 224 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:09.279 what it wants to do. But when the guy who's cultivating it trims it 225 00:14:09.320 --> 00:14:13.960 back right to the right place, it'll produce so much more. The apples 226 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:18.000 will be bigger, the pears will be bigger. And then I also noticed 227 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:22.360 after my dad trimmed the pear trees, the pears would be sweeter, which 228 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:24.039 is really neat, you know, So they'd be bigger, there'd be more 229 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:26.919 of them, and they would be sweeter then. And it's because all that 230 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:31.120 sap flowing isn't pushing to grow new branches, it's not pushing for new leaves, 231 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:35.919 that all that good stuff is going into the things so I really view 232 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:41.320 that as this with Jesus. Now, later on we stopped focusing on the 233 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:45.559 apples. We eventually just want to let our apple trees go. Now, 234 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:48.399 my dad cut down the entire apple orchard and built a new house there. 235 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:50.120 So it's really weird when I pull into my mom and dad's house. Now, 236 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:54.200 that's where I used to eat my fill and apples and pears, and 237 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:58.559 they're all gone now. But they built a house in there. But for 238 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:01.559 a while, we quit maintaining them. And at that point, they just 239 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:07.960 it got wild. The apples weren't as good. The skin on them was 240 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:13.320 always you know, it was speckled and kind of rough. It didn't taste 241 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:15.919 as good. And then it kept the apples kept getting smaller and smaller and 242 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:18.919 fewer and fewer, and finally we just cut them all down and built the 243 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:22.080 house there when we quit maintaining them. So we need God to cultivate us. 244 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:26.159 We need God. And so I look at my life now at you 245 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:30.360 know, I've been a believer for forty something years, and every once in 246 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:33.360 a while I start to realize, you know, there hasn't been any pruning 247 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:37.679 in me lately, Like like I haven't been choosing it myself. We don't 248 00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:39.000 naturally go you know what I need to get rid of in my life, 249 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:43.799 right, right, But sometimes the difficult things in my life is when God 250 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:48.120 decides to cut those things out. If I choose not to, God will, 251 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.759 and he'll he'll prune those things. But then you said, the other 252 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:54.799 side is guiding putting the branches in the right place. So yeah, and 253 00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:58.600 then the other side of that is we need to remain in him. A 254 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:02.919 vine by itself is dead, won't produce anything, So you know, remain 255 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:07.000 to me, because apart from me, you can do nothing. So so 256 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:11.879 not everybody grew up like you, and not everybody even understands. I would 257 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:15.200 even go as far as to say, and I have no way to quantify 258 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.679 this, but I would go as far as to saying, over ninety percent 259 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:23.240 of every listener listening today to this podcast did not have your experience growing up. 260 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:26.639 And so so you're like, oh, yeah, that's really insightful. 261 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:30.840 I guess that is true, right, because I'm not a farmer, you 262 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:33.879 know, but think about in the first century, everybody knew exactly what he 263 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:37.200 was talking about. So when Jesus uses this, you know, illustration, 264 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:41.519 he says, okay, think about this. And by the way, side, 265 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:45.480 note this is just came to thought. He leaves the upper room, 266 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:51.240 and they're heading down down the mountain, you know, through the valley and 267 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:55.320 then into the garden of Gasemine. Right, they're heading to the mount of 268 00:16:55.360 --> 00:17:00.080 Olives and so and so they're literally stopping in the vineyard on the way there. 269 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:03.839 So this this actually most scholars believe this is at night, right, 270 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:07.480 right, So he's stopping at night, and as they're walking through the vineyard, 271 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:14.480 he pauses and he decides to teach them about what it means to remain 272 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:17.119 in me. Right, Abide in me. That's the big that's the big 273 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:22.559 thing over here. Abide in me. And anyway, so not everybody understands 274 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:25.599 it. Well. I remember being a youth pastor, a pastor of high 275 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:29.079 school students, and this was in the nineties or you know whatever, and 276 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:30.880 uh, and I used to do this thing every once in a while called 277 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:34.240 Destination Unknown. And it was a couple of times a year, three or 278 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:37.240 four times a year. And I was just I would just have a bus 279 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:41.279 ready and they'd show up for youth group and I'd be like jumping the bus 280 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:42.880 and then they warm, we just head down to it. Just this you 281 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:45.640 know, really cool thing. So anyway, there was this lady who owned 282 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:49.319 this vineyard and I remember knocking on our door and I forgot to you know, 283 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:52.720 plan uh and I uh And it was that day. It was that 284 00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:55.559 night, right, it was a Wednesday night, or no, it was 285 00:17:55.599 --> 00:18:00.160 Tuesday night. And I remember knocking on our door like Tuesday like morning or 286 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:04.240 something like this, maybe afternoon, and she answers the door and I said, 287 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:07.920 hey, your vineyard is huge. I said, it's beautiful. I 288 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.759 said, would you mind if we bring like sixty or seventy, you know, 289 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:14.640 high school students to walk through and I can just teach them and then 290 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:18.119 I would interview you and you would share your knowledge on the vineyard. And 291 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:22.240 she goes, she said, sir past pastor, she said. She says, 292 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:27.400 I've just worked eight hours straight, been up since before it was dawn. 293 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:33.440 And she said, and we have done our yearly pruning. And she 294 00:18:33.559 --> 00:18:36.440 said, and so we have tied and worked all day. And she goes, 295 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:41.200 I am ready to collapse in this bed and there is no way that 296 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:44.200 I could survive. And she was a little bit older too, and I 297 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:51.319 said, please, so be in this young twenties I know, being this 298 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:55.319 young twenties person, right, I just had no compassion, right, I'm 299 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:59.119 thinking everybody should have strength in the resilience. And I said please, and 300 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:02.519 she said okay, And so she went and took a nap, got ready. 301 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:04.559 That night. I brought these kids over it like whatever. It was 302 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:08.039 six six thirty and here she comes, you know, like a good sport 303 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:12.119 outside the house. But I got to tell you, I learned more in 304 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:18.880 that fifteen minutes about John fifteen that I had previously in any study I've ever 305 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:21.359 done. Well, she'd just done all the pruning, it wouldn't have looked 306 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:22.799 like a vineyard, right, right, right, you didn't have the big 307 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:27.000 leaves, right, because she cut it down to just the smallest version that 308 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:30.200 it would still stay alive. Yes, well, I gotta tell you there 309 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.400 was. There was. There was plenty of pictures and plenty of things that 310 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:37.880 she talked about, how many bushels of grapes and what she did with them, 311 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:40.599 and she made wine and all these different things. And I got to 312 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:42.640 tell you, like it was just it was amazing. My mom is one 313 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:47.319 of the best kids workers I've ever known. She's been doing children's ministry for 314 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:52.160 forty something years, hundreds and hundreds. Many times her children's ministries would be 315 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:56.359 four or five hundred kids at a time. Just her on stage with four 316 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:57.920 hundred kids. You can just imagine how crazy was. But she's just riveting 317 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:00.759 when she teaches. She's amazing. Probably the best children's work I've ever known. 318 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:03.480 I remember one time we had some roses. We didn't have a lot 319 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:07.319 of fancy things, but she had a rose bush, and I can remember 320 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:10.680 so I'd seen Dad trim the trees and stuff. You have to do that, 321 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:15.039 but my mom was trimming roses, and so the people might not understand. 322 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:19.960 Trimming apple trees or trimming BlackBerry bushes will do the same thing. You 323 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.279 trim them down small and you get bigger blackberries. But my mom was trimming 324 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:27.000 rose bushes, and I remember looking at going you just killed them, right, 325 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:30.640 You just killed others. So anybody who's ever trimmed roses, you trim 326 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:33.039 it down to where it doesn't look there's nothing left. Right, But if 327 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:38.440 you don't, eventually that rose bush will go crazy and those roses will get 328 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:42.440 smaller and smaller and smaller till there's almost no roses. Right. But you 329 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:45.759 trim that down, and next year it'll come back and they'll be vibrant, 330 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:49.319 and the roses will be more beautiful. They tend to have less disease, 331 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:52.319 all those things. And so my mom sat there and she taught me this 332 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:56.519 passage while she was trimming them. And then later on we went out and 333 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:57.920 we cut a bunch of those roses, put them on the table, and 334 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:03.079 my mom retaught that this lesson and it just it's just in me because of 335 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:07.680 that, right, you can do nothing. And so here's this beautiful rose 336 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:11.039 that thought it accomplished everything. When we cut it apart, cut it off 337 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:15.799 the stem and put it in the thing, it died. It died in 338 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.319 a few days. Right, it's completely shriveled up. And that's what happens. 339 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:22.079 We can think our life is beautiful and incredible. Right now, look 340 00:21:22.119 --> 00:21:25.960 at we're in all of our glory, and if we get cut off right 341 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:29.359 from the from the vine, we're gonna wither and die. Yeah. So 342 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:33.599 biden me means means stay in your relationship with Christ. Right, just be 343 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:36.440 be in prayer and be connected to the Holy Spirit. Stay in the word. 344 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:38.319 You want to you want to read the Galatians one well, I was 345 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:41.240 just gonna talk about the fruit right herein this is my Father glorified that we 346 00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:45.920 bear much fruit. And what is that fruit? Galatians chapter five talks about 347 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:48.079 the fruit of the spirit, love and joy and peace and gentleness and patience 348 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:55.759 and kindness and self control. Uh tewod Peter chapter one talks about similar ideas 349 00:21:56.440 --> 00:22:00.839 being moral excellence and all those kinds of things. But then and Jesus is 350 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:06.440 tying here both obedience and fruit together. So what are the other great commandments 351 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:10.960 he gave us Love God, love people. And then he gave us the 352 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:14.799 commandment at the very end in Matthew chapter twenty eight, go and make disciples 353 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:17.599 everywhere, baptize them, teach you them to know everything I've commanded you. 354 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:21.480 Right, So it's in those areas that we should be burying that fruit. 355 00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:26.000 So you want to measure what kind of If you're measuring hatred, If the 356 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:30.480 fruit in your life is hatred and anxiety and frustration and violence, well then 357 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:34.880 maybe you're not tapped into the right branch. Right. So there's that the 358 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:37.599 fruit coming out of our life should be more next year, should have more 359 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:41.039 love than this year. And so that's why God would go ahead and do 360 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:45.039 the painful things in our life to trim us back so that we produce more 361 00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:49.480 fruit. And that's okay. And so it's interesting he talks about this thing 362 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:53.039 right after he talks about God's peace. It's going to be okay. Whatever 363 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:56.799 he's doing in your life to help you make more fruit is what he's doing. 364 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:00.480 That's great. Well, hey, that's our I'm and it's been a 365 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:03.519 good run here this week, and we will see you next week, hopefully 366 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:11.799 on the Bible guys. H m hm m m mmmmmm.