The Fig Tree 2

[Intro music - "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"] Church fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 1] Today we are talking about the last month in the year. We gather unto Him again this morning between now and 12:00 o'clock thereabouts. I trust the Lord that it will be a time of refreshment, a time of edification, a time of learning together, a time of instruction in righteousness in the name of Jesus Christ. Let us have a word of prayer then we'll introduce our topic for today and look at some background since it is a continuity from where we stopped last month of November. We'll look at some background and then we'll go ahead to consider our focus for today. Please be reminded again that if there are questions, please let your questions come in early enough. Once we have your question, then we can attend to them once it gets to 11:30 AM. So please if there are questions, whether there are questions before now or there are questions that may be emanating from what we'll be considering today, please let the question come early enough so that the technical can notice the question and then let us have the question early enough. Let us have a word of prayer. Let's take this song together just to magnify His name in keeping us till now. [Singing in Yoruba and English] Our Father, we indeed magnify Your almightiness. Lord, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. We worship You for keeping us January through to December. We magnify Your name, we bless Your name, we lift You high our God. Unto You again we gather this morning. Lord, we are asking let Your spirit work within us among us as we gather physically, as we gather online on Telegram, on Mixlr, as we all connect again together this morning from our various locations. Lord our God, we pray let Your spirit work within us. Answer those questions that we need to give us direction. Speak to our needs. Lord God Almighty, grant insight and understanding. Let Your spirit, Oh Lord, do the work of transformation as we share together this morning. Oh Lord, let there be a free course for Your spirit to do the work of edification, the work of building, the work of grace, the work of molding. Oh God, let it please You to work in our midst. Thank You, Eternal Father. Blessed be Your holy name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We are looking, in line with the message I sent across yesterday, we are looking at lessons from the fig tree. Lessons from the fig tree. The story of the fig tree is in Matthew 21 and Mark chapter 11. Lessons from the fig tree was a topic we started last month's Singles' Club on a Saturday. That's when it started and I will just try to go back and read again the text. Matthew 21, just to refresh our memory on one or two things and then we now move on to the concluding part of that topic today. In Matthew 21, we have the story while the fuller story is in Mark chapter 11. In Matthew 21, the story began from verse 18. Matthew 21:18-19: "Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, 'Let no fruit grow on you ever again!' Immediately the fig tree withered away." Jesus was returning back to Jerusalem. He arrived Jerusalem the previous day. He was in the temple where He said my house will be called the house of prayer but you have made it a den of robbers. And then He went to Bethany. So He was returning back to Jerusalem that morning. So the fig tree was located between Bethany and Jerusalem. As He was returning in the morning, the Bible says that as He returned He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. We have the fuller story in the Mark version of that happening. In Mark chapter 11, the story is fuller. We got more information when you read it in the Mark Gospel. Mark 11, you'll see it from verse 12. Mark 11:12-14: "Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response, Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.' And His disciples heard it." So in the month of November, we were looking at the fig and we raised some fundamental lessons which was the first part of the lesson. That is, the first part of the lesson was based on when the Lord came close to it, it was full of leaves, there were no fruit on it. And we were asking ourselves in the month of November, how do we look at your life? How do you look at from afar? Does it look like when people look at you from afar, people will feel that there is fruit in your life but actually you are full of leaves? Just leaves. And we now tried to expand that matter in the month of November. In expanding the matter, we made it clear that number one, it is crucial for you to know that ordinarily there is nothing wrong with having leaves. But a lot of things are wrong if leaves don't lead to fruit. And we took time to explain what leaves can represent in the life of the believer. Particularly we mentioned that it represents the gift of the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit. It represents that somebody is alive. If something is not alive, it cannot bring forth leaves. When you plant something, the first thing is that the sign of growth outside, you go down. When you plant a seed, it grows downward for the root and also grows upward. Now how we will know that it is growing downward is that leaf that comes out upward. So we said ordinarily to be born again, to have spiritual gift is not as if it is bad. But there is everything wrong about a life that is just full of gift and have no fruit. Then we took time to expand the matter of the fruit of the Spirit. We went to the church in Corinth. Paul appreciated that church for not coming behind in any gift. But he later told them that he cannot address them as spiritual. They are merely carnal because they could not manifest the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit. There was no fruit in their life. They had utterance, they had prophecy, they had the gift of preaching, they had all of those things. But when you check: anger, division, malice, impatience, envy, backbiting, that was what filled that church. Selfishness. The church was full of confusion and disorder despite all their giftings. Those are Christians whose life are mere leaves. Mere leaves. Yes, it is not wrong that you get born again, of course you will first show forth leaves. The gift of the Spirit will show forth in your life. But the sign of maturity is not leaf. The sign of maturity is fruit. When the plant starts getting mature, we begin to see fruit. So when you see a life that is full of gift of the Spirit - manifestations, prophecy, preaching, teaching, the word, utterance, all of that - and you find that that is what you can gather in that life, we announced in the month of November it is just a sign that you are a babe. It is just a sign that you cannot go very far. It is just a sign that you have not gone anywhere yet. Real things have not begun with your life because what the Lord is looking for is not leaf. What the Lord is looking for is fruit. What the Lord sought, what the Lord is looking for in a man's life is fruit. The leaves are not enough. The leaves are not enough. So while the leaves are not bad in a tree, but we sounded very clearly in the month of November that the leaves are not enough. The leaves are not the things we need. We need more than the leaves. And in closing in November, we also noted that what led to this topic actually was because as my wife and I we counsel with couples, particularly younger couples, younger marriages, counseling with them, relating to them, dealing with them, we began to realize that one of the major fundamental problems in causing marital stability in Christian marriages today is that people get attracted to each other just like the Lord got attracted to that fig on the basis of the leaves. What attracted the Lord to the fig was the leaves. But what the Lord needs to satisfy Him was fruit. So we said many times people because of their giftings they get attracted to each other. The young man is handsome, the young man is purposeful, he has a good career, he is intelligent, he is a believer, he was one time the president of fellowship, he speaks in tongues, he is prayerful. You just look at all the giftings of the person and people settle down in marriage. But unfortunately, what actually we need to run a home is not just spiritual gift. The gift cannot run a home. What you need in a home are the things that we mentioned in Galatians chapter 5. That was how we concluded in November. Galatians 5:16-21: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication..." You see people in marriage today in their relationship still having intimate relationship with their exes, still becoming more intimate with one of their friends, one female friend. They are not intimate with their spouses. They don't seek to be intimate with their spouses. These are works of the flesh. Uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred. You see hatred in marriages. Bitterness, contentions. You see spouses contending with each other over money, over sex, over this, over interest. "This is my own, that is not your own. You spoke like this, you didn't speak like that." You see contention, you see jealousy. Some husbands jealous of their wives' progress. Some wives jealous about... you just see all these kind of negative things in Christian marriages. And you will be wondering, are these not believers? Yes, they were believers but unfortunately what accumulated in their life were leaves. Leaves. They were full of the gift of the Spirit but there was no fruit. And so attraction comes on that basis. You know when you look at it, it says jealousy, outbursts of anger. You see today in Christian marriages these are works of the flesh. These are works of the flesh. Selfish ambition. One person wants to, as long as my own thing is not done, the marriage will not work. If you don't do it my way, then there will be no peace in this house. Selfish ambition. Dissensions, heresy. You see spouses saying things that are not biblical. Things that the Lord never said about marriage. "If you look, me oh, me I don't believe in a marriage I cannot divorce. I will throw you out of this marriage if you are not careful." Utterances that are heretical. You see envy, murder. Is that not happening today in Christian marriages? Spouses killing themselves. Drunkenness, revelry, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Yes, you may be a brother, you may be a sister, yes you both met in the fellowship. He was once a Bible study secretary, he is brilliant. Oh, he has a good career, he is a medical doctor, he has a PhD. Oh, he is working in an oil company, he is a good banker. All of those things does not make a man. They are mere leaves. They are mere leaves. Oh he is handsome, oh she is beautiful and all of that. These are leaves and we are noticing more and more today it seems to us that marriages are contracted on the basis of leaves. People get attracted to themselves on the basis of leaves. But that cannot run marriage. Young man, young woman listening to me, the purpose of Singles' Club is capacity building. Begin to build capacity for your life. Begin to know what is what is wrong, begin to do what is right. Begin to build so that you don't become a failure in time to come. We are saying this because we are seeing this so much. You will agree with me today that Christian marriages, many Christian marriages are not happy marriages. I'm just showing you one of the fundamental roots. It is that the works of the flesh is what you find in the life of the brother and what you find in the life of the sister. Is it because they are not Christians? No they are. But they don't understand there is a difference between the gift of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. The leaves only tell us that yes this person is born again, oh this person encountered He is alive. Oh He encountered Christ. Oh good this person has gift, he has this, he has this. He's coming up. But that is not the sign of maturity. It is not the sign of becoming like Jesus. A man's gift does not tell you the level of his maturity. It is the fruit of a man. It is the fruit of a man. So people enter into marriages today not spiritually prepared. They are financially prepared but psychologically, mentally and spiritually they are not prepared. And that is the most critical preparation for a man. For a man is a spirit. Man is a spirit. And so when you get into the thing, you have not married a man. I mean you have not married somebody who is a full human being. You start seeing all kinds of animalistic tendencies. Outbursts of anger, envy, jealousy, cruelty, impatience, selfishness. The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is what? Love. Are you seeing it? My husband doesn't love me, my wife doesn't love me. All what you thought was love at initial stage were just leaves. Because if you people have not talked about love at initial stage, you wouldn't have married one another. But if after a year or two into the marriage you now say there is no love, it means what you saw before was leaf. The fruit of the Spirit is love. You see joy, peace, long-suffering. Are you beginning to suffer long? "I can't take that again. I can't take that from him. I can't take that from her." People cannot suffer long. Everybody want to enter into marriage to get the best out of it. Nobody wants to suffer in it. I'm talking about the fruit of the Spirit. Kindness, goodness, faithfulness. A husband faithful to the wife. A wife faithfully serving the husband. Gentleness, self-control. People can't control themselves when they are angry. People can't control themselves under slight provocation. Under slight mistake of a spouse, you start sparking like fire. You can't just have control. People lose control over their tongue. They start saying all kinds of things. Self-control. You see I've said all of these, these were the things we said in the month of November. But you see they are serious burden on my heart. They are very, very serious burden on my heart. And that is why I seem to be re-emphasizing them again. Because they are very, very serious burden upon our heart. What we are witnessing today among young people, young couples, young marriages is not something one is happy about. It is not something that gives one joy. Please young man, young woman, take lesson from the fig and understand that while leaves can attract, it cannot sustain. While leaves can attract, it cannot sustain. While leaves can attract, they cannot sustain. Please your giftings, your look, people talk today about packaging. I'm entering now into our focus for today and I want to begin with the matter of packaging. Packaging is something today that has overwhelmed our world. And unfortunately it seems to have overwhelmed Christianity. When the Lord looked at the fig tree from afar, the fig tree was well-packaged. Packaged enough to attract the Lord. And today there is so much things about packaging. People are not real. People are not real. But do you know packaging does not guarantee content? There are several things that may not look well-packaged, that may not look as if there is anything in it. And one thing you need to know, why am I talking about this and why am I beginning like this, is that I want to show you the book of Isaiah as we look at lesson from the fig leaf today, the matter of "and the Lord cursed the fig." Because you'll be wondering that the Lord cursed the fig. That is the focus today. The focus last month was "it was full of leaves." And we have talked extensively about that and I think this morning again, even if you were not around last month, I have summarized that again. What we said last month. The fig was full of leaves. That was for the month of November. For the month of December we are concerned with "and the Lord cursed the fig." It's a very serious thing that the Lord cursed the fig. It is a very, very serious thing. And I was beginning with packaging. Packaging. And I was saying that packaging does not guarantee correct content. And be very, very careful about packaging because it is not God's principle of working. God works with reality. God works with the truth. And let me tell you, the truth ordinarily is not concerned about packaging because many times the truth is not attractive. Let me share you, let me show you some things about the Lord. Many times the things that try to get your attention, go and check it, it is the principle of deception. I saw something in Isaiah, Isaiah 53 that made me to say the things that I'm saying. That packaging is not fundamental to truth. But packaging, packaging is the essence of deception. Packaging is not fundamental with truth. It may be packaged, it may not be packaged. But packaging is the essence of deception. Deception cannot work without packaging. But truth can work without having any packaging. Truth can fulfill all its purpose. Look at Isaiah chapter 53. Let's see something together there. Look at how even the chapter open about the Lord Jesus. It says: Isaiah 53:1-2: "Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." I'm trying to make you see that truth is not concerned about packaging. Packaging is not a fundamental concern of truth. Today our world is blinded by packaging. How does it look? How does it appear? What does it have? What can you get? How does it talk? Which fellowship does it belong to? This has just helped to make you see a fundamental work of error today. One thing about truth, the Lord was packaging the salvation of man. By the time He appeared, He did not appear to people as someone they should believe. How can the Messiah be born where sheep, where cattle, all those things where they gather? How can the Messiah go and be the son of one carpenter that is not popular? To make the whole thing very, very bad, the announcement of His birth was not even to popular people. They were going to shepherds to be announcing. Is that where you announce? Is that the place to go and announce? You are supposed to go to the center stage of the city. Gabriel will stand to this side, Michael to the other side and they'll be singing, "Oh come let us adore Him." And the child is not coming from heaven. Bom-bom-bom-bom-bom-bom-bom. If He had come like that and you just see him just come down. And 35 angels, one to this side, some to the other side. Three of them are managing to carry His Bible. Five of them are following with chariots. Another one following him with... are you understanding me? Who will not follow such a man? But you now saw one boy, that's the son of a carpenter. And you are wondering, which school did he even go? He did not even go to the university of something and then he's coming to... I'm trying to make you see that truth is not about packaging. Men that will get what is real are men who can discern. If you will enter into realities in your life, be careful about packaging. Be careful about packaging. Pray the Lord for discernment. Pray the Lord to be able to discern the things of God. Pray the Lord to be able to discern the things of God. You will notice that while the kings of those days, the rulers all of them, while they missed what God was doing, you can see how the Bible describe men who were not even qualified. You know the men that came that brought gift to him? They were star worshippers oh. I hope we are aware that the Lord hates star gazers, people who read stars. All we are aware? So the people who ordinarily should have nothing to do with the covenant, the people that in the Old Testament God said they should have nothing to do with, are the ones who were able to discern from afar. And look at the irony of the thing. Those who are sons and daughters, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priests, the Levites, the scribes that you will expect to be the ones to get it right. And are you not seeing it today? The so-called born agains, the ones in fellowship, the ones that seem to be doing here and there that you will think will get it right in their marriage, in their home, in their life, they are the ones getting it wrong. When you look at the level of things happening today among our young people settle down in marriage, in society, they settle down to start life. When you begin to see what they begin to manifest, you begin to wonder. And you will see, that is why you will see people you who you think that their marriage should not even work - I'm talking about unbelievers - you will see some of them even having relative peace in their marriages than some of us who are believers. Why are these things like this? I'm talking to you today young man and young woman that is listening to me, be careful about packaging. Packaging is not the way of God. Truth is real. Truth is itself. That is why when something is truthful and kindled, when you first see it, there will be no reason to even desire it. That is what we saw. It was just a space. What he does not have, he does not have. What is not there is not there. This is who I am. May the Lord help us. But young man I'm only telling you something, young man young woman listening to me wherever you are, brethren on Mixlr, brethren on Telegram, I'm pleading with you, do everything to grow your capacity to discern. Packaging is everywhere today in our churches and in our fellowship. Packaging is everywhere. Grow in discernment before you begin to take major decisions in life. Grow in your ability to discern. Grow in it. I'm telling you a response. How do you respond to this as a young man? Is what I'm showing you and I'm showing you this principle that packaging is not a new thing. That is why I took you to Genesis. Ever from the beginning of time, packaging has started from the beginning of time. Packaging is not a new thing and look at how people respondent to it. Look at how they responded. You remember Ahijah the prophet? Ahijah was the prophet that anointed Jeroboam. Jeroboam that ten tribe went with. Two tribe went with Rehoboam, ten tribe went with Jeroboam. That king Jeroboam, it was Ahijah that told him what God will do. That God is going to tear the kingdom into two, He is going to give him ten tribe, two tribe will remain with the seed of David. Eventually that came to pass. When it came to pass Jeroboam grew, but unfortunately he became wicked and idolatrous. At a point in his life he wanted to connect back with Ahijah. But he know that Ahijah will not listen to him. So you know what he did? He did packaging. He told his wife, he said dress in another garment that will not make you appear like the wife of Jeroboam. Go and meet Ahijah. Ask him, we need to know what God is saying now. But you know if we go as we are, he will only rebuke us. He will not tell us what we need to do. You know he was the one that told us then. You see when men lose real thing, they lose the real thing and they don't want to come again humbly and in sincerity to connect with the real thing. They want to connect again with packaging. And then the woman went. What the Bible tells us? The Bible tells us that while she was still on the way that Spirit of the Lord spoke to Ahijah. "See, this and this and this and this is what Jeroboam have decided. This and this and this is the way you should answer Jeroboam that is sending his wife." And true to the word, do you even know do you know that story? Do you know that as at the time as at the time when Jeroboam sent to Ahijah, the Bible says Ahijah have grown very old that physically he could not see. He was a blind man. He was no more seeing again physically. And so when but however, when Jeroboam's wife entered into the house of Ahijah, the Bible says Ahijah said, "Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam. Why are you disguising yourself to appear like another woman? Anyway this is what the Lord have to tell you." Do you see how people are responding to packaging? That is the capacity we are growing. Grow in discernment. Packaging have always been from time immemorial. Packaging have always been from time immemorial. You know so it should not be something it should not be something that should be taking you aback or anew. It is something that have always that have always been. I want to see if I can quickly pick that story so that we read it together. That is 1 Kings chapter 14. I just want you to see that reading. 1 Kings chapter 14. Let's see that reading. You know it is just something for us to learn from, something for us to see and know so that you can see that there is nothing new under the sun. It is from verse 1. 1 Kings 14:1-6: "At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, 'Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.' And Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age. Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, 'Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.' And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, 'Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. Go, tell your husband...'" Are you seeing something? What capacity are you building today for your own life? How will you be able to respond to packaging, deception that is everywhere today? If you don't build capacity as a young man. Build capacity to be able to discern the things of God. Lesson from the fig. The Lord cursed the fig. Let's go. I believe I've been able to treat the first major lesson. Our world is a world of packaging. Be careful not to go in that path. Packaging is not the part of truth, it's the part of deception. Don't go in that path. How do you respond to packaging? Develop discernment. The second thing I want us to see about the fig. The second thing I want us to see, let's go back again to that lesson. Mark chapter 11. The fig tree that was full of leaves. It was full of leaves. Mark 11, from verse 12. "Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response, Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.' And His disciples heard it." Now when you look at when you look at this story, what other lessons can we pick? He says He found nothing in it but leaves. It was not the season for figs. Now there are two ways you can look at this. For example if we are to walk out to look at the cashew tree over there, the cashew tree is already getting filled with leaves wanting to start budding because very soon by January between January and April, there will be cashew on it. So leaves start coming out in preparation for that time. So this tree may be full of leaves because it was preparing towards when it will be time to bring out the fruits. That is one way to look at it. The second way to look at look at this fig here that was full of leaves could be that it was a tree that normally normally it has leaves unusually than some other trees. Have you seen have you seen some trees like that of the same plant? But whichever way you look at it, either from the point of the nature of tree or from the point of the nature of time, the point is this: the Lord was to pass that way. It was between Bethany and Jerusalem. The Lord was to pass that way. Now ordinarily if we take it from the point of even if you look for any other fig at that time you won't have fruit. It was not the season for fig. Because if you look for any cashew around this time, you will not find fruit. It is not yet the time. Are you getting it? So if you look at it from the point of it is not yet the time, but the Lord cursed the fig. It brings me to tell you this. Be careful. The Lord was to pass the way of this fig. This fig is not like any other fig because it was in the Lord's way. Are you understanding me at all? I'm speaking expositorily now. Be careful with "Ah, this is what everybody is doing. That is why I'm also doing it." "How will I have fruit at this time? It is not yet my season. After all every fig cannot have fruit." But this fig was standing in the way of the Lord. Be careful to understand what God is doing with your own life. Be careful to know what God want to do with your own life. Once you begin to compare your life with "After all in Nigeria everybody tell lies. What is there that the Lord cannot overlook? After all everybody..." Stop. Be careful to respond to what God is doing with your own life. Be careful to know exactly what God is saying. And walk in that path. I was talking to a lady one day we were having a discussion and she was telling about the church and all of that. And I said I hope there is nothing immoral. She said, "No, no, no, no, no." She said "No, but it doesn't mean that they don't have sex at all oh." That was contradictory for me. You are not yet married. She said, "No, no, no, but it doesn't mean they don't have sex." I said, "Ah, is that not immoral?" She said, "The reason why I said that is because maybe in a year once." She said, "You know that is the normal thing, sir. That's the normal thing. Don't let people deceive you, sir. All the ones you people behave like it's a lie. Nobody can stand like that once in a while at least something, even if it is not sex sometimes, at least you know there is how you feel when you love somebody." I said, "But it is not right." What I appreciated about her was her sincerity. But what I now began to teach her was that even if everybody is doing it, it doesn't make it right. Be careful with this is the popular thing. God the way of truth is a lonely path. Broad is the gate and wide is the way that leads to destruction. Because narrow... be careful with this fallacy of "everybody is doing it." Everybody what? Like somebody said, "No, God will understand for Nigerian Christians oh." It is not easy to be a Christian in Nigeria. I want to ask, was it easy for Daniel to be a Christian under Nebuchadnezzar? So when when have it been easy before to live this life? Did the Master tell us that it's going to be an easy path? "They that will live a godly life in this world will suffer what?" Persecution. We were never told it's going to be an easy path. So why are you now saying that it's not easy in Nigeria? What I'm teaching you from the fig tree this morning again, second thing I'm trying to teach you, be careful. Know what the Lord is doing specifically with your own life. Know what the Lord is saying about your life. Be careful with "After all everybody, after all that is the common thing." It was the common thing but the Lord cursed the tree for not having fig, for not having any fruit. He did not curse that tree because compared to all other ones it was a fig on the Lord's path. Be careful when God is saying something with your life and doing something with your life. Be careful when God is showing you certain things "I want to do this with your life" and God is pointing in a particular way and you keep looking outside. "Ah, what are they saying? Everyone else is doing it." Stop. Be careful to respond to what God is doing with your own life. Be careful to know exactly what God is saying. And walk in that path. What is it again I want to show you is that as far as the Lord is concerned, the fruit - that is the verse 14 now - it says in response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it. Now it means as far as the Lord is concerned, for any life, the fruit takes precedence over the leaves. As important as the leaves are, as I've explained what the leaves are to us, represent that you are born again, represent that you have the gift of the Holy Spirit. In fact the church of Corinth represent it very well for us. That Corinthian church, Jesus had a lot of them. He said, "I give thanks my God always concerning you for the grace of God which has been given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in every way by Him in all utterance and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you came short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end that you may be blameless in the day of Jesus Christ." That was about that church. Yet speaking about that church, he says - I'm reading chapter 3 now, 2 and 3 - "I fed you with milk, not with solid food, but until now you are not able to receive it, even now you are still not able, for you are still carnal." You are still carnal. What am I trying to make you see? Is that spiritual gift does not separate a man from carnality. The gift does not separate a man from carnality. He said, "for you are still carnal." A man may be seriously gifted but he's still carnal. A man may be gifted, have you not seen? He can lay hands and then miracles take place. He can lay hands to raise the dead. He alone, oh you know what Samson did? Samson was a one-man army. Only one man in the army of Israel and defeated every other army. He can even be so gifted with power and grace and be a one-man army. But that does not mean that he's spiritual. What I'm trying to make you see, to be spiritual is to be fruitful. It's not to be gifted. It is the fruit that makes that defines the spirituality of a man. The fruit takes precedence over the leaves. As far as the Lord is concerned, the fruit take precedence over the leaves. In fact, let me ask you, what is the purpose of the leaf? It is to bring out fruit. So it is important for us to know that when a life does not bear fruit, when a life is not bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit... And last month I've taken time to define this fruit in two ways. Those of you who were not around last month, please try to link up that from last month as we try to define the fruit. You can look at the fruit from what Apostle Paul described in Galatians chapter 5 that we read earlier: love, joy, peace, all of that except self-control. That is one dimension to the fruit. The dimension again to this fruit is the connectivity between that and our life bringing others to Christ. There is a relationship between that and our life bringing others to Christ. You see when you begin to bear that first fruit, that is when you can by your life bring others to Christ. Your gift may attract people to Christ but when they encounter your life, they will leave Christ. Are you understanding me at all? Let me give you a good example of something that... let me give you a real example so that it can be clearer. Technical, is there any question? Not yet okay. Okay. Now I was having a someone came to me for a counseling session and we were discussing and he said he wants to get something clear. She was in church, she was in church but she could not just follow the message. In fact, she just got up and left. That she just want to find out from me some things that if it was that she is not being a Christian, what happened? I said, "Please tell me what happened. What happened?" That she was in church and when they introduced the person to preach for that day was a brother who had violated her - sexual violence - violated her forcefully. She didn't know she would meet him that day in that fellowship. So when they called the man of God to preach and it was this person, she was just... I mean network just left. There was no network again to heaven. The more he spoke, the more she was getting angry, provoked. While some are saying "Oh, man of God, ride on!" She was being provoked. So she wanted to know whether something is wrong with her spirit. I said, "Sis, nothing is wrong with your spirit. What happened was that that life is full of leaves. The leaves can attract people to the Lord but it cannot sustain them. They need the fruit." It is by the fruit that our life begin to convert people. That is the second level of the fruitfulness. For our life to draw people. I told you in the case of someone who was in the market and went for a... he was in the market, somebody mistakenly stepped on somebody. Before he could say sorry, it was a slap. He couldn't say sorry to the person again. He got so angry and said, "You are stupid for what you have done." Person said, "You are mad for that thing that you have just said." "You mean me?" And then they started struggling and then people separated them. And then two weeks later they were to go for evangelism. And as they went for evangelism, knocking on the door, she went with at least two other people. Or himself and somebody and knocked on the door and it was that person they fought in the market that came out. He could not preach. "Excuse me... uhh..." "You you know that day what happened actually, I wanted to tell you sorry. That was not why I came. That was not what I came for." Why couldn't he preach? Because the life. The life. But if that other person did that and it was the way of Jesus, bless those who despitefully use you. "Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't do it intentionally." And the matter ended that way. When they met in evangelism, wouldn't that person know that, "Ah, no wonder, pastor, Christian, no wonder. Because I wonder why he didn't revenge that day." Is that not what would happen? So there is a way the fruit of long-suffering, joy, patience, all of that will now begin to make your life to become a light, a city set on a hill cannot what? Cannot be hidden. Begin to draw men, begin to draw men. That's the second level of fruitfulness. Now it does not only draw men, what does it do again? It sustains men. Because anywhere people gather and begin to gather have people you are dealing with, there will be offenses. Is that not true? Somebody will provoke somebody, somebody will get somebody angry. Then the fruit begin to sustain again. You can forgive gentleness, love, patience. You see so it attracts and then it sustains. That is why the fruit take precedence over the leaves. And any life that does not bear fruit can now announce to you cannot be relevant to the Lord. That is why you see the Lord cursing the tree as a lesson for us to learn. It's not as if there is anything special about that tree but the Lord want us to draw a lesson. Drawing a lesson that fruitfulness - when your life is not fruitful, it has no place in the kingdom. It has no place in the kingdom. If somebody is still carnal, let me show you why he has no place in the kingdom. That tree no more have a place in the kingdom of the figs. Does it have again? It does not. What happened? It dried up. It is no more. When they are talking about the kingdom of figs, it's no more there. If anybody does not bring fruit, if your life is not fruitful, you cannot you cannot be a part of the kingdom. It is not possible. Look at what the Bible says in Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. That tree no more have a place in the kingdom. It dried up. It is no more. If any life is not fruitful, by the operation of the Lord, will dry up. It's going to be by the operation of the Lord because that is what the Lord will do to His enemies. He takes them away. They will dry... It's just a matter of time. You can't have a part in the kingdom. You cannot. It is just as clear things in scriptures. By the operation of the Lord, He takes them away. He takes them away. They will dry... It is just a matter of time. You can't have a part in the kingdom. You cannot. It is just as clear things in scriptures. By the operation of the Lord, He takes them away. Who is taking them away? Because that is what the Lord will do to His enemies. He takes them away. They will dry up. It is just a matter of time. You cannot have a part in the kingdom. You cannot. It is just as clear things in scriptures. By the operation of the Lord, He takes them away. He! Not somebody, it is He, the Father. When you are not bearing fruit, the Father operates in a way to take you away. That's why He looked at the tree and said "Let no man eat from you ever again." It was the operation of the Lord that made it to get dry. The operation of the Lord. It was not by any man, it was the operation of the Lord. The same way by the operation of the Father, every branch that is not bearing fruit, He has He has this way of taking them away. How He does it, these are mystical things. These are things you cannot explain. He has a way of those who are not abiding in Him. That is why I've learned this point of criticizing, when I stand on the pulpit to preach, I'm more interested in edifying the church than in criticizing that person if he's not bearing fruit to the Lord, He has a way of taking them away. He will take them away. That is what I want you to see. The fig tree dried up. He will take them away. But everyone that is bearing fruit, what happened? He prunes that he may bear more fruit. That is the same the same principle the Lord gave. To he that have, what will happen? That he may do more. And he that have not, even what he had will be taken away from him. May that not be our portion. So we see the same principle here. "You are already clean because of the word which I spoke unto you. Abide in Me." You see it? That is the basis of our standing. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." You know talking telling us how we can bear this fruit by continuously knowing the Lord, walking with Him, knowing Him, listening to Him, following Him, learning Him. That is how the fruit begins to come forth. He says "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me." We get born again, that is one level. What is the second level? The level of discipleship. The level of learning God. Discipleship. "Take My yoke and learn of Me." You must learn. It is not just that He gives you rest and born again, no. That is one level. Another level: learn of Me. My yoke is easy, My burden is light. What will now happen? You will find rest for your soul. There are several people today who are born again but their soul is restless. There is no rest for their soul. There is no rest. And because let me tell you this truth, it is because several young people don't find rest for their soul. That is why when they get into relationships like marriage, into fellowships, into close relationships, they also trouble others because they themselves don't have rest. They are not at rest. And you know what they will be saying? You know the blindness again? They will be saying you are not giving me rest. "Ah, the problem is with him, the problem is with her." But the problem is with you. Until you find rest for your soul. It is not people, I tell I tell people, what give rest to your soul is not an individual. That's why I tell wives, it's not your husband that will give rest to your soul. I tell husbands, it's not your wife that will give rest to your soul. You are the one to find rest for your soul. How do you find rest for your soul? Discipleship. Learn the Lord. People are not learning God. They are putting their responsibility on people. Learn the Lord, you will find rest for your soul. If you must find rest it is about the Lord. Abide in Me that is the point there and you bear much fruit for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, what did he say? You see verse 6: "he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." That is a working of the Father. That is a working of the Father for lives that are not abiding in Jesus. How He does that, these things are mystical. These are things we cannot ordinarily explain. He has a way of those who are not abiding in Him. That is why I've learned this point of criticizing, you know when I stand on the pulpit to preach, I'm more interested in edifying the church than in criticizing that person if he's not bearing fruit to the Lord, He has a way of taking them away. He will take them away. That is what I want you to see. The fig tree dried up. He will take them away. But everyone that is bearing fruit, He prunes that he may bear more fruit. That is the same principle the Lord gave. To he that have, that he may do more. And he that have not, even what he had will be taken away from him. Technical, I believe we have answered the question that was raised last month. Yes, because I told the person that the person should wait that we are going to make sure that that question the person asked will be answered and I've answered it. The person was wondering what happens when one is not fruitful, does that mean that the Lord takes away? Does that mean that's thrown into the fire? Yes, the Lord has a way of taking away. That is the truth about it. That is what the scripture says. But these things are mystical. Let us let us let us stand where the Lord stand. Let us be where He is so that we, great lessons from the fig. Great lessons from the fig for our life. May the Lord keep us going. May we may we not go the way of the world. There is the way of truth. Let's walk in that way and then our life will be continually fruitful. No question was sent. Tenga said no question. So is there any question from the floor? And you didn't say anything? You should have raised up your hand if it's already 12:00. At the end of the day, you should have let us know by 11:30 that there is a question. Even your question on the floor, you should have raised your hand when it was 12:00. But let us see what the question... we should be closing now. No brethren online too. Let's have you. [Speaker 2] Sir, you are talking about how that the Lord has a way of taking those that are not bearing fruit. He has a way of taking them and gathering them away. So like now, you know that in our times, there are people that we know that they have this gift and their lives are not bearing the fruit and most times they are always leaders that are also leading people. And because people are so blinded by the gift that they have. So the thing is now that, is it that we now wait for God because you said it is mystical to now take them away or is there also something that we can do to ensure that those leaders are not just misleading people astray? [Speaker 1] Okay, what can we do in a case where leadership is misleading people? Is it that we keep watching them misleading people and all of that? Now when it comes to leadership, you see one thing again about misleading, misleading is another concept again. But let me just explain it this way. It says there as there were false prophets among them, there will be false teachers among you. The Lord made that clear. Who shall bring in damnable heresies. So what you said is true, there will be leaders who will bring that in. It said and many will follow their ways, many will follow them. Now in the issue of following them, the Bible made it clear again that we should note that we should preach, we should teach, we should correct, we should rebuke for a time will come when men will no longer love truth but they will heap for themselves teachers having itching ears and they will turn away from the truth and be following those teachers. So there are two sides to deception. There are two sides to deception. The first side is the deceiver. The second side is the deceived. Why do I why do I say this? Look at why I am not saying that where people where people there is church there is place of church punishment, church discipline. Where for example I mean we could have had a situation where a leader was found to be sexually molesting... there's place of church discipline. I'm not against church discipline. When that thing came to the public, that was a way of God removing that person. He had been doing the thing underground and one day he was caught red-handed. You get it? So that was a way of God removing that person. The person can be removed through church discipline. There are different ways God use to remove. So what I'm saying is not against church discipline. It is not against correcting people. But you know followership cannot correct leadership. You can only advise leadership. Somebody who is a leader will also have people that are leading with... also have people around him that God will use to correct it. In different ways. I've seen that in various ways before. That is why I also tell people, don't grow to a point when you are no more subject to anybody. There is nobody who by his gift - listen to this statement that I'm making - nobody, nobody by his gift is placed on the church. Listen what I mean: on the church. No body is placed over the church by his gift. Everybody by their gift they are in the church. No body is above the body. We are all inside the body. So don't grow to a point when you are no more inside the body. You have those who can checkmate you and correct you. You have grown to a where you are now where you are now on the body. When you go on the body you already outside the body so you begin to dry up. Do you understand me at all? That is one way. But what I'm trying to explain is that sometimes the deceived is being deceived because he loves deception. There are people who love to hear things that make them feel well. They are believers because they too are full of leaves. They follow men too who are full of leaves. Because they will be saying things, "Look! Everybody look! Christianity is not stupidity oh. If somebody slap you, that one is Bible oh. Ah, you show anybody so that they will know they will not take you for granted." They are also teaching like that. Is that not exciting for men who want to fight? For men who don't want to deny themselves? Is that not the way? So there are also people who love deception. But one thing about this, the Bible says we have the Holy Spirit in us who teaches us all things. You see if you are somebody who is abiding in Christ, when somebody is not following Christ, you will begin to discern. If you are following somebody and the person is not following Jesus and you are still following Jesus, somehow you will separate from that person. That is the truth. Somehow you just discover that you are no more flowing. You just discover... you see, those of the truth, they follow the truth. Because ultimately, like I tell everybody, which is something I'll be handling again on Monday during discipleship, to handle that more seriously, the human agency in the work of God. Because somebody raised a question about last Monday discussion. "Is it that human beings are no more relevant? Where is the place of human beings in the building of the church?" So I'll be treating that question on Monday. You know what I'm trying to point out is that ultimately you must understand that it is the Holy Spirit that is the Discipler. There are disciplers but there is a Discipler. But there is a Discipler. God use human agency. I'll explain that very well on Monday. The place of human you will see that if your life is not connected with a human agency there's something is wrong with your life. There is always God works through human. That is the truth about it. But what I'm saying is that people who are following evil leaders and they keep going on in the deception, keep going on in the deception, you also need to check their own walk. They themselves may not be following the truth. Do you understand? It also goes the other way. I hope your question have been answered? Okay. So let us close for today already after 12:00. Technical, no more question? Okay. So let's let's close today. Let's thank the Lord. Lesson from the fig. Lesson from the fig. Lesson from the fig for our life. Father we are grateful for today. Father we thank You we bless Your name we lift You high we adore You. We thank You oh God for this time again of learning together, of fellowshipping with one another. Lord our God, we pray this afternoon more of Jesus' life in the name of Jesus. More of Jesus, more of Jesus, more of His will, more of His purpose, more of His life, more of His way, more of His truth, more of the manifestation of Jesus in us, more of our conformation to Him. In the name of Jesus Christ. Thank You, Eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. We share the grace in fellowship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen. [Outro music] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aid. Our regular activities are: discipleship class every Monday 5:00 PM, Adolescent and Singles' Club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, Marriage Forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, family life seminars, regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Veryjoy filling station along Ijebe Road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.