Cy Harden is a good friend to many of us here. And frankly, I've missed Cy. He's not been able to join us for quite some time. He's getting a little bit older. One of the things I always enjoyed about Cy is he always had a joke, at least one. And he loved to tell me the jokes, and they were funny. Just to be truthful with you, they were funny jokes. Well, he has, through Pam, sent us his joke for the day. So I'd like to share that joke with you just now. There's a boy at the beach. He's choking. His mom couldn't help him out, and nothing could happen. And a man picked him up and turned him upside down, shook him, and a coin came out. Mom said, thank you so much, sir. Are you a doctor? He said, no. I'm the chairman of finances at my church. And that is a typical sigh-hardened joke, all right? Well, you know, we just had the Lord's table together, and I know that we're already looking at being 11 and 30, so it means that everybody's getting a little bit hungry right now. So what I'd like to do this morning is make a sandwich for you. Right here, right in front of you, I want to make a sandwich. You know, a sandwich has to have a slice of bread up on top here, a slice of bread. Now, you can call it whatever bread you want to. You can make it one of those subway type deals if you want to and call those different kinds of breads. Panera, you can do whatever you want to, or you can just take that nasty old white bread and put it either side there. What I'm going to do, I'm going to take that two slices of bread and we'll put them like this, and then we're going to stuff it full of meat. For those of you who are old as I am, we're going to make a Dagwood out of the thing. How many know what I mean when I say that? Yes, what a blessed congregation. Amen. People who know the truth, praise the Lord. So if you'll notice in your outline, there is .1 and .4, you see those two things? And you'll notice they kinda have the same name, right? It's fruitfulness, fruitfulness. So what I wanna do is do .1 and .4. Then I'm going to stuff the meat in there, and here's what can happen. For those of you who are willing to stay for the Dagwood, you can stay. For those of you who say, nope, I'm just a salami man. I've got it. I'm out of here. Then you can go ahead and leave. Fair enough? We're going to know what kind of people you are in just a minute. So slice bread number one, fruitfulness. The big picture of the Bible, what's it really all about? You know, I don't know a lot about what went on before creation. Matter of fact, I had difficulty knowing what went on at creation. But I can know that God was alive before then. And I know that he was dwelling in total happiness with father, son, and Holy spirit. I don't know what it was in eternity past. If I can use such a term, that's a oxymoron. I'm sure, but eternity past for whatever reason, dwelling in their complete blissful happiness with one another, they determined to create. And in their determining to create, they determined to create everything to be fruitful on that planet. Fruitful in that. Now what I mean by fruitful, that it would reproduce after its own kind. He's gonna set up principles in that creation that are going to reproduce after its own kind. This is the first slice of bread. So let's look at point number one, and let's go quickly over that one. Here's your bread. Fruitfulness is a cyclical, linear continuation of life in time. What in the world do you mean by that? Cyclical. Each thing is going to live, go to maturity, die, bring more of the same things in. It's linear because it's going in a direction. So time itself is going to be cyclical and linear. You say, you can't do that. Oh, I just did it. I just did it when I went to Texas. My wife and I drove together to Texas and we drove in our car that had four wheels on it. Four, I bought those four wheels as new tires. See, they were better tires. I knew they were capable of making the trip. And you know, funny thing with that tire, it was cyclical. As I moved along at 35 and 40 miles an hour, which you know I didn't, but anyway. That tire kept going the same cycle over and over again. You know what? But it linearly went, did I just make another word, linearly? There is no word linearly. But it just took a line of action that went all the way to Texas. cyclically linear. You follow that? It just kept doing the same thing over and over, but it had a point. When God created things at the beginning, he created them to cycle and line themselves up to go to a point over here. There was a time where he created time, and there's a time when he's gonna end time. We live in time, so we always think time is so essential. But God steps out of time, he lives in eternity. So for him, whatever he planned back here in eternity past was already true in eternity future. Everybody see where I'm at? Because he's always in the eternal present. Everything here lives in a cyclical, linear fashion. So he called for fruitfulness in order that life would continue, the same kind of life, okay? So if it's gonna be human, as we go on to the letter B, it's a lineal. Now, there's a difference between lineal and linear. So here's your English lesson for today. Linear has to do with lines, it has to do with measurements. Lineal has to do with generations. So he made it a lineal continuation of the same life, adapted to its environmental conditions. That is, it's going to come out after its own kind. So whatever you're going to have people-wise, it's going to be people. So if they are made in the image of God, what kind of people are they going to have? Image of God people, right? So if the image of God is stained or marred, what are the people born to that person gonna be? Stained or marred, right? So we're coming into this world in the image of God, stained and marred in the image of Adam. Everybody follow that? That's where we're at right now. And it's gonna be continuing that same lineal line so that every one of us has within us the DNA of Adam and Eve. It's all gonna be there. It's the same life that's come down. We have a spirit that is dead unto God. When we come in this world, it's the spirit said to be dead. We were dead in unrighteousness. We were dead to God. That spirit, because of sin, was broken from him. Follow that? It was broken from him. How could that ever be restored? Let me go to point C. In this fruitfulness, it is the commanded blessing of God. What he said was, he blessed them and said, be fruitful and multiply. It is the blessing of God that commands things. That's why, friends, when you leave a field alone, it's going to grow up vegetation. Whatever seeds are available there, it's going to grow up. Why? Because they are commanded and blessed by God to do it. You just leave things alone for a little while and it's going to pop up all kinds of vegetation of some kind. It may not be vegetation you can use, but it may be vegetation something else can use. For those of you who like pollinators, all the milkweed growing along the side of the road is wonderful home and habitation for butterflies, especially monarchs. And the butterflies are pollinators. They go in and make sure that all the other vegetation gets pollinated so there's more of it. Everybody following that? So this continuation of light that's going on, He has commanded the blessing of God from it. So fruitfulness is a commanded blessing. Everybody with me on this? It's real important to see this because that's what he's expecting from everything that's on here. When the fig tree was not fruitful the way it was supposed to be, he cursed the fig tree. Everybody follow where I'm at on that? He cursed the fig tree because it's supposed to produce. Everything is supposed to be giving fruit. That's the way all of life continues. If you're going to have animals that continue to reproduce, then those all animals are gonna have to have something to eat. So you gotta have grass that reproduces more than what the animals are gonna eat. You have to have vegetation that produces more than what the animals are gonna eat. So it's a commanded blessing. So he's in charge of conception. The germination that takes place in the ground, the conception that takes place in your wombs, that conception he's in charge of. But may I say that the critters and the plants are all in charge of making that possible. They also had to work. Now get the picture. You aren't going to have children by parthenogenesis. You're going to have children by sexual intercourse, right? That's your responsibility. Conception is his responsibility. Everybody see what we're talking about in this? I know I'm asking this a lot, but I want everybody to follow me because where I'm going to go with this, you need to have this foundation set down. Fruitfulness is what God is expecting. And if I can say it this way, he assumes responsibility for the nurture and the feeding of the species. So everything with God, God is in charge of, and he has people working with it. He has critters working with it. He has plants working with it. It is not just simply God doing things. God has a working relationship with all of us. Adam and Eve are going to have to have a sexual intercourse or they're not going to have children. All right. He assumes responsibility for the nurture and the feeding of all those species. Now, if you understand where we've come at that point, I want you to move with me to point four. God has provided what's necessary for all of that to take place. In other words, if he's gonna command and bless all of those things to have offspring, to continue to be fruitful, and he's gonna have to provide the energy for them to be able to do it. He's gonna have to provide the food, provide the environment, provide whatever is necessary for them to get that done. Let's go then to what Jesus said. So if you wanna turn your Bibles to John 15, we'll go to point four just for a moment, Here's what he's going to say. Verse eight of John 15. By this, and we'll see in just a moment what that is, by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit. Boy, Jesus is right back to that creation theme of fruitfulness as we read just a few moments ago in John 15. He said, by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. He went on to say in John 15 one, I'm the true vine and my father's the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. So if you get the picture here, what God commanded right back here in the beginning, this blessing of being fruitful, Jesus is now saying that's what I'm expecting out of your life. I am making it so you are gonna be in me. And whatever I am, that's what's flowing to you, and you're going to have fruit. I'm planning on you to have fruit. I'm planning to prune you. If you're not having fruit, I'm cutting you off. You have to bear fruit. That's the commanded blessing. Jesus is just repeating that right here for us. He's commanding us to bear fruit, all right? In John 15, I want you to look what it says, by this is my father glorified that you bear much fruit. He had said in John 15, seven, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. Okay, let's get this picture here. Notice what he's going to do. If we follow certain conditions, and that's the meat of what we want to talk about. If we follow certain conditions, here's the other slice of bread. you are going to ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. My Father will be glorified, you will bear much fruit, and you will be my disciples." That's the other side of this bread. Fruitfulness is commanded. Here's what he's telling us fruitfulness is. Now let's take and fill all that in. What did he say? Our fruitfulness is change desires. We'll be wanting what he wants. Why? If I'm abiding in him and I'm abiding in his words, then his words are abiding me. then I'm gonna have all of my desires changed. I'm gonna want what he wants. And with that, he's promised an unqualified answered prayer. Everybody see that? He's promised unqualified answered prayer. that if you abide in me, my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it will be done for you. Not I might do it, it could be great if it happened, he said it will be done for you. Now notice, my desires are gonna change because I'm getting his desires. When I've got his desires, I'm asking anything according to his will, I know he hears it. And I know if he hears it, I know I have it. Everybody with me on that? All right, let's go notice a couple other things about this. He said that that is bearing much fruit. I'm asking what I will, I'm abiding in his words, there's something happening in me, and the Father is being glorified through all of that, I'm bearing much fruit, and I'm being, not just acting like a disciple. It says, notice this, so you will be my disciples. You're not having to create something, you are being that. If you abide in him. If His words abide in you, you ask what you will, what you desire, it's done for you. My Father is glorified, you're bearing fruit, and now you are my disciples. All right? Well, that's the two slices of bread. On the one hand, God said, commanded blessing. On the other, He's telling you what that blessing's gonna, He's commanded fruitfulness. On the other hand, He's telling you what that fruitfulness is. Here's the bread, or here's the meat. Let's put that together. Go back to page one and let's put this meat together for us. Notice, first of all, There is a restoration and a transformation. Notice what he said. I'm the true vine, and my father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit. He says in verse 5, I'm the vine, you are the branches. So he's letting us know this. Something was going on before. I had planted a vineyard, he said in Isaiah, and when it came up, it did not bear for me. It did not come up, and what stuff did come up was not of any value. And I kept going to those who were taken care of and I said, change something, do something, I'm about to destroy this whole thing. Now Jesus is saying, what was going to be destroyed, look here guys, I'm putting you right back into the vine. I'm putting you right back into that vine. I'm putting you right back into the life source. When you were born again, do you understand that you were taken out of death and you were put right into the Lord Jesus Christ? You were put right into him so that you would have a life source. So now, just like all the plants that this illustration of, when all of that goody that's down underneath the ground and all that wonderful process that's going on that has all the water, that has all the nutrients in it, When that plant is drawing all that up, that good juice, that good life stuff is flowing right through you. And the goal of it flowing right through you is not so you can feel the little rush that comes from it going through you, it's because God is planning to produce fruit. What you're gonna be doing is bearing fruit. You're going to have all of the goodness of the life of Christ flowing right through you, and it's going to be bearing fruit that you're going to do. You're not producing fruit. It's the vine that produces the fruit. It's the father that takes care of the vine. You're a branch that has all of that running through you, and there are things that you're gonna put out on that branch, and you're gonna say, no, not that one. And you're gonna clip that off and clip that off. So if there's some things that you're finding you don't enjoy in life anymore, or you find that the father took away from you, that's because it wasn't a fruit producer. It wasn't gonna bear fruit for it. So he moved it out of the way, so it wouldn't be a problem for you. And now all of that's running through you again, and you're having that life. Okay, so you couldn't have that life if you weren't back in that vine. There isn't life possible. As a matter of fact, number two, letter B, Fruitfulness is impossible without it. Without you being in the vine, fruitfulness is impossible. Look what it says in verses four and five. 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. I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. I don't think you have to be a grand gardener to know this, that as long as you have an apple, blackberry, bush, any kind of fruit bearing bush, as long as it's staying there, it produces. But once you find it laying on the ground, you don't have any hope of any fruit coming from that. Now, here's the deal. If you're finding in your life that there's very little fruit, I want you to take heart today, because you're about to find out how you can get that fruit. If you're finding in your life that you're feeling more like you're abandoned from God, that you really don't have anything going for you from God, take heart today, because you're about to find out in the meat of this sandwich, how that can change for you today. So you don't even wait until next year, today, this moment, all right? So fruitfulness is impossible without it, and abundant fruitfulness is expected. Look at John 15, 8. By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit. Look at verse 2, that you bear more fruit. Verse 6, he says, if anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and withered, and they gather them, throw them into the fire, they are burned. If you abide in me, my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, it shall be done for you. that you bear much fruit verse 8 says so abundant fruitfulness is expected listen guys he has i think larry used the term pew potato or something like that earlier um he isn't expecting us to have warm fuzzies about going to heaven When he put us in the vine, he was fully expecting fruit, and rightly so. Why? Because that's the commanded blessing from the beginning, and that's what he's rewarding at the ending. Everybody follow that? For there to be a Christian that's not bearing fruit, listen to yourself, you are not in the vine, period. That's the conclusion. If we're not bearing fruit, we're not in the vine. Plain and simple. So let's go consider this. Here's what he said is the key to it. Verse seven, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, then fruitfulness comes. You ask what you desire, it should be done for you. Then the Father's glorified, then you bear much fruit, so you'll be my disciples. So let's tear this one apart a little bit. If you abide in me, Started making this my meditative phrase every morning. I Started memorizing this verse and I would meditate on this way If you abide in me and my words abide in you You will ask what you will It will be done for you By this my father is glorified That you bear much fruit So will you be my disciple? So I began to change it If I abide in Christ, and Christ's words abide in me, then I will ask what I will, and it will be done for me. By this, my Father will be glorified, and I will bear much fruit, so I will be his disciple." Wow, that sounded pretty good, so I went back and did it one more time. I am abiding in Christ. His words are abiding in me. I ask what I wish, and it is done for me. By this my Father is glorified, and I bear much fruit. I am a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. You follow that? Then I just kept going through that one and meditating on the thing and what that meant. What's the secret to me having answered prayer? What's the secret to me bearing much fruit? What's the secret to glorifying God? What's the real secret to being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? And here it was in two simple phrases. Abide in me and my words abide in you. What do we mean by abide in him? Well, certainly we can know this, fruitfulness comes from intimacy. If we're going to have children, there's gonna be some intimacy that's involved with it. If a plant is going to have any sort of fruit, there's an intimacy that's involved with it. In other words, the pollen from one part of that plant must get to the reproductive environment on the other part of that plant. It's all got to be working together and it's gotta be a certain intimacy. You'll often see that with bees. They're right in the middle of that plant, working that plant over and carrying with them on their body the pollen of that plant that's going now to the stamen. It's going to that part of it so now that plant can bear its fruit. There's an intimacy it's involved with. And when Jesus says, abide in me, it's about intimacy. It's about getting with the Lord Jesus Christ. So let me give you just six things there that intimacy with Christ are about. Number one, It's knowing the why of Christ. Knowing the why of Christ. Keep the big picture in mind. Why did Jesus come? Look, it's not just so you can get to heaven. Heaven's the dressing room of the wedding. You follow where I'm at? Heaven is where we're being with the Lord Jesus Christ. But can I say to you, Jesus Christ is not staying in heaven. What's Jesus going to do? He's coming back here for what? To re-establish the kingdom. This is where you rule and reign with him. Everybody follow where I'm at? It's not just to escape this world. He loved this world. He loved what he created. He's the one that keeps the whole thing operating, all of its systems, all of its relationships. He's doing it. He's the one that's providing for us. So what is this why? Why did the Christ come? The Christ came to take people who were broken from that relationship that was ours in the beginning and to repair that brokenness and bring us back into one with God. That's what he's come, to create a whole new people that will inhabit this world with him, that will be with him in relationship, in fellowship, wherever he is, whether that's heaven or it's here, whether it's eternity or it's time. People are going to be with him in a relationship. That's why he came. Now, what difference does that make to you in intimacy? You're no longer simply thinking of Jesus as an escape route to get you out of the bad things in this world. You're understanding that Jesus is with you through the bad things in this world. He's not saying, boy, dog, I hope you make it. I know this is gonna be tough. Wait till you see what's coming up tomorrow. Hope you make it, bud. Just stay faithful, just stay faithful. No, he's saying, I won't leave you. I am with you. Till the end of the age, kid, that's where you're at. I'm with you. And I want you to be in intimacy with me here. That's my why. I am with you. So don't get the idea that Jesus is somehow way up in heaven waiting someday for you to be faithful. He's with you every day. He left his spirit with you to abide in you all the time, to keep on producing the fruit all the time. You are not without anything. You have everything that you need, and that's his why. That's why he came. He came for us to glorify God. All right? Then letter number two, I guess it is. Knowing the person of Christ. Listen, there are some times I realize I am so deep in the doings of the things here and the administration of things around, that I sometimes forget who Jesus is. You ever done that before? You can do that with your spouse. You understand? Get so intense and involved in so many other things, get up and working, doing so many things, then come home and say, now, who are you again? And there are times you just have to stop and say, you know what? We're taking a weekend. We're going someplace. We're going out tonight. We're doing something, but I'm gonna know you. Because I love you. We need to stop and know and love Jesus. That means go back and look at the gospels, not as a lesson you're gonna teach in Awana, not as a lesson you might speak, but as a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. You're gonna meet him and know him all over again. Letter three, number three, knowing the way of the Christ. Man, learning how Christ operates, He's amazing, isn't he? Knowing how Christ operates. Listen, let me go all the way back here to creation. How did he operate back here at creation? Because he's the one who made this. He's the one for whom this was all made. He's the one that's in the operation of this whole system. How does he do things? Man, there's a whole bunch of principles you know about. You know about sowing and reaping. You know about after its own kind. You know about multiple principles that go on. How does he deal with people? So when you are, like some of you guys are going chronologically through the Bible this year, as you're going through that, get beyond just what the story is and say, how is God operating in this? How is God doing things? When you're reading the Gospels and you're reading about the Lord Jesus Christ, ask yourself this question. How is Jesus operating here? What is he doing? He's not like any other human. And he's revealing to us God, because he is God. So, you're gonna ask, how is Jesus operating? What is he doing here? It's loving Christ. You're devoted. If I can say it this way, devoted doting. Haven't heard that word in a long time, and I came up with it last night. I thought, I haven't heard that word in a while. Devoted doting. You ever doted over anybody? That's where you're just lavishing things on them. You're saying, you know, you're the most wonderful, the most beautiful. Like Sari used to say to me all the time. That was a joke, folks. Don't be. It's doting. You're paying super attention to it. This is Mary taking an alabaster bottle and breaking it over the Lord Jesus Christ and making sure that he's perfect and all that. This is Mary washing his feet with her tears. Loving him. Loving him. When was the last time you just stopped and loved him? And then there's the worship of him. Worship in Christ. It's counting him as worthy. That's what it means. That he's not just another teacher. He's not just the best of all the teachers. He's the worthy Messiah. Everything ought to come to him. He's its creator. Everything ought to come back to him. The whole world ought to be knowing him. and finally living the Christ's life. And here, I'm not just talking about imitation, I'm talking about knowing that Christ is living in you and he's living his life through you. You're gonna have to come through a whole new step of faith with that one. That's your coming into maturity when you're understanding that Christ is actually living in you. that this is not just words we use, this is not metaphors, this is not just some sort of little poetic thing we say, does it? Christ lives in me. Listen, he is alive in you. He's the one that's pushing you to do right things. By his spirit, he's doing that, okay? So, intimate with Christ. Let me go on to the next one, because I want to make sure you get the rest of this sandwich put together. Intimate with his words. That's why I said if I abide in Christ So I've got my my life of my devotion given to the Lord Jesus Christ I'm thinking on who he is and I'm really talking and learning to love the Lord Jesus Christ. It's his words So here's trusting his words of love. Let me just give you some of these In these I'm saying this you're gonna set all doubts aside and you're gonna trust him He gave you promises and through believing them wholeheartedly, you're filled with God's Spirit. 2 Peter 1, 2-4. So if you write that down there, you can look it up later. It's through these promises that Jesus made that you have participation with the divine nature. In other words, you're filled with the Spirit of God. Let me see if I can tell you what I mean by that. As you are listening to these promises, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, Here's the promise. You will ask what you will, and it will be done for you. By this, my father is glorified. You're called on to glorify the father. Now, here's the secret. Abiding in Christ, his words abiding in me, this is what's gonna happen. My father's glorified. If my father's glorified, I bear much fruit. And guess what? I am his disciple. Not I'm acting like a disciple. I am his disciple. All right? So it's his promises. Secondly, it's his commands. That's our evidence of love. Being obedient to his commands is our evidence of love. John 15, 10, John 14, 15, it's the evidence of our love. He says, if you love me, keep my commandments. Once you keep my commandments, it's a proof that you love me. Letter C, transformative thoughts. There's no better way to renew your mind, get wisdom, and get understanding than there is to have the transformative thoughts of Jesus, looking those thoughts through, and thinking them through, and letting the Spirit of God put that into your heart. It will transform the way you think about life, the way you think about this world, the way you think about other things. Letter D, teachings. The teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, the insights into kingdom living. Here you could write down Matthew 5 through 7, John 13 through 17. Those are all places where his teachings can be found. Not that they can't be found elsewhere, but they're found throughout. Here's some that you can. His teachings. Letter E. His applications. Listening how Jesus applied the truth. He was telling us how we live. He even said it this way. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be added to you. That's an application Jesus is making. He's saying it isn't enough that you know I'm righteous. I want you to seek first the kingdom of God and that righteousness and everything else you have need of will be applied to you. That's an application of a great truth he's given to us. It's a promise. Then prophecies. Jesus gave a number of prophecies. He said, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me and my father's house. There are many dwelling places. If it wasn't so, I would have told you. But I'm going now to prepare one of those places for you, that and I will come again for you that where I am there you may be also. That's confidence. That's to give you confidence. He even said that so you'd have confidence. You'd have confidence when it comes to somebody else's funeral and you go to the funeral and they're gone. and you can read this and say no. They're in my father's house. My Lord Jesus prepared these in dad's house so that I could be there. Hallelujah. I miss him like crazy. My heart stings. But I'm gonna be with him. We're gonna be together soon. You follow where I'm at? That's why he gave those things so he'd have some confidence. And then secondly, It's cherished meditative obedience. By cherished, here's what I mean. These words, to be intimate with his words, it's to cherish them. It's to meditate on them. Now notice here, cherished meditative obedience. Cherished because they are loved more than any other words on earth. You ever had those words like that? You ever had words that were really important to you? Maybe it was a letter you received some years ago from somebody that was really special. I don't know if we do letters much anymore. You save your emails. You save Facebook posts. I don't know what you do. But I know before all this email stuff came up, we actually did a thing called writing letters. And then you would mail them. At that time, you could put a stamp on it and send it away, and then that person would pick it up and read it. And then they'd send you something back. And the anticipation of waiting for that answer, it seemed like days, just came months. Maybe it was only two. But it seemed so long. And boy, when that letter would come to open it up, Oh, even smells like her. Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, that's good, that's good, that's good. They were cherished words. You understand what I'm saying? Let the words of Jesus be cherished to you. These are the most important words I've got. This is love. Those cherished words. That means I'm gonna memorize them. Yeah. You see, memory work is easy if you're having cherished words. You know, if there's a song you want to remember, how hard is it to remember a song? It's not at all. You'll have that song. Matter of fact, we'll do songs up here that I pretty well get the picture of the song by the second time through. You understand? I memorize them. Secondly, meditating. That's taking careful thought about it. It's really thinking my way through what is it saying? What does it mean by that? And then finally, application. Cherished meditative obedience is a conscious deliberate application of the Word of God. It's an action I'm taking. So if I can say this, here's these last three. To be intimate with the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ, here's these three words. Memorize, meditate, apply. Say that with me, will you? Memorize, meditate, apply. It's simple. He didn't make it a difficult thing. It's memorize, meditate, apply. When you're doing that, you're going to be intimate with the Lord Jesus Christ's words. Now listen here. Here's the promise that came to you. That sandwich came together just now. I gave you the bread. Commanded blessings are yours. Your fruitfulness is what is expected of you. I've seen down here, this is what it's going to look like. You're going to have answered prayer. You're going to have glorifying God. You're going to have fruit in your life. So there it is. And all the meat in between says, get intimate with the Lord Jesus Christ, with his person, and with his words. Let that be cherished to you, so memorize, meditate, apply, get to know the Lord Jesus Christ, get in love with him all over again, and the answers, the fruitfulness are yours. Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Father, thank you so much for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for what he's doing in our life even now. We ask father you make application to this word to the lives of all of us here. We want to be people who glorify God. We want to be people who have fruit in our lives. So thank you for it. Thank you for what you're going to do as you do this in us just now in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen. Well, we are called to be fruitful people. We're commanded to be fruitful people. We have been blessed to be fruitful people. God has made it possible. We have something to do. Everybody follow me? We're in a relationship here that is not 100% Him. He's 100% in it. You get 100% in it. That's where it is. We're working together with him. Let's bear fruit. Father, thank you for what you're doing in us. I don't know everyone here, Father, and I know that there's always a chance that someone in this organization, group, in this congregation that does not yet have a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, has not yet trusted Christ. I ask father in Jesus name grant that that might be theirs today, that today they might finally trust Christ seeing who he is. So open their heart to that father. You are a great personal intimate God. So I pray that you make yourself known to them as you know them, make them to know you. And I want to thank you for what you'll do. Dismiss us with your grace and peace in Jesus name. Amen.