ARTICLES ON SERVING
DATE: 14 July 2002
SPEAKER: Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
TITLE: What will you give back?
TEXT: John 15:16; Isaiah 5:1-6
The truth cannot be stated enough that God is a God of purpose and order. In the midst of the apparent randomness of life, we will find that God operates to a particular pattern and order. Nothing happens in a haphazard manner. The entire universe is governed by laws.
One of such laws is the law of exchange. We give to receive; and we receive to give. When you have given, you can expect to receive. But by the same token, when you receive you are expected to give something back. What will you give back?
This simple law sustains the entire universe. Everything that receives is expected to give back. When water vapour goes up it saturates in the atmosphere as clouds and then the water comes right back as rain. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and give oxygen back. Human beings and animals do the exact opposite. In today's world, we call it the ecosystem, but long before our scientists discovered this pattern, God had highlighted it in His word.
In Ecclesiastes 1:5-7 we see the cycle of life. Right from the beginning of time we see this principle in operation.
Genesis 2:7 :From the moment God breathed out and Adam breathed in, Men began a continuous cycle of giving and receiving. Whenever any creation of God violates the law of exchange, the order of creation is interrupted, the cycle of life is broken and death ensues.
This is exactly what happened with the fig tree in the time of Jesus - Mark 11:12-14, 20-21
There has being a lot of controversy as to why Jesus cursed the fig tree, especially as the passage specified it was not yet the season for figs. But what we see here is a violation of the law of exchange. The tree received but it failed to give back.
WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?The bible said that Jesus cursed the fig tree. To be cursed is the opposite of to be blessed. And to be blessed means to be empowered to prosper or excel. In essence, Jesus withdrew from this tree its power to prosper. But how did He do it? Look at verse 14, He withdrew from the tree its ability to give. And from that moment the fig tree had no right to give, it had no right to live.
With this understanding in mind Genesis 1:28 now takes on a whole new meaning. "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply………" ". Notice here that "be fruitful" was not the blessing; rather it was God's expectation as a result of the blessing.
When God blesses you, when He empowers you to prosper, He expects something in return. GOD ALWAYS DEMANDS A RETURN ON HIS INVESTMENT. WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?
In John 15:16 Jesus was saying, "You did not choose me. You are where you are today, not by your own genius or making. But I chose you; for one reason - that your lives may be productive".
Now lets go back to our passage in Isaiah 5. This story is allegorical. Any Middle Eastern farmer will tell you that the preparation of a vineyard is the most costly, the most tedious and the most time consuming of all agricultural operations - even till this day.
Let's take a close look at all the step in preparing this vineyard and try and apply the truths of this allegory to our Christian lives.
First you build a fence around the prospective vineyard. This is to mark out the piece of land as special and to protect it from intrusion from without. In fact bible scholars tell us that this is usually a double fence. Isaiah 5:5
•First there is a very thick thorn hedge to prevent the intrusion of animals and
•Second, there is a wall to prevent trespassing from thieves.
No other crop has the privilege or the need to have a fence built around it. Whilst other ground lay uncultivated, this piece of land gets special attention and premium treatment.
Secondly, the farmer clears out the stones in the vineyard.
Sometimes he would use them to build trails for the vine to grow through. If the stones are not removed or realigned, they become a hindrance to the growth of the vine.
•This is done to protect the vine from the danger from within.
•If God's people must fulfil their destiny the stones must be gathered out - Isaiah 62 :10
•When seeds fall on stony ground, it does not have depth and as such, soon dies- Matthew 13:3-5.
Third, the farmer plants the vineyard with the choicest seed.
•He uses only the best - seed of the highest quality - Jeremiah 2:21
•We are saved by the incorruptible seed of the word. 1 Peter 1:23
Fourth, he built a tower in the midst of it. On this tower a watchman is positioned to keep vigil and protect the vineyard from intrusion - usually by animals especially jackals and thieves.
•This tower represents the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Finally the farmer built a winepress in the vineyard.
This is machinery for processing the grapes on site. When grapes are transported they stand the danger of being bruised and spoilt in transit.
•God says, "not only will I bless you, I will put a machinery in place in your life, whereby the blessing increases your value. My spiritual blessings in your life will translate into material blessings. Other people will taste it and see that the Lord is good".
Now having done all this for His vineyard, God has an expectation. According to the law of exchange, He demands a return on His investment. And what does the vine give back?
Wild grapes. This expression refers to a species of wild berries that are poisonous and give out an extremely offensive odour.
The wild grapes are symbolic of two things:
•Defilement - Something happened during the process of growth that corrupted the nature of the grapes. Now instead of a sweet, refreshing fruit, we have an obnoxious, putrefying, poisonous, distasteful berry.
•Hypocrisy - On the outside it looks like the real thing, but when you taste it you find it is counterfeit.
You can imagine the disappointment of the farmer, after he had bestowed so much labour on the vineyard and he got nothing but poisonous berries in return.
This expresses the disappointment of God, when we fail to produce as He expects us to.
Listen to the disgruntled farmer "What more could have been done in my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then…?" "What did you need or want that I did not give you?"
In his anger, the farmer pronounces a severe judgment on the vineyard.
•I will remove your covering and your protection so that you will become exposed to attack and ridicule.
•There will be no more effort expended on you.
•Everything that comes against you will be unchecked and unrestrained.
•I will close up the heavens.
•
In essence he was saying, "You have received my favour in vain. You have given nothing back in return, now, no more!". WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?In Matthew 13:3-9, Jesus told the parable of the sower. The seed fell on four types of soil; but only one type of soil gave a return on the investment.
The four types of soil represent the different kinds of people in church. Matthew 13:18-23
•The first group of people are those who lack understanding.
•The second group are those who fail to acquire the necessary depth in God.
•The third group are those who are distracted by materialism and the cares of this world.
•The last group are the productive people in church. For this last group Jesus describes their productivity as hundred fold, sixty fold and thirty fold.
The hundredfold believers are those who give maximum yield. God says to them "I can't expect more from you, you have given your best". The sixty and thirty fold believers could do better - in some cases they are holding back. But notice that the minimum return that Jesus expects is thirty fold. Are you giving back thirty-fold?
Why do people holdback from God? Usually it is because of lack of faith and lack of trust in God. In Matthew 25:24-28, the third servant was not productive because of fear. He held back because he felt his master just wanted to take advantage of him. He lost everything in the end.
Galatians 6:7,6: Each time you receive and fail to give back you mock God. You have broken the law of reciprocity. It's like eating in a restaurant, belching and refusing to pay - you will be arrested.
Many people are arrested in their progress in life because they are spiritual lawbreakers.
God is a circle, he draws in circles, He operates in circles. He spoke and everything started spinning, the moon, the stars and the planets - each of them moves in a certain circle. He made the man and to help him to be productive, He made a woman and gave her a circle - we call it a cycle. If that cycle is broken, there is no productivity.
Genesis 8:21,22. To ensure the continuity of the earth, God established cycles of seasons. God will bring you into a season of blessing in your life, but it will be your responsibility to make sure that the season becomes a circle and not a straight line. A straight line has a beginning and an end, but not a circle.
Our cars make a progress because they operate in a circle both inside and underneath.
If you want to maintain the blessing, you must continue the cycle.
The moment God sees that you will give back what He's put in you; you are in for a lifetime of blessings.
Every time you walk away from the place where you were blessed without giving something back, you break the cycle.
In every home there are two types of people: those who take from the home and those who put more in than they take out. The children keep taking out. The adults keep putting back in. Which one are you?
Increase in the kingdom happens because we put more in than we take out.
The Dead Sea is so called because it cannot sustain life. Its density is so high that people actually float in it. It is loaded with minerals, which it collects from everywhere, but it does not flow out.
On the other hand, the Jordan is teaming with life because, when it receives, it gives something back.
Be assured of this: what you decide to give back will determine what the next level is for you.
WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?
TO ORDER THIS MESSAGE ON AUDIO OR VIDEO TAPE, CALL 020 88 555 888 NOW
One of such laws is the law of exchange. We give to receive; and we receive to give. When you have given, you can expect to receive. But by the same token, when you receive you are expected to give something back. What will you give back?
This simple law sustains the entire universe. Everything that receives is expected to give back. When water vapour goes up it saturates in the atmosphere as clouds and then the water comes right back as rain. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and give oxygen back. Human beings and animals do the exact opposite. In today's world, we call it the ecosystem, but long before our scientists discovered this pattern, God had highlighted it in His word.
In Ecclesiastes 1:5-7 we see the cycle of life. Right from the beginning of time we see this principle in operation.
Genesis 2:7 :From the moment God breathed out and Adam breathed in, Men began a continuous cycle of giving and receiving. Whenever any creation of God violates the law of exchange, the order of creation is interrupted, the cycle of life is broken and death ensues.
This is exactly what happened with the fig tree in the time of Jesus - Mark 11:12-14, 20-21
There has being a lot of controversy as to why Jesus cursed the fig tree, especially as the passage specified it was not yet the season for figs. But what we see here is a violation of the law of exchange. The tree received but it failed to give back.
WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?The bible said that Jesus cursed the fig tree. To be cursed is the opposite of to be blessed. And to be blessed means to be empowered to prosper or excel. In essence, Jesus withdrew from this tree its power to prosper. But how did He do it? Look at verse 14, He withdrew from the tree its ability to give. And from that moment the fig tree had no right to give, it had no right to live.
With this understanding in mind Genesis 1:28 now takes on a whole new meaning. "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply………" ". Notice here that "be fruitful" was not the blessing; rather it was God's expectation as a result of the blessing.
When God blesses you, when He empowers you to prosper, He expects something in return. GOD ALWAYS DEMANDS A RETURN ON HIS INVESTMENT. WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?
In John 15:16 Jesus was saying, "You did not choose me. You are where you are today, not by your own genius or making. But I chose you; for one reason - that your lives may be productive".
Now lets go back to our passage in Isaiah 5. This story is allegorical. Any Middle Eastern farmer will tell you that the preparation of a vineyard is the most costly, the most tedious and the most time consuming of all agricultural operations - even till this day.
Let's take a close look at all the step in preparing this vineyard and try and apply the truths of this allegory to our Christian lives.
First you build a fence around the prospective vineyard. This is to mark out the piece of land as special and to protect it from intrusion from without. In fact bible scholars tell us that this is usually a double fence. Isaiah 5:5
•First there is a very thick thorn hedge to prevent the intrusion of animals and
•Second, there is a wall to prevent trespassing from thieves.
No other crop has the privilege or the need to have a fence built around it. Whilst other ground lay uncultivated, this piece of land gets special attention and premium treatment.
Secondly, the farmer clears out the stones in the vineyard.
Sometimes he would use them to build trails for the vine to grow through. If the stones are not removed or realigned, they become a hindrance to the growth of the vine.
•This is done to protect the vine from the danger from within.
•If God's people must fulfil their destiny the stones must be gathered out - Isaiah 62 :10
•When seeds fall on stony ground, it does not have depth and as such, soon dies- Matthew 13:3-5.
Third, the farmer plants the vineyard with the choicest seed.
•He uses only the best - seed of the highest quality - Jeremiah 2:21
•We are saved by the incorruptible seed of the word. 1 Peter 1:23
Fourth, he built a tower in the midst of it. On this tower a watchman is positioned to keep vigil and protect the vineyard from intrusion - usually by animals especially jackals and thieves.
•This tower represents the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Finally the farmer built a winepress in the vineyard.
This is machinery for processing the grapes on site. When grapes are transported they stand the danger of being bruised and spoilt in transit.
•God says, "not only will I bless you, I will put a machinery in place in your life, whereby the blessing increases your value. My spiritual blessings in your life will translate into material blessings. Other people will taste it and see that the Lord is good".
Now having done all this for His vineyard, God has an expectation. According to the law of exchange, He demands a return on His investment. And what does the vine give back?
Wild grapes. This expression refers to a species of wild berries that are poisonous and give out an extremely offensive odour.
The wild grapes are symbolic of two things:
•Defilement - Something happened during the process of growth that corrupted the nature of the grapes. Now instead of a sweet, refreshing fruit, we have an obnoxious, putrefying, poisonous, distasteful berry.
•Hypocrisy - On the outside it looks like the real thing, but when you taste it you find it is counterfeit.
You can imagine the disappointment of the farmer, after he had bestowed so much labour on the vineyard and he got nothing but poisonous berries in return.
This expresses the disappointment of God, when we fail to produce as He expects us to.
Listen to the disgruntled farmer "What more could have been done in my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then…?" "What did you need or want that I did not give you?"
In his anger, the farmer pronounces a severe judgment on the vineyard.
•I will remove your covering and your protection so that you will become exposed to attack and ridicule.
•There will be no more effort expended on you.
•Everything that comes against you will be unchecked and unrestrained.
•I will close up the heavens.
•
In essence he was saying, "You have received my favour in vain. You have given nothing back in return, now, no more!". WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?In Matthew 13:3-9, Jesus told the parable of the sower. The seed fell on four types of soil; but only one type of soil gave a return on the investment.
The four types of soil represent the different kinds of people in church. Matthew 13:18-23
•The first group of people are those who lack understanding.
•The second group are those who fail to acquire the necessary depth in God.
•The third group are those who are distracted by materialism and the cares of this world.
•The last group are the productive people in church. For this last group Jesus describes their productivity as hundred fold, sixty fold and thirty fold.
The hundredfold believers are those who give maximum yield. God says to them "I can't expect more from you, you have given your best". The sixty and thirty fold believers could do better - in some cases they are holding back. But notice that the minimum return that Jesus expects is thirty fold. Are you giving back thirty-fold?
Why do people holdback from God? Usually it is because of lack of faith and lack of trust in God. In Matthew 25:24-28, the third servant was not productive because of fear. He held back because he felt his master just wanted to take advantage of him. He lost everything in the end.
Galatians 6:7,6: Each time you receive and fail to give back you mock God. You have broken the law of reciprocity. It's like eating in a restaurant, belching and refusing to pay - you will be arrested.
Many people are arrested in their progress in life because they are spiritual lawbreakers.
God is a circle, he draws in circles, He operates in circles. He spoke and everything started spinning, the moon, the stars and the planets - each of them moves in a certain circle. He made the man and to help him to be productive, He made a woman and gave her a circle - we call it a cycle. If that cycle is broken, there is no productivity.
Genesis 8:21,22. To ensure the continuity of the earth, God established cycles of seasons. God will bring you into a season of blessing in your life, but it will be your responsibility to make sure that the season becomes a circle and not a straight line. A straight line has a beginning and an end, but not a circle.
Our cars make a progress because they operate in a circle both inside and underneath.
If you want to maintain the blessing, you must continue the cycle.
The moment God sees that you will give back what He's put in you; you are in for a lifetime of blessings.
Every time you walk away from the place where you were blessed without giving something back, you break the cycle.
In every home there are two types of people: those who take from the home and those who put more in than they take out. The children keep taking out. The adults keep putting back in. Which one are you?
Increase in the kingdom happens because we put more in than we take out.
The Dead Sea is so called because it cannot sustain life. Its density is so high that people actually float in it. It is loaded with minerals, which it collects from everywhere, but it does not flow out.
On the other hand, the Jordan is teaming with life because, when it receives, it gives something back.
Be assured of this: what you decide to give back will determine what the next level is for you.
WHAT WILL YOU GIVE BACK?
TO ORDER THIS MESSAGE ON AUDIO OR VIDEO TAPE, CALL 020 88 555 888 NOW
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