Upheld By Our Sustainer and Bearing Fruit for Him

Good afternoon, everyone! It's great to see you all. I think it's been four years or so since I've been here, so it's always a pleasure to see you all and to join the Lees over here. So it's amazing you can go anywhere in the country and you see faces you recognize and know from different times and different experiences, so that's great. About a century ago, there was a poor beggar who tried to make a living by going on a very crowded bridge in London and playing a violin. He was, most of the time, sad because he wasn't a very good violin player, and so he didn't make much money in doing that. One of the days when he was there, he began playing as normal and this stranger came up and just stood and listened, and so we kind of urged him to make a donation and the man wouldn't do it. But he did something of an honor. He took his violin and then he started to play. When he started to play, rather than people ignoring, they started to gather around and they started to listen. They started to huddle, and suddenly the hat started to fill with money. And the surprise of this beggar, more and more people came and before long he looked down and his hat was literally full of money. It was one of the more humbling and amazing days in his life, and it was only years later or time later anyway, that he learned that the stranger was this famous musician, Nicola Paganini. Well, like the beggar, we often have our needs met by God in ways that we would never expect or that we would never think about, right? We can reflect back on times in our life where we were lifted up or whether we were sustained by God, right? Things he did in our lives. Please turn to Hebrews. We'll read chapter 1 from verse 1 to 4. Today you're going to find that I'm going to structure this message around a single Greek word, and it's in verse 3, it's the word... well, in this one it's upholding. You'll see it has various translations, but we'll talk more about it after we've read our way through, but I'll key you on that because that's going to be what the message is going to revolve around. So we'll start in Hebrews 1 and verse 1. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by their prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds, who, being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

So the word upholding in verse 3 is the Greek word pharaoh, spelled p-h-e-r-o. Kind of sounds like the Egyptian pharaoh. And it's this term that's commonly used in the New Testament for things like carrying a burden or an object, or bringing and sustaining something. I really like the translation in the NIV, so let me read verse 3 from the NIV. The Son is the radiance of God's glory in the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Isn't that pretty? It's a beautiful analogy and imagery of God sustaining all things by his powerful words. So turn now to Luke 5 and verse 18, and what I'm going to do is go through a couple quick examples of how this word is used in other verses. They're all going to be very, very common verses to you, but you get a feel of the word. So Luke 5 and verse 18. Then behold men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before him. So the word bring and brought are the word pharaoh. In this situation, the friends carried the paralyzed man to Jesus, right? They bore the burden of his weight and needs in a way that he wasn't able to do.

Okay, similar type situation. Turn to Mark 1 and verse 32. Another miracle of Jesus and his healing. Mark 1 and verse 32. At evening when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. So the friends brought many sick and demon-possessed people to Jesus to be healed. That action was the word pharaoh. One more. We'll turn to John 2 and verse 8. Now this is, again, very well known parable. This is Jesus at the wedding when he turned the water to wine and we will see this word used again. John 2 and verse 8. And he, speaking of Jesus, said to them, draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast. And they took it. Take and took. Are these, is this word pharaoh? Okay. Well, I guess let me... The servant guaranteed the safe delivery of the wine to the master of the wedding. So with that background, I'd like you to think back to Hebrews 1 and verse 3 and think about what that means.

So to say that Jesus sustains all things by his powerful word is to say that he is directing. He is carrying creation toward a desired aim. And it's written in the present participle. So what that is telling you is he's still actively doing it. This is something that is critical. God is not distant. He is not removed, right? He is sustaining humanity in the universe. And that is so critical because if God wasn't doing that, even the laws of nature would probably start breaking down. We take for granted all the things that God does and is made possible as he sustains. If you'll turn now to Ephesians 1 and verse 11. So as we start building us, you can even think back to the example that Jesus said with the parable where he talked about I guess it was in the Sermon to the Mount, but he was talking about the birds of the air, right? That they neither sow or reap but are fed by their heavenly Father. It goes on this concept and this analogy for us to keep in mind is that God uses everything needed to accomplish his will. And that can include nature. That can include details of many other things in our lives. God is working through something much more powerful and we too often want to think it's about us, right? It's not about us, but this word and the use of it helps us realize something that's truly critical. Jesus Christ sustains everything. It doesn't mean that he removes choice. It doesn't mean he's going to remove hard times, but it shows how deeply he wants us to choose him. Ephesians 1 and verse 11. In him also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Works all things.

So God rules. God executes. He accomplishes. It speaks, all sorts of analogies, I mean a heavenly architect, right, who has a blueprint and includes you, it includes me. You can think of it along the lines of a symphony conductor over the universe. God is this energizing force behind everything. So turn now to 1 Peter 1 and verse 13 and we'll see another use of this word. Peter now writing and he's using this word pharaoh to talk to clarify that we can rest our hope fully on Jesus Christ in his grace because of all that he does in our lives both now and into the future. 1 Peter 1 and verse 13 says, therefore gird up the loins of your mind be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is brought, that's pharaoh, sustained, carried to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Okay, so natural human nature question, right? If God is sustaining everything and he's in charge in that way, why do we suffer challenges? Right? No doubt people in here are struggling. I've seen too many satin stories this Thanksgiving weekend of people who've suffered major challenges, but it's a natural question. I would suggest turn to Genesis 50 verse 20 through 21 and we'll get an example to help answer that question. What we're going to find or we're stepping into is the example from Joseph's life that addresses this through what he learned. See, so much of life comes down to considering God's perspective. Again, it's not about us, but it is so easy to view life, of course, through our prism, right?

God sees things far beyond our limited, our short-term ways, and what he does is desires things to work to his longer-term plans. Of course, that's different than what we see. So we're going to read what Joseph told his brothers when they realized who he was. It says in Genesis 50 and verse 20, but as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones and be and he comfort them and spoke kindly to them. Things intended for harm by Satan, by Joseph's brothers, became good because God was in the center of Joseph's circumstances. And the same is true for us. Do we see God in the center of our circumstances?

It's hard, especially when we're going through really tough times, right? If there's a struggle, do we see God in the center of our circumstances?

It's really a defining point because when we see life through the lens of God's plan, God's providence, there is hope.

Otherwise, we can be overwhelmed. We can feel stress. We can feel anxiety. We can feel weighed down. The key is remembering that God is sovereign. Whenever we're facing something, it's real. It hurts. We don't diminish that. It can be challenging and feel overwhelming in the moment, but God is still there and His plan will trump all. So let's now expand learning of this word because the word pharaoh is not only the responsibility of God. There are many verses that apply it to us, so let's look at some of those. Turn to John 15 verses 1 through 8.

And so this first personal lesson, I would say, is to remember that we must do our part. We must bear or carry or produce, right? All definitions of the same word. Fruit of obedience. We must do our part and bear fruits of obedience. So we're going to read a very, very familiar set of scriptures here. John 15 verse 1. I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Right? We read this every passover. The set of scriptures is very, very common.

Well, what I want you to recognize is every time you read this word bear, so I'm going to read it seven times in the verses we're going to cover, that's the word pharaoh, p-h-e-r-o. Think of that in relationship then to all we're talking about.

Verse 2. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. In every branch that bears fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. That is the same word as God sustaining all things in the universe.

We're to bear or sustain fruit for our God. So let's work the analogy a little bit that is used here and what is being shown. I don't know if anybody here is a winemaker or a grape grower, but what I've read is basically grapes grow best in conditions of hardship. Given their choice, grapes will take the vegetative route rather than the fruit bearing route. In other words, you've given their own choice. You're going to shoot longer, longer vines and leaves, but you're not going to be creating fruit.

Well, that isn't what God is looking for. Yield is everything to God. Or we won't stay attached to the vine. You and I can't be successful in our journey with God if we aren't bearing fruit. And please realize for all of us the occasional fruit is not enough. Last year's fruit is not enough. We are to consistently produce abundant examples of the fruit of God's Spirit. That's what's being asked of us. Bearing fruit, you could say, is evidence of a thriving relationship with our God. Verse 3, you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear, again, every time you see that, that's that word, pharaoh, bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, abide in me, and I in him. 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 cannot, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them in the fire, and they are burned.

I was looking at modern methods of making wine, of growing grapes, and there's subtle changes. I mean, I think we probably use wire more in tightly knit spaced rows for the way grapes are grown, but concepts very much the same. They say they even prune them as much as 90%, which is, that seems overwhelming to me, but it's this concept to take advantage that making the vine struggle generally results in better grapes.

I would argue that's very true of us humanly, right? If you place someone in a near perfect environment and give them every comfort that they could ever want and satisfy every physical need, what tends to happen? Often, rather disastrous things, right? They have disastrous consequences, whether it's personality or a character or girth. You know, there's all sorts of things that can take place along those lines.

We need to understand that it's through hardship and through struggles that we bear the most fruit, and being fruitful requires allowing God to prune the dead wood from our lives. It's not about us. Verse 7, if you abide in me and my word abides in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this my father is glorified. This is not just about Jesus Christ. My father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. So when we bear fruit, we glorify our heavenly Father. It's like this grandparent that she's glowing to see the birth of a grandchild. God takes joy when we bear fruit, when we sustain fruit.

We are reflecting his love and serving nature that way, and it's this testimony that what God believes matches what we live and practice, and that's the connection. Verse 8 is actually a rather frightening verse if you put it in reverse. So let's reverse this. We see we are not Christ's disciples, or glorifying the Father if we are not bearing fruit.

Well, there's an ouch. Let's finish in verse 16. It says, you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. So if we're attached to the vine, then the expectation is we should be producing fruit, because that's how we glorify God.

Another personal lesson that connects to this in the use of this word is that our fruitfulness must be sustained, must be ongoing to the very end. We're to continue fulfilling our calling to be fruitful throughout our lives, and we'll see this in Mark 4 and verse 8. So we're jumping to the end of a parable. This is the parable of the sower, so you all know that of this seed being cast and spread across, hitting different types of soil.

Well, we're getting to the very end of what happens to the good seed, and I'll key in on the word again, but Mark 4 and verse 8. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced, some 30-fold, some 60, and some 100. The word produced is pharaoh. So it gets to this point, right, that an individual can hear the word of God, and if they truly accept it, then like a seed, we must then bear fruit.

That's what's being expected. In this analogy, it's not a selfish thing to bear fruit. We're bearing fruit to God. We're supporting it by being a blessing to others, being a complement to God's plan to spiritually renew his family across the world.

It's helping other people. That's the way we bear fruit. Now, I'm going to link another verse you don't need to turn to, or he'll get to it quick enough on there. I'll just give it to you. It's John 12.24, but it's similar to this concept of a seed, is where I'm going. In John 12.24, it says, most assuredly, or sorry, John 12.24, if I said it wrong, most assuredly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. Another example of that word produces is pharaoh. That's that same concept of the word. And in this situation, what Jesus expanded on was this concept of a seed having to actually die when it goes into the ground to produce something different, which is a very spiritual analogy. If you think about what happens in our lives, we too must die in ordered bear fruit. We have to be buried to our former life of sin, right? And then we have to sink our roots deep into the word of God. Like you think of the analogy of the seeds. The ones that produced went into the ground. They were plowed into the ground so they could then plant their seeds in. The ones on rock couldn't do that. Same concept for us. So I guess you can extend that analogy and say, where are we standing today? Are we on the good ground? Are we growing in Christ? Are we bearing fruit? Turn next to Hebrews 6, verse 1 through 2, and we'll find the word again used in an area that I think we can gloss over so quickly without looking for this word. So the good ground is where we all need to be for the seed of God's word to take root, to grow, for us to be productive, all the way to what God has desired for us eternally. Hebrews 6, verse 1, therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on. That's the word, pharaoh. Carry on. Sustain. Let us sustain to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism, or laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. So we have the writers of Hebrews here challenging us that we have to move beyond what we can get accustomed to. We have to move beyond the ABCs of our belief, of our calling, and produce. Live as Christians, right? We're supposed to do something with what we're given. Now, a lot of people, when they first read these six items that are mentioned, there's an inherent struggle that happens. Because we can look at these and get caught off guard. These are basic teachings. These are foundational. How do we move beyond them? Well, again, the point of what the writer is saying is that we should grow past the ABCs of our faith, and we should live guided by God's Spirit and knowledge. And let me take one of these as an example to expound on that a little bit. So you may notice one of them that certainly caught my eye when I first thought about that, and you remember the phrase is, not lay again. We should not lay again faith in God. Well, now hold on a second there, Dan. What are you telling me? How do we grow beyond our faith? Faith is foundational, right? It's what connects us together. Again, the writer of Hebrews is saying it's not enough to believe in God. You're not going to get resurrected because you believe in God.

It's not going to make you a better person because you believe in God. Believing in God is not going to bring you peace. If James, the brother of Christ, was to come into this room and walk right in the middle, he would testify and say, you believe that there is one God? Good. Even the demons believe that and they shudder. Right? James 2, 19. So what do we do with what we know? We believe in God. Good. It's a good place to start. Now that we have that foundation, we have to believe in who Jesus was and what he taught us to do and what he made possible within us. It's not about us. It's about the sustainer of the universe, having us allow him to sustain fruit throughout our lives and into eternity because we recognize what we're being called to do. He is the one who came to earth to sustain us, and he's the only way to God. We are to seek the maturity of being productive Christians, fruit-bearing Christians, having him live in us, having us live our faith in him through our actions. Take that whichever angle you want to take. But that's the concept of how Hebrews 6, 1, and 2 is saying, go on beyond that. Apply these things to become fully mature.

So growing beyond faith, that's just one example we could grab any of the six and build from there that speaks to this area of growing on to maturity.

What is it that you and I have been given that may need to be pruned? What is it that might need to be discarded or built upon so that we can grow into the fullness of what our Lord wants and intends for us? It's always a scary concept to think about, but we all have so much room to grow. If you'll turn to Philippians 3 verses 8 through 14. Philippians 3 verses 8 through 14. We're going to just one of the many, many places in the Bible where it talks about grow on to maturity. So many verses that have that concept and that feel to it. Press on in our walk with God. As we approach this verse, I read when I was looking and preparing this something that used a couple word choices. Words are fascinating. When you put them together, the contrast can sometimes be very, very powerful. It was talking about not living complacently, and it said, never settle for a sedentary sanctification or a tepid faith. Sanctification, right? That's something that should inspire us to act. Sedentary sanctification. It doesn't go together. Tepid faith. Faith should be a zeal that gets you to go out and do things. You can't have a tepid faith. And I think what that struck to me anyway is we must not pride ourselves on having learned enough, having grown enough, having done enough. God wants us to press on. He wants us to push on. He wants us to grow on so that we might grow to the full maturity of Jesus Christ. And with that concept, let's read what Paul wrote, because Paul was on fire. I mean, just amazing zeal that this man had. He did not live complacent. Philippians 3 and verse 8, Yet I indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and counted them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed to his death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, not that I have already attained or I'm already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul just couldn't get enough, could he? I mean, it's like he couldn't get enough of Jesus Christ in his life. You could look and you can see, I mean, the words he talked about along the way, you know, he wanted to grow with Christ, he wanted to taste the joy, he even wanted to enter with him into the suffering. He wasn't complacent. He was constantly trying to grow faster. He couldn't grow fast enough. He wanted to fill himself, and that's the passion that's an example for all of us. Turn next to Hebrews 13 verses 12 through 14. Hebrews 13, 12 through 14.

This opportunity to know God and his Son, it's available for all of us.

But for many of us, I would argue at various times, and I'm in the boat here, that we can get so busy, we can have so many options out there vying for attention that we can't know Jesus Christ and his Father because we're filling every moment with something else. It's a challenge in this day and age, I'd say even more so than any other because of all of our technology and all of our distractions that we have. We need to follow Jesus' lead and focus on our future destiny. Hebrews 13 and verse 12. Therefore, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing, that's the word pharaoh, bearing his reproach. We are to carry to sustain his reproach. For here, we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. I think when we read all this stuff, it's important to remember the context and the writers, or I should say the readers, the people who this was written to.

In Israel at this time, mainline Judaism had fallen away from the living God. They rejected Jesus as the Messiah. And as a result, those who were believing in Jesus as the Messiah had to go outside their holy city, had to bear the reproach of the religious leaders they'd always looked to in order to follow Christ. That would be hard. That would be tremendously hard.

So now you have these Jews who believe in the Messiah struggling with this fact that the religion, the leaders, the institution of mainline Judaism that they had always followed, had abandoned God. And what Jesus was saying was God had abandoned them, but for them looking at things differently. God wanted to sustain them, and they had looked in a different place. I think there's a lesson in there for us, frankly, that we look around, we were having some conversations earlier before services, that there are more and more areas around us of the world that are abandoning truth. There are many, many churches teaching things that are okay, that the Bible says are not okay. But it's this concept that we see the readers in Hebrews being cautioned on. A final lesson from the use of the word pharaoh is this, that in the future, entire nations will realize their God and sustain His glory. It's this beautiful vision. So turn to Revelation 21 and we'll read verse 24 and verse 26. And again, you're going to see this word being used. So you can tell by Revelation 21, right? Prophetic, New Jerusalem, time after Christ returns. Revelation 21 and verse 24 says, And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Verse 26, And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. That word bring and the word brung, the word pharaoh, sustain. So these prophecies are showing that in the Jerusalem of the future, the kings will honor and praise. If you want to use today's examples, the presidents and the congress of the future nations will honor God. There will be no separation of church and state. And the reason is because you can't have good government without the Lord Almighty. The two have to go together, but it can only happen with God as our leader. This is what's being taught, and that's where we get all these beautiful visions of that new Jerusalem, where the gates aren't closed, right? Everyone will be able to be in the presence of God. There will be no night. Night is oftentimes representing evil. That's going to be banished. There will be light. There will be righteousness. If you want to put that bearing fruit, everyone will be bearing fruit on an ongoing basis. And the reason is because everyone will recognize the true sustainer of all of God's plans in all of the universe.

That's the ultimate recognition of that phrase we started with in Hebrews 1 and verse 3. That's what it all represents. So let's begin to conclude the message. Every year at the Feast of Tabernacles, we celebrate that Jesus Christ will not be deterred in his plan to sustain and to carry creation to its ultimate glory.

It's beautiful. It's a beautiful promise. It's important that we keep that in mind.

And we must never forget that it was only made possible by the sacrifice of Christ, and his ability to carry, bear, think of the word, sustain the burden and sustain his plan to the end.

God knew of this and ordained Christ's sacrifice to make that possible. And it's the same God that can and will help sustain and guide us through whatever we're facing if we keep our faith in him and if we obey, if we allow him to work through us. It is not about us. Turn to one of the famous verses. Usually if we poll this group here, I'm sure a few of you will say this is your favorite verse in the Bible. Romans 8, 28. Keep in mind God allows darkness in our lives.

The ability to recognize God sustaining our life as Christians is about perspective.

Do we keep that in mind? Hopefully we are looking for and learning this lesson of this word, pharaoh. We can work out our hurt, we can wear our hurt, or we can wear our hope. I'm sure all of you know people who wear hurt constantly. We can cave into the craziness of life, or we can lean into the perfection in the perfect plan of God. The point is that we must choose to believe in God's promises, and that means recognizing that God is our sustainer. Romans 8, 28 says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who were called according to his purpose. So hopefully on this Thanksgiving weekend you have something to celebrate, to feel positive about, that God has a plan and he is not finished. He is the great sustainer to help bring his plan for all of us to fruition.