Lessons From the Chinese Bamboo Tree

So, I just want to summarize some of the things we've heard. Don't be discouraged when things, trials go longer than we think we should. The weight is being added a little at a time.

Continue to make your home a hospitable place for the Holy Spirit with simple obedience. That's what's in front of us today, simple obedience. And if we want an example, we should remember the Lord.

He waited patiently, 33 years, waited patiently. You know, have you ever wondered, have we ever wondered why Jesus couldn't have come when he was 24 years old and died when he was 25 years old? What would we have missed? Would Jesus have not died for our sins? Would he have not lived a perfect life for that one year? He could have been risen from the dead. Why did God in his sovereignty say, Jesus, you're going to live for 33 years? There's a significance to it.

There's a significance that for 30 years he performed no miracles, but he was faithful. He was faithful, like Abraham was faithful, as we heard. For 30 years, 33 years, we heard also that Jesus was cut off so that we could enter in.

You know, and so because of that, we've got boldness. I don't know if you know this verse in Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15 and 16. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 16 is a wonderful, beautiful verse that some of you may know.

Let us therefore draw near. How should I draw near God? With confidence. And I think King James maybe says boldness.

That's that word. Let us draw near with boldness to where? To the throne of God, the throne of grace. How unimaginable is that, that we sinful human beings can draw near with boldness to the throne of grace.

Why? It says, let us therefore, in verse 16, why can we draw near? Yes, we know it's because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. But if you see in verse 15 of why we can draw near, it says, because, verse 15, Jesus was tempted in all points, yet without sin. That gives us the boldness.

Jesus waited patiently for 33 years. Every single sin, private and public ministry for the last three years, waited patiently, the weight being added, little by little, more and more. It says he grew in wisdom, fear with God and man.

When he was 12 years old, the weight was being added. When he was 13, the weight was being added. When he was 24, the weight was being added.

He was always perfect. Always, never snapping, not for one second, for 33 years, I've done the math, 10,000 days. Have you ever gone a day without sinning? Jesus went 10,000 days without sinning, the weight being added, little by little, 290,000 hours.

I mean, can we go by an hour? 290,000 hours. Lord, I'm struggling to get through an hour without sinning in thought, motive, deed, action, intent. Lord Jesus, he waited patiently for 290,000 hours.

He waited patiently. He is our example. And if we don't want another example, we can look at Abraham, who waited 25 years for the promise to be fulfilled.

And he got Isaac. Waiting patiently. The Lord is adding weights on our lives, little by little.

We don't need to see the big results. Jesus didn't see any results for 30 years. Some of us have been Christian for three years and we say, Lord, use me.

The Lord probably prayed that too. Lord, use me. And God said, wait.

Five years, wait. 20 years, wait. Lord, 24 years, I've been faithful for 24 years, aren't you ready to use me? No, I'm not ready to use you, you wait.

He's our example. Because he waited patiently and perfectly for 30 years. God said three and a half years, that's all you need.

Can do everything I need you to do. Waited patiently, but faithfully too. With every weight that was added, he took sin absolutely seriously because he was tempted in all points and yet without sin.

That's what made him the perfect sacrifice. That's what gets him. It's the 33 years that made him the perfect sacrifice.

Not that he was just son of God. He didn't need 33 years for that. He could have just come, son of God, let's die, Lord, tomorrow I'm going to come.

Today I'm going to come, tomorrow I'm going to die. 33 and a half years, that was how he learned obedience and then he was prepared to be the perfect sacrifice. I want to show a YouTube video.

It's unbelievable, I think what it said, six months, it grows 100 feet. Is that right? I mean, I heard somebody who was saying this, I actually heard the story just a month ago. I think they said you can almost see it grow.

Visually you can see it growing. That's how quickly it grows in six months. But five years, nothing.

Four years, nothing. It was growing roots. And that's what it says that in Jeremiah chapter 17, the godly person is like a tree planted by the rivers.

It's growing roots deep to the riverbed. Jeremiah 17 verse 7, 8, yeah, like a tree planted by the water, extends its roots. That's what it's doing, extending its roots.

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to be extending our roots. Let other people get all the glory, let other people get all the fancy ministries. Let us be ruthlessly, radically committed to extending our roots.

A verse that has been very precious to me in 2017 is Isaiah chapter 43 verse 19. It's a verse that the Lord has given to me on multiple occasions in 2017. Very specific word that the Lord has given me.

Isaiah 43 verse 19, Behold, I will do something new. Now it will spring forth, will you not be aware of it? If I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. They were working on their roots for years, it'll spring forth, it'll spring forth.

God has a plan to make big monuments for his glory. He wants rivers in the desert, a roadway in the wilderness. I want to teach you this song.

It's easier when we have some music to go with these words. So I'm going to teach you a very simple tune. Hopefully it's not too complicated, but I want us to sing this song.

We'll sing it a few times. Behold, I will do something new. I hope these words will become precious to us as a church.

The Lord wants to do something new in your life, but don't expect something outside. Look for new roots, look for new rivers of water underneath. Become this tree that will not be shaken by any storm.

Behold, he who hears my words and obeys it will be like a house that was built on the rock. He who hears my words and obeys it will be like this tree that found deep roots.