Fruitfulness and Rulership out of Death...

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Our Lord Jesus said unless a seed falls into the ground and dies it will bear no fruit. This may seem obvious, but the application of this concept to human beings is not as obvious. How much Christian work is carried on by people who never have died in Christ? Such work may have little or no eternal value.

(8/22/2010). Jesus said that the manner in which a seed becomes fruitful applies to human beings.

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:24-25)

What does it mean to save our life; and what does it mean to lose our life, in terms of being fruitful? To be fruitful in Christ is to multiply His image in other people.

The Apostle Paul is one of the clearest examples of what it means to lose our life in Christ.

Saul was a Roman Citizen. He was from Tarsus, a cultural and intellectual center. It probably is true that he was fairly wealthy, in that Governor Felix was hoping that Paul would give him a bribe.

Jesus appeared to Paul and commissioned him to preach the Gospel. Paul obeyed Christ diligently for the remainder of his life, even though it cost Paul much suffering. He could have been a wealthy Jew living at home in Tarsus. Instead he was treated harshly as he sought to know and obey Christ.

God calls many people to the service of the Kingdom. But not all obey, especially if their service will result in suffering or even martyrdom.

At one point the Lord permitted Satan to damage Paul's eyes. Paul prayed three times that God would remove this affliction. Instead, Christ told Paul that the affliction was necessary if Paul was to experience Christ's strength.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (II Corinthians 12:7-10)

What a remarkable testimony the above passage is!

Saul could have saved his life by going back to Tarsus and conducting an Old Testament Bible study. Of course, he would not be able to tell of his experience on the way to Damascus.

Saul chose instead to lose his life in Christ.

If a seed stays in a warm, dry environment it will survive in its original form. But if it falls into the ground it will die. If Saul had spent his life as a wealthy Jew in Tarsus he might have lived for a long time, as he taught the righteousness of the Torah to his grandchildren.

Instead Saul chose to obey Christ and endured the troubled life that resulted from his missionary endeavors. Saul "fell into the ground and died," we might say.

Would you like to estimate the number of people that have come to know Christ through Paul's letters? I wouldn't hardly know where to begin, would you? This kind of eternal fruitfulness can come only from someone's death.

Can you imagine how Paul feels as he looks down from the spirit world and sees what his letters to the churches have accomplished? He must be thrilled beyond measure. Even today Paul is preached from thousands of pulpits and believers have grown in Christ, just as has been true for two thousand years. And his fruit will continue as we enter the Divine judgments that will be brought down on us because of the increase of sin. Does it pay to obey Christ!

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations."

When we read of Paul's troubles in the Book of Second Corinthians we can't imagine there would be any problem with conceit. But all of us, including Paul the Apostle, have had or do have a deceitful sinful nature. Jesus has to keep knocking us down or soon we display our rebellion and foolishness.

"There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."

We may have a sickness or other affliction that comes from Satan. But notice that Paul did not rebuke Satan. Paul went to Jesus. This is what we should do when we have trouble.

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me."

Some are saying today that after we have prayed once, we should not pray again because it means we do not have faith. Such do not know how the Lord works. We always are continually to pray courteously and forcefully, meanwhile giving thanks to the Lord Jesus, until the answer comes or until, as in Paul's case, He explains why we are being afflicted.

Now we come to the thesis of this brief essay, "fruitfulness and rulership out of death."

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

All the mature saints of God understand the principle of strength out of weakness. It is the way Christ works with us. He keeps knocking us down so that His resurrection Life may lift us up. And the Life that lifts us brings Life to those to whom we are ministering.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (II Corinthians 4:11,12)

I read where a distinguished Christian leader maintained that missionary work can proceed only according to how much money is available. I would say rather that missionary work can proceed only when someone is willing to lose his or her life in Christ.

Paul boasted concerning his weaknesses because they resulted in the power of Christ filling his life. Paul claimed to delight in insults, hardships, persecutions, difficulties, realizing that when he was weak, then he was strong.

This is the Kingdom way. We may not enjoy it. We have to place all of our treasures in Heaven, take up our cross of denial, and trudge faithfully after the Master. This is how Christ lived. The fruit of Christ's sufferings, like that of the Apostle Paul as well as the other Apostles of the Lamb, is immeasurable except in the mind of God.

I have said fruitfulness and rulership come out of death. This is because true, lasting rulership proceeds from fruitfulness. As we die, others live. Thus our power is increased. It was given to Adam and Eve in the beginning to multiply and to exercise dominion over the works of God's hands. This is an eternal fiat, but in its eternal fulfillment it can operate only through our weakness, our death.

Samson killed more Philistines by his death than by his life. Gideon gained victory though he was weak. The fruitfulness of Aaron's rod was revealed in its death. The victorious saints conquer Satan by loving not their life to the death.

We are brought down to death when our will is overcome. When we no longer can determine our own way but must have Christ to help us, then, and only then, is the eternal work of the Kingdom of God accomplished.

We could wish it were some other way. We could wish we had millions of dollars, unlimited access to electronic communication devices, a huge group of willing workers to assist us. But unless Christ were using such forces, all their efforts would amount to nothing except Babylon—confusion.

Do you remember how God reduced the size of Gideon's army because He did not want Israel to think they had gained victory over the Midianites by their own strength?

I am not sure how many Christian organizations will agree with the principle of fruitfulness and rulership out of death. But you and I can tell the Lord Jesus that we are ready and willing for Him to bring us down to the death He desires in order that we might bring a true witness of God to our generation.

If we want fruitfulness and power, we must deny ourselves so Christ may be preeminent. To abide in Christ is to do His will rather than one's own. This is the source of all eternal fruitfulness and power.

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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