This Will Help Them Grow | Jerry Flowers | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

This Will Help Them Grow

Time of Celebration Ministries Church • Feb 23, 2025 • 61 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In this message on the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, Pastor Jerry Flowers addresses our deep desire for spiritual growth and challenges us to stop mistaking God's pruning and fertilizer for spiritual warfare. True growth is rarely glamorous; it is surgical, uncomfortable, and requires us to surrender our self-will. When we embrace the losses, crosses, storms, and thorns God allows in our lives, He faithful removes internal baggage and produces the lasting fruit of repentance, trust, and righteousness in us.

Themes

Spiritual Growth and MaturationPruning and PurificationPerspective Shift in TrialsFruitfulness vs. PresentationThe Fruit of RepentanceGod's Patience and Grace

Pastor's Points

1.

Losses: Unexpected circumstances God allows to reveal what is in our hearts and where we lack trust in Him.

2.

Crosses: Daily self-denial sent to stretch us and crucify carnal desire.

3.

Storms: Weathered seasons meant to expose our faith level and blow away dead weight.

4.

Thorns: Irritating situations allowed by God that keep us humble, dependent, and rooted in His grace.

Key Points

1.
Mislabeling God's Development: Biblical ignorance causes us to mistake God’s refining hand for a satanic assault, mislabeling His training as trouble and His spiritual watering as a storm.
2.
Pruning vs. Cutting Off: In John 15, every branch in Christ experiences cutting—unfruitful branches are removed, while fruitful branches are pruned so they can yield even more fruit.
3.
Elevator Weight Capacity: You cannot carry lower-level, distracting relationships into higher spiritual seasons because every spiritual elevator has a weight capacity limit.
4.
Presentation Without Fruit: God is not looking at outward presentation or 'leaves' (titles, posts, church attendance); He digs beneath the heart's surface to inspect the actual root system.
5.
Fertilizer and Manure: In Luke 13, the vine dresser places manure around the fig tree; God frequently uses messy, uncomfortable, and frustrating situations as spiritual fertilizer to accelerate our maturity.
6.

Sermon Moments

“If we truly desire to spiritually grow, we're going to have to stop praying for spiritual growth but then rebuking spiritual fertilizer and calling it the devil.”

“When you have been shaped by ignorance, you cannot trust your discernment because your discernment will cause your perspective to mislabel God's hand as a satanic assault.”

“If we're going to trust God to order our steps, we're going to have to surrender our feet.”

“You're not losing your mind; you are losing your will.”

“All elevators have a weight capacity... if you keep on keeping level six, seven, and eight people with you, why are you shocked that you're stuck at level 12?”

“God will give you a Wilderness to get all of the Egypt out of you so that you're not trying to take your Egypt appetite along with you.”

“Babies fight what heals them.”

“It's not an attack; it's fertilizer.”

This Week

Stop rebuking difficult circumstances as spiritual warfare before asking God what character trait He is trying to produce in you.

Evaluate your inner circle and let go of distracting relationships that exceed your spiritual weight capacity.

Examine what is beneath your outward religious presentation by confessing hidden triggers, bitterness, and unchecked anger.

Practice daily self-denial by choosing God's word over your fleshly cravings and personal convenience.

Thank God during uncomfortable fertilizer moments—such as difficult bosses or frustrating circumstances—knowing they develop self-control and patience.

Inspect your life for true spiritual fruit, ensuring that you exhibit real repentance rather than merely showing religious leaves.

Extend patience to brothers and sisters in Christ who are undergoing renewal, remembering how patient God was during your own rebellion.

Remember This

Stop praying for spiritual growth while rebuking the spiritual fertilizer and surgical pruning God sends to make you fruitful.

A Challenge for You

Surrender your feet and stop fighting the uncomfortable process of maturity. Thank God for digging up whatever strangles your soul, and trust His surgical hand to make you truly fruitful.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.