Once there was a wise old woman who lived in a small village. The children of the village were puzzled by her -- her wisdom, her gentleness, her strength. One day several children decided to fool the old woman. They believed that no one could be as wise

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Once there was a wise old woman who lived in a
small village. The children of the village were
puzzled by her -- her wisdom, her gentleness, her
strength. One day several children decided to
fool the old woman. They believed that no one
could be as wise as everyone said she was, and
were determined to prove it. So the children
found a baby bird and one of the boys cupped it
in his hands and said to his play- mates, "We'll
ask her whether the bird I have in my hand is
dead or alive. If she says it is dead, I will
open hands and let it fly away. If she says it's
alive, I will crush it in my hands and she'll see
that it is dead. And the children went to the
old woman and
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presented her with this puzzle. "Old woman," the
little boy said, "this bird in my hands -- is it
dead or alive?" The woman became very still,
studied the boy's hands, then looked carefully
into his eyes. "It's in your hands she said".
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ITS IN YOUR HANDS (2 Pet. 18-11)
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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND A. Do
I actually possess these things (vs. 5-7)? B.
Am I abounding in these things (v. 8)? v. 5
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• Moral excellence
• Knowledge
• Self-control
• Perseverance
• Godliness
• Brotherly kindness
• Love

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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND A. Do
I actually possess these things (vs. 5-7)? B.
Am I abounding in these things (v. 8)? v. 5 C.
Am I active in the Lords service (v. 8)? Jas.
220 Matt. 203-6
Idle (barren, KJV) useless (AG) lazy,
shunning the labor which one ought to perform
(Thayer)
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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND A. Do
I actually possess these things (vs. 5-7)? B.
Am I abounding in these things (v. 8)? v. 5 C.
Am I active in the Lords service (v. 8)? Jas.
220 Matt. 203-6 D. Am I being fruitful in
the Lords service (v. 8)? Lk. 2010 Jno.
159 Matt. 1233
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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing?
• Fruits of repentance Matt. 38, Bring forth
  therefore fruit worthy of repentance. Eph. 511
• Fruits of the Spirit Gal. 522-23, But the
  fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
  longsuffering, kind- ness, goodness,
  faithfulness, meekness, self-control against
  such there is no law. 2 Pet. 15-7

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• Moral excellence
• Knowledge
• Self-control
• Perseverance
• Godliness
• Brotherly kindness
• Love

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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing?
• Our words Matt. 1233-37, Either make the tree
  good, and its fruit good or make the tree
  corrupt, and its fruit corrupt for the tree is
  known by its fruit. Ye offspring of vipers, how
  can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of
  the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
  The good man out of his good treasure bringeth
  forth good things and the evil man out of his
  evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. And I
  say unto you, that every idle word that men shall
  speak, they shall give account thereof in the day
  of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be
  justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
  condemned.

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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing?
• Helping the needy Rom. 1528, When therefore I
  have accomplished this, and have sealed to them
  this fruit, I will go on by you unto Spain.
• Helping a preacher with his needs Phil. 417,
  Not that I seek for the gift but I seek for the
  fruit that increaseth to your account.
• Good works Col. 110, To walk worthily of the
  Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every
  good work, and increasing in the knowledge of
  God.

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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing? \
• Righteous deeds Heb. 1211, All chastening
  seemeth for the present to be not joyous but
  grievous yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable
  fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby,
  even the fruit of righteousness.

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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing? \
• Winning souls to Christ 1 Cor. 35-9, What
  then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers
  through whom ye believed and each as the Lord
  gave to him. I planted, Apollos watered but God
  gave the increase. So then neither is he that
  planteth anything, neither he that watereth but
  God that giveth the increase. Now he that
  planteth and he that watereth are one but each
  shall receive his own reward according to his own
  labor. For we are God's fellow-workers ye are
  God's husbandry, God's building.

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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing?
• Building up Christians Rom. 113,15, And I
  would not have you ignorant, brethren, that
  oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was
  hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit
  in you also, even as in the rest of the
  Gentiles.So, as much as in me is, I am ready to
  preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome.
• Holiness of life Rom. 622, But now being made
  free from sin and become servants to God, ye have
  your fruit unto sanctification, and the end
  eternal life.

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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing?
• Our words Matt. 1233-37
• Helping the needy Rom. 1528
• Helping a preacher with his needs Phil. 417
• Good works Col. 110
• Righteous deeds Heb. 1211
• Winning souls to Christ 1 Cor. 35-9
• Building up Christians Rom. 113,15
• Holiness of life Rom. 622,

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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND A. Do
I actually possess these things (vs. 5-7)? B.
Am I abounding in these things (v. 8)? v. 5 C.
Am I active in the Lords service (v. 8)? Jas.
220 Matt. 203-6 D. Am I being fruitful in
the Lords service (v. 8)? Lk. 2010 Jno.
159 Matt. 1233 E. Am I partaking in the
things His knowledge teaches me (v. 8)? vs.
3-4 2 Pet. 21-2
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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND
II. HE THAT LACKETH THESE THINGS (v. 9)- A.
Has the problem of near-sightedness.
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• THE PROBLEM OF NEARSIGHTEDNESS
• Near-sightedness in scripture
• a. Esaus selling his birthright, Gen.
  2527-34
• b. The rich fool, Lk. 1216-21
• Gods people should be far-sighted! Col. 31-
  2 Heb. 1124-27 1032-34 2 Pet. 111

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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND
II. HE THAT LACKETH THESE THINGS (v. 9)- A.
Has the problem of near-sightedness. B. Has
forgotten the cleansing from his old sins,
Eph. 21-7 1 Tim. 112-15 Acts 240
III. EXHORTATION (vs. 10-11) A. Give diligence
to make your calling and election sure
(v. 10), Matt. 2214 2 Pet. 15 B. God will do
His part if we will do ours! vs. 5, 11
Acts 240
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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND A. Do
I actually possess these things (vs. 5-7)? B.
Am I abounding in these things (v. 8)? v. 5 C.
Am I active in the Lords service (v. 8)? Jas.
220 Matt. 203-6 D. Am I being fruitful in
the Lords service (v. 8)? Lk. 2010 Jno.
159 Matt. 1233
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• What kind of fruit should we be bearing?
• Our words Matt. 1233-37
• Helping the needy Rom. 1528
• Helping a preacher with his needs Phil. 417
• Good works Col. 110
• Righteous deeds Heb. 1211
• Winning souls to Christ 1 Cor. 35-9
• Building up Christians Rom. 113,15
• Holiness of life Rom. 622,

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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND A. Do
I actually possess these things (vs. 5-7)? B.
Am I abounding in these things (v. 8)? v. 5 C.
Am I active in the Lords service (v. 8)? Jas.
220 Matt. 203-6 D. Am I being fruitful in
the Lords service (v. 8)? Lk. 2010 Jno.
159 Matt. 1233 E. Am I partaking in the
things His knowledge teaches me (v. 8)? vs.
3-4 2 Pet. 21-2
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ITS IN YOUR HANDS
I. IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND
II. HE THAT LACKETH THESE THINGS (v. 9)- A.
Has the problem of near-sightedness. B. Has
forgotten the cleansing from his old sins,
Eph. 21-7 1 Tim. 112-15 Acts 240
III. EXHORTATION (vs. 10-11) A. Give diligence
to make your calling and election sure
(v. 10), Matt. 2214 2 Pet. 15 B. God will do
His part if we will do ours! vs. 5, 11
Acts 240