Pastor Rob Carlson: 
"EPITAPH: Write Yours/Live Yours" 
Series: It's Your Serve
Sunday, August 24, 2003 

Matt. 20:28--Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life... 

John 20:21--...As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 

Mark 10:43-45--...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. 

100x 
Becoming a High-Yield Christian 
(Fruitful; Productive) 

John 15:1-8--"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in 
me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will 
be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 
4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain 
in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much 
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a 
branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and 
burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will 
be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to 
be my disciples. 

Matthew 13:3-23 (Page 968-969 in Pew Bible) 

Fruitfulness/Productivity: 

Romans 1:13--Winning souls to Christ 
Romans 6:22--Practical holiness
Romans 15:27--Sharing 
Galatians 5:22,23--Christian character 
Colossians 1:10--Good works--And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the 
Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the 
knowledge of God, 
Hebrews 13:15,16--Praise and witness--Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to 
God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do 
good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 

4 KINDS OF HEARTS/4 KINDS OF PEOPLE:  

1. The hard heart: Unreceptive 
Hosea 10:12--...break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD... 

2. The shallow heart: Unaffected 

3. The crowded heart: Undecided 

4. The fruitful heart: Unwavering 

OUR COMMITMENTS DETERMINE OUR OUTCOMES 

No Yield: The hardhearted person is ________________. 
No Yield: The shallow person is ________________. 
Low Yield: The crowded person is ________________. 
High Yield: The fruitful/productive person is ________________. 

Philippians 3:12-14--Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made 
perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: 
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to 
win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

STEPS TO BECOMING A HIGH-YIELD CHRISTIAN: 

1. Embrace Jesus and the Christian life: 
Servanthood, holiness, follow... 

2. Decide to be a high-yield Christian: 
100x, productivity... 

3. Commit to ministry: 
Choose your primary/secondary ministry... 

4. Don’t stop, give up; retire. 

5. Keep the motivation clear. 

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