Sharing your Fruit
Redirecting our Perspictive • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Do you Bear good Fruit
Do you Bear good Fruit
Not ripe!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVhdAvmRZEY
Have you ever accidentally eaten a bad piece of fruit
grape
banana
Make a bowl of cereal only to realize that the milk went bad and now the whole bowl is bad
have you ever tried to eat crab apple?
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
This passage should be one of the scariest verses in the Bible for many Christians
It all comes down to: Are you bearing good fruit
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
What is Good fruit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
What is bad fruit
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Can you think of a time when you were holding a grudge, bearing un-forgiveness or anger towards another person and were bearing good fruit for the kingdom?
In order to bear good fruit, we must abide in Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
some of you are seeking the fruit without connecting to the source, and are disappointed when it doesn’t last
Comercial- Can you hear me now?
instead, pray: Can I hear You Now?
Pursuing the Fruit of God without pursuing God is Pointless
Pursuing the Fruit of God without pursuing God is Pointless
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
you seek love without the source of Love
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
You want peace from your fear and anxiety
you seek self control over your addiction, but can’t do it on your own
You seek joy over your depression
Nehemiah 8:10 (NASB95)
Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
You seek to be gentle and good in order to overcome your anger
We desire patience when we can’t stand the people around us
We try to earn our way into heaven through our acts of kindness and good deeds instead of letting our relationship with the father be our source
These things are all fruit (byproducts) of a relationship with God and we must Abide in the Vine if we desire these things
Abiding in the vine is
spending time reading, meditating, and memorizing the word of God
Spending time in prayer
spending time in worship
spending time in fellowship with other uplifting spirit filled believers
Besides a list of virtues. What does bearing fruit actually look like?
Do people feel drained or encouraged after spending time with you
bearing fruit means people can find nourishment for their soul when they are around you
Do others see Jesus in your life
Do others hear you talk about Jesus
Do you share your faith or are you ashamed?
I feel like we need a refresher on the instructions that Jesus gave his disciples when he sent them out to share the gospel
Song- If we are the body
But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
If we are the branches, Jesus is the vine, and we are bearing fruit.
That fruit isn’t meant for us.
That fruit is meant to be shared
that fruit is meant to convince others to connect to that same source of life
to give others a taste of what it means to know Jesus
On top of that, it still stands as the final mandate or command that Jesus gave us before he ascended into heaven
To share the gospel, make disciples, of all nations
Some of you need to stop spending all of your time praying for yourself.
The devil would love for you to be so stuck in the sins of your past, or the circumstances you are in, and never get to praying for others, and never get to giving God glory through worship.
Great is thy faithfulness
Sharing your Faith
Sharing your Faith
Share the gospel with the person next to you as if that person has never heard it before and their life depended on it.
Make it personal. Share your testimony of how you came to Jesus
Why do you go to church?
3 minutes
Jesus died on the cross to restore you as a son and daughter.
He had to die because you sinned.
It’s not your fault.
He died because something was lost and he wanted to restore it.
He has established your value based on what we are willing to pay for it.
your life is priceless
Sharing your faith can be scary
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
365 fear nots and don't be afraid in the Bible
Read Matthew 10
skip to verse 5 after verse 1
Jesus Sends
Jesus Sends
Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;
but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
look for those “As you go,” moments
We are representatives, or ambassadors of Christ of His kingdom wherever we go.
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he met the women at the well
Peter and John were on their way into the temple when they met the lame man
Phillip was on his way to Damascus (while fleeing for his life), when he met the Ethiopian eunuch
Jesus Empowers
Jesus Empowers
Verse one of Matthew 10 specifically says that Jesus’ mission not only included proclaiming the kingdom, but also demonstrating the kingdom.
“These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
The choice is not between courage and fear but between whom one will fear more. God or man.
We are Saved by Grace through Faith
Grace is God's working power, not a permission slip.
Grace and Mercy are two different things.
Grace keeps you from sinning.
Grace is empowerment.
Grace is God’s willingness to use His power on your behalf to empower you to be something you could never be on your own.
Grace isn’t us trying to love better, It’s us becoming Love.
It’s not us trying to forgive, It’s us becoming forgiveness.
Jesus Limits
Jesus Limits
Jesus limited his disciples’ initial mission to Israel.
Look at verse 5:
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;
but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
This limitation fits the historic priority of Israel in salvation history.
In addition to that, His disciples were definitely not prepared or equipped to cross such cultural boundaries.
However, we must recognize that Jesus’ orders here are geographic instructions and not ethnic.
The original Greek made it clear that he is prohibiting them taking any of the roads leading to cities of non-Jewish residents.
Jesus later revokes this command in Matthew 24:14
Matthew 24:14 (NASB95)
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
and again in Matthew 28:19-20
Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB95)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Later in Matthew 10, Jesus limits them to live simply.
He tells them not to depend on their own ability to take care of themself,
but to trust God to provide for them.
They didn’t bring extra money, clothes, or a way to defend themselves.
Jesus promises persecution
Jesus promises persecution
Persecution and proclamation are inseparable
The gospel is offensive to those who reject its demands or whose culture or tradition it challenges
For early Christians, true ministry inevitably involved suffering,
especially if that ministry was a front line ministry to unbelievers.
Persecution becomes an opportunity for testimony
and the Spirit of prophecy will provide the words they need.
Jesus portrays us as powerless: like sheep before wolves and weak and timid doves.
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.
Disciples must endure physical suffering and shame for Jesus sake
Rack, shack and Benny. God didn't take away the fire.
Jesus Provides
Jesus Provides
The disciples here depend on the people of the land, “like an invading army.”
We don’t live in a world where Good fights evil and the two are opposing, equal powers or dieties.
We live in a world where Good has defeated evil.
The earth is the devil’s domain,
but Jesus took back the keys to hell when he died and rose again,
and we are an invading army in enemy territory
and our weapon is the word of god and the power of our testimony.
Jesus provides them the words to say:
“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.
“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Jesus demands devotion
Jesus demands devotion
The gospel is offensive to those who reject its demands or whose culture or tradition it challenges
Jesus matters more than the approval or even civility of one’s family.
“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
“For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
“He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Jesus calls for his disciples to love him not only more than their families, but more than their own lives.
In Jesus day, taking up the cross, meant being forced to bear the instrument of one’s execution past a jeering mob to the site of one’s imminent death as a condemned criminal.
Who can tell me a time in your life where you were harboring
unforgiveness,
Anger,
were offended or frustrated
and were blessed and producing fruits for the kingdom.
Jesus has some high demands from his disciples (from us)
Remember Parable of the debter- millions to a hundred bucks
Jesus knows
Jesus knows
Jesus assures his disciples that they can trust God’s sovereignty in their protection or their death
“Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
Confidence comes from knowing God.
There’s something about knowing God
and not just knowing theology that you just can’t take from a person.
When you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in the early morning hours and you hear him in the Middle of the night.
You can’t take knowing away from someone.
Sometimes we mistake confidence for arrogance.
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
Jesus protects
Jesus protects
Those who reject God’s messengers will have God’s blessing removed from them.
Jesus assures his disciples that they can trust God’s sovereignty in their protection or their death
Adversity is intended to stop the Kingdom, not just crush your family.
You are not a product of what you’re going through,
you are a product of what He went through,
and you are wearing what He paid for every day.
Altar Call
pray for each other