Bearing Fruit
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
The newest series of lessons we are going to be focusing on this new year is that of “Fruit Bearing.”
“Bearing Fruit” for a child of God is both vital to our salvation and always a challenge to our examining of ourselves in light of God’s word.
For our opening lesson on the topic I want us to examine a few reasons why we need to be fruit bearing Christians.
The Vine & The Branches
The Vine & The Branches
Jesus Is The Vine.
Jesus Is The Vine.
There is no doubt that Jesus is the vine of the fruit bearing tree because it was prophesied and boldly proclaimed by Jesus.
Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse…
John 15:1 (ESV)
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
John 15:5 (ESV)
5 I am the vine…
Jesus is the vine and…
We Are The Branches.
We Are The Branches.
Again we are not the vine but the branches which was prophesied about and proclaimed by Jesus here in the flesh.
Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots…
John 15:5 (ESV)
5 I am the vine; you are the branches…
Summary
Summary
I have obviously and purposely only shown portions of these verse so that we can dive closer into them in our second point now.
Yes, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches and as branches Jesus has made clear what our responsibility as branches is.
Branches Have A Purpose
Branches Have A Purpose
They Bear Fruit.
They Bear Fruit.
This was always our intended goal as the branches of Christ.
Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Let’s take a closer look at Jesus’ words there in John 15 concerning the branches and fruit bearing.
If we do not produce fruit we will be “thrown away.”
John 15:2 (ESV)
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away…
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
God is not messing around when he says we must bear fruit as his children of God. If we are not bearing fruit we will not not make it to heaven.
To bear fruit we must abide in the vine Christ.
John 15:5 (ESV)
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
We cannot produce godly fruit if we are not abiding or remaining in Christ.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
If we abide in Christ we will be pruned to produce “much fruit.”
John 15:2 (ESV)
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
God will never be satisfied with how much fruit we bear and neither should we. He will prune us so that we not only produce fruit but do so in abundance.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Summary
Summary
The reason we, the branches of Christ, should want to “produce much fruit” is because God is with us.
Remember the words of God in Haggai 2:4…
Haggai 2:4 (ESV)
4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts
Conclusion
Conclusion
God certainly wants “his house full” (Luke 14:23) but the only way that is going to happen is if we are actively seeking to bear much fruit for our God.
Over the next several weeks we are going to examine different “works of God” i.e., the fruit we are to bear in our walk with God.
This week make a concerted effort to do what Paul suggests to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 13:5.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
How is your fruit production going?
Are you producing “much fruit?”
Do you need help from your fellow branches producing fruit?
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.