A Testimony of a Testimony

Main Idea:

The evidence of your relationship with God is in the fruit you bear.

Give my testimony

Grew up in a Christian home

Walked the aisle at 7

Went to church, did the Bible drills, went to youth, was a part of FCA…

High School: 2 Friend groups – 2 Nates: 1 partied, the other was a model Christian

Officer in the FCA – asked to give my testimony… I didn’t have one!

My testimony was a testimony of my current spiritual state. From the age of 7 to 18, I thought I was something that I truly wasn’t. It wasn’t until my first year of college that God got a hold of me and I was radically transformed.

Though this is common in our culture (I’m a Christian because my family is Christian, etc), I don’t want that to be your story.

This leads to an all-important question: How do I know for certain that I am a Christian? (define what that means)

Scriptures

John 15:8

"By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." 

Prove to be: Ginŏmai: genesis, to come into being (being born), to arise or develop.

Matthew 7:16-18

“You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.”

Recognize: Intelligent comprehension, uses every mode of knowledge (sensory inputs)

We are Trees

We bear visible fruit

We are designed to bear specific fruit (orange trees bear oranges, not peanuts)

The internal sap is for us, but the fruit is for others

The fruit we bear is proof we share

Closing Thought

Today, let us remember that when we abide in Christ and bear much fruit, we show our satisfaction in Him and fulfill our purpose as disciples, bringing glory to our Father in heaven.

Conversely, our dissatisfaction and bitterness can reveal a lack of trust and closeness to Him.

The question I want you to walk away with tonight to ask yourself is this:

Which type of fruit am I bearing, and what does that say about me?

Is it evidence of my salvation and spiritual growth, or is it proof that I might not be who I think I am?