Bearing Fruit

Three kinds of Branches

Illustration

There are also three distinct parts

Vine - Is Jesus - the only authentic vine - All other vines will not produce the fruit God wants. There are other vines and they produce fruit but no Gods fruit

The Branches - Are You

The Gardener - The Father

Attributes of a Tree Branch / or grape vine

What is fruit?

Lets look at a few scriptures

Isaiah 5:1–7 NASB95

Let me sing now for my well-beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it And also hewed out a wine vat in it; Then He expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones. “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones? “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. “I will lay it waste; It will not be pruned or hoed, But briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.” For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.

Jesus came looking for fruit - which was justice and righteousness - but what did he find - Hurt and misery- He called it sour grapes

Hebrews 13:15 NASB95

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

Galatians 5:22–23 NASB95

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

NO Fruit

If no fruit happens it says in Isaiah Ch 5 that if the vine yields wild grapes He will tear down the hedge and burn it with fire. For all intense and purposes - they looked like a healthy grape vine but it was what they produced it what matters to the owner of the Vineyard.

Wild grapes use tendrils to anchor onto branches or other surfaces. Their bark is gray/brown and rather shredded looking. They have three large serrated lobed leaves. They tend to grow higher and thicker than their cultivated counterparts, yet another reason they are termed wild grape weeds since grown unchecked they can overtake other plant species. POINT - Remember Judas just left a few minutes earlier and He is an example of a fruitless branch.

ALSO there is a reference here to Ezekiel 15:1-5

Ezekiel 15:1–5 NASB95

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? “Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? “If it has been put into the fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and its middle part has been charred, is it then useful for anything? “Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into anything!

Some Fruit

Low quantity and usually low quality

Interference with the vine- because we know the vine is always healthy

We refuse pruning- Who wants to be pruned?

The branch itself steals from the fruit the fruit needs to grow. It takes the energy required away from the fruit. The branch is self seeking .

Branches are not supposed to eat the fruit.

Much Fruit

Is plenty of fruit that has seeds in it so you can have more fruit.

Any Farmers in here?

How do you get much fruit?

Pruning- this word is also translated cleanse

Proper nutrients - Soil is everything

Sun is important

Water is critical

Conclusion

What can we do to bear more fruit?

Stay connected. Unconnected wood is called fire wood. Your connected so you can produce fruit.

Connected branches should have evidence of life in them. You cannot just say you are connected because your parents were connected or you have a baptismal paper. Or you attend the Christmas and Easter Service

Abide in the Vine- used 10-11 times- Keep in Christ so His life can work in and through you. It means to continue - to stay - to endure - to wait in place.

Apart from God you can do, accomplish nothing

With Jesus you will have an abundance of Love and Joy