"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:8 (NIV)
- Bearing fruit brings GLORY TO GOD
- Bearing fruit shows THAT I'M A DISCIPLE
- God wants me to bear MUCH FRUIT
"You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last!" John 15:16 (NIV)
- Bearing fruit is the purpose OF MY SALVATION
- A truly productive life is one WHERE THE FRUIT LASTS
4 KINDS OF FRUIT
1. The fruit of REPENTANCE
2. The fruit of THE SPIRIT (9 character qualities)
3. The fruit of BRINGING SOMEONE TO JESUS
4. The fruit of MINISTRY TO OTHERS
The seriousness of not bearing fruit:
Jesus said ". . . I've been coming to look for fruit on this tree and still haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?" Luke 13:7 (NIV)
4 SECRETS OF A PRODUCTIVE LIFE
1. I MUST CULTIVATE DEEP ROOTS
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes – its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought, and it never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
"The righteous cannot be uprooted." Proverbs 12:3 (NIV)
How CAN YOU grow DEEP ROOTS?
"They find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do." Psalm 1:2-3 (TEV)
"Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught." Colossians 2:6-7 (TEV)
ACTION PLAN: Deepen your roots by taking your next CLASS at Saddleback this Sunday, June 10.Click hereto register at a campus near you.
2. I MUST ELIMINATE THE WEEDS IN MY LIFE
This is living with margin!
Parable of the Seed & Soils: "The seed is the Word of God… The seed that falls among weeds stands for those who hear, but the worries and riches and pleasures of this life crowd in and choke them, and their fruit never ripens." Luke 8:14
Example of Weeds: Luke 14:16-20
"They all began, one after another, to make excuses." vs. 18
"The first one said, 'I have bought a field and must go and look at it . . . '" vs. 18
"Another one said, 'I have bought five pairs of oxen and am on my way to try them out . . .'" vs. 19
"Another one said, 'I have just gotten married, and for that reason I cannot come.'" vs. 20
ACTION PLAN: Which of these weeds (greed, career, relationships) can you see creeping into your life? Take time this week to focus on getting rid of that weed. Consider going back and watching a message on margin that relates to that weed (click herefor the sermon series).
3. I MUST COOPERATE WITH GOD'S PRUNING IN MY LIFE
Jesus:"I am the True Vine and my Father is the gardener. He lops off every branch that doesn't produce. And he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops!" John 15:1-2
Never confuse PUNISHMENT with PRUNING
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
ACTION PLAN: Thank God for what he has pruned or is pruning from your life. Try making this a regular part of your daily prayer life.
4. I MUST PATIENTLY WAIT FOR AND EXPECT A HARVEST
"Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it . . ." John 12:24-25
Jesus: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. But apart from me you can do nothing!" John 15:5 (NIV)
