2025-02-02 Abide and Bear Fruit

Today’s Readings

Malachi 3:1–4 (ESV)

Psalm 84 (BCP2019)

1 How lovely are your dwellings, *

     O Lord God of hosts!

2 My soul has a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord; *

     my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.

3 Indeed, the sparrow has found her a house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, *

     even your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are they who dwell in your house; *

     they will be always praising you.

5 Blessed is the one whose strength is in you, *

     in whose heart are your ways,

6 Who going through the valley of misery uses it for a well; *

     indeed, the early rains fill the pools with water.

7 They will go from strength to strength, *

     and the God of gods shall be seen by them in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; *

     hearken, O God of Jacob.

9 Behold, O God, our defender, *

     and look upon the face of your Anointed.

10 For one day in your courts *

     is better than a thousand;

11 I would rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God *

     than dwell in the tents of ungodliness.

12 For the Lord God is a light and defense; *

     the Lord will give grace and honor, and no good thing shall he withhold from those who live a godly life.

13 O Lord God of hosts, *

     blessed is the one who puts his trust in you.

 James 2:14–26 (ESV)

 John 15:1–17 (ESV)

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• The overall theme of Jesus’ teaching in John 15 is: bearing fruit that comes from abiding in Him
• The purpose for which he has chosen his disciples is for us to bear fruit in our lives

John 15:16b (NIV) 16  … “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.”

• What kind of fruit does he mean?

Titus 3:14 (ESV) 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

• As David Wilkinson says in Secrets of the Vine: The disciples wouldn’t have interpreted Jesus’ words to mean just evangelism, either. As people who lived close to nature, they would have understood that fruit symbolized the best result or sweetest prize in life.

Psalm 1:3 (ESV)

3    [The righteous man] is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

• Fruit represents good works—a thought, attitude, or action of ours that God values because it Him

John 15:1–17 (ESV) 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

• You bear INNER fruit when you allow God to mature you to be more like Jesus

Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT) 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

• You bear OUTWARD fruit when you allow God to work through you to bring Him glory.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV84) 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

• 4 kinds of Christians
  • Those that bear NO fruit
  • Those that bear fruit
  • Those that bear more fruit
  • Those that bear fruit

John 15:1–17 (ESV) 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

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.

• The word we translate “takes away” can also be translated “”
  • Vines often fall/grow and end up dragging in the dust/mud
• What in your life is keeping you from knowing and trusting Jesus?
• What is keeping you from living the way you know he’d rather you live?

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

• For grapes, pruning, or cutting away overgrowth helps to create the best environment for the plant to thrive by
  • improving access to light and air,
  • focusing energy on productive parts,
  • removing unhealthy sections,
  • and encouraging new growth.

• For Christians, we can expect that Jesus wants to prune our lives to make us healthier, including
  • Getting us into a better environment
  • Focus on those things that help us bear fruit
  • Cut out unhealthy practices
  • Grow in good works that bring honor to God

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

• If the life isn’t flowing THROUGH you to something outside of you, the life isn’t really IN you

James 2:17 (NLT2) 17  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.