A&D Biker Ministries - "Growing the Kingdom of God . . . one Biker at a time"

April 27, 2024

Spiritually Fruitful Living

(A mini-sermon series looking at the challenging truth that

God expects fruitfulness from Christians)

“How To Bear MORE Spiritual Fruit”

John 15:1-16 (NLT)Bottom of Form

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last -and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

As we look at John 15, at the teaching of Jesus about spiritual fruitfulness, the first thing we discover are two steps toward bearing “much fruit” (v. 5).Top of FormBottom of Form

THE PATH TO BEARING MORE FRUIT:

1. God Wants Us To Be Spiritually Fruitful

Over and over again, Jesus expresses this truth in our scripture today: John 15:2, 4, 5, 8, etc.

It is abundantly clear from this passage that God wants us to be spiritually fruitful. Let’s take that a step further: God also expects us to be fruitful.

Remember, being spiritually fruitful is a defining characteristic of a true Christian life.

2. How Do I Bear Spiritual Fruit?

By abiding in Christ!

⁴ “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

These verses tell us that we will bear spiritual fruit when we are abiding in Christ. “Abiding” means that we are close . . . very close to Jesus.

Notice the overall analogy Jesus is using: the vine (that’s Jesus) and the branches (that’s us). The key to a branch bearing fruit is having an uninterrupted connection and flow from the vine.

3. How Do I Abide?

By keeping Jesus’ commandments!

Remember what Jesus said in verse 10 . . .

¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

So, how do I abide in Christ? I’m so glad you asked! Jesus also answered that question for us. Verse 10, Jesus tells us that if we obey his commands, then we will abide in his love.

SO . . . obeying leads to abiding.

Remember that: Obey, Abide, Abound!

We obey Christ’s teaching . . . and when we obey, we will then abide in Christ. And, as we abide in Christ, we will abound (bear more spiritual fruit). Bearing more fruit doesn’t come from trying harder. It comes from getting closer!

Bearing more spiritual fruit doesn't come from doubling down and trying to do more, but rather from seeking to be closer to God and allowing him to flow through us.

FIRST STEPS IN OBEYING

If you’ve not been actively seeking to obey Christ and be a follower of his, let me give you a few first steps. (If you’re a regular church attender, pay attention to these to make sure that you are actually obeying and not just someone with a faith in name only.) We are called to be followers of Jesus . . . not merely fans.

basic steps toward spiritual growth . . .

There are three places in the gospel of John where Jesus basically says, “If you do this, then you’re really my disciple.” Those are pretty huge statements, because he’s giving us some basic information on what a follower of his should look like.

These 3 things are not everything that we need to be doing, but if you do these things you’re on the right path toward obeying Jesus . . . thus beginning to be more spiritually fruitful.

1. Read the Word

John 8:31-32 (NLT)

³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

To be able to obey, you have to know what Jesus actually said. To know what Jesus said, you have to read the Word (the Bible).

Some think the essence of Jesus’ message was something bland and generic like be nice! or Don’t kick puppies! But Jesus’ actual message is radical, counter-cultural, and far from the accepted wisdom. You’re not going to stumble into it . . . you have to seek this wisdom.

2. Invest In People With Your Time, Your Love, And Your Money

John 13:35 (NLT)

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Here the word love doesn’t mean think nice thoughts toward others, but rather actually show your love in practical ways. That’s why I phrased this to say to love with your time, love, and money.

The most loving group of people on earth should be Christians! People should be impressed by how much we love each other and how we take care of each other.

3. Serve

John 15:8 (NLT)

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

You need to be actively serving in some way. If you don’t know what your spiritual gift is, then find out. We can help you with that! We all need to be doing, not just talking.

A Spiritually Fruitful Life Is A Life Of Overflowing Joy

Pursuing the spiritually fruitful life that Jesus invites us to will fill our heart with great joy.

In our text, John 15:1-11, we see five things that Jesus tells us will be present in our life of obedience to him . . .Top of FormBottom of Form

¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Some specifics about that . . .

1. We have tangible proof of the existence and power of God.

⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

2. We become powerhouses of prayer.

⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

3. We receive our heart’s desires.

⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

4. We bring glory to God.

⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

5. We have tangible proof that we belong to God.

⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

We don’t just have to hope that we’re OK with God. We don’t just have to think that we’re OK with God. We CAN have confidence in our place with God! As we see Jesus move in our lives and as we get closer to God, we have confidence that we ARE his.

AND FINALLY . . .

John 15:16 (NLT)

You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.Top of FormBottom of Form

I want to share with you . . .

Six Signs That You Are On The Path Toward Spiritual Fruitfulness

These six signs are not the only indicators of spiritual fruitfulness . . . they are just some of the signs you are heading in the right direction.

These signs address the question, “How can I know that I’m bearing spiritual fruit?”

That’s a good question and important question. Here are six signs that you’re on the path toward spiritual fruitfulness . . .

1. Are you passionate about knowing and living out Jesus’ teachings?

Why does that matter? Because, obedience to Jesus is a non-negotiable starting point!

2. Can you name a ministry (in the church or out) where you are serving using your spiritual gifts?

Why does that matter? No work equals no results!

3. Do you pray specifically and expect answers?

Why does that matter? Spiritual fruitfulness is God working through you.

4. Can you easily come up with praises during your times of prayer?

Why does that matter? Praises are little signs of God’s movement around you.

5. Do you regularly hear “thank you”?

Why does that matter? Not all of the impact of your work will be hidden. You will hear “thank you” from people for serving them in Jesus’ name.

6. What is the growing edge that God is working with you on right now?

Why does that matter? Spiritual fruitfulness requires a close connection. I pray that we will each one hunger to be spiritually fruitful for Jesus!

A Prayer For Spiritual Fruitfulness

Heavenly Father, we are called to abide in Christ, to rest in his love, to remain connected with the Lord Jesus and to depend upon him in all things - knowing that he alone is the true and living Vine - so that our lives might bear much fruit and glorify our Father in heaven.

I pray that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, we may remain firmly connected to Christ and willingly submitted your perfect pruning knife, so that any part in us that is not of Christ, may be trimmed away. We know that this is to enable us to grow in grace and mature in our Christian walk.

Root out any bad attitude, foolish thoughts or wrong motives that may start to formulate in our minds and which may hinder our growth or infect our spiritual life. Help us, we pray, to take every thought captive in Christ, so that we may become fruitful branches and bear much fruit, to the glory of God the Father. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

April 20, 2024

Spiritually Fruitful Living

(A mini-sermon series looking at the challenging truth that

God expects fruitfulness from Christians)

“How Much Spiritual Fruitfulness Does

God Want To Have Through Your Life?”

Matthew 13:18-23 (NLT)Bottom of Form

¹⁸ “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: ¹⁹ The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. ²⁰ The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. ²¹ But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. ²² The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. ²³ The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

This message looks at how God wants to bring a BIG harvest of spiritual fruitfulness, through your life and mine . . . and what exactly that means for our lives.Top of FormBottom of Form

Does your life’s “spiritual fruitfulness” resemble an overflowing orchard basket or a Charlie Brown Christmas tree?

Let’s talk about that, for a moment. The first image is an overflowing orchard basket. You’ve gone out into an apple orchard with a basket and you can’t contain all that is there for the picking. Your basket is overflowing!

The second image is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Now, let me quickly say that I realize that a Christmas ornament is not the same thing as an apple. I recognize that ornaments don’t grow on trees! I just want to use that image because it’s so well-known. It's a great image of scarcity, a pathetic little tree, so small and weak, bending over under the relatively light weight of a single bulb. It substitutes for our image of an apple tree with a single apple - simply because the Charlie Brown tree is more iconic and memorable.

What does it mean when Jesus speaks of “the good soil?” (The four different soils represent different kinds of spiritual hearts.) The good soil represents a “good heart.”

In Luke 8:15 (Luke’s version of this same parable), Jesus says, “. . . the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart . . .”

How do we get a good heart? Well, it happens through Christ’s work in our lives. We do not have a good heart in our natural state because we’re sinful creatures, but Christ regenerates us and makes us into new creatures in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

A truly saved person is “good soil” because of what Christ has done in Him.

In John 15:5, Jesus says that it is the plan that we would bear “much fruit.” John 15:8 says that when we bear “much fruit” we bring glory to the Father.

In our text today, what does “thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” mean?

²³ The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Historians tell us that the average “planted seed to harvested seed” ratio in Palestine, at the time that Jesus spoke these words, was eight times what was sown. So, Jesus is talking about a spiritual fruitfulness that is in the range between impressive to overwhelming!

Jesus, in this parable, is talking about harvests of thirty times, sixty times, and a hundred times! Getting too caught up in these specific numbers can obscure the larger point . . . which is, Jesus is not planning on moderate spiritual fruitfulness from his followers.

I just used the words impressive and overwhelming. Seeing someone produce four times the average would be impressive. Seeing someone produce twelve times the average would be overwhelming. Here’s the point: Jesus doesn’t want to do something small through your life. He wants a great harvest; he wants “much fruit.”

The thirty/sixty/hundred statement is meant to leave hearers thinking, “Wow! That much?” Jesus meant it to impress us.

Consider that this is what God wants to do in the life of every Christian, not just super-Christians. The point of the entire parable of the seed is that Christians Produce Spiritual Fruit.

What does “30, 60, or 100 times what was sown” look like? Two things: (1) obvious and significant change in your life, to literally become more like Jesus in character and behavior; and, (2) seeing many people drawn closer to God because of your presence in their lives.

We said earlier in this series that spiritual fruitfulness can generally be divided into two categories: internal and external. Internal fruit is me becoming more like Jesus. External fruit is me pointing people to Jesus.

So, when we talk about spiritual fruitfulness that ranges from “impressive to overwhelming,” we’re talking about these two areas.

NOTE: This is not always an immediate & obvious thing. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes you may not realize the impact you’re having . . . right away.

I have gotten a few phone calls and letters over the years, from people in churches where I pastored years earlier, saying, “I was someone who changed their life.” What did I do? I faithfully preached the Gospel, week-after-week, and I tried to live out an honest Christian life. I didn’t know, at the time, that I had that kind of an impact on those lives . . . but I had.

In spiritual fruitfulness, overall there is an obvious sense of people being able to see Christ in you.

If you are being faithful to Christ’s commands, the spiritual fruitfulness will come. John 15 assures us of that. But, we have to be doing Jesus things if we expect to see Jesus results!

Here are some prayers to pray, if you’re desiring to experience more of God’s spiritual fruitfulness in your life . . .

1. “I WANT TO BE CLOSER TO YOU, GOD”

John 15:7-10 (NIV)

⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

The key to greater fruitfulness is not “trying harder,” but “getting closer.” When we are closer to Jesus, he is able to work more powerfully through us.

Is it a sincere prayer in your life that you want to be closer to God? That’s an easy question to say a vague “yes” to, so let me throw out couple of follow-up questions:

a. Do you want God to reveal your sins to you so you can actively work to get rid of them?

b. Are you willing to start reading the Bible daily and incorporate what you learn into your life?

c. Are you willing to obey the teaching of Jesus - the parts you like and the parts you don’t?

2. “PUT STRUGGLING PEOPLE IN MY PATH”

Much of our greatest impact comes with people who are hurting and struggling. Why is that? Because those are the moments in our lives where we’re the most open to help from people and from God. Most of the time, most of us like to think of ourselves as self-sufficient and in control.

I’ll prove that. Do people pray more after getting a big bonus check or when they’re in the ER? No doubt it’s in the ER. Why? Because when you’ve just got that big bonus check you don’t need any help! You have got everything under control all by yourself (or so you think). In the ER we’re in a situation where we know things are bigger than us and we need outside help.

A big open door for spiritual fruitfulness is with people who are going through a tough time. We can listen to them and offer some comfort. When appropriate, we can listen and offer advice . . . or help them in some practical way to lighten their load.

Certainly we should we tell them about the God’s love for them through Jesus Christ! There may be a lot of different things we do, but the main thing is to point them to Jesus through our love and actions.

We need to do this more often!

3. “BRING WORKERS TO MY CHURCH”

Matthew 9:37-38 (NLT)

³⁷ Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. ³⁸ So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Jesus is saying that there is a lot of “fruit” (or, in his analogy, grain) ready to be harvested. He says that our prayer to the Father should be for him to send us workers . . . to produce more spiritual fruitfulness (people accepting salvation in Christ)!

There’s a phrase that I like and have used before that is worth mentioning here: “Holy Discontent.”

There is good contentment - that’s when we’re thankful and satisfied with the grace and provision that God has given to us.

There is also bad contentment - that’s when we’re apathetic and unconcerned that things are not the way that they should be.

Like when we look at the mediocre spiritual impact of our lives . . . and we shrug our shoulders and say, “Well, what more could you hope for?” (Actually, we could hope for A LOT more. Actually, we should expect a lot more!) God does not want us to live below his blessings, or live below God’s power.

If you look at your life today and think, “Man, this thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold harvest is not true in my life right now” . . . then don’t stay where you are. Consider the truth we’re talking about in this sermon series and expect more. I’m not talking about shallow self-help, “you-can-do-it” efforts. I’m talking about holding onto the blessings that God wants to give you. I’m talking about asking God to unleash in your life the power of the Holy Spirit that God said in his Word that he wants to release into your life.

Be discontented if you’re not experiencing that in your life.

Resolve today to pursue ALL That God is offering.

April 13, 2024

Spiritually Fruitful Living

(A mini-sermon series looking at the challenging truth that

God expects fruitfulness from Christians)

“Is Spiritual Fruitfulness HIDDEN OR OBVIOUS?”

We began this mini-sermon series last week, asking the question, “What Exactly Do We Mean By Spiritual Fruit?”

Spiritual Fruit is a result from the life of Christ being within us, and we are talking about two kinds of spiritual fruit: internal and external. (The two are interconnected and ultimately inseparable, but let’s talk this way for simplicity’s sake.)

Internal soul transformation . . . this is God shaping you into Christlikeness.

Galatians 2:20 (NIV)Bottom of Form

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

God wants us to reflect the character and love of Jesus. He is constantly working to move us in that direction.

It’s not that we become a different person; it’s that we become a better person, with Christ in us.

External people impact . . . .is touching the lives of those around you, helping them to move closer to God.Top of Form

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)Bottom of Form

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

Not only is God working in us . . . he’s also working through us. Accomplishments are nice (degrees, promotions, achievements), but the things that will outlast this world are the things that have an impact on people. People are God’s prized creation!

Our co-mission from Jesus - do you remember IT?

Know Christ, Grow in Faith, Go Witness. Our goal is to move people either toward knowing Christ (those who are not saved) or growing in Christ (those who are saved).

In general, these things happen as we do things for others which allow us to show the love of Jesus to them . . . or, things that encourage / strengthen the faith of another Christian. Almost always, these things are done one-on-one and one-by-one.

Sometimes we might think that it’s impossible to know if you’re having an impact or not. That simply doesn’t line up with Jesus’ teaching about spiritual fruit that we studied last week in Luke 13:6-9. (Remember the parable about the fig tree?)

Now, the spiritual fruit you bear may not always be immediately obvious. But, if you look at the general spiritual fruit of someone’s life, it is obvious whether they are a “good tree” or a “bad tree.”

I’ve heard Christians say, “There’s no way to know whether you’re having an impact or not.” And, “We won’t know until we get to heaven if we’ve done any good.”

It is true that we won’t know the FULL extent of our impact on others until we reach eternity. But, the fact is that the general type of spiritual fruit that our life is bearing should be pretty obvious to any attentive observer. One of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is gentleness. In Philippians 4

It says . . .

Philippians 4:4 (NIV)

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

The fruit reflects the tree; the fruit reflects the heart.

This almost makes it sound like spiritual fruitfulness is required for Christians. YES! Spiritual fruitfulness is a defining characteristic of true Christian faith.

That doesn’t mean that we’ll never make a mistake or mess up. We do fall short sometimes. It means that the general spiritual fruit of our lives will be a reality . . . to God and to others.

The problem is that we’ve come to excuse the “fruitless Christian life” as being the norm . . . there’s no outward or inward sign of a change in your life, but somehow we think that’s OK. That’s like saying, “Jesus just wants us to believe in him . . . and we’ll be changed in eternity.” NO!

Jesus wants us to be transformed, here and now. The B-I-B-L-E tells us so . . .

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NIV)

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

So, Why Don’t Most People Expect Spiritual Fruitfulness In Their Lives?

I think one of the biggest reasons is that we have dumbed down Christian “belief” to where it only means a verbal agreement to what a church believes / a list of doctrine.

Hear me clearly.

According to the Bible - the idea of being a Christian with NO change in our life is a faulty or bad Belief System. (You can abbreviate that to simply - faulty / bad B.S.)

Matthew 7:16-20 (NIV)

¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good (spiritual) fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good (spiritual) fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Maybe there’s an objection that may be brewing in your mind: “Aren’t most lives a mixed bag of fruit? Isn’t Jesus’ statement here an exaggeration?” Those are fair questions.

These were tough / challenging for me to answer. I gave this quite a bit of thought, and .S. here’s what I believe the Bible is telling us - for the good being good and for the bad being bad.

1. We underestimate what Jesus’ power can do in and through us.

I said a moment ago that we tend to “dumb down” faith to just a list of doctrine. We don’t expect genuine life change. We especially don’t expect transformative life change. I think we’re aiming too low; we’re expecting too little.

We have been given a new heart, a new nature. We’ve been given the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. We have the ear of our Father in heaven, ready to give us all the resources we need for what we’re facing. We have all that we need to live victorious lives!

It's God’s intent for us to be the representation of what his powerful grace can do. He intends for our lives to be transformed and impressive!

We live below our blessings. We have lost sight of how incredible God’s salvation is meant to be! It’s a salvation that can produce a tree (our life) with an overwhelmingly good Spiritual Fruit!

2. We overestimate the importance of being nice or accomplished.

It does seem harsh for Jesus to say that someone is bearing bad fruit. Again, wouldn’t most lives be a mixed bag?

Many non-Christians that we know are nice. They have degrees, make good money, or have other accomplishments. How can Jesus say that they are bearing bad fruit?

It’s key to go to back to the definition we gave earlier about what spiritual fruit is. Spiritual Fruit is not just being nice or just being accomplished.

Do you remember what the definition is? Spiritual Fruitfulness is: becoming like Jesus ourselves and pointing other people toward Jesus. That’s important to understand! Having spiritual fruit is not just being pleasant or accomplishing things. It’s becoming like Jesus and pointing people toward Jesus.

When we understand that, it becomes clearer. Even if a person is accomplishing a lot in their life, if it’s not things that make them like Christ or point people to Christ, that’s not good spiritual fruit. Even if a person is generally nice to be around - if they’re not pointing people to Christ, that’s not good fruit.

Good spiritual fruit is about things that are eternal; things that will last beyond this life. It’s not “a good life” the way we usually define the “good life” . . . “I had a decent marriage, got some kids raised, worked a job, and lived the American Dream.” We’re to live for the Kingdom of God, not the American Dream.

Do you think this is an overstatement? Apparently not, because the rest of Matthew 7:21-27 is Jesus talking about false believers (that’s faulty BS Christians)!

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with more talk about false believers. He says that not everyone who claims him is a true believer. True believers obey his teaching.

With all that we’ve been talking about with spiritual fruitfulness, it’s easy to think that the problem is that you’re not trying hard enough. The Gospel of John, chapter 15, tells us that that’s NOT the right answer.

Spiritual Fruit is something that flows naturally from who God has made us to be. We’ll talk about that more in an upcoming sermon, but suffice it now to say that spiritual fruitfulness comes from who you are . . . who God has transformed you into.

Let me just point you in the right direction with a challenge question tonight:

Answer this either True or false, for your life:

“I am passionate about knowing AND obeying Jesus’ teaching.”

That is a crucial question when it comes to spiritual fruitfulness! Are you passionate about knowing and obeying Jesus’ teaching?

If you’re not reading the Bible every day, the answer is probably “No.”

If you’re not eager to have God reveal where you’re falling short so you can grow in that area, the answer is probably “No.”

If you don’t believe that Jesus was smart and wise and therefore it’s not always a good idea to do what he said, the answer is probably “No.”

Notice I didn’t say, “Do you come to church?”

I didn’t say, “Do you think Jesus is great?”

I didn’t even ask, “Are you a Christian?”

Because when it comes to spiritual fruitfulness, those are not the main questions. The main question is whether you’re passionate about knowing and obeying what Jesus taught.

John 14:15 (NIV)

“If you love me, keep my commands.”

- Jesus -

If you love Jesus and you are keeping his commands, then you’re on the path to spiritual fruitfulness. If you don’t / you aren’t . . . then you’re almost certainly not on the path to spiritual fruitfulness.

How will YOU take this truth? It will either be depressing or exciting for you.

If you’re depressed by this sermon, I want to encourage you to take a different approach today. A better way to think about what I’ve shared tonight is to see it as exciting. How is it exciting?

Simple: this truth (that God wants great spiritual fruit in our lives) is truth that he wants for your life!

Think about that! God wants to partner with you to make your life one that doesn’t just bear a little fruit, but is overwhelmingly fruitful. That’s exciting! How can I be a part of that? How can I tap into that?

If you want to leave a legacy, if you want to make a difference, if you want to touch lives, if you want to be like Jesus . . . then this truth means that God wants to help you to do that. So, stay tuned in this sermon series.

Now, That’s exciting!

April 6, 2024

Spiritually Fruitful Living

(A mini-sermon series looking at the challenging truth that

God expects fruitfulness from Christians)

“Is Spiritual Fruitfulness A Necessity,

Or Just A Nice Bonus?”

Here’s an important question for you, as we begin this mini-sermon series: Is spiritual fruitfulness really necessary or just a nice bonus?

Luke 13:6-9 (NLT)Bottom of Form

⁶ Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. ⁷ Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ ⁸ “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. ⁹ If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”

Let’s start by briefly defining “spiritual fruitfulness.” A tree bears fruit . . . let’s say apples. Apples are the product / produce of having an apple tree.

In the spiritual realm, we’re talking about a life of spiritual fruit bearing. This is a result from the life of Christ being within us.

Galatians 2:20 (NIV)Bottom of Form

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We are talking about two kinds of spiritual fruit: internal and external. (I realize the two are interconnected and ultimately inseparable, but let’s talk this way for simplicity’s sake.)

Internal spiritual fruit is becoming more like Christ in our own lives.

External spiritual fruit is touching the lives of those around you, helping them to move closer to God.

The answer to our earlier question is NO. Spiritual fruitfulness is not optional. Spiritual fruitfulness is a defining characteristic of genuine faith.

Luke 13:6-9 is a parable / a story from real life with applications of truth relating to our spiritual life.

The man came to his garden looking for fruit on his trees that he had planted. This is an important truth that can be easily overlooked: The man comes looking for fruit . . . it’s what he expects to find!

⁶ Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it . . .

God created you. He has given you spiritual life, through Jesus - and he is looking for spiritual fruit from your life. Just a few scripture examples are:

Matthew 3:10; Matthew 7:19; Luke 3:9;

Luke 13:7; John 15:2; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; etc.

Scriptural Truths about Spiritual Fruitfulness

Having NO Spiritual Fruit Leads To Being “Cut Off” And “Thrown Into The Fire”

Let’s look at three of the scriptures just listed . . .

Luke 13:7 (NIV)

So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

Matthew 3:10 (NIV)

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

This is John the Baptist speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious people) of his day.

Matthew 7:19 (NIV)

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

This is Jesus speaking, when he was preaching the Sermon on the Mount.

Obviously, these are all images of hell (fire), and the point that is being made is that spiritual fruit is a defining characteristic of a genuine Christian life.

We’ll get more into this in a sermon later in this series, but it’s important to mention this truth now: Scripture is not saying that we’ve got to go out and manufacture some kind of spiritual results or God is going to cut us off. It’s not a “produce or I am going to kick you out” deal. Rather, spiritual fruitfulness is what real faith looks like. If I have truly accepted the life-changing truth of Jesus into my life, there will be a change. There will be results. It’s a (this is important) natural result of having made that choice.

We’ll talk at length later in the series about how spiritual fruitfulness actually happens. Just know this: it’s NOT by us manufacturing results.

Scriptural Truths about Spiritual Fruitfulness

Jesus Gave The Kingdom To Someone New Who Would Produce Its Spiritual Fruit

Matthew 21:33-43 (NIV)

³³ “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ³⁴ When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. ³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷ Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. ³⁸ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ ³⁹ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

This parable of the tenants, in Matthew 21, speaks to the need for spiritual fruitfulness.

In v. 34, again we see the Master coming (or in this case, sending someone on his behalf) to look for fruit.

Verse 43 is what I really want to concentrate on. Jesus notes that the Kingdom has been taken away from those who used to have it. (In this case, that would be the Jewish leaders.) And who is God giving it to? To “a people who will produce its fruit.”

That’s significant! God is making the change because he wants someone who will produce the spiritual fruit of the Kingdom. This shows that spiritual fruitfulness is really important.

Jesus could have said that God will give it “to a people who will revel in grace.” He could have said that God will give it “to a people wh