Fruit of the Spirit 1

If I asked, where does the Bible list the Fruit of the Spirit? Many of you would know it is in Galatians 5:22-23. Just prior to this passage is the list of the Works of the Flesh. The Lord would like for me to share a teaching with you about how to be very fruitful in your spiritual life. We will begin in John 15. I have been inspired by a great little book by Bruce Wilkinson entitled, Secrets of The Vine which shares some rich insights into this subject.

Roles in Fruit Bearing John 15:1-2, 5, 8 "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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit..

5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

In His last message before His death, Jesus wanted you and me to comprehend with our whole being that He has left us on this planet for one compelling reason—and it has everything to do with fruit.

Jesus introduced a picture to help us understand our role in bearing fruit for God.

• Jesus is the Vine: Vineyard keepers traditionally keep the vine at waist height—thirty-six to forty-two inches.  The vine ends in a large gnarl from which branches grow in either direction along the trellis.

• Father is the Vinedresser

The vinedresser is the keeper of the vineyard… The vinedresser’s task is simple—to coax from his plants the most pounds of grapes possible.  A healthy and properly tended vineyard means a higher yield.

• You and I are the Branches

Branches are the focus of the vinedresser’s efforts because they produce the fruit.  Branches are tied to a trellis or propped up with sticks to let air circulate, to provide the maximum of sunshine, and to allow full access for tending.  The vinedresser lovingly cultivates each branch so that it will bear as much fruit as possible.

Jesus, Our Example

•              He came to show us how to be branches

•              He was of this earth but abode in the heavenlies

•              Branches don’t do well abiding on the ground ~ need air and light from above to bear much fruit

Why would Jesus talk is such detail about growing grapes when He was only hours from death and His best friends’ hopes would be crushed?  It was the right time and place to show the disciples a new way of looking at things.  Jesus wanted them to see their future from the perspective of heaven.  He didn’t want to leave them on earth wondering, What is God up to in my life?  And why isn’t it turning out the way I expected?

What is Fruit ?

There is no reason to restrict Jesus’ meaning of fruit to winning souls.

•              Fruit is the by-product of abiding in the vine

Fruit symbolized the best result or sweetest prize in life.  Psalm 1:3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

In practical terms, fruit represents good works—a thought, attitude, or action of ours that God values because it glorifies Him.

John 15:8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

You bear inner fruit when you allow God to nurture in you a new, Christ-like quality.

•              The source of life is in the vine

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

You bear outward fruit when you allow God to work through you to bring Him glory.  That includes sharing your faith. 

•              Fruit is born as the life of the vine flows through the branches

•              Fruit is to reflect the nature of the vine

Whether you’re chopping wood for a widow, taking care of an ill neighbor, or spending a lifetime as a missionary in the jungle, outward fruit appears when your motive is to bring God glory. I try to pray every day, Lord I receive Your grace to bring You glory through my life.

Fruit is your only permanent deposit in heaven.  Real fruit always lasts!  And it’s the main earthly reason you were saved.  Paul told Christians they were “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

Jesus hasn’t brought us into His circle to make our dreams come true.  Our dreams are always too small.  We are here to fulfill God’s dream—that we will bring Him glory through a remarkably abundant life.

Fruit Should Remain & Increase !

•              Fruit has a provision for perpetuity: John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

•              Fruit has a provision for multiplication

•              The provision for both is in the seed

•              Natural seeds produce natural fruit

•              Eternal seeds produce eternal fruit

Outward Fruit is the Result Of an Inward Work !

You bear outward fruit when you allow God to nurture some Christ-like quality in you.

You bear outward fruit when… You allow God to work through you.

Differences of Fruitfulness

•              Every branch in God’s vineyard is unique

•              Consequently, all branches do not respond alike in God’s vineyard

•              Different branches bear different quality, quantity, and size of fruit

•              The fruitfulness of a branch is determined by how the branch responds to the vinedresser. If I want to be fruitful, I have to be seeking the Lord, obeying His promptings and responding to the Spirit’s leading.

Growth in God is never automatic. For the vineyard to really produce, the branches have to respond to the attentions of the vinedresser.

There are four distinct levels of eternal yield.  These give us a clear picture of what our life is adding up to for God at this very moment.

Degrees of Fruitfulness

•              No Fruit (1st Basket)

Some branches don’t bear a single grape. John 15:2

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;

•              Some Fruit ~  30  Fold (2nd Basket)

Some branches then, are not barren.  You can find grapes on them if you look hard enough.  Jesus spoke of this as a branch that “bears fruit”. 

•              More Fruit  ~  60  Fold (3rd Basket)

In this basket it is more than half full of plump, juicy grapes.  You’d be proud to walk out of the vineyard with this basket.  This branch bears “more fruit”vs2

•              Much Fruit ~ 100 Fold (4th Basket)

In this basket you notice that both the size and the amount of grapes are extraordinary.  The fourth basket overflows with the biggest, most desirable grapes you’ve ever seen.  You didn’t know that one branch could produce so much.  This branch “bears much fruit” vs. 5.

Chosen For Abundance

•              Abundance of Fruitfulness is not intended by God to be for a select few but for ALL

•              Christ came that we ALL might have life more

The Father wants more fruit from us so much that He actively tends our lives so we will keep moving up—from a barren to a productive branch, from an empty to an overflowing basket.  And more is always possible.  Why?  Because we were created to bear fruit, more fruit…and still more fruit!

ABUNDANTLY ~  John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

•              Therefore, Jesus expects ABUNDANCE

How much fruit do you see in your life today?

•              Statistics show that nearly half of all Christians bear little or no fruit.  Another third bear some fruit.  Only about 5% bear a lot.

If this portrait of God’s people is even remotely true, you can immediately grasp the importance of the teachings from the vineyard…this the destiny of every believer.

If God chose us for abundance, expects abundance and created us to deeply desire it, how can we ever find fulfillment in a half-empty basket?  The answer is this:  we can’t, and we don’t have to. 

Are You Fruitful?