"Bearing Fruit"
Intro. In these final talks to His disciples Jesus seems to be weaving together five themes. Bearing fruit, keeping His commandments, the help of the Holy Spirit, prayer, loving one another.
I. BEARING FRUIT.
A. He is the true vine, the Father is the husbandman.
1. The branches that do not bear fruit are taken away.
a. The parable of the Lord who went to a far country and left His goods to the servants, to one he gave five talents to another four, to another one.
b. The one who buried his talent, it was taken away from him.
2. If you bear fruit, He will wash you that you might bring forth more fruit.
a. I have often heard this preached as prune. Lessons on the pruning processes of God.
b. The word is purge, not prune.
c. Now you are clean through the word that I have spoken unto you.
B. The requirement necessary to bear fruit. "Abide in Me."
1. The branch cannot bear fruit of itself, it must abide in the vine.
2. You cannot bring forth acceptable fruit unto God apart from Jesus Christ.
a. "Apart from Me you can do nothing."
b. The life forces necessary to bring forth fruit come to the branches through the vine.
c. As you live and abide in Christ, and He in you the natural consequence will be that of bearing fruit.
3. If He abides in you and you in Him, you will bring forth much fruit.
4. This is the Father's desire for you.
a. Do you want to know the will of God for your life? It is that you bear much fruit.
b. Herein will the Father be glorified.
D. Why did He choose you?
1. That you might bring forth fruit.
2. That your fruit might remain. Abiding fruit. Not how many came forward to receive Jesus Christ, but how many are walking with Him five years later.
D. What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love.
II. KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS.
>A. 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you.
B. 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
C. 14:21 He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me.
D. 14:23 "He that loveth Me keepeth My sayings."
E. vs. 10 If you keep My commandments you shall abide in My love.
F. vs. 12 This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.
G. vs. 14 You are My friends if you do whatsoever I command you.
H. vs.17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
I. What would you say is His commandment?
1. That we love one another as He loved us.
2. Remember when Jesus was asked by the lawyer what was the greatest commandment, and He responded with their shema, "The Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord and thou shalt love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like the first, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two are all the law and the prophets."
III. THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
A. 14:16 "And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever."
B. 14:26 But the Comforter which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have commanded you.
C. 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.
D. 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you that truth: It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment.
E. 16:13 When He the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He shall show you things to come. He shall glorify Me.
F. The things that the Holy Spirit will do.
1. Teach you all things and bring to your remembrance the things that the Lord spoke.
2. He will testify of Jesus.
3. He will reprove the world of sin, righteousness and of judgment.
4. He will guide you into all truth.
5. He will show you things to come.
6. He will glorify Jesus.
G. What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love.
IV. THE SUBJECT OF PRAYER.
A. 14:14 If you will ask anything in My name I will do it.
B. Vs. 7 If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.
C. vs. 15 That whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.
D. 16:23 And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto you have asked nothing in My name, ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.
E. What He said about prayer.
1. Whatever we would ask in His name, He would do.
2. The importance of relationship for effective prayer, we must abide in Him and His word must abide in us.
3. That prayer releases the work of God on our behalf. "He may give it you."
4. That asking and receiving in his name brings fullness of joy.
V. LOVE.
A. 13:34 Love one another, by this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you love one another.
B. 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
C. 14:21 He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them he it is that loveth Me, and he that loveth Me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love Him.
D. 14:24 He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings.
E. 14:28 You have heard how I said unto you I go away and come again unto you, if you loved Me you would rejoice for I said that I go unto My Father.
F. 14:31 But that the world my know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment even so I do.
G. vs. 9 As the Father hath loved Me so have I loved you, continue in My love.
H. vs 10 If you keep My commandments you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
I. vs 12 This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.
J. vs 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.
K. vs 17 These things I command you that you love one another.
L. 16:27 For the Father Himself loveth you, because you have loved Me.
VI. LET US SEE HOW ALL THESE THINGS TIE TOGETHER.
A. His commandment to us is that we love one another, the capacity to love one another will be given to us by the Holy Spirit who is sent to abide with us forever. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives will be love. The Father desires that we bear much fruit, and this is accomplished by our abiding in Christ. When we keep His commandments by abiding in Him and we love one another, our prayer life becomes much more effective as we receive the things we have asked of Him and the result will be a fullness of joy.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
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