THE VINE AND THE BRANCH (BEARING FRUIT)

Read John 15:1-17.

“Any branch in me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts away (trims off, takes away ): and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit,  to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit”.  (John 15:2 AMP)

Do not glory in the past, and don't hang around those that keep talking about past glory.  The only reason the past is relevant is if it has a connection to the

present. God is not interested in anyone who is not bearing fruit. As long as you are a branch, you are expected to keep bearing fruit. We are only Jesus’ disciples if we continue… Remember,  we are to occupy till He comes.  Even in old age, the righteous shall still bring forth fruit and be fat and flourishing. 

John 15 Verses 9, 10, 11, Jude 21

“As the Father hath loved me,  so have I loved you: continue ye in my love”.  John 15:9

 We are to continue in God's love.  In these times, it’s easier not to walk in love than to walk in love. (Because iniquity shall abound,  the love of many shall wax cold. (Matt 24: 12) But, in spite of the seemly challenges, hard and wicked times, Jesus said we should abide/stay and walk in His love. The times we live in is mounting pressure on us to act contrary, to become more self-centred and focus on self-preservation, but we must stay in God's love.

The way we demonstrate our love for God is by obeying His commandments. The greatest sacrifice we can offer to God is living a life of obedience to His word. The more you love God,  the more you obey His Word,  and His word becomes the basis for your actions and everything that concerns you. Commandments are not to be debated but to be obeyed. The truth is who you truly love, you will also respect and regard.

“These things have I spoken unto you,  that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full”. John 15:11 

David prayed at one time that the joy of his salvation is restored, this is because it can be lost. It is possible to be in church, yet you have lost your joy. Joy is the fruit of the Spirit. To have the joy of the Lord remain in you,  you must abide in His love. When you are bearing fruits, you are happy,  refreshed, and you live a fulfilled and productive life.  When you are not bearing fruit,  you are more critical and see all the lapses in people, groups,  church etc. The joy of the Lord cannot be found in things. 

“This is my commandments, that ye love one another,  as I have loved you” John 15:12

Jesus enjoins us to love our neighbour as He loves us.  (John 13:34) Jesus is the STANDARD for our love walk. Not even the Old Testament standard that says love your neighbour as yourself,  nor our traditions or culture. Jesus commands us to follow His steps in loving others the way He loves us.

Jesus is saying we are to love God and love one another. We are to relate with one another on the basis of God's love, unconditional love and not just on some shared interests only. Where there's love,  there's power. Love is giving and it cuts across every sphere of life. 

“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14) 

If you are not doing what God commands, you cannot be His friend.  God delights in WILLFUL, WILLING OBEDIENCE.

 If we abide in Christ and He in us, we become one with Him. Many times, we want God to bless us yet we refuse to follow His way. He’s the one who chose us. We cannot dictate to him. We are to follow Him,  He gives the job description. Everything we need stems from the Vine. We can’t exist on our own without Him. The secret to experiencing God's supernatural power is to obey whatever He tells you to do. In John 2. at the wedding in Cana,  that was the secret to the miracle they experienced.

WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU TO DO,  DO IT

SOME THINGS TO NOTE

1)    The branch is to abide, that is,  stay,  continue,  remain,  dwell... in the vine. 

2)    The branch is to give birth and bear  fruit from and for the Vine

3)    The function of the branch is to bear fruit. It is the responsibility of 

 the branch to bear much fruit.

4) The branch is to submit to purging and pruning in order to bear more fruits.

 The branch is useless on its own.  That's why Jesus said without me, you can do nothing. 

NOTHING SHOULD EVER TAMPER WITH YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD

What is this fruit we are to bear? It is the Character and Power of Christ revealed through us. 

God expects that everyone who comes in contact with you will encounter Christ through you.  The fruits are not materialistic things. It is Christ revealed.

The question is, who is becoming like Christ because of you? How many Christ is God producing through you? 

Prayer

Lord, I surrender

I receive grace to reveal Jesus to my world and generation