15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:2, 8, 16(KJV)

Intro: Life is your most precious possession.

Don't take it for granted.

Right now, you are either wasting your life, spending your life, or investing your life.

It is you who determines which course to follow.

Jesus said,

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

"The thief..." Who is he? Ultimately, of course, he is Satan, the enemy of God and of good.

But the thief always has assistance from people and circumstances.

One man is robbed of life because of impatience; he always jumps the gun, only to find that the gun is aimed at him.

Another person is robbed of abundant life because of selfish indulgence: food, sleep, sensuality, alcohol...you name it.

Yes, there are many thieves that would like to keep us from enjoying Christ's abundant life: what are some of them?

How tragic going through life and really not living!

But abundant life can be yours.

In His message about the Vine and the branches, Jesus Christ points out spiritual keys that lead to abundant life.

In the message today, we will learn the first key: the key to abundant life is fruitbearing.

You must answer these questions correctly if life is to have meaning for you.

The man who calls a wrench a screwdriver, and who tries to use it as a screwdriver, is heading for frustration and failure.

The person, who does not know who and what he is, will experience the same kind of frustration and failure.

It is this identity crisis that has threatened and even destroyed many people in society today.

The Christian need not have an identity crisis.

Jesus tells us who we are and why we are here.

We are branches, and He is the Vine.

We are here to bear fruit.

Once you accept this simple fact, you are on the way to making your life meaningful and useful.

How did you become a branch in Christ, the Vine?

By trusting Him as your Saviour.

You have, by faith, a living relationship with Christ.

You are not simply a member of a religious group; you are a living branch in the living Vine.

When you yielded to Christ, a living union was formed between you and the Lord.

Just as the branch gets its life from the vine, so the believer gets his life from Jesus Christ.

If you do not have this living union with Christ, you cannot bear fruit.

Fruit is the result of life.

You can manufacture religious substitutes, but they will not bear fruit.

The reason God saved you is that you might bear fruit in this world.

You are living in a hungry world where people are starving for spiritual reality.

The branch does not bear fruit for the branch to eat, but for others to eat.

It is one of the great joys of life to share this fruit with others.

That is why we are here.

Fruitbearing is a beautiful process.

*First there are the leaves, *then the flowers, *then the fruit.

God provides the water from beneath and the sun from above.

Day-by-day, the branches develop; day-by-day, the fruit is

produced.

If you are looking for instant fruitfulness, you will be

disappointed.

Fruit must be cultivated.

As we shall see later, the branch must abide in the Vine and draw upon His abundant life.

So, the reason God made you and saved you is that you might bear fruit in this world.

You are a branch, and He is the Vine.

He has put you where you are that you might accomplish His special purpose.

There is fruit to be produced where you are that nobody else can produce but you.

Accept the responsibility of being one of His branches.

What is the fruit that God wants us to bear?

It takes many different forms.

evangelism and discipleship

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30

- The fruit of an orange tree is an orange, and the fruit of an apple tree is an apple; but the fruit of a Christian is another Christian.

- Notice Paul's words in the epistle of Romans----------

13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:13-16

- It is not you who saves a soul, but you can be the individual who wins one.

You do not have the power to save; but with God's power, you have the ability to win a soul to Christ.

- In your Christian experience, have you ever brought a soul to Christ?

- There are many Christians who simply say that witnessing is not their calling.

They are right.

Witnessing for Jesus is not a calling; it is a command, and

there are many Christians who never bear the fruit of souls and will one day meet their Saviour and "empty-handed be."

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Romans 6:22

You would never know that this is a fruit that Christians are to bear by looking inside the average church today.

- In most cases, worldliness rather than holiness is a fruit that many Christians bear.

- The theme of Romans 6 is victory over sin, and the fruit of this victory is a holy life.

- Never think of "holiness" as a brittle kind of piety such as the Pharisees practiced.

Holiness is nothing else but the beauty and character of God displayed in our everyday lives.

- Holy living means more than victory over sin; it also means growth in character so that we become more like Jesus.

It has both negative and positive aspects,

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1

- As we share the life of Christ, we share the character of Christ.

- Many people try to achieve holiness of life by means of some formula or religious discipline.

Their system works for a time, and then they experience failure and frustration.

- Holiness is to the inner man what health is to the outer man, and both of them are a by-product of life.

The person, who eats properly, exercises, keeps clean, and gets the right amount of rest, will usually enjoy good health.

- The Christian, who abides in Christ and shares His life, will produce the fruit of holiness.

You cannot manufacture holiness.

The Pharisees tried to do this, and Jesus called them hypocrites.

Holiness of life must come from within.

- It is fruit that we bear because we are branches in the Vine.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:10

- You can do more good than you do.

It is up to you to choose to do good.

- Good works are fruitful.

Bad works are unfruitful.

- The Holy Spirit makes this possible,

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.

26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. Romans 15:25-28

- When Paul gathered a missionary offering from the Gentiles for the poor saints in Jerusalem, he called the offering "fruit."

- One of the characteristics of the early Christians was their joyful sharing of their possessions.

It was not communism; it was Christian compassion.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things

common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Acts 2:44-45

- God has not commanded us to follow their exact example, but He has encouraged us to share what we have with others,

But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 1 John 3:17

- Giving to God and, in His name, to others, is not something that we do; it is the result of what we are.

When the branch is receiving life from the Vine, it cannot help but give.

The branch exists to give!

- For the branch, giving and living are synonymous.

- The believer cannot selfishly hold on to whatever material blessings God gives him.

If he is abiding in the Vine, he cannot help but give!

To live, is to give.

- You may lose what you are not willing to give to the Lord.

Giving is a fruit that we are to bear.

- How is it that we can *trust God Whom we've never met

with a *soul we've never seen in order to go to *Heaven where we've never been to but cannot trust Him with a little *piece of copper called a penny or a *piece of paper called a dollar that we have seen?

5. Praise and thankfulness

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15

- Are your lips full of praise and thanks or something else?

The secret of living is fruitbearing.

God did not create you, and Christ did not die for you that you might go through life getting.

God created you and Christ purchased you that you might invest your life through giving.

If you refuse to bear fruit, you will miss the true meaning and glory of the Christian life.

If you yield to Christ and permit His life to create His fruit through you, then you will really live.

Are you willing to be a branch?

Tell Him that you are.

Are you willing for His life to work in and through you?

Then, tell Him.

By an act of faith, yield yourself to Christ for the purpose of

bearing fruit, for the purpose of fulfilling that wonderful plan God has for you and you alone.

*** The first key to abundant living is fruitbearing, but what is the key to bearing fruit?

The next message on Abundant Living will answer this all important question.