Becoming Fruitful

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about Becoming Fruitful. Let’s turn to Psalm 1:1-6,  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 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. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. First of all, we must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, and we also must not stand in the way of sinners; we must not sit in the seat of the scornful, if we are going to bring forth fruit unto God. Then we must delight ourselves in the Word of God. His Word must be our delight and joy, and we must meditate in it, day and night, all the time. Let’s turn to Luke 8:5-15, The Parable of the Sower, A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold. When He had said these things He cried, He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Then His disciples asked Him, saying, What does this parable mean? And He said, To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Jesus said, Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the Word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. We see here that the thorns choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful in our lives, and we bring no fruit to perfection. Let’s go to Luke 13:6-9, He also spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down. We must seek the Lord with all our heart to deliver us from the counsel of the ungodly, from the way of sinners, and from the seat of the scornful, or the contemptuous: those who mock and deride; from the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of this world; to change our hearts; to dig about us and fertilize us; to make our hearts good ground, where the seed can take root and bring forth fruit according to our abilities: some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundredfold. It’s about our hearts. Do we really love Jesus? If we do, He said we would keep His Words; we will love His Words, we will continue in His Words, and we will learn the truth, and the truth will make us free from the previously mentioned things which keep the Word from bringing forth fruit in our lives. Our desire will be to glorify the Father by bringing forth fruit that remains to His Glory. We will bring forth fruit in his season.

There is a season when the fruit begins to manifest: we’ve been sowing the Word in our hearts, continuing in reading and meditating in the Word of God, day and night; the Holy Spirit teaching us, and revealing it to us and leading us in doing it. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 7: those that hear His sayings and do them. Let’s go there, Mat 7:17-27,  very, very important scripture, Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. 

Going back to bearing fruit in his season: The seed begins to germinate as our hearts become more and more broken and fertile, through the various trials and testings that the Lord has been leading us in. Soon, in the spring, the buds begin to appear on the tree branches. Then, throughout the heat of summer, because we are planted by the rivers of water, our leaves will stay green, and the fruit will continue to develop, until, in the season of the harvest, the fruit is ripened and the harvest comes forth. Then there is great rejoicing for the harvest, and God is glorified!  He will be glorified in His people. Amen! We do not want to meet Him empty handed. We want to meet God, when the time comes, with joy and confidence in His great work of salvation in our lives through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead, by which He has made us His sons and daughters, with arms full of fruit, bringing glory and honor to Him!

Let’s go to Mark 7:6-13, He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do. He said to them, All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say, If a man says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban— that is, a gift to God, then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do. This is where we go astray: If our heart is not toward Jesus, we will end up in the commandments of men, and we will not bring forth fruit, because it’s the Word of God that brings forth fruit through our heart- hearts that love Him- hearts that are given to Him. Our hearts need to be turned from ourselves to Jesus. He has saved us. We must love Him and His Word; His Word has saved us, and serve Him with all our hearts.

Whether we live, we live unto Him; whether we die, we die unto Him, that whether we live or die, we are His! Hallelujah! We are not our own; we have been bought with His precious Blood through the sacrifice of Himself: His great love wherewith He loved us! Therefore we must glorify Him in our bodies, bringing forth fruit that remains to His Glory, and the Glory of the Father. Jesus said in John 15, Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. If we will do what is written in Psalm 1, and meditate in His Word, day and night, with the Holy Spirit teaching us, as it is written in 1 John 2:27&28, let’s go there, But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. Abiding in Jesus, and His Words abiding in us, we will bring forth fruit in his season, if we will remain faithful to our Savior, and continue with Him, as He works in our hearts and lives, conforming us more and more to His image.

If we will not do these things, we will not bring forth the fruit, and we are in danger of being cast off as an unfruitful branch. We are without excuse. Jesus has warned us in John 15:1-14, let’s go there, He said, I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 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. You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. In so doing, and bringing forth fruit, we will become His friends. Isn’t it great that God has made a way for us to become his friends? Isn’t it worth doing? Are the things of this life worth that much to you, that you would forgo such an opportunity, and even risk eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire for them? Really? Don’t be deceived by the lying prophets who prophesy peace unto you who won’t love the Lord, after He has loved you so much to give His life for you on the Cross, and suffer for all your sins. Your destruction is coming if you won’t repent. Repent now! Turn to Jesus with all your heart, confessing your sins, and He will abundantly pardon you and bring you into all His goodness, if you will be faithful to Him, and continue with Him, doing His Words. Hallelujah!

Psalm 1:1-6, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 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. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Do we love Him? If you love Him you will want to keep His Words; you will love His Word if you love Him. If you will do these things, you will be able to stand in the Day of Judgement, where every man will give an account of his doings before the Living God; you will be able to stand. But the ungodly shall not stand in the Judgement, and they will not stand in the congregation of the righteous.