What Am I Producing?
Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning,
2/20/22 (3rd Sunday Message)
{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}
Today’s Title:
What Am I Producing?
{recap}
John 14:15
15
If we love God, we will obey what he commands.
If you love…obey.
John 14:15 (MSG)
“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you.”
If you love…show.
Our Love For God Is Not Measured In Our Words, But In Our Action!
We can say something all day…
We can say something for years…
Just because you say it doesn’t mean it’s true.
Our Words Are Validated By Our Action!
Our actions can prove our words true.
Our actions can prove our word false.
Last week we talked about Abraham.
How he was obedient when God asked him to leave everything to follow him.
God blessed him personally for being obedient.
Later God asks him to sacrifice his son.
God rewards not only Abraham but his descendants for his willingness to be obedient.
{end recap}
God tells us in many ways that action matters.
Not just ANY action…but action based on what God says.
Being A
Yes we enter into the faith based on words…
But we aren’t saved by words alone.
What You Do Proves Who You Are!
The
The
Is also known as
We Bear Fruit When We Do The Things God Has Told Us!
Luke 6:43
43
2 things from this:
1. The Type Of Tree Is Determined By It’s Fruit
Verse 44
Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.
You might not be an “arborist” or a “botanist.”
But you DO know apples.
You DO know oranges.
No one can convince you it’s an apple tree when you clearly see oranges on it.
You will identify that tree based on what you see growing on it!
Since trees are recognized by their fruit…what about us?
Do We Show The Fruit Of A Believer?
Do the actions of a believer “grow on us?”
Do ANY of our actions line up with God’s word?
It’s not about being perfect…
But what do our actions show?
If We Couldn’t Talk, Would Others Know You’re A Believer?
What does our fruit show?
What do our actions show?
…if you’re good at cursing people out.
…if you’re good at looking out for yourself before others.
{recap} {#1 The Type Of Fruit Determines The Tree}
2. Each Tree Produces At Least SOMETHING!
- No good tree bears bad fruit.
- No bad tree bears good fruit.
Each tree is producing something!
Doing nothing is not an option.
God even tells us that we ARE to bear fruit!
John 15:5
5
“If a man remains in me and I in him, he
There is a condition here based on two things.
If we are in Christ…
If Christ is in us…
We Can Say We Are In Christ, But Is He In Us?
We can say we’re believers, but is Christ in us?
We can say we’re Christians…but do we allow God to live in us?
“If a man remains in me
John 15:5 (MSG)
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.”
if the relationship is intimate and organic…
if it is real…
the harvest is sure to be abundant.
If We Have The Right Relationship With Christ, We Will Be Bearing Fruit!
Why is that?
Why does Christ make the difference?
He tells us:
(John 15:5)
…apart from me you can do nothing…
(MSG)
…separated you can’t produce a thing.
Why is that?
Christ
We
The part at the bottom is the vine.
Christ is the vine.
Sticking OUT of the vine are the branches.
We are the branches.
When the branches are connected TO the vine…they produce fruit.
John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
If you separate a branch from the vine…
They can’t produce any fruit.
They will die without their connection to the vine.
It Is Our Connection To God That Gives Us Power To Produce Good Fruit!
The vine gives the branches life!
The vine gives the branches the ability to produce fruit!
We get the same things from God!
Before…we were saying why it’s good that we are obedient to God.
It shows the type of fruit we are sowing.
But the real truth is:
{repeat:}
"As A Christian, It Is My Responsibility To Bear Fruit!”
If the relationship is right…
We will be bearing fruit.
Matthew 21:18
18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,
Why Did He Curse The Tree?
Because there was no fruit.
He was hungry.
The tree was not producing fruit.
But the tree was producing something…
The tree was producing leaves.
What’s Wrong With Leaves?
Leaves were created by God!
They’re beautiful!
They decorate the trees!
Depending on the season, their colors paint the perfect canvas for us.
But for US…many leaves are not a source of food.
- They contain “tannin.”
- makes leaves taste bitter.
- They lack good levels of nutrition.
- They’re difficult to digest.
- They aren’t good to give us the energy we need.
The Lord went to the tree looking for FRUIT and didn’t find any…
But it found plenty of leaves.
The tree was a FIG tree…
There was no fruit.
All it had were leaves.
The Tree Was Not Producing What It Was Created To Produce!
The
John 14:15
15
“If you love me…you will be active.”
You will take action.
- Not just ANY action…but what he commanded.
The tree was not doing the right ACTION.
So Jesus CURSED the tree.
Jesus was looking for fruit and found leaves.
How does this apply to us?
Are We Fruit Producers Or Leaf Producers?
If we are in Christ…
And He is IN us!
We SHOULD produce fruit!
We should be obedient to Christ!
We should be active in not just SAYING we believe.
We should be active in SHOWING we believe!
1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with
Love in ACTION!!
Stop Saying Stuff And Start Doing Stuff!
If you aren’t producing fruit…you’re producing leaves!
It’s not just about random action…it’s doing what God says!
{repeat:}
“I Bear Fruit When I Do What God Has Commanded!”
James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
DO what it says!!
You deceive yourselves just listening to the word.
It’s great to learn about the word.
It’s great to see what the bible says…
We Can’t Be The Church Without Action!
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
What are we producing?
Are the actions and things we’re doing creating fruit?
Or are we deceiving ourselves?
Questions To Ask Ourselves:
1. How Am I Being Obedient To God?
2. How Am I Making An Impact On The Kingdom Of
3. How Am I Showing Love To Others As Christ
We show our love to God by our obedience.
If we ARE connected to him, AND him to us…we’ll bear good fruit.
To ending with a question:
What Am I Producing?
Affirmation:
“Because I Am Connected To God, Today I Will Produce Good Fruit!”
