Faithful Fruit

Pastor DeSonte Cole | June 15th, 2025

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Transcription

John 15, if you would do me a favor and stand as our custom to read the word, and we're going to go straight to it. John 15:1-8, I'm reading out of the ESV, and you can read along or hear. These are Jesus' words, and he says, 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 does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. I just want to pause right there and let that marinate. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. And the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

As you're taking your seat, look at your neighbor and say, hey neighbor.

Hey neighbor.

Are you bearing fruit?

Are you bearing fruit?

Wait for an answer. I love it. Y'all can have your seats. Have your seats. Have your seats. I love it. About a month and a half ago, I had the privilege to lead our men's group on a Wednesday morning. We're talking about the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit and what that looks like, how that is applied to us as believers. And as I'm walking through that, I have simultaneously my six-year-old who asks questions as well. If you were here last week, if you know, you know. He asks questions as well, but he came home ecstatic, and I mean ready. He usually does, but this one was a little bit different. He busted the door, hey daddy! And I'm like, yes. He said, we're studying plants. And I said, amen. And he said, I have this plant. I said, Amen. And he said, it's going to grow into a big old tree and it's going to have fruit and all the things. And I said, amen. And he said, you're going to help me water it. Okay. I don't think that's how this works. I wasn't given the plant. It's your plant. It's your responsibility, but I'll help you walk through what this watering of this plant looks like. And so he says, okay. And we come up with a schedule for him to water his little plant. And it's amazing. It has sprouts and it's doing all the things and he's excited. But I think he was missing the connection that this little plant would not be a big tree, but you couldn't tell him any different.

Every day he would walk in. Daddy, can I water my plant? Daddy, can I water my plant? I said, Hey son, we have to slow it down a little bit because if you overwater it, it won't produce. But as he's going through this, he's understanding this process. But then he hit me with a second layer. He pulls out this bag of seeds. And I said, well, first of all, how long have you had these in your pocket, for one? But where did this bag come from? And he said, oh, we're going to plant these, and this has become a big tree, a big fruit tree. I think it's an apple tree. And I said, okay, cool. But y'all, we'd never planted the seeds. We never planted them, but he carried them. I'm saying everywhere we went, he's carrying this bag of seeds. I said, we're at Sam's Club, and he pulls out this bag of seeds. We're at the grocery store, and he pulls out this bag of seeds. We're at the gas station, and Kai's admiring this bag of seeds. And as I'm studying through to teach for the men's group, the Holy Spirit asked me a question and said, hey, are you carrying your seeds just like your six-year-old? Everywhere you go, are you having seeds in your pocket that you can disperse to somebody to help them grow and develop? I said, well, all right, we're here today. And it took me to another level because now I see my six-year-old who has all the faith in the world and his purity of heart saying, hey, no matter where I am, I'm always thinking about these seeds, and I'm always thinking about these seeds growing and producing something good.

And no matter what, he was faithful in honoring his seeds. Every day, Daddy, look at my seeds. Daddy, look at my seeds. Daddy, look at my seeds. I said, okay, son, when are we going to plant them? Quiet. I said, it's one thing to have seeds and honor them. It's another thing to plant them and let them go through a process. It's another thing to have fruit. And today, we're going to discover what faithful fruit looks like. The title of my message is "Faithful Fruit." As we're walking through this journey, we've got to start a couple things and understand Jesus is now talking with the disciples. He's giving them the culmination of his assignment. He washed their feet. He told them about the promise that is coming, which is the Holy Spirit. He let them know, hey, that there's something that we're going to have to do. He's cleansed them. He's let them know that something is coming. But he also lets them know that some of you will betray me. He also let them know that it's going to be some issues that you're going to face into adversity. But he tells them, take heart. My peace I leave with you.

Not the peace of the world, the peace I give to you. And all this is, I would imagine, throwing the disciples for a loop. Like, hey, we've been walking with you, and now we're walking into what's about to happen, and we still don't understand, but we have some questions. And as he has some questions, I believe that as we're walking through this text, we'll understand what it means to bear faithful fruit. We'll talk about a process. We'll talk about a problem. And we'll talk about the product. What I love about this is as we walk into John 15, this narrative, Jesus is now, as it's called, the farewell discourse. He's given us the last of the seven I am statements. At the kickoff of the scripture, he says, I am divine, the true vine. And if you know about this, the disciples would know this, but representatively in the Old Testament, you would see that the vine was representative of Israel and its lack to produce fruit thereof. So Jesus extends this metaphor and says, you know what? I'm standing here to reverse what Israel could not do. I am the true vine. And as we've landed here, he expands it and lets us know that not only am I the true vine, but my father is the gardener.

He reversed the failure of Israel's ability to produce good fruit, but also gives them the opportunity to know that in me, within me, you can produce more as long as you stay connected to the vine. And as we're walking through this, I can see the disciples having questions and asking, well, what does this look like? What does this feel like? But as they're walking through, Jesus walks it out so narratively and says, this is what I want to do is show you how to produce more fruit. But in order for us to produce the fruit, we have to know what it is. In order for us to know what it looks like, we have to define it. And so in order that we do that in practicality, fruit is the thoughts, the actions, the behaviors, the values, and the acknowledgements that would bring glory to God. For believers today, the fruit also refers to the entire life and ministry of those following Jesus' teachings and experiences presence in their lives through the power of the spirit. So as we've defined what fruit looks like, we can know for certain that fruit is both an internal and an external work and representation.

But the question becomes, what is our fruit doing? When was the last time we evaluated our fruit? When was the last time we looked at if I'm actually producing something or if I'm just performing? Oh, help us. I know that wasn't even in my notes. Holy Spirit, thank you. But as we're going, the disciples that would know these scriptures, they would say like Genesis 1:28, and God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. They would know Psalm 1 and 3 as the writer would say, hey, he is like a tree planted by the flowing streams that bears fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither and whatever he does prosper. They would know these things. They would know in Galatians where it says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. They would know these things as we know them today as believers. They would also know that in Ephesians, Paul would say that we were created. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

So now I have a cool relationship between fruit and my good works that God created for me. But I have to note here and stop and say inner fruit is also produced when we allow God to cultivate us more into his character. The external fruit is produced when we allow what has been transformed to bring him glory. And I don't know about you, but my goal, my assignment, my heart would be that you would understand what internal and external fruit look like as we walk through this passage. We have to talk about the problem. John 15:2, Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. That means if I'm talking about this, this is actually a process. This is a process of learning to bear and learning how to bear more. And as I'm walking through this, I see this picture of a few baskets. Now I've never been in a vineyard. I'm not in ancient viticulture, which don't worry, I had to look it up too. I didn't use Alexa, I used Google. But it's the person that tends to the vineyard. I've never done that.

But I see a picture of three baskets. The first basket may be empty or barren or have just a little bit of fruit. The second basket may have some fruit, but has more capacity to bear more. The last basket is the one that's overflowing, but also still has more capacity to bear more fruit. And so what happens in this process of bearing fruit, it presents us with two options. One, we can be a branch and bear fruit, or two, we can be barren. But both things occur in the aspect of the process. See, when we talk about ancient vineyard bearing, we understand that it was done in two things, in autumn after the harvest, and also in springtime when it was flowering season. Now in between the two in springtime, you would go to and understand the vine dresser would go in and make sure that the clusters of the grapes on the vine would have enough room to catch the sunlight, have enough aeration to catch the wind, have enough ability to pull them up from the ground to hoist them up and lock them in so that they can grow and produce more fruit.

On the other side of that, when it's harvest, after harvest, you also had the vine dresser that would come in and ensure to cut back even the producing branches so that the producing branches could produce more fruit. And I could see Jesus walking through here now, talking to the disciples and saying, hey, you're about to walk into some things that's going to take you some time, it's going to be a process. It's both training and pruning, but you've got to work to do. You may not understand it yet, but you've got to work to do. It's going to take some pruning and some training. Yes, it will be uncomfortable, but there's still a work for you to do. See, training is discipline. It involves removing of sin. It also revolves around removing the things that we may not label as sin. It may not be direct sin, but it may be entitlement. It may not be direct sin, but it may be offense. It may be unforgiveness. It may be the things that we're harboring that is limiting us from producing fruit. That is the first basket.

So I ask us today in this reflective message of the fruit, what am I holding on to that I haven't given to God so he can train me and discipline me and prune me so that I can produce more? See, there's levels, but I have to stay in the process. I know it's painful. Anybody that's been in the gym for three seconds knows that training... I know. I'm sorry. I had to. Three seconds knows that the gym is a huge discomfort. But as I go through it, as I build, as I grow, I create more capacity. I create the ability to move. I create the ability to stand. And I produce some things within me that I didn't know were possible had I given up. See, the second part to this is pruning. See, pruning happens in four steps. The first one is the prevention of allowing the grapes to grow too fast. You mean I got to slow down in this process? Yes, you do. Because if you overproduce, then you won't be able to sustain what you start. If I'm growing at a rapid pace, that means I have to slow down because some of that fruit is not beneficial to those that are behind me.

I have to understand what that looks like. That means the vine dresser has to prune me the right way so that I can bear the fruit that remains because real fruit lasts. And if you're not careful and not intentional, you'll be the one expecting a harvest, but you still have contaminated fruit. See, the second part of pruning is the prevention of external elements causing damage. That means the vine dresser would come in and remove the clusters around them, make sure that it's in a proper area. Sometimes, if needed, it would make sure that the vine dresser would come in and wash the vines to ensure that they have the proper nourishment that they need to grow, removing the external elements so that they can produce fruit. The third thing that happens is removal of the clusters for a better quality of fruit. You mean that I can produce fruit but still have some things surrounding me that's not allowing me to be my fullest potential? Yes. And that's the beauty of the vine dresser, is he comes in and says, let me remove this cluster over here. Let me remove this relationship over here, but God, it's painful.

It's uncomfortable. I'm pruning. Yes, and you've opened yourself up to the shears. Why? Because as a believer, you have the opportunity to produce fruit from the spirit that's within you. But if you don't give yourself to the shears, you will never be able to produce the fruit that he asked for. And that has to be the fruit that remains. I want to encourage somebody today that this entire process is for us to bear much fruit. Somebody say it with me.

Bear much fruit.

One more time.

Bear much fruit.

The last one. This one I preach all by itself. This is the removal of suckers that arise from the ground that attack the... Everybody started laughing. I love it. Sucker free. I love y'all. This is the removal of the suckers that arise from the ground that may attack the vine that cause weakness in the vine that don't allow the vine to get the strength and the nourishment that it needs from the root system to grow. So sometimes I still have to allow the shears to prune me away from those things that are draining my strength from producing what God has called me to produce. See, Bruce Wilkinson says it like this. The principle of pruning invites a revealing question about your spiritual life. Are you praying for God's super abundant blessings and pleading that he will make you more like his son? If your answer is yes, then you're asking for the shears. I gotta let that marinate. If your answer is yes, then you're asking for the shears. Why? Because pruning is how God answers your prayers that your life will please him more and have a greater impact for eternity. But it takes some responsibility on our behalf in the process. Why? Because for the vineyard to produce, the vines and the branches have to respond to the attention of the vine dresser.

Meaning I can't just do this and think it's just easy. I can't just give this plant to my dad and think he can water and it's gonna grow. No, I have to listen to the guidance, the understanding, the caretaking. I have to tell him that eventually, son, you gotta plant these seeds so it can grow but that way he can understand to build something to produce fruit. I have to listen and I have to be attentive to the vine dresser. Which begs the question, how can we expect a harvest when we're not connected to the source? See, our father wants us to bear much fruit and bear more fruit so he actively tends to us to remove us in a place from barrenness to production to overflow. And I want you to take a look at these three baskets behind me. From barrenness to production to overflow. But before we get to the last one, we have to talk about the problem. Somebody say the problem.

The problem.

See, John 15:5, it says I'm the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing. That's why I love when the elders used to say, hey, I need power. I need power to live right. I need power to walk right. I need power to grow right. I need power to raise these kids. I need power and I can only attain that power if I'm connected to the source. That means it takes an intentionality for me to get close to it. It takes an intentionality for me to still abide when it's uncomfortable. When I'm up, I have to abide. When I'm down, I have to abide. When it's complicated, I have to abide. When it's confusing, I have to abide. When I don't know what's going on, I have to abide. When it's cutting me, I have to abide. When he's removing things, I have to abide. When I have the story that doesn't make sense, I still have to abide. Why? Because apart from him, you can do...

Nothing.

Jesus also said that they will know them by their fruit. But how can I know something if I've never expressed it? See, the problem is we want to bear fruit, but we're stuck. See, the problem is if our perspective and our participation is not shifted, we will expect a harvest while still giving in some contaminated fruit. What also happens is if we're not intentional in our connectivity to the vine, we will trade the expression of fruit as power when all is really performance. What do you mean? I have all of the experiences and encounters with God, but as soon as I leave the church, go on Monday through Saturday, I'm going crazy. Uh-oh. What do you mean I can have a powerful moment like Pentecost? Yes, you can. And if you're not careful with abiding in the vine, you will find yourself walking out thinking about things, doing things, harboring things that are countercultural to the process that you just went through.

Meaning, in order for me to bear fruit, I have to stay connected, because I can't think that I can just have Jesus on Sunday, and Monday through Saturday, I'll be able to make it. I can't do this. And I don't know about you, but this year of the 2025, the year of our Lord that we're living in today, I can't do it without him. I can't do it without him. I can't think without him. I can't move without him. I'm not that smart. I'm not that beautiful. But as long as I stay connected to him, he has something for me in order for me to produce, but I have to stay connected. Y'all sit down. Y'all get me excited. Y'all get me excited. I gotta understand that it's not just an expression, but it's a cultivation. I've gotta let this thing grow. I've gotta let this thing build. See, we were created and designed to be flourishing branches that bear fruit, but we're stuck on ourselves. We're stuck on ourselves. It seems to be, what does this look like for me? What is in it for me? How can I make it happen?

How can I do this? How can I 10X my business? How can I grow and develop when all the while it should be, Lord, how do you want me to bear fruit? Lord, how do you want me to develop? Lord, who do you want me to bless today? Lord, what seeds do I need to plant to somebody today? Lord, who do I need to show the way so that they know that you are the true vine and apart from you, I can do nothing? Who do you want me to connect with to show that you can bear fruit even in the midst of your chaos? See, what happens is when we want to produce fruit, when we're really abiding, we say that we don't have to do it from a superficial place. So when the world says, let's dispel hate, we can show love. When the world says, let's dispel depression, we can show joy. When the world says, let's give all of this chaos, we can give peace. When the world says, let's lead by anger, let's tell our truth. No, we can give patience because the truth of the matter is, if it had not been for Jesus, I wouldn't be here in the first place.

If it had not been for his power, I wouldn't be standing before you. If it hadn't been for his sacrifice, I wouldn't be able to show you any inkling of fruit that I have in my life. So when the world says, let's go ahead and express hurt, we can give kindness. When the world says, let's go ahead and parade ugliness or we're trolling in the comments on Instagram or whatever it looks like, uh-oh, we can spread goodness. This is one of my favorite ones. When we're dealing with inconsistency, we can be pruned to faithfulness. When we're dealing with harshness, we can see the picture of our loving father giving us gentleness, holding us, consoling us, walking us through. Letting us know that I'm taking my time washing you by the word, cleaning you up so that you can bear much fruit. And moreover, when the temptation comes, I have the power to say I have self-control. That's discipline. That's pruning. That's the ability to know that I have a seed. That my seed is part of what the earth has been waiting for. That God has given me a unique fruit. That he's allowed me to produce something. That my fruit is necessary for this earth. That my fruit is replenishing this earth. That I have something that the world needs that's greater than me, but I gotta stay connected.

My fruit is needed for such a time as this. My fruit will bring impact for such a time as this, but I can only bear it if I stay connected. I've got to get to the place where I bear more fruit. And that's the product. See, I'm not one that tends a vineyard, contrary to popular belief. I'm also not a horticulturalist. Don't worry, I had to look it up too. That is a person that tends to a garden. That is a person that tends to trees. That is a person that tends to the shrubbery. I'm not that person either. But as I was preparing for this message, it's funny that God would allow this to happen. About a week and a half ago, I find myself on a ladder cutting trees. I know. Crazy. I find myself doing the craziest things in Texas now. I don't know what it is, but this city kid is understanding what this country look like. You mean I gotta get out there, get the shears, get the saw, and cut this branch down for myself? You mean nobody else can do it? I can pay to have an investment, but the way things are looking now, I'd rather just learn to do it on my own so that way I can understand how to navigate more fully.

And if I mess it up, I can only be mad at myself. So I'm sitting in this front yard. My son and my daughter are out there. They're laughing. I'm on this ladder, and I'm cutting branches off of this front yard tree. And what's beautiful is there's dust everywhere. I'm seeing dead pieces everywhere. I'm seeing the tree. I'm seeing all these shoot off branches. And this picture, this story that Jesus tells his disciples came to life like never before. My next door neighbor comes over and he says, Hey, I said, Hey, Pastor Brian, how funny is it that God would put two passes together on a block? So we're sitting here and we get into the passage and we're talking about it. And he says, Wait a minute. He said, DeSante, look at this tree. And I'm standing there and I'm like, What am I looking for? It's hot, Mr. Brian. Come on. I got to keep going. And he says, study this tree. And I found myself looking at it, confused as to what's happening. But as I'm looking at it, I'm slowly being transformed. I'm looking at this tree. And he's telling me, Hey, about five years ago, the people came in and hacked this tree.

And I'm like, what? Not this big old tree that we're sitting here cutting. He said, Yeah, they came in. They completely destroyed it. They're cutting branches. I think they were just doing what they wanted to do to hurry and make a rush job out of it. I said, Cool. Why are we still studying it? He said, Look at it. And I'm looking. And I see in these dead places, these branches that have formed and have extended out and grown. Even though the people who cut them down cut them away, there's still beauty and growth from this dead place in this tree. And as I'm sitting here, I'm being transformed. And I get to this passage and say, this is why Jesus said, A good tree cannot bear bad fruit. And a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. But I have to stay connected in order so that I can grow. And I also see a picture that even though there are some dead things in your life, if you stay connected to the vine, you have an opportunity to grow and be a branch. And I don't know what is dead in your life, but I submit to you that you give it to the vine. That you give it to the vine. That you stay connected to the vine. That you allow the vine dresser to come in and study what he needs to pull off, what he needs to prune, how he needs to discipline you so you can see the fruit.

I'm weeping in my front yard. My son is laughing while asking, Can I get on the ladder? No, son, not yet. But I get to this place where it really became home for me. I've read this passage time after time after time. But it really became home on this one instance. I looked at this branch, and I'm cutting it. And as I'm cutting it, two things happen. One, it took some effort because it was strong. And I'm out there stretched with this long, whatever the thing is called, and a reciprocating saw. I know that one. But as I'm getting ready to cut this branch, I had to switch because the small one wasn't big enough to handle what needed to be pruned away in that moment. So I had to move over to the big one. And I'm holding this thing after arm day, cooked in this heat. And I'm up there, and I'm getting ready to cut away this branch. And as I'm cutting away this branch, Holy Spirit says, pay attention. I said, Okay. I'm sawing away at this thing, trying to go, trying to do it in my strength. And as I get there, I literally feel something lift me.

And as I'm cutting away this branch, it finally falls. And as the branch falls, I've never seen this before. First of all, I'm a city kid doing this tree trimming. Never happened. I've only seen this in videos. As I cut this branch and it falls, the sap starts to run down this tree. And as the sap runs down this tree, I get a picture of what it means to abide. Because if I'm close enough to the vine, the oil will flow down every branch. And as I'm looking at this tree where the sap is flowing down every branch, I get a picture of the Holy Spirit saying, this is what oil feels like, but it's not just for you. It's not just for these branches. It's not just for these dead places. It's not just for these dead relationships. It's not just for these dead situations. It's not just for this trouble, but it's for the fruit that remains. And I look back. I look back, and I see this six-year-old son looking at me as I'm pulling away and I'm weeping because the oil is coming down this branch.

And I feel the Lord say, just as I took care of you, I'm going to take care of them. I'm going to let them know that there is nothing that they can do that can move me away from their love. There's nothing that they can do that will pull me away from not allowing them to be all that I've called them to be. And I'm sitting here really weeping now because I see his oil and I see his love enwrapped around me. And all I could do is say, I understand why Jesus, as some of the scholars would suggest, that as they left the room through the parts of the Passover, they walked through the Kidron Valley on his way to the garden that he would stop and look at this vine. And in my imagination, I see Jesus at the cross point where this vine meets the branch and telling the disciples, it's okay, we got something to do. And apart from me, you can do nothing. But if you do this one thing, I promise, there's some things that are coming to you and a promise is coming to you that would help you turn the world upside down.

Because the fruit that you bear is not just for you, it's for everybody that's connected to you. That's what it means to be a branch. And as we're in this process, as we're going through the development, I have to ensure that I'm abiding. And as I hear and respond to the teaching of Jesus, I bear more fruit. I see Jesus even more intentional, pulling the disciples away, letting them know and understand that in a world full of noise, it is your life that will speak the loudest. Not only is it your life, but it's also the people that are around you that are watching if you're really truly abiding in me. And for the believer today, I want to be the type of person and I encourage you to be the type of person that you abide. That no matter what's happening, you abide. When it's difficult, you abide. When you're going through, you abide. Because there's a fruit that the Lord is willing to bring out of you, but you have to stay connected. See, the fruit that comes from abiding is nothing less than the outcome of persevering dependence on the faith, on the vine by faith.

But it encompasses the entirety of the believer's life and the product of your witness. That's what it means to bear fruit. It means my hands are open, my heart is open, and I'm abiding so he can do something in me. My hands are open, my heart is open, and I'm abiding so I can hear what he wants me to do. So I can cultivate, so I can break up the follow ground, so I can look at my lineage and say, I may not be the best father, I may not be perfect, but I'm purchased. And since I'm purchased by his blood, his spirit is coming through me, and I will walk through every situation by abiding in him to let him know that he's got me covered. And as I take a step, I can't do it without him. As I walk, I can't do it without him. As I lift, I can't do it without him. As I pray, I can't do it without him. As I go to this job, I can't do it without him. As I go through raising these kids, I can't do it without him. I have to abide. When it's good, I have to abide. When it's bad, I have to abide.

Through tragedy, I have to abide. Through triumph, I have to abide. I have to abide. See, when you abide, you bear much fruit. And when you abide, if your life bears a lot of fruit, I look at these last moments, Jesus is talking with the disciples, and abide is an imperative. It's the command. It's not a suggestion. It's a command. And in order for me to get to empty, to overflow, from barrenness to more fruit, I have to abide. I have to take the command, and I have to do some action. See, what I love about this is fruit that remains means that our spiritual capacity has been expanded due to our spiritual intimacy. Meaning I have to take it from one level to the next and make sure that that sap flows over me, so that way my branches can continue to grow in whatever season I'm in. And when I'm long and gone, my branches that remain or my fruit that remains can stay and look up and say it was because of mama and them. It was because of daddy and them. It was because big bro and them, that we walked off and said I can still do it because they were connected to the vine.

And I thank God that we have a father that says if you just connect with me, I will trim away what you don't need. I will prune what you don't need. Yes, it's painful, but I got something for you to do. Yes, you may not see what's happening, but I got someone for you to build. Yes, I know it's crazy, but you're pregnant with the generation. Yes, I know that there's some things that you gotta do, but I've gotta get to the place where I'm abiding. And I love that our father as the vine dresser is in pursuit of us from his love for us. But on the other side, there's action for us to do. So as he's pursuing, we pursue. As he's pursuing, we pursue. James would say it like this, draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you. As he's pursuing, I'm pursuing. It's a relational aspect. Therefore, the imperative of abide means that I have to look at it as an equation. And if I'm going to solve some things that he's called me to solve, I have to do it by abiding. And abiding equals pursuit plus action.

God is pursuing. His love never fails. He's never missed anything. He loves you, he has you right where he needs you, but are you pursuing him? Are you connected to the vine to bear more fruit? Are you intentional about growing from barrenness to overflow? Are you sitting in your mess, or are you sitting with the maker? See, what I love about this also is it gives us an aspect to know how to bear much more fruit. I've got to stay connected. And in a world that is dying, we as the disciples, the followers, believers, have an opportunity to show the world that if we abide, we will produce the fruit that remains. I also love that when we walk through this, this word in these few verses is mentioned over 10 times. I don't know about you, go back and read it, but that means it's important. And abide, when I looked it up, Greek translation is minnow, to stay in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy, to continue to dwell, to endure, to be present, to remain, to stand. One of my favorites, to tarry. And I believe as Jesus was talking to the disciples on the way to the garden, he's telling them, this is how you can build on a solid foundation, you abide.

This is how you will continue to grow, you abide. This is how the world will see my love, you abide. This is how a hopeless world sees hope, you abide. And in order for us to bear much fruit, we have to abide. See, one part I didn't get to, but I'm gonna say it now in these last couple minutes, is in the vineyard, the vine dresser is very, very careful to pull the vines out of the dirt and to lift them up so that they can grow. Because what happens is sometimes vines grow up from a root, but they don't get past about 36 inches. And as they grow, the vine dresser has to literally hoist them up, lift them up, put them onto a trestle to allow them to bear much more fruit, but carefully because he walks around with a basket and water, washing the vines that have been stuck in the dirt, in the miry clay. Washing them off, washing off their circumstances, washing off their situations, washing off them so that they can get the proper aeration, they can get the proper sunlight, they can remove the clusters, they can remove the suckers so that they can grow and produce much more fruit.

And I love that Jesus said, you know what? What messed up humanity in one garden, I will lift up on another tree. I will lift up every bit of shame. I will lift up every bit of condemnation. I will lift up every anxiety. I will lift up every worry. I will lift up every tear. I will lift up every failure. And he hung there. I can hear John, behold, here comes the lamb that takes away the sins of the world. When you look at that word, it literally means to lift up. And so Jesus, here he is, from the garden to Golgotha, lifting, caring for, washing, empowering, promising, dying, buried, rose again, ascended, promise of the Holy Spirit, walk through all so that we can abide. And I don't know who you are in the room today. I don't know what basket it looks like for you. I don't know if you're barren. I don't know if you're an overflow, but I pray that by the spirit of the Lord that you come to a place where I've got to abide. I've got to understand that he died for me, so the least I could do is die empty so I could bring him glory.

I don't know where you are, but I would pray that you would come to the opening of your hearts, come to the opening of your hands, and let him abide as you abide in him. That is my heart's cry for this generation, for generations to come. Long when I'm gone, they will know how to abide. And my prayer comes from this six-year-old little boy who wrecked me when he said it. He said, father, I thank you. He lists a couple things, including spider-man. But he said, God, I thank you that you allow me to love you with my whole heart. And if you don't hear anything else today, in order to bear much fruit, I've got to abide. And that abiding means, God, I give you my whole heart. God, I'm not perfect, but I'm purchased. And because of that, I give you everything that I have. And through your example, I can learn how to bear more fruit and fruit that remains. And by this, you will glorify the Father because he's given you fruit to bear. I want to pray for three groups of people in the room. We can stand.

As we're getting prepared to pray, I have to read this one last quote for A.W. Tozer. He says this. He says, Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. An acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to his people. That sounds like I have to have a pursuit that matches my father. Knowing that he's been Abba, knowing that he never missed a ballgame, knowing that he never missed a promotion, knowing that he can hold all the attention of your relational capacity and also all of your frustrations, he can hold all of your emotions, the culmination of it. As long as I abide, I can bear more fruit. I want to pray for the first basket that your eyes be open. You may have some fruit, but you may have to deal with some things and it's okay. You can lay them at the feet of your Savior, because he's carefully washing you so that you can bear more fruit. I want to pray for the second group, the basket that has fruit in it, that the power of the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to where you can grow and build more fruit.

That you allow the Father to prune you where need be so that you can continue to grow. That you remove from dirty situations, that you remove from dirty things, that you remove from the dirty places that you do in secret that you don't think God can see. That you would get to the place where you can bear more fruit. And I want to pray for the last basket. Those who are moving from fruitfulness into overflow. I pray that you still allow God to come into a pruning process. Don't get comfortable. Don't get complacent. Don't stand where you are just now. Think about the fruit that remains. If they shall know them by their fruit, that means I have some work to do in every basket that I'm in. And I pray today, Father, that you would do these things in the eyes of your people. Do these things in the hearts of your people. I pray, God, that those who may not know you in the pardon of their sins would come in and know that there is a vine dresser and there is a vine that as they remain, they can bear more fruit. I pray for those that have fruit.

I pray for those that are going into overflow that you would begin to open their eyes even more. That it's not just about them, it's for lineage, it's for legacy, it's for the fruit that remains. I pray, dear God, that you would do what only you can do. And we thank you for your sacrifice. We thank you for your loves that sustains us over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. So we lift you up and ask that you would open us up in this moment so that we can be intentional about the pruning and the training that's necessary for us to bear more fruit. It's in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.