**Number 83.**
I am thine, O Lord, I've heard thy voice.
That's not the right one.
Bear with us for a minute.
I think that might be an old list.
We'll just hold fire for a minute.
We could sing that one as well, but maybe we'll just open in prayer, shall we?
Let's pray.
Lord, we do praise you and thank you that we can come and just spend this time around your throne, as it were, Lord, and give you the glory that is due unto your name, the King of glory, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
And, Lord, we can only just be subjects of yours, subject to you, humbled before you, bowing before you in your awesome majesty, thinking of who you are and how you reign and rule, and especially that you rule and reign in our own hearts.
Lord, as we put our trust in you, that your kingship is over our lives, Lord, that we can know you as the royal master, as the great king of our lives, but even more so as our father, as our friend, Lord, that we can know you in that intimate relationship by faith, that you are our king.
You have so loved us to redeem us with your precious blood.
And we pray for each one that's here tonight.
I know there's needs amongst us of loved ones in our hearts, as someone has shared just moments ago.
Loved ones in our hearts, Lord, that we're worried about.
Lord, I know for myself, my sister's grandchild is in hospital at this time, and called.
She's in quite a serious condition.
Lord, that you lift up little Donovan, Lord, as he's got this serious condition right now.
As a preemie, this very tiny little boy, that you would do a work in him.
Lord, help the mum and dad, my sister Sue, and the extended family, Lord, as this is a very heartbreaking time.
And for the mum and dad, Lord, we pray that you'd bless them.
Give them strength for whatever is to happen, Lord, that they can find some solace and peace in you, that we're in your care, we're in your tender care.
Dear Lord, we pray, encourage every heart.
If there's any here burdened down, that they can lay their burden down and cast thy burden, as you tell us to, upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.
Lord, we thank you for all these things.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Let's go to our song now.
I am thine, O Lord.
G'day, brother.
Good to see a country bumpkin amongst us.
God bless you, brother Ivan.
Let's go to number 83.
I am thine, O Lord.
I have heard thy voice.
Shall we stand and praise him together?
I am thine, O Lord.
I have heard thy voice, and it's all thy love to me.
But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer.
Nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord, by the power of grace divine.
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope and my will be lost in thine.
Draw me nearer.
Nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer.
Nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side.
O the pure delight of a single hour that before thy throne I spent.
When I kneel in prayer and with thee, my God, I commune as friend with friend.
Draw me nearer.
Draw me nearer.
Nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer.
Nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know till I cross the narrow sea.
There are heights of joy that I may not reach till I rest in peace with thee.
Draw me nearer.
Nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer.
Draw me nearer.
Nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side.
Amen.
Please be seated.
It says draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.
I wish some of you would draw a bit nigher to me.
You know, they'll say, but that's okay.
No pressure.
But if the Lord moves you to move, that would be a good thing.
Just by the way, brother Ivan is here, and can I just mention brother Ivan has got some grain-fed cattle, isn't it?
Grass-fed cattle.
And I was just talking with someone lately, and they're saying because they're getting the chickens.
You know, someone was telling me, who was it?
Was it you, brother Woodrow?
Someone was saying with chickens, just bear with me on an aside here, but chickens, it takes them three months from birth to when they're at the shop because of the growth hormones that are pumping into them, the estrogen and everything.
But you get some cattle, get some beef from brother Ivan on the back here, you know, there's nothing, no additives.
So we filled up our freezer with some good meat from brother Ivan, and so I'll just give you a little plug there, brother, that if you want some good meat, then brother Ivan is the man you can place your order.
I'll get a little commission.
So bear with me.
We'll go to the notices now.
Sorry about this, but it's just good to know if you want some good food.
It's good to get meat that's not been, it's not had additives and all the junk that they're putting in stuff.
It's as God made it, isn't it?
Just some quick notes here, you know, the usual drill, everything that's coming usual routine.
But next Sunday morning, we have got our annual general meeting, so that'll be a good one to plan to stick around for if you can.
And of course, we've got men's and ladies' events here as well as on the screen, so take a note.
We won't labor these, but there is the handout as well as much as those who aren't on there on that handout.
And also we've got our regular women's and youth meetings, and of course the National Baptist Fellowship meeting.
We've got several hundred song books now, and I made a typo in them, and one of our number has been kindly volunteered to correct the typo.
Thank God for that.
We'll get these song books all nice and ready for the meetings, and we believe in God for good things.
We had a generous gift from another church in Victoria, which helps us very much to cover some of the needs we've got.
Obviously, a lot of outlay, and we thank God for his provision.
And God willing, we're planning for a baptism the first of September after the morning service there too.
And I've asked those candidates who are planning to be baptized to come the week prior for an update with me, just a quick catch-up prior to the baptism day.
One of our friendly churches down south has got some special things coming up, and I know anyone who's been to South City Baptist Church, when they feed people, they feed them really well.
So again, just to appeal to your appetites here, your carnal appetites, but it's a steak night, and it's an evangelist coming.
And there's a thing this weather still, any brochures left?
They might have gone now, but I can give you more info direct.
There's a steak night for men, there's a family fun day, fun night on the Saturday coming, Friday coming rather, and this evangelist, he's very good.
He's got puppets and, you know, kind of children-friendly activities.
It's really good to bring families along to hear the evangelist.
So you get the word of God as well as it's quite catchy.
You know, it catches people's attention because obviously children can be reached better that way.
And then we've got a ladies' afternoon tea.
So join in those things if you feel to travel south.
We'll go to our next song just now.
I Am Resolved No Longer To Linger, which is number 81.
A lot of truth to this song.
To not linger where the world's delight is, but to aim for things that are higher, things that are nobler.
Amen.
**81.**
I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world's delight.
Things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have alert my sight.
I will, I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free.
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free.
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I am resolved to go to the Saviour, leaving my sin and strife.
He is the true one, He is the just one.
He hath the words of life.
I think we'll just sing the chorus one time through, I think.
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free.
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free.
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I am resolved to follow the Saviour, faithful and true each day.
Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth, He is the living way.
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free.
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free.
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
Amen.
I will hasten to Him.
Amen.
You should run into His arms, shouldn't we?
Run to the Saviour.
Flee to Christ.
Flee from the wrath to come and flee into His everlasting arms.
Amen.
Amen.
To go to the next one, **253**, just so sweet to trust in Jesus.
**253**.
Thinking, brother Stewart, would you mind helping with the offering?
Thanks, brother.
Just so sweet to trust in Jesus and to take him at his word as we give.
We'll say seated for now.
Just so sweet to trust in Jesus and to take him at his word, just to rest upon his promise and to know the said, the Lord Jesus.
Jesus, how I trust him, how I've proved him all and all.
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, all for grace to trust him more.
Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus, just to trust his cleansing blood and in simple faith to plunge me need the healing cleansing flood.
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I proved him all and all.
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, all for grace to trust him more.
Amen.
We'll just hold, and we ask that you use it for your service in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Amen. Thanks, brother.
Let's stand, shall we, for the remainder of the song?
Yes, so sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self to cease, just from Jesus, Jesus, simply taking life and rest and joy and peace.
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I've proved him all and all.
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, all for grace to trust him more.
I'm so glad I learned to trust thee, precious Jesus, Saviour, friend, and I know that thou art with me, will be with me to the end.
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I proved him all and all.
Jesus, precious Jesus, all for grace to trust him more.
Amen.
Please be seated.
Let's trust him more.
Amen.
The precious Saviour that we love, know his great saving, and we can know we can trust him more.
Amen.
Every new day.
We're going to go to the word of God now.
We're going to go to the word of God now.
If you've got your Bibles to John 15, chapter 15, and along the theme of John, how can we be a fruitful people?
God calls his people to bear fruit, to be fruitful.
Let's look at some of the scriptures that tell us of this and show us how to be fruitful.
How is it that we...
It tells us our Lord speaking.
He says, "I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches.
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you for your word.
Help us as we explore and dig into these deep truths, Lord, to find some nuggets of truth that we can apply, Lord, to be those fruitful ones that you want us to be for your glory, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Our Lord says that I am the true vine.
We are the branches.
And God's will is that we bear much fruit.
God wants you, everyone, to have a fruitful spiritual life.
It's directly relational to our connection, our relationship with him.
As we abide in him, we will bear fruit.
The key is that abiding, you see it oft repeated through this chapter, through these verses.
He tells us, "Abide, abide in me."
Again, verse four through five, "Abide in me, and I in you."
"Accept it, abide in the vine."
No more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches.
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.
How can we learn to trust him more?
To depend upon our Lord to do his work inside of us.
The key to fruitfulness is abiding.
What is abiding?
Our Lord calls us to this close personal relationship with him, and it's a relationship you can grow.
It's a relationship that deepens and strengthens as time goes by, or it ought to.
We can grow with one another as we deepen our faith, our walk with him.
We can grow stronger, and we can grow more fruitful too as we learn to yield to him and his will.
So we see the essential is that he is the true vine.
The true vine is abiding in Christ.
The essential need here in our spiritual life, our fruitfulness, is dependent entirely on that connection with our Lord.
Without me, you can do nothing.
When you think we could try in our own striving, our own effort, our own best intent.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine, likewise we cannot bear spiritual fruit unless we have that abiding in him.
And we could think, how is my abiding going?
How's my life?
Is Christ my life?
Is he flowing through my life?
Doesn't it?
You have a branch that's aside from the vine; it's just going to shrivel up and die.
It's just going to be weak and fail.
It's not going to grow; it's not going to yield fruit.
But the branch that is in the vine, that's abiding in the vine, that's really... it's faith, isn't it?
Trusting, depending, trusting in him, depending upon him as our life source.
And so fruitfulness is about abiding.
Secondly, we could consider another truth about fruitfulness is that fruitfulness is about the pruning as well.
Fruitfulness is about the pruning.
The pruning helps to bring a greater fruit.
Not fruit, he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
So this sense of purging, it's got the sense of pruning.
So he does that correcting work.
He gets the shears out, as it were, and he pulls off those branches so that the branch can be fruitful.
And so as we think of our Lord, as he is the husbandman, our Lord says, "I am the vine, and my father is the husbandman."
Or you could say the vine dresser; he's the gardener.
In effect, God is the father; he is the vine dresser.
There's a lot of discomfort, there's a lot of heartache and trouble.
We know, as you, the more the older you get, you think the more trouble you've had.
It seems at times, sadly, can be the case that we have the hard times of life.
It's in those times that we can draw strength from him.
When those pruning seasons of life come, we can find our sustaining power is Christ.
We can draw strength from him, and God can use those trials and disciplines to grow our faith.
So he says that he purges it; he prunes it.
Again, some challenges, some tests, some trials, and likely there's more to come.
God's doing a work still.
There's a refining work; there's a purging work.
There's a work that's going to see you're more fruitful for it.
You're going to be stronger for it.
This chastening, this discipline that God gives to us, it doesn't seem to be a joyful thing, but grievous, it says.
Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
It's telling us that no chastening, no discipline from God, he disciplines them, he chastens them so they can be a mature son, a son that they're going to be proud of.
The loving father will chasten their child so that they can be a mature child that will grow wisely.
It doesn't seem joyful at the time, but grievous, but essential, isn't it?
There is that place for loving rebuke, and of course, some take it too far where it breaks people's spirits.
That's not what we're talking about.
Some harsh, heavy, and hurtful kind of discipline, but rather a loving discipline, a loving rebuke, necessary discipline.
And that's the discipline God gives to us, the things that hinder our growth.
He takes from us.
Could it be sin?
Could it be some distraction?
Perhaps it's even good things that are not the best.
The good things of our life, if they're not God's best for us, sometimes he takes them away too, and we encourage a greater fruitfulness.
Pruning can be a painful process, but it's necessary for spiritual growth.
I know back years back we had a big apricot tree, and one day I got the shears out and the saw out and gave it a really heavy pruning.
And Julie was quite... it's actually a benefit for the tree.
And that tree was more fruitful.
We can think of that, can't we?
When the pruning of a fruit tree, it's actually going to benefit the tree in the end result.
Right, Julie?
We have to tell you, it's just right, okay?
Because afterward, it's going to yield the fruit.
There's going to be a fruit to be yielded.
Amen.
So, and it's necessary for our spiritual growth, isn't it?
Sometimes we don't realize that in the moment, but afterward, we'll see.
We'll look back and think, yes, I went through all the trouble that you did.
Talking to his brothers, he says, "God meant it for the best."
God meant it for good, and afterward, we're going to see the benefit.
So for the meantime, he's removing things from our lives.
That's a good thing because there'll be greater fruitfulness.
We see, for example, the psalmist says, "It is good for me that I've been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes."
He says, "Okay, nobody likes affliction, but we can look back and say it was good for me that I was afflicted because I'm learning."
Learning about God's word.
We can't always understand, but afterward, we'll see, yes, that was God.
Afterward, we'll see his wisdom and his love.
We'll see, yes, that was for my betterment.
That was to make me a stronger believer.
That was to make me grow, and he wants you to be more fruitful.
And so there's a fruitfulness that comes if you abide in me, our Lord says, and my words abide in you.
You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
So not only abiding in him, but his word abiding.
So it's a good thing, as we like to encourage, to hide God's word.
There's a good fruit that will come.
He says, as my words abide in you, there's going to be good fruit.
We're going to bring forth good fruit.
Learn to have those scriptures that speak to you.
Highlight them in your Bible, write them on a piece of paper, keep them in your pocket, refer to them, and hide his word in your heart.
It's going to help you to grow as his words abide inside of you.
There's a good fruit that will come, and we're going to bring forth good fruit.
Think of it.
How can we let the word of God dwell in us richly?
It comes as his word abides in you.
Think of it.
Ask yourself, am I allowing God's word to guide my decisions of life, my actions, my attitudes?
Is it the word abiding in me that's changing me from the inside out as we study it, meditate on it, memorize it, trust in it?
There'll be fruitfulness to come.
Think, how can I be more fruitful?
And we try to strive to be fruitful when really it's about yielding to him.
To be fruitful, you see that, for example, of the fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit bearing is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Fruitfulness happens as we depend upon him.
We depend upon his Holy Spirit.
We can make much of all the workings of the Spirit, but essentially the fruit of the Spirit is very precious, and we can miss that.
It tells us in Galatians 5:22 of what a fruitful Christian, of what their life looks like.
And it happens as we depend upon our Lord because the fruit is not the fruit of the Spirit.
It is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
Against such there is no law.
It's the character of Christ, isn't it?
It's Jesus right through there.
It's his Spirit there.
The fruit of the Spirit, it's the good fruit, the good testimony that we can bear, the fruit of faithfulness, of quiet, humble service, of depending upon his Spirit.
It's the love, and that's the core, really.
The fruit is love, and everything flows out of that.
It's his grace, it's his wonderful mercy that we should be so blessed with the fruit of the Spirit.
And so it's the Spirit of God that empowers us to bear fruit.
As he says, without me, you can do nothing.
It's not you're striving to be fruitful.
It's not you're being like some apple tree striving really hard to let that apple plop off of the branch.
Or that vine branch that you try, that it's Jesus exuding from your skin, as it were.
That it's Jesus in you coming out of you.
It's the natural result of you being filled with the Spirit.
That you'll have the fruit of the Spirit come out of your life.
It's going to be a natural working of the Spirit.
That his Spirit will empower you as you surrender to his leading.
You see it like scripture, Ephesians 5:9.
It tells us of the fruit of the Spirit in the letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:9, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
Let his Holy Spirit produce the fruit.
The Spirit of God, he's the source of that fruit, that fruitfulness.
And as we let him have his way, as we yield to his Spirit, that will grow in love and joy and peace and all the other fruits.
Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life, flowing out.
It's not you striving to produce fruit; it's letting him have his way with you.
Let him bear his fruit.
The fruitfulness that we have also blesses others.
Here's another thought about fruitfulness is that the fruitfulness is not for you.
Think of it.
If you're a... it's not for you.
Think of it.
If you're a believer, we're benefiting others with our fruit.
And there's a sense where, as God's people, we are meant to be witnesses.
And there's a fruit that we bear of souls being won, as it reads of Matthew 28, of the lived-out Christian life.
It's a sharing of the gospel.
It's baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
He's saying, "Go and tell."
Go and teach, go and reach, go and disciple.
Christ bringing others into the kingdom of God, and our lives should be a testimony of his love and grace, leading others to know him.
It tells us of this fruit of the righteous, Proverbs 11:30.
Proverbs 11:30, it says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise."
Such that you can see others share your faith.
You can see others reached as you take those opportunities.
And I was talking with some folk lately.
They're actively dropping tracks all over the place.
Good on you, fellas, those that are doing that.
Even those little leaflets dropped into a letterbox, who knows?
It will not be void; it will not be unfruitful.
It will accomplish what he sends it to do.
So take those opportunities to reach others.
That's part of being fruitful too.
And just lastly, another thought about fruitfulness is that ultimately the end result is in verse 8 here.
In your bearing fruit, he says, "Herein is my Father glorified."
It's not about you; it's not about you having necessarily a blessing of yourself.
The fruitfulness is to the glory of God.
That's our motive, isn't it?
For everything, for anything that he would be glorified.
Will you bear fruit to the glory of God?
That your life can be to his praise, that you would be a living sacrifice.
Notice it says much fruit.
May this be our aim, that we will be a God-glorifying people to bring God glory.
Bear much fruit.
May this be our object to glorify God.
That is our priority.
That's what moves us.
That's what motivates us to be fruitful, and you're going to glorify God when you are.
So seek to glorify God.
Make it your ambition.
Make it your aim and keep on growing too.
Bear much fruit.
Allow him to prune you as you abide in him.
Allow him to do his work in you such that he's got to chop some things off here and there.
He's got to make some changes in you.
He's got to chop some things off here and there.
He's got to make some changes in you.
He's got to make some tough things happen so that we can grow and we can be a stronger branch.
Abide in him such that he'll shape you to be bearing much fruit, bearing much fruit of the God-blessed life.
It happens as we plant it right.
Psalm 1:3, it says, "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season."
His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
And it tells us that his leaf shall not wither.
There's going to be a freshness.
There's a life there.
God wants you to bear fruit, to reap.
God wants you to bear fruit, to reap.
God wants you to bear fruit, to reap fruit.
We've got to show right too, to reap.
We've got to plant right.
So activate your faith, be planted.
So activate your faith, be planted.
That picture there of the rivers of water, we could think of it, of being in that spiritual place to be planted where God would have you to spiritually grow.
Activate your faith.
Put it into practice.
Practice spiritual disciplines.
Of course, someone we could unpack much there about that cultivating of spiritual disciplines, of praying, of studying, of worship, of fellowship, of nurturing, of growing, of spiritual growth and fruitfulness.
It's all part and parcel, isn't it?
As we like that blessed man, he's walking, not he's sitting, not he's standing, not with the sin and the sinful, but he's walking in the way of God.
He's walking in truth.
And the key is abiding, friends.
As we think of it, that recurring theme, how can I be fruitful?
How can I be fruitful?
It's abiding.
Have that closer time with him.
Have that closeness to your Saviour.
Abide in him that you'll stay to him.
And it's not your striving; it's your yielding that's going to see the producing of fruit.
You can't force it through your own efforts.
It's the fruit of the Spirit.
It happens as we depend on him, our Lord.
And so as we recognize our complete dependence on our Lord, our Saviour, we'll cultivate that intimacy with him, that deep abiding relationship.
And that is essential for the bearing of fruit.
As you abide in me, you shall bear much fruit.
We learn to submit to the vine dresser's hand, to submit to the gardener, the husbandman.
That's unproductive, that's unfruitful, that branch.
It's not bearing fruit; we're going to chop that and cut that and change that and prune that so that you will be more fruitful.
You will be more fruitful.
Afterwards, it's going to yield the fruit.
Afterwards, and friends, don't shy away from the things that are going to happen to us.
We can think, wow, I'd rather that that was not happening to me.
But yet the master plan is above our understanding at times.
We can't fathom why tragedy happens, why hurt and heartache taken, affliction we don't get healed, or whatever it be.
There's things that happen that are hard to bear.
But we can trust the master.
We can trust the master that he knows best.
And sometimes we are glad that we were afflicted because we go to the word.
We're glad that afterwards we see, yeah, that was why.
That was why, as Joseph could reflect, we can see afterward.
And so for the meantime, let's learn to yield, yield to the master.
Let's learn to yield, yield to the master.
Yield to his hand.
Say, "God, I don't understand why these hard things are happening to me, but I'll still trust you. I will trust you."
But I'll still trust you.
I will trust you still.
And that pruning implies a willingness to submit to God's will today.
And there's good fruits, friends.
We see just further thoughts.
James 3 talks about fruitfulness again.
It says, "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
So it's talking about this higher wisdom.
This wisdom that is from above, that actually when you look at it from the helicopter view, if you like, or from God's perspective, then actually it makes sense.
From a heavenly dimension, but here down, ultimately we will see the fruit.
Ultimately, think of it, friends, as we think about this truth of fruitfulness.
Again, it's not a result of our own efforts; it's our relationship with him.
The sad fact, though, is that fruitlessness is a sad fact for many.
They are Christians; they're believers, but there's a lack of fruit.
Or for some, even bad fruit.
What kind of fruit are we bearing?
We can bear good fruit, or we can bear bad fruit.
Is the fruit that's coming out of our life spiritual works?
Is it godliness?
Think of it as yet more.
He says, "Don't leave it there; add to your faith."
We see 2 Peter 1, verse 5.
It tells, "Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity."
He says these can make you to be fruitful.
So add to your faith.
Let your faith be fruitful.
So add to your faith.
Let your faith be really nothing to show.
Their life will be really... they'll be saved, so as by fire.
We're saved by faith, but wouldn't it be good that there'll be some good fruit to show?
Some fruit he wants that.
He wants that for you.
And so we can produce fruit, friends.
God wants our life filled with fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.
And he goes on to say, "I desire fruit that may abound to your account."
Wouldn't it be good to see fruit abounding when we look at our life and we look back and think, "Well, I messed up badly, but there was some fruit."
Thank God for it.
God gave fruit to my life even despite me.
That God brought some fruit.
And so have a heart to commit your life.
Our Lord says this in John 15:16, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit."
It says, "I've ordained you; I've chosen you that you should bring forth fruit."
He wants that.
That's God's will for your life.
And so to recap some of the key lessons we could find of being a fruitful believer, just to recap real quick.
To sum up some of the key points: abide in me, he says.
Develop that, nurture that, cultivate that abiding, that depending upon him.
Abide in me.
That's the key.
And then a pruning is a greater fruitfulness too.
Don't shy away from the pruning.
Receive the pruning.
Yield to the pruning of the gardener.
Learn to yield.
He says, "Abide in me," and he says, "Let my words abide in you."
Make that your intent.
Hey, I'm going to try to hide the word of God in my heart.
Because he wants the word to abide in me so it can be more fruitful.
So make a point of memorizing scripture.
Make a point of memorizing scripture.
And know that also the work of fruitfulness is a work of his Holy Spirit.
Don't feel like, "Oh, I'm not trying hard enough. I'm not striving hard enough."
It's actually you're not yielding enough.
That's generally the problem, isn't it?
I can say for myself, I can do nothing.
So maybe stop striving and trying so hard of your own flesh.
I'm talking to myself.
And actually start yielding some more to him.
Learn to have that dependence upon the fruit maker.
And the fruit-bearing work includes winning precious souls such that we should have a heart that the real fruit into the family to be a soul winner.
And when you bear much fruit at the end of the day, you don't sort of stand back and think, "Oh, what a good boy am I? What are all these good things that I've done?"
No, it's all to the glory of God.
It's all to his glory.
It's all to his praise.
He would get all the glory when you are a fruitful believer.
It's no praise to you; it's all praise to him that you've yielded to his work, that he has had his way with you.
And then add to your faith.
There is an address to you that you can add to it.
Add to it all of those good things.
Was it one Peter or two Peter?
Add to your faith.
Two Peter.
And so think of it, friends.
You can be a fruit-bearing Christian.
You can be a fruitful one, all to the glory of God.
All to the glory of God.
All to the glory of God.
As he prays, he says, "I pray for you that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."
What a prayer to pray that we would be fruitful in every good work.
Likewise, that's my prayer for you, that we would so walk, that we would walk so worthy of our Lord, that we would please him so that we would be fruitful.
So in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, that your labors would bear good fruit.
All for his glory.
You can bear fruit.
You can be fruitful.
It tells you how.
John 15, dwell on it.
Think of it and put it into practice.
And of course, friends, tonight I've been addressing really believers.
If you've yet to trust him, then that's the first step to be in the vine, is to trust Christ, is to know him, him to know his life eternal, to know his saving grace.
Let us pray.
Lord, we thank you that you tell us that it is your will that we would be a fruitful people, that we would bear much fruit.
And yet, Lord, it's not of our own striving to bear fruit; it's really our yielding to your working.
That as we yield to you, you would stand some pruning, some hard things that will yet trust you.
That afterward, it's going to yield a fruit.
We thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Praise God.
Let's go to our last one.
Amen.
Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne.
**38.**
Shall we stand together and think of him?
Shall we stand together and think of him?
Shall we stand together and think of him?
That is in us is all, all to him, all to...
Click to upload 
on Aug 24, 2024
