Followers Are Fruitful Series

Lesson 08 of the Follow Me Series

Followers are Fruitful

Grady Henley

May 2004

Key Verses:

1 Tim 3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:

1 Tim 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

INTRODUCTION:

One of the greatest illustrations found in the bible relating to living the Christian life is found in what the world calls ‘mother nature.’ Just where that term originated I am not sure. I suspect that Satan had something to do with it. The pagans worshipped many goddesses, many of whom were considered the mother(s) of creation.

By calling the changing cycles of life and seasons ‘mother nature,’ man takes his eyes off the biblical teachings and applications and views what is observed with the natural senses relating to ‘Mother Earth.’ Once a born again person begins to view the cycles of life in plants as a natural occurring event, something ‘Mother Nature’ handles, a great teaching truth is lost.

An unregenerate farmer will have a better understanding of what it takes to produce fruit, kind after his kind, than those who profess to know Jesus as Lord. The farmer is acutely aware each harvest season whether he will have a fruitful season or not. Sad it is that too many professing Christians have no idea whether or not their life is bearing fruit and many do not care.

The parable of the sower, found in Matthew 13:3, Mark 4:3, and Luke 8:5, is unique among all the parables. If faithful followers of the Lord intend on having any rewards, or if they have any aspirations of being fruitful, this parable must be a mainstay in their testimony. It is a condensed version of the life of every soul that has ever been born for it reveals what the individual does or does not do, allows or disallows, with the gospel message.

Briefly, let us consider this parable and compare it to what the farmer does every planting season with what the Lord intended for His children to do every day. By examining this parable, we have a better understanding of what God is trying to do in our lives. Through studying and applying what we learn, we are aware what the Lord of the harvest expects from us.

I. THE PATIENCE OF THE SOWER, Luke 8:5-15.

As we look into this parable, some things are quite evident. This parable is explained by the Lord. It is probably the simplest of all the parables to comprehend. The Sower is a picture of the Lord and typifies what each born again child of God should be doing: sowing the seed. The soil is a type of the heart of any that heard the gospel message. The seed falls into the good ground of the heart of a believer and from that seed, the believer is to become a sower of the good seed as well, after his kind, Gen. 1: 12. Furthermore, as types of the Lord, it is necessary that we allow Him to work in His field (our heart and lives) each day. This much is explained by the Lord in this parable to those that heard Him.

However, the genesis of this study is found in Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Have we given much thought and prayer to that phrase of bringing forth fruit with patience? Have we considered just what fruit the Lord expects from us? We know about sowing the gospel seed and that it can regenerate a lost soul. Are there other types of fruit that we could be bearing?

During trials, persecutions, and sometimes daily living, we may begin to think God is working patience in us. To a large degree He is. However, what we often fail to realize is, that what He is really doing is teaching us obedience and discipline. We learn obedience when we allow patience to have her perfect work, James 1:4 "But let patience have her perfect work…”

It is rather difficult to discipline oneself to be patience. Without personal and spiritual discipline, we will not allow patience to work. This should cautions us to observe our attitudes more than our circumstances. God controls the circumstances. He does not control our free will. This means God is teaching us Christian maturity not sinless perfection by the things we endure!