Christians That Produce Christ-Like Fruit

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN

SERMON TITLE: CHRISTIANS THAT PRODUCE CHRIST -LIKE FRUIT

“For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

TEXT VERSE: JOHN 15:1-11 “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 CANOT 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. AS THE FATHER HATH LOVED ME, SO HAVE I LOVED YOU: CONTINUE YE IN MY LOVE. IF YE KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, YE SHALL ABIDE IN MY LOVE; EVEN AS I HAVE KEPT MY FATHERS COMMANDMENTS, AND ABIDE IN HIS LOVE. THESE THINGS HAVE I SPOKEN UNTO YOU. THAT MY JOY MIGHT REMAIN IN YOU, AND THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL.”

There’s several things I thought about in this chapter. I studied it out and the Lord laid it on my heart and I want to share two verses with you. First Corinthians 15:9-10 For I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the Grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” We cannot be anything else but what the Lord wants us to be. Jesus said in his word: which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to your stature. We can’t add to what God’s trying to do for us. We can’t be somebody that God doesn’t want us to be. We cannot go where God does not want us to go. We cannot say the things that God does not want us to say. Paul said by the grace of God I am what I am. I wonder are you satisfied with who you are in the Lord tonight? I wonder are you satisfied with what God’s made you and what’s God’s given you. I wonder are you satisfied in the Lord Jesus Christ saying I am what I am by the Grace of God. There’s a lot of Christians who aren’t satisfied with who they are. If you’re a child of God you ought to be satisfied with the Lord Jesus Christ. There’s some things in these verses we want to share with you tonight. In verse 2 it says that every tree that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. Now sometimes God has to do some pruning. Pruning means to cut down. If we’re not bearing fruit as a Christian, God will cut us down. We cannot just live any type of life we want to live. I don’t choose what kind of life I want to live. I try to live my life the way Jesus wants me to live. But listen to this: Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it. He’ll clean us up and cause us to bring forth more fruit. I thought about those two words. Bear fruit and bringeth forth fruit.

Number one: We have to bear fruit. To bear fruit means to support what the Lord’s doing in you. Bearing fruit is being the Christian that God has made you. There’s a lot of Christians that’s not doing that. I know a lot of them that’s out of church. They’re claiming to be saved and they’ve quit going to church. When they quit fellowshipping with their brothers and sisters in Christ and quit going to the house of prayer, there’s something wrong with them. If you love the Lord; you ought to love His house and you ought to love his people and you ought to love what he’s doing.