Have you ever visited a vineyard? We often go to the vineyard in Vale. It is the Woodmill winery. As you drive into their location you are surrounded by acres of grape vines. If you go during the peak season they hanging full of clusters of grapes. I thought it would be fun to perhaps plant some grape vines in my back yard this year and maybe do some canning. But as I researched the art of growing grapes I found some useful information.
The first season you plant grape vines, you will not get grapes. The stalks, or canes, must be a year old and you must plant in multiples of two. The first year will be spent developing those canes by tying the strongest one to vertical stakes. The other cane needs to be cut off in the early spring. However. If neither cane has reached at least three feet tall, cut them both back and give them another season to establish themselves. So no grapes the first and possibly the second year.
After the cane has established itself, you will need to prune them in the winter months while they are dormant. You should prune them by 85 - 90 percent. Somewhere between the second and fourth years fruit should finally appear. So sometime between the fourth and sixth year of tending to these plants, I get grapes.
But I should wait and prune them one more year. Because the more I prune the better the grape. So it could take me as long as seven years to get a good crop of grapes. Through this process the vines should produce grapes for the next 50 - 100 years. In other words, long after I am gone. I will just go to the store and buy me some grape jelly.
Let’s discover the purpose of fruit. Fruit is very important to the diet of a human. They are a natural source of vitamins and minerals. Fruits help to improve the functioning of the digestive tract. They are an important part of a healthy diet for those who want to lose weight. They give ample energy and nearly every nutrient that your body needs to curb weight gain, without adding any unnecessary fat.
Fruits help you stay away from health complications like heat stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, heart ailments, and diabetes. They effectively fight skin disorders and promote healthy hair growth.
So now we know the purpose of the fruit. Let’s read
Genesis 1:29 “Then God said, ‘Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.’”
Before the flood, all animals were strictly vegetarian. It was after the flood that God told Noah that meat was acceptable to eat. But fruit continued to be and still is a staple of mankind’s diet. And being fruit, being fruitful, or having fruit is mentioned over 150 times in the Word. Colossians 1:10 says our “lives will produce every kind of good fruit” if we have a Christ-like walk.
But fruit is of no use if not shared by the fruit tree. Remember the scene from “The Wizard of Oz.” where the apple trees would not share their fruit with Dorothy and her companions? They insulted the trees to cause them to throw apples at them. If fruit trees were really that protective of their fruit then fruit would be of no benefit to us.
We lived in a house with an apple tree beside it. When it got tall enough, we put a swing underneath it. What we did not do was keep the falling apples picked up. As they rotted, they attracted bees. Soon we were not able to sit in the swing due to the threat of being stung. Fruit on the ground is not only useless but could lead to being painful.
As we produce good fruit, we are to share it with others. We are a valuable source to the spiritual well being of those around us. We are to be their nutrients by supplying them with love, patience, and kindness. We are to assist in their spiritual health by sharing our testimony both by word and example.
But if we do not share, then we are like the apple tree in my backyard. Our fruit lies there and rots. It could even be a source of damage to a young believer or seeker.
We are to offer our fruit and not throw them at someone. Too often we launch attacks at someone’s lifestyle. We bash them with the Word as if though hitting them hard enough will cause them to want to seek what we have. We can not launch our fruit at people and expect good results. We are to simply offer our fruit. And in doing so we can see pleasant results.
The results of fruit.
Colossians 1:6 “This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”
Some of you may have been born into Christian families and have always had a relationship with Jesus. Others, like myself, may have accepted him later in life. If so, think back to the day that you made a decision to turn your life over to Jesus. It should have been a life-changing experience. In fact, each year you should be walking more Christ-like than the previous year.
But all of us are carrying the fruit of the Good News which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We should be sharing that fruit. Our very presence at work, home, recreational activities, and all other functions should be changing lives. We should be the ones that people seek out for answers. We should be the one ready to offer assistance when needed. Just as your lives were changed by someone around you, you should be changing lives. Within the Gospel lies the answers to life’s problems, just as within the fruit lies the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals needed to live a healthy life.
Next we will talk about the pruning.
John 15:1-2 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
Remember my research on planting grapes. There was a huge reference to the importance of pruning. The more you pruned the better the yield even though it make take as long as seven years to see results.
God also prunes us. We often think that we, as Christians, are not going to struggle. We will be financially set because our Heavenly Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10)
If we or someone we love is sick we simply declare by his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5) and we will see immediate results.
But we lose our jobs. The one prayed for does not get well. And we think God is punishing us. Reality is He may be pruning us. God put Job through a test to prove Job’s faithfulness. God knew Job was faithful. He wanted Job to know it. So He pruned him.
Jesus promised us that in this world we will have many trials and sorrows but we are to take heart (John 16:33) which means say strong. When facing hardships ask yourself “Is this a pruning to make me stronger?” Hebrews 2:17 says this about Jesus. “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God.”
In every respect. That meant He was fully human. He got hungry. He got tired. Although we do not see in the scripture, He surly got sick. He was fully human. He felt pain, physically and emotionally. He wept. All this was necessary for us to be saved. The Word said He left his riches behind to become poor.
(2 Corinthians 8:9) He was pruned to be fruitful for our benefit.
Here is how the Apostle Paul described his life. “How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” (Philippians 4:10-12)
Paul went from being a wealthy, respected Pharisee to being an Apostle of the resurrected Jesus. At one time he lived with everything at his disposal. He always had a full stomach. He always had plenty. Then God begin to prune him. He leaned how to live with almost nothing, going hungry, with little at his disposal. Nowhere does the scripture even hint that this was God’s punishment for persecuting the church. Instead it was for him to be more fruit bearing.
Instead of asking God not to prune us we should cry out like David, “Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart.” (Psalm 26:2)
Now we are ready for producing.
John 15:8 “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” As a disciple of Jesus we are to produce much fruit. What does that look like?
First we should be winning souls. Jesus said “Go into all the earth and make disciples” (Matthew 28 :19) We are to duplicate ourselves. Notice He did not say “Build a building and try to get them to come to you.” No, He said “Go.” There are some of you here today because of the influence that someone else that goes here had in your life. If that person had not influence you in some manner you would not be here. Let others see your joy.
Secondly, we should be sharing with those in need. Remember fruit not shared just rots away. There are a lot of ways to share. You can share your time with someone who needs a shoulder to cry on. You can share your possessions by giving away items that clutter your closet. You can share your finances with someone who needs a bill paid. You can serve at the Hesid House or accompany us on a trip to the homeless in Charlotte. Look for ways to serve. Let others see your happiness that comes with serving.
Thirdly, have a Christ-like character. 2 Peter 1:5-8 describes a Christ-like character as one which has faith supplemented by moral excellence which comes from knowledge of how to live with moral excellence. Next we must practice self-control making our flesh submissive to our knowledge. We must have patient endurance to continue with the task of self-control which will lead us to godliness. It is in this godliness that we affection for each other and love for everyone. These are steps that we must take each day to achieve a Christ-like character. Peter ends with this statement, “The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have a sense of assurance that our Lord Jesus Christ is pleased with us.
Lastly, we should be praising God and giving thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says we are to “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” It is easy to praise God and give thanks when things are going well, when the sun is shining on us. It is much more difficult to do so in the darkness of stress and heartache. In the story of Job when he lost all of his riches, possessions, and family he said “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”
(Job 1:21) It is when we learn this principal that we can have true peace.
I want to finish today with a parable found in Luke 13:6-9.
“Then Jesus told this story: ‘A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, “I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.”
‘The gardener answered, “Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.””
There are three characters in this parable, the master of the garden which is God: the gardener which is Jesus: and the fig tree which is us.
We learn from this story that the master expects fruit. We are told that he comes looking for fruit. And when he finds none he is disappointed. God expects fruit from us. He gives us opportunities to share the fruit we have but when we let those opportunities pass we disappoint him. If I planted those grapevines in my back yard and never got grapes, I would be disappointed.
We also learn that the master is patient. We are told he comes time and time again. He does not react negatively when he sees no fruit right away. He continues looking for it. Remember the instructions for planting grapevines. It took time, pruning, and patience. God is patient with us. When we miss an opportunity to share our fruit with others, He does not discount our usefulness. He just gives us another opportunity some other time. If I planted those grapevines in my backyard, I would not expect grapes right away.
We also learn that time will run out. We are told after three years he has given up and wants the fig tree destroyed. God demands that we, as Christians, produce fruit. It is not an option. If enough opportunities are missed He will declare you ineffective and of no use to his Kingdom. We were not saved just to enjoy our salvation. We were saved to take the gospel to the world through our testimony. If I planted those grapevines in my backyard and seen no growth in three years, I would give up and cut them down.
Now here is the beauty of the story. We learn we have a gardener who intercedes on our behalf. He cries out to the master on behalf of the fig tree for one more chance, another year. He dedicates himself to dispense special attention to the tree. But notice this. There will be plenty of fertilizer involved.
What is fertilizer? It is manure, animal waste. Do you ever feel like already have enough manure in your life? Well, be prepared. Perhaps the manure in your life is coming because of your lack of producing fruit. Perhaps what you call “a crappy life” is actually Jesus giving you special attention so you will grow. Perhaps Jesus is using that manure in your life to refine you and draw out fruit from your life. Remember, it is only when you are producing fruit that you find joy, happiness, assurance, and peace.
Those of you sitting at the tables today have grapes in front of you. Have you been snacking on them? How about those who are not at the tables? Have you offered to share your fruit with them? Did you expect them to come to your table for fruit much as we expect people to come to our building? Or did you take them the fruit and offer them some as we are expected to go out into our world with the offer of spiritual fruit?
Let us decide today that we will indeed begin to share our fruit to our world.
