1. Bearing Fruit Jn 15:1-5

2. Bearing fruit is not optional Gen 1:28 “And God blessed them; & God said to them, ‘Be fruitful & multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over…every living thing’…” Subdue: to contain (not let get out of hand) Dominion: to have supreme influence The blessing: Oneness (God, man & earth in this order) The blessing: Oneness (God, man & earth in this order)

3. Sin turns the world upside down It would now be very difficult for Adam & Eve to operate in the blessing Eve (women) will bear children, BUT now it will be with greater pain/risk Adam (men) will have dominion over the earth BUT not without greater toil & heartache The curse: Separation (God, man & earth) The curse: Separation (God, man & earth)

4. Jesus restores oneness Jn 15:5 “ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, & I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Jn 8: 31 “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” Abide: Gr – to survive, remain as if you’re life depended upon it

5. Oneness isn’t always easy Jn 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He (the Father Vinedresser) takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.” “takes away” – this is not about losing our salvation: It means that it is possible to be a believer BUT not bear fruit

6. Enter the Vinedresser “takes away” (Gr: airo) means “to lift up” New branches “trail” along the ground but they can’t bear fruit because when the rain comes, they get muddy, mildewed, sick & barren Vinedresser doesn’t throw them away: they still have value. He lifts & washes (Jn 15:3) them, then secures them to the trellis so they can thrive

7. He’s got a pair of shears! A “good” Vinedresser prunes for 4 reasons: 1. Pruning removes what’s dead/dying. 2. Pruning gets more sunlight to fruit-bearing branches. 3. Pruning increases the size/quality of grapes. 4. Pruning encourages new grapes to develop.

8. Why the Father prunes us 1. His grace exposes whatever drains us of our time/energy for what’s important to Him & His Kingdom (i.e. bad habits, attitudes, wrong relationships, lesser priorities, distractions from our calling). 2. Grace prepares us for a new season of growth (so stop blaming the devil!). Mercy draws us back when we stray from grace/righteousness!

9. The challenge The challenge … Are you a branch that has “fallen” in the dirt? (In other words, have you stepped out of God’s grace and your righteousness in Christ?) Are you producing only a fraction of potential harvest because you’re unwilling to let His grace prune you?

10. Be blessed! Jn 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit (manifest My character) AND that your fruit should remain (secure)…”