Dec26-Jan1: “By Their Fruit…”

Teaching Points

1. Read John 15:16 and answer the following questions:

• Who chose who?
• Jesus chose us
• What are we chosen for?
• To bear fruit
• Should we ever not have fruit?
• This fruit is to remain—always be there
• What does it mean to “remain”?
• Strong’s 3306: “To stay, abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry”. Interesting that one of the definitions is “tarry”—in Revelation 14:12, we definitely see that the last-day saints have a tarrying characteristic called “patience”.
• According to this verse, what is the condition of receiving what we ask for?
• Go and bring forth fruit that endures
• What does it mean to ask in Christ’s name?
• Ex 33:19  “And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”
• God’s name is equated with His character. Of our own we do not have Christ’s character, but we can claim the merits of Christ’s shed blood on our behalf as we plead for the fruit of His character to be revealed in our life.

OBSERVATION: 

• We are chosen for the purpose of developing fruit. This fruit, however, is not to be picked off, but always to be present and enduring.
• There seems to be a strong connection between having this fruit and receiving what we ask for from God.
• There could also be a strong idea in this verse that in order to bear fruit we must plead the merits of Christ on our behalf that we may have His character.
• Therefore, I see a connection to bearing fruit and reflecting the character of Christ.

2. Read Luke 6:43-45 and answer the following questions:

• What is the basic concept in verses 43 and 44?
• A good tree can’t produce bad fruit. A bad tree or thorns can’t produce good fruit.
• How does this simple concept apply spiritually?
• A good man brings out of his heart good actions. An evil man brings out of his heart bad. Whatever is in the heart the mouth speaks.
• Why does the Bible use the word treasure? What does this mean?
• Strong’s 2344: “a deposit, i.e. wealth (literally or figuratively):--treasure”—similar to a bank account.

 OBSERVATION: 

• Good input = good output. Bad input = bad output
• The basic idea is what we put into our heart is what will come out of our mouth.
• Our words express our thoughts and feelings. Our thoughts and feelings make up our character—who we are.
• If we are constantly training ourselves to think good and choose good feelings we will speak good.
• If we constantly think bad thoughts and negative feelings we will speak bad or negative words.

• Our heart is like a bank account we can’t expect to deposit dirt and withdraw gold! That’s a wild contrast but sometimes we Christians think that we can do just that with our minds!

 3. What does 2 Timothy 3:5 tell us about who we should turn away from?

ANSWER: 

• Those with a form of godliness but deny the power of God.

4. What does it mean to have a form of Godliness?  

ANSWER: 

• “Form”, Strong’s 3466: “formation, i.e. (by implication) appearance (semblance or [concretely] formula):— form.”
• “Godliness”, Strong’s 2150: “piety; specially, the gospel scheme:— godliness, holiness.”

• It is basically having an appearance of holiness, looking like a Christian, or professing to be a Christian.

5. What does it mean to deny the power thereof?

ANSWER: 

• “Denying”, Strong’s 720: “to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate:— deny, refuse.”

OBSERVATION: 

• The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Basically, 2 Timothy 3:5 is talking about professed Christians who reject the gospel’s power to change their lives.

SOP: 

• Today the ministers of Christ should have the same witness as that which the Corinthian church bore to Paul's labors. But though in this age there are many preachers, there is a great scarcity of able, holy ministers--men filled with the love that dwelt in the heart of Christ. Pride, self-confidence, love of the world, faultfinding, bitterness, envy, are the fruit borne by many who profess the religion of Christ. Their lives, in sharp contrast to the life of the Saviour, often bear sad testimony to the character of the ministerial labor under which they were converted.  {AA 328.2}

FURTHER STUDY QUESTIONS: 

• Are we good? Romans 3:12
• Can we do good on our own? Jeremiah 13:23, John 15:5
• Do we become what we constantly think about? Proverbs 23:7
• Study Romans 12:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:5-8, 4:8
• Why does every thought need to be brought into captivity to the obedience Christ? 2 Corinthians 10:5

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 

• Are you willing to let God help you bear fruit in your life? Are you asking God for the fruit of Christ’s character?
• Are you willing to invest in God? Are you willing to clean out evil things—guard what you see, read, hear, and think about—so you can have true gold in your heart, i.e., a good bank account?
• What words have you spoken in the last two days? What is the content? What were you revealing about your heart in what you said? Love? Joy? Patience? Self-control? Kindness? Righteousness? Or the opposite?
• Are you allowing the power of the gospel to change your life? Or are you just professing to be a Christian?
• What are ways you could be contradicting the power of the gospel in your life?

6. Read John 15:1-5 and answer the following questions:

• Why does Jesus use the vine in this illustration?
• Why is the Father the husbandman?
• Can a vine grow straight and tall without any support?
• How much could Jesus do of Himself? What does this imply about His human nature? John 5:19, 30; 8:28.
• How does the vine illustrate Christ’s humanity?
• What is the relation of the branch to the vine? Can a branch grow fruit if it is separated from the vine? John 15:5
• In order to stay in Christ what attitude must we have?

o   Total dependence

• What does it mean to abide in Christ?

o   Constant and unreserved surrender, communing and receiving of His Spirit.

• What happens to us spiritually if we try to live separate from Christ?

o   We die

• Can we bear good fruit if we are not constantly connected to Christ?

o   No

SOP: 

• This union with Christ, once formed, must be maintained. Christ said, "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." This is no casual touch, no off-and-on connection. The branch becomes a part of the living vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness from the root to the branches is unobstructed and constant. Separated from the vine, the branch cannot live. No more, said Jesus, can you live apart from Me. The life you have received from Me can be preserved only by continual communion. Without Me you cannot overcome one sin, or resist one temptation.  {DA 676.1}
• "Abide in Me, and I in you." Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service. The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God. As the vine branch constantly draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character.  {DA 676.2} 
• The root sends its nourishment through the branch to the outermost twig. So Christ communicates the current of spiritual strength to every believer. So long as the soul is united to Christ, there is no danger that it will wither or decay.  {DA 676.3} 
• The life of the vine will be manifest in fragrant fruit on the branches. "He that abideth in Me," said Jesus, "and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing.  {DA 676.4}

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 

• Are you abiding in Christ?
• Is there anything that is keeping you from abiding in Christ?
• If you are not growing a Christ-like character, could it be that you are not abiding in Christ?

• What habits or practices are separating you from Christ today?

7. Read John 15:8 and answer the following questions:

• When we bear fruit who does it honor?
• God
• What brings glory to God?
• Us bearing fruit
• Is this connected to “fear God and give glory to Him” in Revelation 14:7?
• What characterizes the true disciples of Christ?
• They bear fruit
• If we are not bearing fruit, are we true disciples of Christ?
• No.
• What can we do if we are not bearing fruit?
• John 15:4 We must learn to abide in Christ

OBSERVATION: 

• If you look at verses 7 and 8 closely, there’s another connection between asking and bearing fruit.
• The branch “asks” for the nutrients it needs to bear fruit and be healthy, so we must ask to receive what we need in order to bear fruit.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 

• What kind of fruit are you growing?
• Are you doing things to give glory to God or to honor yourself?

• What character traits do you now have that need to be overcome in order for you to bring glory to God?

8. Read John 15:2 and answer the following questions:

• What happens to those branches that do not bear fruit?

o   They are cut out

• What does God do to those branches that do bear fruit?

o   He prunes them

• What happens to the branch that is pruned?

o   It is able to bear more and better fruit

• Why do the excess leaves and branches need to be taken away?

o   The excess leaves and branches take the life nutrients that the fruit needs to develop properly.

• How does this pruning relate to us spiritually?

o   There may be things in our lives that are sapping our strength, keeping us from bearing the full fruit we should be bearing.

• Why do we need pruned?

o   To remove anything that is sapping our strength to grow and bear beautiful fruit. 

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• Is there anything in our lives that is taking away the nutrients we need to grow better or more fruit?

SOP:

• "And every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth [pruneth] it, that it may bring forth more fruit." From the chosen twelve who had followed Jesus, one as a withered branch was about to be taken away; the rest were to pass under the pruning knife of bitter trial. Jesus with solemn tenderness explained the purpose of the husbandman. The pruning will cause pain, but it is the Father who applies the knife. He works with no wanton hand or indifferent heart. There are branches trailing upon the ground; these must be cut loose from the earthly supports to which their tendrils are fastening. They are to reach heavenward, and find their support in God. The excessive foliage that draws away the life current from the fruit must be pruned off. The overgrowth must be cut out, to give room for the healing beams of the Sun of Righteousness. The husbandman prunes away the harmful growth, that the fruit may be richer and more abundant.  {DA 676.6}

9. Read John 15:1-10 and answer the following questions:

• What two choices do we have?
• What will happen if we choose to abide in Christ?
• What will happen if we choose not to abide in Christ?

10. Read Luke 13:7-9 and answer the following questions:

• What lessons can you learn from this parable?

o   The dresser of the vineyard does not question that if the tree does not bear fruit it will be cut down.

o   The tree is unpromising but the caregiver still takes interest and spends effort to save the tree.

o   Jesus and the Father do not just throw us out the moment we refuse to bear fruit—though we may be most unpromising, He patiently works with us giving us every opportunity to bear fruit.

o   God will spare no pains to help us become “fruitful trees”

• To whom was this illustration given directly?

o   It was a direct application to Israel.

o   God had given them opportunity time and again, but they were still not bearing fruit. (See Isaiah 5:1, 2, 7; 61:3)

o   They were a hindrance to the gospel.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: 

• How are some ways that God is heaping love and special opportunities on you to help you bear fruit?
• Are you counting the blessings God has been pouring on you? Or are you so engrossed with complaining about your circumstances that you are becoming a cumberer of the ground?
• If you find that you have not been cultivating the fruits of the spirit are you willing to stop being a useless vine or tree and start bearing the fruits of the spirit?
• Are you hindering the gospel by the way you live your life? Are you holding back from others the full message of the gospel?

CONCLUSION: 

• We need to search our hearts and ask God to prepare us daily to grow the fruits of His Spirit in our lives.