Bearing fruit for Jesus

Welcome to this week's message from the Church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

So next week is Friend Day.

I hope you'll be here.

Bring somebody with you.

It's going to really be an exciting time as we look at the title of the message next week is going to be A Friend That Sticketh Closer than a Brother.

John 13, 34 and 35.

But today we want to be looking at, and we're going to be looking at, bearing fruit for Jesus.

In John chapter 15, verses 1 through 8, and let's begin and let's look at these first eight verses this morning.

John 15:1–8

Jesus said, I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman.

In other words, he's the vine dresser.

He's the branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.

And every branch that beareth fruit, he purges it.

In other words, he trims it clean.

He prunes it.

He cleanses it.

That it may bring forth more fruit.

In other words, to increase the yield of the fruit to produce more.

Now, he goes on and he says, Now you are cleansed through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me and I in you.

As the branch, now watch this, very important, cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine.

In other words, without staying connected to the vine, you cannot bear fruit.

That's very important you understand that.

You've got to stay connected to the vine.

Then he says, No more can ye, except ye abide in me, bear that fruit.

Verse 5, I am the vine, you are the branches.

He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same brings forth what's this?

Much fruit.

For without me, ye can do nothing.

If any man abide not in me, who does not share my life, who I am, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered.

And men gathered them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Verse 7, if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, I love that.

You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

That's a powerful promise right there.

In other words, he says, if you remain in union with me and my words remain in you.

In other words, they're a constant reminder of all that he is and who he is and what he's promised you.

He says, You can ask what it will and it shall be done.

Herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit.

So shall ye be my disciples.

Wow.

Here we see, you know, in the agricultural world, we have what they call fruit inspectors.

Fruit inspectors.

Or all kinds of uh where they inspect the oranges, the apples, the peaches, but they have we have what we call fruit inspectors.

And perhaps we need some uh, should I say, spiritual fruit inspectors, because it's so important that we look at this analogy that Jesus said, and I put it this on your outline.

Jesus said, you can judge the quality of a person's life, uh, or should I say, the quality of a person's spiritual life.

Now, watch this, by the fruit that he produces.

Now that's a powerful statement.

I'm gonna say that again.

Jesus said, you can judge the quality of a person's spiritual life by the fruit that he produces.

So it's important that we understand what bearing fruit really is.

Someone has said the Christian life is like falling down, getting back up, falling down, getting back up, falling down, getting back up until you get to heaven.

Can I possibly get an amen on that?

Well, actually, that's scriptural because he says in Proverbs 24, 16, the just man falls seven times, but he gets back up.

So that analogy is a real analogy.

So we see that.

But the Bible also talks about how to be productive.

The Bible talks about how you and I can live spiritually productive lives as Christians.

And this is one of the main passages of Scripture that teaches us how we can be spiritually productive.

Because again, if you and I are spirit-filled Christians, we will be bearing fruit.

It may be some fruit, more fruit, much fruit, but there'll be fruit.

And so that's what we're going to be looking at this morning.

And let me tell you how important it is.

Out of the 27 books of the Bible in the New Testament, 24 of them use the word fruit in direct relationship to spiritual productivity.

And then the other four books do not use the word fruit, but they imply being productive for the Lord Jesus Christ if you're a Christian.

So we see literally every book, 27 books in the New Testament, really pertain to spiritual productivity.

And it's important that we understand that this morning.

So let's begin by looking at what bearing fruit really is.

Bearing fruit is very important.

It's very important that we understand how important bearing fruit really is.

So let's look at it.

There's six things that God taught me these last couple of weeks on what it really means bearing fruit.

First of all, bearing fruit is the mark of your ready identity as a Christian.

It is the mark of your identity as a Christian.

In other words, if you're really a Christian, it's going to be evident by the productivity, the fruit that you bear.

Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7, verses 15 through 20.

Matthew 7:15–20

Beware, first of all, of false prophets.

That's a tremendous exhortation, which comes to you in sheep's clothing.

Be inwardly, but inwardly they are raving wolves.

In other words, they're out to get what they want any way they can.

It's all about them and not about Christ and not about you.

It's all about them.

And then he says, you shall know them by their what?

Fruits.

Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?

Even so, every good tree brings forth, like that, good fruit.

Let's read that together.

Even so every good tree.

But a forth evil fruit.

Verse 18, a good tree, come on, church.

Evil fruit.

Verse 19, every tree that brings not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

Verse 20.

Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.

Now, folks, that's as black and white as it can get.

It can't be explained any better or more simpler.

It cannot.

I mean, either you are a good tree bearing good fruit, or you are an evil tree bearing bad fruit.

Can I get an amen?

You say, well, what if I don't bear any fruit?

Uh-uh, uh-uh.

That's no such thing as a well, yeah.

Well, let me put it this way.

If you're doing nothing, you're cut down and cast into the fire.

Because there's no good, hey, for any tree that doesn't bear fruit.

There's no use, none, what soever.

Look what Jesus said in Matthew 12, 33.

He says, either make the tree good, okay?

And his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt, for the tree is known by its fruit.

Here's what he says.

Hey, either you are a Christian bearing fruit, or you're not a Christian and you're not bearing spiritual fruit.

Man, that's pretty tough, isn't it?

That's pretty tough, but that's what Jesus said.

It's not what Pastor Danny said.

That's what Jesus said.

I'm occasionally asked the question, Randy, very, very often, and can a person really be?

Well, here's what they say.

Well, you know, so-and-so over here, he claims to be a Christian, but every Friday night he's in the bars, he's out here living like the devil.

Pastor Danny, do you really think they're saved?

Well, first of all, I can't judge whether or not they're saved.

That's not for me to do.

But what I can do is what Jesus said.

I can look at what kind of fruit that tree's bearing.

Amen?

And then, you know, hey, as Jesus said, either you're bearing good fruit or you're bearing corrupt fruit.

Which are you bearing?

So you can't claim to be a good tree and bear corrupt fruit.

Did you hear that?

You can't claim to be a good tree and bear corrupt fruit.

Just like a corrupt tree cannot profess to be a good tree and bear corrupt fruit.

Can't happen.

Won't happen.

And so we see how important it really is.

A person's life will in the long run reveal who he really is.

Wow.

I'm gonna repeat that.

A person's life in the long run will reveal who he really is.

Always.

You shall know them by the fruits that they bear.

So you know, as I preached a couple of weeks ago at the foundry, where God used the foundry to do a marvelous work in pages.

Life fact talked to Pastor Bill yesterday.

He's gonna be, Pastor Bill, the director and founder of the foundry, will be speaking the first Sunday in December here for us.

I am so excited about that to tell us how God has used him for 20 years now, plus, to watch God do a transformation in people's lives.

But I got to thinking about that as I was studying this passage of scripture.

Salvation.

Listen, salvation is not reformation.

Okay?

In other words, salvation is not reformation, which means you try to reform your natural self.

I've got news for you.

If you're not saved, you can't reform yourself.

Because, see, salvation is not reformation changing yourself.

Salvation is transformation where Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, radically changes you.

There's a big difference.

You become a new person.

You get rid of that person that you're trying to change, you get rid of the old man, hallelujah, and you put on the new man.

Ephesians 4:30 24.

Ephesians 4:30

Amen.

That's created in that righteousness.

So we see how important.

I believe it is valid to warn those who claim to be Christians, but whose life manifests nothing like Christ, that they should examine themselves whether they be in the faith or not.

1 Corinthians 13, 5.

Amen.

Because if you say one thing but live another, something's wrong.

Your life should match your lips.

Amen.

And we're so excited about seeing that.

Examine yourself to see if you're in the faith.

Well, notice the second thing.

Fruit bearing is also the measure of your walk with the Lord.

Boy, that's good.

Look at what he says in verse 15.

Bearing fruit is a measure of your Christian growth and your Christian maturity.

2 Peter 3.18 says that we're to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And in here in John chapter 15, Jesus, that is, mentions three different levels of fruitfulness.

John 15 · chapter mention

Those who bear fruit, those in verse 2, those who bear more fruit in verse 5, and those who bear much fruit in verse 8.

Now, we are surely, and I really believe this, are aware of all three.

I got to thinking about this as I was studying this passage, and I think as being an educator for almost 25 years, I kind of think of the bell curve.

For any of you teachers that's ever taught a lot, I look back at Gary, Jaclyn, good to see y'all and been praying for your mother.

Amen.

But, you know, the bell curve, I never really was a proponent of the bell curve, but it looks like you always have them.

What does that mean is you've got the below average all the way to the above average.

And so somewhere in the middle is where you end up with the grade that everybody's supposed to have.

Well, I've got to thinking about this about fruit, more fruit, much fruit.

And I said, that's kind of maybe a picture here.

You've got the ones that are get saved and they're just bearing a little fruit, just some fruit.

In other words, they're just doing just enough for you to maybe think that they're Christian.

Just enough.

In other words, they're they you know, they come to church some of the time.

And, you know, they they they they're not a radical, unbelievable witness, but they but you know, they're they're good people.

They're bearing a little fruit.

And then you got the ones that are bearing more fruit.

Man, they're they're there.

They're they're church a lot of times.

And you see them out, you know, they're not ashamed sometimes to me, maybe to wear a cap or a shirt that's got something about Jesus on it.

You know, so that they're bearing some fruit.

But then you've got the ones that you know.

I mean, the first thing you think about is when you think of their name, here's what you think.

When I think of Clay Brockton or Candy or Ivill or Melvin, my first thought would be, or Sylvester, hey, man, they love Jesus.

Because everything they do represents Christ's likeness.

Everything they say represents Christ's likeness.

Their attitude represents Christ's likeness.

Their ways represent Christ's likeness.

You know how, in fact, you know, I hope, after 31 wonderful years of marriage to my beautiful wife back there, Susan, I promise you, in every situation, 99.9% of the time, she knows how Pastor Danny's gonna react.

I mean, she doesn't even think twice.

Boom.

Nope.

He's not gonna do that.

He'll preach to you if you do that.

That's wrong.

That's why that's who we're that's who I am.

That's but guess what?

That's who I'm supposed to be if I'm grafted into the vine.

I am to be a reflection of who he is.

Amen.

I'm to react the way he reacts.

I'm to, hey, I'm to sound off the way he would sound off.

So when somebody says, Well, what do you think about uh Toby over there?

Do you think he's really a Christian?

All I can say is, you shall know Toby by the fruits that Toby bears.

Same way with you, high school students and professional students and college students.

Javon, how you react and how you your attitudes and your and the way you speak and the way you act are is a reflection of who you really are.

You can say you're a Christian, but if you don't act like it, folks, something's wrong.

Something's wrong if he's not first.

I thought about this is a good illustration.

Nick Saban got upset with the crowd leaving.

I get upset when the crowd doesn't show.

Hello, amen.

I'd like for them to be here.

I don't mind at least be here, and then they can leave.

That's a joke too, but I'd rather you stay till the end.

But but really, you know, what you portray is who you are.

Here's what he said: he says, hey, we we we work out and we give you 120% and we're here to the end of the game where you ought to be here.

Well, Jesus Christ, 2,000 years ago, gave everything he had, he willfully died for you.

We ought to be willing to give everything we have for him.

Amen.

And that's really what he's talking about right here.

What do people see in terms of fruit bearing in our lives?

If I was to ask the question about Robert, about me, about Sylvester, about Randy, if the question was asked, what kind of fruit are you bearing, what would be the answer?

What would be your answer?

Brings me to the third part.

Third point.

Bearing fruit is also the motivation.

It's the motivation behind God's discipline.

In John 15, 2, it contains right here a very important principle that replies to every genuine believer at some point in his life.

Pruning.

Or put another way, the principle of God's discipline in our lives.

In other words, when you and I are not producing the fruit that we should be producing, whether it's fruit, more fruit, much fruit.

Because let me say, his ultimate purpose, and by the way, if what you're thinking is, well, at least I'm bearing some fruit.

That's the easy, you know, at least I'm passing.

At least I'm making a see.

You know, at least I'm not failing.

But let me say something.

If I interpret and extrojetically take these verses apart correctly, there's only one thing that really glorifies God.

And the Bible says, whether we eat or drink of whatsoever we do, we do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10.31.

There's only one thing that ultimately really, and our question should be thinking, and our mind should be asking, what really glorifies God?

What really glorifies God?

I really want to please him.

I really want to glorify him.

There's only one answer, and it's found right here in verse 8.

What really glorifies God is us bearing much fruit.

Amen, amen.

That's it.

That's what glorifies him.

Because, see, his son came, Jesus, to glorify him.

God gave his only begotten son, so, hey, that we could have life and have it more abundantly.

But the purpose of Jesus coming was to glorify him, to do the meat of my Father that sent me, John 4.34, to glorify him.

And what glorified him was what?

Being like God, being like God, and bringing people to God through Christ the mediator.

And so as we get saved, what is our purpose?

The scripture says, Paul says, all I live for is to please Christ.

We are to please Christ, which means we are to be like him, which glorifies him, which glorifies the Father.

So the whole purpose for us is to glorify Christ, which ultimately glorify God through much fruit bearing.

Somebody say, Pastor, that's good.

That's convicting.

Because that's what it really means.

So, in order for us to do that, we get disciplined.

God uses discipline.

Preparing us to bear more fruit accounts for, in my opinion, in my experience, really, of a lot of the difficulty that you and I go through, is because God is pruning us to bear more fruit.

Now let me prove this.

Look at Hebrews 5.8.

Hebrews 5.8.

Now this is talking about Jesus the Son.

Now this is important.

Though he were a son, God's son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.

Even Jesus learned obedience and direction through his suffering.

Now let's go to Hebrews 12.

This is where it gets us.

In fact, I want to turn there and read it with you.

Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Look at verse 5.

Hebrews chapter 12, verse 5.

Hebrews 12:5

And ye have forgotten their exhortation, which speaketh unto you as children.

In other words, sonship.

Of the Lord.

In other words, my child, think not lightly of the Lord's discipline.

Do not think lightly of the Lord's discipline.

Do not undervalue the Lord's discipline.

Sometimes we get discouraged, so.

Then he goes on and he says, Do not despise the training.

Do not get discouraged, nor quit, faint when thou rebuked of him.

In other words, lose heart, lose courage, get discouraged, give up.

Don't do that when the chastening comes.

Why?

Now watch.

For whom the Lord loves, verse 6, he chasteneth.

For whom the Lord loves, he does discipline.

For when he punishes you, it proves that he loves you.

Can I get an amen?

I don't know how many times I had to spank Eric and my little girls.

Actually, I didn't spank my little girls too much.

But yesterday, my little grandson, bless his heart, I bet he got five or six spankings within five minutes.

I finally figured it out.

It must have been the medicine that he's been sick.

And in fact, some of you got my Facebook picture of the little Spider-Man costume he's got for Halloween.

And so he and I were wrestling.

I may have stirred him up, but uh anyway, it's the Saturday.

He was taking this medicine and he was just bouncing off the walls.

And I turned around, next thing I know, he had taken this little, his little push cart, and I was sitting there and wasn't even watching, and he went, poppy! I mean, it hit me on my shin, it broke the skin, and I'm telling you right now, it's still sore.

But I didn't, uh I said, ooh, Braden, I'm hurt.

And he laughed.

That's okay.

That's all right.

I bounced him down and laughed too.

So, but anyway, yesterday he would, I how many Susan?

I bet he got four or five spankings, bad spankings, because he would just try, and Mama John would say, Braden, don't do that.

He'd say, do it anyway.

Bam, bam.

You know, Braden, I told you not to do that.

He'd do it again.

Bam, bam.

I thought to myself, you can't be that dumb.

But that's it.

That's exactly what it was.

It's that sin nature.

It's that sin nature that rebels every time against authority.

I want it my way.

Hey, I want it my way when I want it, and I'm, hey, and I don't care what you say, Mom and Daddy.

Well, you get the consequences.

Now, little Brooklyn's a lot better because she goes and goes and timeout.

She goes, in fact, when little Brooklyn messes up, she'll say, Okay, I'm going to time out.

She's pretty smart.

And I thought to myself, Braden, you're gonna learn something.

She's not gonna get the spanking, she's going to time out.

She's probably grinning all the way, too.

I didn't get a spanking.

But what I'm saying is the application here, church, is this.

God loves us, and he loves us so much that he's gonna prune us because he wants us to be like him.

And when we do wrong, he corrects us.

You can't be a child of the king and not expect God, hey, to correct you.

And a lot of the difficulty we go through, we bring it on ourselves.

Hello, we bring it on ourselves because we're disobedient.

Disobedient.

I can remember Eric growing up, though.

The best thing I could do to get his attention would be to take the keys of the car away.

And I would.

Two weeks automatically.

Boom.

So that meant it was pretty severe.

Because for two weeks he had to go down and hey, he had to go down to the corner of the neighborhood and get on the bus and ride the bus to school.

And all the kids say, What'd you do, Eric?

What'd you do?

He knew the consequences.

So bearing fruit is the motivation of God's love for us.

Look, he says, if ye endure chastening, God dealeth, watch this, with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

But if ye be without chastisement, look, whereof all are partakers, then are ye what?

Illegitimate.

Illegitimate and not sons.

One of the ways you know God loves you is when he takes you to the woodshed.

Hello.

I told you, my granddaddy used to take me there quite often.

So the same thing happens in our lives with God when He's pruning us.

He redirects our attention to make sure that our investments, our time, our hey, our time, our treasure, and our talents are being used, hey, to the max for his glory.

Can I get an amen?

That's good.

Notice the fourth thing.

Bearing fruit is the method of touching other people.

Fruit bearing is not about us, it's about others.

Look at Galatians 5, 22.

Galatians 5, 22.

But the fruit of the Spirit is what?

Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, what?

Faith.

So we see it's about us expressing that love and that joy and that peace and that patience and that kindness to other people.

To other people, caring about people.

Loving God and what?

Loving people.

There it is.

Loving God and loving people.

Caring.

Intimate fellowship.

Caring about people, helping people.

It is so important that we understand that.

That's exactly what God is talking about.

Philippians 2, 5 says, look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others.

Every day you and I have the opportunity to help people.

Every day.

Every day.

I really believe that with all my heart.

God has blessed us, hey, and given us all that we have for one reason to glorify Him.

And how do we do that?

By using what we have to help people.

Amen.

That's why God has blessed this church, this little over a year old.

Why we have been so blessed so quickly is because we help people.

We help people.

People all the time already ask us, why in the world do y'all give free ice cream away?

We want to be a blessing to people.

We want to help people.

And as we go into these neighborhoods, we go in, and by the way, we're going into neighborhoods where we know children.

There's children in those neighborhoods or those uh mobile home parks that can't afford ice cream.

And we want to give it to them.

We want to bless them.

And say there's a church at Chelsea Westover that cares about people.

First of all, we love God and we love people.

Amen.

That is our verse, Luke 10, 27.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might, with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.

Hallelujah.

So, again, fruitfulness is the method of touching other people.

Notice the fifth thing.

Bearing fruit is the manifestation of Christ to the world.

For three years, or three and for three years Christ literally lived personally on this earth.

Now that, since he's ascended into heaven, now he's left us as Christians to be.

Hey, hey, to be his body, to be his eyes, to be his feet, to be his hands.

That's why the New Testament calls the church the body of Christ.

We're to be his eyes, we're to be his feet, we're to be his hands to our community.

Can I get an amen?

That's what we're supposed to do.

I'm gonna preach next week a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as you also loved you.

And by this shall all men know that you're my disciples by your love.

John 13, 34, 35.

The next week's message on Friend Day is gonna be a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

And that's Jesus Christ our Lord.

And how he loves us.

And we see in Colossians 1.10, that ye may walk worthy of the Lord.

Now watch, fully pleasing him, bearing, hey, hey, being fruitful in every good work.

Being fruitful in every good work.

Philippians 1.11 says, being filled with the fruit of righteousness.

We are to be bearing fruit, church.

Much fruit as we go into our community every day.

You know, over the years, and just recently I was put in a situation that where if the situation was unplanned and it's unsurprising.

And you can be kind of sometimes put in a compromising situation.

And you know what I've learned to do?

And I did this this time and it worked.

Again, I've learned to pray this prayer.

You may want to write this down.

Lord God, help me to bring the presence of Christ into this situation.

You're put in an uncompromising situation.

You pray, oh Lord God, help me to bring Christ into this present situation.

And you know what?

The Lord does that every time.

Every time.

Every time.

I've never found a better prayer to pray, and have found it to be a prayer that God will answer.

When you pray, Lord God, help me to bring Christ into this present situation.

He'll do it.

He'll do it.

He will.

You know, I was thinking the other day, this is pretty convicting to me.

What if a non-believer met Christ himself?

What would he say you think?

What do you think he might say?

I've never seen anyone like you before.

What would he make me say?

You need to watch me.

You know, I got a friend named Hloy that acts like you.

You know, I got a neighbor named I will that acts like you.

I got a pastor.

He acts like you.

He's a little crazy.

He goes around hollering, Jesus is awesome everywhere.

And about that time Jesus says, I am.

I am awesome.

But have you ever thought about that?

If Jesus was to show up, would some of your friends that met Jesus be able to say, Oh, he acts like you.

You act like him.

Ooh, is that not convicting?

Man, is that not convicting?

But that's what we're talking about.

Bearing fruit is the manifestation of Christ to the world.

Being like him.

One of the most powerful scriptures in 2 Corinthians 3.18, where he says we are to be the reflection of Christ as the Holy Spirit grows in us and teaches us the word.

And as we emulate the word of the living God, people see that we act like him.

That's it.

As we look into this mirror every day, every day, we become obedient to the word, just what he said.

Right here back in 15, where he says that we are to allow the word of God in verse 3, where he says, um abide in him, and as his word cleanses us, we become like him.

Well, notice the other thing, the fifth thing, or six.

Bearing fruit is the means of glorifying the Father.

Look at verse 8.

The last verse in the section is probably the most powerful.

My Father is glorified by this that ye bear much fruit.

And so prove.

Now notice what he says.

And so prove to be my disciples.

What proves that we're disciples?

Our fruit bearing.

Look at what he says in 1 Corinthians 13, 31 through 33.

This is powerful.

Paul says, whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do, you do all to the glory of God.

Okay, look at verse 32.

What does that mean?

How do you do that?

Give no offense.

In other words, give no accusation.

That's what that means.

Neither to the Jew, nor to the Gentile, nor to the church of God.

In other words, don't bring a reason for someone to criticize your church or your, hey, hey, or your race.

Don't do that.

Don't do that.

Verse 33, even as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved.

There it is.

We live so that people can see Christ in us so that they will be saved.

You cannot be Christ-like when you're going around criticizing and condemning whether it's a race, whether it's your church, or whether it's your preacher, or whether whatever it is, you cannot walk around being Christ-like with a with a mouth that's not edifying to Christ.

I'd be really nice.

Amen?

You can't do it.

Which brings me then to what is bearing fruit.

Let's look at it.

If we're said that bearing fruit is what glorifies God, we could then ask, what does it mean really to bear fruit?

Let me show you.

Number one, bearing fruit is character.

This is so good.

This is a message in itself.

Bearing fruit is character.

What does that mean?

Character is what you are.

Galatians 5.22.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, hey, faith, meekness, temperance, that's self-control against such there is no law.

Nothing can compare with integrity and character.

What you say you are should match what you are.

Because if you're not what you say you are, then you don't have character.

Hello.

Character is honesty and truth.

Can I get an amen?

Look at what he says in Proverbs 11:3.

Proverbs 11:3

Powerful.

The integrity, the character of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

In other words, you can say you're something that you're not, but you're headed to destruction.

You're headed to destruction.

You can be sure your lies will find you out.

Every time you can be sure your sins will find you out.

I added lies.

Character.

But that's what he's talking about.

What you are.

Am I loving?

Am I patient?

Am I joyful?

Am I good?

Am I kind?

And by the way, this character starts at home before it comes to church.

Hello.

Amen.

What you if anything I've tried to live all my life is to be real at home first.

Hello.

Have I been always perfect?

Absolutely not.

Has Susan wanted to kill me several times?

I've only probably wanted to kill her once.

So I'm the bad boy of the bunch.

But really, you know, are you what you say you are?

Does it I've been doing this now 33 years, 33, 34 years.

I've been doing this a long time.

It's amazing to watch sometimes people get out of the cars at church.

This really happened.

Y'all know them.

Remember Lance and Fran?

I won't say the last name.

They lived up there close to where we lived.

And I'm coming to church and they're in front of me at the red light.

I meant I thought Fran was just fixing to knock the tar out of him.

She went.

I take my I take my sun visor and pull it down.

I didn't want them to see me.

Because I was embarrassed for them.

We get to church, and I always pulled around the back of the church so I wouldn't take up a parking place.

And so I come back around and I'm walking through the back door and I go to, I always went to the front door like I do here to shake hands with people.

And so they're finally making it around to come in.

And both of them, you know, they're kind of they're not holding hands, but and they're not real close, but they're kind of walking side by side.

And I say, hey, friend Lynn.

Oh, hey, Pastor.

How you doing?

How you doing?

I thought to myself, you bunch of hypocrites.

No, I didn't.

Why don't you just say, I'm having a terrible day?

Friend might knock me in the face.

I need your prayer, preacher.

We need to go to repentance before we go into service today.

Boy, are we not good at that.

Huh?

Hello.

Whoa, it's gotten quiet.

Where's the amens?

Amen.

That's good, preacher.

Been there.

That's why early in my ministry I learned, Susan, I would take two cars to church.

And I wasn't too good at being a helper.

She'd had all the girls and they're crying, and I'm trying to get ready to preach.

But anyway, I'm not going any further with that one.

Bearing fruit is character.

Number two, bearing fruit is not just what you are, but bearing fruit is conduct, what you do.

In Romans 6, 21, Paul's talking about being a slave to sin.

And Paul asks, What fruit do you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?

In other words, you've burned you, what is that fruit that you know that you're ashamed of?

That you bore.

For the end of those things is death.

He says, Don't you know if you stay that corrupt tree, you're going to end in death.

It's going to be destruction.

Paul's point is that there is bad fruit as well as good fruit.

And when we are a slave to sin, our conduct is bearing fruit that leads to spiritual death.

But when we are slaves to God, bearing fruit that leads to spiritual life.

So which is it?

I deal with people all the time.

They're bearing fruit that's going to lead them right to spiritual death.

They're bearing corrupt fruit, not good fruit.

Because in verse 22, Paul says, You have your fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life.

So our conduct is a manifestation of the fruit we are bearing in our life.

That's it.

Our conduct is a manifestation of the fruit that we're bearing in our life.

Man, that's good.

That's convicting, isn't it?

That's convicting to me.

It really is.

Well, look what else.

Bearing fruit is contributions to what we give financially.

Uh-oh.

How'd you get that in this?

Well, look at Romans 15, verses 25 through 28.

Romans 15:25–28

I didn't do it.

This is what Paul said.

But now I go into Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.

For it has pleased them, now watch, of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

Now watch verse 27.

Boy, this ought to get you excited about giving.

It has pleased them verily, and their debtors they are, for if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty also to minister unto them incarnal things.

Now watch verse 28.

When therefore I have performed this and have sealed it to them, this fruit I will come by you unto Spain.

In other words, Paul says, our giving to minister to people and to help people through your church, through your missions, programs, through your meeting people and helping them personally is part of fruit bearing.

Fruit bearing.

It takes money to help people.

Amen.

And let me say something.

If you have been blessed, if you've been blessed, and God has blessed you.

And you hadn't been one of those that have no money to buy anything to eat or to be clothed or to sometimes have a hard time with the water bills or the light bills or et cetera.

If you've been blessed, you ought to thank God.

And you ought to say, Lord, thank you.

How can I be a blessing to those that are not blessed as I am?

Amen.

Amen.

That's the purpose of the church.

And that's the purpose of being a Christian.

When you and I take the financial resources, and I really believe this, God has given us and pass it on to God's church, God's missionary work, or people that need, we are being like Jesus.

Look at what he said in 1 Corinthians 16, verses 1 and 2.

1 Corinthians 16:1

This is powerful.

Now, concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store as God has say that with me.

Wow.

That there be no gathering when I come.

Look at verse 2.

Well, no, that's yeah.

Well, that is verse 2.

I'm sorry.

Look at that.

I want you to read this section again, though.

As God hath prospered him.

If God has blessed you, he's blessed you to give back.

You can't outgive God.

Can I get an amen?

Oh, the Bible says in Acts 20, uh, 35, it's Jesus is talking.

God is talking, he said it's more blessed to give than it is to receive.

Luke 6, 38, given it shall be given unto you good measure, pressed down, shaking together and running over, shall men give back unto you.

Macedonia, uh, 2 Corinthians 8, 2 through 5.

Is that, do I have that?

I think I do.

That, yeah, that was it.

But how that is a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

Here's what he's saying.

The church at Macedonia, look at verse 3.

For he goes on to say, For to their power I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves.

Willing of themselves.

Verse 4, praying with us much, he says, praying, uh, praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift taken upon us, the fellowship of the minister to say.

Here's what he's saying.

And the day, look at verse 5.

And this they did.

I love this, not as we hoped, but first gave themselves to the Lord.

They were radically committed to the Lord and to us, and then by the will of God they gave to us.

He's saying, even when they didn't have a whole lot to give, they first of all had given themselves to God.

They gave to help people.

They gave to help people.

So Paul is making reference to the churches at Macedonia and Achaia, not the big mega churches that have all the money.

What I've learned today, a lot of the big mega churches are a lot in debt.

So they're not able to give to help people.

Thank God your church is not that.

Can I get an amen?

We've our our board here, our council, the church council here, we're committed that there will not be debt that would ever hinder our ministering to our people.

Can I get an amen?

Ministering to people comes first.

Amen.

First and foremost.

So, huh?

Bearing fruit is in our contributions, what you and I give.

Look at the other thing.

Bearing fruit is communication, what you say.

Hebrews 13, 15, Benji, you'll love this in the context of worship.

He says, By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.

That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.

Wow.

In other words, folks, part of our fruit bearing is that our hearts are filled with Christ and filled with joy, filled with the word of God.

That we are walking around at work, we're at school teenagers.

We're walking around at school or we're playing basketball Malik at school, and we have a song in our heart.

Our agronage you're painting, a song in our heart.

Praising him, thanking him for the goodness, thanking him for life, thanking him for a job, thanking him for my family, thanking him that I'm not in jail.

Amen.

Thank you.

Instead of gripping, oh, I gotta go to work today.

Bless God, you ought to be thankful you got a job to go to work with.

Amen.

Amen.

Always, you can look at the glass half full or half empty.

Always look at it half full.

And God's gonna finish filling it that day.

Amen.

So we see that's hey, listen to what he says.

This is pretty strong.

Matthew 12, 33 and 32.

He says, either make the tree good and his fruit go.

Okay.

Yeah, 33.

Uh corrupt and for the tree is known by his fruit.

Now, look at verse 34.

O generation of vipers, treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

In other words, your heart is evidence of who you are.

Amen.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil.

Look at the next verse.

But I say, Jesus said, But I say unto you, man, this is powerful.

That every idle word that men shall speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment.

Verse 37, for by your words you'll be justified, by your words you'll be condemned.

Hello.

That's what Jesus said.

Mm-hmm.

So, what kind of speaking are you doing?

If God's filling your heart, you're going to be giving praises.

When Benji's leading us in worship, we'll be singing praises to the Lord.

Can I say something?

But we just don't come in and for 25, 20 to 25 minutes on Sunday morning at the church at Chelsea Westover sing praises.

We ought to be every day.

We get up.

When we get up, we're praising him.

When we go to bed, we're praising him.

When we're sitting at the table, we're praising him.

Hey, even in the valley, we're praising him.

And on the mountaintop, we definitely are praising him.

We're praising him.

It's about how do you do that?

You stay in the book.

So, bearing fruit is character, what you are, its conduct, what you do, its contributions, what you give, and its communication, what you say.

Colossians 4, 6, let your speech be full of grace.

Woo! Amen.

Season with salt that you may know how to answer everyone.

Listen to me.

I promise you tomorrow, you're gonna, or this afternoon, you're gonna walk by somebody that's hurting, that needs a word of encouragement.

Just love on them.

How can I help you?

How can I be a blessing to you?

Or more than that, when you see there's something that you can do to help them, just go ahead and help them and watch what happens.

I'm gonna tell you what, you're gonna get so excited about being a vessel God's used to be a blessing to people that it will become a habit.

God has given you what you got to bless others.

Let's say that together, church.

God has given me what I've got to bless others.

Say it again.

God has given me what I've got to bless others.

Amen.

Can I get an amen?

That's the truth.

That's what he says.

And by the way, that's evidence of much fruit bearing.

Man, that's good.

Man, that's good.

Notice the next thing.

Bearing fruit is last thing.

Converts, who you win.

Proverbs 11:30, he who wins souls is wise.

Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Now, the Christian culture in which I grew up in was all about this one principle of fruit bearing.

In fact, I thought if you didn't win somebody to Christ weekly or monthly, you were a backslidden Christian.

Because this is all we talked about.

David remembers those days.

It's all about, I mean, Bailey Smith used to come in and he'd preach either your winning souls or you're backslidden.

Okay?

So I was brought up in that culture.

But it kind of fit my personality because I'm a people person.

I have no problem sharing the gospel any and everywhere I go.

I meant.

In fact, every opportunity I get in, I think God's placed me there to share the gospel.

Now, have I been faithful every time?

No, but most of the time.

In fact, I get convicted when I leave and I didn't share the gospel.

So I know I'm going to be convicted, so I'm going to do it.

Whether it's fixing the car, whether it's at the grocery store counter, God puts me, if there's a conversation gets started, I know that's my opportunity to share the gospel.

Or to at least leave them one of my little life and death tracks.

This tells you how you know for sure you're going to heaven.

Walk off.

Then you don't have to worry about it.

It's that easy.

It really is that easy.

Now, but I know 95% of you are not going to do it.

So bearing fruit, more fruit, much fruit, this is just one of those elements, okay?

And you know what I'm convinced as I close?

If we're bearing fruit in the first four ways that I've just mentioned, what you are, what you do, what you give, how you communicate, the last one's going to be kind of automatic.

Because people are going to see Jesus in you.

Amen.

They're going to see Jesus in you.

And they may not ask you, but they're in their hearts, they're saying, I don't know what they've got, Sam, but I want it.

I want that.

I want that.

I want that peace.

I want that excitement.

I want that joy.

I want that contentment.

I want that.

I want that in my life.

And guess what?

Chances are then when you invite them to come to church with you, or you invite them to let you share their testimony, your testimony with them, it's going to be easy because they're waiting to hear it.

And the reason they're waiting to hear what you say, because they've already seen what you do.

And they can't, and they're saying, why can't I respond in a bad situation like that?

Why can't I praise God when my husband's dying?

And that's what they told us basically.

We praised Him, but then we challenged.

We just asked God, God, you said we have not covered.

We we don't want I will to go yet.

And God raised him back up.

Amen.

Lazarus.

Remember Lazarus?

There's a lesson to be learned there.

The lesson is God comes through every time, on time in his time.

And he did.

Amen.

Not our time.

I'm weak there.

I want God to come through on my time.

You know?

And I give him every reason why he should come through on my time.

Anybody else like that?

Pastor Danny.

Amen.

But I'm sure he's up there.

He smiles.

He likes that kind of faith too, though.

I think that are that kind of boldness.

But then sometimes I'm sure he's up there and he's looking at me and he's saying, okay, Pastor Danny, but you still haven't learned all about patience that you need to learn.

I hate that word.

Don't even like it, Javon.

But I'm convinced God's still working on me.

And he's teaching me to be patient.

That's the hardest thing for me to do.

It really is be patient.

Susan and I.

We're both go-getters.

We work, we're the thing we have both, our weaknesses together is we're impatient.

Actually, she's a lot more patient than I am.

But the older she's gotten is patience.

She wants to make up the bed right now.

And I'll get around to it.

No, I'm learning to get around to it.

Amen.

But patience.

Patience.

Please don't pray for it.

Don't you dare pray for patience.

Tribulation works patience.

Don't pray for tribulation.

You're going to get enough on your own.

Amen.

So let me close by asking you.

Here's the invitation this morning.

In fact, I wrote it down.

Let me.

I wanted to read this to you.

I wrote this to me.

Here's the question.

You got to hear this.

This is to Danny Lovett.

If Danny Lovett was arrested today on charges of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me in a court of law?

Y'all think there would be?

That's the question.

If you were arrested today, teenagers?

Adults?

If we were arrested today, would there be enough evidence in the courtroom to convict us that we're Christians?

Wow.

Or would they even know that you're a Christian?

Let me say something.

You better not put that bracelet on right there.

If you don't really mean it, you will be asked.

What does that mean?

Is he awesome in your life?

Is he also visioned in your life?

Is he the word?

Is he eternal?

Is he your thinking Savior?

Is he all powerful?

All knowing, all present?

Is he memorable?

You'll never get over him.

If he is, he's for everyone.

And you ought to be sharing him.

Amen.

You ought to be sharing him.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

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Send us an email at office at the church at cw dot com.

We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.