Isa 11:1

(1) And there shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David's father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit. [Isaiah 4:2; Matthew 2:23; Revelation 5:5; 22:16]

Isa 11:10

(10) And it shall be in that day that the Root of Jesse shall stand as a signal for the peoples; of Him shall the nations inquire and seek knowledge, and His dwelling shall be glory [His rest glorious]! [John 12:32]

Isa 53:2

(2) For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.

Jer 23:5

(5) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch (Sprout), and He will reign as King and do wisely and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Zec 3:8

(8) Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues who [usually] sit before you--for they are men who are a sign or omen [types of what is to come]--for behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch. [Isaiah 4:2; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 6:12]

I want you to understand what God is doing in you and in me within this Household is His plan. We are only walking in response to what He commands us to do.

Having said this let us now then look at where God is taking us where as an apostolic people we live a live of dominion from a fruitful life.

All of us sitting in the presence of God in this service this morning have a confession stating that we have been saved and that we are born again and sons of God.

Rom 7:4

(4) Likewise, my brethren, you have undergone death as to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that now you may belong to Another, to Him Who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Do you really understand that you do not belong anymore to yourself of even your loved ones? Your sole purpose now is to bear fruit for God. God Himself will do this in you. You however will have to allow this fruit to manifest. You can take a seed and place it in the ground but it can only sprout and grow and bear fruit under the right conditions. Many times a seed will lay in the ground for many years but will only bear fruit as and when the conditions are favorable.

2Co 9:10

(10) And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. [Isaiah 55:10; Hosea 10:12]

Joh 15:16

(16) You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.

The word used for go here is the word HUPAKOU. Can you remember where we have heard this word before. OBEDIENCE.

G5217

ὑπάγω

hupagō

Thayer Definition:

1) to lead under, bring under

2) to withdraw one's self, to go away, depart

I truly believe that God wants us this morning to place ourselves under this Word, to obey this Word and bear the Fruits that HE has appointed and ordained us to bear. God wants us to bear fruit. It is a command. It also speaks of a continuous bearing of fruit.

G3306 - remain

μένω

menō

Thayer Definition:

1) to remain, abide

1a1) to sojourn, tarry

1a2) not to depart

1a2a) to continue to be present

1a2b) to be held, kept, continually

1b1) to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure

1c1) to remain as one, not to become another or different

So today I want to take you on a journey in the scriptures and let us then together discover what it is that The Word has to say about trees and bearing fruit.

Mat 12:33 [GNB]

(33) "To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.

Matthew 12: 33 (NIV)

Jesus speaking: "Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good; or make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad - for a tree is recognized by its fruit."

Mat 7:16

(16) You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

(MSG)

Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.

Matthew 7: 16 (NRSV)

Jesus speaking: You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every GOOD tree bears GOOD fruit; but the BAD tree bears BAD fruit. 18 A GOOD tree CANNOT bear bad fruit..... nor can a BAD TREE bear good fruit.

In these Scriptures Jesus are referring to us as human as trees that are bearing fruit. The fruit will be either good or bad fruit. The challenge then today is..... What is the fruit that you are bearing? Keep also in mind that according to

1Pe 1:23

(23) You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.

The seed / sperm that was planted in you is the very DNA of God. As a true son of God you can not bear bad fruit, unless you do so by your very own choosing.

Remember the principle - First the natural and then the spiritual

1Co 15:46

(46) But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual.

In the natural God created every tree to bear a specific fruit. We see this also reflected in the Word where as sons of God we are to bear fruit.

Eph 4:11

(11) And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.

We also know that from this Word we can see that some has been given as apostles, others as prophets and etc. We all know this scripture. It is clear from this kind of statements in the Word that each man is created towards a specific destiny and purpose and also to bear specific fruit. That is God's intent.

This is one of the reasons we need to understand also not to get stuck in the second day dimension of sin consciousness but a true understanding of sin in the sense that it implies the missing of the MARK. This would also imply to you and me that not bearing the fruit that God has destined us to bear institutes missing the mark and that is sin.

By implication this brings us to the conclusion that if we do not bear the fruit that we have been destined to carry that we are in error and are missing the mark.

Gal 5:22-25

(22) But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

(23) Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

(24) And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

(25) If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit]

Looking at these scripture we see clearly that the fruit is something that the presence of God within us accomplishes.

As I was meditating this week on this message I came to a place of understanding why it is that God is placing so much emphasis on INTIMACY with Him over the past two weeks. A life of intimacy is a life being lived in the very presence of God.

I want to make a radical statement this morning in saying to you that you can only bear the kind of fruit that can be cultivated from the level of the presence of God in your life.

In other words....

THE FRUIT YOU PRESENT IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF THE INTIMACY OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

John 15: 1- 5 (NRSV): Jesus speaking:

(1) "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.

(2) He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.

(3) You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.

(4) Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

(5) I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

SAME (NIV): John 15: 4-8

(4) Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

(5) "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

(6) If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

(7) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

(8) This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

(Note this scripture: Psalm 119: 73

(73) Your hands have made me, cunningly fashioned and established me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.

Isaiah 61: 3 (NRSV)

They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD.... to display His glory.

As the clay yields itself to the hand of the potter in the same way we have to yield this clay.... This earth to be formed by the hand of the master. To what extent are you allowing the Spirit of God to mould you into the substance of what God wants you to be. He wants you to be an apple tree but you decide oranges are better. What fruit will you then bear? None. You have to yield to the spirit of God to bring forth the fruit of the seed that God has planted on the inside of you before the foundation of the earth.

The fruit that God is enabling on the inside of you is the fruit of righteousness and the fruit of the Spirit. What for? To have dominion and to represent Christ in the earth. The world in which we live day by day needs the fruit that you bear. Think for a moment ...... If there was no fruit in this world, what a world would this have been. There will be no fruity flavors, colors, differentiation in diet. How boring.

We know looking at the previous scriptures that God placed a mandate on each of His sons to be a fruitful tree. Looking at John 15:8 it is clear that the only way we can show the World that we are disciples of Jesus is through the fruit that we bear. I want us to get a clear understanding today.

We quote scriptures such as

Joh 13:35

(35) By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

We need to once and for all understand that this is fruit. It is not the warm fluffy feeling you get. It is a direct response in obedience to God and the seed that was planted on the inside of you.

This is very much also part of the Apostolic Mandate that God has given to us in Gen 1:28..... Be Fruitfull.

Gen 1:28

(28) And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

We always think when we read this scripture that it is all about making babies. No it is much more. The first is not to make babies, the first is to be fruitfull to bear fruit. That should rattle our cages this morning. We need to break out of our human mindsets and ways of thinking. God is looking for your fruit this morning. What is their on your tree that you can present to Him?

What then are the specific conditions needed in our lifes for our tree to become a fruitful and fruit bearing tree.

CONDITIONS FOR BEARING FRUIT:

1. CONTACT WITH LIVING WATER:

Psa 1:3

(3) And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. [Jeremiah 17:7, 8]

Jer 17:7-8

(7) [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

(8) For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.

The happy man shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. The word rivers is a statement used in the Hebrew for abundance. The blessed man is planted, given plenty of water, and becomes a tree. God's trees are "planted" trees. They are not wild-growing trees by any means.

This picture also refers to being born again. Isa_61:3 says, "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

God does not use wild-grown trees. His trees are born again, taken up and set out in God's garden-set out by the rivers of water.

What does "rivers of water" mean? That is the Word of God.

Isa_55:10-11

(10) For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, [2 Corinthians 9:10]

(11) So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

God wants His Word to come down like rain. It will produce something-it will cause trees to grow. It provides drink and sustenance.

Living water, THE WORD also brings about cleansing.

Psa_104:16

(16) The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly and are filled with sap, the cedars of Lebanon which He has planted,

The psalmist does not say that God's trees are saps, he says that they are full of sap. That "sap" is the Word of God-the trees of Lebanon which He has planted are full of the Word of God.

Each tree "bringeth forth his fruit in his season." It is interesting to note that God's trees don't bring forth fruit all of the time. They bring forth in their season, and the power is in the Word of God.

I believe that God is speaking to each one of us in this Household. Now is your season. Now is your time to bear fruit. Whatever there is that is keeping you from bearing fruit needs to be cut away and severed from your life.

The Word is LIFE and the Word is the sap that will bring forth the FRUIT on your tree.

1. SPIRITUAL RECEPTIVENESS:

Mat 13:23

(23) As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.

To the measure that you receive the WORD to that measure you will bear fruit. You have to accept, receive and embrace the Word of God.

How receptive are you to the Word? I do not question anyone here about hearing the Word. Of that you receive more than enough. The question still remains..... TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU RECEIVING THE WORD.

To receive the WORD is to allow it to become part of your very being.

Again the Word will become your walk and your talk and your thoughts and your conduct. It does not do you any good to acknowledge the Word from your mind. It has to become your very source of life.

1. DEATH OF THE OLD LIFE:

Joh 12:24

(24) I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.

Take an apple tree seed for instance. The seed will produce a tree. The tree will bear an average of 380kg of apples during its lifetime. I can not even count how many apples that would make. What blows me away is that again on the inside of each one of those apples is 10 seeds. Every seed again carries the potential of 380 kg of apples. Think on that.

One seed dies to bring forth 380 kg worth of apples. If that seed refuses to die. No fruit will be brought forth. If you refuse to die and lay down those areas in your life where God has convicted you and told you to change, the bearing of fruit and harvest that follows that can not take place.

To what extent are you still clinging to your own life and own way of doing things. Yes you hear the Word but nothing changes. You choose to remain in your place of comfort. That is not dying to your old life. Dying to your old life is living the life from the Christ within you.

1. PRUNING / CHASTENING:

Joh 15:2

(2) Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.

Pruning and chastening only takes place to bring you to a higher level of bearing fruit or when you do not present the fruit as you are supposed to. God wants to cut away the branches that are not bearing fruit from your life. Those branches that you are clinging to and that you won't allow Him to touch are the branches that are sucking the very life of Christ from you. Have you ever seen how a rose tree will flower if you cut away the dead flowers and branches on a regular basis. That rose tree will keep on flowering for all the sap is now delivered to where it bears fruit.

I want to challenge you this morning to allow the hand of the Father to prune you so that you can bear much fruit.

1. ABIDING IN CHRIST:

Joh 15:5

(5) I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

Heb 12:11

(11) For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness--in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].

IN CLOSING:

God created you to bear fruit. He enables you to bear fruit. That is your destiny and also your mandate to be fruitful

What kind of fruit are you bearing for the world around you to feast on? Remember that part of dominion is also to bear the fruit of your righteousness in your day to day walk with God.

THE FRUIT YOU PRESENT IS A DIRECT REFLECTION OF THE INTIMACY OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

God bless you. Get out there and go and bear fruit.