FRUITS MEET FOR REPENTANCE

“CALLED TO PRODUCE FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE” (LUKE 3:8)

John’s message had a twofold emphasis.

(i) The imminent appearance of the Messianic kingdom.

(ii) The imminent appearance to prepare for this event. He proclaimed an exhibition of repentance in the affairs of ordinary life and wanted his audience to show it in their daily relationship with one another. He therefore has an answer for every group of people who cared to how and what was expected of them (Luke 3:10 – 14).

Let us first of all look at the three key words in this theme “CALLED TO PRODUCE FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE” (LUKE 3:8)

1. REPENTANCE The world “CALLED” is derived from the Greek word “Kaleo”. In practical terms, fruit represent good works, a thought, attitude or action that God values because it glorifies Him. You produce inner fruit when you allow God to nurture in you a new Christ-like quality. You produce outward fruit when you allow God to work through you to bring Him glory. This would certainly include sharing your faith with others. The Apostles saw every area of life as an opportunity to produce fruit. For instance Paul wrote, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8). 19 Jesus shows how important and valuable fruit bearing is when He says, “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain.” (John 15:16) The fruit you produce is your only permanent deposit in heaven. Repentance is one of the main themes of the Bible. The world “REPENTANCE” is used 110 times from Genesis 6:6 to Revelation 16:11.

The original Greek word for “Repentance” is “Metanoia” which stands for “a real change of mind and attitude towards sin and its cause, not merely the consequences of it” as used in Matthew 3:8 and Luke 24:27. Repentance prepares a soul for remission of sin. Some examples of repentance found in the Bible include the following: - The brothers of Joseph (Genesis 50:17) - David (psalm 51) - The people of Nineveh (Jonah 3) - The prodigal son (Luke 18:9-14) - The Publican (Luke 15:11-24) and - Peter (Matt. 26:75).

- Who does the calling? - Why are we called? - What type of fruit should a Christian produce? - What are the things that hinder us from producing fruit? - Are there Biblical examples of people who have succeeded in producing fruit in keeping with repentance? - How can one produce fruit in keeping with one‟s repentance? - What are the benefits or rewards for the Christian that produces fruit? Answers to these and other questions are bound to give us more insight to a better understanding of the theme.

Who Calls? The Bible makes it clear that God always takes the initiative in calling people. - God called Abraham to go to the Promised land (Genesis 12:1). -

Moses was called by God to go and deliver the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 3:10). -

Gideon was called to save Israel from the Midianites who were harassing them (Judges 6:14). - Elisha was called to replace Elijah the Prophet (1 Kings 19:19). -

Isaiah was called to go and send a message to the people of Israel (Isaiah 6:8) - And Paul was divinely called to be a Minister of the gospel (Acts 26:16). What is the Purpose of God when He calls? Is it for the well being of God or for the good of the person being called? The Prophet Jeremiah is of the view that it is for the good of the person God call (Jeremiah 29:11). Indeed God has a plan for the life of each individual believer. His call does not only involve a wonderful purpose of us throughout eternity, but we also have an expression of that call upon the earth now.

Alfred P. Gibbs in his book “the Preacher and his Preaching” emphatically asserts that “the authority of the call is the prerogative of Christ alone, for He calls whomsoever He wills.”

Why are we called? Whenever God calls us He has a reason or purpose for the call.

(i) To Be Separated to Him: When God calls a sinner, it is so that the sinner will repent and live to please Him. This involves a position transfer. The Sinner is called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). The person becomes separated unto God. Yes, God has emphatically proclaimed that those who were not His people shall be called the children of the living God (Romans 9:26). Such people are separated to the family of God.

(ii) To Fulfill His Purpose: The salvation of a Christian is not based on anything the person has done. It is actually dependent on the grace of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9). Similarly, Christians are saved and called to holy living not because of what they have done but because of God’s own purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:8-9). God has a purpose for us to fulfill here on earth and later in eternity. What a joy to actually know the purpose for which God has called us, and to fulfill it. How wonderful it will be if we can dedicate ourselves as Paul did to fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives by pressing forward towards the mark … (Philippians 3:14).

(iii) To Produce Fruit That Remains: People that are called by God are chosen by Him, Such people are ordained by God to go and produce fruit. Jesus emphasized the need for every believer to produce fruit in John 15. If the believer is fruitful he is pruned to produce more fruit. However, it is pertinent to draw our attention to the type of fruit that God requires his children to produce. It is a fruit that is in keeping with repentance and therefore remains (John 15:15).

What Type of Fruit should a Christian Produce?

Let us consider the characteristics of a fruit that is in keeping with repentance. The qualities of such a fruit include the following:

(i) It is an Outcome of a Changed Mind, heart and Will: True repentance involves a change of our mind (Matt. 21:28-29), our heart (2 Corinthians 7:9-10; Isaiah 57:15) and will (Luke 15:18-20). Jesus stressed the need for repentance in His sermon (Cf. Mark 15, Matt. 4:17; Luke 5:32). The Pillars of the first century church emphasized repentance. Peter in his second epistle, chapter three and verse nine notes “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness but is longsuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Paul asserts that “a godly sorrow leads to repentance…” (2Cor. 7:10).

Repentance is the start of a walk with God. It is the departure point with the old life style and the beginning of a new life in Christ. There is not Christianity without repentance, a total, decisive, once and for all turning away from all known sins and turning to God.

(ii) It Emphasizes Restitution: Restitution is an act of restoring what has been wrongfully taken. It is a bold step taken to right an earlier wrong done. It is only those that have truly repented that can contemplate or embark on restitution. Let me emphasize here that most sins committed by me are against God, as well as against our neighbours. It seems to me that the only way to have a conscience void of offence toward man is the restoration of wrongs, damages, or losses suffered. By restitution you make your ways right before man and with repentance, you come into right relationship with God. This Christian practice has Biblical support (Cf. Genesis 20:7; Exodus 24:1-4 Matthew 5:23- 24).

(iii) It is an Embodiment of Good Works: Although we are not saved by our good works, good works are the expected fruit of true repentance. This is highlighted severally in the Scriptures (Cf. Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20; 2Tim. 3:17 and 1Pet. 2:12). Surely we are created in Christ Jesus to produce good works (Ephesians 2:10).

(iv) It easily Forgives no Matter What: Any person who produces fruit in keeping with repentance understands the need to forgive others. He goes a long way to forgive even his enemies (Matthew 6:12-15; Mark 11:25-26; Luke 6:37 and Ephesians 4:32).

(v) It shows Evidence of the fruit of the Spirit: As opposed to the works of the flesh, the Christian that produces fruits in keeping with repentance usually manifests the fruits of the Spirit in speech and conduct. Let us closely examine the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

This one fruit is made up of nine components namely: Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).

(a) Love: The Greek word for divine love is “AGAPE” which is a strong, ardent, tender, compassionate, devotion to the well-being of someone. A person manifesting this fruit seeks for the good of God and his fellow human beings. He is patient, kind, generous, humble, courteous, unselfish, righteous and sincere (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Kenneth E. Hagin asserts in his book titled “Growing up Spiritually: that this fruit of the Spirit is a fruit that grows in your life because of the life of Christ within”.

(b) Joy: The original Greek world is “CHARA” which means the emotional excitement, gladness, delight over blessings received or expected for self and for others. This attribute is the hallmark of anyone who produces fruit in keeping with repentance (Luke 19:6) even when undergoing difficulties (2 Corinthians 7:4). The British writer and Oxford Professor, C.S. Lewis said his conversion from atheism was purely intellectual. He studied the claims of Christ and saw that the truth was on Christ’s side. The only honest thing he could say was, “Here I am Lord, if you’ll have me”.

But Lewis added that later on he was surprised by joy. This joy of the Lord comes from a dedication and commitment to the will and plan of God for the child of God.

(c) Peace: This component of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is derived from the Greek word “EIRENE” which stands for the state of quietness, rest, repose, harmony, order and security in the midst of turmoil, strife and temptations. Since God is the author of peace and Christ is the Prince of peace, it stands to reason that the person who manifests this fruit must have encountered Jesus Christ.

This peace of God helps us believe God will supply all our need “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:19). It helps us keep our trust in God so we rest in Him in the midst of the storms of life.

(d) Longsuffering: The Greek word “MAKROTHUMIA” means patient, endurance, to bear long with the frailties, offences, injuries and provocations of others, without mourning, repining or resentment. Frankly speaking I am of the opinion that his fruit component only be produced by a Christian who produces fruit that is keeping with repentance (Cf. Colossians 1:10-11). The Holy Spirit helps us to be patient and even tempered even toward those that deliberately try to upset or harm us. This fruit of the spirit helps us to go the extra mile, turn the second cheek, endure insult and bear with those that ridicule us.

(e) Gentleness: The word is derived from the Greek word “CHRESTOTES” which means a disposition to be gentle, soft spoken, kind, even tempered, cultured and refined in character and conduct. In our modern age where most people are always in a hurry to catch up with one appointment, meeting or business transaction, this quality seems to have been missing. Nevertheless, this fruit is sympathetic, sensitive to people’s needs, and problems. It gives a soft answer that turns away wrath and avoids stirring up angry outbursts of temper (Proverbs 15:1). (f) Goodness: The Greek word “AGATHOSUNE” represents the state of being good, kind, virtuous, benevolent, generous and God like in life and conduct. The Bible makes it clear that man of himself cannot do good (Psalms 14:3). However, after being born of the Spirit, the Christian can be endued with this attribute. It manifests in helping others and meeting their real needs.

(g) Faith: In Greek the word “FAITH” is written as “PISTIS” which means the loving, divinely implanted, acquired and created principles of inward and wholehearted confidence, assurance, trust and reliance of God and all that He says. Simply put faith as total trust and confidence in what God has promise. The Christian life is a walk of faith since without faith one cannot please God (Hebrew 11:6). Every Christian needs to manifest this fruit so as to have meaningful relation with God.

(h) Meekness: This word is derived from the Greek word “PRAOTES” which means the disposition to be gentle, kind, indulgent, even balance in temper and passions, and patient in suffering injuries without feeling a spirit of revenge. God helps the meek person (Psalms 147:6) and make him a blessing to others (Galatians 6:1). No wonder only true believers can produce this fruit that was manifest in the life of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:7; Matt. 11:28-30).

(i) Temperance: The Greek word “ENKRATEIA” means self-control; a moderation in the indulgence of the appetites and passions. Daniel exhibited this wonderful fruits while living as exile in Babylon, He had his friend had this fruit and God blessed them as they refused to eat the King's food (Daniel 1:8f). How wonderful our Christian witness would be if we coveted this attribute. Let me at this juncture say that temperance is not mere moderation. Rather, it is a self-control that results from self-discipline. The corresponding verb is used in 1Cor. 9:25 of athletes who must exercise self-control in everything if they want to win. This fruit helps the Christian to put to death all the desires, Passions. Appetites and tendencies of the flesh.

What are the Things that Hinder us from producing Fruit?

The following obstacles hinder a Christian from producing fruit in line with repentance.

(i) Unbelief: This is the act of not exercising faith in what God has said. It leads to doubt and blocks the production of fruit in the life of a Christian. In Matthew 21:21a) Jesus Christ highlights the undesirable attribute of unbelief in the life of a believer. James the Apostle also is of the same view (James 1:6-8).

(ii) Lack of the Word of God: The amount of the word of God in the life of a believer is a measure of the spiritual growth of that believer. Hosea the prophet puts it this way and I quote, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6a) Mark 11:24 says “You err because you know not the scriptures.” In the parable of the Sower, Jesus explained, “the seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). God‟s will for our lives is fruitfulness (Psalms 1:3) because the righteous is said to be like a tree planted, cultivated and well watered. The Apostle Paul boldly advised Timothy to study the word of God in order to be approved of Him.

(iii) Prayerlessness: In an age where people are so busy chasing after money, position, title, etc. Conscientious and effective praying becomes difficult if not impossible. To pray is not only to win but to bear fruit. The time we spend with the Lord in prayer can release a great, life – changing and historic power to a needy word. A prayerless Christian is a defeated Christian who definitely cannot bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Dr. lee Robertson in his book titled “For Preachers only” said, “it is a sin not to pray and how often we have sinned against God”. He suggest three major reasons for prayerlessness and I quote. “it may be we haven’t prayed because we are selfish we think only of ourselves, not of others. It may be we have failed to pray because of forgetfulness we are so busy with the things around us, we don’t take time to pray. It may be we didn’t pray because of foolish pride we have an idea we can work it out for ourselves and so we didn’t call upon God.”

(iv) Lack of Generosity: The Bible teaches that Christians can give willingly and cheerfully, from a spirit of generosity (Exodus 25:2; 2Cor. 9:6, 7). One cannot produce fruit if one does not give God does not measure our giving by the amount we give, rather He rewards us according to what is left after we give. No wonder Jesus said the very little amount given by the Widow was greater than all the others because it was “all she had”. (Luke 21:1)

(v) We need to be generous when we give for the things of God. It is a proof of our love for God and our fruitfulness. To refuse to be a faithful and fruitful steward by giving is an act of robbery and rebellion towards God.

(vi) Not Abiding in Christ: The danger of fruitlessness has been expressly highlighted by Jesus in John 15:4 and I quote “Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can do so only if it remains in the Vine. In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (GNB). It is a fact that only Christian that does not abide or get connected to Christ will not be able to produce fruit. We need to do all in our power to always ensure that we remain attached to Jesus to ensure our fruitfulness.

Are there Biblical Examples of People who have Succeeded in Producing Fruit?

The answer is a resounding yes as we shall see from the following examples.

(i) Zacchaeus: According to Luke 19:1-10, a man named Zacchaeus has a life changing encounter with the Lord Jesus. Like all Publicans, he had become very rich by oppression and extortion of money from the Jews. He was an avowed and certified sinner. However, after his encounter with Jesus, his life changed. In a singular act, he repented of his sins and received salvation. Although God had forgiven him, Jesus had something against him. Listen to the heartbeat of a changed Zacchaeus, “Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.” This is a commitment of the present reality of his changed life not of his past. He continued, “if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” What a sign of changed personality.

(ii) Zacchaeus showed that repentance is more than shedding tears. It requires that one has to produce evidence of one‟s repentance.

(iii) The Samaritan Woman: This woman obviously had led a very sinful life but her story did not end on that sad note (John 4:7f). After having a direct encounter with Jesus Christ, her life became beautiful. She began to produce fruit by calling on others to come and meet the Lord; and the Bible records that she was very successful in doing so (John 4:29-30). How many of today’s Christians would have done what she did?

(iv) Nicodemus: Information available indicate that this man was a Jewish Rabbi, member of the Sanhedrin, very wealthy and a ruler of the Jews. Nevertheless, he recognized his need of Jesus and went to see Him to get more insight on things of God. Christ used the opportunity to inform Nicodemus of the necessity of the new birth experience (John 3:1f). After his meeting with Jesus Christ the Bible records that Nicodemus produced fruit keeping with repentance. For one thing, he testified for Christ (John 7:50-51) and again he did service for Christ (John 19:19). It is indeed possible to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. We have numerous examples of people who had produced fruit in keeping with repentance; such as Stephen, Peter Paul, James, the thief on the cross etc.

How can We produce Fruit in Keeping with Repentance?

Before any tree can produce fruit, it has to be planted and grow to maturity. Similarly for someone to bear fruit in keeping with repentance he has to meet the following requirement.

(i) Get the New Birth Experience: This foundational truth was canvassed by Christ depth in this discussion with a Jewish ruler Nicodemus. In this experience a person receives a new holy nature from God which is an essential requirement to be part of God’s holy Kingdom. We become born of the Spirit as opposed to being born of the flesh. We become born of God in contrast to being born of man (John 1:13). Watchman Nee in his book titled “The Spiritual Man” has this note of warning concerning those who do not have the new birth experience and I quote: “When a man is regenerated he obtains God‟s life. This is the minimum for every believer. Whoever has not believed in the death of the Lord Jesus and received a supernatural life which he originally did not have, regardless of how zealously he may be progressing in the areas of religion, morality and learning, is still a dead man in God’s sight. All who do not have God’s own life are dead.” Our Igbo Hymnbook (Ekpere na Abụ) contains several greatly inspired hymns on this subject. Take for example Abụ 258 that asks the challenging question, “Have you been to the Lord for the cleansing power?” Even Abu 266 emphasizes the new birth experience as it tells the story of “A ruler once came to Jesus by night.” All these go to show the necessity of the new birth experience.

(ii) Be a Spiritual Man: By this I mean that anybody who wishes to produce fruit in keeping with repentance should be subject to the rule of the Holy Spirit. A spiritual man is someone whose mind, will and emotion are completely under the control of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual man has come to know the intimacy of the Holy Spirit as he is unveiled in the word. We need to become conscious of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, and learn to walk in the light of the Word. Kenneth E. Hagin writing on this subject said and I quote: “The Spiritual man is the one whom the Word has gained the ascendancy over his mind and over his body. It has brought him into harmony with the will of God…” Again, David Yonggi Cho in his book titled “The Holy Spirit: My Senior partner” highlights the need for the Christian to intimately relate with the Holy Spirit and I quote: “Fervently fellowship with the living Holy Spirit, Without it, the Church naturally becomes cold, worship becomes mechanical and faith loses the burning passion which gives a depth to our whole personality.”

(iii) Abide in Christ: Jesus Christ taught this spiritual principle in John 15:5 and I quote: “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.” The vast majority of trees have branches and it is on these branches that the fruits are found. It is therefore a great importance that the branch is firmly attached on the stem of the tree for it to produce fruit. Without the stem the branch will not exist. To be a fruit producing Christian, we need to abide or remain in Christ at all times. Failure to do so will lead to unfruitfulness and destruction.

(iv) Live a Holy Life: To some people living a life of holiness seems impossible but god commands His people, in the NIV, “Be just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” (1 Pet. 1:15). To some Christians to live a life of holiness is to dress in a certain way devoid of ear rings, necklace or make-up. Such people are very concerned with the outward appearance; but is God really concerned about the outward man or the inner man? Let Samuel the Prophet provide the answer and I quote: “But the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1Sam.l 16:7). Living a holy life is to be separated from all sin and immoral living a consecration to the same end in life that God is consecrated to. It permeates the personal moral cleanness of life and conduct. It is evidenced by purity of life and morals, not by outward appearance and the customary adoring which make a person more beautiful and a better representation of true religion.

(v) Obey the Great Commission: Just prior to Christ’s ascension, he issued the Great Commission to His disciples and I quote: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age: (Matthew 28:19-20). The major command in this directive of Jesus is for his disciples to make new disciples or to produce fruits for Him.

How can a Christian obey the Great Commission in this age? Stan Toler in his book titled “The 26 people principle: transforming lay persons into leaders” makes a case for the Church today to adopt the use of personal evangelism and I share that viewpoint. Personal evangelism is always a one-to-one relationship, effective only as we build bridges of good interaction with the person we are leading to Christ. Evangelism becomes effective when every member of the church is reaching out and winning souls for Christ. We need to teach our congregations that personal evangelism is an essential part of Christian living.

The world renowned Evangelist Billy Graham in his book titled “The Billy Graham Christian Worker's handbook” said and I quote: “Only by a life of Obedience to the Voice of the Spirit, by a daily denying of self, by full dedication to Christ, and by constant fellowship with Him, are we enabled to live a Godly life and an influential life in this present ungodly world.” Let us mobilize our congregations to be concerned about evangelism. We cannot pretend to love God and profess that we are Obedient to Him if we are not involved in the Church’s mission to reach those who do not know Christ. Every Anglican member should obey the great Commission by sharing Jesus with all.

Let us begin to step outside our Comfort Zones to share the good news of Christ with all by every possible means.

(vi) Put a Premium of the Cultivation of the Fruit of the Spirit: Although a Christian begins to manifest some measure of Christian virtues immediately after repentance, let us not lose sight of the fact that further and continuous fruitfulness depends on cultivation. Although a tree produces fruit from its own life, the branches must be pruned and the fruit sheltered and protected from insects and wild birds. Since we reap what we sow, those who fail to cultivate their inner spiritual life will fail to reap a bountiful harvest of Christian virtues. Let us not neglect the cultivation of our Christian life.

A neglected garden grows weeds and soon becomes fruitless. You must repent if your fruits have become rotten due to neglect or carelessness. Do not depend on the fruit you produce in yesteryears. Let your fruit be fresh so that those that come in contact with you will see the freshness of your fruit, taste its sweetness and giving glory to God for your life. Therefore, let us put a premium on the cultivation of the fruit of the spirit in our lives. Every church must begin to emphasize fruit bearing in the lives of her members. The totality of our members should be taught on the importance of producing fruit in keeping with repentance. For the 21st Century to move Forward, Christian virtues must abound in her. No matter the amount of success enjoyed by the church, she should not lose sight of the importance of real Christian character. Christian workers and leaders should be examples to the flock. The higher we go in the cultivation of Christian virtues, the more wholesome our impact on the generality of the member. Do not despair if you discover now that you are fruitless. Let the Lord restore you, prune you and make you fruitful in Jesus name Amen.

(vii) What are the Benefits or Rewards for the Christian that Produces Fruit?

(a) He Avoids God‟s Disciplinary Interventions: Bruce Wilkinson in his book titled “Secrets of the Vine” highlights how God intervenes in the life of a barren Christian and I quote, “If your life consistently bears no fruit, God will intervene to discipline you. If necessary, he will use painful measures to bring you to repentance.” A child of God who  produces fruit will definitely avoid God‟s disciplinary measures reserved for the unproductive Christian (John 15:2).

(b) He Attracts God’s Pruning to produce more Fruit: If your life bears some fruit, then God will intervene to prune you. If necessary he will risk your misunderstanding of His methods and motives. His purpose is for you to put away immature commitments and lesser priorities to make room for greater abundance to His glory. Pruning is the vine dresser’s single most important technique for ensuring a plentiful harvest. In pruning, God asks you to let go of things that keep you from His kingdom purposes and your ultimate good. This kind of pruning goes beyond rearranging priorities to the heart of what defines us – the people we love, the possessions we cling to, our deep sense of personal rights. They are the very ears God must rule if we are to bear more fruit.

(c) He Gets Invitation to Abide More Deeply With Him in order to Bear much Fruit: God's purpose for a Christian is not for him to do more for God but that he will choose to be more with God. It is only by remaining and staying closely connected to Him that one can enjoy the most rewarding friendship with God and experience the greatest abundance of His glory. If we are not abiding in Him, we wither and die and become of no spiritual use. However, if we stay connected to him, if we draw spiritual nourishment from Him. If we allow the power that flows through Him to flow through us, then nothing will stop us from producing much fruit. The invitation to abide more deeply comes from Christ to the fruit producing Christian (john 15:9). The challenge in abiding in Him is always to break out from dutiful activities to a living, flourishing relationship with God, Someone may wonder how working less for God in order to spend more time with Him can give rise to “much fruit” in your life. Reason is that when you abide with Him, God rewards you by supernaturally multiplying your efforts. Let me point out that abiding in Christ carries with it a promise of answered prayer. Jesus said, “if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” (John 15:7, 8). Later, in verse 16, Jesus repeats the promise, Nothing pleases God more than when we ask for what He wants to give. Let us begin to spend more time with Him. Let us allow priorities, passions and purposes to motivate us. Then we will ask for things that are closest to His heart and will bear much fruit. He lives in Joyful Abundance: Undoubtedly the most startling symbol of abundance in the Old Testament is the snapshot of what the spies found in the promised land as recorded in Numbers 13:23 and I quote: “They came to the valley of Eshcol and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grape; they carried it between two of them or a pole.” To my mind, one cluster of grape that is carried on a pole by two men represents a bumper harvest or a snapshot of supernatural abundance. I believe that it is the portrait of fruitfulness that God has in store for His people. Such a person lives in joyful abundance. After all, Jesus made a wonderful promise to His disciples that night in the vineyard, and I quote: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy be full,” (john 15:11). Joyful abundance is for Christians that produce fruit. You were created for a life mission of abundance for God but you will have to cooperate with God's ways and respond to him in obedience and trust.

CONCLUSION:

The call to produce fruit in keeping with repentance is a call to service. Christians are saved to serve. Every believer must therefore be involved in serving God. There is a place for every child of God in this work; and in God’s Vineyard, no work is considered small. The call to produce fruit is also a call to living life of holiness and purity of heart. It is a call to the church to rise up to her calling and intensify her efforts to evangelism. We are to go out and sow precious seed of the word of God in the hearts of our fellow men. We cannot do these things without the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we cannot do without the Holy Spirit in our Christian Service. Our preaching will be ineffective, our counseling inadequate and every other service will be unproductive expect done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me challenge all of us to heed the call to produce fruit, more fruit and much fruit as we dedicate ourselves to walk with the lord, decide to do His will, consistently abide in Him and wholeheartedly trust and obey Him. If you are willing to accept the challenge please join me as I conclude with the 19th century songwriter

Mr. D.B. Towner‟s song titled “Trust and Obey”.

SS & S 642 TRUST AND OBEY

When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word

What a glory he sheds on our way!

While we do his good will, he abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But his smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh nor a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil he doth richly repay;

Not a grief nor a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blest if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of his love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor he shows, and the joy he bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet,

Or we will walk by his side in the way;

What he says we will do, where he sends we will go,

Never fear, only trust and obey.