Bearing Fruit and Stirring Up the Gift
2:05:13 · Watch on YouTube ↗
These notes - summary, key points, and highlighted thoughts - were generated by AI from the recording and are not the preacher’s exact words.
Summary
The message opens in Matthew 21, where a hungry Jesus comes to a fig tree and finds nothing but leaves. The preacher explains that the risen Christ now looks at our lives the same way, through the Holy Spirit, searching for real spiritual fruit. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10) and given a calling to fulfill, and a branch can only bear fruit while it stays joined to the vine.
Several lives illustrate this. Joseph kept showing the fruit of the Spirit even in prison, where no one was watching. Mary received the word of God and answered, let it be to me according to your word. From Colossians 1, the gospel bears fruit and grows wherever it is welcomed, and the same word that changed the preacher as a young man keeps changing every believer.
The second half turns to the gift God gives, which can grow cold like a dying fire. Paul tells us to stir it up (2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Timothy 4:14-16), because we are called by a holy calling. Bad company, the cares of this life, the deceit of riches, and human philosophy that abandons the simple gospel can all quench it. We rekindle the gift only by being filled with the Holy Spirit, through persistent prayer with thanksgiving, humility, the Word, and perseverance that keeps asking, seeking, and knocking.
Key Points
- The risen Christ examines our lives by His Spirit and looks for genuine fruit, not just a show of leaves.
- We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, and each person has a God-given calling to fulfill.
- A branch bears fruit only while it stays joined to the vine; fruit flows from staying connected to Jesus.
- Joseph bore the fruit of the Spirit even in prison, where no one saw; real character shows in hidden places.
- The gospel bears fruit and grows in every life that truly receives the word.
- A spiritual gift can fade like a dying fire, so we must stir it up and keep it burning.
- Bad company, the cares of this life, and the wisdom of the world quench the gift; prayer, the Word, and the Holy Spirit keep it alive.
Devotional
When Jesus drew near the fig tree, He came looking for fruit, and He still draws near to me the same way. He is not impressed by a display of leaves; He is searching for the quiet fruit of His Spirit in my words, my patience, and my love. Like a branch, I have nothing to give unless I stay joined to the Vine and let His word remain in me. So today I will fan the gift He placed in me back into flame, through prayer, His word, and surrender, and ask Him to fill me afresh with His Spirit so my life truly bears fruit for Him.
Christ is not looking for leaves on your branches; He is looking for the fruit of His Spirit in your life.
A gift, like a fire, can fade. Keep it burning by staying filled with the Holy Spirit.
Joseph bore good fruit even in prison, where no one was watching.
