John 15:1-8

John 15 records for us an illustration Jesus used involving grape vines.  It presents to us three powerful images:

                  1) Jesus is the vine.

                  2) The Heavenly Father is the gardener.

                  3) We are the branches of the vine from which fruit should grow.

It is important we understand what kind of “fruit” God expects from us.

The fruit God is looking for is not the balance of your bank account, the size of your family, the number of people you know, diplomas you have on your wall, or how many cars are in your garage.  In and of themselves, they have no lasting value.

God is looking for spiritual fruit that has an eternal value.

• Inner Fruit = developing the character of Christ
• Outer Fruit = good deeds that positively impact people and glorify God
• Evangelism = helping people come to know Christ as Lord