How to Increase Fruitfulness

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Luke 13:6-9 – “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil? Sir, the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

John 1:17 – “Grace and truth came by Jesus”

We look for fruit in three areas of our life

Personal Life – Heart – thoughts, emotions and behaviors

Personal Relationships – God, family and friends

Performance – Talents, gifts and purpose

Where is the problem?

Fruit is a yard stick: Barren, deformed or unproductive

The fruit, the tree, or the soil?

If the problem is the fruit, accept it for what it is.

If the problem is the tree, then no one can change. Cut it down.

If the problem is the soil, treat it!

Three Essential Soil Nutrients and today we will talk about the second one

Nitrogen - Love

Phosphate - Grace

Potassium - ______

Potassium encourages water flow and increases crop yield and fruit quality, Keeps the leaves healthy to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide

I.  The soil without truth

  1. Blocks light – light is essential for growth
  2. “light came into the world . . . he that doeth truth comes to the light” – John 3:15-21.
  3. ______bondage
  4. Binds us to the past – blocks the flow of water (word)
  5. “. . . cleansing her by the washing of water through the word” – Ephesians 5:26.
  6. ______action (Galatians 2:14-21)
  7. Neutralizes character
  8. Frustrates grace – shift to works
  9. Weakens faith – ability to believe (take God at His Word)
  10. ______truth (Romans 1:18-32)
  11. Look at the creature rather than the Creator
  12. Given over to our imaginations and sensualities
  13. Vision becomes skewed (cannot see right or wrong; good or evil)
  14. “. . . you must no longer live . . . in the futility of [their] thinking . . . they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God . . . given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in . . . impurity and lust for more” (Ephesians 4:17-19).

II.  Impact of Truth in Soil

  1. Idea: free from exaggeration, pretense, simulation, falsehood, deceit.
  2. ______of character
  3. Jesus ______truth: “I am the way, the truth and the life” – John 14:6.
  4. Truth ______freedom: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” - John 8:32.
  5. Truth ______in all believers: Jesus Christ (John 14:6-7); Holy Spirit (John 14:17-19).
  6. Truth ______(removes impurities) and ______(make productive) John 17:17.
  7. Truth promotes ______of life from death
  8. “Love rejoices in truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6)
  9. “Speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:25 KJV)

III.  Truth at Work in the Soil

  1. We ______up (Ephesians 4:15)
  2. We are ______together (Ephesians 4:15)
  3. Makes ______of the body – edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16)
  4. We bear ______and ______for the next harvest!!!!!!
  5. John 17:18-19 –“As you [the Father] sent me . . . I have sent them . . . they too are sanctified.”
  6. “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness” – 2 Corinthians 9:10.
  7. Brings us into ______(Ephesians 4:13)
  8. Places us in ______
  9. Matures us into ______

Application

How to work love. grace and truth into your soil

Read and meditate on scripture

Ask the Holy Spirit to what is needed

Cultivate your heart