God designed you to be fruitful! In this sermon clip Bill Johnson teaches keys to walking in God’s design, bearing much fruit. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15: 1 NKJV
every branch that doesn’t bear fruit he
removes every branch that bears fruit he
prunes
that it may bear more fruit
john chapter 15 is where we’re going to
start
verse 1 i am the true vine
my father is the vine dresser every
branch in me that does not bear fruit he
takes away
every branch that bears fruit he prunes
that it may bear more fruit
say this with me
god rewards all growth
with pruning
how many of you are being richly
rewarded in this particular season
that’s what i thought yeah
every branch that doesn’t bear fruit he
removes every branch that bears fruit he
prunes
that it may bear more fruit the very
next verse verse three you are clean
already
because of the word i’ve spoken to
i know i’ve taught on this probably a
dozen times in 20 years but i i bring it
up again because we sometimes have a
misunderstanding of what pruning what
the discipline of the lord looks like
jesus is talking to his guys and he says
i’m the vine father is the fine dresser
you’re the branches bear fruit
he says if you don’t bear fruit or when
you bear fruit you get pruned he said
now you guys are already clean the word
cleaner is the same word for prune
so he’s telling them
you have to be pruned if you’re growing
but i’ve already pruned you
and i pruned you by the word i spoke to
you
that tells us then circumstances don’t
prune us
his word does
the circumstances help us to pay
attention to what he’s saying
some of you wouldn’t be interested in
what god has to say at all if it were
not for the pain of your circumstance
and not you but it’s that other church
down the road
he gets our attention through a
situation only so that he can speak that
which will bring transformation
he prunes through his word
it can be said we live because he speaks
bret man shall not live by
bread alone but by every
word that proceeds from the mouth of god
we live from the word that proceeds from
the mouth of god we live because he
talks
why does the enemy work so hard
to
to cause us to lose faith in our ability
to hear from god
because we live because he speaks
he wants to separate us if possible from
the very thing that keeps
that flow of life
steering in our own souls
all right
go to chapter 14
and we’re going to race through uh three
uh portions of scripture here four
actually
four chapter 14.
i’m going to start with verse 11
not because i need to but just because i
like to
because it would be considered heresy
for not in the bible
[Laughter]
it took me too long to explain what i
just said so forget it
but it is it’s it’s you got me ben you
got me all right all right
ben and me we’re flowing together here
verse 11 believe me that i am in the
father the father is in me or else
believe me for the sake of the works
themselves
that’s amazing
here’s jesus just believe me i’m in the
father
the father’s in me
you can’t handle that well then just
believe for the miracles
why would he do that
because that’s a sign that will bring
you back to the love of the father
if you can’t handle the giant step of
believing i am in the father the father
is in me then just believe for what’s
right within reach now and that’s the
miracle once you embrace that you’ll
catch another glimpse from another angle
the goodness of the father
we owe the world the miraculous because
in many ways it is the clearest
illustration of god’s love for humanity
his love for us is not just a
philosophical love it is demonstrated it
is measurable in the miraculous
verse 12
most assuredly i say to you he who
believes in me the works that i do he
will also do
and greater works than these will he do
because i go to the father
i hear i hear people say
that doesn’t mean greater as in greater
it just it means it means greater in
number because we’re so many
it’s not what it says though
and the desire is good it wants to
protect
the beauty the wonder the incredible
nature of jesus’s ministry on planet
earth
but you don’t protect
his image by denying what he says
he said greater
they touched jesus clothing they were
healed
for paul they took his clothing sent it
to another location they were healed
for peter they just got in his shadow
and they were healed it’s called greater
yeah
it doesn’t
dishonor jesus because it couldn’t have
happened without jesus making the decree
jesus declared it is what made it
possible
verse 13 and whatever you ask in my name
that i will do that the father may be
glorified in the son if you ask anything
in my name i will do it what’s the point
here
the ask for anything is in the context
of greater works
that the father may be glorified
see jesus has just announced to these
guys i’m going
they’re going what
wait what
no sorry
got back to the pig there wait
i’m going
and then he says it’s better for you
that i go
and i know they’re thinking
yeah right
right right
how could it be better and so now he’s
setting the he’s setting them up he said
listen you guys are going to do greater
things i’ve created a momentum for you
to step into
that makes it possible for you to do
greater things
and you will ask anything and it’ll be
done and here’s the driving force my
driving desire behind everything i’m
telling you is it’s that the father
would be glorified
this whole plan of me coming and dying
returning to the father releasing the
spirit is the father’s design
he will be glorified by all of creation
because his plan worked
[Music]
when you pray and a miracle takes place
his plan
all of creation stands in all that what
the father orchestrated is actually
happening
that fallen men can be restored and
actually demonstrate the life the love
the purity the power of god in the
broken situations of humanity
no part of creation thought that was
possible and they stand in absolute
astonishment
because it works
and they glorify the father
and jesus set the stage for that to
happen
we look at solomon in the old testament
where god appears to him in the night
and basically gave him a blank check
said here you can ask for whatever you
want
it’s the high water
of prayer
in the old testament
and the new testament the blank check is
to give is given to every believer every
day
in the new testament
the blank check is given to every
believer every day
[Applause]
thankfully god reserves the right to say
no
to anything that will undermine my
purpose
all right thank you lord
chapter 15
verse 7. if you abide in me
my words abide in you you will ask what
you desire shall be done for you
by this my father is glorified that you
bear much fruit
and so you will be my disciples
i
personally i’m strongly convinced that
the bearing much fruit
of verse 8
are the answers to prayer in verse 7.
i want you to see all of creation paying
attention to a covenant with god in
heaven and humanity on planet earth is
delegated authority and they play pray
and things happen because of it
see it started that way genesis chapter
1
father son holy spirit have a
conversation and they say let us make
man in our image
the only part of creation
created in his likeness why for the
purpose of relationship
he then commissions them he says be
fruitful multiply fill the earth and
subdue it
be fruitful be productive in your work
they were never assigned to sit on a
cloud and play a harp and do nothing
our our identity honestly is reinforced
through work
not working to obtain favor working
because we have favor
it’s healthy for us
to work
the guy with five talents who was
rewarded by god was rewarded with more
responsibility
be fruitful multiply
fruitful is to be productive in your
work multiply have children who have
children who have children
fill the earth
don’t all live in one house
[Music]
don’t build a skyscraper and all live
there come on spread yourself out
why
land ownership
is a part
of authority
and and implementing the purposes of god
on the earth
it is it is what you occupy you have
authority over
fill the earth and subdue it subdue its
military term the implication is i’m
you are created into a war
through relationship with me learn to
implement my purposes as delegated
authority onto this earth until it’s
transformed
sin messed it up jesus came and fixed
the mess and we’re back to the same
assignment
now jesus says whatever you ask for
i don’t think he’s saying
let the father program you to pray the
right things
obviously we want to pray the will of
god
and i’m thankful that he
he holds the right to v to to veto my
stupid prayers
but i’m also thankful
that sometimes i pray not out of a
command but out of a relationship
and there is a difference
there are sometimes you you do something
not because he told you to do it but
because you’ve you’ve sensed this
overflow of his life into yours how
could i not paul says peter says i
cannot stop but speaking of the of the
purp the things that god has said and
done things that i’ve seen i can’t stop
i can’t stop it it’s not a choice it’s
volcanic in me what i have seen it’s
impossible to stop and there are certain
things that we do because of a
relationship not necessarily in response
to a command obviously the base for this
relationship is we respond to all of his
commands but he invites us into a
relational role where there are times
where we find ourselves dreaming
and praying for things he didn’t direct
us to pray for
and it’s in those moments we start
finding out the far reaches of his will
and his capacity and desire and passion
to answer prayer it’s outside
of just the simple commands that we’ve
been given
we find out how far-reaching the command
on earth as it is in heaven really looks
yeah i’m so glad that you uh watched
this video i do pray that it’s a great
great strength and encouragement to you
and i’ve got a verse that it really is
my cry for all of us and it’s uh psalms
20 it’s verse 4.
may he grant you your heart’s desire and
fulfill all your plans
that’s my prayer that’s my prayers that
this would be the season of rich rich
fulfillment
thanks for joining us