Change Our Heart's - Part 6

Was that by that careful pruning, we did get an abundance of fruit. Maggie and I made raisins, we had so many grapes. I think we've still got some of them after 25 years.

Now, pruning is not pleasant to the vine, but mandatory to the fruit. And the pruning of the vine dresser is a form of judgment. Our father says, I'm not liking it when you're not bearing a whole lot of fruit.

And you've allowed a lot of things to grow up in your life that are really robbing you of the kind of fruit I want. So I'm here now, and I've got the pruning shears, and I'm going to go after you. Well, Lord, can you just do a little bit? And do it in, now, there's kind of an ugly area over there, I don't care much for that.

How about a little pruning? But not here, I mean, look at how I flourish here. But no, no, the vine dresser knows what needs cutting. So I want to close by making a few simple suggestions to you.

Number one, remember Judah. Will you take this seriously? Remember Judah. He never bore any fruit.

Heard everything that the others heard, saw everything the others saw, but he never bore fruit. Remember Judah. You may be approaching right now one of those fruitless seasons.

There may be an awful lot of suckers that have grown up in your life, a lot of stuff that's nothing but dead wood that needs to be pruned away. But you like your life the way it is. Remember Judas, and set your heart never to be a fruitless vine.

Number two, learn to love the pruning. Sure, at the time of the pruning things do look pretty awful. But oh, the fruit that comes when the pruning is done right.

Learn to love the pruning. Stop objecting to what the Lord is dealing with in your life. Learn to say, oh God, go to it.

Let me have the full treatment. Cut away everything that's going to keep me from being fruitful. I have only one great priority, one great overwhelming ambition, and that's to bear much fruit that I might bring glory to you and demonstrate to all around me that I'm one of your disciples.

And learn to fear the bugs and the blights that affect the vine, and plead with God to keep you a healthy vine. Become totally intolerant of anything that is destructive to the real work of God in your life. And then cultivate and live in a spirit of rejoicing.

What is more wonderful than being a fruit-bearing Christian, bringing glory to God, demonstrating his presence in the light? The judgments of God that enable us to be the very people that he created us and redeemed us to become. Now, Father, bless your word to our hearts and lives. And may there come out of every believer in this assembly abundant fruit to the glory of King Jesus.

Amen.