27 Apr
2025

Bear Much Fruit

Passage: John 15:1-5

“When Christ came in the incarnation, he took on everything that was ours so we could take on everything that was his. If you are in Christ, what is true of Christ is true of you, what belongs to Christ belongs to you. Your past, present, and future are then defined by the past, present, and future of Christ, not your failures, weaknesses, and shame. If you are buried with Jesus, your future is as bright as the glorified Christ in heaven.” —John Starke, The Secret Place of Thunder

Sermon Outline:

  • True Vine
  • Union with the Vine

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

The Bible often uses a vineyard or vine as a symbol of God’s people. In what ways is the seasonal process of a vine bearing fruit helpful for understanding the Christian life – being part of God’s people?

We are often inclined to highly value instant gratification, which contacts with a seasonal process. In what ways do you (and the church) seek to short-circuit maturity in Christ?

Read John 15:1-5. What does this passage show you about God’s character and about being his child? What challenges, encourages, or sparks questions for you in this passage?

Who is responsible for bearing fruit? What does our participation in bearing fruit look like? How do these roles of responsibility shape your perspective on experiencing the fruit of the Spirit in your life?
What encourages and helps you remain in Jesus, the true vine? In what ways do you attempt to bear fruit by yourself?
As the good gardener, God cares for the vine and its branches, providing the right constraints for the vine to flourish and bear fruit. A fish is designed for water and meant to breathe in water. Only in water can a fish live and flourish. If it is “free” from any restrictions, free to go up on land, it will die. True freedom is not the absence of constraints, but operating (enjoying life) within the right constraints. How does remaining in Christ and being pruned by Christ, give us these right constraints?
As brothers and sisters in Christ, part of the Covenant church family, how can we encourage one another in being pruned by God?

What from this passage and this discussion is something you want to put into practice or be more aware of this week?

PRAYER

Share with your group how they can be praying for you: what is weighing on you from this past week? What are you praising God for from this past week?

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”