Fruitful Living (Week 6)

Preacher: Daniel Erasmus

Worship:
We encourage you to listen to the song New Wine: Hillsong Worship. Allow the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart and minister to you in these moments of worship.

Check-in:
What does having a fruitful life mean to you? Was there anything else in the sermon that stood out?

Synopsis of message:
On Sunday, Pastor Daniel shared about fruitful living. This can be considered as the heart of what it means to be a true disciple. God wants us to live a life of fruitfulness (Genesis 1:28; John 15:8). “Fruit” in the context of the sermon was defined as “what my life produces”.

• What is my life producing and what fruit am I bearing in my life?
  • What do people see and what would they say about the fruit that I am producing? (Our every-day actions and reactions)
  • Fruit is visible (Matthew 7:16-20)
  • The Holy Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:16-23). We must become more like Jesus.
• What is my life producing and what fruit am I bearing with my life?
  • Fruit is beneficial. Our lives and the fruit we produce are meant to impact the lives of the people around us.
  • Fruit is displayed in three ways:
    • Give generously. This refers to whatever you have e.g. if you have an encouragement, encourage somebody. (2 Corinthians 9:11)
    • Serve willingly. A true disciple does not look to be served but always thinks about serving. (Mark 10:41-45)
    • Share Christ urgently. Disciples share their faith with others. (Proverbs 11:30)

To see this kind of fruit growing in our lives, we must constantly work on the environment that the tree is planted in. We must remain in Christ (John 15:1-5). Discipleship is not an act, discipleship is a habit.

Discussion Questions:

1. Pastor Daniel recalls the words of Jesus: By their fruit you will recognize them. Although this is challenging, given our human nature, what fruit can we produce in our daily lives that could impact others?
2. Discipleship is not just a box to tick off, like “you’ve given your life to the Lord, so you’re done”. But, remaining in Jesus has an impact on us. Spending time with the Lord creates change in us that we want to see too. Share something that you’ve seen change in you or your behaviour over time or recently. Have you noticed how you’ve become more patient in traffic? Or more willing to assist someone at work?
3. Giving was mentioned in this sermon. As Pastor Daniel said, it’s not always about money! What can you give or do to bring the light and love of Jesus to your immediate environment?

Check-out:
There is a lot of reflection needed following this sermon. The fruits of the Spirit are many and we often see our shortcomings. Take a moment to consider what habit or behaviour needs God’s guidance. But remember too that we are living in the grace of the Lord, this is not a condemnation. We are all a work in progress.

Additional Resources:

• Seek First (YouVersion)
• The Fruit Of The Spirit (YouVersion)