Abide In Me — Week 4
Fruit That Remains
Super Bowl Sunday
Lasting fruit doesn’t come from trying harder—it comes from staying rooted.
Abiding in Jesus produces fruit that lasts—not because we work harder, but because His presence forms our character.
We Are Always Being Formed
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
—John 15:5 (NLT)
We are all being formed by something. The real question is who or what is shaping our habits, reactions, and responses.
What we remain in eventually remakes us.
Fruit Reveals Who We’re Becoming
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
—Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)
Fruit is not behavior modification. It is character formation.
What comes out of us—especially in the first moments of pressure—reveals what has been growing within us.
Remaining, Obedience, and Life
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”
—John 15:9–10 (NLT)
Obedience does not earn God’s love. It keeps us connected to the source of life.
“You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
—Genesis 2:16–17 (NLT)
Disconnection from God always leads to loss of life.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
—John 10:10 (NLT)
Abundance is not a life full of things, but a life full of character, wholeness, and purpose.
How Fruit Is Formed Under Pressure
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
—Romans 5:3–5 (NLT)
God forms character through pressure, not apart from it. Trials become the training ground where lasting fruit grows.
Fruit That Remains Is Rooted
“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
—John 15:16 (NLT)
Jesus is after fruit that lasts—fruit shaped by depth, not speed.
“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
—Psalm 1:1–3 (NLT)
Rooted lives bear fruit in season—consistently and faithfully.
Oaks of Righteousness
“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”
—Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)
God is not growing impressive plants. He is growing oaks—deep, steady, and enduring.
Lasting fruit doesn’t come from trying harder—it comes from staying rooted.
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