Keep the Word of God in Your Heart, and Bear Fruit with Patience (Part 4)

“But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard THE WORD with a noble and good heart, KEEP IT AND BEAR FRUIT WITH PATIENCE.” (Luke 8:15 NKJV).

Beloved, we are concluding our series on the Parable of the Sower, and in this fourth and final part of the series we will discuss the seed that “fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” (see Luke 8:8 NKJV). Jesus said, “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having HEARD THE WORD with a noble and good heart, KEEP IT AND BEAR FRUIT WITH PATIENCE.” (Luke 8:15 NKJV). Thus it is in HEARING THE WORD with a NOBLE AND GOOD HEART (a heart that is open or sincere and receptive to the truth of God's Word), UNDERSTANDING THE WORD (see Matthew 13:23), ACCEPTING or BELIEVING THE WORD or keeping the Word in the midst of our heart (see Mark 4:20; with Proverbs 4:20-22), MEDITATING on the Word, and putting the Word into practice or DOING THE WORD consistently (see Joshua 1:8; with James 1:22-25, Luke 6:46-49), that we can bear a hundredfold fruit. In this parable also, Jesus gives us two keys that are necessary to our ability to bear fruit when we hear the Word of the Kingdom with a noble and good heart, and these two keys are FAITH (believing the Word and keeping it in our heart), and PATIENCE (being steadfast in believing, confessing and putting the Word into practice, regardless of what temptation, persecution or tribulation the Word might bring). Likewise, the Book of Hebrews implores us to IMITATE those who through FAITH and PATIENCE inherit the promises of God (see Hebrews 6:12). It is indeed through FAITH and PATIENCE that we inherit the promises of God, and bear fruit a hundredfold. Bearing fruit in the Kingdom of God then is synonymous with inheriting (or laying hold on) the promises of God, or walking in the good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (see Ephesians 2:10). The apostle Peter wrote that it is through (laying hold on) the exceedingly great and precious promises of God that we become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (see 2 Peter 1:4).

Beloved, it is very important to our Lord Jesus Christ that we (His disciples) lay hold on all the promises of God, walk in good works, or bear fruit a hundredfold. Thus, Jesus Himself emphasized that He has chosen us and ordained us to the end that we will BEAR FRUIT, and that our fruit should REMAIN. He said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I HAVE CHOSEN YOU, and ORDAINED YOU, THAT YE SHOULD GO AND BRING FORTH FRUIT, and that your FRUIT SHOULD REMAIN: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.” (John 15:16 KJV). Then He added that, “Every branch in Me that DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT He (The Father) takes away; and every branch that BEARS FRUIT He (The Father) prunes, THAT IT MAY BEAR MORE FRUIT.” (John 15:2 NKJV, brackets and emphasis mine). Beloved, the ultimate goal of our Christian walk here on earth is for each disciple of Christ to bear a hundredfold fruit; and this can only be attained through FAITH and PATIENCE. Therefore, so long as you are bearing fruit, you shouldn't worry that others are bearing a hundredfold and you are only bearing, say thirtyfold, or sixty; you should be patient, because the Father prunes those who are bearing fruit so that they may bear more fruit. You should thus continue patiently to abide in Christ as He abides in you and His words abide in you, and you will be pruned by the Father to bear more fruit, up to a hundredfold.

Truly, there is no other way to bear fruit but to ABIDE (or remain) in Jesus Christ and allow His words to ABIDE (or remain) in us. (see John 15:1-8). Abiding in Jesus is the same as abiding (or remaining) in the Word of God, because Jesus and the Word are one (see John 1:1,14). Therefore if you abide in the Word or make your home in the Word of God -- give yourself entirely to the Word, read it always, meditate on it and confess it continually -- and get the Word to also abide (or make its home) in you, and then put the Word into practice with patience, you will definitely bear fruit, and yes, you will bear fruit a hundredfold. The Bible says that the fruits of righteousness are BY Jesus Christ  (see Philippians 1:11). This also means that we do not bear the fruits of righteousness by self-effort under the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. For we walk by faith. (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). You will bear the fruits of righteousness if you will simply remain in Jesus and allow His words to remain in you, in the same way as the branch of a vine bears fruit by simply remaining in the vine. Jesus Himself said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, NEITHER CAN YOU, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who ABIDES IN Me, and I IN him, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5 NKJV). Indeed we have to abide in Jesus (the Word of God) and allow Jesus (the Word of God) to abide in us in order for us to bear much fruit. The apostle Paul was walking in the knowledge and consciousness of this truth when he said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). Again, Paul said that he labored, striving according to CHRIST’S WORKING WHICH WORKED IN HIM MIGHTILY. (Colossians 1:29). Paul was evidently fruitful in his ministry because he was always conscious of Christ who was in him, and who was his strength, and he also remained in Christ. Paul knew, like the apostle John, that Christ the greater One was in him. (see 1 John 4:4; with Colossians 1:27). He even made the famous declaration, “I have been crucified with Christ; IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live BY FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NKJV). Indeed Paul was fruitful in his Christian walk, so fruitful that at the end of his ministry he boldly declared: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (II Timothy 4:7‭-‬8 NKJV). Glory to God!

Beloved, we will also bear much fruit with patience if we abide in Christ and His words abide in us. And the evidence that we are bearing much fruit is that others see our GOOD WORKS -- the unconditional love we have for others, our joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (see Galatians 5:22), our testimony about Jesus Christ, the good news of salvation that we preach and minister to others, as well as other great miraculous works that we perform in the name of Jesus (see Mark 16:16-18; John 14:12) -- and give glory to our Father in Heaven (see Matthew 5:16). As we also noted earlier, the Bible says that God prepared these good works beforehand for us to walk in them. (see Ephesians 2:10). What this means is that although the fruits we bear or the good works we do are “our good works,” they are actually produced by God in us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the days of His flesh, testified of this truth when He said concerning the words that He spoke and the works that He did, that it was the Father in Him who did the works (see John 14:10). Therefore, dearly beloved, as long as we abide in Christ and His words abide in us, as long as we walk in the light (or walk according to the Word of God), as long as we walk by faith or walk in the Spirit, these fruits or good works will manifest in our lives a hundredfold to the glory of God. This is also why the Bible says we are the ones that have to maintain the good works. You cannot maintain what you don’t already have, and so we have the good works already, and we are commanded to maintain them or keep producing them, by remaining in Christ and allowing His words to remain in us. Paul in his letter to Titus wrote: “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED IN GOD SHOULD BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. These things are good and profitable to men.” (Titus 3:8). We are all to learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that we may NOT BE UNFRUITFUL. (see Titus 3:14). Again, we maintain good works by abiding in Christ (the Vine) and allowing Him and His words to abide in us (see John 15:4-8), just as the branches of any vine maintain their production of fruits simply by abiding in the vine. Truly, when you hear and receive THE WORD OF THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL with a noble and good heart and keep it in the midst of your heart, it will BRING FORTH FRUIT in you, as it did among the saints in colosse (see Colossians 1:3‭-‬10); you will WALK WORTHY of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, BEING FRUITFUL in EVERY GOOD WORK and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Therefore, desire the sincere milk of the Word, study the Word, believe the Word, meditate on the Word of God for it to abide in you or fill your heart, your mind, your soul, your whole being so abundantly that it would be like a burning fire within you that you can’t help but manifest. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.”But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, AND I COULD NOT.” (Jeremiah 20:9). Again, Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART HIS MOUTH SPEAKS.” (Luke 6:45). If you are a true believer (or sincere Christian), you are a good man; you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). And so your words (which are spoken out of the abundance of your heart should bear testimony of Christ. You have to choose to sanctify yourself (or set yourself apart to God) by speaking the truth, which is the Word of God (see John 17:17; Romans 12:1-2), rather than defile yourself with the words of this world that are contrary to the Word of God. (see Matthew 15:11; Mark 7:15). You have to let others see Christ in you wherever you go, and in everything you do. Beloved, I can't emphasize this enough: you need to study and understand the Word of God, and always speak or confess the Word and practice the Word. The Bible says that we are to hold fast our confession (see Hebrews 4:14). In other words, we are to continually confess what the Bible says about us, and what we want to see happen in our lives (in the light of the revelation of the Word of God). We are to confess with our mouth unto salvation (see Romans 10:10) —salvation from diseases, poverty, and every power of darkness or negative circumstance. Begin to use your mouth today to chart the course of your life. The Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21). Every word you speak is a seed you’re sowing that will bear fruit unto life or unto death, so always speak words of life, always speak in agreement with the Word of God.

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus told a parable in which “He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, HE HIMSELF DOES NOT KNOW HOW. For THE EARTH YIELDS CROPS BY ITSELF: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”(Mark 4:26-29). The seed in this context is the Word of God, and the ground (or the earth) is your heart. Purpose today to always sow (or study, meditate on, and confess) the Word of God in/from your heart, and NEVER GIVE UP IF YOU DON’T SEE THE FRUIT (or the evident progress) JUST YET; be steadfast in keeping the Word in your heart, and hold fast your confession, for as you sleep by night and rise by day, the Word is definitely working in you —it is sprouting and growing, even though you don’t know how —and you will eventually see the fruit, for the heart yields fruit by itself; the Word that you have kept in your heart will eventually manifest its power in you for a great harvest of good and miraculous works to the glory of God. So hold on to the Word of God, keep it in your heart, and bear fruit with patience. Remain blessed.

I share this message, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 KJV).

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