Jesus found a fig tree with only leaves and no fruit, so he cursed the tree so it would never bear fruit again. The document defines fruit as qualities like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. It encourages producing fruit even in hard times by remaining connected to God through prayer and obedience to his word, and allowing God to prune away anything that doesn't bear fruit. True fruitfulness comes from abiding in God.

1. Bearing Fruit in Hard Times
"You can identify them by their fruit, that is by the way they act." - Mt. 12:33

2. When God Calls

3. Jesus is looking for fruit.

4. 18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his
way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing
a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but
found nothing on it except leaves. Then he
said to it, “May you never bear fruit
again!” Immediately the tree withered.
• Jesus was hungry. The multitudes are
hungry. They don't know what for, but Fruit
will nourish them.
• He found nothing but leaves.
• Curse.
• Leaves, but no fruit.
• Phony.
• Pretending.

6. Fruit Definition
Love To serve a person for their intrinsic value, not for what the person brings you.
Joy Delight in God for sheer beauty and worth of who He is.
Peace Confidence and rest in the wisdom and sovereignty of God more than your own.
Patience Ability to take trouble (from others or life) without blowing up or hitting back.
Kindness Practical kindness with vulnerability out of deep inner security.
Goodness Honesty, transparency, being the same in one situation as another.
Faithfulness Loyalty, courage, committed, utterly reliable, true to one's word.
Gentleness/Humility Self-forgetfulness.
Self-control Ability to choose the important thing over the urgent.

8. Less Talky More Walky

9. Jeremiah 2:21
• ``I set you before me as the plant
of a choice vine, all of you doing
truth; but how are you changed
before me in your corrupt works?
ye have declined from my
worship, ye are become as a vine
in which there is no profit.''

10. Fig Leaves

11. What is Fruit?
• Fruit is produced by the inherent
energy of a living organism.
• It's the visible expression of
something working inside us.

12. Bloom where
you're planted.
• You have not chosen Me, but I have
chosen you and I have
appointed and placed and purpose-
fully planted you, so that you would
go and bear fruit and keep on
bearing, and that your fruit will
remain and be lasting, so that
whatever you ask of the Father in
My name [as My representative] He
may give to you. - Jn. 15:16

13. Produce/Productivity
Are there things that suck up our time, but no fruit is produced?

14. The Curse of Busyness
• Luke 10:41-42
• 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord
answered, “you are worried and
upset about many things, 42 but
few things are needed—or
indeed only one.[a] Mary has
chosen what is better, and it will
not be taken away from her.”

15. Pruning
• God is not going to leave you
alone and let you remain the
same.
• Pruning is cutting away the dead
parts.

16. Bearing Fruit in Hard Times
• It's not hard to be nice when all is well.
• If your feelings dictate your behavior,
then the devil has you on the run.

17. When it's not that
easy to be nice

18. Psalm 1
1. Blessed is the one who does not
walk in step with the wicked or
stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of
mockers,
2. but whose delight is in the law of
the LORD, and who meditates on
his law day and night.
3. That person is like a tree planted
by streams of water, which yields
its fruit in season and whose leaf
does not wither— whatever they
do prospers.

19. Colossians 3
• 12 Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen
ones (His own picked representatives), [who are]
purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by
putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted
pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of
yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is
tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to
endure whatever comes, with good temper].
• 13 Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if
one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against
another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord
has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive].

20. Does this attitude
look good on me?
• With God's help, we have the ability to
change our attitudes.
• Have you put on a bad attitude? Change
it just like you change your clothes.
• We cannot behave the way we should
without God.
• With God's help, we can behave.

21. John 15
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every
branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear
fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already
clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I
also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in
the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do
not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and
withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and
burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s
glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.