The sermon for March 8th 2026 is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 4:1-42, I talk about Living Water and Living Harvest.
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The sermon for March 8th 2026 is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 4:1-42, I talk about Living Water and Living Harvest.
Click here to listen in your browser or to download the mp3
The sermon for March 1st 2026 is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 3:1-21, I talk about “You Must Be Born Again.”
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In John 15, Jesus tells us that His disciples must bear fruit:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:1-8, ESV)
If this issue of fruit production is so important, we must ask what kind of fruit is Jesus looking for? Clearly this fruit is the result of staying connected (abiding) to Christ. But what is the fruit that abiding in Christ produces?
To answer that question I looked at every occurrence of the word “fruit” in the Bible, and how it is used. I found the following 17 different uses of the word:
2. Metaphor for Produce Generally
Gen 4:3, Lev 25:19, Num 13:20, Num 13:26, Num 13:27, Deu 1:25, Deu 7:13, Deu 11:17, Deu 26:2, Deu 26:10, Deu 28:4, Deu 28:11, Deu 28:18,
Deu 28:30, Deu 28:33, Deu 28:42, Deu 28:51, Deu 30:9, Deu 30:9, Jos 5:12, Neh 9:36,Ps 72:16, Ps 105:35), Isa 4:2, Jer 7:20, Hos 14:8, Joe 2:22, Jas 5:7), Jas 5:18, Rev 18:14)
3. Babies- Fruit of the Womb
Gen 30:2, Deu 7:13, Deu 28:4, Deu 28:11, Deu 28:18, Deu 28:53, Deu 30:9, Deu 30:9, Ps 127:3, Isa 13:18, Lam 2:20, Eze 36:8, Eze 36:30, Mic 6:7, Luke 1:42
It is easy to see that Jesus is not expecting His followers to be farmers and vine-dressers. Nor is He requiring us to have lots of babies.
(Neh 10:35) We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD;
(Neh 10:37) and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labour.
(Jer 11:19) But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”
(Ps 1:3) He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Ps 80:12, Ps 92:14, Isa 27:6, Isa 37:31, Jer 11:16, Jer 12:2, Jer 17:8, Dan 4:12, 4:14, 4:21, Hos 9:10, 9:16, 10:1, Amo 2:9)
We could possibly see this as something that Jesus is expecting of His people. Abiding in Him produces the fruit of spiritual and emotional steadfastness.
Job 20:18, Ps 78:46, Ps 104:13, Ps 105:44, Pro 27:18, Pro 31:16, 31:31, Eze 23:29
(Pro 1:31) Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
(Hos 10:13)
You have ploughed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Pro 14:14, Jer 6:19, Amo 8:1-2, Rom 6:21, Rom 7:5.
(Mat 3:8) Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Pro 11:30, 12:12, Isa 3:10, Isa 11:1, Isa 27:9, Isa 45:8, Jer 17:10, Jer 21:14, Jer 32:19, Eze 34:27, Amo 6:12, Mic 7:13, Mat 3:10, Mat 7:17-19, Mat 12:33, Mat 13:23, Luk 3:9, Luk 6:43-44, Luk 8:14-15, John 4:36, John 15:4-8, 16, Rom 6:22, Rom 7:4, Gal 5:22, Eph 5:9, Php 1:11, Php 4:17, Col 1:10, Heb 12:11
Pro 12:14, Pro 13:2, Pro 18:20, Isa 57:19
(Son 2:3, Son 7:8)
12.A Snake
(Isa 14:29)
Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.
(Isa 17:6)
Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel.
Eze 17:8-9,23 19:12-14
(Rev 22:2) through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Conclusion
Some of these categories seem to be easily excluded. Looking at the context of John 15, it would seem that Jesus is saying that if we abide in Him, then outcomes such as a righteous life (9), or a sense of vitality and strength (6), people being saved (16) and praise from our lips( 17) should be expected.
In the end it is not about our efforts alone; after all a fruit tree does not strain to produce fruit. If we are true followers of Christ, then certain things will follow. We can often tell who the true christians are in a group or a community by observing the way they speak and act. This is the fruit of Christ within.
The sermon for June 15th 2025 is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 16:5-15, I talk about “Trinity- One God, Three Persons.”
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The sermon for November 3rd 2024 is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 2:1-11, I talk about “Happy Birthday 2024”
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The sermon for August 25th is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 6:53-69, I talk about Jesus- the Bread of Life.
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The sermons for August 4 and 11 are now available on the New Life web site.
The sermon of August 4th was brought by Margaret Baxter. She preached from John 10:1-16 and talked about Hearing God’s Voice. Click here to listen or download
In the sermon for August 11th, which was based on Ephesians 4:1-16, I talked about Unity in the Holy Spirit. Click here to listen or download

The sermon for March 17th 2024 is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 12:20-33, I talk about “Unless A seed Dies”
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The sermon for March 10th 2024 is now available on the New Life web site.
In this sermon, which is based on John 3:1-21, I talk about “Everything Is Spiritual.”
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