Converted Heart Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Dr. Darryl A. Burton Sr.: Go ahead and give God some praise on this morning. Let's put our hands together and celebrate this day, for this is the day that the Lord has made. He says let us rejoice and be glad in it. I'm glad to be with you on this morning as we engage in our worship service on today. We're grateful to come before you with praise and with worship.

Today, I'd like to read for our hearing Psalm number 95. It says, "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock of his sheep. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.

For 40 years I was angry with that generation; I said, 'They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" I read for our hearing the entire 95th Psalm for your hearing on this morning. We're ready for praise and worship. You all ready to worship the Lord this morning? We're going to be in and we're going to be out because we've got an event. We have a preaching opportunity today in Front Royal, so we're going to come before you with a praise and worship time, then we're going to have a scripture reading and we're going to give you a word to encourage and to inspire your souls on this morning. Rev. Kemp, come lead us in praise and worship.

Rev. Kemp: Praise the Lord! I was also glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord" every single time. Where two or more are gathered in His name, because you carry His spirit, God is in the midst of it. Because of you and being filled with the Spirit of the Lord, amen. The song says, "Be Glorified." Be glorified in the heavens and be glorified in the earth. Be thou glorified. All right everyone, put your hands together. It's a real simple song. When you hear the words, you're going to want to sing along right with me. I see you all singing. Hallelujah.

Be glorified, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified. Come on and sing with me. Be glorified, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified. Oh, we glorify you, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified. Be glorified in the heavens, be glorified in the earth, be glorified in this temple, Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified.

Be glorified, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified. Oh, we glorify you, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified. We lift your name, God, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified, be glorified. Be glorified in the heavens, be glorified in the earth, be glorified in this temple, Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified. In the heavens say be glorified in the heavens. God, we glorify you in the earth, be glorified in the earth.

Be glorified in our spirit, in our temple, be glorified in this temple. Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified. In the heavens say be glorified in the heavens. God, we glorify you in the earth, be glorified in the earth. Be glorified in our spirit, in our temple, be glorified in this temple. Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified. Be glorified in the heavens. Be glorified in the earth. Be glorified in my spirit. Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified.

Be glorified in the heavens. God, we glorify you in the heavens. Be glorified in the earth. Be glorified you in the earth, God. Be glorified in our spirit, in our temple. Your name is Jesus, Jesus. You're powerful, Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, be thou glorified. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Be glorified right now in the spirit, in the earth, as well as in the heavens. Amen.

Dr. Darryl A. Burton Sr.: Amen. Let us go to the Lord in prayer at this time. Father God, we want to thank you that we can come in this place to glorify your name. Your name is awesome, Lord God, so we thank you for this morning allowing us to rise up from our beds. Oh Lord God, thank you for the journey on last night as we slumbered and slept, as you kept us to see and wake up to see a brand new day.

We thank you, Lord God, for your grace and for your mercy. We thank you, oh Lord God, as we come into this place of worship on this morning, that Lord God, you will be glorified. You will be lifted up. You will be magnified. You will be exalted, for you are the great God. You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. So we come this morning, Lord God, thanking you for another day, another day's journey.

Lord God, let us come together and worship you. We are here, for your word says where two or more are gathered in your name, you will be in our midst. So we praise your name this morning, Lord God. We thank you for those who labored before us to come and make their way here. Thank you for their presence here today in this place, Lord. May you be glorified. May you be lifted up.

We pray, oh Lord God, for our nation. We pray, oh Lord God, for this country. We pray for our communities, Lord God. We pray for every man, every woman who is dealing with some kind of trial or tribulation. We pray, oh Lord God, in the name of Jesus, that you heal those who are broken. Heal those who are wounded. Heal those, Lord God, who are going through physical challenges right now in the name of Jesus.

We pray, oh Lord God, for emotional and mental stability for those who have emotional and mental health challenges right now in the name of Jesus. Lord God, be glorified right now in the heaven. Be glorified in the earth. Be glorified in our temples, Lord God. Oh Lord God, we worship you because you are to be glorified today. We pray for every man and woman that is going through whatever they're going through right now, knowing that you are able to do exceedingly abundantly more than what we can think or ask.

So we bless your name right now. We honor you right now. We praise you right now for what you're doing. You're turning things around. You're uplifting us, Lord God. You're giving us this day to come and to worship you. For that, Lord God, and for that we say thank you. Thank you for food on our tables, clothes on our backs. Thank you for our dwelling places in the name of Jesus, Lord. Oh Lord God, as we go higher in worship, be with us. Oh Lord God, and bless us. This is your servant's prayer in Jesus' name. Let every heart say amen. Amen. Amen. We'll have our scripture reading now coming from Afi James Jenkins. Amen.

Afi James Jenkins: Hello. Today we'll be reading John chapter 15, verses one through eight. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that bears me no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will 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. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." Amen.

Dr. Darryl A. Burton Sr.: Amen. Thank you, Afi, for reading our passage of scripture this morning as we prepare our hearts for God's word on this morning. Just a few announcements. Tomorrow we'll have Matters of the Heart. I'm doing a segment on defining your marriage. Last week, I talked about finances and jobs. I'm going to pick back up again on the financial and job piece on tomorrow. Wednesday, we'll have our Journey Through the Word Bible study with yours truly. Come and join us as we study the word of God.

On Friday, we have our corporate prayer time. That number is 605-313-5682 with the access code of 785343 pound. Every Friday at 7:00 PM, come and join us as we lift up prayers. How many of you believe in the power of prayer? Amen. So we know that prayer works. We know that God still answers prayer. Amen. And then on today, my brothers and sisters, we'll be traveling at 11:00 AM. We'll be traveling to Front Royal to be with the Williams Chapel CME Church as they celebrate 133 years there in the Shenandoah Valley of Front Royal, Virginia. Amen.

So we are excited to go and travel and be with them in worship on this afternoon. They're going to feed you all. They're going to feed us. Looking forward to a great time of fellowship with the Williams Chapel whose pastor is the Reverend Tanya D. Levy. Amen. So we're looking forward to having a great time with them.

One other announcement. Next week, we'll be traveling to Baltimore. We have brunch in Baltimore at Jimmy's. Come and join us if you were with us the first time we went a few months ago. You enjoyed it. We're going to be doing it again on next week. We are going to think about and perhaps consider worshiping with Mt. Pisgah CME Church on next Sunday. We're right there in Baltimore, so we'll be right there in Baltimore worshiping with our sister church where the pastor is the Reverend Patricia DeReferee at Mt. Pisgah.

So we'll be leaving here roughly around 10:15 to go worship with them on next Sunday. After service, we'll be ready to have a great time of fellowship at Jimmy's Seafood restaurant. How many of you like seafood? I see some hands. Sister Jackson was telling me this morning on the way in that she was with her brother and they had crabs and shrimp on yesterday. I said, "You didn't call me!" And so we're going to have a great time on next week, fellowshipping and having brunch in Baltimore. Amen. Come on, Rev. Kemp, come for a song, a sermonic selection, and then we'll have the preached word.

Rev. Kemp: How many of you like hymns? All right, somebody. I'm looking at one person I know loves hymns here. Amen. Every now and then it's good to do a hymn. This hymn is appropriate for our scripture and probably for our word today. Amen. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Come on, sing with me.

We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word. He's never failed me yet. Oh, can't turn around, we've come this far by faith. We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word. He's never failed me yet. Oh, can't turn around, we've come this far by faith.

We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word. He's never failed me yet. Oh, can't turn around, we've come this far by faith. We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in His holy word. He's never failed me yet. Oh, can't turn around, we've come this far by faith.

We've come, yes we have come. We've come, we've come by faith. We've come, standing on, we've come and we're leaning, we're leaning, yes we're leaning, we're leaning, yes we're leaning, we're leaning. We've come, we've come and we're trusting, we've come, we're just trusting, we're just trusting in the Lord. Yes, we're trusting, we've come, we trust His word. We've come, we've come, we've come, we've come, we've come, we've come, we're leaning, we're leaning, we're leaning, we're leaning, we're leaning, we're leaning. This far, oh, can't turn around. We've come this far, we've come this far, we've come this far, we've come this far by faith. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Dr. Darryl A. Burton Sr.: It is impossible to please God without faith. Amen. We've come this far by faith. Amen. Let us pray. Father God, we thank you for this moment to come before your presence to bring forth this word, Lord God. Lord God, we thank you that our hearts can be open to receive this word. We thank you, Lord God, for indeed we have come this far by faith. Now, Lord God, may the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart, be found acceptable unto you. You are my rock and my redeemer. I thank you for this preaching moment in Jesus' name. Let every heart say amen.

I want to thank the Lord for allowing us to come together on this day to share this short message from my sermon series, Living in the Power of the Spirit. I've been preaching on several fronts concerning the baptism, being baptized by the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit. Last week, we were talking about walking in the Spirit. I want to lift up verse four from John's chapter 15 Gospel on this morning. Amen. It reads this way: "Remain in me, and I will 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."

From our text on this morning, I want to title the sermon, "Bearing Fruit Through the Spirit." We have already known and we have already heard Paul talks about this in Galatians chapter five, where he talks about the fruit of the Spirit, the nine functions of the Holy Spirit, which the Apostle Paul said that there is no law against them. As we look at John's Gospel on this morning, Jesus gives us an entirely different theological perspective and spiritual fruitfulness.

Because my time is short on this morning with this message, the central question I want to ask you: How does the Holy Spirit produce a fruitful life in us on today? Many people think that by trying harder will produce a fruitful life. Many believe that a mistake-free life will produce a fruitful life. But the truth of the matter is that the Spirit's fruit is not the result of trying harder; it's the result of abiding deeper in the word of God.

Just as you have heard just a moment ago from John chapter 15, verse four, Jesus said, "Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine." Are y'all with me on this morning? "Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me," Jesus says. The word "remain" simply means to abide. To abide means to stay with, to stay connected, to stay on the front lines, if you will, of looking to be all that God has called each of us to be.

To provide some context as to why Jesus is sharing this image of the vine and the fruit, John 15 occurs during Jesus' final night with his disciples. Jesus was washing their feet. Judas had departed to betray Jesus. Jesus has announced that he is leaving them and going back to the Father. Peter has been told that he will deny Jesus. The disciples are facing uncertainty, fear, and transition. In the middle of all that uncertainty, Jesus gives them this image of a vine. "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener."

The disciples are about to lose the physical presence of Jesus. He told them, "I'm going back home." Yet Jesus teaches them that although he's leaving physically, their spiritual connection must continue. That is why Jesus says, "I will ask the Father to send an advocate." Isn't that good news? That Jesus would still be concerned about us even though he's on his way back to the Father. The advocate represents you. The advocate is there to guide you. An advocate has your best interest at heart.

Jesus promised the coming of the advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will dwell within them, teach them, guide them, and glorify Christ. However, to really enjoy the benefits of advocate, we must choose to abide in Christ. Our choosing to abide in Christ wholeheartedly positions us to attain the benefits of wisdom, guidance, and understanding of navigating this life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The danger of not abiding is called separation. Verse two of the text says that "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit." Isn't that a dangerous thing to be? That's a dangerous position to be in. If you're not bearing any fruit, you are in danger of being cut off. You are in danger of being separated. I have a couple of clients who have bushes in their garden that are partially alive. What do I mean that they're partially alive? Well, portion of the bush has green leaves. It looks nice on one side, but the other side is ugly because the branches have no fruit.

The leaves are not there. The branches are bare. If you've ever seen a partially bush or a partially alive tree, you would think that it's crazy looking to look at it because it doesn't make any sense that one side of the bush is green, but the other side of the bush is broken and is bare. It has no branches, it has no leaves. It doesn't look good. Often I want to tell the client, "Can I just cut it down?" Because it doesn't make any sense for it to be partially alive and partially dead.

Well, as believers, we must decide whether we're going to abide in Christ and bear much fruit or take chances with living according to our own agendas. So as we move towards the close of this meditation on this morning, I want you to know that bearing fruit requires staying connected. We must stay connected. We cannot do anything effectively without Christ. Do I have a witness out there? Jesus established a fundamental spiritual principle: Branches do not produce life; branches receive life.

The branch has no independent source of power. Everything the branch needs comes from being connected to the vine on this morning. Cut the branch from the vine and the branch may look alive temporarily. Watch this, it may even still have leaves. It may even still have color. It may still look healthy. But eventually, the evidence of being disconnected will appear. It will dry up. Jesus warns us, saying, "Apart from me, you cannot do anything." Y'all with me on this morning?

We can't do anything without God being with us. We cannot do anything without the Holy Spirit empowering us. We have to be connected. We have to stay connected to the vine. Now, not only must we stay connected, bearing fruit also requires accepting God's pruning. Pruning hurts. Pruning is not a pleasant experience. God prunes us to bring forth more fruit. You can cut the stem of a rosebush to create a whole completely new rosebush.

God knows where he needs to be, where we need to be pruned to bring forth the best results of the fruit that come from our lives. Again, I've got this client who believes that they can simply just cut bushes at any time. They believe they can cut a bush at any time. Some bushes need to be pruned at the proper time. You just can't cut a bush anytime of the season. Pruning process cannot be done haphazardly. God knows how to prune us. Yes, He does. It will likely become uncomfortable, but the purpose will always outweigh the pain.

You missed a great place to shout right there. The purpose of God pruning you, the time that God pruning you, the purpose of him pruning you, will always outweigh the pain of the pruning because he said, "I want to prune you to bring forth more fruit." He wants to get more out of your life. He wants to get more out of your testimony. He wants to get more service from you, but he has to prune you. Can I go a little bit deeper? Watch this. God prunes fruitful branches.

Oh, y'all missed it. God is pruning not just the dead ones that aren't producing fruit; he prunes the ones that are producing fruit, the fruitful branches. Why? Because God sees greater potential in you. Pruning is the intentional removal of something that is hindering future growth. God is not always taking something from you because you've done something wrong. Sometimes God is cutting something away because he is preparing you to produce more fruit. God is working on you. He's working to get something more out of you, and sometimes it requires him to do some more pruning in your life.

Finally, number one, we must stay connected. Number two, we must understand that bearing fruit requires accepting God's pruning. God has to prune us. Third and finally, bearing fruit requires trusting the process. Bearing fruit requires trusting the process. Jesus says, "If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit." The progression throughout this passage: no fruit, fruit, more fruit, much fruit.

Y'all listen to me this morning. The progression is right here: no fruit, fruit, more fruit, much fruit. That means spiritual fruitfulness develops progressively. Fruit doesn't appear overnight. There is a process. There is a rooting. There is a growing. There is a pruning. There is a waiting. There is a developing. There is a ripening, and then comes the harvest. Oh, come on somebody! One of the dangers in contemporary Christianity is that we want instant spiritual maturity.

We want patience immediately. We want victory immediately. But God develops fruit over time. You cannot microwave spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit works through experiences. The Holy Spirit works through our trials. The Holy Spirit works through our relationships, our disappointments, our discipline, scripture, prayer, and obedience. God is developing something within inside of you. Do y'all believe that on this morning?

Do you believe that God is working something on the inside of you? I may not see what he's doing on the inside of you, but the one thing I will see, I will see the fruit from the tree from which it bears. Come on somebody! When you see an apple tree, it's giving me apples. When you see an orange tree, it's giving me oranges. If you give me anything other than that, it's not what it's supposed to be.

Being filled with the Spirit gives us power. Being led by the Spirit gives us direction. Walking in the Spirit develops consistency. Bearing fruit in the Spirit produces evidence. I've got to see the evidence. I've got to see the evidence of what God is doing. Fruit is the proof that something has been happening underneath the surface. People may not always have seen you praying, crying, struggling, surrendering, or pruning, but eventually, we will see the fruit.

The strongest connection that Galatians chapter five and John chapter 15 draw on Paul's words in Galatians chapter five: he says love means I'm becoming more like Jesus and how I treat people. Joy means my circumstances no longer control my spiritual condition. Peace means chaos around me does not have to become chaos within me. Patience means I'm learning to trust God's timing and extend grace to difficult people.

Kindness means the Spirit changed how I handle people who can do nothing for me. Goodness means I desire what honors God even when nobody is watching. Faithfulness means I become dependable, consistent, and trustworthy. Gentleness means I learn the strength that does not require harshness. Self-control means my desires no longer have the authority to dictate my decisions.

I want to deliver this message to you and give you this as I take my seat. The question is not whether you come to church. The question is not whether you know the scripture. The question is not whether you shout, sing, and pray and serve. Jesus says the evidence that you belong to him and that your life bears much fruit. Come on, let's give God some praise. Bearing fruit through the Spirit.

The doors of the church are open as we prepare to close on this morning. There may be somebody watching that don't know Jesus in the pardon of your sins. We want to encourage you on this day. If this word touched you in such a way that you want to know more of who Christ is and become that person who can bear more fruit even through the pruning process, we want to invite you to text the word JOIN to 240-269-5193.

There you'll see a one minute and 26 second video explaining what it means to become a disciple of Christ. We have to be pruned. We have to go through processes. We have to go through the trials and tribulations of life. As you go through those things, know that God is still with you. He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." That should encourage us. Go back and read John chapter 15. That should encourage us that it's important that we stay connected to the vine. There are so many things in this world that can draw us away from being connected to the vine, being connected to God, being connected to a church home, being connected and being in fellowship with your fellow believers. So we want to invite you text the word JOIN to 240-269-5193. Amen.

I thank God for each of you being here. I'm excited that you're here and I'm grateful that you're here. I pray that this word has landed on the fertile soil of your hearts on today. Stay connected. Trust the process. God knows exactly where he needs to prune each of us and he knows the timing of it all. I'm going to go deeper into this on our Bible study on Wednesday. Come and hear what I have to say. There was so much more I wanted to say to you on today, but we are on our way west to Front Royal, Virginia, to have worship and have celebrate with Williams Chapel's 133rd homecoming anniversary celebration. So we want to get on the road, but I wanted to give you a word that would encourage you on today. I pray that this word has touched you in a special way. Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. The Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen, amen, amen. Amen, amen, amen. Amen, amen, amen. One more time for the Holy Spirit. The Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Dr. Darryl A. Burton Sr.: Amen. Let us pray the benediction, which is our final blessing before we leave this place. Father God, we thank you for allowing us to hear this word today, the importance of bearing fruit. Allow us to be fruitful in our serving, fruitful in our witness, fruitful, Lord God, in all that you have called us to be in this season of life. Thank you, Lord God, even as you prune us.

Oh Lord God, give us the grace to be able to make it, to be able to move forward by faith and trust the process, trusting you, Lord God. So we thank you now, Lord God. Now to him who is able to keep us from falling and to present us before your glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, be glory, be majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages now and forevermore. Let the people of God say amen. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Come on, give God some praise as we prepare to leave on today. God bless you. We love you. We look forward to seeing you on next week. Amen. God bless you.