Sermon: The Key to Fruitful Ministry
John 15:1-17 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “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. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. 9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 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. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Introduction: During this season, nearly 3 years in a pandemic, working from home, unemployment, various diseases, and death, and doing virtual ministry, it is hard to gage my success. I do not know about you but speaking in a camera is challenging to say the least! One key challenge is discouragement—discouragement that appears to be bordering on defeat. I have talked with many caring leaders who really care, trying to make a difference, sacrificing so much to make things better for others. How do we encourage others when we are discouraged ourselves? How do we measure success? All of us want to be successful and in this text Jesus gives the key.
Think about your own situation as you may be trying to keep yourself together and your family together and your ministry together. You might be leading a smaller group of people than you were a year ago (many organizations plateaued or lost momentum this year). Budgets are tight. The future is unclear. Yet our desire is to be successful ministry and fulfill God’s call on our lives. The disciples in John 15 faced a similar situation. Jesus reveals to them the secret to their success. Jesus in the last few chapters of John prepares his disciples for successful ministry beyond the trauma of the coming days. Their world was turned upside down. Their normal would be chaotic. Their faith would be tested. Jesus affirms His identity as the true vine to them! Recognizing who Jesus is and what we are to him and in Him is a great source of encouragement. We are not alone, and our success is not dependent on my strength alone. We are workers together with Christ.
The trauma of Pandemic and the chaos it has created has caused much uncertainty. Our world has been turned upside down. Our normal has become chaotic. Our faith is being tested. Our future seems unclear, yet I believe this same message given to the disciples can help us.
In John, Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life”; In John 8; “I am the light of the world”; John 10 “I am the Good Shepherd”; John 11 “I am the Resurrection and the Life” John 14 “I am the way, the truth and the Life, and finally John 15, “I am the true vine.” John has given us seven miracles and the seven “I AMs” to confirm the deity of Christ and affirm Jesus as God’s manifestation of Himself in the world. His disciples are identified as His friends and personal choice to carry out His ministry in the world.
The Disciples sat in awe as Jesus said to them, Joh 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Jesus spoke of greater works, and now in John 15, he speaks of Fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. Jesus gives the disciples and us the key to fruitful ministry. Fruitful ministry is successful ministry. You see Jesus demonstrate his confidence in the disciples and the advance of his kingdom in the earth. He understands their doubts and fears. He knows the trauma of the future events, yet Jesus is confident because of who He is, Who the Father is and what His disciples are that they will have a fruitful ministry. Our fruitfulness stems from our connectedness. The key to fruitful ministry is to remain attached to the vine. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” Ten times in these 17 verses Jesus uses the “remain” or “abide” in the KJV. All struggles come from detachment. A fish cannot survive detached from the water; it need water to flourish. God has given us natural laws and spiritual laws when man abandon God’s laws, his struggles begin. My wife grows several house plants, those plants need the soil. They cannot produce without the soil, the water, and the sunlight. As long as they remain attached, they thrive. A few years ago, she was given a “dumb cane plant.” It was her plant of that kind. When it started growing it has not stopped. It stands 12 foot tall and has touched the ceiling. Now a baby plant has spouted up. I am convinced as long as the plant abides in the soil, it will continue to grow.
Jesus gives the disciples the law for fruitfulness, more fruit, and much fruit. Jesus spends no time talking about the opposition and trouble, there would be both. Jesus spent no time talking about the seasons, the weather, or the economy. Seasons always change, the weather always change, the economy always goes up and down. The disciples must simply abide in the vine. Why worry about things we have no control over? It only drains your strength, discourages your mind, and leads to frustration. There are several things we need to understand:
1.Understand Jesus is the true vine. “I am the true grapevine…” Jesus who they know and love. Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life is the true vine. The vine firmly planted in good ground, receiving the best care is the source of life and nourishment. Every branch should feel secure and confident that the true vine will supply all they will ever need to be fruitful and productive. Jesus is the ideal, perfect vine, symbol of the spiritual life which Christ imparts to believers, who are the branches. Their success depends on and flows from the true vine. If ever there is problem with fruitlessness, check your attachment first. Don’t spend no time complaining about the season, the weather, the economy or even the pandemic, make sure you remain attached to the vine, abiding in his word, his way, and his love.
2. Understanding The Father is the perfect husbandman. “…my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” The Creator God, who formed the world and everything in it, established natural laws and spiritual laws that maintain perfect order in the universe, watches over, out for and looks after every need of the plant to increase their productivity. My father is the husbandmen who not only cares for the vine but owns the vineyard. He carefully examines every plant and selects every worker. The husbandman understands every season, planting season, pruning season, growing season, harvest season and even rotating season. The husbandman goal is that every plant producing fruit will produce, more fruit and every plant producing more fruit would produce much fruit! When it does, He celebrates! He is glorified! How can we fail to be fruitful with the true vine and the perfect husbandman?
3. Understand the Importance of Staying Connected. “…You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
When Barbara and I returned from our vacation, her 12 ft. dumb cane plant had some yellow leaves. I assumed it needed water, but my wife showed me a break in the stem of two leaves. The weight of leaves caused them to break away from the trunk. The connection had been broken and they started to die. How do we maintain our connection to the vine? How do we abide or remain attached to the vine? Without that connection we can do nothing. The connection is maintained by obedience and love. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Walking in obedience is to remain in the Vine. The most repeated word in this lesson is “remain or abide” which shows the Power of God and the responsibility of man. God’s power is constant; man’s obedience is sometimes sporadic. God’s grace will not cover willful disobedience. God’s support system is available, but his disciple must abide in him. People today talk about the judgement of God as if God is out to punish us. God does not have to kill a disconnected branch; it dies by itself. Disobedience brings its own judgement. The wages of sin is death! It’s the Law! Apart from Him, we can do nothing!
4. Understand that You Have Been Divinely Selected. “…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.”
When progress seems slow, and success difficult to come by, you may be tempted to feel inadequate, not talented enough or gifted enough, but every believer has been divinely selected. They are friends of God. God has chosen you; you have not chosen Him. You have been divinely selected to go forth and bring forth much fruit and your fruit shall remain. Your life will flourish with the fruit of the spirit; your testimony will be fruitful, and the Father will be glorified. Those who desire success in ministry should listen to these words carefully! Without me you can do nothing! Joh 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” Be encouraged, by God’s grace, we are going to make it!
Our fruitfulness alone brings glory to the Father and shows that we are truly His disciples. As faithful disciples of Christ, we ought to bear much fruit, lead holy and obedient lives; and glorify God.
Do what we may, we can bring forth no truly good thing except in union with our Lord: our strength, our fruitfulness, and our very life, all lie in Him. Nothing! mark the word. He does not say "only a little," but nothing except we abide in Him.
A word of caution: There is the end of the man who is fruitless and refuses to remain vitally united to Jesus, he will utterly perishes. What a change, to be numbered one day with the branches of the true vine, and the next, burning in the fire with other fruitless branches. The key to successful ministry is to remain, to abide in Him as faithful disciples of Christ, bearing much fruit, leading holy and obedient lives; and glorifying God. Amen.
