BEARING GOOD FRUIT
(John 15:1-10)
INTRODUCTION
Each fall I take my children to the apple orchard just down the road from my house. Last year as we were walking through the orchard, I noticed my youngest son (Ben) picking up an apple off the ground to eat. The apple was rotten and I told him not to eat it or he might get sick. He asked why the apple was bad and I explained, it was bad because it had fallen off of the branch and was not getting any of the nutrients of the tree (difficult to explain to a 5 yr. old) as such it was simply bad rotting fruit.
One of the interesting things about apple trees is that we expect the fruit to be good. The same is true with the Christian faith, like the tree, we are also called to produce good fruit.
PROPOSITION
· Bearing good fruit is the evidence of a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ. (15.8 “…you will be My disciples.”)
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE
· If we call ourselves disciples of Christ and do not bear good fruit, we deceive ourselves.
· Jesus said – “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.” (15.2)
ORIENTATION
Because of the significance of this statement of Christ, I want to take a closer look at this idea of bearing good fruit. In order to begin bearing good fruit lets understand:
1. The Symbols Of Good Fruit
2. The Steps Of Good Fruit
3. The Success Of Good Fruit
TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE
Let’s begin by looking at …
THE SYMBOLS OF GOOD FRUIT
In this parable Jesus gives us three symbols to reveal the roles that are played in bearing good fruit. Let’s begin by looking at them.
Symbol #1 – The True Vine (15.1)
· Jesus said “I Am”:
o “I am” – Reflection of Exodus 3:14
§ Story of Moses “Tell the Israelites” - “I AM has sent me to you.”
o Jesus defines Himself in the same way many other times:
Jn 6:35 – “I am the bread of life”
Jn 9:5 – “I am the light of the world”
Jn 10:7 – “I am the gate for the sheep”
Jn 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd”
· Jesus said “The True Vine” –
o Christ does not describe Himself as “A” true vine, but rather as “the” true vine.
o He distinguishes Himself from Israel which was previously described as a vine or vineyard.
§ Isaiah 5:1-7 “the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.”
§ Jeremiah 2:21 Israel is a “choice vine”
§ Ezekiel 15 and 19 – Link Israel to the “vine”
§ But in each case Israel is described by God as a vine that has gone “wild”
§ In this sense, Christ (who was in full submission to the Father) was the true vine.
Symbol #2 – The Vinedresser
· Jesus said “My Father is the vinedresser” – (15.1)
o God is the one who cultivates and prunes the branches
o As the vinedresser God –
§ Grafts us into the vine – (15.16 You did not choose me, I choose you…) Also see Romans 11 “grafting”.
§ Removes unhealthy branches and Prunes the healthy ones in order to stimulate growth. (15.2)
Symbol #3 – The Branches
· Jesus said “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit.” – (15.2)
o We are the branches!
§ Branches are fully dependent upon the vine and vinedresser
· Two types of branches “In Me” [in Christ] (15.2)
o All of the branches are Christians, those who were grafted into the vine. Of those branches there are two kinds:
§ Those that do not produce fruit
· So from this passage we see that some who are “in Me [Christ] may be cut off for lack of fruit.
§ Those that do produce fruit
· “…that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit.”
· See (Matthew 25:29) “ For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Interpretation
We do not bear fruit on our own, but rather fruit is the byproduct of the life giving vine and the grafting and pruning of the vinedresser.
Illustration
One of the wonderful things about apple orchards in the fall is their beauty! But this beauty does not come about by accident, the farmer must plant, graft, prune and protect the trees in order for them to become healthy and beautiful. The same is true with us, we do not begin producing the beautiful fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:25) apart from the vine [Christ] and the vinedresser [God the Father].
Application
· Today, I want to ask you, are you producing good fruit?
· Have you made progress in your spiritual walk?
· Are you grafted into the vine?
· Do you recognize the work of the vinedresser?
· Take moment to assess your own spiritual condition…
Transition
This brings us to tonight’s second point...
THE STEPS OF GOOD FRUIT
Now that we have a better understanding the symbols Jesus is using in this parable, and the roles that the Father and Son play, let’s take a moment to look our responsibilities, the steps we must take to bear “good fruit.”
Our Responsibilities Are Twofold (15.2-4)
· We Must Submit To The Pruning Of The Father (15.2-3)
o The Father Cuts back the areas of our lives that prohibit growth, this can be painful.
o Pruning Provides the following:
improved appearance – God will prune you back to improve the way you see yourself.
directed growth – God will prune you back to send you into a new direction or to avoid unnecessary hardship.
Increased health – God will prune back your life to promote health.
Increased production – God’s pruning will spur growth in others
o We are called to cease moving and to allow Him to prune, while difficult, in the end pruning provides much healthier fruit.
o Remember also – Pruning consists of discipline - Hebrews 12:6 “For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
· We Must Abide In The Son (15.4)
Abiding in Christ suggests we:
o Rest In Him: Gk. Word for abide Literally means to rest Part of abiding in Christ is resting in Him (See also Mt. 11:28).
o Receive Him: Abiding in Christ also means we receive Him!
o Spiritually - Jesus said – Jn. 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.”
o Physically - John 6:56 “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” We abide by Physically receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.
o Believe Him: Jesus said – ( Mt.22:27) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Do we believe this?
ILLUSTRATION
o This sermon is not about earning our salvation, it’s about remaining in the salvation that has been given us free of charge!
o When I was 19 my parents bought me a brand new car. This car was beautiful, a 1991 Chevy Camaro, 305 hp, T Tops, the works. My parents paid for the car, paid the insurance, gave me gas money to run the car but I still had to maintain it. This is similar to what Christ is teaching in this parable.
o Our relationship with God is one that is given free of charge, yet we are called to cooperate with God in maintaining it.
APPLICATION
· This cooperation happens as we:
o Submit to the pruning of the Father
o And Abide Continually In the Son
· What kind of fruit are you producing today?
o Do you allow the Father to prune away in your life
o Do you abide in Christ? Rest in Him and allow Him to rest in you (15.4)
· Are you trying to do things your own way? Trying to draw near to Christ apart from the pain of pruning and the commitment of abiding?
· This type of behavior does not grow fruit on trees and it wont grow fruit in your life.
· Today allow God’s word to shape your understanding of the process by which you bear “GOOD FRUIT.”
Transition
This brings us to our third and final point…
THE SUCCESS OF GOOD FRUIT (15.8)
Finally, I want to look the success of bearing good fruit… Our passage show us two specific successes…
· We Glorify The Father (15.8)
o Nothing makes a gardener more excited than seeing the fruit of his labors. As the father [Gardner] walks through His vineyard, He rejoices in all the wonderful fruit that surrounds Him.
o Gardeners are also fond of compliments on their fruit – When others compliment the fruit of your life God is again glorified.
o The success of producing good fruit is not only a better life for yourself, it’s more importantly a means by which we bring Glory to the Father, and acknowledge His efforts in grafting us in and pruning our lives.
· We Are True Disciples Of The Son (15.8)
o True disciples bear much fruit – “by this [bearing much fruit]… will [you] be my disciples.” (15.8)
o Jesus did not say – By your desire to bear much fruit will you be my disciples… it’s not about the desire but the fruit.
o We have to be careful calling ourselves disciples of Christ if in fact the fruit of our lives is rotten fruit.
o Notice – Jesus calls those who bear much fruit “true” disciples, eluding to the fact that there are some who are “false” disciples.
ILLUSTRATION
I can remember pulling into my mother in-laws house as she tender her many gardens. They were beautiful, filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables. I loved looking at them. When she would approach me I could see that she was coverd in soil, dirty and tired. But as soon as I told her how beautiful her gardens were, she got excited, she would say – “come and see this” or “check out this cucumber”. She gloried in the results of her labor.
God is the same way, He longs to glory in your fruit. He longs to glory in your victories and He longs to glory in your overcoming. He longs to glory as others notice the fruit of His handy work.
APPLICATION
· Are you denying God this privilege?
o The privilege of glorying in the fruit of your life?
o The privilege of tasting the sweetness of your fruit?
· I will ask you one more time today, what kind of fruit are you producing?
o Do you go by the name “Christian” and deny God the glory He so desires to reap in you?
CONCLUSION
Tonight we have seen that
1. The Symbols Of Good Fruit
2. The Steps Of Good Fruit
3. The Success Of Good Fruit
In the coming weeks, I want to call upon you to:
1. Recognize the role of the vine and vinedresser
2. Allow God to prune away in your life
3. Abide in Christ, That God may be glorified and you may be called – “My [His] disciples” (15.8)
Do all of this because bearing good fruit is the evidence of a healthy relationship with God through Christ.
Close in Prayer…
Amen!
