INTRODUCTION
Last week –
- Giving up the “bondage in our lives” that satan uses with his “bag of tricks” to rob our joy:
- What is the “bag of tricks” he uses on your life?
sickness, disease, temptations, habits or addictions, failures, relationship hurt, children, etc.
Today – What do we ‘replace that bondage’ with?
- What is necessary for a true believer to experience the ‘abundant joy’ that Christ promised?
- READ JOHN 15.16
- Our passage today indicates that the keys to Abundant Living is Abundant Fruit. But then – What is ‘Fruit’? How ‘Much’ Fruit – Is it Quality or Quantity?
TEXT: John 15:1-8
Prior to our text – the Last Supper - much discussion with many lessons:
1. He washed their feet – an act servants performed …
2. He spoke about the events about to take place - surely upset them.
3. He promised the gift of the Holy Spirit – ‘Counselor’ ‘Spirit of Truth’
A lot to absorb. … Jesus used this timing to explain the secret of making their joy complete.
Between the Upper Room and the Garden of Gethsemane, they go along the side of the Mt. of Olives … a tremendous vineyard.
As always, He used something familiar – an ‘illustration’ – to present a point. Here Jesus uses the “Vineyard” and the “Vine” as His illustration for a lesson on “ABUNDANT JOY”.
… see Him touching the Vine and the Fruit on the Vine presenting a lesson:
“It’s All About Fruit”
LET’S UNDERSTAND THE PLAYERS IN THIS ILLUSTRATION FROM JESUS:
3 Parts to this Vineyard:
READ VERSE 1 (NKJV) "… the ‘vinedresser’.
1. Father – God - The Vinedresser, the husbandman, the vine keeper, the gardener. The Vinedresser is the keeper of the vineyard. His job is to coax the most healthy fruit possible.
2. Jesus – The True Vine - The trunk that grows out of the ground - it has “branches”
3. Believers – The “Branches” (Vs. 5a “I am the vine; you are the branches”).
a) The “branches” are the focus of the vinedresser’s efforts -- they produce the fruit)
b) The “branches” were tied to a trellis or sticks to ‘lift them up’ in order to …
- To ‘Circulate the air’
- To ‘Receive sunlight’
- To give vinedresser full access for tending.
c) The vinedresser cultivates each branch so it will produce as much fruit.
d) The “branches” must be attached to the vine for one purpose – “Fruit bearing”.
SO WHAT ABOUT THE FRUIT? NOTICE THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF FRUIT:
I. THOSE WHO PRODUCE ‘NO FRUIT’ – (Verse 2a)
READ VERSE 2
1. “In Me” – In Christ. Jesus is talking to believers; -- NOT a Message of Salvation
2. “that bears ‘no’ Fruit” – What is fruit?
IS FRUIT:
1. Gal. 5:22-23 “But the “fruit of the Spirit” is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance…”
2. READ VERSE 10 – “obey my commands” -- the “Fruit of Obedience”
3. READ VERSE 17 - Fruit of “Loving Others”
FRUIT IS All of these!
3. “He “cuts off” or “He takes away”(NKJ) “every branch in me bearing no fruit”
a. Is this a lesson that one who produces NO FRUIT can loose their salvation?
b. “airo” in GRK – can also mean to “lift up”.
Some branches fall off the trellis from the rains & wind & weight from growth.
c. Do they cut off the branches on the ground? NO!
The vinedresser takes a bucket of water - lifts up the branch producing “no fruit” & cleans them placing them back on the trellis. Now they can once again receive the sunlight and the clean air in order to produce fruit for the harvest.
APPLICATION:
God, like the vinedresser “lifts up” his children (the ‘branches’) that are “not producing fruit” and places them in surroundings that will encourage the production of fruit. HOW?
- By placing us in relationships with other believers. We need each other to produce the best fruit.
ILL: Picture the Armed Forces:
… trained in different roles, … a strong force ready for battle to best chance for victory.
God places us in a church with other believers, -- different gifts, -- help each other -- a mighty team – ready to do battle against satan, -- desires to rob your joy.
- By instructing us in His Word. -- Holy Spirit our Teacher; … devotions, sermons, teaching and interacting of Small Groups, .. cleanse and strengthen our lives through the Word of God.
- By Renewing Our Minds so that we are no longer conforming to the ways of the world … too much a part of this world as this is all there is!
Are you a Christian that produces NO Fruit? This is a Miserable Christian!
1 Corinthians 3:2 (NIV)
2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
Remember, God will not force Himself ! He knows that true joy comes from producing fruit – Why would you want this? Why would you choose being miserable?
II. THOSE THAT PRODUCE ‘MORE FRUIT’ (Versed 2b-4)
READ VERSE 2b
1. ‘while every branch in me that does bears fruit, “He prunes”
While God does prune us, -- actually means “to cleanse”. How?
READ VERSE 3
Because of one’s accepting the invitation from God to receive Christ, they are clean.
Titus 3:5 (NIV)
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
ILL: A Plant – Healthy – you don’t leave it alone. Clean, water, sunlight – to help it continue to grow!
READ VERSE 4 (NKJ – “Abide”)
1. Key Words are ‘Remain’ or ‘Abide’ in Me. How?
a. Constant Communion – including daily cleansing
b. Continual Confession of sin – Draws us closer -- a strengthened relationship
2. The “branch” cannot work on his own. (Must ‘Remain’ or ‘Abide’ in Me)
We do that – on our own – our works, concentrate on sin rather than His grace, or get too occupied by things of the world…
Think about your life – the fruit of your life – YOU KNOW whether or not you are remaining IN the
VINE. The more you remain, the more fruit produced. By the constant cleansing of the Vinedresser through the right conditions. the better the conditions for MUCH FRUIT!
III. THOSE THAT PRODUCE ‘MUCH FRUIT’ (Verses 5-8)
READ VERSE 5 (‘abides’ NKJ) ‘remains in Me’…‘he will bear much fruit’
- The better the union of the ‘branches’ and the ‘vine’, the better the ‘condition for much fruit’. Fruit will NOT be produced apart from the vine!
- Jesus says “without Him” there IS NO ‘abundance of joy’.
Our next VERSE BRINGS MUCH CONFUSION:
READ VERSE 6
First glance – it appears that one could fall away from the vine – would wither – fall. Such a branch would be thrown in the fire. Sounds Good?
1. A MESSAGE about ‘FRUITBEARING’ -- NOT SALVATION.
a. In vs. 2, he talked about lifting us up out of the dirt - sin – about cleansing us so we could once again bear fruit continuing to produce more fruit and ultimately much fruit!
b. Now he is talking about the results of our fruit bearing – the “Christian’s judgment”. What is a Christian’s Judgment? – The ‘judgment of fruit’!
2. Our fruit will be tested with fire.
READ 1 COR. 3.11-15
a. Our fruit will be tested to determine the quality
b. If done through the vine (foundation of Christ) it will survive and be rewarded
c. Different types of fruit – gold, silver, precious stones (discussed earlier)
Fruits of Spirit, Obedience, Love for fellow believers
d. Other Fruit – wood, hay, straw will burn – like a withered branch!
This person may get to heaven smelling like he’s been bought at a fire sale, but he will not lose his salvation!!
READ VERSE 7
a) Name it – Claim it? YES but (add) – “Understanding it is God’s Timetable”.
b) By “REMAINING” in the Vine, we become as Jesus: i.e. the Holy Spirit takes over our lives.
- Our thoughts become His thoughts;
- Our desires becomes His desires;
a) Our prayers – become His needs & His desires by remaining in the Vine. (Vs. 7b)
READ VERSE 8
The Father is glorified as the branches on His Vine produce MUCH fruit as the Vinedresser desires!
SUMMARY
Are you a NO Fruit, MORE Fruit, or MUCH Fruit Christian? Which is it? Think about it!
ILLUSTRATION: In Hampton Court near London, there is a grapevine under glass; it is about 1,000 years old and has but one root which is at least two feet thick. Some of the branches are 200 feet long. Because of skillful cleaning and pruning, the vine produces several tons of grapes each year.
Even though some of the smaller branches are 200 feet from the main stem, they bear much fruit BECAUSE they are joined to the vine and allow the life of the vine to flow through them.
The same is true of the true vine –Jesus Christ
We claim that we want true happiness – that we desire freedom from the bondage of satan. Good! BUT the question is NOT your desire BUT rather YOUR Willingness to Produce Fruit!
READ VERSE 11
He has told us all that is necessary. … for your Joy to be Complete
READ VERSE 15 & 16a - Do you desire that your bondage be replaced by abundant joy? Then simply “Remain in the Vine” - Produce His Fruit - Fruit that will Last! It’s up to YOU!
ILLUSTRATION: The Pu8blication ‘Tasting the Fruit’ describes “JOY” this way:
“Joy is like the hidden note in the glass. Joy is tuning in to what God is doing around you, seeing the world through his eyes, picking up on his delight in us as his children.
Anyone can find happiness for a while… Happiness depends on what is happening to you.
Joy is different; joy goes deeper. Joy is when your whole being sings because you have caught a glimpse of God at work. Joy can creep up on you and surprise you in unexpected places.”
Do you desire ‘happiness’ or ‘joy’?
