Fruit Happens
Joe Stanley
November 15, 2008
John 15:1-8
This morning we are in the book of John, chapter 15. Last week we were in chapter 1 and briefly discussed the historicity of the book of John, and John’s purpose of writing this book. We also briefly touched on science and scripture and that they are not mutually exclusive, and that Jesus was both in the beginning with God, and Jesus is God. This is the primary basis for our belief in the Trinity.
Of the four gospels, John presents the highest Christology, teaching at length about his identity as savior, and declaring him to be God. Only in John does Jesus talk at length about himself, including a substantial amount of material Jesus shared with the disciples only. Here Jesus’ public ministry consists largely of miracles not found in the Synoptics, including raising Lazarus from the dead. In John, Jesus, not his message, has become the object of veneration. Certain elements of the synoptics (such as parables, exorcisms, and possibly the Second Coming) are not found in John.
This morning we are starting in chapter 15 and discussing our purpose in following Christ, and the result of staying connected to Christ. Do you follow the message of Christ, or do you follow Christ? The lesson in John is that we should first follow the Savior and as a result we then follow his message. There is a difference. This difference is the foundational difference between Christianity and all other religions. Do you follow Christ? Why do you follow Christ? What is the reason that you choose to be a disciple of the Savior?
Video: Vine and Branches. (From You Tube)
Let’s read our text this morning, John 15:1-8.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. 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 apart from me.
“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. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.
At the first reading of this passage, it seems like such a simple message, and really it is. If the branch stays connected to the vine, much fruit will be produced. In the instance of grape vines, which this parable is based upon, grapes will be produced. If a peach branch is connected to the tree, peaches will be produced. If an apple branch stays connected to an apple tree, apples are produced.
But, what is produced when we stay connected to Jesus? Avocadoes? Pears? Cherries? To many secular humanists the answer is clear: we produce nuts! If a Christian stays connected to Christ, what is produced? The fruit of the Spirit? Yes, a Christian will produce the fruit of the Spirit if connected to Jesus, but the produce of a Christian connected to Christ is more Christians.
More Christians. We are to produce more Christians. OK, simple enough, but how is that accomplished? In the book of Romans, chapter 11, Paul tells us that we were not natural branches, but were grafted in to the tree (or Christ) due to our belief. After being grafted in, we need to get connected to Christ, be fed by him, receive nourishment from him, become one with him; we are to take on the very nature of our Savior. Then we can become fruitful.
OK, we are to take on the nature of Christ, but what is the nature of Christ. All we can do is look at his attributes to discern his nature. In my opinion, the top three attributes of Jesus, and since he is very God they are also attributes of God, is Love, Mercy and Forgiveness. In fact, if it were not for these three attributes, none of us would be followers of Jesus, nor would there likely be any followers of Jesus anywhere. It is only through the love of God that Jesus came to earth, it is only through His mercy that sinners such as us have a chance and it is only through His forgiveness that we enter the Kingdom of God.
Incidentally, these three attributes of God are central to the message of Jesus Christ. They are the Big Three in his teaching. Let’s briefly look at what Jesus taught us about these three attributes of our Savior and God.
First let’s look at Love.
1. Love.
There are many places where Jesus tells us to love others, and teaches us how to behave in love. One such instance is the Golden Rule, but we are going to look at, John Chapter 13:34-35 where Jesus instructed us to love one another. Let’s read those verses.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Notice the language here. These are the very words of Jesus. So now I am making a new suggestion to you. Is that what he said? Or how about, it is my hope that you will try and love each other, but if you cannot do it, it’s OK. Is that what he said? NO! It is a resounding NO! It is not a suggestion, or a wish, or a hope, it is a commandment. We are to love each other, it is not an option! As a follower of Jesus Christ, I do not have the option to not love you.
If we stay connected to Christ, this love will come. If, however, we fail to connect to Jesus, then we will fail to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to love each other regardless of our station in life, or our ethnicity, or race, or political affiliation, or income, or education, or hair color, or appearance, or emotional disorders, or . . . well, you get the idea. We do not have a choice! We are commanded to love each other.
While this is an impossible task for us to do in our own strength, or in our own natural love, if we stay connected to Jesus Christ it is not impossible. We begin to take on the nature and attributes of Jesus and his love flows through us, just like the sap would flow through a plant. We get sappy! We then become his love extended to a lost and dying world.
Notice also the proof of how the world will know that we are disciples of the risen savior. It is love. It is not what we believe! Correct theology is never an indicator of who is a follower of Jesus, it is love. It is not what denomination that you belong to, or what church, or whether you are a Fundamentalist or Evangelical, or even whether you consider yourself “born again.” It is whether you demonstrate your connectedness to Jesus through a demonstration of God’s love in operation in your life and outward to others.
If we stay connected to Jesus Christ, we will demonstrate his love in our lives and in our relationships. We will prove to the world that we are the disciples of the risen Christ.
Next, let’s look at the attribute of mercy.
2. Mercy.
We are to be merciful to each other. Jesus tells us this on numerous occasions. However, this morning, we will look at perhaps the clearest picture of how and why we are to be merciful to each other. This is found in Luke 6:41-42.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Now this passage is closely related to Luke 6:37. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
I think that we all understand what Jesus is saying here, judge not least you will be judged. But do we really understand it? Have you ever noticed that it is very, very easy to spot the hypocrisy in others, but you hardly ever notice hypocrisy in yourself? You can easily see the selfishness in another person, but do you see it in yourself? You can see the fault in another person, but you are too close to yourself to notice your own faults.
Do you know why you get mad when someone points out your faults? It’s because they are right! They are right and it mars the perfect image that you have created for yourself in your own mind! Doesn’t it just make you furious when someone criticizes you and they have the audacity to be right?
In fact, when you condemn someone for a fault or failure you are being a hypocrite. This is not true part of the time, or sometimes, or a lot of the time, but every time you find fault in someone and point it out to others, you are being a hypocrite.
How can I say this? I can say this because we all share the same fallen human nature. We all have the same weaknesses, we may have different majors and minors, but we all are frail, fallen, sinful individuals who are prone to hurt others with a careless word. Whatever you criticize another for, you are guilty of the same offense to some degree and that makes you a hypocrite!
When you get connected to Jesus, it becomes easy to be merciful. When you stay connected to Jesus you become painfully aware of your own faults and failures and you lose a desire to condemn another since you are aware that you have the same fault in spades. When you stay connected to Jesus you extend love and mercy to others.
Lastly, let’s look at forgiveness.
3. Forgiveness.
How important is it for us to forgive others? Is it really necessary? After all, no one can hold a grudge like I can hold a grudge. You hurt my feelings 35 years ago, and I will never forget or forgive you for calling me a fathead. My head is not that fat!
Is it really necessary that we forgive others? Just how important is it? Let’s read what Jesus had to say in Matthew 6:14-15.
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
What was that last sentence? If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Sounds just a little important that we forgive others doesn’t it? Perhaps just a little. The real question is this: do you want your sins forgiven by God? Well do ya, punk?
While you may see yourself as a rough and tough individual with no need of forgiveness from God or man, and you have not need of mercy or love; let me just say that I saw Dirty Harry, and you’re no Dirty Harry! All of us need the love and forgiveness of God. And while there is no way to earn it, we can lose it by failing to forgive others that have hurt us.
Sometimes the hurt goes so deep that it becomes part of us and it affects all of our relationships and even our Worldview. Sometimes it becomes so deep that it is impossible for us to forgive the person that hurt us or trust others. However, if we get connected to Jesus we can forgive and receive healing through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit that we can experience such healing and then forgive others for how they have hurt us so deeply. If we get and stay connected to Jesus we can experience this forgiveness and share it with others. When we stay connected to Jesus we have love, mercy and forgiveness to share with others.
If you stay connected to Jesus, fruit happens! It just happens! Fruit really happens! In order for a branch to thrive and grow, it must be connected and receive the nourishment from the vine. We need to get connected to Jesus and receive the nourishment that we can only receive from being connected to him.
Even though we are not a natural branch, when we get connected and stay connected to Jesus we begin to be transformed into the image of Christ. We begin to take on the nature and attributes of Jesus. We become an image of the invisible God for our friends, family and everyone around us to see.
As we begin to be transformed into the image of Christ, our very lives and the changes that are taking place in our lives will be a witness and testimony to others that God is real. The love, mercy and forgiveness that we model to those around us will draw them to Jesus. Then we will see fruit. As we are connected to Christ, we will reproduce Christ in others. Christians connected to Christ reproduce Christians. Fruit just happens.
Let’s pray.
