Abide Part 4

Abide Part 4

Bearing fruit

John 15:8-11

Story 1

Movement One – External Fruit brings Glory to God

Have you ever been to a walk-in water fountain?

When i was a kid, my family went to the interactive water fountain. As us kids played in the water, I noticed a couple of things. I saw children from less than one years on to grown adults playing in the water.

Some kids were cautious as they slowly got a foot or hand wet. Other kids were reckless in their abandonment of fear as they went straight for the middle of the fountain. A few kids were watching on the sides or just playing on the animal statues as well. They didn’t get wet for one reason or another.

God’s love is a little bit like this fountain. Some folks are watching and observing on the outside wondering if God really is trustworthy. They may be skeptical or worried about how they will feel or what the water will do to them. Others are cautiously dipping their foot or hand in. These folks appreciate the coolness of the water and the feeling it brings, but they are still a little unsure about what is really going on. Others still go straight for the middle to soak in and be overwhelmed by all of who God is. These folks have been enveloped by God’s love and are drenching in God’s goodness.

This week is the fourth and final part in the Abide series.

Today, we will close our journey together in what it means for us to abide in Jesus. What I want you to know if you have not already figured out is that this idea of abiding in Jesus is not merely a starting point for what it means for us to follow Jesus, abiding is a lifetime journey of faithful discipleship. Abiding in Jesus is what discipleship is all about.

Let’s review one final time as we talk about the persons described in our main text in John 15. Jesus is the Vine. We are the branches. God is the Vinedresser.

As you get connected and grafted into the Vine, the nourishment flows into your life. The cleansing words of Jesus purify you from the inside out and make you clean. As this cleansing is taking place, we begin to long for more and more of Jesus. This longing leads us to respond to Jesus’ urging to follow Jesus more closely. Following Jesus means we do what Jesus does, we talk like Jesus talks, we think what Jesus thinks. Let’s go back and listen to what Jesus has to say about this connection.

Scripture

John 15:8-11 ESV – 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

Application

You see what Jesus is saying in these verses, right? Proving you are a disciple of Jesus is easy; bear much fruit. The fruit is the proof of the relationship with Jesus. Bearing much fruit is exactly what we are going to be talking about today.

Jesus’ words here are powerful: abiding in Jesus means that we desire to keep God’s commandments. Jesus kept God’s commandments, and so He expects us to keep those commandments as well. Abiding in Jesus means keeping the commandment of Jesus. We don’t keep the commandments of Jesus as a means to abide in Jesus. Don’t get that flipped around. We are able to keep the commands of Jesus because we are abiding in Jesus.

We see the commandments and law as requirements and things we have to do. What if we saw following the commands of God as helpers on our journey? What if God set up the commandments so that we could follow Jesus more closely?

Bearing much fruit is a direct result of continual abiding in Jesus. The fruit is the goodness of God displayed on the outside for others to see. This goodness is not primary for us anymore. It has nourished us on the inside, provided for us, and grown us. As a result of our internal nourishment due to the connectedness of God, we display this nourishment externally by producing fruit externally. This fruit is showy. Just as the fruit does not exist for the branch or the vine, the fruit exists for another purpose that Jesus makes very clear.

As we abide in Jesus and produce fruit, this bearing of fruit brings glory to God. We can celebrate the sort of accomplishments and accolades produced by God’s goodness. The problem I think most of us have when it comes to recognizing and celebrating what God is doing in our lives and in the life of our church is that we accidentally lift ourselves up and try to bring ourselves glory. It would be better if we would get into the habit of glorifying God when God works through us and our church. There is nothing wrong, dangerous, or sinful with bragging on the goodness of God that is present. When God does something good, name it. When something good happens, give God glory for the good thing that has happened. We can celebrate what God does if it gives God glory. If you get a raise, thank God, and brag on God to others. When your kids do something great, thank God for them, and brag on what God is doing through them. Put the focus on God, give God the glory, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Jesus does more than to reiterate His words in these verses as echoes of what He was said previously. These verses introduce something new and very powerful in regard to our connectedness as branches connected into the Vine. The new idea Jesus presents here that He has not previously covered is the importance of love. Jesus says that the Father loved Jesus, Jesus loves us, and we are to abide in this love by loving others.

Last week, as we were talking about how to prevent soul rot, I gave you the illustration of the pond. For the pond to remain clean and healthy, it cannot stagnate. Last week specifically we talked about keeping the incoming water flow open as a means to keep the water from stagnating in the pond. Equally important to the health and cleanliness of the pond is that the water must also go out. If a pond only accepts water without a way to pass the water out, the pond also loses its effectiveness. The same is true in our lives: we have to be temporary pools of the love of Jesus. In other words, we have to keep the flow open in our surrender and submission to Jesus AND we have to keep our outward flow open as well.

We are merely temporary vessels of the love of God displayed through Jesus. This love that Jesus gives to us is for us, and it is also for us to intentionally spill out on others. In fact, Jesus goes so far as to say that this train of love present from God to Jesus to us to others is not only a suggestion; Jesus’ direction for us to love others is a command.

Let’s keep going a little more as Jesus further unpacks what this love is all about.

Supporting scripture

Bear Much Fruit by Abiding in Love

John 15:12-17 ESV – 12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Application 2

Love is the primary fruit and greatest evidence of our abiding in Jesus. Abiding means we follow the commands of Jesus, which are primarily to love God, love others, and love ourselves.

Following the commandments of Jesus means we follow Jesus’ command to love. This kind of love is sacrificial: it lays down its life for the sake of others. Love is powerful and is our greatest witness to and of Jesus. Each time we can extend love towards those outside the vine, we bear witness to Jesus and our connection to the vine. We can celebrate this connectedness because we are lifting up Jesus.

I want to say this clearly so you understand the power of what Jesus is saying here. The fruit is not for the vine. The fruit is not for the branch, which means it is not for you. The fruit is not for other branches. The fruit is primarily for those outside of the Vine. It is for the unbeliever. The fruit is for the one who is not following Jesus.

Most of us want to hoard the love of Jesus to ourselves. Once this love transforms us, we want to keep it for ourselves. The abundance of God’s love through Jesus to us is not for us. The love is also not just for other branches. Of course, we are to be loving to those who are also connected to the Vine, but the fruit that we produce, which is the goodness of God’s love, is for those not already connected to the Vine.

In this sense, bearing much fruit means we love like Jesus loves. Jesus loves all, even those whom the world deems as unlovable. We love the sinner even when and if they sin. We love those who are far from God. We love those who hate or despise God. As those connected to the Vine, we do not get to choose who we love. We love all those whom God loves. And who does God love? God loves everyone regardless of anything that we would identify as things that would separate.

As Jesus pushes His disciples to lean more into their connectedness with Him, He changes the way in which He relates to His disciples. Instead of continuing to call us servants, Jesus changes our relationship with Him and calls us friends. Why does Jesus call us friends?

We are friends because we become fruit bearers. Jesus moves us out of the position of servants and into the position of friends as He moves us towards maturity from consumers to co-producers. We do continue to abide in Jesus, but as we mature in Him into mature fruit-bearing branches, we are able to display more fully the glory of God present through the love of Jesus Christ in our lives.

We don’t produce the fruit on our own, of course, but as we mature in our connectedness with Jesus, we are able to bear witness to the goodness of God in our lives. Bearing much fruit happens because of a mature relationship with Jesus. It only happens as we tend to the upkeep of our own soul and branch. This is the goal that Jesus has for all of our lives: produce much fruit.

In other words, we are constantly to bear witness to the goodness and reality of God in our lives. We should engage in every conversation in such a way that God is glorified and lifted high. We don’t get the glory, but God does get the glory as a result of what only He can do in our lives. Abide in God’s love and much fruit is produced.

Conclusion

As we close out this series called Abide, let’s review and bring it all to a close. I want to encourage you to abide in Jesus.

Abide in Jesus. Connect to Jesus. Surrender and submit to God.

Abide in Jesus. Trust the Vinedresser as God prunes and shapes you to be more like Jesus.

Abide in Jesus. Surrender to God as God addresses and purifies you from the inside out.

Abide in Jesus. Work on your connectedness to Jesus. The proof is in the fruit. Bearing much fruit comes only as we abide in Jesus and as the love of Jesus abides in us.

My friends, my brothers and sisters, Jesus chose us to be a part of the Vine itself. We are connected because God grafts us into Jesus. If you have ever wondered why Jesus chose you to be a part of the Vine, Jesus answers that question here in these verses. We are chosen so that we can bear the fruit of love for others. We are not chosen for our own benefit, but we are chosen for the benefit of others. We are more than chosen, we are appointed and charged with the task of bearing fruit because of our connection in the Vine. Remember, as we have said each week, the fruit comes as a result of the connection with Jesus. Focus on the connection, and the fruit will come.

As I finish this message, I invite you to allow God to examine your heart today. I will be at the front ready to pray for you in whatever way you may need this morning.

Just like those kids playing in the water fountain, I would invite you if you have just been an observer of God’s goodness to enter into the water and experience the goodness of His love today.

Come. Humble yourself today. Ask God for whatever you may need, and God will answer your prayer today.

Pray