Father, prune us to bear much fruit.

Warren Brosi

March 2, 2025

Dominant Thought: Father, prune us to bear much fruit.

Objectives:

I want my listeners to understand the meaning of bearing much fruit.

I want my listeners to commit to the two ways of bearing much fruit—remaining and loving.

I want my listeners to pray, “Father, prune us to bear much fruit.”

Father, prune us to bear much fruit. I’ll be honest when I saw what I had titled this message, I was a little scared to preach it. Father, prune us to bear much fruit. I think I understand what pruning is. One of the first images that comes to mind is from the movie, The Karate Kid. I remember Mr. Miyagi pruning his bonsai tree.

I’m not a great gardener, but I know that you need to prune or cut back the branches of trees and bushes. Sometimes you prune so you can walk under a tree. Sometimes you prune so the flower or fruit can grow more.

Father, prune us to bear much fruit. It’s found in the opening verses of John 15. Jesus states in John 15.1-2, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every brand in me that bears no fruit, while every brand that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be more fruitful.”

To prune can describe cutting away excess growth to make it more fruitful. To prune also can me to clean or cleanse. It could by like cleaning a fence row. Depending on the scope of the project will depend on the tool required. If it is Mr. Miyagi’s bonsai tree, then it is fine clippers. If it is the rose bush, then maybe hand clippers. Then, you go to two handed clippers or shears. For some projects it’s a machete or a chainsaw.

To prune...to clean. Jesus said in John 15.3, “You are already clean [pruned] because of the word I have spoken to you.” Jesus can clean us by His words. He cleaned their feet back in John 13 in the upper room.

So, will you pray this scary prayer, “Father, prune us to bear much fruit.” In John 15.8, Jesus says, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit showing yourselves to be my disciples.” We show the world we are followers of Jesus and give God glory by bearing much fruit.

What’s that fruit look like? The Apostle Paul gives us a description of the fruit of the Spirit when he wrote to the church in Galatia. In Galatians 5.22-23.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Are you bearing this type of fruit in your life, your workplace, your family, this church?

So how do we bear much fruit for God’s glory and to show that we are followers of Jesus? Jesus repeats two themes multiple times in John 15.1-17: remain and love.

We bear much fruit by...

1-Remaining as Christ remains in us (John 15.4-10).

I counted 10 times in these verses in John 15, Jesus mentions remain or abide. It is the dwelling place where Jesus talks about in John 14.2, “My Father’s house has many ‘rooms.’” To abide or remain describes faithful mature followers of Jesus. In the gospels, Jesus invites the disciples to come and see, then to follow me, then to be with me, and finally to remain in me.

In John 15.4, Jesus says “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.”

Are we remaining in Christ with the same intensity and faithfulness and He remains in us? Do people look at us and see Jesus?

It’s the theme of staying with Jesus. You will not leave Jesus. Jesus states it clearly, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15.5). To bear fruit, one must remain in the vine. Who is the vine? Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. The Father is the gardener.

Jesus speaks to the danger of not remaining in the vine as a branch that is thrown away withers, picked up, thrown into the fire and burned (John 15.6).

Are there some people who have lost connection with Jesus? Are there people who were connected to Jesus that are not walking with Jesus now? Have you reached out to them? Have you prayed for them?

The prophet Isaiah describes the faithless Israel as a barren vineyard. I invite you to turn to Isaiah 5. (Read Isaiah 5.1-7). Isaiah sees Israel at a vineyard. When God came to look for good grapes, he only found bad ones (Isaiah 5.2, 4). The vineyard started out good. It was on a fertile hillside, no stones, the best grapes were planted, built a watchtower and cut out a winepress. It was all ready for a good harvest of grapes, but it only yielded bad grapes. Then God warned them he would take away the hedge, destroy the wall, trample the grapes. The vineyard will be a wasteland, not pruned or cultivated. Full of briers and thorns. No rain. In Isaiah 5.7 we read:

Isaiah 5:7 NIV

The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

That’s a picture of what happens when God’s people do not remain or stay with Him.

Jesus also instructs His disciples to remain in Him by having His word remain in them. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you” (John 15.7). The condition is to remain in Jesus and have His words remain, move in, stay with us. When that type of relationship occurs, then we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done.

This verse is challenging. It is similar to asking in Jesus’ name that Nic taught about last week from John 14.14 and again in John 15.16. Part of what is happening is your relationship with Jesus is so tight that His wants, wishes and desires will become your wants, wishes, and desires. Hence, ask and it will be done. However, what about the requests that we know are God honoring that we pray for years or decades? I wish I had a good answer for those prayer requests. It is complicated. The best I can offer is that God gives people a choice to accept or reject him. We cannot see everything from God’s perspective. The important part is to remain with Jesus, to stay close to Him.

We will bear much fruit by remaining close to Jesus. Remaining close to Jesus will help us when troubles, challenges, and temptations come.

Jackie Hill Perry spoke at Ozark Christian College for their Forum on Cultural Engagement. Jackie is the author of the book, Gay Girl, Good God—The Story of Who I was and Who God has always been (2018). I recommend it for those who are wanting to engaged the LGBTQ+ community with truth and grace. In her message on Tuesday, she said, “You cannot keep dying to your passions if you do not keep abiding in the vine” (Ozark Christian College Chapel, 02-25-25, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZjToiErjUI&t=3546s).

Three times in John 15.9-10, Jesus instructs his disciples to remain in His love which is the second way we bear much fruit.

We bear much fruit by...

2-Loving as Christ loves us (John 15.9-17).

I counted eight times in John 15.9-17, Jesus invites us to love. He actually commands His disciples to “remain in His love” (John 15.9). Jesus invites us to stay in His love. That sounds good. And yet, Scripture is full of accounts of people whom the evil one deceives. People think that life is better outside of the love of God. I think of parents heart sick for children to come back home. To turn away from drugs and alcohol and return home to their family who loves them.

Jesus spoke these words so that His joy may be in them and that their joy may be complete (John 15.11). These teachings with His disciples in the upper room late that Thursday night were given for their instruction and their joy.

Jesus commands, “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15.12). Do we love as Jesus loved? We saw it back in John 13 where Jesus showed the disciples the full extent of His love by washing their feet.

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In the 1967, Disney film, The Jungle Book, the man cub, Mowgli is raised by his jungle friends. There’s a scene where Baloo, the bear, defends Mowgli. Baloo appears to die. Mowgli is crying. The wise panther Bagheera encourages Mowgli and then quotes John 15.13, “Greater love hath no one than this that he who lays down his life for his friends”

Jesus calls his disciples friends instead of servants. There’s an intimate friendship because they know the master’s business. Jesus has made known to them the Father’s will. His words remain in them.

Then, Jesu reminds them of their identity in John 15.16 when he says:

John 15:16 NIV

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Followers of Jesus are chosen and appointed. Jesus chose you and appointed you to bear lasting fruit.

Will you pray this week, “Father, prune us to bear much fruit.”