Vision of a Fruitful Church: Part 1

John 15:8 ESV

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Some of Jesus’ last words to his disciples.

Simple Outline:

I am the only way

I’m leaving, but I’m leaving you the Spirit

You must remain in me, for I am your life

Things won’t always be easy - the world will hate you

But I will be with you, and your sorrow will turn to Joy

I will pray for you

You must remain in me, for I am your life. The evidence of remaining in me is fruit.

Jesus gives his disciples, and us, this lesson so that we can know what to expect. And what to expect as true believers, and a true church, is Christian fruit.

Questions we will ask:

Where does this fruit come from?

What is this fruit?

Do I see it in my life?

Do I see it in our church?

Where do we need cultivating?

A fruitful church grows only from a living root. From beginning to end, the life of our local church flows from and is directed by Jesus, our Living Root and Vine.

1. The Vine is our Life

Context, why the image of the vine?

Jesus teaching often used imagery from life. This is not a parable in the strict sense of the word, but his parables often used earthy and agricultural images to shed light on difficult subjects.

Here is no different. Vine and Trellis were everywhere in and around the fruitful place where God chose for his people. The fruit of the vine, juice or wine, was an integral part of Israel’s feasts and celebrations. It would be, after all, the wine of Passover that pictured the blood of the lamb which would be shown to actually picture the blood of Jesus, the true life of his followers.

Upper Room - sight of a vinyard.

Walking around, past a vineyard

Jesus, the True Vine

Israel as the Vine

Forever, God’s plan was to plant a fruitful vine in the world to show his glory and to bless all people. That was the call of Abraham.

Psalm 80, a vine brought out of Egypt

Isaiah 5, a Vine to bring forth good fruit, but brought forth wild grapes.

Israel was the vine of God, but it was an incomplete vine.

Jesus’ words, “I am the True Vine” packs into it much meaning. Summarized in John 14:6.

The Way

A Vine is a connecting tie, a continuous source, a rooted channel of nutrients. The Father is the Gardener, and Jesus is the way to Him. The Connection to Him. The Author of all things. The one who plants and purposes.

The Truth

The “True” vine. Aleithia, pure and trustworthy - sure.

Where Israel as the vine often failed and produced bad fruit, this vine never fails, never fades.

The Life

Vitality

The Source

For a fruitful church, then, questions.

What is a church? the church is God’s people, people who are in the vine - Jesus.

A local church, then, is a little group of those Branches. A little cluster of grapes.

We, as a group of branches in the true vine.

Are we a church that knows its source?

Are we a church that is aware of our beginnings?

Are we constantly looking to our Life?

Are we cognitively aware, “This is Jesus’ church? He is the vine?”

When we see life fading or have questions about the vitality of our own church, are we looking to the Vine or looking elsewhere?

John 15:16

Purpose

2. This Life is our Purpose

Purpose? Fruit

Verse 2.

Verse 4.

Verse 5.

Verse 8.

Fruit: What is it?

Often times, jump to new converts. That is one expression of fruit, but not the only or even the first expression.

Within the Analogy

Fruit is the expression of the life of the Vine, or the plant.

Fruit is the beauty displayed from the inner working of the plant.

Fruit is the flourishing of the process.

We will look at the most definitive list of fruit over the next couple weeks, Galatians 5.

But for now, the purpose of it.

Ephesians 1.

Ephesians 2.

To display

To show

To reveal

What? Not us, but the Father.

Here in this passage,

Love.

Vs. 9

Vs. 12.

Vs. 17

13:35.

Coincidentally, Love is the first of the fruit of the Spirit we will look at next week.

What is fruit? It is the beauty and evidence of the vitality of the vine - Jesus - coming out in our lives. A display to the world of the world being remade. Just as there are still flowers and fruit in this world, though cursed by sin, so is to be God’s people.

Little images and blossoms and pockets of a re-made world.

When someone sees a church,

God’s people

God’s life

God’s ways

God’s gifts

God’s character

God’s goodness

God’s holiness

God’s plan

God’s promise

3. Purpose Requires Pruning

Vs. 2-3

Pruning is a good process that involves pain.

Pinching off what is diseased, detrimental, or deadly to the vine.

Doing away with “dead ends” in our life. Things that suck up nutrients but don’t display God in the end.

In our lives, honing down to the right kind of priorities. Doing away with sin or wastes of our time and talents.

In our church, honing in on what we are to be doing. Cutting the fluff. Decluttering. Realigning with what we are to do.

To display God’s wisdom and character in the Gospel.

The Gospel, by the way, is not just for conversion but for all of life.

4. Pruning Assumes Continuity

In the analogy, what seems painful is productive because of the life-flow behind it.

Like a wound to a healthy body, it is quickly healed over. So pruning to a healthy plant risks no long-term damage, because the life and vitality within the plant quickly heals the wound and flows its resources to other places.

5. Continuity Requires Conduit

What is our actual, true connection to the Vine?

The Holy Spirit

14:15-17

16: 7

Romans 8:9 ESV

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

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.

A True church is made up of people who have the life of God through the Gospel, and have the Spirit of God in them.

The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of the vine. The beauty of the life of God on display.

Applications:

Pray that God would allow us to be honest about our own fruit-bearing.

Pray that we would have a renewed desire for God’s fruit.

Pray that we would be open to the pruning and cultivating

Pray that we would be able to produce much fruit, and glorify our Father.