Fight To Abide

Introduction

We are preparing to dive into a study of the “fruit of the Spirit”. I thought it needful to first go here to highlight a very profund but simple truth: that one needs to be committed to stay in Jesus, if they ever hope to witness fruit in their life.

That fruit-bearing is never in doubt, if one remains connected to the eternal source of strength and sustenance.

Text

John 15:1–10 NASB95

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also 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.

In John 15, Jesus makes the last of the popularly called, “I AM” statements, “I am the true vine”

Contextually, He is with His disciples as he prepares them for His departure to Calvary’s Hill. He engages in a lengthy discourse with them that comforts and challenges them for life and ministry when His work is completed.

After this, Jesus would proceed to tell them about the coming persecution they will face because of their loyalty to Him. If they are to face persecution and survive, face persecution and fulfill their calling, face persecution and ultimately be killed because of their message and faith.

They must learn to abide.

They are going to have to fulfill the mission Jesus has been preparing them for, they would face numerous hardships while preaching the gospel to hostile audiences. They would face pressures from religious leaders, political figures and cultural voices, church conflicts, prison sentences, public whippings, death of their friends, personal challenges. Their survival and success going forward is, will be contingent on how close they can remain in Jesus.

They must learn to abide

I’m saying that the message for us today is similar, if we want to fulfill the calling God has placed on our lives, to be missional and make disciples, endure the trials and troubles of this life, to endure the difficulties that come from a persistent devil that is out for our demise:

We need to not only learn to abide, but I am encouraging us to fight to abide.

There are things in this life that will challenge the sense and sanity of abiding.

There are things that will make abiding the butt of a good joke.

There are things that might even convince you that there are other things you can abide in: That’s why you need to fight, to abide!

Fight? To Abide?

This means what is the bargaining price for you to stop abiding? What is your negotiation fee to stop abiding? What will it take for you to stop enduring?

APPL. The bigger picture is this, God wants the world to submit to His reign through the preaching of Jesus Christ and the kingdom. If we are to make those moves, and gain new levels of growth and effectiveness. If we are to go with boldness and proclaim Jesus, if we are to reclaim territory for our King....we must learn to abide in Jesus

It’s not enough to develop branches, God wants fruit!

Remember John anticipates that those who read this book, will gain enough insight to generate a newfound belief in Jesus or strengthen the one they already have (John does not want you scared, but challenged).

The imagery of bearing fruit is one that had an immediate impact on the ones listening. In ancient Palestine it was a common activity that engaged a large portion of society.

Jesus, uses this agricultural analogy to announce a vital theology.

That is, bearing fruit necessitates a resolve to abide in Jesus.

If you wish to see evidence of His influence, you need to learn how to abide in Jesus, and fight to remain connected.

The image of the vine is not an unfamiliar one to Jews present or listening. It was used by God to refer to Israel as the “choice vine that He planted”

Some scholars believe that Jesus moved to a secondary location after chap 14, somewhere closer to the garden where He was betrayed, somewhere they could see the temple in Jerusalem.

The temple in Jerusalem was decorated with etchings of a golden vine laden with clusters of grapes attached to it. Whatever their previous understandings and applications of vines were before, it was now being challenged in this declaration of Jesus:

“I am the true vine”

Jesus (Not Israel, Not the Temple) is the source of your growth, sustenance, and vitality. Jesus is the one that is calling you to be connected to Him.

The Father is the vinedresser.

God is pictured as the one who takes care of the branches of the vine.

God will ensure that the condition is right and advantagous, so that fruit can be produced. This means God will ensure that the branches are in optimum position to maintain their abiding in the vine.

Why is that important???

“The branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine” (vs. 4)

The obvious blessing and comfort set forth in this theology is this: Jesus guarantees productivity, growth, success and deveolopment. He guarantees that you can go forward and move to higher levels.

But herein lies the challenge, Jesus commands that you ABIDE 11x (1-10; 10x)

I will give you success

I will give you growth and power

I will put you in a place of productivity

I will ensure that you bear fruit, and much fruit

But, can you abide?

Meaning: Stay still, endure, hold out, remain unmoved, last

The word was used of a person that would come to a residence without the intention of staying then decide to remain for the night.

Can you ABIDE? Can you fight to abide, when everything is telling you, not to?

Productive and Unproductive branches

It is interesting to me, that this parable begins with the Vine and the Vine Dresser then immediately goes to the “unproductive” branch first. This might be an indication of Divinity’s great displeasure of unfruitfulness.

Being in Jesus is more than just a declaration of your status or a profession, it is a determinantion to stay put and become productive.

[Vs. 2 and vs. 6 teaches us that to be “in Jesus” and not produce fruit is similar to not abiding in Jesus altogether. Meaning there is an expectation of abiding and fruit-bearing when I claim Jesus as my Lord.]

There are many who claim “I am a Christian”/ “I am in Jesus” - But are you bearing fruit?

# Not bearing fruit should be something that makes me sick and uncomfortable

Fruitlessness needs to become so distasteful that I fight every aim, objective, goal, carnal desire, ritual, dream, ambition, priority, discipline or idea: that challenges my ability to abide, and thus bear fruit.

These unproductive branches are of so little value, He says:

John 15:2 “2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:6 “6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

This certainly possesses judgement motif. Fire was used to signify purification, but this judgement.

In the same way tares will be burned

The sheep separated from the goats

The bad fish separated from the good fish

Unproductive branches will wither, be gathered and be burned!

The ones that are just taking the nutrients and not producing fruit He cuts away but,

. . .the ones that are, he prunes (cleans) it so it can increase its fruit-bearing capacity and ultimately, its fruit.

The vinedresser is the only one that is fit to cut fruitless branches (i.e. that’s His job, not yours)

He uses specific tools, He cuts at specific times and in the right places. Cutting is in His hands. I.e. He knows what tools to use, when to cut, what to cut, how to cut!

APPL. Learn to endure God’s pruning. Sometimes God will use people, problems, or persecution to cut somethings from your life. - It’s really the word, but the people, problems and persecution sometimes open up our eyes to see God’s perspective and allow that to rule, thus cutting away what was there before.

E.G.

Self-reliance

Your own power

God might allow a problem, person, pressure to persist so that you see, that what you have been leaning on is insufficient. It might also expose some deffective part of your character that’s hindering the fruit-bearing in you life.

This then creates fertile ground for the word to be implanted that can lead you to transfer your trust into something outside of yourself.

This pruning is not pleasant but it ensures increased productivity because it cuts away anything competing with Jesus.

APPL. In viticulture, there were seasons where all the plant did was subject itself to the pruning of the Vinedresser

Sometimes you might think that all that’s happening is problems, pressure, predicaments, people - one after the next. You might be in a pruning season - what you need to do is fight the urge to seek comfort and covenience, and instead endure and remain fixed in Jesus Christ

You might just need worship your way through the pruning season, pray your way through the pruning season, serve your way through the pruning season, sing your way through the pruning season,

#Fight to Abide, because there is Much fruit is on the other side of pruning.

#Much fruit does not come meager abiding.

How devoted are you to abiding?

Jesus lets you in on something profound, you can literally bear as much fruit as you can (God is a God of abundance), but God conditions this on your committment to ABIDING.

Allow me to open up the theological implications of this text,

APPL. Many times, where you abide determines what kind fruit you are most likely to produce

Shivnarine Chanderpaul - was known in the cricket world for his ability to bat for long periods of time in a game.

He was asked by some bowlers that were bowling to him, why does he practice for so long? He responded, “if I want to bat for 8 hours in a game, I need to know what that feels like in training” - If he wanted the fruit of long periods at the crease, he need to abide in the field of trainig.

If you only abide in, is the field of strife, gossip, contention, complaining, chaos and hostility - don’t be surprised if that’s all you attract and if that’s the only fruit you see in your life.

Don’t be surprised at your inability to do what Jesus is asking you to do, when you are not willing to adbide and remain in Him

The difference is this, if you are abiding in Jesus, there might be chaos, contention and confusion around you, but your abiding bears PEACE.

Your abiding in Jesus during discouragement and distress is wht brings the fruit of JOY.

John 15:5 “5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Vs.5 - Who is the person that will bear fruit?

The preacher? The elder? The deacon? The Long standing member? The person with all the degrees, certificates and qualifications?

This verse shows us how intensely Christocentric our lives are supposed to be

Want to improve your marriage apart from Jesus? - You can do nothing

Want to deal with your boss/employees/customers apart from Jesus

Want to find a spouse apart from Jesus

Want to build/lead the church apart from Jesus

Want to increase in ministry apart from Jesus

# Fruit will never show up where Jesus is not allowed to have residence - “apart from me, you can do nothing”

John 15:7 “7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

We have been starved of teachings like this because some in the charismatic circle have taken this to an extreme, but it still remains a biblical truth.

God is not being irresponsible, God is not taking a risk . . . in giving us such a condition

“Ask whatever you wish”

God knows that if you abide, and He prunes. . . He will cut away anything that is in you, that will prompt you to ask for anything that is outside of His will.

At this point, I’m wondering why would God put such a big blessing in our hands?

Maybe, it is a simple reason:

God wants us to bear fruit, and is doing everything necessary for that to happen.

This, Jesus says, glorifies the Father.

Your abiding in the true Vine, doesn’t just cause people to have a high opinion of God, it satisfies Him.

It might not please your friends or family, it might not please you colleagues

Sometimes it might not please the people in the pew, but if it pleases God, I will abide.

And if abiding pleases God, I will fight to abide

Come hell or high water, I will fight to abide

Hardpressed on every side, I will fight to abide

Say what you want to say about me, I will fight to abide

Whatever comes my way, I will fight to abide

I want to abide to the end so that one day I can hear

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant”