The Fruitful Christian Life
Notes
Transcript
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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and 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 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Introduction: Dr. Howard Hendricks tells of a small town in Texas where 1 year the school burned to the ground with the loss of more than 200 lives, because they didn’t have a sprinkler system. They began to rebuild after the initial shock had passed and called in the foremost company in fire prevention equipment to install a sprinkler system.
When the new school was opened for public inspection, guides pointed out the new sprinklers in each room, to alleviate fears of another disaster. The school operated without incident for a number of years, then they needed to add on to the existing structure.
As work progressed, they made a startling discovery. The new fire extinguishing equipment had never been connected to the water supply! They had the latest in technology and equipment, yet it was entirely useless!
Jesus said:
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
As we look at the passage today, one might say that God has “Grape Expectations” for your life. Sorry about the dad joke but it does make a point. The Lord didn’t save you to just exist and hang around until the day He calls you home. He saved you to produce fruit. He wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts!
Jesus gives a perfect analogy here that his listeners will understand. The vine and the branches. His analogy speaks to what it takes to have a fruitful Christian life.
The Power Source (vv.1-4)
The Power Source (vv.1-4)
Illus. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) Once said this..."The Christian life isn't difficult, it's impossible - without the power of the Holy Spirit."
If you have been a follower of Christ for any length of time, you will likely affirm that statement.
You cannot, and will not, live a fruitful Christian life apart from God’s empowerment. Period.
In the verses that we just read, Jesus affirms that. He uses this powerful illustration to get his point across.
The Vine and the Branches.
Jesus is the true vine. The vine delivers the nourishment and moisture needed for the vines to thrive and produce fruit. The branches must remain in connection with the vine in order to grow and produce grapes. Think about it this way, if you were to cut a rose and place it in a vase, it would look beautiful for a while but then shrivel and die after a few days because it is no longer connected to the plant.
Then we have the vinedresser or the gardener who represents God the father. The branches not only must remain connected to the vine to survive but they are dependent upon the gardener to remain healthy. He makes sure that the vine is clean and pruned for maximum fruit-bearing.
Thankfully, the Vinedresser knows exactly how to prune us to make us bear more fruit.
To prune the vine can mean two things.
1) To cut away those parts of the branches that are hindering fruit production. The dead or diseased spots, the abundance of leaves, etc.
2 ) It can also mean to prop up or support. The vine would occasionally need to be lifted back up to the trellis and thoroughly cleaned by carefully wiping away the dirt that had accumulated on it from touching the ground. Considering that Jesus spoke of the disciples being cleansed through the Word of God in v. 3, this supports that translation.
I would say that both cutting away and propping up are valid because Vinedressers did both things to keep the branches healthy and productive.
Believers need both the cutting away of the dead material in our lives AND we have areas in our lives that need to be cleansed and propped up.
When it comes to process of cutting off, it can be painful for believers. The dead and diseased parts are cut away. But, so are the some living parts. Occasionally, I understand that the vinedresser even removes whole bunches of grapes so that better grapes can grow. If the vines could talk, I’m sure they would talk about the pain. They can’t but we can.
When it comes to the cleansing and washing, we know that helps us grow also. The dirt can help breed disease.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
When we take his word into our life, it points the the areas of sin that we need to deal with. And the Word gives us the promise of forgiveness.
But the most important part can be found in verse 4.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
Abiding in the vine is critical. The vine, Jesus, is the sole source of power for Christian living. To abide is the remain. It speaks of communion or close fellowship with Him. Without close communion, nothing useful and fruitful will be produced in a Christian’s life. To abide can also mean, to make yourself at home.
To abide is a command in the present imperative which calls for abiding to be our lifestyle, one of continuing intimate fellowship, something only possible as we learn to depend on the power of the Spirit.
Illus. Vance Havner said, “Our relationship is fixed, but our fellowship with Him depends upon whether we abide in Him as we ought. This abiding is not a tense and strained affair, but an utter dependence upon Him for every need—feeding upon Him, drawing from Him, as the branch from the vine, all our strength and security.
By the way, one doesn’t raise grapes to look at the pretty leaves. Fruit is expected. Note, the branches don’t eat the grapes either. Others eat the fruit that is produced. The fruit that your life produces is meant to bless others.”
The Productive Servant (v. 5-6)
The Productive Servant (v. 5-6)
Just like a productive vine, the productive servant bears much fruit.
Notice in these verses, there is a progression of fruitfulness.
No fruit > Some fruit > More fruit > Much fruit!
Illustration: The bowl with ping pong balls.
The Vinedresser comes to the vine and expects to see fruit. If he doesn’t see any, guess what? Snip, Snip.
He returns to the vine and sees some fruit. Guess what? Snip, Snip!
And later he returns to see more fruit. You might think he would be happy with that. Nope! Snip, Snip, Snip!
Finally, much fruit.
Can the Vinedresser then sit back and rest? No, no, no…He continually monitors the vine and engages in more pruning when needed. A fruitful vine requires constant vigilance and attention from the one who tends it.
Real fruitfulness in the Christian doesn’t happen over night. It takes an extended period of time. We call this process sanctification. Here is what one commentary said: “Real fruitfulness is only determined over an extended period of time. “Genuine conversion is not measured by the hasty decision but by long-range fruitfulness.” (Erdman)”
Well what happens to the vines that never produce anything?
Look at verse 6.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
The big question when it comes to this verse is what does this mean? Does it mean that a believer can lose his salvation…that those who produce no fruit are cast into hell?
Here is what Warren Weirsbe wrote: “Jesus was teaching one main truth—the fruitful life of the believer—and we must not press the details too much. Just as an unfruitful branch is useless, so an unfruitful believer is useless; and both must be dealt with. It is a tragic thing for a once-fruitful believer to backslide and lose his privilege of fellowship and service. If anything, John 15:6 describes divine discipline rather than eternal destiny.”
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Pruning is sometimes disciplinary. If the thing that God is doing in your life is most painful, perhaps He is pruning you - disciplining you - to bring you back into obedience and fruit bearing.
The Promised Supply (v. 7)
The Promised Supply (v. 7)
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
There is a promise here in this verse…a promise to hear and answer the prayers of the one who abides in Christ.
Before you start to pick out the color of that new Cadillac that you want to ask for, take notice of something He says here…If you abide in me, and MY WORDS abide in you. This is not a blank check.
This is not some name it and claim it formula for getting what you want.
When we abide in Christ and his Word abides in us, he changes the desires of our heart to line up with his will.
He will supply your needs in accordance with his will, not yours. When you consider who he was saying this to, you come to understand that he supplies what is needed to serve and advance His kingdom purposes.
James gave us a warning...
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
What is your motive for asking? Are you asking for what you need in order to glorify Him, or satisfy self?
I have mentioned the fact that I serve on the Billy Graham Prayer line. We receive calls from people who are frustrated because God hasn’t answered their prayers. But when you talk to them, so many of those prayer requests are based on their personal needs or wants and not on His kingdom purposes. Does god care about our personal needs? Yes, he does. But his priority is toward his kingdom purposes.
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
The Praised Savior (v. 8)
The Praised Savior (v. 8)
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
As a Christian abiding in Christ, our lives ought to bring the highest glory to the Father in heaven. And that comes through bearing much fruit.
I believe that there are several types of fruit that a Christian ought to show in his life.
Spiritual fruit - Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
The fruit of good works - Ephesians 2:9-11
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The fruit of righteousness - Philippians 1:11
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.
Numeric fruit - Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And Jesus said that the proof of discipleship of bearing much fruit. How much fruit are you bearing for the the Lord?