Bearing Fruit (John 15:1-17)

A. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman"  (John 15:1).

1. John is once again declaring that Jesus is the "I Am", the eternal, self-existent, all-sufficient God.  Jesus is the "I Am" who spoke to Moses at the burning bush.

2. Jesus is the true vine, the source of life.  Everything else is deceptive and false.  Everything else is like fool's gold.  It may look pretty, but has little value.

3. In relationship, the role of the Father is the owner and caretaker or vine dresser of the vineyard.

B. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit"  (John 15:2).

1. The word "every" means without exception.

2. The key phrase is "in me."   This speaks of "relationship".   We should know that there may be a big difference in relationship and fellowship.  A Believer is related to God, the Father, through the rebirth experience.  This experience is initiated by a faith commitment on our part but accomplished by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.  Relationship remain constant.  On the other hand, fellowship or intimacy with God may vary greatly from time to time.

3. The "in me" phrase refers to three types of branches: those that bear no fruit, those that bear some fruit, and those that bear more fruit.

4. What happens to the branches that bear no fruit?  The KJV says that Jesus "taketh away" them.  However, the Greek word (airo) means something entirely different.  It literally means to "raise up" or "to elevate".  In Matthew 4:6, it is translated to "bear up."   In John 5:10, it is translated "to carry."  In John 11:41b, it is translated "lift up."  In Acts 4:24, it is translated "lifted up."  It is said that in a vineyard that the branches have a tendency to grow downward along the surface of the ground.  There next to the ground, the leaves get dust or mud on them and they don't get the sunlight or oxygen that is needed for plant to produce fruit.  The branches are still connected to the vine, but going their own way.  The vine dresser desires that they produce fruit.  If he cuts them off, he certainly will not get any fruit.  Instead, he "lifts up" the branches, supports them, and washes off the dirty leaves that the branches may receive the sunlight and oxygen that is needed so that they may produce fruit.  This is a beautiful picture of Jesus picking us up out of the dirt, propping us up in love, and cleansing us with the Word.

5. What happens to the branches that begin to produce some fruit?  The vine dresser "purges" them, or rather "prunes" them.  He cuts away everything that will hinder the branches from producing the most fruit.  Again, the desire of the vine dresser is to produce a much good fruit as possible.

C. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you"  (John 15:3).

1. The word translated "clean" is the same word that is translated "purgeth" in verse two.

2. The Word of God is the agent that God uses for purging, pruning, or cleansing us.

A. "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me"  (John 15:4).

1. The key word here is "abide."  The word is used three times in this verse and six times in the following verses for a total of nine times.  It is interesting that there are also nine fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians:   "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,    Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law"  (Galatians 5:22-23).  The word "abide" means to dwell, remain, or be close to.  An older parent may say, "My son doesn't live with me any more.  In fact, he never comes much any more."  Their relationship hasn't changed.  The young man is still his son, but their intimate fellowship has drastically changed.

2. John gives us a good example of fellowship with Jesus in Revelation: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me"  (Revelation 3:20).   The passage is written to a church of Believers, but Jesus wanted to go beyond the relationship to having a fellowship with the people on a day by day basis. Jesus wanted to sit down and eat supper with them.

3. Without a continual intimate fellowship with Jesus we CAN NOT produce fruit.  Relationship alone does not guarantee that we produce fruit on a measurable scale.  We all know of unfruitful Believers.  Again, Jesus said in verse two that not every branch in him would produce fruit.

B. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).

1.  The vine is considered considered the WHOLE of the plant, but the trunk in specific.

2.  Here Jesus is emphasizing the connection between the vine (trunk) and the branches.  Jesus is the source of life and the source of fruitfulness.   The person who has a continual intimate fellowship with Jesus will produce much fruit.  Apart from that fellowship with Jesus, we will not produce fruit no matter how hard we try or how much we work at it.  We can read the Bible, study it in the different languages, and study all the works of different teachers and still not have fellowship with God the Father.  We can pray until we are blue in the face and still not have fellowship with Jesus.  We can obey all the laws and still not have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

3. I would like to give you seven words to live by: (1) seek, (2) call, (3) ask, (4) wait, (5) hear, (6) volunteer, and (7) obey.  Here are the words with a scripture with each of them.

a . SEEK: (meaning to search diligently for).  "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart"     (Jeremiah 29:13).

b. CALL: (meaning to cry out).  "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not"  (Jeremiah 33:3).

c. ASK: (meaning to make a sincere request).  "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you"  (John 15:7).

d. WAIT: (meaning to be patient to receive).  "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD"  (Psalms 27:14).

e. HEAR: (meaning to listen to understand).  "And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth"  (I Samuel 3:10).

f. VOLUNTEER: (meaning to be willing to serve before asked).  "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?    then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8).

g. OBEY: (meaning to follow through with the instructions).  "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"  (John 10:27).

C. "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned"  (John 15:6).

1. This may seem to be a difficult passage at first glance, but if we see it in the context of a continual intimate fellowship and bearing fruit, then the meaning becomes clear.  This has nothing to do with losing your salvation (relationship) and going to hell.   To imply that this verse is pointing to one losing one's life in Christ is a major contradiction to the clear teaching of other clear Scripture concerning the eternal life that one has in Christ. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [one or thing] pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28).

a. The life is a "gift" and never deserved.  This means we can not obtain or maintain it by doing good works.  Trying to obtain eternal life or trying to maintain eternal life by doing good works is "dead works" according to (Hebrew 11:6) and is of NO value.  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

b. The life is "eternal".  This means that the life that one is given is of such quality that it lasts for ever.

c. Literally, the Greek language uses a double negative here for emphasis that from the point in time that one receives it, he shall no how, no way ever perish.  For more information see: Protection For The Mind.

In contrast,  John 15:6  has everything to do with being used to bear fruit.  The person who refuses to abide in Christ (have a continual intimate fellowship with Jesus) will be laid aside as for as ministry is concerned.  In fact, some may even physically get sick and die (I Corinthians 11:30).

2. Paul did not want to become a castaway.  "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.    And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.    I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:    But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway"  (I Corinthians 9:24-27).  Paul did not want to lose his effectiveness as a Christian.

3.  The church of Ephesus was a works oriented church.  It was diligent.  It had patience. It was righteous and pure, but it had lost its continuing intimate fellowship with Jesus, its love.  Therefore, Jesus said, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent"  (Revelation 2:4-5).  Again, Jesus was not talking about losing one's salvation, but about the possibility of losing the anointing for ministry.

D. "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you"  (John 15:7).

1. This verse is so BIG that it is difficult for us to wrap our minds about it.  It is like, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not"  (Jeremiah 33:3).  It is like, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,   Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen"  (Ephesians 3:20-21).

2. It is God's promise to us and He always keeps His promise.  However, there are two conditions.  First, we must keep a continual intimate fellowship with Jesus.  Second, we must allow His words to dwell in us.  The first prerequisite we will look more at later.  We can see the second prerequisite in "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).  Here God promises both prosperity and success.  Paul wrote to the young minister Timothy, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all"  (I Timothy 4:15).  When we meditate on the Word, others will see how much God is blessing us.

E. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples"  (John 15:8).

1. Simply stated, "We give glory to God when we bear much fruit.  The more fruit we bear, the more glory we give to God."

2. However, Jesus lets us in on one little secret.  Fruit bearing requires discipline.  We can be Believers without having discipline in our lives.  A disciple is one who submits himself under the discipline of another.

F. "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love"  (John 15:9).

1. Here, Jesus gets to the heart of the matter.  The Father is the source of love.  He is the source of having a continual intimate fellowship.  John later wrote, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.    Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another"  (I John 4:10-11).

2. We see the Father's love toward the Son through the love that Jesus demonstrated toward us.  However, in this we can also see the Father's love toward us.  Based upon this, we are to continue in the love of Jesus.  This love has two dimensions: our love for God and our love toward others.

G. "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love"  (John 15:10).

1. How did the Father demonstrate his love for Jesus?  The Father cared for every need of Jesus (spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and financial).

a. He provided protection.
b. He provided direction.
c. He provided purpose.
d. He provided fellowship.
e. He provided identity.
f. He provided intimacy.
g. He provided peace.
h. He provided joy.

2. What was the means of Jesus receiving the Father's love?

a. He received it through prayer.
b. He received it through the Word.
c. He received it through obedience.

3. We can also experience God's love in the same manner.  However, we should understand that these elements are a means to the end and not an end in themselves.

H. "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full"  (John 15:11).

1. When we experience God's love, we experience JOY.

2. God wants us to be filled with JOY all the time.

I. "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"  (John 15:12-13).

1. Paul wrote, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself"  (Galatians 5:14).

2. Love is looking to see how others may benefit from our service.  How can we bless others?  How can you bless the person with whom you have difficult issues?  How can you minister to that person or those people who seem to be unlovable?

J. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.    Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you"  (John 15:14-15).

1. Again, the emphasis is upon a continual closeness in fellowship.  Friends serve one another out of love and not just because a command is given.

2. Furthermore, close friends share the intimate aspects of their lives with one another. God wants to enter into an intimate fellowship with us.

K. "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you"  (John 15:16).

1. You have been picked.  There was an election in heaven and you won the vote to go and bring forth fruit.  You have been ordained to be a success in bearing fruit.  You should never question if or not it is God's will for you to bear fruit.  It is ABSOLUTELY God's WILL that you bear fruit. It is God's will that you also bear much GOOD fruit.

2. Furthermore, the fruit on your branch is to remain until the times of the harvest.  The grapes are to grow until they are large, sweet, and fully matured.  The vine dresser will throw away any small sour grapes.  Now here is a key:  if the branch is not nourished, that is, if it doesn't have the water, sunlight, nutrients and proper care it won't produce the desired fruit.  Again, the branch can not produce fruit of it own accord.  We can not produce fruit of our own accord no matter how hard we try.  Therefore, we must ask the Father in the name of Jesus to give us what we need to produce the fruit. This is one prayer that the Father never refuses to answer.

3. I am continually asking the Father to provide what I need to properly and effectively counsel individual clients.  He always provides.  He never says, "No" to that prayer.  The problem comes if or when I get too busy, doubtful, or prideful to ask.  We have an example of this in Luke 11:1-13.  When we ask the Father for the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we might share the bread of life, Jesus, with others, the Father readily answers.

L. "These things I command you, that ye love one another"  (John 15:17).

1. God blessed Abraham that he might be a blessing to others.

2. God blessed Jabez with blessings that he also might bless others.

3. God blessed Solomon with wisdom that he might share it with others.

4. God miraculously provided oil and meal for a widow woman that she might provide food for Elijah, the prophet.

5. God gave a second outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the Early Church when it asked for it that it might share the Word boldly and minister healing to others.

    How much of God's love have you received in your life?  What outlet for His love do you have in your life?

    Illustration:  Take a large clear pitcher and fill it most of the way with water.  Pour in just enough cooking oil until you have a thin solid layer of oil on the surface of the water.    Next, take some red food coloring and pour a few large drops of the food coloring on top of the oil and watch what happens.  It may take a minute or more for the food coloring to penetrate through the oil. If after a minute or so nothing happens, try adding a little more red food coloring.  Now, see the water as the world and yourself as the thin layer of cooking oil.  See the red food coloring as the love of God flowing through your life into the world.  Don't just read this, but try it.  It will be an illustration that you won't forget.