Fruit

In our text, Jesus once again shows His ability to teach using pictures. He describes what it means to be one of His disciples, and He does that by talking about a vine and its branches. There is a lot here so we'll be spending a couple of weeks on what He has to say. Today, I'm going to focus on the picture of fruit. Jesus promises that every disciple, each of you, will bear fruit. I think that what Jesus has to say about that is very encouraging, and I’m hoping that you will think that too.

Let's start by listening to Jesus.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  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. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  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. 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. 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. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  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. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15.1-11)

Jesus presents Himself as a vine. And what is it that vines do? They produce fruit. You can see many examples of that when you take a drive to North East in the fall. Jesus, the vine, will produce fruit. And He will do that through His branches. That’s you. Because of your union with Jesus, because you are a branch in the vine, you will produce fruit. Jesus promises.

Now, imagery is a great tool. A good teacher can communicate in striking ways by using word pictures. That’s what Jesus is doing when He talks about fruit. But the point of the image needs to be clear to those listening if the word picture is going to work. So, what’s the fruit? What is it that Jesus promises to produce through you?

The answer to that becomes clear as you think about one of the most important themes in John's Gospel: life, eternal life. Think about the many times that this theme shows up. 'God so loved the world...' And how does that end? Or, 'I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.' And just to make the importance of this theme clear, here's something from the end of this Gospel.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Jesus has come so that you can enjoy the life of God and enjoy it now.

Let’s connect that to some other Scripture to make the point clear. Adam and Eve were in the Garden and all was good, until it wasn't. What happened when God cursed them for their rebellion? They lost something. Before this they were whole people, real people. But after God's curse, it all changed. They were no longer real people, but a mere shadow of what God originally intended. And every person since has inherited that lack. We all start out as less than real people. Something is missing. But Jesus has come. And what has He come to do? He has come so that you might have life. He has come so that you might become real people again. Those who are not Christian are still people, but they are not real people, whole people. Something is missing. But those who are united to Jesus, the vine – these have life and are being restored. They are becoming real. Heaven will be populated with real people, whole people, not the pale counterfeit we see all around us today.

So, Jesus promises to all who are branches in Him that they will experience life, that they will be real people. That life is not the fruit but it is what produces the fruit. Having this life necessarily results in fruit. So, what will that fruit look like? How will this life express itself? There are many good ways to answer this. I’m going to choose one and leave the others for some other time. A fruit of this life is Christian humility. Now, I’m going to guess that when I said that word most of you thought of things that you aren’t supposed to do. That’s not what humility is about. Humility is having an accurate understanding of who you are.

So, what does that mean? For one thing, the humble Christian knows that he or she is an adopted son of the Most High God. That is simply a fact and, as such, it is part of your having an accurate understanding of who you are. You are not an orphan, but a son, an heir. So, as a humble Christian, you live confidently, assured of certain basic facts. God is your Father and you are precious to Him. Jesus, your older brother, has come so that you can become part of the family which is God. The Spirit makes all of this yours, and He gives you all that you need so you can live like it. Humility starts with knowing and enjoying all of this.

Humility also includes the understanding that if God is your Father then you will honor Him as such. And part of that includes submitting to Him. ‘Not my will but Yours be done’ becomes a basic theme of your life. You do that because it’s right and also because you know that this is the best way to live. This is how Jesus lived. So, you want to obey first, for the sake of God’s honor and then, for your own welfare.

As a member of the divine family, you also begin to take on family traits. That’s something the Spirit causes. And here’s one trait of God that you notice. He cares. He cares about others. And so, you also begin to care. You see people in need, and you want to do something about it. Sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t, but you want to because you care. And all I’m talking about here is love. Being a member of the family means that you learn to love.

Because you understand who you are, because of a right sense of humility, you also understand that there is nothing to fear. All the threats around you – and there are some very real threats – lose their power because you begin to understand that the worst that they can do to you isn’t nearly as bad as they claim. In fact, because you are God’s dear child, you know that all the evil of men and devils will be used for great good. So, instead of fear there is a growing peace.

Now, please understand what I’m saying and what I’m not saying. I’m not saying, ‘There are things that you need to do: be humble, obey God, love people, be at peace.’ I didn’t say that. This is what I said. You have received the life of eternity. And because of that things are happening, good things. You are being changed. You are producing fruit. Jesus is a vine that will be fruitful. And He will be fruitful through you. Jesus has given you life, the life of God. The Father is nurturing that life. The Spirit is going to make sure that it flourishes. And the result? Fruit. Relax and enjoy that.

Now, Jesus has more to say about all of this, things like pruning and abiding and more. But we’ll get to that in the weeks to come. The main point for today is simply this. You bear fruit. That is a fact because of the promise of Jesus. The life of God that He has blessed you with is something that cannot be frustrated. You bear fruit. And you will bear more of it as time goes on.

And now, to briefly answer you who doubt, who are asking, ‘But how do I know that this promise is really mine?’ Well, let me appeal to some things I told you in a recent sermon. If you are wondering if this promise is yours, then remember your baptism. A covenant was established between you and your God at your baptism just as a marriage covenant is established at a wedding. Remember? So, here’s the question for you to answer. Has God divorced you? Has God unmade the covenant between you? If He has, it would be as obvious as the making of that covenant. If you have been baptized and not divorced, then this promise of Jesus is yours. It’s part of the covenant that you have been blessed with. All you have to do is accept the gift of this promise with thanks. Or to use church words, believe it. And we’re back again to the basic theme of the Christian life: believe the Gospel.

Last thought. If all of this is true, that is, if all of this talk about Jesus’ promise of fruit through you is true – and it is – then here is one other way that it will show. Along with humility there will be optimism. As you look at your life – problems, questions, hardships and whatever – you need not be discouraged. No! You will enjoy more and more of the experience of life, the life that the Gospel promises. As you consider your future you can know that there will be more fruit in your life. You will become more and more of a real person. And so, with deep humility, you can look at your future with unbounded optimism. Or, again, to use a church word, you can look at your future with great joy.