Fruitfulness in Christ

I must confess as I look at this passage, I am what you might call a brown thumb.

! I am actually unable by any means to make anything grow.

! In fact, someone recently had gone back to Canada and was like,

Ash, I'm going to give you this plant of mine, but no, it is dead.

They can be hurt.

It's sad, it's depressing because it's a reminder of the friendship, which is not dead,

but it could be herbs, it could be fruit, it could be even a succulent.

I can't bring it to grow.

And the reality is when you buy any plant, whatever it is, the goal for it is fruitfulness, isn't it?

The goal for it is to grow.

And who doesn't want it to grow?

Me, apparently.

And you see, the picture that's been read out for us is that being in Christ

is like the relationship between a vine and branches.

And in this series that has been called In Christ, we've looked at the nature of being united with Jesus.

How it is so unchangeable, this unbreakable bond, all because of the work of Christ.

And this time we're looking at this beautiful metaphor of, again, what that union should look like.

Have a look at verse 5.

I am the vine, you are the branches.

If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.

Apart from me, you can do nothing.

Jesus, the same God who was there at the beginning, affirms that you are united to him as a vine is with a branch.

And isn't a vine just such a beautiful image?

Because what should be etched into our minds are vines that are just overflowing

and it just keeps growing and growing and growing and growing on the wall or even on a wooden stake.

It's got this growth, it's got this vitality that is just all-encompassing.

That's the relationship that you have with Christ.

The power of being connected to Jesus, the vine, means fruitfulness.

It means that fruitfulness will happen.

A vine that keeps growing and growing and growing.

That if you keep the branches healthy by being connected, they will bear fruit.

And so too, therefore, is his desire for you.

Verse 2.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit,

he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

And in verse 16, you did not choose me, but I chose you.

And appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.

Friends, bearing fruit is the obvious reality for the Christian here in John 15.

And what's beautiful that's added here is that God has chosen you.

He's chosen you.

He's predestined you to be faithful.

To be fruitful.

That his purpose and the reason for your fruitfulness is because he chose you and made you for it.

Because fruitfulness is the mark of a Christian or a sign, if you will.

Earlier, Nick preached on being made dead and alive in Christ.

And in very much the same way that Paul says that you are now dead and you have been made alive in Christ,

you are to stop sinning, living as though you are dead.

And Jesus here says, because you are a branch, you who trust in Jesus are a branch that is rooted and connected to the source of life and growth,

bear fruit.

Jesus says that you have God's spirit that lives in you, which he assures those who trust him that you will be fruitful.

And so fruit is a non-negotiable.

It's promised.

You can't say, I'm just a branch attached to the true vine and I'll choose to bear my fruit rather than Jesus' fruit.

And let me make it really clear.

What makes you a Christian is not your fruit.

What makes you a Christian is the fact, verse 3, that you were made clean, heard the word of Jesus being the way, the truth and the life,

being forgiven and given new life by your confidence being in Jesus Christ.

And then what flows from this is fruitfulness.

Because you know what God commanded humanity as he established them on this earth?

He says to you and I, Genesis chapter 1, verse 28, God blessed them and said to them,

Genesis 1:28

be fruitful and multiply.

Be fruitful.

It's our original call, our original command.

And so we have to ask ourselves, what is the fruitfulness that we have been designed for, that Jesus is looking for?

Because the reality is for most of us, we are in a success culture.

If you think you're not, then try again and look again.

Think about just Chatswood.

Think about just Chatswood.

You want your kids to succeed and be happy.

And you don't have to look so far around in Chatswood to find a Turing College at every corner of this city.

There's options for extracurricular after school.

There are school buses, I won't name which school, in our very local area that have the slogans,

watch us change the world.

Before high school graduates graduate, there will be business and career pathways advertised to them.

Because we want them to succeed in the world.

And you see, the danger for us is that the fruitfulness that you and I live and breathe is very much not the same fruitfulness that Jesus desires for your children,

your grandchildren, your spouse, and even for yourself.

Notice what Jesus says about the purpose in verse 12.

This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

And to understand the fruit, Jesus tells us what it's for.

Number one, it's not for us.

The fruitfulness is to glorify God.

It's to make him big.

It's to make him great.

Because he is worthy of all praise.

And number two, it's outwardly that our fruit is to be a demonstration of Christ's work in us.

In other words, the fruitfulness that we are seeing here is the growth, the total transformation of the life of a Christian to become more and more and more like Jesus.

Christians call this sanctification, the process of being made more and more to the image of Jesus Christ.

And it's not an instant one, but as we see in this passage, it is a promised one.

And so fruitfulness, sanctification, it's all of it.

It's all the transformation.

It's growing in the fruit of the Spirit.

Patience, love, kindness, self-control.

Christ-likeness.

It is growing in love for God and others.

It is bearing fruit of seeing other people come to follow Christ.

But also, yes, the fruitfulness is not for us.

It is for God's glory.

It is outwardly.

But did you see in verse 11?

It's a reality that the Christian ought to also have joy from.

Growing to be like Jesus.

Transformation, fruitfulness, sanctification is a joy gifted by Jesus.

Verse 11, I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and so that my joy may be complete.

I wonder if you've got friends who've told you after you've shared about, I'm a follower of Jesus, I go to church.

And they say, you know what, that sounds like a great idea.

I'll check out Jesus.

But, you know, I'll start obeying all the commands after I stop partying.

Maybe I'll take Jesus more seriously when I get older or when I have kids.

Maybe we'll focus on the church part after the HSC is finished or after this big work season.

Because I just don't want Jesus and the Bible to squeeze out all the joy of what I want to do.

See, Jesus pushes the opposite idea, doesn't he?

He's not withholding the secret to joy.

He says that keeping his commands, glorifying him is for our joy.

It's for your benefit to glorify him.

And so what Jesus calls us to do is to lean into his joy as surpassing worth than the joy that this world has to offer.

Lean into the fruitfulness that he longs for you.

And so where does fruitfulness start?

Where does that begin?

Fruitfulness begins in remaining.

Verse 4.

Remain in me as I also remain in you.

No branch can bear fruit by itself.

It must remain in the vine.

You see, Jesus doubles down here.

Not only is remaining a method, it is the only method.

Remaining in Christ.

If you want to be fruitful in Christ, you are to remain in Christ.

And the sense of remain here that we ought to see is it's a heart, will, and mind that is wholly fixed and united with Christ's own heart, will, and mind.

As much as a branch looks like the vine and the vine is full of branches, our whole heart and affections and desires become consumed by Christ.

In other words, remaining is actually an active reality.

It's not a passive one.

Remaining in Christ is not reaching a destination as much as embracing the destination that you are in.

I was chatting to a school chaplain and they asked me, hey, do you know this kid?

He says he goes to your youth group and he also comes to my lunchtime group.

And I'm like, great, what was his name?

And they said it and I was like, oh, never heard of them before.

And I started feeling bad because I was like, oh, my goodness, my memory's starting to go quite early.

I don't even know my own youth.

So I checked our attendance list, searched up the kid and realised that they actually turned up twice, three terms ago,

but were still claiming to be a member here at St Paul's.

And I was like, that's sweet that they consider St Paul's to be their church.

But also, they don't really go to our church.

But somehow, that's how you and I treat remaining in Christ.

You see following Jesus as more of a title that you have, the credentials, the bachelor, the masters under your name that you carry around,

claiming the name of Jesus, claiming the title of Christian, claiming the title of Christian,

rather than be mastered by Jesus.

You see, the vine imagery is so powerful that the remaining is not only us to him, but in what Jesus does for us.

This four, remain in me as I also remain in you.

To be a Christian, you must be mastered by Jesus and his words.

Look at verse 7 and 10.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you,

and verse 10.

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love.

Friends, there's something synonymous about loving Jesus,

remaining in him and his words.

You might be new to Jesus.

Some of you might be keen to check out Jesus.

You love the forgiveness and love of Jesus,

but you're not quite sure about certain other parts of the Bible that you've heard.

I just want to encourage you that having faith in Jesus,

as you discover who he is,

is taking him at his word,

that his way indeed is better.

I hear the warning in verse 6.

If you do not remain in me,

you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers.

Such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burn.

So yes,

when you reject God,

you reject the God who rightly deserves

all the glory and praise.

He deserves your attention,

but also,

you harm yourself.

Have you thought it that way before?

Sin harms you

in a way that you might not see,

but it's harming you.

It's still hurting you

because you are broken

from the life source.

You are broken from the true vine.

It's no benefit to you.

And you see,

the difference in remaining in Christ is this.

I must confess,

I'm not organized.

I did have something here,

ready to go,

but I don't have it with me.

I want you just to imagine

that you've got a Tupperware box.

That Tupperware box is you.

Inside of you

is another Tupperware box

that contains the Holy Spirit.

Have a look.

Remember,

God remains in you.

And in John 14,

the Holy Spirit

is promised to those

who trust in him.

And that Tupperware box

is to be in Christ,

which means

at the very center of you

is the Holy Spirit.

And you on the outside

are being encompassed

by Christ.

And so,

if you can imagine

that image

that should have been brought by Ash,

do you see yourself

that you are subsumed,

mastered by the Savior,

the Savior remains in you,

making you

remain in himself?

It's like those babushka dolls.

You're the second,

the middle one.

Friends,

what that means

is 100% fruitfulness.

That you can bear fruit,

that you will bear fruit

just by remaining in him.

That the way

that you slay your sin,

the way that you open your heart

is in Jesus.

In Jesus alone.

It's by his grace alone

that you have been saved,

but it's also

by grace

that you will change.

God's grace,

his life transforming power

is a promise.

Goodness,

I love Romans 8.

Romans 8

is such an incredible passage.

You should go check it out

if you've never done it.

But in verse 11,

did you know,

did you know,

it says that you've got

Jesus' spirit,

the same spirit

that brought Jesus Christ

from the dead.

and in him,

you've got the same

resurrection power.

And so remain in him.

What other fount

will ever give you

eternal life?

What other vine

holds you

in his loving arms

and calls you

friend

than the true vine?

This is the creator God

we're talking about.

He is the unchanging God,

the one who was

and is

and is to come.

And so every time

that you look elsewhere,

you commit idolatry

and you are not

remaining in him.

And so in verse 5,

Jesus continues saying,

apart from me,

you can do nothing.

Friends,

don't believe

that you can bear fruit

by yourself.

Don't think you can change

without the work

of Christ in you.

And yet in the world

of self-help books,

the right measure

of self-care,

the perfect self-determining

strategies for success,

that you perhaps

have imported

a view of self

in the way

that you grow

as a Christian.

But friends,

you are helpless

to make that change.

no more ounce

of striving

will grow you.

Every time

you rely

on yourself

for your own growth,

you are not

remaining

in him.

And perhaps

the way

that we think

about it

is that if we just

have a little injection

of Jesus

inside of us,

everything will go well.

Take this pie chart

as an example

of the time

a person has.

take it as

you've got

a range of things

that you could do.

You could be doing work,

leisure,

health,

family,

friends,

rest,

parties,

your personal finances.

And what we've

done eventually

is that we've

actually gone,

this is

my whole life,

but then

let's play

the idea

that you suddenly

become a Christian

and you realise

that pie chart

has to change

and you have to

add more things.

You need to

include things

like Bible reading,

you need to

include church,

prayer,

serving,

and you're like,

this is really

overwhelming.

How am I meant

to fit this in?

I know I need

to grow,

but I also

have work to do.

And so maybe

if I hear

a sermon,

maybe that will

make me grow.

I feel a little

guilty about my

Bible reading,

so I'm going to

read my Bible.

I'm going to go

back to church

so that maybe

I'm back in God's

good books.

But as you

think about it,

what you'll find

out very quickly

as you value

and prioritise

things is that

whatever you value,

whatever is important

to you,

urgent to you,

will be whatever

takes up the measure

of that pie.

You'll adjust

the proportions

of leisure,

work,

family,

sport,

based off you.

And so perhaps

the better image

is the spoke

of a wheel

and the car's

logo on that

wheel.

All the spokes

resemble the

proportions of

your life,

work,

kids,

rest,

all of that.

But at the

very centre

of the wheel

is you.

Whatever you

value sets

the size

of that portion.

But friends,

fruitfulness,

sanctification,

sanctification

is having

Jesus at

the centre

of the wheel

because all

the spokes

connect to him.

Putting Jesus

first is simply

putting him

in the right

slot of the wheel.

Not a portion

of it,

but in the centre

of it.

He'll dictate

the size,

he'll detect

the proportion

and what is even

in the wheel

and what is not.

Because when

Jesus is at

the centre,

do you

understand

that you

are remaining

in him?

And when

Jesus is not,

do you

understand that

you are not

remaining in

Christ?

When you,

the individual,

are at the

centre,

you are just

a branch.

Just like the

many individual

branches in this

world,

not connected

to the vine.

Verse 4,

again,

remain in

me

as I

also

remain

in you.

Do you

not realise

it's the

living God

who is living

and active

inside of you

that is making

the sanctification

happen?

He's the one

who's growing

your heart

for worship.

He's the one

that is growing

you to be

more like him.

And anything

that you

do,

anything

that looks

like good

works,

anything

that looks

like glorifying

God,

is simply

you partaking

in what God

has already

been doing

in you.

And so

instead of

asking what

benefits me,

what makes

me look good,

what makes

my worth,

my goals,

what works

for my

preferences,

you ask

instead,

how does

this honour

Christ?

How will

this express

in love

for others?

Does

this decision

that I

make

remain

and abide

with Christ

more and

more?

How does

that apply

for every

decision

in my life?

And so

I've started

to ask

this question

of my

Christian

brothers and

sisters

when it

comes to

someone,

and a

friend asked

me of this

as well,

and it was

so helpful

for me.

How has

being a

disciple of

Jesus

shaped how

you think

about

X,

Y,

Z?

With

every

life

decision

you

make,

work,

jobs,

all of

it,

how has

being a

disciple of

Jesus

shaped how

you think

about a

certain

issue?

Friends,

when Jesus

is at the

centre of

the spoke,

we realise

that this

is the

fruitfulness

that he

longs for

and that

your union

with him

assures

it.

And

perhaps

you're

someone

in the

room

that

wants

to

bear

fruit.

Perhaps

you're

someone

who

longs

for

change

in your

life

and in

your

circumstances.

You've

prayed

long and

hard for

that

change.

I think

Jesus has

encouragement

for you

that perhaps

if you're

not bearing

fruit,

have a look

at verse

two.

While

every branch

that does

bear fruit

he prunes

so that

it will be

even more

fruitful.

You might

be going

through what

might be

the pruning,

the cleansing,

the trimming

that will

lead to

the fruitfulness

that the

vine dresser

is longing

for.

But friends,

don't,

don't,

don't,

don't cut

yourself off

from the

root that

will solve

you.

Because we

live in a

world that

often says

your own

way.

People grow

in different

ways,

learn in

different ways

and those

things are

true,

yet we

import that

wrongly into

our view as

a Christian

as we

grow.

You might

think as you

see someone

who's a wise

sage,

I'm not as

on fire,

I'm not an

on fire

Christian like

them.

They're just

a different

species every

time you

think of that

pastor.

No,

that's not

true,

friends.

You have

the same

source.

In fact,

you are more

connected to

that person

in Christ

than you

are with

a blood

relative of

yours who

is not

in Christ.

In fact,

you are more

likely because

you are in

Christ to be

more like that

on fire

person than

the other.

And so in

whatever way

the Lord

will,

you are to

become more

like Christ.

Go on and

be encouraged

by someone

who is on

fire and

change.

Friends,

there is

only one

true vine.

Don't go

chasing another

vine.

Those vines

won't give

the vitality

and flourishing

life that you

long for.

They might

give you

fruit,

that thrill,

that mist

and whim

of pleasure,

but there's

none that has

died for you

so that you

might have

true life.

Because Jesus

is the true

vine.

So remain

in him,

long for the

transformation,

and remain

in a way

that longs

to be an

on fire

Christian.

Remain in

a way that

puts away

the selfishness

in your

life.

Remain.

The question

is,

are you

remaining?

Do you

remain in

his words?

Because it

says in

verse 7,

if you

remain in

me and

my words

remain in

you,

that the

way you

walk closer

to the

Lord,

in the

vitally

interconnected

life,

in the

same manner

of that

overgrowing

vine,

is that

you hear

God's

word.

And you

might say,

Ash,

that's such

an easy

one.

Solution

to every

Christian

problem,

you say

it again,

it's just

to read

the Bible.

No,

by no

means am

I saying

that.

Friends,

if you're

reading the

Bible trying

to get

holy,

less greedy,

less lustful,

become a

better person,

more loving,

more patient,

to get

somewhere in

life,

you are

missing the

point.

Read it

because the

holy scriptures

have revealed

to you the

living word,

Christ himself.

Read it

not to be

fruitful,

read it

to remain.

Read

trusting that

Jesus will

work on the

inward change

in you as

he has done

that time

and time

and time

and time

and time

again for

his people.

And so

can I

reverse the

question to

you?

Do you

believe that

Jesus himself

is the

solution to

your very

inward need,

the very

change that

you are

longing for?

Not Jesus

solving it by

what you

want,

but Jesus

himself.

Have a look

at the rest

of the verse.

And then

ask whatever

you wish

and it

will be

done for

you.

There are

many things

that God

welcomes me

to pray and

ask him,

but I just

love this.

I love that

he promises

me that

you and

I will

grow in

obedience

as we

ask for

it.

He will

grow the

fruitfulness

of your

remaining

and your

obedience.

obedience.

In fact,

you are

his fruit.

The vine

dresser wants

to grow

you,

shape you,

and he

wants you

to commit

and give

your life

to him,

for you

are the

fruits of

his labor.

Jesus

delights in

the fruit

that he is

working in

you.

In Hebrews

13,

verse 35,

it says,

through

Jesus,

therefore,

let us

continually

offer to

God a

sacrifice

of praise,

the fruit

of lips

that openly

profess his

name.

Let's pray

in light of

that reality.

Father God,

in Christ,

you have

promised us

change.

Get rid

of the

idols and

distractions

that hinder

our remaining

in you,

and we ask

that you

might enable

a focus

our eyes

on you

so deep

and so

firm,

a grasp

that will

not let

go,

rather than

ourselves.

We thank

you that

you are a

God that

will finish

what you

start.

And so we

ask that you

might help

us trust

in the

promise

that you

will make

us how

you have

designed us

to be.

We ask

that we

remain in

you,

knowing that

you remain

in us.

Amen.