John 15:1-11 “Bearing Fruit in Christ”

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

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! Can a selfish person really become loving and generous?

! Can a fearful, anxious person ever be at peace?

Can a hothead really become patient? We have our doubts, don't we?

But Jesus has good news for us this morning along those lines as we continue to learn about

our union with Christ, about abiding in Christ. This summer we've been hearing God's Word tell

us about this wonderful reality that God has placed us, has defined us, has blessed us,

has loved us so completely in Christ that nothing can take us out of Jesus or take Jesus out of us.

We've seen how unbreakable that union is, right?

That gives us hope and confidence in Christ. But now as we kind of move towards the later part of

the summer, we're considering how even the difficult parts of life are a part of this.

There's a dynamic or developing aspect of that union. Last week Bill Nash really helpfully led us

in considering how the suffering that we go through, right? We grow in knowing Jesus better,

further up, further in. Now to be clear, we can't be united to Jesus any more truly than we already are,

okay? But our awareness of that union, our living out of it, our drawing strength from it can and must

grow over time. It's dynamic. That's what I mean by that word. In that sense, it's kind of like a

marriage relationship which is one of the biblical pictures that God gives us for our union with Christ.

Christy and I celebrated 21 years of marriage this week. That's really, really exciting.

But we were just as officially married on that day 21 years ago as we are now. Legally, technically,

officially, we are equally married as we were then. But the relationship has definitely deepened

in 21 years, right? I mean, we can order for each other at most any restaurant pretty effectively.

We know what the other one will feel in most situations. That really wasn't true 21 years ago.

Now what happens is I'm like going along and just pretending to be happy with something. Christy will

say to me, why are you frustrated? And I will say, me? Frustrated? Now I'm frustrated that you knew

I was frustrated. How did you pick up on that? She knows everything.

You're either married or you're not, right? You can't be half married. We're no more married than

we ever were, but we're growing, right? In knowledge, in love, in the blessing of this dynamic relationship.

We're growing because the reality of the relationship is secure.

So in our relationship with God, God loves us, graces us, blesses us right where we are.

Those realities don't change. They don't ebb and flow each day. And God longs for us to be shaped

into His image the way that He created us to be and the way He envisioned us to be when He united us

to His Son so that transformation would actually be possible for us. It could happen in our lives.

That's what we're going to be talking about these next two weeks. How that relationship with Jesus

that's so secure actually produces change, growth in otherwise stagnant or decaying people like you and me,

who otherwise we'd care only about ourselves, who as we get older would just get more ornery and more sore.

That's the way things trend.

Instead, I want you to think of someone who's aging, someone older that you know of.

Maybe their mind's not quite as sharp as before. Maybe their body is getting weaker, but you know someone

and they're just a beautiful person, right? You know someone like this, full of love and joy and peace.

This week we're going to look at the positive side of that change in bearing fruit.

Next week we're going to look at the flip side in battling sin. Don't skip.

Let's turn together to John chapter 15. This is Jesus' classic explanation of this reality to His disciples

John 15 · chapter mention

the night before the cross. As He's sending them as His representatives on His mission,

He gives them a vital picture of their ongoing relationship with Him even though He's going away.

It's John 15 at verse 1. Jesus Himself says,

I am the true vine and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch of mine 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's thrown away like a branch and withers.

And the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.

But 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.

This is God's word.

Join me as we ask for His help.

Father, we do pray that you would draw us close

and teach us to abide.

We need your help with that.

Even with coming to you for help, we need your help.

We are desperately needy.

We ask that you would meet us in our need,

that you would change us,

that you would, as you promised,

make us like Jesus.

That's our hope and it's our request of you today.

Do that work in each of us.

For Jesus' sake, we ask.

Amen.

We saw a few months ago in our study of John's Gospel

that Jesus here in this passage

is drawing on an Old Testament image

of God's relationship with His people, right?

They were to be for Him.

They were to be for Him a fruitful vine.

He wanted His people to produce righteousness

and justice and reflect His image.

But Isaiah says,

While the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel

and the men of Judah are as pleasant planting,

God comes to look through His vineyard

and find all of the wonderful fruit.

He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed.

For righteousness, but behold, an outcry.

It's that rotten fruit, right?

Repeatedly, God's people are a vine that bears bad fruit.

And so, the reason I point that out briefly

is that Jesus is making a massive statement

when He stands to say,

I am the true vine.

He's saying, I'm the one who will be obedient,

faithful, just, merciful,

a reflection of the King,

a light to the nations.

I'm gonna do that, Jesus says.

That's who I am.

And so, if we want to be fruitful branches,

a part of God's people,

we have to be connected to Jesus.

Grafted in, if you will, to the true vine.

You'll notice that throughout this passage.

That's what makes all the difference, isn't it?

Jesus says it a number of different ways.

It's our vital connection to Him.

Just notice for a minute before we move on

how amazing and wonderful Jesus must be

for that to be true.

What life must be pulsing through Him

to be the source of life for all of God's children.

What utter goodness to please

the perfectly righteous King.

The vine dresser Himself is seeing the fruit

that He longs for.

What power Jesus must have to hold together

in one branch all of these diverse branches

of God's family from every tribe and tongue and nation

all in Christ.

He is the vine that we can count on.

It's like what Paul says

when he describes our ongoing life in this world

and he reminds us to live the same way

that we were saved in Jesus,

in total dependence.

As you received Christ Jesus the Lord,

so walk in Him.

Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

Rooted and built up in Him.

Put those roots down deeper into Jesus.

Further up, further in.

That will be the source of fruit in our lives.

Let's not get confused and look for it anywhere else.

Now we're gonna get to how that works.

Right now that's pretty theoretical.

But it's where we have to start.

And don't you love what Jesus is saying?

Notice what else.

It's not just that He's the vine,

but there's a promise here for us.

Look, verse 5.

Abide in me and I in you.

That's what we've been talking about this summer.

Christ in us.

Us in Christ.

This beautiful union.

And bear much fruit.

Not maybe.

Not a little bit here and some there.

But definitely, certainly, inevitably,

you can count on much fruit.

Perhaps we think first of the fruit of the Spirit, right?

Like we read earlier.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

starting to grow in our lives.

Later in this passage,

the fruit of answered prayers is mentioned.

Clearly in this context,

Jesus is sending His disciples on His mission

to bear the fruit of others joining them

in relationship with Jesus.

Lots of different kinds of fruit.

But listen, in any of those areas,

because of what Jesus is saying,

don't give up because you're down on yourself.

And because you're feeling weak

or stuck or hopeless.

If you are united to Christ by faith,

Jesus says change is coming.

Growth is certain because He is the true vine,

the life-giving vine.

In fact, when we see even just a little fruit

in our lives, that shouldn't discourage us.

That should encourage us.

What happens when there's a little fruit?

What does Jesus say?

Expect more to come

because our Father, the vine dresser,

is so good.

Even in the painful seasons,

He is pruning us.

Right?

So that what happens?

So that we're miserable and give up?

No.

So that we bear more fruit.

He is so good.

Even when you can hardly see it,

it's just a little blossom.

God, it feels like He's cutting on you.

It feels like, oh, this is painful.

If you're a gardener,

it might look like death.

Right?

There's all this stuff all over the lawn,

but He's bringing more fruit.

I mean, that makes sense, doesn't it?

How could it be that we could be

in such close, vital relationship with Jesus

like we've been talking about

and not be changed?

Not bear fruit?

It wouldn't make sense,

would it as powerful as He is?

That is the vital, dynamic nature

of this picture for our union with Christ.

Maybe I picture Jesus walking with His disciples,

you know, toward the garden that night

after they've left the upper room,

and He maybe picks up a branch like this

and He's holding it and saying,

look, this kind of fruit.

He's saying the life of the vine

flows into the branches

so that they bear fruit.

And He's saying, I might be leaving,

but this is the kind of relationship we have.

Expect it.

Count on it.

There's fruit coming in your life.

And side note,

we need to believe that

not only in our own lives,

but if it's true for us,

where else can we believe it?

What about others?

Don't give up on them.

Don't decide that He's too far gone,

that she's not worth having any hope for,

because Jesus brings fruit.

Don't give up.

He promises there's fruit coming.

But it's not just this automatic transaction, is it?

It's not that everyone united to Christ

bears exactly the same fruit

at exactly the same time, right?

That's not our experience.

Jesus takes great pains here,

repeating over and over,

what are we supposed to do?

Abide.

Abide.

If you abide.

He's saying,

apart from me,

you can do

nothing.

Not much fruit.

Not even a little fruit.

No fruit.

It's a big difference.

So don't just,

don't just stop by and visit me occasionally,

Jesus is saying.

Make your home

with me.

Will it be fruitful

to go this afternoon

and find a dead branch

in your yard

and hold it up

to a tree

or a vine?

Will you start to see fruit grow

all of a sudden?

What if you did it overnight?

If you stood out there

a long time

holding the dead branch

up next to the vine,

would that help?

What if you held them close,

like a few minutes

every day

all year,

you know?

Five or ten minutes

in the morning.

Would that do it?

No.

You have to connect

to them

vitally.

If you just

go around

and there's another option,

you could find some good fruit

and you could

tape it to the dead branch,

right?

And that would look good

for a few minutes

and then

pretty soon

that's not gonna last,

is it?

The fruit's gonna go bad.

The branch

won't look good.

No,

for real

lasting fruit,

the branch

has to make

its home

in the vine

so that it is

actually connected

in a way that draws

life and nourishment

and power

from the source

of that life.

That's what has to happen,

right?

I've showed you pictures

of Team Hoyt

before.

It's not a perfect

illustration

for everything,

but it does picture

this aspect

of our union

with Christ

really well.

The branch

draws its power

from the vine.

Dick and Rick Hoyt

are father and son

triathletes.

They have competed

together in triathlons

and marathons

around the world.

Rick,

the son

in the chair there,

has cerebral palsy.

And so,

Rick

really can't

compete

on his own

in triathlons.

But his father,

Dick,

powers the team.

Rick's job

is to stay connected

to the power source,

not just occasionally,

not just checking in

during the race,

but constantly.

They have a wheelchair

adapted

for Dick

to push Rick

as they run

and then when they get

to the biking part,

there's a special chair

that Rick sits in

while Dick

is riding

and then you gotta swim

and so they've got

this special little boat

and Rick

gets in the boat,

Dick ties it around

his arm

and starts to

swim

because apart

from Dick,

Rick can do

nothing

of the completion

of a triathlon,

right?

In fact,

Rick would be crazy

to go even for a little while

outside of the boat

or out of his chair.

but connected to Dick,

Rick competes

with power

and life

and joy

when you see

the picture

reveling

not only

that he's finishing

the race

but I think

there's joy.

They say this,

that this is their favorite

thing to do together.

He's reveling

in the relationship

with his father

that they get

to do this together

and there we are

with Jesus,

right?

who promises

as we draw

our life

from him

rather than

wandering out

on our own

to rely on

our own strength

that we will

bear

much

fruit.

And as Jesus

continues talking

he explains

a bit more

of how that works

itself out

in our lives.

He tells us

to abide

which Pastor Andrew

Murray helpfully

reminds us

is weakness

entrusting itself

to a mighty one

an unfaithful one

casting self

on one

altogether

trustworthy

and true.

That's what

abiding is.

Jesus indeed

is a home

we can count on.

Making our

home with him.

That's the idea

of abiding.

That's what I mean

by that.

We make our home

in him

as he makes

his home

in us.

He assures us

over and over here

that this process

of trusting in him

making the reality

of our relationship

with him

the core of our identity

the center

of our reality

our home

will produce fruit.

But we don't

really understand

that very easily.

How?

How does that happen?

I'm going to give you

three things

that he says

in this passage

and then I want to give you

a picture of what

it looks like.

Some of us need

both of those

some of us are more

helped by one

than the other.

Three ways

that this works

itself out

in our lives.

First

Jesus' words

being at home

in you.

Verse 7

If you abide

in me

and my words

abide in you

ask whatever you wish

and it will be

done for you.

This is repeated

throughout scripture

that the word

of Christ

should dwell

in us richly

to shape our lives

together as God's

people.

That we are to hide

God's word

in our heart

that we might not

sin against him

because his word

is a lamp to our feet

and a light to our path

right?

So abiding

in his word

means reading it

yes for sure

and meditating

on its direction

for my life

even memorizing it

so that I hear it

in my head

throughout the day

even when I don't have

a Bible in my hands

I'm hearing God's word

it's shaping my day

his word

at home

in me

right?

And particularly here

the promise is

that as God's word

shapes our desires

shapes our prayers

our prayers

for fruit

are answered

that's what we're

praying for here

see they're not

selfish prayers

they're prayers

for the Father's

glory

when you pray

for him

to make you

fruitful

and gentle

generous

like him

God make me

more like

you

his words

dwell in us

and they make

our desires

obedient to his

will

for his glory

in verse 9

we make our

home

in Jesus'

love

as the Father

has loved me

so have I

loved you

abide

in my love

this is that

mind-blowing

truth that we

saw again a

couple of weeks

ago

right?

Because we're

united to

Jesus

as the Father

has loved

Jesus

how is that?

I couldn't

exhaust it for you

but full knowledge

of everything

eternal perfection

complete sharing

of all good things

it's this unending

Trinitarian love

within the God

who is love

everything possible

you could say

about love

just in that way

Jesus

has loved you

so much so

that Paul says

this is a love

that surpasses

knowledge

and yet he prays

that we will

actually know

how long

and how wide

and how high

and how deep

is this measureless

love

because why do we

need to know

all the dimensions?

because we're told

to live there

to make our

home there

to abide there

in his love

to have this reality

that is really

beyond our

comprehension

shape our lives

listen his love

is there

it's not changing

the question is

are we resting

living

being empowered

in it

don't get out

of the wheelchair

or out of the boat

and try to make

it on your own

and try to produce

your own fruit

if you're disconnected

from Jesus' love

self-sacrificing love

like God's love

will grow in our lives

as we soak

constantly

in his love

for us

and then Jesus

says one more

thing about abiding

it's his joy

making its home

in you

verse 11

these things

I have spoken

to you

that my joy

may be in you

and that your joy

as a result

may be full

Jesus' joy

we know Jesus' joy

is not based on

happy circumstances

right

because it was for

the joy

that was set

before him

that he endured

the cross

his joy

we see here

involves obedience

to his father

and it must have

involved rescuing us

right

to bring us

into this relationship

that joy

that was set

before him

he delights

in you

it's a joy

that knows

no matter what happens

even death

on a cross

good is coming

from his loving father

it's a joy

that feels

certain

that satisfaction

in God's provision

what he knows

we need

is more fulfilling

than anything

that this world offers

it's that kind of joy

it's a joy

that trust God's

eternal inheritance

relationship with him

is more lasting

than any other relationship

we've ever known

or will know

it's a joy

that celebrates

Jesus' victory

right

he is the one

who has driven this

and achieved this victory

but it celebrates

his victory

as ours

as we're delightfully

connected to him

and crossing the finish line

yes

he conquered

sin

and death

we have conquered

sin

and death

what joy

in what he has done

so

wake up

and sit in my presence

Jesus says

come with your

your honest tears

and your genuine heartache

about the really hard

things you're walking through

and open my word

and open your heart

to me

and I will

pour my joy

into you

so that it's at home

in your heart

a joy that comes

from knowing

you're the apple

of my eye

you're the delight

of my heart

you're the ones

for whom I gave

my life

so that you would share

in the greatest thing ever

life with me

and my father

I've given my life

so that my joy

can start to fill

your heart

when it's the joy

of Christ

that fills your heart

then your joy

is full

so

when your

kid wanders away

when your house

burns

when you

get mocked

by co-workers

or friends

you hurt

and you grieve

and you rejoice

see that's different

right

that's something

that's gotta change

this is what Jesus

tells us

will change us

in time

we're so at home

in him

that his word

and his love

and his joy

flow into us

branches

and bear fruit

in our lives

let me help us

feel what this

looks like

in our lives

to think how this

abiding in the vine

could actually

bear fruit for us

I wanna do that

just give you

one example

this morning

I wanna talk about

loving someone

who's hard to love

I mean can we all

agree that love

is gonna be at the top

of the list

of the kind of fruit

we want showing up

in our lives

and in our relationships

and man

that can be really hard

sometimes

imagine you're

the parent

of a difficult

two year old

for some of you

that's really painful

right now

I get that

if you're not

presently the parent

of a difficult

two year old

you can apply this

equally well

to a childish

co-worker

or friend

right

kids

what does it look like

to love a sibling

sometimes the people

closest to us

can be hard

to love

you know someone

hard to love

people for whom

love is not naturally

in your hearts

it's not the first thing

that comes to mind

think of someone

okay

in your life

but for sake

of one example

your parent

and your two year old

is wearing you out

disobeying

everything

that you say

wreaking

havoc

around the house

all day

and refusing

to go

to bed at night

so that the chaos

just continues

and it never stops

and you never

get a break

and in those

tired moments

that you've started

to experience

more and more of

you've started

losing your temper

quite often

losing control

it seems like

just about

every night

lately

and you're

discouraged

you're ashamed

you're angry

you don't want

to be

like this

so here you are

now you're driving

home

from work

again

and you know

that you are

entering the whirlwind

that's what you're

coming home to

you have a few minutes

before you get there

you want to reset

in those few minutes

you could feel

defeated

and just decide

that this child

is too wild

and I am too

short tempered

so I'm just going

to lose it again

tonight

nothing can help

that's it

I've been there

okay

those feelings

are real

and can be

overwhelming

but Jesus says

don't give up

he says

he's still

working on you

there's hope

so let's suppose

you're not there yet

and you're not

willing

to give up

on your evening

you really want

to be patient

you really want

to love your child

you really want

to be a good dad

you really want

to think of yourself

like that

right

you have two basic

options for how

to do it that night

okay

there's the option

of growth

in self

by striving

really hard

or

growth in grace

in union

with Christ

let me try to paint

two different pictures

you could spend

those few minutes

like most of us do

making your home

in yourself

it's a very tempting

thing to do

because we want

to be good

right

I want to do this

I want to find

this in myself

making my home

in my own efforts

this is my default

I'm locking in

on the way home

I am giving myself

a pep talk

I can be a good dad

I won't lose

to a toddler again

that is so embarrassing

I can outlast him

I'm going to do it

he can't make me

lose my temper

tonight

in other words

what are you doing

as those thoughts

start to go through

your head

you're seeking

to shape

your own identity

aren't you

to tell yourself

who you are

I'm going to be

like this

I insist on it

this is who

I'm going to be

you could say it

this way

you're trying to

decorate your branch

with some

good fruit

it's the fruit

that you should want

put a little patience

and love on it

I want to look

good tonight

and some of us

will have

better nights

than others

some will have

a little bit

more success

might depend

on what kind

of night

your two year old

has

but at the end

of the night

no matter

how it went

you're still

going to resent

your child

aren't you

for all of the

effort

you're having

to put in

you're exerting

all of this effort

and you're feeling

resentful

rather than

loving the child

you see that

there's no love

growing

except perhaps

self-love

growing in your

heart

is there

as a result

there's going to

be a night

again soon

where that toddler

disturbs your peace

and you're going

to break again

or

you could spend

those few moments

that you have

in the car ride

home

making your home

if you will

in Christ

abiding

in him

maybe you know

you struggle

to do that

and someone

in your grace

group

texts you

to remind you

of the wonder

of Jesus

and your relationship

with him

right as you're

walking out the door

and you're getting

in the car

and so you start

to pray

because you're

desperate

God I want

to be a good

dad

but I need

your help

I need your

power

God I see

my selfishness

when I lose

my temper

with my kid

man I know

I'm just

like him

parents you've

felt that before

if I'm honest

God and slow

down long enough

I am just

like my child

no one respects

me at work

I feel out of

control in life

and so I'm

coming home

to that chaos

it just attacks

my longing

for peace

and for control

and for having

success at

something

and I'm just

a mess

God

and in that

moment you say

but God

I can tell you

that

I'm in Christ

so even when I

tell you what a

mess I am

I'm still

loved

I'm so loved

by you God

that even my

toddler level

fits

and God

I confess

that's what they

are

when I lose

my temper

even those

fits don't

diminish your

love for me

in fact

they motivated

you to send

your son

for me

when I was

a sinner

like that

so I know

that even as

a sinner God

coming to you

now asking

for your help

I know your

word tells me

nothing can

separate me

from your

love in

Christ

I love that

verse God

thank you

thank you

I am loved

right now

what starts

to happen

now God

I am longing

for my

toddler

to experience

that kind

of love

God

there's nothing

better than

your love

so I am

asking you

to empower

me by your

spirit

because you're

sending me

as his dad

back into

this chaos

I need you

to empower

me by your

spirit within

me with love

and patience

for tonight

remind me

that nothing

he can do

will make me

love him

less

father even

if it's a

hard night

I'm going

to take that

as painful

as it is

to be a

part of

your pruning

me

because you

want me

to bear

more fruit

and you're

doing something

in the life

of my child

that I don't

even recognize

so I'm

going to go

and trust

you

thank you

that I have

nothing to

prove to

you or to

anyone else

tonight

but that from

the peace I

have with you

I can

really love

as you

have loved

me

see how

real love

is starting

to grow

you're

going to

have a

perfect

night

quite

possibly

not

but there's

actually

real fruit

starting to

grow

there's

going to

be pruning

there will

be another

hard night

when you'll

feel like

you really

blew it

again

and God

will use

that to

drive you

back to

him

and back

to his

love

and give

you the

joy of

letting

that love

that you're

now abiding

in be love

that flows

through you

again

because you

really are

starting to

love in a

new way

that's the

difference

that growth

in grace

growth

in Christ

makes from

growth in

self

I'm

commending

it to you

not as a

technique

it's not

some magic

formula

it's a

reality in

which God

made you

to live

that produces

lasting fruit

he promises

it might

make you

increasingly

patient

with a

whiny

toddler

it might

make you

love someone

enough to

share the

good news

of Jesus

with her

even though

you don't

know how

she'll

respond

it might

make you

an agent

of peace

as you

pray daily

for someone

who's

struggling

and you

encourage him

in his

pain

I don't

know what

sorts of

things it

will do

what it

will

assuredly

do

is

if you're

making your

home in

Jesus

it will

help you

delight in

him

as the

source

of your

life

see no

matter how

well you

do

our fruit

the amount

of it

the quality

of it

does not

connect us

to Jesus

that's not

how it works

right

that's not

how vines

and branches

work

it's not

the fruit

that connects

the branch

to the vine

no

what it does

is assure us

that we are

in the boat

with him

pulling

we start to

feel his

strength

we say

I don't

love like

this God

but you

do

it reminds

us of the

gracious

power of

our Savior

for us

that he

loves us

where we

are

and longs

for us

to bear

fruit in

him

because he

made us

for that

fruit

so I'm

not stuck

I'm not

hopeless

I'm not

a lost

cause

because Jesus

has attached

himself to

me

he's attached

me to

himself

and so he'll

enable me to

bear

much fruit

divine love

full joy

lasting peace

and more

and more

let's ask

for his help

Jesus

what an

amazing

promise

I confess

to you

that

that I

know

there's

skepticism

in hearing

that

because I

feel it

in my

own heart

Jesus

this is

not what

I experience

all the

time

in fact

we have

to trust

that you're

bearing fruit

that we

don't see

or recognize

but Jesus

we ask you

to help us

abide

that we

might not

be

striving

in our

own

strength

we know

that's

fruitless

by your

spirit

bring fruit

and life

and love

in us

and for you

we ask in

Jesus name

amen

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