Theme: Fruit of the spirit

John 15:1-6

Devotion: John 15:8

Title: Bearing much fruit

Introduction:
Good morning everyone, before we begin let us have a word of prayer…
As we continue with our theme for this month, which is all about the fruit of the spirit, it
is important to have a clear understanding of what this fruit is. By now we must already know
the stark difference between the gift of the spirit and the fruit of the spirit, but are both equally
important. Without a proper understanding of these things, we are in the danger of being
stagnant because of ignorance. Remember that what we have heard and will be hearing today
is no secret: all of these, everything that you will hear being preached is already revealed in the
Word of God. All we have to do now is to study them and understand how it relates to our own
lives. As we study the fruit of the spirit, there is one thing that we should bear always in mind:
this fruit is not just something we read about, study, or inspire to. The fruit of the spirit should
first and foremost be found and realized in our actual lives. That is why the title of our message
for today is Bearing much fruit.

Exposition: In the continuing of the topic on the fruit of the spirit, we go to the words of Jesus
Christ in His last moments here on earth. He was reminding the disciples of the importance of
being in Christ, and producing fruit in their lives. He gives a gentle reminder for those who
remain in Him, and a stern warning for those who are not.

Proposition: Brothers and sisters in the Lord, as Christians, as disciples of Jesus Christ, as people
who are being led by the spirit, God’s word continually reminds us that we all should bear fruit
in our lives.

Interrogative: What does the word of God say to us this morning?

Our message today will focus on one of the more memorable verses which are found in the
gospel of John. Let us read: John 15:1-6

It was at time, Jesus, knowing that He was nearing the end of His earthly ministry, was
preparing His disciples for His departure. Jesus was instructing them what they should do once
He is no longer with them. In this passage we read the Last of His “I AM” statements, which all
give insight about His saving relationship with the world. Here in these verses, Jesus tells them
of important things about God, Himself, His disciples, and the fruit which they produce.

I. The vine and the vinedresser

 A. Jesus is the true vine
v.1a this is the 7th and final I AM claim of Jesus in the gospel of John. Why would
Jesus use this analogy? What would the disciples, His closest friends, have thought of
when they heard Jesus make this claim? Jesus was not introducing a new idea by using
the metaphor of a vine and branches. In the Old Testament, God's vine was Israel. He
used them to accomplish His purpose in the world, and He blessed those connected
with them. God cared for the vine but God's vine degenerated and bore no fruit. God
grieved over the tragedy of Israel's fruitlessness: Isa.5:1-7 God had done everything He
could to make Israel bear fruit, yet it bore none. So He took away its wall and left it
unprotected. It was then trampled down by foreign nations and laid waste. Israel was no
longer God's vine; it had forfeited its privilege. Now there is a new vine. No longer does
blessing come through a covenantal relationship with Israel. Fruit and blessing come
through connection with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true Vine. In Scripture, the
word true is often used to describe what is eternal, heavenly, and divine. Israel was
imperfect, but Christ is perfect; Israel was a shadow, but Christ is the reality. Jesus chose
the figure of a vine for several reasons. It pictures a close, permanent, vital union
between the vine and branches. If branches are to live and bear fruit, they must
completely depend on the vine for nourishment, support, strength, and vitality. Jesus is
not A vine, He is not just THE vine, but He is THE TRUE VINE.

B. The Father is the vinedresser

v.1b In addition to His I AM statement, Jesus says “My Father is the vinedresser.”
He owns the vineyard and He takes care of the vines. He cuts off the dead branches and
prunes the ones that bear fruit so that they will bear even more fruit. He is in control of
the whole process and as the owner, He expects fruit from His vineyard and He does
what is necessary for it to bear fruit. The disciples were all familiar with the role of a
vinedresser. He is the one who cares for the vines and its branches. It shows the
difference in role between the Father and the son, and to that extent, the Holy Spirit.
The vinedresser constantly tends to the vine and its branches, just as God constantly
cares for His children. Those people who are living in His son, Jesus Christ.

Application:
This image of the vine, the vinedresser, and the branches symbolizes how we should
understand the relationship of Christians to God. Branches which are connected to the vine
should bear fruit, for if it is not bearing fruit, what purpose does it have? That is why…

II. Those who are in Christ should bear fruit

v.2 Bearing fruit is the main theme in the analogy (paghahawig) that Jesus was giving.
We see it both negatively and positively in verse 2. Jesus places just as much importance in
what he was saying regarding bearing fruit in the lives of His disciples, and in turn, to us living
today as well. The Bible often uses the metaphor of fruit to describe the produce of our lives.
Fruit can be either good or bad, depending on what is taking hold of our lives: either the flesh
Gal.5:19-21 or the spirit Gal.5:22-23 it is God’s design and desire that we are to bear good fruit
in our lives.
A. It is producing Christlikeness in us
A good starting point in our study of the word here is: now that you are a
Christian (and I know that there are some people who have made the decision to
surrender their lives to Jesus Christ last Sunday) now that you are united in
Christ, what does that union with Christ result to in your life? It answers the
question: “what now?” the answer that encompasses all is simple: to become
more like Christ. Why is that? Growing up in our childhood, we all yearn for role
models in our life. Whether we liked it or not, and whether we were conscious of
it or not. We always want someone else to look up to, to strive towards, a goal
for ability or character. Many looked up to athletes, artists, celebrities and other
personalities. Other than that, most of us looked up to our parents, they were
our first heroes, and we did our best to imitate them. But all these role models
have one thing in common. They are not perfect: more so if our early life was in
the realm outside of Christ. But now that we are in Christ, we are growing
spiritually into maturity. In the same way, we seek out role models to follow as
an example. But, again, we are reminded of the imperfectness of all mankind.
Even the great theologians, giants of the faith, even characters in the bible who
were very close to God fall short. That is why we are given something not just
better, but the very best role model for our Christian lives. None other than
Jesus Christ. He is the perfect role model, for He displays a life perfectly pleasing
to God. He lived as we live, He breathed as we breathe, He experienced hunger,
fatigue, pain, sorrow, rejection, and many more, and yet, He did not sin.
Heb.4:14-15 He lived in perfect obedience to the will of the Father. And if we
want to grow spiritually, we make it our goal to be like Christ, in every aspect of
our lives. 1Cor.11:1

B. The Holy Spirit in us produces fruit

We cannot hope to follow Christ’s example on our own, just as we cannot
attain righteousness on our own works. Many have tried, and many will testify of
trying to be good, trying to change for the better, but always go back to the
same old ways. But now that we are in Christ, something is changed, something
is different. We are no longer just living in and of ourselves, but the Spirit of God
is in us! 1Cor.6:19-20 and because the Holy Spirit is living in those who have
surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. That is why what was once impossible, is
now made possible because of the Spirit of God in us. No longer are we tied
down to the works of the flesh: Gal.5:19-21 but the Holy Spirit in us produces
fruit: Gal.5:22-23 which give us a picture of Christ Jesus Himself. In this, our
responsibility now is to live a life that is pleasing to God, and to do His will. What
is His will? Luke 9:23 and Rom.12:2. (kaya hindi po uubra ang mga sumasabay
lang dito, hindi pwedeng nakikijoin lang. Dahil ang tunay na kristiano
pinapamuhay ang sinasabi ng salita ng Diyos.) James1:22 Luke6:46 this is
important because…
C. Branches who do not bear fruit are disposed of
v.2;6 The branches that are joined to the vine must bear fruit. In the
same way, people who are in Christ bear the fruit of the spirit in their lives. But
there are some who claim to be in Christ, but do not bear any spiritual fruit in
their lives. there are some who say that they are in Christ, but in reality are not.
Jesus says that they will be taken away, gathered and thrown into the fire. A true
Christian will always bear fruit. While those who are not can have an appearance
that makes them look like Christians, but in reality are not connected to the vine.
To understand this fully, let us see this passage in the context of what was
happening during this time. While Jesus was speaking to His disciples, he was
only speaking to 11 people. One was missing. It is none other than Judas Iscariot,
who became known for being one of the most notorious traitors in history. What
do we know about Judas? He was one of the 12 disciples Jesus called into His
ministry. He ate with Jesus, slept with Jesus, was present in all of His sermons
and teachings, witnessed all the miracles of Jesus, He was with Jesus for three
and a half years, just as the other disciples were. And yet, even after all of that,
Judas was never really in Christ. He went away, did the deed, and afterwards
died in unbelief. He was a branch in the vine, but was still spiritually dead. And
His removal just confirms the reality that He was never a part of the vine in the
first place. 1John2:19 Many can claim and will claim their faith to God, but the
Father knows who are His and who are not. Those who are not in Christ are
removed by the Father, and ultimately, throws them into punishment.

D. Branches who bear fruit are pruned

At the same time, those who are joined together in Christ and are bearing
fruit are being taken care of the Father as well. Branches are being pruned so
that they may be able to bear more fruit. This points to the process involved in
bearing fruit, which takes time. At first, you will bear some fruit. But as time goes
on, you should bear more fruit. Finally, the vinedresser wants you to bear much
fruit. To accomplish this, Jesus cleans you with His word and the vinedresser
prunes you. Jesus says this in John15:3 we are already cleansed by the blood of
Jesus in salvation. We are already made clean in the sight of God. But the Father
further cleans us so that we would be more fruitful. This is the essential
discipline that all true children of God experience in order for them to grow.
Heb.12:5-6 Spiritual pruning can take many forms: It may be sickness, hardships,
or loss of material possessions. It may be persecution or slander from non-
Christians. For some it is the loss of a loved one or grief in a relationship. Or it
may be a combination of difficulties. Whatever the method of pruning God uses,
we can be assured He cares about us and wants us to bear much fruit. He wants
to free us from the things that drain our life and energy. He continues His care
throughout our lives to keep us spiritually healthy and productive. Knowing the
Father's love and concern should change the way we look at trials. He does not
allow us to experience problems and struggles for no purpose. The problems He
permits are designed to develop us so we can bear more fruit. Heb.12:11
Application:
Talking about bearing fruit teaches us to examine ourselves day in and day out. We
should ask ourselves “am I bearing fruit?” are you bearing some fruit? Are you bearing more
fruit? If you are, then you must continue your life in the direction God wants you to go, so that
you might be more fruitful. Keep in mind always that God will use all kinds of situations and
ordeals to prune you. While if you are not, then this morning should be your wakeup call. If you
are not bearing fruit, you are not really part of the vine, no matter how hard you try to stick
yourself to it. The genuine fruit of the spirit in the Christian life is only possible if you have
trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior.

III. Every Christian must abide in Christ

v.4-5 Lastly, Jesus Christ emphasizes one of the most important aspects about bearing
fruit in our life. Bearing much fruit is just as important as our relationship to the vine. That is
the whole imagery of what Jesus was saying here. Fruit bearing is just as important as staying
connected to the true vine.

A. We cannot do anything on our own

The teaching of Jesus Christ which is abide/remain in me, is based upon an
important fact that he also stated, which is “without me, you can do nothing” this is one
of the most important spiritual principles that we learn. Nothing in this context means
that no one can bear any spiritual fruit if we are not in Christ. Again, spiritual fruit is only
made possible because of our union with Jesus Christ. In the same way, this is our
human condition in the world. In and off ourselves, we can do nothing to earn God’s
favor or to merit His salvation. We are helpless & hopeless, and no matter how hard we
try, we cannot save ourselves, or earn salvation from God. Now that we are Christians,
everything we have, every blessing we enjoy, everything in our lives is only possible
because of our relationship with Jesus. Our life, our work, our service, our ministry, our
gifts, our fruits, all of it, is only because of Jesus Christ. In Christ, we have everything and
more. Apart from Christ, we have nothing, and are nothing.

B. It is having the right relationship with Jesus

To understand fully what abiding in Christ means, we can study what it originally
meant in the greek language. The word abide or remain from the greek also conveys a
sense of staying at a certain place or of dwelling in a certain place, sometimes as a place
of residence, even if just for a short time. In this manner we see the idea of making God
our dwelling place. Not just any place, but our permanent dwelling place. This idea of
God being a dwelling place is found in the OT as well. He is a shelter, a fortress, a
stronghold. One of our songs taken from the OT tells us “the name of the Lord is a
strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe” In telling His disciples and to us as
well that we should abide and remain in Him, it shows that we are in a long-term,
intimate and close relationship with Jesus Christ. (katulad lang iyan ng dalawang taong
magkarelasyon) you throw away anything that would hurt or offend your partner, and
adapt the things that would bring happiness to them. Jesus is not just our partner, when
we accepted Him into our lives, it was and is as our Lord and savior. He is the overseer
 of our life now, and what He directs we will now follow. And just like in any human
relationship, the longer you live together, the closer you grow to one another. Jesus
Christ is not a mere acquaintance, not just someone you call during the weekends. He is
living in you, and you are living in Him. Day in and day out. He is with you when you
awake, He is with you when you go to sleep. If this is not your relationship with Jesus,
again, we are reminded to check ourselves: am I in Christ? Or am I apart from Christ?
Here are some heavy reminders from the apostle john about abiding in Christ: 1Jn.2:6
1Jn.3:6 1Jn.3:24

Conclusion:
For my conclusion, God’s word reminds us not only of the importance of the fruit of the
spirit, but also on the importance of bearing this fruit. We should ask ourselves: Am I bearing
fruit in my Christian life? Am I truly connected to the vine? Am I surrendering daily to the
Lordship of Jesus Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit? Am I abiding in Christ daily? I hope
God’s word would stir up our hearts and minds as we continue to meditate on the fruit of the
spirit. If we desire to bear much fruit, we can only do so if we remain in Jesus Christ, and are
continually led by the Holy Spirit. Remember that apart from God, we can do nothing. John 15:8
To God be the glory.