Jesus Taught About
Bearing Fruit
Book of John Chapter
15:1-17
What is the
relationship of Jesus to those who love Him? We must be open to the
fact that we depend upon Him for all things in this life and then the
glory of our Heavenly life!
Jesus will teach us
the reality of this in our lesson today. Christ Jesus is the source
of our life here on earth and our spiritual life and our
fruitfulness!
We will see that in
our passage today that the Lord Jesus will represent the true "vine"
that is strong and cannot fail it is so strong. The vine of nature is
only a shadow of this true vine!
We will see that the
husbandman, the farmer, represents our Father who is in Heaven.
Isa 27:2 In that
day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.
Isa 27:3 I the LORD
do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will
keep it night and day.
We will see that
there are 4 stages of the fruit from this true "Vine":
1) No fruit
2) Fruit
3) More fruit
4) Much fruit
A true Christian is
one who abides in the Lord Jesus Christ!
We already know that
our Messiah is the "perfect Light", "the perfect
Bread", "the perfect Witness", "the perfect
Shepherd" and now "the perfect Vine".
We should also
consider that Jesus is still speaking to His disciples and this will
include His disciples today.
1Co 3:9 For we are
labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's
building.
1Co 3:11 For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Judas Iscariot has
already left to do his treachery.
So let's begin:
*****Joh 15:1 I am
the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Joh 15:2 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.
We do not have to
guess at anything that Jesus reveals here because He tells us
Himself.
This vine many times
represents Israel, but the Lord will be rejected by Israel and the
Lord said He would never drink of this vine again, so we can
understand the now the Lord Jesus Christ has been planted by our
Father in Heaven as the true "Vine" who will now become the
foundation of the Church!
We must also realize
that the true "Vine" cannot do His work in this world
without His branches.
We can also
understand that the pruning shears is the Word of God but if we allow
temptation to draw us away from the Lord, we will see that this world
will take away our fruitfulness.
We must also know
that when God prunes His Vine it can be a little painful!
We already know we
must mortify our flesh, so we do not depend on our own wisdom, our
own rightness, nor our own strength.
Rom_8:13 For if ye
live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Col_3:5 Mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness, which is idolatry:
How do we know we
are worthy to be a branch on this perfect "Vine"?
We must be washed in
the Word of God!
*****Joh 15:3 Now
ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh 15:4 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.
When we use the Word
of God as our "mirror" we will see that we come up short
all the time, but we need to get a daily cleansing!
When we measure
ourselves against Jesus Christ, we will realize the path we must
follow.
Jas_1:23 For if any
be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man
beholding his natural face in a glass:
If we continue to
see our "natural face" and not a "spiritual face"
we still have much work to do and the Word of God points this out to
us!
When we have prayed
in sincerity for the Lord to come into our heart, the Lord will send
the Holy Spirit to abide in us forever, but we will never bear fruit
unless we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work within us!
To abide, as Christ
Jesus explains it "I will live in you while you live in Me"
and continue in His love.
If we cannot become
one in Christ, we are failing in ourselves and are an unattached
branch serving no purpose.
The more we are
attached to the "Vine"(Christ) the more nourishment we will
draw. The more nourishment we draw the more fruitful we will be.
The Christian cannot
survive without Christ Jesus and this is what we see in our world
today.
The Church that does
not abide in the Lord Jesus Christ!
The unattached
branch does not understand the nature of bearing fruit!
In fact the
unattached branch is not even Christian, but thieves and robbers and
they are doomed!
He will wither just
to be gathered and cast into the fire!
The unattached
branch is doomed!
We can only abide in
Christ when we have the Holy Spirit living within us!
When we are in the
flesh, we are governed by the powers of our sin nature.
When we are in the
Holy Spirit and He within us, we are governed by "Grace"!
Joh 3:5 Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
There is only one
Vine!
*****Joh 15:5 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.
Joh 15:6 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.
Just like one coat
of paint is never enough, the Lord Jesus repeats Himself in this most
important lesson.
We are nothing
without the Lord Jesus Christ!
We must realize
there are those that are not branches of the true "Vine"
but claiming to be true.
If we are a disciple
of Jesus Christ, we are the branches, but we can never become the
"Vine"!
2Ti 2:15 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
As branches we are
to produce fruit!
It is impossible to
live as a Christian without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit!
Many believe that
producing fruit is just reproducing yourself by leading someone else
to Christ and this is a very great part of it but without the fruit
of the Holy Spirit we will not get very far.
Gal 5:22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live
in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we bear this
fruit, we can then be fruitful in all the things of Christ Jesus!
Rom 6:21 What fruit
had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end
of those things is death.
Rom 6:22 But now
being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your
fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Rom 6:23 For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
How do we get our
prayers answered?
*****Joh 15:7 If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you.
We should understand
that our prayers are the fruit of faith and our prayers can produce
more faith!
It is not only
answered pray but many other things.
Heb 3:14 For we are
made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
stedfast unto the end;
Rom 8:1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Php 3:8 Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 And be
found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law,
but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10 That I may
know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of
his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11 If by any
means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
We live or die by
the Words of Jesus Christ!
Our greatest thing
then, is we must be to be more like Christ than we ever have, and we
must learn from Him by studying the Word of God, allowing the Holy
Spirit the freedom to work in our lives!
*****Joh 15:8
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye
be my disciples.
We always talk about
glorifying God with our lives. The answer lies in this passage of
Scripture!
If we are a truly
abiding in Christ and He in us, then and only then are we glorifying
God!
Many people ask why
has God created such things as the night sky showing the beauty of
the stars and the planets.
Why would God create
such mighty oceans?
Why God would create
the seasons?
Why God would create
such beautiful plants even those that feed us?
The answer lies in
the fact that everything in nature tells the story of the Gospel and
shows us all the glory of God.
Our greatest power
for glorifying God is a life of being like the Lord Jesus Christ!
God will transform
our soul into the image of the Lord Jesus if we will just allow Him
full control.
The true Christian
life has the power to overcome all the obstacles of this world we
live in.
The sufferings and
sacrifices of this life may seem to hinder us, but in reality, they
increase our faith and our prayer life, if we would listen to what
the Lord is saying!
We will never be a
positive influence in this world until we accept the influence of
Jesus Christ into our hearts and soul!
Psa 92:12 The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon.
Psa 92:13 Those
that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts
of our God.
Psa 92:14 They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and
flourishing;
Psa 92:15 To shew
that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in him.
It is while we live
that we can glorify God!
It all boils down
to, just how much do we love the Lord our God?
*****Joh 15:9 As
the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my
love.
Joh 15:10 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.
Joh 15:11 These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and
that your joy might be full.
Jesus will not
settle for less than a close personal relationship with each
believer.
Remember Jesus
Christ loved us before He ever met us in His person.
Christ Jesus not
only loves us, but He loves us like His Father loves Him.
The entire written
Word of God is to show us the Love that God for those who believe
what He says and trust in His love.
In fact we could say
the Bible is God's love letter to all those who have faith in His
promises!
Eph 3:17 That
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and
grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 May be
able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be
filled with all the fulness of God.
We must understand
that obedience is the key to God's love!
We already know that
we are not disciples of the Lord unless we are obedient to the
written Word of God!
We know the Lord is
perfect, so He can only have perfect love!
The Lord Jesus
Christ paid the supreme price for His obedience to His Father.
Joh 10:17 Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again.
Joh 10:18 No man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay
it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I
received of my Father.
As we seek for love
from someone then we must draw closer to them and it is the same for
the Lord. If we truly love the Lord, we will draw closer to Him.
We can draw closer
to the Lord if we keep the commandments of God!
We will not know the
commandments of the Lord unless we study the Word of God.
2Ti 2:15 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal,
The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth
the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Joy is an inner
gladness, a deep-seated pleasure! Joy can cause assurance and
confidence that leads to a cheerful heart.
Joy is divine
because it originated from the Lord! It is possessed and given by God
to all those who obey the Lord.
Joy does not depend
on circumstances!
Joy does not even
depend on happiness!
it is Joy that
causes happiness and not happiness that causes joy!
Joy comes by
"faith"!
Joy comes by
obedience!
How much did it cost
the Lord to show His love to us?
Rom 5:6 For when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a
good man some would even dare to die.
Rom 5:8 But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more
then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him.
We are a foolish
people if we do not cherish the love of God!
*****Joh 15:12 This
is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
If we could just
keep this one commandment this world would change overnight.
Whatever standard
Jesus Christ had in His love, is the same standard we should have!
How many times does
the Lord have to tell us until it sinks in, that to be a disciple of
Jesus Christ we must keep His commandments?
How many times does
the lord have to tell us we are to love everyone including our
enemies?
Jesus died for His
enemies to.
What were the last
words of Christ before He died upon the cross.
"Father forgive
my enemies, they have not realized what they have done".
It was Jesus who
decided He wanted to be friends with His creation and through much
effort He has given us the truth of His Word!
1Jn 3:16 Hereby
perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1Jn 3:18 My little
children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and
in truth.
1Jn 3:19 And hereby
we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before
him.
As the friends of
Christ Jesus we must be built upon and centered upon the Word of God!
*****Joh 15:15
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.
Joh 15:16 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.
Joh 15:17 These
things I command you, that ye love one another.
If we are the true
friends of the Lord, we would never deny Him under any circumstance
even if we were in peril for our own life.
We must never be
ashamed of the Lord, we must always be His friend.
If we are part of
the Heavenly Family, then we need to act like it!
As the ordained of
Christ our job is to go forward and produce fruit!
I believe that
everyone who has friends, desires to be remembered by those friends
in times of troubles or distress.
A true friend will
certainly come to the aid of another friend!
This is what Jesus
does every day, and we must do the same for Him.
Christ cannot be in
the schools because we let Him down.
Christ cannot be in
the government because we will not back Him.
If Christ is our
friend, we must rise to His level.
If the world is our
friend, we will sink to that level.
Rom 12:4 For as we
have many members in one body, and all members have not the same
office:
Rom 12:5 So we,
being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of
another.
Rom 12:6 Having
then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us,
whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of
faith;
Rom 12:7 Or
ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on
teaching;
Rom 12:8 Or he that
exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with
simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy,
with cheerfulness.
Rom 12:9 Let love
be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that
which is good.
Rom 12:10 Be kindly
affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring
one another;
One more time Jesus
says for us to love one another.
Amen
Let’s pray!
