An Expectation of Fruit

The True Vine and the Expectation of Fruit

John 15 verses 1 through 17. I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers.

They gather them, throw them into the fire and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My father is glorified by this that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

As the father has loved me I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commands you will remain in my love just as I have kept my father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you before these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

This is my command, love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants anymore because a servant doesn't know what his master is doing.

I have called you friends because I've made known to you everything I've heard from my father. You did not choose me but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain so that whatever you ask the father in my name he will give you.

This is what I command you, love one another. Let's pray. Father thank you for your powerful precious word and the way you've preserved it through the ages and here we sit in this present day and lord your word is still timeless and lord we've come to hear you so use your messenger Tyler in a powerful way today lord just give him that gift of preaching that brings to remembrance all the study but most of all let him be compelled totally by the spirit of god within him we ask these things in your powerful name amen.

Amen. Thank you Lanny. Turn with me to john chapter 15 if you will. I will be reading from the elect standard version some of you may be in the non-arminian standard bible which I appreciate. We're going to be doing a full survey of biblical fruit and what it looks like to abide or remain in christ.

So get the pen ready because I'm going to be giving you a lot of notes. Okay this weekend Angela and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and I am definitely winning because we spent it on the river fishing saving money and having fun.

And when you're married for 16 years I know when I have a microphone and I mention my wife's name she gets really nervous. So we're going to move on. Enough about her. Let's talk about me. I became a believer just before I turned 16 years old in a Nazarene church of all places I got invited to church.

First time ever being invited to church I was told there would be girls basketball and pizza. So I went. Low motivation. It's better than no motivation. I walked away with a savior. Now take yourself back to the first time you heard the gospel the living god loves you enough to die for you.

You've rebelled against him but he wants to rescue and have an intimate relationship with you. What did you feel. I was angry. Of course I had joy felt like my heart was flowing to the cows. But I remember looking at all of my friends going.

You guys knew about this and you didn't tell me. You've known me how long if anybody deserves hell in our school you know it's me and y 'all do this thing every week. I was angry at him. I made it. I made a point right then that nobody's gonna say that about me.

In fact I went home that night told my parents about the goodness of the lord. And then a week later I was at a student council conference a statewide student council conference and I had this kid from another school as my roommate.

His name was T. I've always loved that name T. T was struggling in life. I can remember it vividly going man. I don't know much but I do know about the lord now and let me tell you about him. And T gave his life to the lord that night.

It was really cool. Here's the shocking part. The next day T had told people what I told him and everybody was coming up to me going. You are amazing. That's so incredible. What you did. They were acting like I saved T and I remember thinking looking around going wait a minute.

This isn't normal for us. We believe we have the greatest news ever and we don't tell anybody about this. You don't do this. So today let's look at what is normal for believers in john chapter 15. You don't need a phd in greek to understand this.

You don't need six years of seminary to understand this. You need actually something far greater. You need faith. And that's what we're going to look at. John 15 is absolutely amazing. I tell my disciples all the time if jesus is king context is queen.

And since we're not going through the whole book let's give the context of what's happening here in chapter 15. This this passage chapters 13 through 17 are really one long monologue. And it's happening on a thursday night of the passover celebration israel's biggest festival biggest celebration 24 hours from now jesus is going to be hanging from the cross.

And he knows it right. And if you flip over to chapter 18 you're going to see there's the betrayal and arrest of jesus. And some think this conversation is happening during the last supper. Others place it in the garden where he's going to be betrayed.

After a lot of study you know where I place it. I place it them leaving the last supper on their way to the garden likely in view and in the shadow of the great temple. Because you know what's on the temple a giant golden engraving of a vine with great clusters the size of a man hanging off of it.

And here jesus is going to talk about him being the true vine. And really what john 15 is dealing with is salvation. Who is it that is saved and who isn't. Well let's find out. But I want to give you the who what how and why of this passage as we go so that you can kind of see it.

Jump off the pages. Who is scripture talking to. Well contextually it's 11 disciples. Judas has already gone out. But it's talking to you and I as believers. What is it telling us. It's telling us to bear fruit.

How do we do that we abide we remain in christ. And why. It's for god's glory. I'd be interested to know if this has ever happened to you. It happens to me all the time in campus ministry. A student or somebody will come up and say.

And they'll be obviously in distress and say something to the effect of tyler. How do I know if I'm really saved. Like how do I know if I'm going to be in heaven when I die. They'll say it to that effect.

And what many people will do then is point that person to scripture. Good. Right. But what they'll do is they'll point them to the prescription necessary for salvation. In a popular verse is often romans 10.

Right. If you confess with your mouth that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead then you will be saved. Absolutely true true statement. Then they'll ask the person.

Have you believed in your heart. Of course the person's going to go. Yes. Yes. Yes. Well have you confessed with your mouth. You're telling me about it right now. Did you do it. Oh yeah. I got baptized once i told a bunch of people.

And what we've done here is had someone doubting their salvation for likely really good reasons walking away with the false assurance. Because they learned a couple tricks of the trade. Right. I personally used to take people to first.

John 5 11 through 13 it says. And this is the testimony that god gave us eternal life. And this life is in his son. He who has the son has life. He who does not have the son does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of god so that you may know that you have eternal life.

And i'll be. I just zoom in on that we may know. Look we can know. Do you believe in the sun. Of course they're going to say yes. Yes. Yes. We can know that we have eternal life. I don't do that anymore.

You know where i'll take them. John chapter 15. And here's why. Because there's clearly two people described here and both of them sit really close to jesus true believers. And well the other group. I wouldn't call them atheists.

I wouldn't call them enemies of god or at war with him. They are ones who claim christ. Remember an hour before this judas is sitting around the table with jesus. And what does jesus say. One of you will betray me.

So there are some that will last faithfully and some that won't. There are some who will bear fruit and others that do not. Look at verse one. 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. That word true leapt off the pages at me. I couldn't get away from it. I kept thinking jesus is the true vine. There must be a false vine.

Right. And so i kind of wrapped my mind around. I was like what's the best way to describe this. And this is what i thought of. Imagine all of us on the fourth of july a month ago we're eating hot dogs hamburgers swimming lee greenwoods in the background.

Right. We're waiting for the big firework show. And then all of a sudden in the back someone stands up and says hi i'm the true united states. We'd expect to turn around and see someone dressed red white and blue head to toe.

Freedom tats fireworks ready in their hands. But imagine we turn around and we see someone we know hates personal property individual freedom. They want a very large government. They don't believe in limited government.

Imagine they think the constitution's outdated and we need to do away with it and update it. Right. You would feel something as american. Wouldn't you. You'd be lighting your bottle rockets and turning them around towards the back.

That's what's happening here. Because israel's national identity is wrapped up in this vine metaphor. This is kind of a big deal. Old testament prophecies left and right passages are repeatedly call israel a vineyard.

In fact we're going to see jesus uses many parables doing the same thing. And he's quite saying quite loudly. Salvation is not tied to israel. It's tied to me. That's what christ is saying. So jesus is the true vine.

He is true israel. And we also see at the start that most people forget about john 15. The father's here. He's the master gardener. And he's pruning. He's cutting. He has an expectation of fruit. He's actively managing his gardening.

He's removing fruitless portions. And he's pruning for higher yields. The others. So if we were just to stop right here in verses one and two it should probably make some of us a little nervous right.

Are you producing fruit or not. Have you been a dead branch. And the gardener is just down the row coming with his machete and he hasn't gotten to you yet. How do i bear fruit. Is what i'd be asking. Where do i bear it from.

What does it mean. It kind of drives up the anxiety a little bit. Doesn't it. And look at verse two. It says there's branches in him that are cut off. How can that be. Remember jesus had more than 12 disciples in john 6.

He gives this really tough teaching about eating the flesh and drinking the blood. That at that time would have been crazy. Right. And what does it say. Many of his disciples turned back and walked with him.

No longer can you be cut off but in him. Well i'm going to talk about the pruning piece in a second. But let me kind of ease that anxiety with verses three through five. Already you are clean because of the word that i've 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. Look at it. It's actually not our job to bear fruit.

Our job is to abide. It's to remain in christ. The focus here is christ. He does all of the work. This is why i was shocked when people looked at me after talking with t in praising me who am i. Nobody.

Look at christ and what he did in his life. And you know in june we had those six campus ministers here and i worked extremely hard to give them tangible ways to abide in christ. And i just want to say to you as a church thank you for the work the love the effort you put into helping that project get pulled off.

It's paying incredible dividends already in those guys lives. And what they're planning this fall on their campuses all over the country. But i remember one day we were standing in the illinois river about thigh deep waist deep with kind of rushing water coming over us.

And i was using the river as an illustration of what god's will is. And i asked him this question why is this a river and not a lake or a pond. Because it's flowing and moving. He said confidently. I said what happens.

Or how do we stop a river. And they said you damn it up. And i said then what happens. It's going to form a lake. And then what happens. It's going to fill up. And then what happens. It's going to go over the dam.

So i asked again how do you stop a river. After a very long pause one of them said you can't. That's the lord's will. You can't stop it. It's moving and flowing with or without you. And most christians are just sitting up on the bank hoping to get splashed with a little of god's will for their life.

When god is asking you to jump in the river and let it take you wherever he's going. And i can simplify god's will for everybody in this room real fast. Love god love others and make disciples of all nations.

That's god's will. How will you do that. It's by abiding in him. You see this part about us being clean because of the word we have been spoken to us. It should bring us great comfort because jesus said something very similar when he started this conversation when they all came in to the upper room he starts washing their feet and peter goes crazy.

You remember the story and says don't wash me. He says oh yes i'm going to. And this is what jesus said when peter demanded not his feet to be washed. No one who is bathed the one who is bathed does not need to wash except for his feet but is completely clean.

And you are clean but not every one of you. He's talking about judas there of course. So you are clean because of the word of this truth. And you believe the word of this truth because the lord willed it.

And he willed it because he loves you. And he did all of this in eternity past. So when i read this i see the care of my god here. I hear him saying tyler you're not perfect but you're made perfect by my sacrifice.

You wanted to run but i caught you. I dragged you into the river i held you underwater and did heart surgery before you could come up for a breath of air. And now remain in me so that you can bear much fruit because you can do nothing.

Pruning, Sanctification, and the Serious Warning of Fruitlessness

I want to bear fruit for my lord. He's worthy. So he prints. Let's talk about printing if you want a fun game to play. By the way if you ever meet somebody man or woman and you just feel like the living god is exuding from them go up to them and ask what happened to you.

They'll look at you kind of weird and say what do you mean. Just do it again. What happened to you. What's the lord taking you through. And they'll have a story most likely stories of where god had worked in their life difficult things that he had pulled them through.

This is what pruning is. I've yet to find someone that's just cruising through life with no struggles sicknesses frustrations who's genuinely abiding in christ because what's the need. Right. So when we're in those moments that he really feels so close.

So pruning is lifelong. It's the sanctification that draws us to christlikeness. But be careful what you wish for church here all the time. I just want to be more like jesus. You remember what happened to him.

You remember what his life was like. But it's a great prayer. And i can confidently say you do want to be more like jesus. Because with suffering comes the pruning. With pruning comes the fruit. And apart from him you can do nothing.

Okay. I know there's a lot of first generation homeschoolers in here. So for my fellow public school graduates nothing means zero. Okay. Nada. We can't do it. Look at six. 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 and 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. So prove. Verse six is a scary thought.

If you do not do this you will burn in hell. Look at it. If you do this verse seven you can ask the father in heaven and he'll go to work for you. We have too many professing christians who do not take the threats of scripture seriously.

You cannot say you abide in christ when you spend multiple nights a week watching pornography. Let me say it a different way. You cannot say you abide in christ when you spend multiple nights a year watching pornography.

Cut off your hand. Gouge out your eye. If you don't you will be cut off. Look at what ephesian 5 says in that vein. For you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or who is covetous that is an idolater has no inheritance in the kingdom of christ.

And god let no one deceive you with empty words. Or because of these things the wrath of god comes upon the sons of disobedience. Jesus would never do that to someone who goes to church a good man who tried real hard his whole life.

We read it in the call to worship this morning. Didn't we. We didn't plan this matthew 7. Not everyone who says to me lord lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven on that day many will say to me lord lord did we not prophesy in your name.

And cast out demons in your name. And do mighty works in your name. And then i will declare from to them. I never knew you depart from me. You workers of lawlessness. Have you cast out demons lately. I haven't.

We just went through first corinthians. Prophesying is amazing. Have you done it lately. I haven't. Have you done mighty works in his name. This is some pretty awesome fruit right here. Right. It's fruit in the eyes of the world.

And it's not fooling our lord. Stop trying so hard and just start abiding. Just sit with your lord. We don't produce fruit to prove to god that we love him. We produce fruit because god is proving to us that he loves us.

Can i say that again. Did you hear me. We don't produce fruit because we prove to god that we're in love. We're in love with him. We produce fruit because god is proving to us that he loves us. By this my father is glorified.

Glory is the theme of scripture. God is the subject of scripture. Why did jesus die on the cross for glory. At the end of this monologue in chapter 17 verse 1 he says this. When jesus had spoken these words he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said father the hour has come.

Glorify your son. That the son may glorify you. There is an absolute expectation of fruit because the proof is in the pudding and the chef is christ alone and he's got all the right ingredients. You can't mess it up but you must abide.

Abiding in Christ Through Obedience and Prayer

I think it was last week we sang tis so sweet to trust in jesus. Was that last week. I love that hymn. I think it's the second verse in it. It says this. Jesus jesus. How i loved him. How i proved him.

Or and or prove the lord. How do you prove the lord. I obey. Have i done it. You better believe i've done it. I was dead in my trespasses and sins. But god made me alive in christ and created this solid path for me to walk on and complete works for him.

Three of them are sitting back in a pew right there. Two of three of them have to go pee right now. And i know it. So let's speed this thing along. You may be screaming right now at me. Stop telling me to abide and tell me how to abide.

It's first nine. 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've 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. I call levi my seven-year-old levi the garden guy. Because he loves to get down in the garden with me early in the morning.

He loves to pick the fruits. He loves to get up underneath the leaves and find those squash bugs eggs and just squish them. He loves to bring in the harvest. And i don't want to ruin the facade of social media for many of you guys because you'll see me post pictures of him holding these like baseball bat zucchinos and big pumpkins and big peppers all these things.

But it's the father who produces the fruit. Don't get me wrong. He works hard out there but he sticks real close to the father and does what i say. And that's why he's levi the garden guy. Obey the lord.

Church obey the lord. It's pretty simple. How can you obey him if you don't know what he says. It's absolutely crazy to me that so many professing christians do not read scripture. The absolute number one way you can abide in christ is to be in his word.

And then that can't be decoupled from prayer which is mentioned in verse 7. It'll be mentioned again in 16. I want you to walk out of your house in the mornings feeling just naked. If you haven't spent time with the lord in scripture.

And if all you're doing is getting bible and prayer on a sunday morning i've got bad news for you. You're not bearing fruit because you're not abiding. This is the living word of god that means it speaks to us in the moments that we're in.

There's been countless times i've been one of my disciples and we're doing ministry on campus. And somebody will ask a really challenging question. Or they'll be in a very difficult situation. And i will rattle off some scripture that is just perfect perfect.

And then later my guy will ask me like how do you always know what to say. How much scripture have you memorized. And it's a i love the look on their faces when i say oh i haven't memorized that i just read it this morning.

Has that happened. It's incredible. When that happens you feel the lord in that moment he's just setting things up on a t for you. I want you to have those moments. Are you joyful. There's joy in abiding.

This joy is different than happiness. Look at verse 11 it says my joy. We want this joy. This is the joy of the infinite and living god who spoke with his mouth and creation flung into existence. This is the god who predestined you before the foundation of the world.

This is our lord who knew you didn't know about you or know what you would do. Who knew you before adam was ever even placed in the garden. This is the joy we're talking. Can you imagine this kind of joy.

You can't have it without pruning. You can't have it without abiding. But tyler my life is so difficult right now it's hard to be joyful. In an hour from this time jesus is going to be sweating got drops of blood in the garden.

Do you see where we are. Joy is not the absence of pain and suffering. It's the hope you have that it's not wasted. Read the book of philippians george's leaps off the pages and it's written from a prison cell.

And i've noticed a couple things reading through scripture. Joy and wisdom are not inherently in us. They're external to us and christ has to be the source. So does every christian have fruit. Yes because it's up to the lord.

Fruit as Spiritual Character and Disciple-Making

What is fruit. Up into this point i've intentionally not described what fruit is. When i start talking about biblical fruit everybody's mind immediately goes to galatians 5. The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control.

Don't hear me wrong. That is absolutely a result of abiding in christ. In fact that is fruit singular of the spirit. You can't really say you're abiding in christ. And you do really well when it comes to kindness.

But you perpetually lack self-control. It's going to be hard to argue that you're really good at loving people but you don't have any peace in your life. All of these are the fruit of god's spirit and dwelling in you.

So that's what most people think of this internal fruit. But i think there's a megaphone screaming at us from the pages of scripture of a different kind of fruit. Consider this exercise as you read scripture over the next year.

Every time you come across the word fruit in scripture just replace it with the word people and see what happens. You may have noticed lanny did not read just verses 1 through 11. He read all the way through chapter or verse 17.

I would be willing to bet you've never heard a teaching on john 15 that included verses 12 through 17 which is very strange to me because it shows that there's fruit outside of us. And remember how do we abide.

We obey. What do we obey. Verse 12. This is my that you love one another as i have loved you. Greater love has no one than this. That someone laid out his life for his friends. You are my friends. If you do what i command you no longer do i call you servants for the servant does not know what his master is doing.

But i have called you friends for all that i have heard from my father i've made known to you. You did not choose me but i chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.

So whatever you ask the father in my name he may give it to you these things i command you so that you will love one another. Josh mentioned it last week and throughout all of first corinthians that god wants to use our gifts first to strengthen each other the church and then those around us.

We're not in the dark of what the lord is doing here. He's building himself a kingdom to bring in the fruit people into his kingdom. Let me zero in on verse 16. Look at it. I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.

How can your fruit abide in christ if it's not people. How can your love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control abide in christ. When it came from christ it's the people god reaches through you that will abide in christ.

Let me prove this for you. I want to rattle off a series of scriptures with brief brief explanations and each one of them are going to mention fruit. And i want you to ask yourself what is the fruit. A metaphor for.

Biblical Pictures of Fruitfulness

Remember the parable of the barren fig tree. In luke 13 a man plants a vineyard and puts a fig tree in it. Why would you plant a fig tree. You want the figs for three years. It doesn't bear any fruit.

He says cut it down. The gardener comes in and says well let me dig around it. Put some manure on it fertilize it take care of it. And we'll see what happens this year. And then if it doesn't well and cut it down.

Remember what matthew 7 said christ warning us of false prophets. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.

Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles. So every tree every healthy tree bears good fruit. But the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit. Nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Who are the people following these teachers. They'll tell you everything you need to know.

Here's a little pop quiz for you guys. What kind of fruit does an orange tree produce an orange. What kind of fruit does an apple tree produce my man an apple. What kind of fruit does a disciple of christ produce exactly a disciple of christ.

Let's keep going. Parable of the wicked tenants. One of my favorite matthew 21 mark 12 luke 20. A land over plants a vineyard. Why would you plant a vineyard. You want the fruit. You want the grapes. He leases it out to tenants who are supposed to work it and bring in the fruit.

The tenants mistreat and kill the servants and eventually kill his son. And if you know the passage well jesus is absolutely ripping the leaders of israel a new one because they killed the prophets. And they will kill the son.

But the landowner wants his fruit. And we're not talking about grapes people. He wants the nations to worship him. In john 12 jesus calls himself a grain of wheat. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone.

But if it dies it bears much fruit. Jesus will die. And what's the result. You me and billions of other saints around the globe. Isn't that awesome. If you die to yourself what's the result. Fruit will come from you.

Parable the sower. One of my favorites. God is sowing his word into the hearts of men. There's four souls. Only one of them is good. Right. And what's the result. A multiplication of disciples. 30 fold 60 fold 100 fold.

Paul tags on in romans one. I do not want you to be unaware. Brothers and sisters that often i have planned to come to you and have been prevented so far so that i may obtain some fruit among you also just as among the rest of the gentiles.

What's paul saying. I've made disciples all over the known world and i want some in rome. I'm coming. Here's a bonus one first commandment ever given. You know what it is. Be fruitful and multiply. What does that literally mean.

Go have babies. Great job and obedience cbc. Keep them coming. I love it. Here's the one thing you cannot fake in christianity. It's making disciples who abide. You can fake evangelism. I think i've told the story before of a man i know who would go out with groups and share the gospel like crazy.

He would lead people to the lord. And in one of his sharings he stopped abruptly realizing i don't even know what i'm saying or believe it. And he led himself to the lord while sharing the gospel with somebody else.

He'd been faking it the whole time and god in his mercy called him in preaching can be faked. How many pastors have stood behind a pulpit just like this and preach powerful christ-centered messages but have turned away from the faith.

I read about one this week. Lord bless those of us who stand up here and hold us fast. Church attendance can be faked. Bible studies can be faked. Abiding can be faked. If you produce no fruit you can cast out demons and be faking it right.

You can prophesy and not be attached to the true vine. Why can't making disciples who abide be faked. Because it takes a power of the holy spirit to get real close to someone and teach them to abide to get real up in their face to teach them to obey all that christ has commanded.

Because it can be really hard for you to do it if you're not working your tail off to obey christ as well. But if you are the lord is going to use you as a branch and fruit's going to and guess what. This fruit is your assurance of salvation.