I'm going to read John chapter 15 verses 1 through 8.
You remember that this is part of a whole section going from chapter 13 through to the end of chapter 17,
which covers about 24 hours as Jesus meets and speaks with the disciples specifically
and prepares them for him going back to the Father
and how they should live as they wait for the Lord's return.
And so we are also in that time frame of where we're waiting for the Lord to return.
And so these words instruct us today as to how we should live.
So let's read verse 1.
I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in me as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself.
It must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
I am the vine.
You are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit.
Apart from me, you can do nothing.
If you do not remain in me,
you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers.
Such branches are picked up,
thrown into the fire,
and burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
This is to my Father's glory,
that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Well, let's pray.
Let's pray.
Lord God, we are grateful and thankful for your word.
It is the truth,
and we trust it.
And we pray that by the power of your Holy Spirit,
your word would do a pruning work in our life right now,
and that through this morning,
we will become more fruitful.
May this be for our good
and for your glory.
Amen.
Well, one of my summer chores as a kid
was to pick the fruit in our garden.
Not a pleasant job,
if you're wanting to be outside playing football
and doing other things.
But nonetheless, it was what I had to do.
We had red and green gooseberries,
red currants and black currants,
raspberries and strawberries,
so there was no end to the work that had to be done.
Every year,
they would just produce buckets of fruit.
Now, of course,
that's just not a surprise, is it?
Because that's what fruit trees do.
Fruit trees produce fruit.
Well, if you are a disciple of Jesus,
you also produce delicious, sweet fruit.
Look at verse 8.
This is a key verse in our text.
This is to my Father's glory
that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Of course, this shouldn't be a surprise to us
because fruitfulness is the mark of a disciple.
It's the sign or the evidence
of following Jesus.
But it also means
that if we claim to be a disciple,
but have no fruit,
bear no fruit,
then we are not a disciple.
You see, there is only one kind of disciple,
and that's a fruitful disciple.
Did you see that in verse 8?
This is to my Father's glory
that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples.
So this morning,
we're going to think about
what it is to be fruitful.
We're going to ask two questions of the text.
What is the fruit,
and how can I be more fruitful?
What is the fruit,
and how can I be more fruitful?
So first, what is the fruit?
Well, I'm going to tell you straight up.
It's Christ-likeness.
Christ-likeness.
But we want to spend a bit of time
thinking about that
because as we go through,
we'll learn some foundational things.
We see what the fruit is
from verse 1.
Jesus says,
I am the true vine.
So this is the seventh time
Jesus has used this phrase,
I am,
to teach us who he is.
He's saying something about his identity.
I am the true vine.
A vine, or a vineyard,
as we saw from Psalm 80 this morning,
was a symbol for God's people Israel.
Just like a shamrock
is a national symbol for Ireland,
so the vine was a national symbol for Israel.
The problem was,
that's all it was.
It was a symbol.
It never produced any good fruit.
Keep your finger in John's Gospel
and go back to Isaiah chapter 5.
Isaiah chapter 5.
Here God is speaking
through the prophet Isaiah
and he gives us a picture
of a vineyard
and then he explains the meaning.
So we have a picture
and then we have an explanation.
So chapter 5, verse 1.
I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard.
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up,
cleared it of stones,
planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop
of good grapes.
But it yielded only bad fruit.
Literally, stinky fruit.
So there's the picture.
Now we get the explanation
in verse 7.
The vineyard of the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel.
And the people of Judah
are the vines he delights in.
And he looked for justice,
but saw bloodshed.
For righteousness,
but heard cries of distress.
Let's keep that in mind
and go back to John chapter 15.
The fruit they were to produce
was the sweetness of righteousness
and justice.
But instead,
they produced bitter fruit,
stinky fruit,
injustice,
and unrighteousness.
You see,
they were called to reflect
the beauty of God's character,
a life of obeying God's good commands.
Instead,
they produced smelly,
stinky,
bad fruit.
Now Jesus says,
chapter 15,
verse 1,
I am the true vine.
In other words,
he's saying,
I am the only one
that produces good fruit,
sweet and delicious fruit.
Where Israel have failed,
Jesus has been faithful.
And it isn't just confined
to the nation of Israel,
it's for all people
throughout all ages
and all times,
we have all failed
to produce the fruit
we were made to produce.
But Jesus has been faithful.
You see,
Jesus lived
as we should have lived.
Jesus produces the fruit
that we should be bearing
in our lives.
Jesus lives
a fruitful life,
a beautiful life,
a pleasing to the Father
kind of life.
Look at the end
of chapter 14,
verse 31.
The end of verse 31,
Jesus says,
I love the Father.
I love him.
And I do exactly
what my Father
has commanded me.
The Son,
Jesus,
delights
and enjoys
doing what is right
and what is pleasing
for the Father.
I love him.
So what is the fruit
of a disciple?
Well,
the fruit of a disciple
is Christ-like character.
A life of loving
and enjoying
and desiring
the Father
and obeying
his commands.
What a beautiful
life that is.
So very simply,
what is the fruit?
Well,
it is the fruit
of Christ-likeness.
The second big question
we're going to ask,
and this will be
a bit longer,
is,
well,
how can I be
more fruitful?
How do we,
how do I
become
more
Christ-like?
because throughout
the text,
it's telling us
that we should be
bearing
much fruit
and becoming
more fruitful.
Well,
first,
if we're going
to be fruitful,
we need to be
connected
to the vine.
While it's not
stated,
it's implied
in the text.
A key word,
which we'll be
looking at in a minute,
throughout the text,
is remain,
or some of your
translations may say
abide.
If you are to remain,
it implies
that you are,
that you are
already in.
Okay,
if you're
in something,
you are to remain
in it.
So we need
to be first
connected
or joined
to the vine,
or to use
the horticultural
term,
we are to be
grafted
in
to the life
of Jesus,
who is
the true
vine.
And the way
in which we
get grafted
into the vine
is by faith
in Jesus.
As we believe
in Jesus,
as we place
our trust in him,
so we are
joined
and united
to the true
vine,
the one and only
Lord Jesus
Christ.
You see,
Jesus is
the true
vine.
He is the
true
people of
God.
He is the
only one.
It's not about
becoming part
of Israel
or becoming
part of any
nation.
It's about
being part
of God's
true
family.
The people
who have
faith
in the
Lord Jesus.
So trusting
Jesus as
the true
source of
life
connects us
and grafts
us in
to the
vine
which is
full of
life
and leads
to
fruitfulness.
So we
need to be
grafted in.
And once we
are in the
vine,
well then we
begin to
live as
Jesus lived.
That's part
of our new
nature.
As the
Lord Jesus
changes us
and transforms
us as we
are empowered
by the
indwelling
of the
Holy Spirit,
then we
begin to
bear fruit.
But here's
the thing.
We don't
stop at
being fruitful.
We are to
become even
more fruitful,
more sweet,
more delicious.
fruit.
So here are
two ways
God makes
us more
fruitful.
Two ways
in which God
makes us
more fruitful.
Because we
cannot make
ourselves fruitful,
this is a
work of God
the Father
and God
the Son
by the
Holy Spirit.
So how do
we become
more fruitful?
fruitful?
Well first,
the Father
prunes
fruitful
disciples.
The Father
prunes
fruitful
disciples.
Look at
verse 1
with me.
I am the
true vine
and my
Father is
the
gardener.
He cuts
off every
branch in
me that
bears no
fruit.
While every
branch that
does bear
fruit he
prunes so
that it
will be
even more
fruitful.
Now did
you notice
verse 2
there's two
things that
the Father
does.
First the
Father,
verse 2,
cuts off
every branch
in the
vine that
bears no
fruit.
These
branches,
I think,
are people
who claim
to be
disciples
but produce
no fruit
and are
simply
cut off
the dead
stuff,
cut away.
It doesn't
belong in
the vine.
Jesus says
something similar
in verse 6.
If you do
not remain in
me, you are
like a branch
that is thrown
away and
withers.
Such branches
are picked
up, thrown
into the
fire and
burned.
It's talking
about judgment
day where
God the
Father will
judge and
look for
fruit.
And if there
is no fruit,
it will be
cut away and
separated from
him forever.
Isn't that
what happened
to Judas?
Do you
remember back
in chapter
13?
He was
dead
wood.
Look back
at chapter
13,
verse 21.
Jesus is
speaking with
the disciples.
They'd been
following him
over three
years,
done so
much together,
and then
during the
meal,
verse 21,
Jesus says,
very truly,
I tell you,
one of you
is going to
betray me.
Well,
we're
disciples.
Who's
going to
betray us?
Well,
look at
verse 26.
Jesus
answered,
it is the
one to
whom I
will give
this piece
of bread
when I
have dipped
it in
the dish.
Verse 30,
as soon
as Judas
had taken
the bread,
he went
out,
and it
was
night.
Judas
had claimed
to be
a disciple.
Judas
appeared to
be a
disciple.
He was
amongst
the
disciples,
but the
fruit of
his life
revealed
that
ultimately
he was
not a
disciple
at all.
He was
cut off.
He didn't
belong
in the
vine.
some of
you,
I'm sure,
or all
of us
will be
aware of
the recent
trial of
Geoffrey
Donaldson,
an MP,
who had
been charged
and found
guilty of
18 sexual
offences to
minors.
But as
Geoffrey
took the
stand for
the trial
over those
number of
days in
his clean
pristine
navy suit,
on his
lapel
was a
little
fish,
a symbol
of
Christianity.
Well,
symbols do
not protect
us.
Symbols
do not
produce
fruit.
Symbols,
whether it's
a cross
on the
chain,
and I
don't have
anything
against
that,
or
stickers
of
fishes
in
your
car,
I
don't
have
anything
against
that
either,
they
do
not
protect
you.
They
do
not
bring
good
fruit.
You
see,
it's
possible
to say
you are
a
disciple,
but
not
be
a
disciple.
It's
possible
to act
like a
disciple,
but
not
be a
true
follower
of
Jesus.
So
how
do
we
know
if
we
are
disciples?
We
bear
fruit.
Jesus
said,
didn't
he,
that by
your
fruit
you
will
know
them.
We
display
Christ-like
character.
We
love
the
commands
of
God.
We
desire
to
obey
and
please
the
Father
and
seek
to
do
the
good
of
others.
So
the
Father
will
first
cut
off
every
branch
that
bears
no
fruit.
But
the
second
thing
the
Father
does
is
to
prune.
Verse
2.
Let's
read
verse
2
again.
He
cuts
off
every
branch
In
me
that
bears
no
fruit.
While
every
branch
that
does
bear
fruit,
he
prunes
so
that
it
will
be
even
more
fruitful.
At
the
end
of
the
fruit
season,
and I
know
some
of
you
know
this
very,
very
well,
my
mum
would
cut
back
the
current
bushes
and
the
raspberry
canes
and I
thought,
that's
it,
that's
the
end,
no
more
fruit
picking,
she's
cut
them
all
down.
But
to
my
surprise,
they
only
grew
back
better
and
stronger.
In
fact,
they
produced
more
fruit.
And
that's
the
picture
here.
The
father
prunes
disciples
so that
we
become
more
fruitful.
And
while the
results
are great
and
delicious,
the
process
of
pruning
is
painful.
You
see,
there are
things that
we attach
ourselves
to that
take the
place of
Jesus.
Rather
than
looking to
Jesus
as the
true
source
of
life,
we
turn
to
other
things
and
other
people.
And
that
hinders
our
growth
and
our
fruitfulness.
So
the
father
comes
alongside
and
gently
confronts
us
by the
spirit
showing
us
our
sin
so
that
we
can
repent
and
turn
in
faith
afresh
to
Jesus.
Pruning
is the
serious
work
the
father
does
by
the
spirit
about
the
sin
in
our
life
so
that
we
can
cut
it
out
as
we
bring
it
to
him
and
confess
and
ask
him
to
change
us.
Pruning
is
purifying.
It's
good
for
us.
John,
the
author
of
this
gospel
puts
it
like
this
in
his
letter.
Again,
John
is
writing
to
disciples.
He
says,
if we
claim
to be
without
sin,
we
deceive
ourselves
and the
truth
is not
in us.
So it's
not about
becoming
perfect,
but it's
about owning
up to
our sin.
And if
we confess
our sins,
well,
he is
faithful
and just
and will
forgive us
our sins
and
what?
Purify
us
from
all
unrighteousness.
He
will
prune
us
so that
we
become
more
and more
like
him.
None
of us
likes
being
confronted
by our
sin,
but the
purpose
is not
to
condemn
us,
but to
grow
us.
It's
not to
pronounce
us all
as
failures
and that
we're
all
rotten
and
terrible
people,
but to
make us
more
fruitful.
It's the
Father's
work to
prune us
so that
we become
more like
his Son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
So the
Father
prunes
us.
Second,
the Son,
I've
jumped ahead
too much,
we'll leave
it there.
The Son
produces
fruitful
disciples.
The Son
produces
fruitful
disciples.
Bearing
fruit
is
connected
to
remaining
in
Jesus.
Eight
times,
if you're
to read
the text
again,
we're
called
to
remain
or
abide
!
in
Jesus.
So look
at verse
four.
remain
in me
as I
also
remain
in you.
No
branch
can
bear
fruit
by
itself,
it
must
remain
in
the
vine.
Neither
can
you
bear
fruit
unless
you
remain
in
me.
So
remain
in
Jesus,
abide
in
Jesus.
But
how?
How do
we remain?
How do
we abide?
Well,
I think
the clue
comes
in
verse
three
and
in
verse
seven.
Notice
what
Jesus
said,
verse
three.
You
are
already
clean
because
of the
word
I have
spoken
to
you.
So
Jesus
had
spoken
the
word
of the
gospel
to
them.
That
word
had
cleaned
them
on
the
inside
and
made
them
disciples.
That
word
Jesus
had
spoken
to
them
had
cleaned
them
to
be
disciples
so
that
they
would
bear
fruit.
Now
look
down
at
verse
seven.
If
you
remain
in
me
and
my
words
remain
in
you,
ask
whatever
you wish
and it
will be
done
for
you.
you
see
the
remaining
is
to
be
connected
to
the
word
that
Jesus
has
spoken
Jesus
himself
and
prayer.
Verse
seven,
if you
remain
in my
words
and
remain
in
you,
my
words
remain
in
you,
ask
whatever
you
wish
and it
will
be
done
for
you.
So
remaining
is
connected
in
to
the
words
of
Jesus
and
praying
to
him.
That's
how
we
abide
in
Jesus.
That's
how
we
remain
in
Jesus.
We
keep
trusting
his
word.
As
we
started
trusting
his
word,
so we
continue
trusting
his
word
and
we
continue
to
ask
in
prayer
that
he
will
do
a
work
in
our
lives.
So
first,
we
trust
in
his
word.
We
believe
what
Jesus
said
about
himself.
It's
not
that
we
go
from
something
else
to
believing
in
Jesus
and
to
something
else.
No,
we
keep
believing
and
trusting
in
what
he
has
said.
I
am
the
bread
of
life.
I
nourish
you
and
I
feed
you.
I
am
the
light
of
the
world.
I
show
you
where
to
go.
I
am
the
door.
I
am
the
entrance
to
life.
I
am
the
life.
And
now
Jesus
says
verse
five
I
am
the
vine
and
you
are
the
branches
and
if
you
remain
in
me
and
I
in
you
will
bear
much
fruit
apart
from
me
you
can
do
nothing.
It's
trusting
in
Jesus
and
his
words
as
the
source
of
true
life.
It's
believing
that
Jesus
is
all
satisfied
and
all
sufficient.
It's
saying
verse
five
that
without
Jesus
I
can
do
nothing.
I
can't
produce
any
fruit
by
myself.
I
need
Jesus
the
true
vine
to
do
that
work.
I
cannot
make
myself
fruitful.
He
is
the
one
I
trust
to
produce
fruit
in
me.
So
we
trust
in
his
word
and
we
depend
in
prayer.
Again
look at
verse
seven.
If you
remain
in me
and my
words
remain
in you
ask
whatever
you wish
and it
will be
done
for you.
So
what do
you
want?
Just
ask him
for it
and he'll
give it
to you.
Want
a new
car?
Ask
him.
No?
Well,
it doesn't
mean that
we get
whatever
we
ask.
Context
is
key.
You
see,
it's
the
desire
of
Jesus
that
we
bear
fruit.
So
as we
come to
him
in
prayer
and
ask
of
him
anything
that
we
ask
of
in
terms
of
producing
fruit,
he
will
do
that
work
in
us.
He
will.
Isn't
that
good
to
know?
That
whatever
we
ask
in
relation
to
fruit
bearing,
he
will
produce
that
within
us.
Delicious,
ripe,
sweet,
fruit,
Christ
likeness.
Go
with me
please
to
Psalm
1.
Psalm
1.
In
your
Bible,
Psalm
1.
here
is a
picture
of
ongoing
trust
in
God's
word
and
depending
upon
him
in
prayer,
all
of
which
leads
to
a
fruitful
life.
A
picture
of
trusting
in
God's
word,
trusting
what
Jesus
says
depending
on
prayer
which
leads
to
a
fruitful
life.
Look at
verse
1.
Blessed
is the
one
who does
not walk
in step
with the
wicked
or stand
in the
way that
sinners
take
or sit
in the
company
of
mockers.
God
they're
listening
or trusting
in the
words
of
people.
But
blessed
is the
one
who
meditates
or
whose
delight
is in
the
law
of
the
Lord
and
who
meditates
on
his
law
day
and
night.
That
person
is like
a
tree
planted
by
streams
of
water
which
yields
its
fruit
in
season
and
whose
leaf
does
not
wither
whatever
they
do
prospers.
You
see
that word
meditating
is to
think
deeply
and reflect
much
and churn
around
in our
minds
the
words
of
God
to
think
deeply
about
them
and to
pray
them
into
our
life
so
that
they
bring
about
change
and
transformation
so
that
we
yield
fruit.
Let's
go back
to John's
gospel.
So
to
remain
in
Jesus
means
we
keep
on
trusting
the
words
of
Jesus.
The
words
that
made
us
clean
is
the
same
word
that
will
go
on
cleaning
us
to
be
more
like
Jesus.
And
we
depend
upon
him
in
prayer
asking
him
to
do
the
work
in
us
that
we
cannot
do
in
ourselves.
You
see
the
father
prunes
us
so
that
we
become
more
fruitful
and
the
son
produces
fruit
in
us
so
that
we
become
even
more
fruitful.
This
is how
God
works
in
his
disciples.
Disciples
bear
fruit.
The
father
and
the
son
by
the
spirit
produce
the
fruit.
I
cannot
make
myself
fruitful.
He
does
that
work
in
me
so
that
I
can
bear
fruit.
Verse
eight.
this
is
to
my
father's
glory
that
you
bear
much
fruit
showing
yourselves
to
be
my
disciples.
For
our
honeymoon,
Kirsty
and I
travelled
to
Central
America
and
one
of
our
outstanding
memories
was
all
the
fresh
ripe
fruit.
Travelling
by bus
as we
did,
we
were
on
these
forever
straight
roads,
kilometre
after
kilometre
we
passed
by
acres
of
fruit
farms,
banana
trees,
pineapples,
oranges
and lemons,
peaches.
My
favourite
were the
lovely
big
mangoes.
Fresh
to the
core.
Can you
taste it?
Beautiful,
isn't it?
Who
wouldn't
want to
enjoy
the
produce
of all
those
fruit
trees?
Well,
that's
a picture
of
discipleship.
The
Father
and the
Son
at work
by the
Spirit
in
his
disciples
so that
we
bear
more
and
more
fruit.
And if
you like,
as people
walk
amongst
the
fruit
trees
of
his
church,
so
they
taste
and
see
the
beauty
of
Christ.
A
community
that
obeys
God's
commands
for the
good of
others.
A
community
that
will
help
one
another
fight
sin
and
trust
Jesus.
A
community
that
loves
God's
word
and
loves
to meet
together
with
others
to
pray.
A
community
that
delights
in the
Father's
pruning
and the
Son's
produce.
who
wouldn't
want
to be
part
of
something
like
that?
Well,
I'll
tell you
who
wants
to be
part
of
it.
It's
disciples
of
Jesus.
This
is to
my
Father's
glory
that
you
bear
much
fruit
showing
yourselves
to be
my
disciples.
Let's
just
take a
moment
to
reflect
on
that
and
then
we'll
pray
and
ask
for
the
Lord
to
do
his
work
in
our
life
that
we
become
more
fruitful
for
him.
Lord
Jesus,
you
are
the
true
vine
and
we
thank
you
that
by
faith,
by
simple
trust,
we
are
grafted
into
Jesus
and
we
can
say
that
his
life
is
now
our
life
that
as
you
look
at
us
you
see
the
fruitfulness
of
Christ.
Our
Father
God,
we
pray
that
we
will
become
more
and
more
fruitful
that
Father
would
you
prune
us
this
coming
week
would
you
gently
show
us
our
sin
and
lead
us
in
repentance
and
to
trust
Jesus
afresh.
We're
sorry
for the
times
this
week
we
have
wandered
and
we
have
not
seen
you
as
all
satisfying.
Do
that
pruning
work
in
us.
And
Lord
Jesus
will
you
continue
to
work
in
us
by
your
word
and
through
prayer.
Your
word
says it
so
clearly
without
you
we
can
do
nothing.
None
of us
can
produce
any
fruit
but
yet
you
will
work
in
us.
So
we
ask
confidently
and
humbly
Father
Son
and
Spirit
make
us
more
fruitful
that
we
would
show
ourselves
to be
your
disciples
that
people
will
see
us
and
see
Christ
like
living.
Thank
you
for what
you
have
done.
Thank
you
for what
you
are
doing
and
we
trust
you
to
do
more
and
more.
In
Jesus
name
Amen.