John 15:1-17

I remember when my dad decided to plant a peach tree in our yard when I was in elementary school. I don’t know the season or the reason for such a desire to plant a peach tree. Keep in mind that this was Indiana and not Georgia. That plant was on the side of the house where my room was, so I could look out one of my windows and see it. I remember it being a straggly-looking thing. It grew quickly and had to have some string and stakes to keep it from falling over. A couple of peaches may have grown on it, but it never really reached its intended potential. Many reasons could be given as to why it didn’t produce peaches. It could have been the rocky red clay it was planted in. It could have been the climate and environment. It also could be that Whitleys don’t possess green thumbs but instead have the brown thumb of death. Cooking and eating food we can do, it’s the growing food that would cause us to die of hunger in an apocalypse.

The Apostle John is credited with writing the fourth Gospel, three epistles, and the final book of the New Testament, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. If you read his Gospel and letters, you will find many echoes and parallels between them. One of those repeated words is “abide.” In John’s Gospel, he records Jesus’ statement on being the Vine and how we are the branches. As we read, abiding in Christ as the Vine yields a fruitful life.

Everyone wants to be fruitful. At the beginning of the year, I don’t think anyone would say, “I’d wish to be unfruitful.” No, everyone wants to be fruitful in some shape or form in the new year. So they set out to be fruitful, but how can you be fruitful? How can your life become more meaningful? How can you expand your influence? How can you be more effective in God’s kingdom?

The answer is to abide.

The Vinedresser

Jesus says, “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” (Jn.15:1-2).

God the Father is the Vinedresser in this metaphor. There are two things that the Vinedresser does – He purges and prunes. The Vinedresser purges the branches that don’t produce fruit. On the other hand, if a branch bears fruit, then the Vinedresser prunes it to bear more fruit.

In this metaphor, the branches are people. And all people are judged in their relation to the Vine. Branches are either unfruitful or fruitful branches. Furthermore, branches are either unattached or attached branches of the true Vine.

Abiding in Christ

Jesus used the phrase “in me” six times within this context. The term is in reference to union with Christ. The Apostle Paul used this phrase repeatedly to describe our relationship to Christ. Christians often refer to having the Spirit of Christ in them. Or, we ask, “Are you in church?” Having Christ dwell in you and being part of a local church assembly are equally important. Perhaps we should be more concerned if someone is in Christ. In other words, are they abiding in the True Vine? That’s how the New Testament church judged people, whether they were in Christ or not.

Many can go to church and not be fruitful. Church is nothing more than an attendance checklist or a to-do list for their weekly silencing their conscience treatment.

One reason for their fruitlessness it far too many attempt to abide in things that don’t give them life. I’ve known countless people who come to church for reasons other than Christ. Whether it be to find friendships or companionship or to get recognition for some skill or talent they possess. More often than not, for whatever reason, they leave the church and either forsake the faith altogether or go searching for another church. Relationships, companionship, and purpose are byproducts of a church, but they aren’t the primary reason we gather together. The focus of any church is to get people “in Christ” and to get Christ in them!

Unfruitful Branches

“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” (Jn. 15:2).

Please note that these branches were once attached to the Vine. Jesus said that they were “in me.” However, there is an issue with these branches: they bear no fruit. Eventually, they began to bud, sprout, and even grow into branches. In other words, these branches heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, made a profession of faith, and even appeared to have fruit-bearing capability. Unfortunately, these branches didn’t bear any fruit.

Judas is a prime example of an unfruitful branch. For instance, Jesus called Judas to follow Him. He looked and acted like the other disciples for three and a half years. In the end, however, he betrayed Christ and sold him for thirty pieces of silver. Judas represents those who profess Christ but aren’t true followers of Him. Some claim to be Christian but turn against Jesus, proving that their profession of faith wasn’t authentic. Similarly, the Apostle John knew some in the early church departed from the faith because they weren’t true believers (1 Jn. 2:18-19). These unfruitful branches profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. Profession alone is not enough to bear fruit. They honor Christ with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him (Matt. 15:8).

The consequence of not bearing fruit is being “taken away.” That which is counterfeit cannot abide in that which is true, and Jesus is the True Vine. Therefore, the Vinedresser removes the unfruitful branches.

“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” (Jn 15:6).

Two forms of judgment are evident here. To be removed from the True Vine and out of fellowship with Him is a terrible judgment. Next, the withered and removed branches are gathered and thrown into the fire. The removed branch chooses to be unattached, so God allows it (Rom. 1:24-32).

Fruitful Branches

“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” (John 15:5).

Fruit bearing is the reason why God saved you. You cannot bear spiritual fruit unless you are in union with Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing.” A fruitful, abundant life is connected to the life-giver. A healthy relationship with Jesus provides the nourishment to produce abundance. Growth, sustenance, and fruit are cultivated. Fruit takes time to grow.

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (Jn. 15:8). The proof of discipleship is fruit. I’ll cover types of spiritual fruit later. Still, there must be all kinds of spiritual fruit that each of us should develop in our discipleship. If we are at the same spiritual level we were 5, 10, or 15 years ago, then something has stunted our growth.

Abiding

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you” (Jn. 15:4a). The condition for bearing or not bearing fruit is abiding. Jesus uses the word “abide” ten times in John chapter 15. The word “abide” in the Greek means “to remain” or “continue.” Other definitions include endure, cleave, dwell, adhere, reside, or stay. Simply put, it is being set and remaining there, continuing in a fixed position.

Notice that Jesus said to abide “in me.” That’s the key to a fruitful life: to abide in Him. Notice that He doesn’t say “abide” in your ministry. He doesn’t say “abide” in your position. You don’t grow spiritual fruit abiding in your musical instrument. You don’t grow fruit abiding in a camera. You don’t grow fruit abiding in your Sunday school class. You don’t grow fruit abiding at the front doors of the church. Those are byproducts of abiding in Christ. But too often, many replace Christ with their gifting and callings and try to get spiritual nourishment from those things. What ends up happening is they become lifeless robots with anemic spiritual lives. How can someone backslide from an instrument on the platform? When they don’t abide in Christ. How can someone backslide from a pulpit? When they try to abide by what they do for Him, instead of abiding by Him.

To consistently produce spiritual fruit, you must remain in the True Vine. You can’t constantly change or uproot your life. This is an issue for some people. They can’t stay in one place for too long. Change jobs, move to a new city, change careers, change churches. For this reason, they have no spiritual fruit and, therefore, no fulfillment, so they start the fruitless process over again.

Suppose you are going to have any spiritual fruit in your life. In that case, you must remain fixed, steadfast, dedicated, and faithful—in other words, abide!

There are three ways in which we can abide in Christ:

• Abiding in Obedience
• Abiding in Prayer
• Abiding in Love

Abiding in Obedience

Love is a dominant theme in Scripture. Some Christians attempt to pit God’s love against His commands as if they are opposed to one another. For instance, there is a common idea that all Christians need to do is love God and love people at the expense of keeping God’s commands.

The reasoning behind such faulty thinking is the idea that God demands nothing of us except love. More often than not, those who follow this logic desire to live any way that they choose, thinking that God is no longer concerned with their sins or the sins of others. As we will see, love and commands are not opposed. The proof of our love for Christ is keeping His commands.

Please note Jesus’ own words: “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…This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:10,12). Staying faithful to my wife and treating her with respect isn’t done out of duty. Instead, it’s done out of love. Obedience to God and His Word is nearly impossible when attempting to do it out of duty. But if you love God, then you will keep His commands. Stated another way, His commands aren’t burdensome when you love Him.

John’s first epistle is about Christian love without compromise. John didn’t believe you had to compromise truth in order to love.

Abiding in Prayer

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). The more we know the Word of God, the better we can pray. To know the Word of God is to know the will of God. Many get so confused about the will of God for their life. They’ll know God’s will if they live according to God’s word. Likewise, you can pray God’s will when you know God’s Word.

Prayer is essential for being a disciple of Christ because it is our spiritual communion with Him. When we pray, we are expressing our dependence upon Him. Prayer doesn’t have to be mystical and mysterious. If abiding in Christ is about your relationship with Him, then it doesn’t have to be some strange communication.

Abiding Love

Captain and Tennille’s famous song came to mind when I read Jesus’ command: “Love, love will keep us together.” Our love for Christ and Christ’s love for us will keep us together.

What more can be said about the love of Jesus Christ? Much ink has been laid to paper in attempts to describe God’s love. The more you know about God and His love through His Word, the more you will love Him. Love for Christ will cultivate love for others.

The Apostle John clearly states, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 Jn. 4:7–11).

We need to show more love for one another instead of being judgmental. We need love for others more than we need self-righteousness. Our love for others increases as we grow closer to Christ. If our love for others has diminished, examining our connection to Christ is a good idea, as there may be a disconnect.

Spiritual Fruit

Worldly or secular success is not spiritual fruit. The Bible doesn’t equate spiritual fruit with superficial success. Then what does it mean for believers to produce fruit?

• It means to produce converts (Rom. 1:13).
• It means to produce holiness (Rom. 6:21-23).
• It means to produce Christ-like character in the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. Gal. 5:22-23).

The Spiritual Fruit of Producing Converts

Jesus believed that His sacrificial death would produce the fruit of souls: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn. 12:24). When Jesus ministered to the Samaritan woman, she went and witnessed to the people in her village. Jesus said of those who would believe because of her witness, “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together” (Jn. 4:36). Several times the Apostle Paul referred to converted souls as fruit (Rom. 1:13; 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:15; Col. 1:6). The fruit that God produces in us is not for our pleasure. No, our spiritual fruit is to entice others to come and partake of the True Vine.

The Spiritual Fruit of Producing Holiness

The Apostle Paul wrote, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Rom. 6:22). John the Baptist told his listeners to bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matt. 3:8). Bible commentator, Warren Wiersbe, wrote, “Holiness is nothing else but the beauty and character of God displayed in our everyday lives. Holy living means more than victory over sin; it means growth in character so we become more like Jesus.” Abiding in the True Vine provides the nourishment and sustenance to produce holiness. A branch should resemble the Vine to which it’s connected. If Jesus is holy, we should be holy (1 Pt. 1:16).

The Spiritual Fruit of Christ-Like Character

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23). The world would like to manufacture these characteristics. Still, they can only be produced through the work of the Holy Spirit. Life in the Spirit yields a life pleasing unto God and to others. If this world needs anything, it could use more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God hasn’t issued any law or limits to the fruit of the Spirit. Even the natural laws of men do not legislate against this type of fruit.

The Means for Fruit Bearing

God is glorified when we bear fruit (Jn. 15:8). God also assists in our fruit-bearing capabilities. Jesus refers to two means that God uses to help us produce abundant fruit: pruning and cleansing. “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. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (Jn. 15:2-3).

Vines and branches are susceptible to weeds and bugs, which hinders growth. Likewise, there are things in our lives that can hinder our growth. So, God prunes and cleanses.

Pruning

The pruning process involves God cutting away things in our lives. Looking back at Abraham’s life, he had to forsake some things to become who God called him to be. He had to leave his father’s house, hometown, nephew, and even his son, Ishmael. Those were hard days for Abraham. But there were fruitful days, too, including the birth of the promised son, Isaac.

The pruning process may be painful. God’s knife may cut away some things we enjoy but might harm our growth.

Cleansing

If you harvest fruit before eating it, it’s essential to wash it. If God intends to use your fruitful life, you must be cleansed.

“Now you are clean through the Word.” The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). The Word of God sanctifies and washes us, for Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Training in righteous insinuates that Timothy should use Scripture to teach believers how to live righteously. Scripture wasn’t only used to correct false doctrine but also to correct erroneous behavior. In essence, orthodoxy (right doctrine) should lead to orthopraxy (right living).

Conclusion

In 2005, Israeli scientists achieved a remarkable feat by germinating a 2,000-year-old date palm seed discovered during excavations at Herod the Great’s palace on Masada in the 1960s. This seed, named “Methuselah,” after the longest-lived person in the Bible, was the oldest known seed to successfully sprout at that time.

The Judean date palm can grow up to 100 feet tall and live for over 100 years. Its fruit is used for various purposes, including being consumed as a sweet snack, serving as a sweetener, and even having medicinal applications. The Judean date palm, once abundant in the region, had become extinct by the 14th century due to changes in climate and infrastructure decay. The successful germination of Methuselah provided a unique opportunity to study this ancient species. By 2011, Methuselah had reached a height of 2.5 meters and began producing pollen. Researchers germinated additional ancient seeds in subsequent years, resulting in both male and female plants. Notably, in 2021, dates were harvested from a female plant named “Hannah,” pollinated by Methuselah, marking the revival of the Judean date palm after centuries of extinction.

The fruit was in the seed. The seed just needed to be planted, cared for, germinated, watered, pruned, and cleansed, but most importantly, it just needed to “abide.” It doesn’t matter how unfruitful you feel your life has been; you can begin to abide today. You can be young or old, but your fruitfulness begins with your abiding in Christ, the True Vine.

The abundant life is one of abiding in the True Vine. Abiding in Jesus not only produces spiritual fruit but also produces joy. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15:11). The Christian life isn’t some cosmic killjoy zapping us of happiness. Instead, it is abundant and joyful. The word “joy” in the Greek is defined as an “inner gladness” or a “deep-seated pleasure.” This type of joy isn’t found in the things of this world.

Joy comes from abiding in Christ and Christ abiding in you: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” The Apostle Paul adds, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).

Joy comes from salvation: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isa. 12:3). Jesus added, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:7, 10).

Joy comes from finding fulfillment in your God-given purpose: “I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in your; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Col. 7:4).

Joy comes from obedience to God’s Word: “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16).

Joy comes from prayer: “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn. 16:24).

Joy comes from winning souls: “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:19–20).

As you can see, abiding in the True Vine is abundantly joyful. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pt. 1:8).

Life in the True Vine is joy unspeakable and full of glory.