Sunday 01/16/22
Message – Fruit useful for the Husbandman
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Fruit useful for the Husbandman
Last week we ended in John 15:16
“(16) You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.”
The idea here is that once a character trait of Christ has come to fruition in the life of a believer it should remain there quite literally forever… or for an eternity!
Again this is a far cry from the notion of a Christian being proud of themselves for having a
- “good day”
- “week”
- or “month”.
Spiritual fruit isn’t something practiced and put on but rather PRODUCED from within us.
It is FRUIT or put another way, it is the outward proof of our union with Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Bearing fruit “in season” means at least two things.
- To bear fruit in season, due to maturity and such fruit which is an outward expression of an inward reality.
- Any time when such a fruit would be warranted.
Someone may have the fruit of patience in their lives all the time, but it only be “visible to others” and shine a light in their darkness, under times of stress and pressure. Then their patience shines like the sun and is very obvious.
One thing is for sure, genuine fruit of the spirit is not something we do to impress others, or to gain something from them, or for notoriety, or because it makes us feel good, and not even so I can make God happy.
It is because it is a genuine outward expression
of WHO we have become in our union with Jesus.
Now, stepping out of our analogy for a moment – this means that as a child of God matures, it is naturally anticipated that they will increasingly become more and more like God in their actions, attitudes, desires and character.
It also means that once we mature, we do not regress back into the nursery again.
Once we are out of diapers, we stay out of diapers!!!
All of this is in direct connection to the fact that bearing fruit BRINGS GLORY to the Father!
This is NOT an odd idea at all which I illustrated for you last week with the type of pride a son has in bearing the name of his father – even in reproach.
They say imitation is the most sincere expression of praise. Nothing could honor a parent more than a child who admires them so much, that they adopt their values and morals as their own and THAT is what this passage is in essence saying.
After saying this, Jesus then clearly stated an amazing promise.
If this type of permanent fruit bearing is the case with you, whatever you ask the Father, representing Christ and His kingdom, the Father WILL give to you!
You can fake the appearance of fruit, but that will not get your prayers answered.
If however, your union with Christ is real and there is maturing fruit from that union – YOU are representing the kingdom… and as such, you may ask for anything which promotes and furthers the Kingdom and IT WILL BE GRANTED!
Now we mostly ended there last week so I want to begin today with an illustration of this last point.
If we are seeking God and His kingdom first…above all, then we become aware of the fact that the work of the Kingdom is not FOR God, but rather WITH God.
Example of Peter & John
I am reminded of Peter and John who went to pray and came upon a crippled beggar. They had no money to give him, but they wanted to share Jesus with him. So they said to him, “Silver and gold we do not have, but what we DO have we give to you freely.” Then they took this man by the hand and said to him, “In the name of Jesus, stand up and walk”
Notice they didn’t even pray for the guy.
In this case there was no spoken partition to the Father. They KNEW that what they were doing was representing Christ and furthering His kingdom and so without hesitation and with complete confidence they gave healing to this man – because healing is just one of the many currencies of God’s Kingdom.
They knew that the Father, Who did not spare His Own Son, but gave Him freely for the life of the world – would not stop shy of loving the world by holding back on such a simple thing as healing. Notice they were not doing ministry FOR God, but WITH HIM!
And what was the result?
This man was healed and that is great. That helped him out for this life. But what is FAR MORE than that – is that
- he accompanied Peter and John into the temple unashamedly praising God – so much so that it drew a crowd.
- People recognized him as the cripped beggar and wanted to understand how he came to be healed.
You see his encounter with Jesus through Peter and John not only healed his flesh, but caused such rejoicing that it became a testimony of Jesus and His power which saves.
Let’s read what happened as a result. Its found in Acts 3:11-19,
“(11) While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, greatly amazed, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade. (12) When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? (13) The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. (14) But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked to have a murderer given to you. (15) And you killed the source of life, Whom God raised from the dead; we are eye-witnesses of this! (16) By faith His name, through faith in His name has this man become strong to walk, a man whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you. (17) “And now, brothers, I know that you did what you did in ignorance, just as your leaders also did. (18) But what God predicted through the mouth of all the prophets–that His Messiah would suffer–He has fulfilled in this way. (19) Therefore repent and turn back, that your sins may be wiped out so that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”
Now, as we continue on in John 15 we see Jesus go on to affirm the greatest fruit of all is LOVE.
John 15:17-19,
“(17) This is what I command you: love one another.
(18) “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.
(19) If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.”
Love is the greatest proof of our union with God and it is THE test of sonship and daughtership in the Kingdom!
What did Jesus say, “(34) I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. (35) By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35
Paul when teaching about spiritual gifts and their use for and within the body, is very instructional here, so let’s read that account in 1 Cor.13.
1Cor. 13:1-13, “(1) If I speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
(2) If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
(3) And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Now, I want you to consider as we read to the end of the chapter how if one truly produced the SINGLE FRUIT of love – they would also, bear all the fruits of the spirit and live a mature Christian life.
“(4) Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; (5) does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; (6) finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; (7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (8) Love never ends.”
No wonder Jesus told us that if we would just keep the two greatest commands of Loving God and loving each other with all our lives – we would fulfill all of the Law!
Now back in verse 8,
“(8) Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
(9) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. (10) But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.”
Now Paul makes a direct connection between fruit bearing and maturity in Christ.
“(11) When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.
(12) For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.
(13) Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
All of this is produced in us as branches
as we simply abide in Jesus our Vine!
Now, we want to be careful not to take the analogy further than Jesus intended, but the production of blossoms which mature into fruit is a process.
You may have a great tree or vine, with beautiful branches and yet – no FRUIT, even when it is the season for fruit.
This is because chemicals have to be released from the tree to the branches which induce blossoms and fruit production. That chemical we have poetically labeled the “vine life” within our analogy Jesus gave to us.
Our union with Christ is what allows us to live as one with the Vine as branches, but it is the Vine Life of the Holy Spirit which enables us to do what branches cannot do on their own – unaided.
This is why Jesus made it a point to say in John’s previous chapter that we have not been left alone – we are not orphaned.
We have been given the Spirit of God and it is through deliberately choosing to submit and yield to the inward working of the Holy Spirit that fruit is produced from our union with Christ Jesus.
In our analogy, we can also go one step further which we have already done in previous teachings. Jesus is not only the Vine – He is also the Sun (S-U-N).
Each fruit plant is different, but grapevines will not produce fruit for the first 3 years and after that they still require a minimum of 7 hours of full sun exposure a day to fully activate the flower blossoms. Without sufficient sunlight, the flower buds won’t develop properly.
What has the Spirit been sent to do? Take of what is Jesus’ and reveal it to us! He places us in the light of Christ.
What did John 15:1,2 tell us Jesus does with branches which are connected to Him, but are not producing fruit?
He LIFTS THEM UP! He gives them greater sun exposure.
Without that FULL exposure – flowers and fruit are impossible!
Once we have become fruitful, He prunes us.
Why? So that we might bear more fruit!
How does He prune us? By the word He speaks TO US as individuals!
It is interesting that if one prunes vines incorrectly, it has a direct impact on the blossoms and the amount and quality of the fruit produced.
In the life of a believer, the Word of God can be used to cut and heal, but it can also be MISUSED to condemn and destroy.
This is why I am careful as your pastor, to never beat you up with the Word of God!
God’s word may prune, but it should never brutalize!
Now forgive me for mixing my metaphors, but shifting the analogy from that of a vine to that of people being sheep.
Sheep that are beaten and mistreated will not be as productive. Milk production is reduced as well as quality and meat is more gamey due to higher amounts of adrenaline.
These are terrible things to do to animals and it has a direct impact on their usefulness.
“Usefulness” is a word used for us in regard to our Maker or in this analogy of a vine and branches – it is our usefulness to the Vine Keeper.
In Hebrews, going back to our horticultural example it says,
“(7) For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated…” ~ Heb 6:7-9
In the case of believers, WE are the ones drinking in the rain and bearing herbs – which this passage says is produced for the use of the One Who planted it which in our passage of John 15 today is God the Father.
Our fruit is unto Him!
Now you remember I just mentioned that Jesus said that He was NOT going to leave us as orphans.
In other words, even though He was leaving, we were not abandoned to fend for ourselves.
I submit to you that Jesus did not pick these words for no purpose.
Orphans are among the most pitiable humans in the world. These precious, young and vulnerable souls have been left without any connection.
- They have no previously existing world to be invited into.
- No one brave and strong to protect and provide.
- No one caring and comforting to ease their fears and encourage joy.
Life is lived on their own, without a history to fall back on or a secure future to reach out for.
It is a socially and psychologically crippling condition!
Jesus said – I am not leaving you like that! I will not leave you without support, without strength, without care and comfort, without a story larger than your own to live in.
The message we heard from Him is most often called the Gospel of the Kingdom! We have been invited into a kingdom.
That kingdom existed before us, will continue on forever, we are all a part of it, but it does not depend solely upon us for its continuance or prosperity.
It is something we have been invited into and in which we all play a vital role and are all equally valued, but we are not the story in itself!
Life does NOT depend upon you! Jesus said, I am leaving you a guide, a teacher, a friend and a comforter.
To not have this would be as spiritually crippling as it is physically and psychologically crippling for a human to be an orphan.
As branches we cannot produce fruit or as Sheep we cannot produce quality milk if we are brutally pruned, mistreated or neglected.
We are NOT in this alone!
Now – let’s close out by applying what we’ve learned this morning about our union with Christ producing fruit in us by the inward work of the Vine Life of the Holy Spirit, and how this glorifies God. it produces fruit USEFUL for the Father and the furtherance of His kingdom!
Php. 2:1-18,
“(1) If then I can appeal to you as the followers of Christ,
- if there is any persuasive power in love
- any fellowship and sharing in common with the Spirit,
- or if you have any tender-heartedness and compassion,
make my joy complete by being of one mind, (2) united by mutual love, with harmony of feeling giving your minds to one and the same object.
(3) Do nothing in a spirit of quarreling or of vainglory, but, with true humility, let every one regard the rest as being of more account than himself; (4) each fixing his attention, not simply on his own interests, but on the interests of others also.
(5) Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus.
(6) Who although from the beginning He had the nature of God He did not reckon His equality with God a treasure to be tightly grasped.
(7) Nay, He emptied Himself BY TAKING on Himself the nature of a bondservant by becoming a man like other men.
(8) And being recognized as truly human, He humbled Himself and even stooped to die; yes, to die on a cross.
(9) It is in consequence of this that God has also so highly exalted Him, and has conferred on Him the Name which is supreme above every other, (10) in order that in the Name of JESUS every knee should bow, of beings in Heaven, of those on the earth, and of those in the underworld, (11) and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.
(12) Therefore, my dearly-loved friends, as I have always found you obedient, labour earnestly with fear and trembling–not merely as though I were present with you, but much more now since I am absent from you–labour earnestly, I say, to make sure of your own salvation.
(13) For it is God Himself Whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire.
(14) Be ever on your guard against a grudging and contentious spirit, (15) so that you may always prove yourselves to be blameless and spotless–irreproachable children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as heavenly lights in the world, (16) holding out to them a Message of Life.”
In other words you, like Peter, John and the healed Cripple will produce fruit from your union with Christ and thereby be a testimony unto Jesus, will Glorify the Father and further the work of the Kingdom of God!
Blessings!
