“Letting Christ Do It” – John 15:4-11, 16-17

If you pay attention to politics, you’ve probably heard someone emerge from talks to say, “We had a frank and honest discussion.” That means they talked, but really didn’t get anything done in the talks.

Then you might hear, “The talks were fruitful,” which means that they got some points agreed to, but there still not ready to announce an agreement has been reached.

While bearing fruits in the art of diplomacy is something to look to, the Bible tells us that God’s people will bear fruit. Jesus said the fruit we bear is what lets others know whether we are genuine in our walk with Him or are a false teacher (cf. Matthew 7:15-20), saying, “By their fruit you will know them” (v. 20). Paul wrote to the Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is distinct from the fruit of the sinful nature (cf. Galatians 5:16-22).

In today’s passage, Jesus lets us know that in order to bear fruit, we must be immersed in Him. Building on Galatians 2:20-21, we must let Christ not only live in us, He must also do things through us.

Background

The question of bearing fruit is open to interpretation in the Church. There are those who believe “bearing fruit” means to win people to Christ. Certainly, the idea of evangelism and sharing our faith with others in order to bring them into a right relationship with Christ is important, one of the cornerstones of our faith. Having that attitude is consistent with Jesus’ statement that the fields are ready for harvest (cf. Matthew 9:37; Luke 10:2; John 4:35). Winning others to Christ, though, is harvesting, not bearing fruit.

To bear fruit as the Bible means it is more in keeping with Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit. As we grow in Christ, yielding ourselves to Him, we become transformed by the Holy Spirit and begin to take on the characteristics of Christ. We become more loving, more joyful, more peaceful and all the other fruit Paul listed in Galatians 5 and in Ephesians 5:9. The act of bearing fruit is a change of attitude and world outlook. The compassion of Christ begins to take root in us and we begin to see and respond to the world around us as Christ responded to the world in which He walked.

In today’s passage, Jesus makes the statement that He is the true vine (cf. John 15:1). The idea of the vine was associated with Israel in the Old Testament. Because Jesus is the true vine, He is the fulfillment of that idea, and those who follow Him are the vine of God’s presence in our world.

In order to have a fruitful vine, it requires a vine tender. God is the One who prunes and nurtures the vine in order that it may have the best yield of harvest. Jesus made that point in John 15:1b-3. God is constantly at work in us through His Holy Spirit to make us more fruitful and more like Him (cf. Romans 12:2; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13).

In today’s passage, Jesus explains how we are to be able to bear fruit. In these verses, we find this truth:

Central Truth: We must immerse ourselves in Christ in order to be fruitful in God’s kingdom.

We immerse ourselves in Christ because:

1. We can do nothing without Him (4-5)

“Remain in Me, and I will 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 a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

People are remarkable. Because of our creativity, we are able to fly across the sky and into space; we are able to dive into the depths of the oceans and explore undersea caves. Of course, when we fly or dive, it is important for us to be secure within the airplane, the space capsule, the submarine or attached to the snorkel or scuba tank, lest we perish.

Jesus’ words in v. 4 remind us how important it is for us to be immersed in Him. In Him we find the same security and safety that the astronaut finds in the capsule, that the submariner finds in the submarine. We must remain in Him, and if we do, Jesus promises to remain in us.

The reason we remain in Him is in order to bear fruit. I’m no agricultural expert, but even I know that the fruit of a tree or vine is found on the branches. I also know that the only branches that bear fruit are the ones that are attached to the main trunk. Without a vine to nourish and support the branches, no grapes can be produced. Jesus’ words are a simple statement of a profound truth: We find our fruitfulness only as we learn to rely on Him and allow Him to live in and through us.

Jesus is very clear on this point. He tells us twice in these two verses that we cannot bear fruit apart from Him. The words, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” is a very powerful indication of how much we need Jesus and how much we need to immerse ourselves in Him.

We immerse ourselves in Christ because otherwise we can do nothing.

2. He can accomplish much through us (6-7)

“If anyone does not remain in Me, he is 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 given you.”

The house we currently live in has three large oak trees in the front yard and has two more in the back. When we moved in, we noticed that there were several dead branches in the trees, so we had an arborist come out and trim the dead wood from the trees.

As Jesus stated in v. 2, God, as gardener of His vine, cuts dead branches from the vine and prunes the other vines in order that they may be more fruit. In vs. 6-7, Jesus let us know that it is imperative that we remain in Him and bear fruit. Otherwise, we are in danger of being removed from the vine and cast into a fire. We should not read these words as the threat that we can lose our salvation. Rather, the idea is akin to His warning in Matthew 7 about the false teachers and in His parable of the wheat and tares (cf. Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43). There are those who act as though they belong to Christ, but they have never had a personal relationship with Him, instead relying on their churchiness to save them. Such people will be sorely disappointed when Christ returns. It is to these that Jesus will say, “I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23).

However, it is a warning to you and me that we have a duty to remain in Him, to hold firmly to our faith and seek daily to learn from Him. As we walk in fellowship with Him, we are able to learn and to grow, and the inevitable result will be that we will bear fruit.

Jesus also tells us that by remaining in Him, allowing Him to bear fruit through us, we learn how to pray and what to pray for. There are times it seems that the phrase, “In Jesus’ name” at the end of our prayers means the same thing as “yours truly” at the end of our letters. It’s just something that’s tacked on as an appropriate ending. In fact, praying in Jesus’ name means that you and I are acting out our lives in accordance to His will. We come to the throne of God in prayer not to ask for what we want but for what Christ needs in our lives today to do His will. We act as His agents, His servants, His ambassadors in our world, and as such we are to pray for the things He wants us to pray for. In this way, we express our confidence in Him and in the Father and we demonstrate our immersion in Him—branches firmly attached to the vine.

We immerse ourselves in Christ in order that He can accomplish much through us.

3. Christ chose us so we can bear fruit (16-17)

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. This is my command: Love each other.”

I don’t know what a man’s proposal means to a woman, but I know that a woman’s acceptance of the proposal is an exhilarating experience. To ask someone to marry you, and hear her say that she is choosing to become a part of your life is almost beyond words. To be chosen by someone who pledges to love and support and encourage and stand beside you in all circumstances is a wonderful experience.

In these verses, Jesus stated that we did not chose Him; rather, He chose us. He looked at us and, despite everything, saw within us something that would enable us to bear fruit according to His will. He reached out His hand, called us by name, and brought us into His family by the grace and power and mercy and will of the Father.

Not only are we chosen, we are appointed. We could say that Jesus chose us specifically so He could appoint us. An appointment is an exclusive and important assignment, given to those who are most qualified and able to do what is expected of him or her. In Jesus’ case, the appointment comes with the assurance of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, guiding us and instructing us moment by moment. We are never alone in our appointed task.

And what is this appointed task? The task is to bear lasting fruit. The fruit that we bear are the fruit of the Spirit and it is in the lives we touch and change as we immerse ourselves in Christ and allow Him to work in our world and in our relationships. By dying to self and letting Him live in us, we are as branches remaining in a vine; we are immersed in Christ.

Because we are immersed in Christ, it is the Father’s desire to give us all we need to fulfill our appointed task. God never asks us to do the impossible, nor does He send us out without the necessary tools. David didn’t find Goliath bear handed. Moses didn’t part the sea; God parted it through him. We bear fruit because God enables and equips us to do this important task.

And the key to our task is to demonstrate God to our world. How do we do this? By loving one another. Earlier in this discourse (cf. John 13:34-35), Jesus gave a new command to the disciples, that we are to love each other as He loved. This was to be so that the world can identify us as His. It is no accident that Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit begins with love. Love is the most fundamental part of the gospel. God so loved us that He sent Christ. Christ so loved the Father and us that He willingly gave us His place of glory to become like us and to die for us. This love—unconditional, sacrificial, willing—is the cornerstone of our great task of bearing fruit.

It is this love that leads us to immerse ourselves in Christ, and we immerse ourselves in Him because He chose us to do His will.

Conclusion

Everybody in the world wants to be successful in their lives. It is important that we remember the world’s idea of success and God’s idea are two very different things.

Success in God’s view is the faith of Abraham, of Moses, of David and the other heroes of both the Old and New Testament. It is demonstrated in Isaiah’s words to God: “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8b). Success in the Bible is a faith in God. It is a willingness to be always available for Him to work and to live in us and through us. It is learning to remain in Him and allowing Him to remain in us. It is immersing ourselves in the One who is the True Vine.

Are you living successfully? Are you bearing fruit?