Authenticity

This passage also has a second equally important theme and that is the theme of abiding in Christ. Christians who bear fruit in their lives also are connected to the vine and abide in the vine. What identifies us as Christians is a growing, healthy relationship with Jesus Christ

The passage identifies two main characteristics of living branches.

Living Branches remain in the vine… therefore they grow and bear fruit.

This passage indicates that the branch must abide in the vine. In order for the vine to share its life giving nutrients, the branch must cling on to the vine. This illustration finds its meaning in:

John 14:21 and 23
21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” 23Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Just as a branch is connected to the vine to find its nourishment from the vine, a Christian must love the Lord Jesus by obeying His commands. In this way, he remains in Christ. The meaning of “remain” comes from the Greek word that means “to live or dwell”. It means to live or dwell in close proximity to something. If we love Jesus by obeying his commands we walk with him and are in close proximity to Him. This is found in

I John 2:3-6 where it says,
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love[a] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

God’s love abides or lives in the life of a believer when a believer makes a choice to obey the commands of Christ, and walk as Jesus did. We love God by obeying Jesus and walking as He did (meaning following His example in all things in life).

Not only do Living Branches remain in the vine.
Living Branches have nourishment from the vine..
When a branch finds its nourishment in a vine, it takes the nutrients from it. The vine becomes the life source and the branch becomes the receiver of that life source.
A Christian must love God by retaining His Word.

Verse 7 it says, 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Jesus makes this concept of “retaining His Word” more easy to understand. In Luke 8 he tells a parable of the sower and the different kinds of soil. Either they retain the word of God, or they let it go.

Luke 8: 11“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

The good soil produces a growing plant, because the soil retains the seed. The seed represents the Word of Truth (Scriptures and the meaning of the Bible). If a person learns to read and understand the Bible as God’s truth, they will grow to become a mature believer, because the truth is in them and gives them life. There are three things that make for a good soil (noble heart- heart that responds to God).

1. Hearing God’s Word

2. Retaining God’s Word

3. Producing fruit of righteous living

1. A Christian should find many opportunities to hear the truth of God, either through sermons or personal reading, or bible study in a fellowship group. A Christian pursues the truth of the Bible, so that they can hear from God and listen to His voice. God speaks to us through the Bible so that as we read it and hear it, we can understand it and know more about Him.

2. A Christian not only listens to the truth of God but retains it. This word “retain” is the same word in the greek for “remain”. It means that the word of God dwells in the life of the believer. It is kept in the heart of the believer, and affects his emotions, will and ultimately how he lives his life.

3. A Christian not only retains the truth of God, but because he has a new life in Christ, there is a desire/will to live out what he has learned. God does not plant the truth in our life to let us keep it hidden. He helps us to live a life that is glorifying to Him.

So there are three things I talked about today that identify you as a true Christian (true branch).

• 1.) Bears Fruit- Identifies us as believers in Christ.
• a.) Fruit of Repentance
• b.) Fruit of the Spirit
• c.) Fruit of God-honouring works
• d.) Fruit of Holiness/Sanctification
• 2.) Obeys the commands of Jesus (Bible) – Remain in me
• 3.) Listens and Retains the Word of God – My word abides in you.

Tags: fruit, Fruit of God-honouring works, Fruit of good works, Fruit of holiness, Fruit of Repentance, Fruit of Sanctification, Fruit of the Spirit, fruits, growing relationship, healthy relationship, in the Vine, Jesus Christ, Remain, Remain in me

THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES (John 15:1-11)

Explanation

This passage is a powerful illustration of the difference between a true Christian and one who only claims to believe. Jesus is the vine and God the Father is the gardener. The Father is responsible for pruning the branch that bears fruit so that it can continue to grow and bear more fruit. The word “prunes” is another word for purging or cleansing/purifying. A branch that bears fruit is worthy of continual nourishment and care. So the Father cleanses and purges that branch so that it can bear more fruit. The Father also has another responsibility, and that is to cut off any branch that does not bear fruit. Those branches are dead and have no life in them so they are worthless to Him. How do we know that a branch is dead? By its lack of fruit! There is no nourishment from the vine because it is not connected in a way that draws nutrients from the vine.

In the same way, Christians must be branches that bear fruit. Only Christians have a true relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Jesus is the Saviour and Lord of all believers, and only true believers bear fruit that is pleasing to God.

What kind of “fruit” is the passage talking about? What does the Bible say about the “fruit” that Christians bear?

The “fruit” that Christians bear is the following:

1. Fruit of repentance- Matthew 3:7-8. John the Baptist believed that the Pharisees were going to the river Jordan to be baptized so that they could somehow escape the wrath of God that was to come in the future (3:7) They were only concerned about their own religious activity and how it would benefit them- and they were not concerned about repenting and turning from their sin. The Pharisees did not have changed hearts- a heart of repentance. The baptism John was preaching about was a baptism that was for “repentance”. This repentance means to turn away from sin and trust in the living Kingdom of God! (This Kingdom is later explained as Christ’s ruling kingdom in the future when he returns). Ultimately, John was preaching for people to repent from their sins and turn to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ who was going to die and sacrifice his life for their sins. Is this repentance- this fruit in your life? Have you turned from your sin and turned to the forgiveness that is provided by Christ? It is surely only by Him that we can have forgiveness and hope for eternal life.
2. Fruit of the Spirit- Galatians 5:22-23- The fruits of the spirit are fruits that are demonstrated by outward expressions of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits can only be seen by those controlled by the Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit controls us and compels us to act in a way that is pleasing to Him. Therefore, as we walk in the Spirit we will not gratify the sinful desires of the flesh, and we can be free to love others as Jesus loved us, show kindness as Christ did to his enemies, be patient in all circumstances like Jesus had been with the tax collectors of his day and those who did not understand his parables… These fruits are all available to us because Jesus is our Lord and Saviour and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live and walk as Jesus did. J Are these fruits evident in your life? Do you walk by His Spirit?
3. Fruit of good works- Ephesians 2:8-10- We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which he prepared for us beforehand. God created us like a potter molding the clay, to become a vessel of honour useful to glorify Him. God prepares us, and molds us to do good works! This is work that glorifies Him. Work that is motivated by a love for Christ and a love to see people come to know Him. All things that we do, whether we eat or drink or anything that takes place in our lives, must be done with thankfulness and praise of God. (I Corinthians 10:31)
4. Fruit of holiness- Romans 6:20-22- This passage speaks about how we were all once slaves to sin. Bound by the sinful desires of our worldly nature we were once unable to worship or glorify God because we were not under his authority. Our life belonged to the world and we became slaves to its sinful tendencies. However, in verse 22, Paul says, ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. We bear the fruit of holiness! Holiness, means being set apart for God, being completely different than the world, as God is different from the world. This fruit of holiness is evident in the believer’s life because as we follow our Lord Jesus, we become more like him and we grow in our desire to please Him. Our lives are characterized by the fruit of holy living and hatred towards sinful patterns and sinful behaviours. This fruit is the evidence that a believer is alive and has a relationship with Christ.

Tags: Ephesians 2:8-10, Explanation, Fruit of good works, Fruit of holiness, Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, I Corinthians 10:31, Matthew 3:7-8, prunes, pruning, Romans 6:20-22, ruit of repentance