Jesus used an example of vine and branches in John 15 to illustrate our union with Him and what communion with Him will produce. Salvation is when we come into union with Christ but as we continue to abide in fellowship with Him, or have communion with Him, fruit is produced in our lives. Fruit is that which is produced from a seed that has germinated and grown. Fruit is also that which can be seen, or something visible, something manifested. The following are things that will be seen in our lives as PROOF OF AN ABIDING FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS:
1. FRUIT, MORE FRUIT, MUCH FRUIT, & FRUIT THAT REMAINS
Jn. 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth FRUIT, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth MORE FRUIT. 5 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. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your FRUIT SHOULD REMAIN: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
2. PRUNING
John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he PURGETH it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (Pruning is the Father using His Word to cut away anything that keeps the life in the Vine from producing more fruit and much fruit. This happens to producing Christians not unfruitful Christians).
3. HUMILITY & DEPENDENCY
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 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.
4. ANSWERED PRAYER
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
5. LOVING OTHERS
John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
6. INNER JOY
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
7. HATRED AND PERSECUTION FROM THE WORLD
John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
Fruit draws and attracts hatred from a sin sick world. The prophet Jeremiah of the Old Testament rebuked the sin and evil of his nation and they plotted to kill him. God revealed their plot to Jeremiah who came to know how fruit draws attack, “But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, LET US DESTROY THE TREE WITH THE FRUIT THEREOF, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered Jeremiah 11:19.”
There are those who court the world’s favor and liking wanting to be friends of the world and maybe they’ll avoid some attacks. If we are going to stand for righteousness and not adapt down God’s truth to a rotting culture, we should not expect to be exempt from attacks, persecution, and hatred from the world.
Pastor John Rasicci is the founder and Pastor of Word of His Grace Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where we are building people who are building the Church. Pastor's ministry mission is to help people discover God's dream for their Life, the Local Church, and the Last Days' Harvest. With a strong emphasis on the grace of God and with a prophetic voice, Pastor John preaches and teaches in churches, conferences, and crusades both locally and throughout the world. He has produced books, tapes, and other teaching materials to empower, enable, and equip Believers with the Word of God. Pastor John is married to his wife Candy who with their three children, Krista, Joanna, John Anthony, and two son-in-laws, Matt and Doug, serve together in the ministry. After graduating from Kent State University, Pastor John pursued a career in professional baseball before accepting the call to the ministry. He and his wife, Candy, received their ministry training from Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Leave a Reply