Receive salvation and then produce fruit that will last

The past few weeks we have been learning about the importance of bearing fruit for God.

There are some fundamental things that we have discovered in God’s Word together.

We have learned that God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches if we have accepted Christ as Saviour.

We have gained the understanding that to get from no fruit to fruit, God lifts us up; to get from fruit to more fruit, God prunes us so that we can reprioritize our lives for His glory; to get from more fruit to much fruit, we must spend more time with God, in His Word and in prayer.

Let’s look at our passage this week...

John 15:16: 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.

It is important to note that Jesus initiated the relationship with His disciples. In 1 John 4:10 we are told, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…”

This means that God found us when we were not even looking for Him. Our relationship, as we learned last week from John 15:15, is stated with selection: Jesus first made them servants, then friends, then brothers. 

Here, in this week’s verse, we are given the purpose of the relationship we have with Jesus Christ. God chose us and appointed us to go and bear fruit.

We are reminded that the purpose of being saved is not only to sit in the pew and be fed, but we must also get up and do the work of God. Input must lead to output. 

If you look at a map of Israel you will see three main bodies of water in the land.

In the north you can locate the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee flows into the Jordan River, a muddy winding river, which then dumps into the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the planet. Because it is very salty and can sustain no significant life form — no fish, no coral, no crabs or reptiles — it received its name the Dead Sea.

One of the reasons this sea is dead is because it does not have an outlet; water flows in but just sits there, only to eventually evaporate.

It reminds me of many Christians show up to church and receive the message, then don’t get out in the community to give and make a difference, they receive, but they have not outlet of ministry.

However, God’s ambition is that we bear much fruit. Remember we learned that fruit is the work that we do for God.

We are not saved by our good works, but after we are saved we should do good works.

In other words, one gets saved by faith in Christ alone, because He is the chosen one from God, who died on the cross for our sins and rose again. After we receive salvation God wants us to produce fruit that will last.

Therefore, God wants us to do works that last for eternity. The motives behind our good works are crucial.

We have to ensure that we are not doing good things to be noticed or even to win the approval of people, but that we are doing good works to glorify God.

The end result of doing what God wants you to do with His power is that your prayer life will become more effective.

As you live for God, you will find that His desires will become your desires, and you will begin to pray in accordance to God’s will for your life.

The reality is that God’s agenda becomes your agenda as you pray in Christ’s name. 

When you are tempted to doubt God’s love towards you, be reminded that He was the One that choose you and appointed you, which means that He wants you to live in freedom.

This freedom will give you the confidence and love to produce much fruit for Him. After all, you were born for this!