Dear Christian friends:

If you plant an apple tree in your back yard, you expect that tree to grow and produce many apples each year. When man plants a tree he expects that tree to produce. When the employer hires a man to work in his shop or factory he expects that man to produce work.

So our God who had made us and then saved us from sin and hell, He expects us to produce for Him. This also Jesus clearly shows in our text. We Christians often become careless, indifferent and lazy about producing for God. So we need the warning and encouragement of Jesus in our text. He tells us about:

Jesus shows that God expects this. He says in verses 1&2, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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." Jesus says that His heavenly Father is like a farmer, grape-farmer. Every farmer when he plants grapes or apples expects that it will grow and produce many more grapes or apples annually. If not the farmer prunes the vine or tree and makes it produce.

So God has made man. When man fell into sin God sent His Son to suffer and die for him and then sent the Holy Spirit through His Word to call men from sin and death to faith in the Savior Jesus Christ.

Because the Holy Triune God has done all this we are His plants now and He is our landlord. We are not free to do as we please. Like any Landlord, God expects us to produce for Him. If we don't Jesus says He will cut us off exactly like a farmer cuts off branches that fail to give fruit.

God expects us to produce for Him because this glorifies Him, verse 8. If men cheerfully work for God and serve Him, this brings honor and praise to God, our Creator and Redeemer. If we don't produce for Him we mock Him and despise Him, as many, many people do who think they are free to do as they please, who refuse to hear and learn God's Word and ways, or make many weak and false excuses.

God not only expects us to produce He makes us able. He gives us power and love and wisdom to do this. You may argue: "I want to serve God and produce but I am very weak and often fail and fall into temptation." Yes, we all are weak by ourselves and can't. Jesus says in verse 5, "Without Me ye can do nothing." And then He tells why, "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit."

Often we think we know everything and that we are strong enough and do not need God's Word on Sunday or daily by reading our Bibles. Then we fail. (Example, Peter on eve of Jesus' crucifixion)

So Jesus says to you and me in verse 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."

The Gospel Word that He came from God to this earth to live and die for us though we were unworthy. This makes us love Him and glad to serve Him. As John says, "We love Him, because He first loved us." So also we love other people not because they are worthy or nice, but because we remember He loved us and we are unworthy too. Although they are unworthy God loves them, so we will too.

We can think up many excuses for not helping and doing the work God commands: missions, lay-visiting, stewardship, teaching, charity. But they are all false. If we truly stay in Jesus' Words of love, then we will love Him and others and do the many good works of love as He commands.

This should be a warning to the lazy and careless. Let them change their ways and hear and read His Word regularly that they may produce for God. Or else they will be cut off.

This should be encouragement to those who all this while produced for God. Let them not become tried or discouraged, but stay in Jesus' Word more and more and continue to do much good with gladness.

Then we shall ever be His dear disciples.

Amen.