Plastic Fruit Tastes Bad
E.A. Johnston emphasizes that genuine spiritual fruitfulness comes only from abiding in Christ through a vital prayer life, warning against the emptiness of self-effort disconnected from God.
In this devotional sermon, E.A. Johnston uses the metaphor of plastic fruit to illustrate the emptiness of a Christian life disconnected from Jesus. He draws from John 15:5 to emphasize the necessity of abiding in Christ through prayer as the source of true spiritual fruitfulness. Reflecting on the decline of prayer in the church, Johnston calls believers to renew their vital union with Christ and rely on the Holy Spirit to bear lasting fruit for God's kingdom.
Full Transcript
Back in the 1960s, it was popular to enter someone's home and see a bowl of fruit sitting out on a dining room or kitchen table. The fruit was colorful and appealing to the eye, but once you picked it up, once you picked up that colorful orange or apple, it was as light as a feather because it was made of plastic which only had air inside. They were decorative fruit bowls which had no substance or nourishment.
These pieces of fruit looked good on the outside, but they were empty on the inside. Besides, plastic fruit tastes bad. In John chapter 15 and verse 5 we read, 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. Here, Jesus illustrates the parable of the vine and the branches. As in nature, no branch can produce fruit on its own unless it is connected to the life source of the vine.
So too, no believer can produce spiritual fruit through their own efforts. As we serve God, whenever self-effort and self-promotion get in the way, God leaves us to ourselves. The key to understanding the difference between fruit production and fruit bearing is the answer here.
Does a branch produce the fruit or bear it? All a branch can do is stay connected to the vine, which is the sap source, and be a bearer. The church today faces evil powers too great for us in a society that has rejected the God of the Bible. If we attempt to serve God merely in our own strength, we will fail to produce spiritual fruit that endures for eternity.
When I was a little boy in the 1950s, the church operated on prayer and Holy Ghost power, and the church still had a voice of authority in the land. But when the church got away from God and let the world into the church, we did away with the weekly prayer meeting and replaced it with social gatherings. The branch was no longer connected to the vine, and plastic fruit was the result of a disconnected prayer life.
Prayer is the mainspring of the Christian life, and our source of strength against the enemy has to flow from the Spirit of God in prayer. Our service to God must be energized by prayer, empowered by prayer, and carried out in a vital union to a living Lord. The sap of Jesus Christ must flow through us in the power of His Holy Spirit if we desire to produce much fruit that remains for the good of God's kingdom and for His glory.
We must remind ourselves that the difference between plastic fruit and real spiritual fruit is that we must stay connected to Jesus in a vital prayer life with Him and be fruit bearers as His transforming power flows through us as a means of blessings to others. Like Jesus said, for without me ye can do nothing, but let us pray.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Illustration of plastic fruit as appealing but empty
- The danger of superficial spirituality
- Introduction to the vine and branches metaphor
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II
- Explanation of John 15:5 and the necessity of abiding in Christ
- Difference between producing and bearing fruit
- The futility of self-effort in spiritual fruitfulness
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III
- Historical reflection on the church’s prayer life and power
- Consequences of disconnecting from God through neglecting prayer
- The importance of prayer as the mainspring of Christian life
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IV
- Call to maintain a vital union with Jesus through prayer
- The role of the Holy Spirit in producing lasting fruit
- Encouragement to be fruit bearers for God’s kingdom and glory
Key Quotes
“These pieces of fruit looked good on the outside, but they were empty on the inside.” — E.A. Johnston
“For without me ye can do nothing.” — E.A. Johnston
“Prayer is the mainspring of the Christian life, and our source of strength against the enemy has to flow from the Spirit of God in prayer.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Commit to a daily, vital prayer life to maintain connection with Jesus.
- Avoid relying on self-effort and instead depend on the Holy Spirit for spiritual fruitfulness.
- Encourage your church community to prioritize prayer as the foundation of effective ministry.