By Pastor Greg
Little Johnny wasn't getting good
marks in school. One day he confided in his teacher: “Look,” he said.
"I don't want to scare you, but my daddy says if I don't get better
grades, somebody is going to get a spanking."
Little Johnny didn’t realize who
was responsible for his grades – who was responsible for his results. And
sometimes Christians struggle with the same thing. They don’t realize who is responsible for
bearing fruit in this world.
Seven times in John’s Gospel,
Jesus described Himself by saying, “I AM.”
I am the Bread of Life, the Living Water, the Good Shepherd, the Light
of the World, the Gate, and The Resurrection and the Life. In these examples, Jesus says He is the
source of life, He watches over believers; He protects them, and provides for
them. However, in the last instance, His
role surrounds a believer’s ability to bear fruit.
(John 15:1-8)
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the
vinedresser. 2 “Every
branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that
bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 “You are already clean
because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine,
so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in
Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do
nothing. 6 “If anyone does
not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 “If you abide in Me, and My
words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 “My Father is glorified by this,
that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.[1]
This discussion about Jesus being
the vine and Christians being the branches is all part of the Lord’s answer to
Judas. Remember how Judas asked who was
going to reveal Jesus to the rest of the world (John 14:22)? Well, the Lord says those who bear fruit in
the world are those who abide in Him. Jesus tells the apostles that to complete the
task they have been given, they must work to keep the relationship open. Even though Jesus is going away, they cannot simply forge ahead on their own. Their lives must remain rooted in Him and in
what He taught. They must worship, pray,
and meditate on God’s Word (compare Acts 6:2).
Okay, great. I think I’ve got this. If a Christian is to bear fruit in this
world, then they will need to abide in Jesus.
Does that sound about right?
Yes? Then if “abiding” and
“fruit” are so important, how can I tell if I am bearing fruit or “abiding in Christ?” I mean, wouldn’t it be nice if there was some
sort of test we could take that lets us know where we stand? Alright then, let’s take a moment and talk
about abiding and bearing fruit.
First, to be an authentic
believer, we must make a choice in where
we abide. Yes, it is true. Abiding
is not a salvation term. You see, abide is a relational term. Before we met Christ, we were attached to (or Abiding in) the “vine of the earth” (see
Revelation 14:18). We depended on the
things of this world for sustenance and satisfaction. However, once we accept Jesus as our Lord, we
must learn to rely on (or Abide in) Him. And what many don’t realize is that it takes
effort on our part to attach ourselves to the “Vine of Heaven.” We
must work to keep it alive.
Former Back to the Bible General Director Warren Wiersbe says certain
things happen in our life when we abide
in Christ. “For one thing, when you are
abiding in Christ, you produce fruit (John 15:2). Also, you experience the
Father’s “pruning” so that you will bear more fruit (John 15:2). The believer
who is abiding in Christ has his prayers answered (John 15:7) and experiences a
deepening love for Christ and for other believers (John 15:9, 12–13). He also
experiences joy (John 15:11)”.[2]
By abiding in Christ, we bear
fruit. And by fruit the Lord means we lead others to a saving relationship with
Jesus (Romans 1:13), we grow in holiness and obedience (Romans 6:22 - this is
what it means to be pruned by the Father).
We give financially to the ministry of the Church (Romans 15:28), our character
is changed (Galatians 5:22-23), and we are willing to serve (Colossians
1:10). Even the praise from our lips is
fruit from a life that abides in Christ (Hebrews 13:15).
So, a true believer (a branch that
bears fruit) is someone who maintains an active relationship with Jesus
throughout their life. They help spread
the gospel of Jesus and remove any habits and attitudes within them that hinder
their Christian witness. These
Christians surrender their lives to the work of God’s Kingdom. Their attitude and personality are
transformed. These are the believers who
truly represent Jesus in this world
because they draw their life from the Lord.
And the Lord works through these Christians to transform the world. The believer who abides in Christ is the one
who makes this world a better place.
But … don’t some non-Christians
work to make this world a better place?
Yes, they do. Even people who are
not attached to the Vine give to others and make sacrifices in their lives to
help the oppressed and the outcast. It
seems their results are similar to those who abide in Christ. However, please remember that there is a big
difference between results and fruit.
Man-made results are dead and cannot reproduce themselves. Their works do not have within them the seeds
to bear more fruit. But Spirit produced
fruit will go on reproducing from one
life to another. A person might
earnestly labor to change their community or even change a nation. And their work
and sacrifice might result in better living conditions for those who suffered a
tragedy. But this is not the same as
bearing fruit. A church might organize
and plan to get more people to attend.
And their labor and efforts might result in more members. But this is not the same as bearing fruit.
Jesus says that bearing fruit
ultimately leads another individual to the “Vine of Heaven.” You
see, the fruit of a branch benefits
others, not the branch itself. Which
means, to successfully bear fruit, we help others to do the same … meaning,
they too have attached their lives to Jesus.
Bearing fruit means that our
labors for Jesus reproduce. We bear
fruit when we help someone else
learn to abide in Christ. This is the
task Jesus has given us. “I am the Vine,
you
are the branches,” says Jesus. It is the branch’s
responsibility to bear fruit. I suspect
most of us realize this, but unless our work as a Christian leads other to the
Vine, our labors are fruitless.
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