Does God want you to grow? Well, the answer to that is a resounding yes. In John 15, Jesus talks about the results of abiding in Him. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me” (John 15:5). Fruit bearing is part of the disciple’s life. We bear fruit, as we remain in Him. Literally, abiding means to remain or stay around, which sounds a lot like what disciples do. The natural outworking of the disciple’s life with Jesus is looking more like Him. This abiding in Christ is a daily walk with Him, resting in His grace and love. Have you ever asked yourself, ‘Am I being fruitful or unfruitful?’ In this passage, Jesus speaks of the fruitful branches the Father prunes for greater fruitfulness. Yet, the unfruitful branches are swiftly removed. These dead branches don’t have the life of the vine in them, so the Father has them removed.
See, as Christians, we are called to bear fruit. Yet, what does this look like? First, staying connected to Jesus. He makes it clear that apart from Him, we can do nothing. This morning, is Jesus the center of your joy and ultimate desire? Is He the one leading your life by the still waters and green paths that He only knows? Second, we see Jesus commanding His disciples to obey His words. A disciple is a Christian, and therefore a Christian is a disciple. So, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you do what He says, go where He goes, and even think how He thinks. To truly abide in Him is to have His words abide in your heart. Jesus makes the point here: ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you (John 15:7). When His word abides in our hearts, our prayers aren’t centered on our will, but His. We began to ask and pray differently because His word is guiding our hearts’ desires. Yet, ultimately, the Father is glorified, not by our efforts or illustrious prayers, but by the fact that we are abiding in the Son. Gerald Brochert writes, The primary task of the disciple is to glorify Jesus who glorifies the Father. This bearing of fruit, therefore, not only indicates that the followers are true disciples (mathētai) of Jesus but also that God is glorified in their discipleship.
Fruitfulness in God’s Kingdom comes with abiding in the vine and being pruned by the vinedresser. This is God, taking away those things that hinder our fruitfulness for His glory. He works on our attitudes, deals with sinful habits, allows suffering, and corrects us in love. All this is for one purpose, so that our lives bear much fruit for His kingdom. So, continue to abide, so that your joy may be full and complete in Him.
“I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. John 15:11
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