Jesus uses the example of a vine and its branches to teach his disciples about the importance of abiding in Him in John chapter 15. He tells them that they can only bear fruit if they remain in Him, just as a branch can only bear fruit if it remains in the vine. He also tells them that the Father is the vinedresser who prunes the branches so that they can bear more fruit.
Abide in Christ
What does it mean to abide in Christ? Sinclair Ferguson puts it this way:
" In a nutshell, abiding in Christ means allowing His Word to fill our minds, direct our wills, and transform our affections. In other words, our relationship to Christ is intimately connected to what we do with our Bibles! "
How much time do we spend studying God's Word? We need to know that God has spoken to us. As I used to tell my Sunday School children, "The Bible is your instruction manual for life, have you read it?"
Abiding Leads To Bearing Fruit
Jesus elaborates on what it means to abide in Him in John 15:5 where He tells us that if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit. We are nourished by the vine. So the way we know that we are abiding in Him is that we are bearing fruit. This means we are growing in holiness and becoming more like Christ. Jesus goes on in verse 7 to say that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us whatever we desire will be done for us. If we are truly abiding in Christ then our prayers, our requests, will be aligned with the will of God. God's desires will be our desires. We won't ask amiss as James 4:3 tells us.
Pruning Leads To More Fruit
When Jesus says He prunes the branches to bear more fruit (John 15:2), He is speaking about the process of spiritual growth. Just as a gardener prunes a fruit tree to remove dead or diseased branches, so God prunes us to remove the things in our lives that are preventing us from bearing fruit. This pruning can be painful, but it is necessary for our spiritual growth.
We Are Pruned Because We Are Loved
No one wants to be disciplined (pruned). But the Bible tells us that the Father does this because He loves us, just as we discipline our own children because we love them. The purpose of loving discipline is to train our children, so the Lord also trains us.
" And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?" Hebrews 12: 5-7
Jacob Was Disciplined
An example in the Old Testament of someone who was disciplined is Jacob. Jacob was a deceiver, a trickster. There are consequences to our decisions. As you read the story in the book of Genesis you see that Jacob himself was later tricked by his father-in-law Laban. Jacob was even deceived by his own sons who lied to him about what had happened to their brother, Joseph. These events were difficult for Jacob to endure. This chastening by God eventually transformed Jacob into a new man. Even his name was changed. God tells Jacob his name was now Israel.
God Uses Right Judgment
In the Psalms, David tells us how to respond to chastisement from God. He doesn't complain, he doesn't become bitter, he acknowledges that God's judgments are correct, and that they have happened to him because God is faithful to him.
"I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me." Psalm 119: 75
There are many things in our lives that can prevent us from bearing fruit. These things can include sin, selfishness, pride, and fear. When we allow these things to grow in our lives, they choke out the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Pruning Is Ongoing
What does pruning help a grape vine to do? Pruning creates maximum yields of high quality grapes. Also it creates an overall healthier vine that is not as susceptible to disease. Interestingly, this pruning needs to take place every year. It is an ongoing process, not "one and done".
God prunes us so that we can bear more fruit. When we are pruned, we are made more dependent on God and more open to His will for our lives. We are also made more sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who can help us to grow in the fruit of the Spirit.
Life Lived Abiding In Him
In John 15:8, Jesus explains the goal of abiding Christ: it is to glorify God by His disciples bearing much fruit. What a better world we would live in and how much more peaceful a life we would live if only we bore the fruit that our Father desires us to. We would be true witnesses to the world of what a life can be like when it abides in Christ.
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