Lesson 12 – Being Fruitful
Question 5
Application: How can you be fruitful?
John 15: 1-8
"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, 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, 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, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing. (6) "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (7) "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (8) "By this, My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." (John 15:1-8 NKJV)
Consider with me this illustration:
Where does the vine stop and the branch start?
In John 15, Jesus reminds us by using this illustration of the Vine and the branches, that we are to abide in Him and that He abides in us. Because of the Cross, we have been crucified with Christ, and we find that we are now genuinely alive and fruitful. (Galatians 2:20)
Look at the picture: when asked to point out the Vine or the branch, that is pretty easy. But where does one stop and the other start?
The closer we look; it becomes tough to say when that transition takes place. There becomes a blur of distinction. All that we can say is that they are abiding together.
I think this is reflected in this passage:
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13 NKJV)
Like the branch that is abiding in the Vine, we also begin to reflect the Vine. We are becoming more and more conformed to that image of the Vine.
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)
We place ourselves at the foot of the Cross and behold Jesus hanging from the Cross. He is loving us, dying for us, taking upon Himself our sins, and bleeding out His life's blood to cover our sins. There at the Cross, we find our identity. By faith, we also find ourselves crucified with Him, and then we died with Him. But there in the tomb, as Jesus' dead body lies, on the third day, He rose victorious over sin, death, and the devil.
We, too, rose with Him as new creatures in Christ. As we abide in Him, we find that our lives are radically changed for His glory.
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (8) "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." (John 15:7-8 NKJV).
That time in God's Word and praying that Word back to the Father will bear much fruit and bring glory to the Father.
When people look, do they see that you have been with Jesus like Peter and John? Not that we have some great insight or knowledge of the Bible, but that we have been in the presence of God. We can see the results of "being in the vine"- fruit. That intimacy that we have with Jesus, the oneness that we have with Him, will be seen by others, and they will marvel and realize that we have been with Jesus.
5. When people look, do they see that you have been with Jesus like Peter and John? What would your friends say about your Christianity?
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