TWO ESSENTIAL DUTIES FOR BEARING MUCH FRUIT — Jesus once said he wanted all believers to “bear much fruit” (Jn 14:8) The “fruit” he had in mind is essentially to express attitudes and actions that accord with the Spirit who lives within every believer. Now perhaps you judge yourself pretty barren, stuck on an ever-inclining treadmill of cynicism about the Christian life. You doubt you will ever progress to the point of having “much fruit.” At the start of the new year, I wish to remind you of a key part of fruitfulness. Bearing spiritual fruit is something like farming. When a farmer sets out to raise a crop he knows certain things are beyond his power. Only God can provide sun and rain. The Lord secretly determines which seeds germinate and then causes them to blossom and ripen. On the other hand, God has empowered the farmer to use certain means. He also holds the farmer accountable to use them in faith. Harvest hinges as much on the farmers tilling and sowing, watering and fertilizing, as it does on the sun and rain. If the farmer does his duties poorly, we say he is unskilled or negligent. But if he forsakes them entirely, we have reason to question whether he’s a farmer at all, or just a man wearing overalls. In a similar way, there are aspects of sanctification that stand entirely beyond our responsibility. But God also empowers and commands us to apply ourselves toward certain duties. If you do them in faith, the Lord of the Harvest promises to increase your crop. As Jesus said, “Some will bear thirty, some sixty, and some one-hundred fold.” If you do them poorly, you should expect your yield to be smaller. Just as with the farmer who never farms, the professing Christian who forsakes his duties for seasons on end should seriously ponder his place among Gods servants. What duties are necessary to bearing much fruit? In John 15, Jesus taught two in particular. Bearing “much fruit” requires that we abide in Christ’s love and keep his commands. Neither can be omitted. Without abiding in his love our “fruits” will be rotten with legalism. Without obedience to Gods commands, our only produce will be thorns fit for the fire. Also beware overdoing the organic metaphor. Both abiding and obeying must be done intentionally, and will not simply happen by “letting go.” Such an approach works for cultivating weeds but little else! At times abiding and obeying can feel like arduous exertions of the will. But they come from a will that has been regenerated by the Spirit and are therefore acts of faith, not dead works. Let us consider what it means to abide in Jesus love. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love” (Jn 14:9). We abide in his love by taking permanent shelter and finding present comfort in the love he showed toward his flock all his life, but especially at the cross. His life and death express a love freely given, not based on our own goodness but on his generous mercy. Moreover, abiding in Jesus love means trusting the Father loves us and is completely satisfied with us—not because of our own works—but on account of Jesus perfect work on our behalf (cf. Tit 3:3-8). “Father, you love them even as you love me” (Jn 17) What we see in the Son is an expression of the Father. As we abide in love our fruits will stem organically from spirit of sonship, gratitude, and freedom in Christ. Second, we can bear fruit only as we keep Jesus commands. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” (Jn 15:10) Do not be mistaken; your obedience is not a pre-condition for being loved by the Father, but it does evidence your membership in Gods family, and the reality of your conversion by the Spirit. Simply put, a lifestyle of daily-renewed obedience is characteristic of all who abide in his love. “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” (Jn 14:15) Do not be mistaken. This teaching is not meant to undermine your sense of assurance, but to strengthen it. Where did this desire to renew your pursuit of holiness come from, if not from the Spirit who dwells in you? The Spirit is conforming you to the Sons image, compelling you from within to live as a son or daughter of the Father. The Spirit of Christ leads us to abide and obey “just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (Jn 15:10). If both of these duties are part of your life, you are welcome to lay hold of a very special promise: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you” (Jn 15:7). Of course, “whatever” doesn’t mean just anything. The context is fruitfulness. Worldly people wish for the things of the world, but believers wish more and more to bear fruits of the Spirit for the Fathers glory. The promise is not automatic, but is received through asking. That means ongoing, steadfast, believing prayer. Do not expect to bear much fruit if you approach your Father in unbelief of his goodness and faithfulness. After assuring us that God “gives generously to all without reproach,” James tells us to “ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (Jas 1:5-7) The key to overcoming doubt in prayer is to look away from the quantity of your faith, and to focus on the quality of the One who made the promises. Every promise is “yes and amen” in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 1:20). Look at this new year as a fresh season to bear fruit. Apply yourself in faith to the duties he commands, abiding and obeying in reliance on the Spirit. Dont lose heart. Pray without ceasing, holding onto the promise that “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (Jn 14:13). Now I leave you with these words from the apostle Paul: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:7-10). If you found it useful, feel free to share.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 00:13:12 +0000
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