Christian Fruitfulness: Jesus' Keys to Kingdom Effectiveness
March 1, 2010 4:30 AM -0600
Manuscript
Outline
Notes
Bibliography
Jesus expected our faith to produce fruit: a godly life, a godly impact on the world, and an increase in the number of godly people. Find out how He said it would happen.
Thesis: Believers are called and enabled to be fruitful only if they will actively cultivate an intimate personal relationship with Jesus.
Objective: Call believers to bear the fruits of a godly life and effective ministry as a natural outcome of a thriving relationship with Jesus.
- We must be fruitful (1-4).
- God grooms us for effectiveness (2; God removes believers who fail to produce fruit. This removal may initially be to foster the believer so that he/she ultimately proves fruitful, but if the fruitlessness persists, it will ultimately be a permanent removal to judgment. Similarly, he carefully prunes those who are effective, carefully removing the portions of our lives that inhibit effectiveness and cultivating the portions of our lives that are bearing fruit.).
- He has already equipped us for effectiveness (3; We already have the handbook for being effective Christians and bearing God's fruit: the words of Jesus. If we will follow them and share them, we will invariably be fruitful.).
- We must remain in Him (4; The thing is, it's not enough to know and share the word of God. We must back it up with an intimate personal relationship with God, connecting ourselves and remaining connected to be truly effective.).
- We will be fruitful (5-8).
- We will be fruitful (5; As long as we continue to foster that intimate personal relationship with Jesus, we will be fruitful. Our lives and our words will invariably be positively influenced, and will subsequently make a positive impact on the world around us.).
- We must remain in Jesus (6-7; A failure to foster the intimate personal relationship with Jesus will result in eternal judgment, just as if we had never had the relationship at all. However, if we will foster it, growing increasingly like and committed to Him and His ways, so that our desires are ultimately conformed to His, we will be able to ask whatever we want – which will, after all, be consistent with what He wants – and receive it.).
- Our fruitfulness brings God glory (8; The thing is that God enables and expects us to be fruitful not for our own reputations or resumes. Rather, because we are His disciples, our success is intended to bring glory back to Him.).
- We must remain in Jesus (9-17).
- It means “be obedient” (9-10; If we are to remain in Jesus and His love, we must be obedient to His commands. This means conforming our lives to Jesus' teachings about anger, lust, forgiveness, service, ministry, and more.).
- It means “be joyful” (11-13; If God loves us, then He won't tell us to do something that isn't in our best interests. If His commands are in our best interests, we can know that they will work out in the end. That certainty is joy, and it persists regardless of circumstance.).
- It means “be friends” (14-15; Jesus wants us to be more than servants. He wants us to be friends. Friends know each other's thoughts, secrets, and desires. And they drop everything to help each other out. Jesus has made the first overture by revealing Himself and His word to us. We must reciprocate by doing what He asks and advancing His Kingdom.).
- It means “to go and bear fruit” (16; Jesus called us to actively involve ourselves in the world, to live our lives in such a way that we will make a lasting impact for Him. And in order to facilitate that, He has promised that, when we are faithfully trying and praying consistent with His will, He will answer our prayers.).
- It means “to love” (17; Ultimately, our call to be fruitful for the Kingdom boils down to the simple command to love one another. That is, to put others first, deliberately and without condition.).
Ryrie
- (1) “Chapters 15 and 16 contain the second Farewell Discourse. In chap 15 are the themes of fruit-bearing and the hatred of the world for Christ's disciples. The theme of persecution is continued in chap 16 along with teaching concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit.”
- (2) “The word [rendered 'cuts off'] may mean this literally (as 'Take away' in 11:39) and would therefore be a reference to the physical death of fruitless Christians (1 Cor 11:30); or it may mean lift up (as 'picked up' in 8:59), which would indicate that the gardener encourages and makes it easier for the fruitless believer, hoping he will respond and begin to bear fruit.”
- (2) The act of pruning “is done through the Word of God, which cleans the life (same root word as 'clean' in v 3).”
- (4) “John explains what ['remain in me'] means when he uses the same word in 1 John 3:24 (translated 'live' there). Abiding depends on keeping Christ's commandments.”
- (6) “burned” “refers to the works of the believer. The Christian who does not abide in Christ cannot do what pleases God; therefore, his works will be burned at the judgment seat of Christ, though he himself will be saved (1 Cor 3:11-15). Another interpretation understands these branches to represent professing believers who will suffer eternal fire.”
- (7) “Knowing His words will control and guide our prayers so that He can answer them.”
- (8) “This” refers to the answered prayer. “Note the progression: the step from fruit to more fruit involves pruning (cleansing) through the Word of God (v 2), and the step from more fruit to much fruit involves a life of answered prayer.”
- (10) “Abiding in His love is conditioned on obedience.”
- (13) “The highest expression of love is a self-sacrifice that spares not life itself (see 1 John 3:16).”
Reflecting God
- (1) “The vine is frequently used in the OT as a symbol of Israel. When this imagery is used, Israel is often shown as lacking in some way. Jesus, however, is 'the true vine.'”
- (2) “cuts off” is “a reference to judgment.”
- (2) “Pruning produces fruitfulness. In the NT the figure of good fruit represents the product of a godl life or virtues of character.”
- (3) “prunes also means cleans.”
- (3) “the word” “sums up the message of Jesus.”
- (4) “the believer has no fruitfulness apart from his union and fellowship with Christ. A branch out of contact with the vine is lifeless.”
- (5) “The repetition [of the phrase 'I am the vine'] gives emphasis.”
- (5) “A living union with Christ is absolutely necessary; without it there is nothing.”
- (6) To be thrown into the fire and burned is to be judged. “In light os 6:39; 10:27-29, these branches represent those who refuse to abide in Christ. Genuine salvation is evidenced by a life of fruitfulness.”
- (7) “It is impossible to pray correctly apart from knowing and believing the teachings of Christ.”
- (8) “The Father is glorified in the work of the Son, and he is also glorified in the fruit-bearing of disciples.”
- (10) “obey... as I have obeyed” presents “again the importance of obedience, and again the example of Christ.”
- (10) “Obedience and love go together.”
- (11) joy is “mentioned previously in this Gospel only in 3:29, but [it is] one of the characteristic notes of the upper room discourse. The Christian way is never dreary, for Jesus desires his disciples' joy to be complete.”
- (13) “Christ's love was not only in words but also in his sacrificial death.”
- (15) “A servant is simply an agent, doing what his master commands and often not understanding his master's purpose. But Jesus takes his friends into his confidence.”
- (15) “From 16:12 we learn that through Jesus had let his disciples now as much as they were able to absorb of the Father's plan, the revelation was not yet complete. The Spirit would make other things known in due course.”
- (16) “Disciples normally chose the particular rabbi to whom they wanted to be attached, but it was not so with Jesus' disciples. He chose them, and for a purpose – the bearing of fruit. We usually desire a strong prayer life in order that we may be fruitful, but here it is the other way around. Jesus enables us to bear fruit, and then the Father will hear our prayers.”
- Ryrie, Charles C. Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
- Barker, Kenneth, ed. Reflecting God Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.