João 15

João 15

Robertson - There is nothing for a broken off branch to do but wither and die. Faithfulness is our obligation; Fruitfulness is God’s concern Brian Bill on much fruit - God has always had “grape expectations” for His followers (ED: OF COURSE A PLAY ON CHARLES DICKENS "GREAT EXPECTATIONS"). He is so sold on fruitfulness that He breaks out into a sad song in Isaiah 5:1-4. Instead of producing sweet grapes, His people had offered only sour substitutes.....God’s desire has always been for His people to be fruitful. This goes all the way back to Genesis 1:28 when He said, “Be fruitful and increase in number.” In fact, a Christian who does not produce fruit is a contradiction in terms. According to John15:16, we have been chosen to bear fruit “that will last.” We just sang about that a few minutes ago: “Like a tree planted by the water we will never run dry. Its time for us to more than just survive, we were made to thrive.”.....If you have the courage to take a look at your life and can’t find any fruit, you need to figure out why that is. Perhaps you’re not saved or maybe you need to repent of some sin in your life. The Christian life is a supernatural life and none of us can live it apart from a dogged dependence on Christ. We can do nothing apart from Him. All our attempts to produce Christian character will be fruitless and frustrating apart from cultivating a close relationship with the Vine. Have you been drifting spiritually? Are you neglecting the spiritual disciplines? A branch disengaged from the vine will dry up and decay. It’s time to strengthen your attachment to Him. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you…” Here’s the encouraging thing. Our job is not to produce fruit, but to bear fruit. Faithfulness is our obligation; fruitfulness is God’s concern. It’s not a matter of me trying to get some fruit to flourish; my job is to trust and obey and abide, and He will grow His fruit in me and through me. My responsibility is to stay as close connected to the vine as I can. When I am faithful, I will be fruitful. The result of spiritual fruitfulness is that God will be glorified, we will grow and we will go with the gospel so that others will come to Christ. (Brian Bill)