The Secret To Fruitfulness In Discipleship 280620

The Secret To Fruitfulness In Discipleship

Good morning church. I would like to thank the pastors for this opportunity to preach the Word to us today. We have been talking about discipleship as we go through the sermon series on the book of Revelation, and learning discipleship lessons that we can apply to our own lives. This morning I hope to help us spend some time thinking about the fruit of our discipleship journeys through John 15.

Let us pray as we prepare our hearts to receive God’s Word to us.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank you for your great love and inseparable love toward us. We thank you that You have saved us and have given us abundant life both now and forever. We pray that even though being your disciples can be tough, we ask for grace to obey in times of difficulty. We pray that our faith may not be defined by duty, but filled with the love and life of the Holy Spirit. We pray and ask this morning that you will open our eyes and hearts to hear what You have to say to us, that Your Word and Spirit may work together in our lives to bring about transformation, to draw us deeper in knowing You.  

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

An overview for today

Reviewing what discipleship is about

Discipleship is about following Christ, and it is expressed through 2 dimensions.

1)    Inward orientation = inner life and devotion

2)    Outward orientation = interactions, actions, and service

These two orientations are inextricably related to each other, where one affects the other and vice versa.

When we speak of the inner life, we think first about our personal relationship with Christ, and its common expression is daily devotion to Christ through personal prayer and reading the Word. The outward expression of our discipleship is through our covenant community – 1) through our interactions with our brothers and sisters in Christ in church as well as 2) with the world outside. This is important because our discipleship is necessarily worked out in the context of a community. There cannot be a disciple who maintains that he or she has a personal relationship with God with no commitment to a local church or a body of believers to whom they are accountable to. This outward expression of our discipleship also functions as a witness to the world, pointing them to who God is.

Now, this is linked to the idea of fruit – the children’s song “I want to be like a tree” comes to mind. I think it helpfully illustrates our key message. Consider the words in the bridge” “the deeper the roots, the better the fruits grow, the blessing bloom out for all to see”, “The deeper the roots grow the more my life shows that Jesus is the Lord of me.” Fruit is evidence of a healthy tree.

Our fruit is that which is visible to all, a witness to the world of who and whose we are, and an expression of authentic faith. I will now show from 2 passages of Scripture why fruit is important, before talking about fruitfulness and how to bear fruit.

Paul in Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The first set of highlighted words and phrases draw our attention to the fact that our salvation is firstly not a result of our own work (or not because of), and secondly, is a gift of God by His grace. This is critical to get right, before we move to the next phrase – where Paul talks about how we were created ‘for good works’. We must understand that our salvation is not earned by what we do, yet its expression is good works. They come hand in hand.

The quote by famous theologian John Calvin, popularly mistaken to be from Martin Luther, goes like this: “It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is never alone”.

It is a faith which is accompanied by works – expressed and authenticated by action.

This is what James means when he says in 2:14-17 “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

A faith that has no outward dimension, no expression in action, is according to James, a dead faith. Therefore, our discipleship must necessarily be expressed through both inward and outward dimensions.

What is fruitfulness?

What is fruitfulness, then? And why is it important? The first image of fruit that you may have is perhaps not the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden but the fruit of the Spirit in the New Testament.  

Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 says that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Now when we think of these descriptors of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul uses, we think of personal character traits and would immediately associate them with personal growth. However, let us not forget that the only way for us to grow in these areas is not through self-isolation and meditation, but molded through responding to various situations and people we are faced with. We thank God that we are now in Phase 2, but for many, these qualities are surely tested in the circuit breaker, work from home and home based learning scenarios in many homes. Thus, the demonstration of fruit and fruitfulness cannot exist in a vacuum; it is something that is shaped through a social, lived-out context. It is borne through our interactions with church family and community, and in our service to the Lord.

To answer the initial question then, fruitfulness means righteous living – living in obedience to God’s call and commands for our lives. This is important because it is evidence of saving faith, where our salvation is expressed outwardly in action and in witness to others about what God has done in our lives. By extension, this outward expression would also apply to our ministry and what God has called us to do.

How do we bear fruit?

The following question then begs to be asked: how then can we bear this fruit in our lives? If we are asked to rely on our force of will and desire to do good, we are surely doomed to fail because of the sinful nature in us. However, there is hope, and we find it in our text for today, where we will learn that the cultivating the depth of our inner life will impact the breadth of our outward life and ministry.

John 15:4-8

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown in the fire, and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Botanical imagery and roles

The use of botanical imagery in this passage is important. In order for us to see the roles each play clearly, let us go to verse 1, where Jesus is speaking.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser”. The roles depicted here are plain to us. Jesus is the vine, God the Father is the vinedresser. In other translations you get gardener, vineyard keeper, husbandman, but the idea is that God is the one helping the vine to flourish. What are we then? In verse 4 it is also clear that we are the branches. Now, the first century Jew would be familiar with the image of vines and vineyards. After all, there are many occasions in the Old Testament where Israel was referred to as a vineyard (Psalm 80:8-9, Hosea 10:1, Ezekiel 2:21). In some of these instances, Israel, when represented by the vine in the voice of the Old Testament prophets, almost always associated it with the imminent judgement of God on His disobedient people. Therefore, for Jesus to say that He was the ‘true vine’ would have been a radical claim, because the ‘vine’ was always associated with Israel. Yet it simply reveals that Jesus’ faithfulness, in contrast with Israel’s disobedience, would be a fulfillment of God’s plan to reconcile His people to Himself through the inauguration of a new covenant through Christ. Christ succeeds where Israel failed. It is thus a plan that is even greater in scope than Israel, for it encompasses all who are joined to God through Christ.

The vine is the vital lifeblood of the branches. Whatever life a branch has comes from the vine. If the branch is separated from the vine, it will surely wither and die. Branches can only bear fruit when they are attached to the vine. This point is obvious in verse 4 ‘as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Without a living relationship with Christ, we cannot bear fruit on our own, “for apart from me you can do nothing” (v5). Consequently, for us to bear fruit, for us to live righteously, we must abide in Christ, for “whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” There is no other way.

How to abide?

How then, should we understand what ‘abiding’ means? The word ‘abide’, or ‘meno’ in the Greek, usually means to remain or stay in a place or condition. But Jesus uses it to refer to staying in a person. With reference to the imagery of the vine and the branches, it would suggest that his disciples need to remain in a vital union or connection with him. Unlike remaining in a place where you do not have to do anything, this ‘abiding’ that Jesus is referring to is more likely to be something that is dynamic, ironically requiring some force or exertion. This is in line with what the New Testament teaches about the Christian life and the life of discipleship, with words like strive, run, persevere, endure as common descriptors in Paul and the other Apostles’ exhortations to the churches. Perhaps one way to help us think about ‘abiding’ in Christ is also to look at Christ’s example of abiding in the Father. Recall that on various occasions in the gospels, Jesus always retreated to solitary places to spend time with the Father. It was of vital importance for his life and ministry since He only does what the Father tells Him to do. In the same way, for us to ‘abide’ in Christ, it is important that we likewise spend solitary time with Christ daily.

Consequences

Verse 6 tells us that if anyone does not abide, he is thrown away – and not only that but thrown into the fire and burned. The words ‘thrown’ and ‘burn’ imply God’s judgement on the unfruitful person. This is hardly surprising since when Jesus comes again, all of our deeds will be called to account in the final judgment. (cf. Matthew 25:31-46)

The positive consequence in verse 7 is a stark contrast. There is a great promise here, that ‘if you abide in Christ and His words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.’ The quick note here is that if we truly abide in Christ, it is unlikely that we would ask for a Lamborghini and expect one to fall into our lap. Rather, truly abiding in Him will reshape our affections and desires so that we will be conformed into His likeness (Romans 8:29) and be made ‘holy and blameless’ (Ephesians 1:4).

At verse 8 we come back again to the reason why fruit bearing is important. In fact, Jesus gives us the key reason, which is that when we bear fruit, ‘by this my Father is glorified’. The nature of fruit bearing is unlike the world’s framework – success is equated to our abilities, achievements, and hard work on our part, glorifying ourselves. Rather, because it is not due to our own strength but Christ, when we bear fruit through our righteous living, God the Father is glorified! The side effect of this is also mentioned by Jesus. When we bear fruit, we then prove to be His disciples. Let us take this in for a moment.

If we do not bear fruit, we are not Christ’s disciples. Bearing fruit glorifies God AND proves our identity – pointing an unbelieving world back to the Saviour whom we love.

This brings us full circle to the beginning of the sermon. The mark of true discipleship – following Christ – is expressed through our inner life and our external interactions with others and our service and ministry to the Lord. When we bear fruit, we show to the world that we are indeed truly disciples of Christ, authenticating our identity and bringing glory to God.

Application

How should we abide then? I would like to suggest taking a few moments to consider how we have been ‘abiding’ with Christ. I recall some sermons ago a guest preacher shared his own experience about God asking him how much he loved God. I think this question is still relevant and is worth considering. Do we make time for Jesus? After all, our discipleship is simply following Christ because of our love for Him. If you love someone, you will definitely make time to spend with that person. In the circuit breaker period, what changed? Did we form new habits or break old ones? How did our spiritual life change? What lessons did we learn?

Personal sharing

What I learnt during Circuit Breaker – spending time with the Lord at the start of the day makes all the difference in the way I go about my day. It shapes your attitudes and your temperament, and reminds you of your purpose and calling – what has the Lord called you to do? And in going about achieving it to rely on His grace and strength, and not our own. In this season, it is to be a father to my child through caregiving. Anyone with any caregiving experience will relate with feelings of frustration, disappointment, impatience and anxiety. But every day that I commit to Him and begin with Him, Jesus shows me that in His grace and strength He will equip you for what He has called you to do.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we truly believe that fruit bearing is a mark of true discipleship, and that the only way to bear fruit in our life and our service to the Lord is to abide with Christ, then may I challenge you to commit yourself to investing in intimacy with Christ? If Christ gets the leftovers from the day, if Christ only gets a prayer of supplication in your desperation, if Christ is only real on Sundays, there is no abiding. There is no fruit, no discipleship.

Tools for investing in intimacy with Christ

The tools for investing in intimacy with Christ are simple, but costly in our day. Because we are bombarded by a myriad of distractions.

They are:

1)    Intentionality

2)    Time

3)    Prayer

4)    A Bible

5)    A journal

Let us consider what is the core business of our lives. In the same way that a shrewd businessman invests his time in building his business, as full time disciples this should be our primary focus and business – setting time each day to know our Lord. This is even more so if we understand and know that our fruitfulness depends on having vital communion with him. In cultivating this aspect of vital communion with Christ, consider other spiritual disciplines like meditation on and memorisation of Scripture. These will also help us in drawing closer to Christ because He can use the Word to speak to us and encourage us as we grow in our knowledge of Him.

A word of caution against the ‘ritual’ of daily devotional – having checked off a list of spiritual discipline ‘to-do’s may not also mean you have had vital communion with the Lord. Begin by praying earnestly to ask that God speak to you instead of rushing through a checklist. Listen for God to speak and write down what He has said.

The story of Jackie Pullinger and her ministry to drug addicts in Kowloon Walled City in the 60s and 70s

A word to youth and young adults:

You are in the prime of your life. Your habits now will largely determine the kind of person you will likely become in the future. The writer of Eccleasiastes tell us in chapter 12 to “remember your Creator in the days of your youth”, and Proverbs 22:6 echoes this with “train up a child a way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” If you know the Lord and have experienced what it means to be His child, may I invite you to consider committing yourself to spending intentional time with Him daily? In my humble personal experience, the times I spent alone with the Lord I never regret, at the expense of all other things. In His presence there is joy and peace. This is the best investment you can ever make in your life. Ever.

For those of you who have not experienced the reality of who He is, or of a relationship with Him, I’d like to challenge you to commit yourself to searching Him out because if you do, you might be surprised to find Him. (Pray for these 2 groups of youth)

Closing prayer

Dear Lord,

Give us grace to keep us abiding in You. Protect us from the constant assault of distractions from the world. Remind us of how much time with you is worth. In our life and service help us to know that intimacy with you is the key to bearing fruit, not our efforts and striving with our own abilities and achievements. None of that is worth anything if we do not abide in you. Give us deep joy as we spend time in Your presence, and help us to know the sweetness of daily communion with You. So we pray that Your Word will move us deeply and Your Spirit will convict us to know You and love You more each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.