Examination John 15:7-8

-Fruitfulness is the evidence of identity and health

A couple of weeks ago, Edgar Dworsky walked into a Stop & Shop grocery store in Somerville, Mass., like a detective entering a murder scene.

He stepped into the cereal aisle, where he hoped to find the smoking gun. He scanned the shelves. Oh no, he thought. He was too late. The store had already replaced old General Mills cereal boxes — such as Cheerios and Cocoa Puffs — with newer ones. It was as though the suspect's fingerprints had been wiped clean.

Then Dworsky headed toward the back of the store. Sure enough, old boxes of Cocoa Puffs and Apple Cinnamon Cheerios were stacked at the end of one of the aisles. He grabbed an old box of Cocoa Puffs and put it side by side with the new one. Aha! The tip he had received was right on the money. General Mills had downsized the contents of its "family size" boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces.

Dworsky went to the checkout aisle, and both boxes — gasp! — were the same price. It was an open-and-shut case: General Mills is yet another perpetrator of "shrinkflation."

I. Remember, Fruitfulness Comes from Abiding in Christ v. 7

Our whole conversation this week has to have been grounded in one truth: If you want to bear fruit, you must abide in Christ!

However, this morning we note a beautiful way that we can see this taking root:

First, the Word abides in you: His truth has settled deeply in your heart so that it effects the desires of your heart

In turn, you ask whatever you will and it is answered; answered prayer comes as our will comes into alignment with the will of our Father

This is part of a total transformation of character that comes when you abide in Christ

You become concerned about the things that concern Him

As you do the things that He does and you pursue the things that He desires, you find an amazing number of answers

This does not discount the reality of unanswered prayer

Our Father is wise and answers perfectly, according to HIs timing and planning

Sometimes, He waits to work things together for a glorious end

Sometimes, He waits to strengthen us in prayer

Sometimes, He withholds His yes from us as an act of faithful love

We must seek to abide in such a way that our lives are lived in alignment with HIs purpose

Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.

(Source: E. Stanley Jones, Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, 73

II. Fruitfulness Glorifies God v. 8

The second thing that we see here is that the fruitful life glorifies God

I genuinely believe that most of us have some desire, even in immaturity, of glorifying God with our lives

We attempt this in any variety of ways, but there is a specific way that we do this: bearing fruit

Growing in the character of Christ

Growing in the competencies of Christ

This only happens by abiding

This is a call to us to abide in Christ even more deeply

Jesus is less interested that you do great things for Him than that you are deeply settled in Him

When you do this two things happen:

You let Him do through you what He intends and it is abundantly more than you could achieve on your own

You will do it in HIs power; this is what makes all of the difference.

Acts 1:8

[8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV)

When J. Wilbur Chapman was in London, he had an opportunity to meet General Booth, who at that time was past eighty years of age. Dr. Chapman listened reverently as the old general spoke of the trials and the conflicts and the victories. Then the American evangelist asked the general if he would disclose his secret for success.

“He hesitated a second,” Dr. Chapman said, “and I saw the tears come into his eyes and steal down his cheeks, and then he said, ‘I will tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I, men with greater opportunities; but from the day I got the poor of London on my heart, and a vision of what Jesus Christ could do with the poor of London, I made up my mind that God would have all of William Booth there was. And if there is anything of power in the Salvation Army today, it is because God has all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life.’”

Dr. Chapman said he went away from that meeting with General Booth knowing that, “the greatness of a man’s power is the measure of surrender.”

III. Fruitfulness Proves Identity and Health v. 8

Jesus adds a note here at the end of the passage; when we bear fruit, not only do we glorify God, but we also prove to be His disciples

Fruitfulness identifies you as a disciple of Jesus; we must absolutely expect this to be the case

If I believe that I am a disciple of Christ but my life is not marked by fruitfulness, one of two things is true:

I am an unhealthy disciple who needs to examine my life and faithfulness to abide in Christ

I am deceived and I am not truly in relationship with Jesus

I hope that today is an invitation to examination?

What does your fruit say about your faith?

Are you abiding in Christ? Is a posture of dependence and obedience a normal part of your life?

If the answer is a negative, what do you need to do about it?

The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore (1821-1883) lost his passport while traveling in Europe. When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards. Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass. The guard, however, said that many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be persons they were not.

Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. "All right," said the official, "we'll give you a test, and if you pass it we'll allow you to go through." Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be. His work confirmed his word!