Christ’s Formation in Us

Why God is the gardener of our hearts.

Expounding on how we use our spiritual gifts for His perfect will.

I want to work on studying about spiritual formation and it’s important of Holy Spirit forming us. We can’t grow without His hand. To be spiritually formed, we have to submit to Christ. That’s not just one day, one mintue. It’s our daily habits. It’s out choices. It’s our decision to choose Him. We have free will! Spiritually formed means you give the right to direct your own life. You give it all to Christ. You let Him mold you on that potter’s wheel. You give it all to Him.

Something I've observed within myself is that I need to be reading the word of the Lord more for actual transformation in my character and heart. I want to empower, encourage, and teach with in the body of Christ that spiritual transformation only happens within the boundaries of scripture reading and submission to Christ.

I keep seeing fruit and I just ate tomatoes. But I see a beautiful, red tomato.

John 15 ““I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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 into 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. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

Romans 12:1–2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The main points to be made from Romans - is the knowing what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is. In that we are transformed by the His renewing of our minds. That’s reading His word to santificy us. To cleanse us. To form us.

Themes surrounding this passage:

Fruit of the Spirit: the living presence of the Holy Spirit in believers leads to Christlike virtues within them, just as a living tree will bear good fruit.

God’s love: God’s disposition to be self-giving and for the good of the other.

Friendship: Close relationships with persons that one knows well. Later in John 15 - he talks about being our friend.

Thematic Outline for Sermon:

Abiding in Christ - to remain in Christ. The reality of this close personal relationships with Jesus Christ is expressed in obedience to his word and is essential to effective discipleship. John 15:4–9 “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 into 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. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” See also Luke 9:62 “Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”” and John 6:67 “So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”” Matthew 24:10–13 “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” NT writers: Colossians 2:6 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” It depends on holding onto his teaching: 1 John 2:24 “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.” Depends on obedience to Christ John 15:10 “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” And requires living in Christ 1 John 2:6 “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” So what helps aid in abiding in Christ? John 6:56 “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” Take communion. So then tie this into the Spirit’s anointing in us 1 John 2:27 “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” John 14:23 “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” 1 John 3:24 “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” and John 14:17 “even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” AND Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

Jesus Christ abides in believers

John 15:4 “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.” We are now living as His disciples and we have the reality of His indwelling presence inside of us and is therefore deepended in application in a Christian walk.

By His Spirit: John 14:17 “even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” AND Colossians 1:27 “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 1 John 2:27 “But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.”

Results of abiding in Christ

Fruitfulness: John 15:4–5 “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.”

This includes developing our Christian character, effective Christian service and mission. These results are not from human effort, but from abiding in Christ. *We can have efforts out of our own doing, and that can produce fruit. Is it from abiding in Christ.

Answered prayer: John 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” AND John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

Freedom from persistent sin - 1 John 3:6–9 “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

Christians are not absolute sinless. That’s not what John is saying. He says elsewhere that to claim sinless perfection is to deceive oneself (1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” ) But when people are born again there is the real possibility of living lives in which sin is not the norm. As believers abide in Christ more deeply, the grip of sin upon their lives is lessened. ** You don’t crave gossip, slander, manipulation of others, things that can cause harm towards yourself. I’m talking about openly deciding things that allows sin to grip you.

Relationship with God the Father John 14:23 “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” and 2 John 9 “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

Warnings to those who fail to abide in Christ: what does the Bible say about me being disobedient towards Him and not acknowledging His abiding, transformative power inside of me as a Christian?

Matthew 24:12–13 “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” ** Define Pruning:

John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

1 Corinthians 15:2 “and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

Hebrews 6:4–6 “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.”

Structure to sermon:

In John 15, Jesus describes the Father’s work of pruning branches that bear fruit, enabling them to produce even more. The pruning metaphor operates on multiple levels: the “fruit” encompasses both holiness in disciples’ lives and their continuing service to Jesus1, while God the Father removes obstacles to spiritual fruitfulness through loving discipline2.

Critically, pruning is not punitive but rather a life-enhancing activity that reinvigorates the branches3. John connects pruning with cleansing, carried out through Jesus’ word3, suggesting that spiritual refinement operates through God’s transformative communication. The Father allows believers to experience unpleasant circumstances to establish them in faith and Christian ministry1—a process illustrated through figures like Peter, whose denials and subsequent restoration exemplified how pruning produces spiritual maturity.

Connecting to Spiritual Gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:

The pruning principle directly illuminates gift development. Each person receives the Spirit’s manifestation for the common good (1 Cor 12:4–27), yet raw gifting requires refinement. Just as vines need pruning to maximize fruit production, believers need the Father’s shaping work to develop their gifts toward their fullest kingdom potential. God arranged members in the body as He chose (1 Cor 12:4–27)—but this arrangement isn’t static. Spiritual gifts flourish through discipline, testing, and the removal of self-centeredness that hinders their proper function.

For your sermon, frame pruning as God’s investment in believers’ effectiveness. The painful seasons—failures, corrections, humbling experiences—aren’t signs of abandonment but evidence of the Father’s commitment to transforming raw ability into mature, fruitful ministry. This reframes struggle as purposeful cultivation rather than punishment, encouraging listeners to embrace difficulty as necessary for their gifts’ full expression.

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. 1997. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

John 15:1-27 - in commentary detail:

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 15

He “purgeth” (cleanseth, pruneth)—stripping it, as the husbandman does, of what is rank (

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 15

Abide in me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, &c.—As all spiritual fruitfulness had been ascribed to the mutual inhabitation, and living, active interpenetration (so to speak) of Christ and His disciples, so here the keeping up of this vital connection is made essential to continued fruitfulness.