The Fruit of Our Union with Christ
Good morning! Please take your Bibles and turn with me to John 15. Last time we were together we started talking about the first 6 verses of this chapter. We’re going to cover some of the same ground today, and we’re going to go down to verse 11. I want to re-tread some of the same terrain because this passage is so rich.
When we were together last time we began talking about our union with Christ. We said that Jesus uses this imagery of the vine and the branches to indicate something of the close connection that we have with him. And it is this union that is central to our salvation.
We talked about the fact of this union and we described what exactly is meant by this union. And we talked about the idea of federalism, that Jesus is our federal head and representative. Just as we are united to Donald Trump or any other elected official, we are united in a similar (but spiritual) way to Jesus.
Then we talked about the features of this union. And we said that the Lord will purge or prune his vine. If you are united to Christ, sometimes you’ll go through hard times. And those difficulties are God’s way of helping you to grow and become a more productive Christian.
And then we ended that message by talking about the focus of our union with Christ. That is to say our lives are to be focused on Christ and living in relationship to him. We mentioned the fact that we need to cultivate our union with Christ by abiding in him. Yes we are united to Christ, but we are responsible to develop a life of union and communion with Christ. That is to say, we need to make it our business to trust Christ, rely on him, seek him out, pray to him, meditate upon him and be as intimately acquainted with him as possible.
We don’t do that with Donald Trump. When it comes to our representatives in Washington, we don’t have this kind of relationship. But we do with Christ and we have the responsibility to become more and more acquainted with Christ and live nearer to him.
This morning I want to bring out one more item in regards to this union we have with Christ. I want to talk about the fruit of this union. In this passage Jesus puts a huge emphasis on bearing fruit. As a matter of fact, it is mentioned 6 times. And as we read this passage this morning, I’d like you to try and find all the different kinds of fruit that will be produced in our lives. Jesus mentions at least 7. So see if you can find them. Follow along as I read vs. 1-11.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 5 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. 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. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Now, in the verses that we just read, it talks repeatedly about bearing fruit. Jesus emphasizes the need to bear fruit 6 times. And it is actually very interesting how he emphasizes it. He first talks about no fruit. These are the ones who are cut away and burned. Then it talks about the branches that do bear fruit in verse 2. He says these are pruned so that they may bear more fruit. And then he goes on to say that the ideal is that you would bear much fruit.
And the wonderful thing about this passage is that it gives us a really good picture as to what kind of fruit will be produced in the life of a Christian. You may say we have a cornucopia of fruit that is spoken of here to give you an idea of what it means to bear much fruit. I find that there are 7 types of fruit spoken of here. There are 7 things that you will see happening in your life when you are living in union with Christ.
I. You will have a greater grasp of God’s presence in your life
Jesus says in verse 4, “Abide in me, and I in you.”
The word fruit is not used here, but I believe it is certainly implied. For there’s something reciprocal in this. Jesus tells you to abide in him. Now what will happen when you do that? He will also abide in you. As you abide in Christ, Christ will subsequently abide in you. The more you abide, the more he will abide in you (or, I should say, the more you will know his abiding presence and faithfulness). You’ll know that he is with you and will never fail you. You’ll know more of his abiding presence.
Now we know that our union with Christ already brings Christ near. We are united to Christ and we have his presence to some degree as our representative. But as we cultivate that union by seeking to draw into fellowship with him and depend more deeply upon him, the result will be experiencing his presence and knowing his faithfulness all that much more.
Have you ever thought about being a martyr? Have you ever thought about what it would be like if someone called you out and you had to make a decision between confessing Christ and being killed. That’s happened to people. Read Fox’s Book of Martrys and you’ll hear stories of people who could have been set free if they would have renounced the Lord and his doctrines.
Take for instance, John Bradford. He was a preacher that lived during the Reformation times. He was sentenced to be burnt at the stake. When the day came, he picked up one of the logs that was to be fueul for the fire and he kissed it and then he kissed the stake to which he was to be tied. He welcomed the martyrdom and he said to the young man who was going to be executed along with him, “Be of good comfort, my brother, for tonight we will have a merry feast with the Lord.”
Why could he face martyrdom with such a valiant heart? It was because he knew the presence of Christ. His life had been dedicated to abiding with him. It is said that Bradford studied to know and be near Christ throughout his life. As a matter of fact, his biographer says that while Bradford would be eating dinner, he would tip his hat down over his eyes. During his meals he would be mediating on Christ and sometimes that would bring tears to his eyes because he would be either over joyed or greatly troubled at the sufferings of his savior.
So when it came time for him to face his execution, he was not afraid. He had spent so much time abiding in Christ, he knew that Christ was with him. What’s more, he knew that he would be with Christ after death and he couldn’t wait to be fully in his presence.
Having that great experience of the presence of Christ is one of the fruits of abiding with Christ. But not only will you be more aware of Christ’s presence, you’ll be more obedient to Christ’s commands.
II. You will be more obedient
You cannot get away from the moral implications of this passage. In verse 3 Jesus talks about being made clean. He’s saying that our sin has been washed away due to our union with Christ. And that helps us understand that the fruitfulness that he wants has to do with greater obedience in our lives. You’ve been cleansed from sin, but you will become more fruitful in that you will sin less in life.
If that was too much code language, Jesus makes it all that much more clear in verse 10. In that verse he talks about keeping his commandments.
So, understand what he is saying here. If you want to break patterns of sin in your life, what do you need to do? You need to get closer to Christ. You need to draw near to him and confess your dependence upon him.
One author has said that “The holiest people are those who live nearest to Christ.”
Let’s take an example. Maybe you’re finding that you are a little lazy. You don’t do your job to the extent that you should. Either you take too long or you don’t do it well (to the best of your ability as God requires of you). That’s an area of your life where you need to change.
You know what the best thing for you to do to break that habit? It is to draw nearer to Christ. It is to pray to him and seek him and confess to him and ask him to become Lord over this area of your life. One of the best things you can do is go to the Scripture and simply observe the life and witness of Jesus and how he lived his life. Observe how he was obedient, even unto death. He didn’t sluff off. He didn’t do a halfsy job. When it came to you and your salvation, he went the extra mile.
That’s the key to becoming more obedient.
Listen to these words of Alexander MacLaren. He puts it so well. He says, “The best way to secure Christian conduct is to cultivate communion with Christ… Get more of the sap into the branch, and there will be more fruit. Have more of the life of Christ in the soul, and the conduct and the speech will be more Christlike.
The best thing you can do to become more obedient is to seek to be more in union and communion with Christ.
Another fruit of our union and communion with Christ has to do with answered prayer. If you are truly living in union with Christ your prayers will be powerfully answered.
III. You will be more effective in prayer
In verse 7 Jesus says, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”
Right there Jesus makes a sure fire promise. You will become more fruitful in your prayer life. Not just that you’ll pray more frequently or your prayers will be more substantial. That may indeed happen. But you will find that you get more answers to the prayers that you are praying.
Notice the liberality that Jesus lets loose here too. “Ask whatever you wish.” It is like he gives you a blank check. Go ahead, order anything off the menu. Ask for whatever you want. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be bashful. Ask for whatever your heart desires.
And it will be done for you.
Of course, there is some distinction we can make here. If you are truly abiding in Christ and his word is really and truly abiding in you, you’re going to be asking for certain things. You’re life is going to be so wrapped up in Christ that you ask for everything he wants.
You’ll be praying “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done” because there’s nothing you want more than his kingdom to become more prominent and his commandments to be revered.
But let’s say you’re in need of wisdom and you start asking God for wisdom, if you are abiding in him, do you think he’s going to leave you hanging? Not at all.
If you’re praying for your family and asking God to provide those finances or intervene in those problems, God’s not going to overlook that prayer. He’s going to answer it.
Another fruit that comes from abiding in Christ is that you’ll give more glory to God.
IV. You will give more glory to God
Look at verse 8. Jesus says, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” What’s he saying there? The more fruit that you bear will result in more glory being given to God. God is glorified in fruit bearing. And that means that the more fruit you bear will result in God being more glorified.
You can even say then that one of the fruits of the fruit is that God’s glory is enhanced.
Now, you understand that when we talk about God being glorified, that can mean different things. You can glorify God by living the Christian life. Your deeds and your prayers and all other aspects of the Christian life will glorify God.
But I would suggest that what Jesus says here has an evangelistic tone to it. God will be glorified because these disciples are abiding in him during their mission work. The disciples to whom Jesus spoke were going to be going out to the ends of the earth. They were going to be planting churches and they would be gaining converts. And these converts would then begin to worship the Lord and glorify Him with their lives.
I don’t think that it is a stretch to say that evangelism is very much connected to our abiding in Christ.
The fifth fruit that you see in our passage is greater assurance of salvation.
V. You will have greater assurance of your salvation
Look at verse 8 again. It says you will “prove to be my disciples.” Some of your translations will say that “you will be my disciples.”
I like what JC Ryle says about this phrase. He says this, “The expression must mean that you will be known and recognized by all men as my disciples and you will feel in your own hearts the witness of the Spirit that you are such.”
I kid you not when I say this: when you fail to abide in Christ, you become less and less sure of your salvation. I have counseled Christian people time and again regarding this. When I ask “If you were to die tonight and stand before God, if he were to ask you why he should let you in, what would you say?” People who would be considered Christians who have not been actively seeking to abide in Christ find that very difficult to answer.
The answer is simple: It is because your son died for me. I don’t deserve access, but I trust that you will welcome be based on the blood that your Son shed for me. I rely on you for everything, most especially eternal life.
Those who abide in Christ and are daily reveling in the fact that Christ has become their savior are able to articulate those things. They are more apt to be assured of that.
But someone who is not abiding in Christ loses that assurance. They are less likely to think that God would ever grant them eternal life. They haven’t been in a habit of seeking the Lord and meditating on His word. They are drifting spiritually, and their assurance drifts away too.
If you want assurance, just know that one of the ways you can gain it is by drawing near to the Lord and seeking to live in close communion with him.
VI. You will have a greater experience of God’s love
Look at verses 9-10. It says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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.”
Do you see the logic here? If you abide in Jesus, you will keep his commands. If you keep his commands, you will abide in his love. In other words, you will find that you experience his love more intimately. You will know it more fully, you will have a greater enjoyment of it in your life.
And Jesus draws the parallel from his life to ours. What does he say about himself? He says he has enjoyed the Father’s love. God the Father has loved him and he has known it all through his life. Jesus has been able to abide in the Father’s love in that he has had the continual refreshment of it in his life.
And Jesus says just as I have been abiding in this love, you can abide in my love. You can know and feel the great satisfaction being loved by me (even if I’m not here) if you are abiding in me and keeping my commandments.
Lastly, you’ll be more joyful
VII. You will be more joyful
Look at verse 11. Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Jesus has been teaching his disciples about abiding in him. And he has been teaching these things so that his joy would be in his disciples. As you learn to abide in Christ, Christ abides in you. And when Christ abides in you his joy will abide in you too. And when his joy abides in you, you will be full of joy. Your joy will reach the top of the tank and it will come spilling over.
Do you know why so many people deal with depression? It’s because they are not united to Christ and are not taking time to abide in Christ. They cut themselves off from the source of joy. It’s like they pulled the IV out of their arm and now the serum of joy cannot fill their lives. And the more they chose to ignore Christ, the more they fail to remember him and reflect on him, the more they lose their joy.
But the one who says, “I’m going to meditate on Christ’ resurrection and ascension; I’m going to give careful thought to how he wants me to live; I’m going to seek him in times of prayer and spend some time just adoring him,” that guy will be finding himself getting more joy out of life than he could ever ask for.
That’s because he’s going to have a joy that is from above. A joy that is divine and fully maximized to its ultimate degree.
Conclusion:
So there you have it. These are seven different kinds of fruit that will be born in your life by means of your union with Christ. If you are actively seeking to abide in Christ (draw near to him, trust in him, fellowship with him) then you will find that all of these things are becoming greater realities in your life.
So I hope that encourages you to be active in that abiding. I hope that you’ll make it a point here in 2020 to say, “I want to make it a goal of mine to do more abiding this year. I want to see a more of these fruit being born out of my faith over the next 12 months.”
I do say that if that is a goal, you will not be disappointed.
When we were together last time we began talking about our union with Christ. We said that Jesus uses this imagery of the vine and the branches to indicate something of the close connection that we have with him. And it is this union that is central to our salvation.
We talked about the fact of this union and we described what exactly is meant by this union. And we talked about the idea of federalism, that Jesus is our federal head and representative. Just as we are united to Donald Trump or any other elected official, we are united in a similar (but spiritual) way to Jesus.
Then we talked about the features of this union. And we said that the Lord will purge or prune his vine. If you are united to Christ, sometimes you’ll go through hard times. And those difficulties are God’s way of helping you to grow and become a more productive Christian.
And then we ended that message by talking about the focus of our union with Christ. That is to say our lives are to be focused on Christ and living in relationship to him. We mentioned the fact that we need to cultivate our union with Christ by abiding in him. Yes we are united to Christ, but we are responsible to develop a life of union and communion with Christ. That is to say, we need to make it our business to trust Christ, rely on him, seek him out, pray to him, meditate upon him and be as intimately acquainted with him as possible.
We don’t do that with Donald Trump. When it comes to our representatives in Washington, we don’t have this kind of relationship. But we do with Christ and we have the responsibility to become more and more acquainted with Christ and live nearer to him.
This morning I want to bring out one more item in regards to this union we have with Christ. I want to talk about the fruit of this union. In this passage Jesus puts a huge emphasis on bearing fruit. As a matter of fact, it is mentioned 6 times. And as we read this passage this morning, I’d like you to try and find all the different kinds of fruit that will be produced in our lives. Jesus mentions at least 7. So see if you can find them. Follow along as I read vs. 1-11.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 5 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. 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. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Now, in the verses that we just read, it talks repeatedly about bearing fruit. Jesus emphasizes the need to bear fruit 6 times. And it is actually very interesting how he emphasizes it. He first talks about no fruit. These are the ones who are cut away and burned. Then it talks about the branches that do bear fruit in verse 2. He says these are pruned so that they may bear more fruit. And then he goes on to say that the ideal is that you would bear much fruit.
And the wonderful thing about this passage is that it gives us a really good picture as to what kind of fruit will be produced in the life of a Christian. You may say we have a cornucopia of fruit that is spoken of here to give you an idea of what it means to bear much fruit. I find that there are 7 types of fruit spoken of here. There are 7 things that you will see happening in your life when you are living in union with Christ.
I. You will have a greater grasp of God’s presence in your life
Jesus says in verse 4, “Abide in me, and I in you.”
The word fruit is not used here, but I believe it is certainly implied. For there’s something reciprocal in this. Jesus tells you to abide in him. Now what will happen when you do that? He will also abide in you. As you abide in Christ, Christ will subsequently abide in you. The more you abide, the more he will abide in you (or, I should say, the more you will know his abiding presence and faithfulness). You’ll know that he is with you and will never fail you. You’ll know more of his abiding presence.
Now we know that our union with Christ already brings Christ near. We are united to Christ and we have his presence to some degree as our representative. But as we cultivate that union by seeking to draw into fellowship with him and depend more deeply upon him, the result will be experiencing his presence and knowing his faithfulness all that much more.
Have you ever thought about being a martyr? Have you ever thought about what it would be like if someone called you out and you had to make a decision between confessing Christ and being killed. That’s happened to people. Read Fox’s Book of Martrys and you’ll hear stories of people who could have been set free if they would have renounced the Lord and his doctrines.
Take for instance, John Bradford. He was a preacher that lived during the Reformation times. He was sentenced to be burnt at the stake. When the day came, he picked up one of the logs that was to be fueul for the fire and he kissed it and then he kissed the stake to which he was to be tied. He welcomed the martyrdom and he said to the young man who was going to be executed along with him, “Be of good comfort, my brother, for tonight we will have a merry feast with the Lord.”
Why could he face martyrdom with such a valiant heart? It was because he knew the presence of Christ. His life had been dedicated to abiding with him. It is said that Bradford studied to know and be near Christ throughout his life. As a matter of fact, his biographer says that while Bradford would be eating dinner, he would tip his hat down over his eyes. During his meals he would be mediating on Christ and sometimes that would bring tears to his eyes because he would be either over joyed or greatly troubled at the sufferings of his savior.
So when it came time for him to face his execution, he was not afraid. He had spent so much time abiding in Christ, he knew that Christ was with him. What’s more, he knew that he would be with Christ after death and he couldn’t wait to be fully in his presence.
Having that great experience of the presence of Christ is one of the fruits of abiding with Christ. But not only will you be more aware of Christ’s presence, you’ll be more obedient to Christ’s commands.
II. You will be more obedient
You cannot get away from the moral implications of this passage. In verse 3 Jesus talks about being made clean. He’s saying that our sin has been washed away due to our union with Christ. And that helps us understand that the fruitfulness that he wants has to do with greater obedience in our lives. You’ve been cleansed from sin, but you will become more fruitful in that you will sin less in life.
If that was too much code language, Jesus makes it all that much more clear in verse 10. In that verse he talks about keeping his commandments.
So, understand what he is saying here. If you want to break patterns of sin in your life, what do you need to do? You need to get closer to Christ. You need to draw near to him and confess your dependence upon him.
One author has said that “The holiest people are those who live nearest to Christ.”
Let’s take an example. Maybe you’re finding that you are a little lazy. You don’t do your job to the extent that you should. Either you take too long or you don’t do it well (to the best of your ability as God requires of you). That’s an area of your life where you need to change.
You know what the best thing for you to do to break that habit? It is to draw nearer to Christ. It is to pray to him and seek him and confess to him and ask him to become Lord over this area of your life. One of the best things you can do is go to the Scripture and simply observe the life and witness of Jesus and how he lived his life. Observe how he was obedient, even unto death. He didn’t sluff off. He didn’t do a halfsy job. When it came to you and your salvation, he went the extra mile.
That’s the key to becoming more obedient.
Listen to these words of Alexander MacLaren. He puts it so well. He says, “The best way to secure Christian conduct is to cultivate communion with Christ… Get more of the sap into the branch, and there will be more fruit. Have more of the life of Christ in the soul, and the conduct and the speech will be more Christlike.
The best thing you can do to become more obedient is to seek to be more in union and communion with Christ.
Another fruit of our union and communion with Christ has to do with answered prayer. If you are truly living in union with Christ your prayers will be powerfully answered.
III. You will be more effective in prayer
In verse 7 Jesus says, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”
Right there Jesus makes a sure fire promise. You will become more fruitful in your prayer life. Not just that you’ll pray more frequently or your prayers will be more substantial. That may indeed happen. But you will find that you get more answers to the prayers that you are praying.
Notice the liberality that Jesus lets loose here too. “Ask whatever you wish.” It is like he gives you a blank check. Go ahead, order anything off the menu. Ask for whatever you want. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be bashful. Ask for whatever your heart desires.
And it will be done for you.
Of course, there is some distinction we can make here. If you are truly abiding in Christ and his word is really and truly abiding in you, you’re going to be asking for certain things. You’re life is going to be so wrapped up in Christ that you ask for everything he wants.
You’ll be praying “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done” because there’s nothing you want more than his kingdom to become more prominent and his commandments to be revered.
But let’s say you’re in need of wisdom and you start asking God for wisdom, if you are abiding in him, do you think he’s going to leave you hanging? Not at all.
If you’re praying for your family and asking God to provide those finances or intervene in those problems, God’s not going to overlook that prayer. He’s going to answer it.
Another fruit that comes from abiding in Christ is that you’ll give more glory to God.
IV. You will give more glory to God
Look at verse 8. Jesus says, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” What’s he saying there? The more fruit that you bear will result in more glory being given to God. God is glorified in fruit bearing. And that means that the more fruit you bear will result in God being more glorified.
You can even say then that one of the fruits of the fruit is that God’s glory is enhanced.
Now, you understand that when we talk about God being glorified, that can mean different things. You can glorify God by living the Christian life. Your deeds and your prayers and all other aspects of the Christian life will glorify God.
But I would suggest that what Jesus says here has an evangelistic tone to it. God will be glorified because these disciples are abiding in him during their mission work. The disciples to whom Jesus spoke were going to be going out to the ends of the earth. They were going to be planting churches and they would be gaining converts. And these converts would then begin to worship the Lord and glorify Him with their lives.
I don’t think that it is a stretch to say that evangelism is very much connected to our abiding in Christ.
The fifth fruit that you see in our passage is greater assurance of salvation.
V. You will have greater assurance of your salvation
Look at verse 8 again. It says you will “prove to be my disciples.” Some of your translations will say that “you will be my disciples.”
I like what JC Ryle says about this phrase. He says this, “The expression must mean that you will be known and recognized by all men as my disciples and you will feel in your own hearts the witness of the Spirit that you are such.”
I kid you not when I say this: when you fail to abide in Christ, you become less and less sure of your salvation. I have counseled Christian people time and again regarding this. When I ask “If you were to die tonight and stand before God, if he were to ask you why he should let you in, what would you say?” People who would be considered Christians who have not been actively seeking to abide in Christ find that very difficult to answer.
The answer is simple: It is because your son died for me. I don’t deserve access, but I trust that you will welcome be based on the blood that your Son shed for me. I rely on you for everything, most especially eternal life.
Those who abide in Christ and are daily reveling in the fact that Christ has become their savior are able to articulate those things. They are more apt to be assured of that.
But someone who is not abiding in Christ loses that assurance. They are less likely to think that God would ever grant them eternal life. They haven’t been in a habit of seeking the Lord and meditating on His word. They are drifting spiritually, and their assurance drifts away too.
If you want assurance, just know that one of the ways you can gain it is by drawing near to the Lord and seeking to live in close communion with him.
VI. You will have a greater experience of God’s love
Look at verses 9-10. It says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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.”
Do you see the logic here? If you abide in Jesus, you will keep his commands. If you keep his commands, you will abide in his love. In other words, you will find that you experience his love more intimately. You will know it more fully, you will have a greater enjoyment of it in your life.
And Jesus draws the parallel from his life to ours. What does he say about himself? He says he has enjoyed the Father’s love. God the Father has loved him and he has known it all through his life. Jesus has been able to abide in the Father’s love in that he has had the continual refreshment of it in his life.
And Jesus says just as I have been abiding in this love, you can abide in my love. You can know and feel the great satisfaction being loved by me (even if I’m not here) if you are abiding in me and keeping my commandments.
Lastly, you’ll be more joyful
VII. You will be more joyful
Look at verse 11. Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Jesus has been teaching his disciples about abiding in him. And he has been teaching these things so that his joy would be in his disciples. As you learn to abide in Christ, Christ abides in you. And when Christ abides in you his joy will abide in you too. And when his joy abides in you, you will be full of joy. Your joy will reach the top of the tank and it will come spilling over.
Do you know why so many people deal with depression? It’s because they are not united to Christ and are not taking time to abide in Christ. They cut themselves off from the source of joy. It’s like they pulled the IV out of their arm and now the serum of joy cannot fill their lives. And the more they chose to ignore Christ, the more they fail to remember him and reflect on him, the more they lose their joy.
But the one who says, “I’m going to meditate on Christ’ resurrection and ascension; I’m going to give careful thought to how he wants me to live; I’m going to seek him in times of prayer and spend some time just adoring him,” that guy will be finding himself getting more joy out of life than he could ever ask for.
That’s because he’s going to have a joy that is from above. A joy that is divine and fully maximized to its ultimate degree.
Conclusion:
So there you have it. These are seven different kinds of fruit that will be born in your life by means of your union with Christ. If you are actively seeking to abide in Christ (draw near to him, trust in him, fellowship with him) then you will find that all of these things are becoming greater realities in your life.
So I hope that encourages you to be active in that abiding. I hope that you’ll make it a point here in 2020 to say, “I want to make it a goal of mine to do more abiding this year. I want to see a more of these fruit being born out of my faith over the next 12 months.”
I do say that if that is a goal, you will not be disappointed.