WORD TREASURES 8/20/23
"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." (Jn.15:7-8 ESV)
We’ve just discussed the grave warning Jesus gave His disciples about remaining attached to Him throughout our Christian life. Since our responsibility is great, God’s grace rises to meet it for He is ever our aid! He is the vine and we are just branches. The strength of abiding lies always with our Lord! Last week, I quoted a line in a hymn. Today I quote a verse in a different hymn to emphasize this grace that keeps us connected to Him. “Fear not I am with you. Be not dismayed! For I am thy God, I will still give you aid. I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand; upheld by My gracious omnipotent hand.” This is verse 2 from the hymn, “How Firm a Foundation”. God’s keeping power is great and a comfort to all who serve Him!
Jesus was giving His disciples a keen look into what their life in God’s Kingdom would be like. He uses the picture of a grape vine – a staple in their society and something they would be quite familiar with. God not only saves them but He intends to extract something good from them as they live for Him. As we examine the above verse, we see the following.
1. Jn.15:7 Answered prayer! There is no way around this promise. God’s promises of answering prayer are so astounding – it is hard for the Christian to comprehend them. We see our lives; we see long prayers go unanswered; we see disappointments; we see the troubles that look so big, so devastating, and if/when we are honest, we wonder if Jesus could mean anything of what He plainly states. Yet, there is this promise - stark, obvious, shining from the pages of scripture. Part of the fruit God intended for His disciples is plain – God intends to answer their prayers (requests) they make of Him! What are we to make of this? We must first recognize that His Words must abide in us (part of verse 7). That points to our apprehending something of God’s will, motives, intentions, and actions. I have said this many times – to ignore the Bible is to ignore God! Christians must read and believe God’s Word and allow the Lord’s commands to guide our actions, motives, values, and life direction. James 4:1-4 & 1 Jn. 5:14-15 make it plain that if we ask outside of God’s will – we get "NO" answers from God!
We must also remember that as humans, we rarely see the big picture = God’s view of life! God answers our prayers in ways and times that to our puny minds seem disconnected or out of our sight! Do not lose heart my friends! God promises to answer the prayers of the people who believe and follow Him! Answered prayer furthers His kingdom and brings God glory = fruit. And verse 8 tells us God wants much fruit = lots and lots of fruit!
2. The glory of God is the 2nd fruit listed! Answered prayer proves that Christians are disciples = followers, ones connected to Jesus! And that builds faith in outsiders. It proves to them that our claims of belonging to the Lord are not just religious clamor – but true! That is why we Christians should pray for those outside of Christ whenever we can. I mean pray for them out loud. Ask them, “May I pray for you?” It is one of the most effective ways we can witness. We meet them, observe their trouble, and offer to pray for them. We check on them and keep praying. God answering these kinds of prayers in my life is nothing short of amazing! One of the reasons we Christians see so few prayers answered is that we can become so carnal (earthly), so detached from His Gospel work, so self-centered in our life; we pray for our personal blessing all the time and forget we were left on the planet to bear fruit = do good, produce godly results, affect others for Christ! Start praying again for the lost and hurting in your life and watch what happens. Prayer is at the root of the Spirit-led life!
Next week, more on what it means for Christians to “bear much fruit and be His disciples.” Please, my friends, be certain of this: God intends for you to pray often and get answers! Calling on the name of the Lord is not only our right – it is our greatest privilege on this earth. And God is "in the mood" to favor our unselfish requests made because “apart from Him, we can do nothing!”
Pastor Mike
