Fixed vs Growth: The Obstacle of Holy Pruning

In the Parable of the Sower, the seed that falls on fertile ground puts down strong roots to grow and be productive:  that is God’s will in Christ for us.  In John 15:1 – 17, Jesus uses another agricultural analogy to describe to His disciples His desire for their continued relationship of faith.  It’s not a far leap to connect the Parable of the Sower with the vine and branches described by Jesus.  

Abide….remain…depending on your translation, these are the words you will read repeatedly.  Instead of seeds of grain, Jesus talks about the flourishing vines and luscious grapes of viticulture, another foundational crop for His listeners.  The fruitful seeds of Matthew 13 were those who heard and understood God’s word; those who bear much fruit in John 15 are those who remain in Christ.  Jesus Christ, incarnate Word of God (John 1:1) is our vine; apart from Him, we cannot produce fruit.  But connected to Him we produce bountiful, generous, overflowing baskets of fruit for His kingdom.  Jesus is our vine, and He and the Father are one; that is our root, our foundation, our source of strength, our lifeline.  Grafted into Christ by faith, we don’t have to worry about rocky soil, crowding weeds or the depth of our own roots—we are rooted and grounded in Him (Colossians 2:6,7).  

John 15: 1 – 7 describes the pruning that God does in His vineyard. Those vines which bear no fruit or need to be more fruitful are pruned with intentionality by the Master Gardener.  The goal is His glory, the furthering of His kingdom.  But if we, the vines, have our efforts cut back or stymied, if we are directed by God to grow another way, that pruning could feel like obstacles in life. 

 

1)      According to John 15: 1-3, what reasons are given that God prunes and cuts back growth in His vines?  Are there areas of your life that God has pruned back? 

2)      Verse 3 says that the disciples are already “clean” because of the Word spoken to them; clean could be interpreted as “pruned.”  In other words, the disciples (and us) are pruned and shaped for fruitfulness by God’s words in Christ.  How does verse 3 then flow into the statement and promise of verse 4?  What must we do to be fruitful?

3)      What is the result of remaining in Christ (vs 5)?  What happens if we fail to remain in Christ (vs 5, 6)?

4)      What promise is given in verse 7?  How does that promise impact your perspective of obstacles and challenges in life?

5)      All of this pruning and these promises are for a specific purpose—according to verse 7, what is that purpose?  How does that shed light on the motive for God’s pruning in your life?

A Christian with a growth mindset understands that the only true obstacle, sin, has been removed—nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  We may experience other obstacles in life, but we should ask ourselves:  is this obstacle an angel with a flaming sword?  Or is this obstacle God’s pruning me for His glory?

Or, is this obstacle in front of me really only a challenge?