John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. The great majority of Christ's illustrations were drawn from the world of nature, which teaches us that there is a profound connection between the natural and spiritual worlds. For Christ did not introduce His teaching into nature, but showed men the lessons concerning God and the spiritual which it had been silently teaching for ages, but which they had been too blind to see. For years had the vines of Palestine been uttering glorious things about the union of man to God: prophets had seen something of the mystery; but it was reserved for the greatest of the prophets to gather all their finest teachings into one beautiful discourse. And because the principle on which Christ taught is ever true, we may learn most solemn lessons from the beauty of God's world. The great teaching of the text is this: Man's greatest power for glorifying God is a life of Christ-like action, and in order to illustrate its full force we must trace it back to its first principles. I. THE INWARD LIFE IN UNION WITH CHRIST MUST SHOW ITSELF OUTWARDLY IS CHRIST-LIKE ACTION. 1. All profound emotions must display themselves in action. Whenever a deep love or a strong conviction enters a man's heart, it impels him to utter it. If it be unspoken in word, it will change his whole being., and burning itself into speech in his deeds, give its meaning a tongue, and manifest its secret fire; or if it cannot express itself it will perish in its own concealment. So the ruling emotion of love to Christ must utter itself to men in the language of Christ-like words and life, or it will pine and perish in its secrecy. And not only so, but all deep love must transform the soul into the image of the beloved, and thus reveal its energy. 2. The inner Christian life has a power to overcome the hindrances to its manifestation. It has been said that "circumstances make the man"; but do circumstances hinder the man who is resolved to be rich? On the contrary, he turns them to his own end. Did circumstances make Napoleon? He made them steps to his throne. Circumstances make weak men, but strong men make circumstances. There we have the answer to the timid assertion that it is impossible in such a world as this to manifest the power of a living Christianity. As the vine, by the inward force of life, draws from the sun and air and soil those elements that give it beauty and vigour, so the Christian life causes all outward states to minister to its growing power. The sight of sin is an opposing circumstance to the real Christian it is transformed into a mighty lesson. The slanders of men are an opposing circumstance — they form the noblest school for Christian patience. The sufferings and sacrifices of life may seem to be hindrances — in reality they make the soul strong in faith and prayer. If the life of love be in a man he will live Christ everywhere, and, like the oak, grow stronger in storms. Hence the conclusion arises unanswerably, that the inner life in union with Christ must reveal itself in Christ-like deeds. II. THE LIFE OF CHRIST-LIKE ACTION IS MAN'S GREATEST POWER OF GLORIFYING GOD. 1. A Christ-like life is the strongest manifestation of God to the world. The men of this world do not perceive the signs of a present God. They may have an indistinct belief in an awful Power existing somewhere in the universe. They read the Bible as an old book, not as a testimony to a living Lord: they find a beauty in nature, but that beauty is not to them the evidence of its invisible King. But a Christ-like man brings the Divine so directly into the sphere of his own daily life, that they cannot help perceiving it there and then. That man's life becomes a Bible, which in the clearest tones proclaims the presence of his Lord. 2. A Christ-like life is the greatest human influence to bring men near God. When Christ said to His disciples, "Go and bear fruit, go and reproduce My life in your life," He laid hold of the two great forces that mould all human society — influence and example. For the power of social influence is constant and irresistible, while all direct efforts for God are of necessity limited, and awaken opposition. Men hear the appeals of the preacher, and apply them only to their neighbours. But the ceaseless, silent influence of a Christ-like life enters with its resistless majesty into hearts that are barred and bolted in self-complacency against the preacher's voice, and, like the light, makes their darkness visible. (E. L. Hull, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.WEB: "In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. |
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