Flavored by Christ

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THE FRUIT OF CHRIST
John 15:1-8

Verses 1-4  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in me that bears not fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me.

May this truth abide in you from now and forever.  Abide in Christ.  Think, act, react, organize, plan, meditate, cogitate, like, dislike, wonder, explore, devise, thank, decide….in Christ. 

And what happens when you abide in Christ?  According to verse 2…God Himself will take away the sin from your life.  Because it isn’t bearing fruit.  And everywhere in your life that is fruitful, God Himself will cause it to become even more fruitful!

In Christ this wisdom of God goes to work, making things clear that never were before.  “Oh, this doesn’t work, but that does…..I think I’ll do that more and this less.”  Looking back, it’s really like a “duh” moment.  Like, why couldn’t we see it before?  The answer lies in……………

II Corinthians 4:3,4  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are perishing; In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which don’t believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

But when we believe on Jesus Christ, God does an amazing thing for us ……..

Colossians 1:12, 13  Giving thanks unto the Father, who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; Who has rescued us from the authority of darkness, and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

Why do I keep doing what doesn’t work, what doesn’t produce fruit?  Because I’ve been under the authority of darkness……darkness (the inability to see what works) has ruled my life, my decision making.  But God’s desire for us is a life of victory in Christ.  And so in Christ, our eyes get opened…..

In Christ we begin to see what works and what doesn’t….what bears fruit and what doesn’t.   Back in John 15……..

Verse 5   I am the vine, you are the branches; he that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.

Without Christ you can do nothing spiritually, nothing fruitfully, nothing that pleases God….because what pleases God is that He is able to do what He wants.  (see study  What Pleases God)   And, as we’ll see in a couple more verses in John, what God wants is to cause your life to bear a lot of fruit.

Verse 6-8  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.  Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, so shall you be my disciples.

Saying “All glory to God” isn’t what glorifies God.  What glorifies God is you bearing a lot of spiritual fruit.  Now Galatians 5:22,23a tells us what the spiritual fruit is…..love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.  These are things you cannot build into your own life…..God Himself causes them to grow in your life.  Abide in Christ and the fruit just grows.  That is how it works in the kingdom of God.

Life in Christ is an exciting voyage of discovery.  Get in Christ and enjoy the ride.  And here is how we abide in Christ…………………

THE FLAVOR OF CHRIST

I John 2:27   But the anointing which you received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him.

This word anointing is the noun form of the verb for Christ.  I like to translate this word as “christ-ifying” or “christ-ification.”    This is talking about the holy spirit of God which abides in us, of which we are born, which Jesus Christ himself gave us from his Father.  The word “Christ” means “the anointed one.”  The verb of Christ, then, means “to anoint.”  So this anointing makes us anointed.   It literally “christ-ifies” us…..it gives us the nature of Christ.

Now when I put chocolate on top of my vanilla ice cream, I have the flavor of chocolate, but it is separate from the flavor of the ice cream.  If I stir it up real good, the ice cream becomes chocolate.  I have chocolatized my ice cream.  The christ-ification that occurs within us by the holy spirit of Christ within, Christ-ifies us, giving us the nature, the flavor of Christ.  And that “flavor” of Christ within will express itself in a most unique way through us….so that the flavor of Christ in me will show up differently than the flavor of Christ in you.   Yet each manifestation of Christ will have that distinct Christ flavor.

The goal here is to be flavored by Christ.  To be Christ-ified.  To have the spirit of Christ within so blended with who we are….our thoughts, feelings, emotions, dreams and goals, attitudes, etc. that we bear much fruit in everything we do.

Now this flavor of Christ within will literally teach us (lead by example) the ways of God.  And we can become so intimate with this flavor of Christ, that we become addicted to it.  So that anything that does not have this Godly flavor we will avoid, and anything that does have this flavor we will want more of it.  Sounds like a really difficult, tough life, doesn’t it?  Not!!!  In Christ, life is an exciting adventure, a voyage of discovery.  In Christ, our lives will become maximized, fulfilled, and glorified.

Colossians 2:6,7  As you have therefore received (lambano) Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him; Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

That word receive is the Greek word lambano, a very important word.  It means to actively take unto yourself, to the end that you enjoy the benefits of that which you have received.  So God is telling us to simply walk in where we have already been affected by Christ Jesus, our Lord, where we have been flavored by him. 

And God repeats the same truth in the next verse.  as you have been taught.  See, every Christian has been flavored by Christ somewhere.  Simply focus on that aspect of your spirituality.  Walk in what you know, and you’ll know more. 

Abounding therein with thanksgiving is a dynamic reality also.  Thanksgiving establishes the effectiveness of the gift as it has been given.  The more we’re thinking and thanking for the Christ flavor within, the more effective Christ within becomes.

Living our lives in Christ….how do we do it?  Simply walk in where he has flavored us with his spiritual flavor.  Walk in him, in that Christ flavor, and bear much fruit.
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See related studies:
Pruned by God.
Fruitfulness in Christ – Colossians 1:1-15
Jesus – The Bread of Life
Bearing Spiritual Fruit