Last time Jesus promised the disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit who would comfort their troubled hearts. We learned the Holy Spirit is also referred to in Scripture as the Advocate, the Comforter, the Counselor, the Strengthener, the Helper, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God, the Convicter, the Spirit of Life, the Teacher.
John 15:1-8 – Relationship to Jesus
Jesus teaches about the vine and the branches. Here again Jesus calls Himself “I am”. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” – John 15:1. In this Scripture Jesus is the perfect vine and God is the gardener. Believers are the branches. God owns the vineyard and takes care of the vines. We are like the branches of the vine. Anyone who believes in Jesus belongs to God. He expects fruit from His vineyard. If we don’t bear fruit, He will cut us off. Just as a vine with branches that bear no fruit, the gardener cuts off those dead branches. Jesus tells us that branches that bear fruit are pruned so they will bear more fruit.
Jesus is teaching that we need God to remove everything that is wrong in our lives so we can produce fruit. God prunes our lives so we will grow and become more like Him and bear more fruit. Pruning may be painful, but we need to submit to this pruning process and trust God for the outcome. When we are going through hard times, it seems that God is nowhere to be found. Actually that’s when He is closer than ever. He is pruning us because He loves us. Parents discipline their children because they love them, don’t they?
Where do you need pruning?
In John 15:3 Jesus is teaching that those who have saving faith in Him are the ‘clean’ ones as are His disciples. Of course Judas was not as we read in John 13.
What is the fruit in John 15:5-8? Doing good works is not the fruit He’s talking about. To bear fruit is to see God produce Christlikeness in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” – Gal. 5:22-23. These are the kinds of fruit we are to bear. Fruit is Christlike character and conduct. 1 Peter 1:5 tells of more fruit we are to bear, “… make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”
Notice it says nothing about happiness. A fruitful Christians leads a godly life. It’s all about godly behavior. It takes time for fruit to grow. These qualities will increase as you grow in Christ.
Those without a love for Christ cannot live what God calls a fruitful life. Followers of Jesus are the branches and God is the vine. According to John 15:4, if they detach from Him, the source of life, they will not produce fruit.
Jesus said He was the “true vine” suggesting there are other vines. Many people get their source in life from many other things like money, possessions, relationships, status, financial matters, and their own plans. He is the True Vine and without Him we can do nothing.
Where are you relying too much on other vines in your life?
Do all Christians bear fruit? Yes, if they are truly Christians. However, it takes time to grow your fruit, but you should see growth as you mature in your faith. If you are not growing, ask yourself why? If you are not producing fruit, then maybe you are a counterfeit Christian. Maybe you should examine yourself and ask God to show you where you are failing. Judas Iscariot professed to believe and followed Jesus, but his real god was greed. He was a counterfeit Christian. Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5b.
There is a key to bearing fruit. Jesus said to remain or abide in Him. How can we abide in Him? Abide means to continually reside in and not depart from. We stay in His Word and in prayer. We need to keep His commandments. If you are not experiencing the peace and joy in your Christian walk, maybe you aren’t walking in obedience. If you are abiding in Christ, you will be producing fruit in your life.
Are you abiding in Christ, making Him at home in your heart?
Principle: A fruitful Christian leads a godly life.
John 15:7 Jesus said “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”. That doesn’t mean that He will give you anything you ask, but that He will give you whatever you need to help you further His kingdom and when it’s part of the will of God.
John 15:9-17 – Relationship to One Another
Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” – John 15:9. This should be the greatest motive for why we want to grow closer to Jesus. Love is the foundation of our Christian faith. Without love, we would be lost. Love is God’s command and the fulfillment of all the law. It’s an expression of your love for God. He said there is only one way to be really happy and that is to remain in a close relationship with Him. He said we must obey His commands and then we will remain in His love. He commands us to love one another as He loves us. He loves us completely. He loves us so much that He died to save us. He said there is no greater love than to lay down your life for another.
Jesus called His disciples His friends. He gives us a choice to obey Him or not. He wants us to obey Him because we love Him. He had a purpose for His disciples. He chose them and appointed them to bear fruit that will last. He has chosen us, too, to do work for Him and to bring glory to God by what we do. “This is my command: Love each other.” – John 15:17. It is important for Christians to encourage each other and love each other at all times even if we don’t always agree.
Would Jesus call you His friend?
Principle: Friends of Jesus love one another, obey his commandments, understand His truths, and are chosen to bear fruit.
John 15:18-25 – Relationship to Unbelieving World
Jesus knew after He returned to heaven the disciples would face difficult opposition from the world. The world didn’t listen to Jesus so they wouldn’t listen to them. He wanted them to know exactly what to expect and how they should respond. He told the disciples that the world hated them and that He was hated first. He wanted them to be able to endure the hostility. Their response to the hostile world was to bear witness of Him.
The world wants nothing to do with Jesus. The closer you are to Jesus, the more you should expect some form of persecution. It may be mockery. It may be your work, school, or sports team that meet at the same time as Sunday services. You may lose a promotion because you refuse to do dishonest practices. It may be persecution from your family who are critical and don’t understand. Persecution is all around even in small things.
There are some countries where Christians are persecuted. They are imprisoned and even put to death. The only reason for this is that they believe in Jesus. When Jesus is rejected, God is rejected. Much of Europe is turning away from Christianity and many in our own country are watering down the basic teachings of Christianity.
The “world” refers to the organized system under Satan’s domain which is opposed to God and all He stands for. Most unbelievers don’t really hate Jesus, but they don’t follow Him either. By not following Jesus they are following the devil, even though they don’t realize it. They ignore God and live with godless values. “He who is not with me is against me ….” – Matt. 12:30. Either you love or hate Jesus and the Father. There is no gray line.
The world hates what Christians stand for. The battle lines are being drawn between God’s people and Satan’s people. Every person will have to make a decision which side to be on before it’s too late. Each must choose eternal life in heaven or eternal life in hell.
There is immorality that surrounds us. I am embarrassed by it. We should not buy into the movies and videos with adultery and profanity and the promotion of homosexual and transgender lifestyles. Enjoying this immoral garbage as entertainment is wrong and I know God doesn’t like it. He’s not going to stand for this much longer. Remember what happen to Sodom and Gomorrah? God destroyed the cities for their wickedness.
There are thousands of unborn children killed daily in their mother’s wombs. The ACLU is supposed to be our ally and protect our rights, but is files ridiculous lawsuits trying to stop free expression of our faith. We have a highly secular media and liberal anti-Christian colleges with atheistic views. What is really going on is the reality of the preparation and coming on the prophesied Antichrist who will rule the world the last 7 years before the end of the world.
Which side are you on, Satan’s or God’s?
Why does the world hate Jesus? It’s because they don’t know Him and because He exposes their sin. “The light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were ever. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” – John 3:19-20. The people heard Jesus and saw His miracles, but still they rejected Him because He exposed their sin. There is evidence of that today. They enjoy their sin too much. The world hated Jesus first so we should expect to be persecuted for our faith.
How should we respond to the world? We do not need to be afraid or withdraw from the world. We also don’t need to fix everything. Christians should not retreat from the world, but remember that God is in control and trust Him. We need to live in peace and unity. We need to continue to spread the gospel. The unbelieving world needs to see Jesus’ love and you need to be able to witness to them. You can’t do that if you are not in the world. We are to be in the world, but not imitate the world. We need to pray for divine appointments – opportunities to speak about Jesus and be to good examples. Pray for the ability to speak boldly without fear.
Does the world hate you? If not, maybe it’s because the world can’t tell the difference between you and them. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you …” – Luke 6:26. When we have public approval and are satisfied with what the world offers, we are in danger of God’s judgment.
How do you respond to the world’s hatred?
Principle: While the world hates believers, we should testify to the world the truth about Jesus.
Jesus didn’t leave them without hope. He promised the Holy Spirit would come. Jesus said when He comes, He will testify about Him. He will continue to be a witness to Christ. He does that through His Word and through believers. Jesus told them they should all testify to others because they were with Him from the beginning. They saw His miracles and heard His teachings. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit in us. He will help us to understand who Jesus is, help us as we study His Word, and help us to pray.
Next week we will finish up John 15 and study John 16. Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site. – I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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