John 15 2/14/2017 THE TRUE VINE / ABIDING REVIEW: 7 exhortations to believe Exclusive WAY to salvation Assurance of eternal relationship Unity of Father, Son & Holy Spirit o 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. The cross is a demonstration of obedience not domination o 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here John 15 (ESV) 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. The last of the I AM statements What do you think of when Jesus describes himself as the true vine? o Israel is described as God s vine.but instead of bearing god fruit it produced much bad fruit o In contrast Jesus is the perfect vine And we again see the theme of obedience as He refers to the Father as the vinedresser o Anything attached to the true vine would be Nourished by it Protected by its disease resistance A mirror of its nature A bearer of good fruit A source of nourishment Subject to the perfect pruning by the vinedresser
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. This is a lesson to help them understand what happened with Judas and the lost relationship Either the vine bears fruit.or not Fruit mentioned 8 times in this chapter o No fruit - no association In me is not the same as in Christ:..rather it is part of the metaphor every person who professes to be my disciple (a branch) is not necessarily a true follower [BKC] When there is no fruit it is cut-off- pruned The part that is dead can not bear fruit The part that remains that is still alive can flourish. In its relationship to the disciples; The pruning was the separation of Judas from the vine That pruning would ultimately enable the others to be productive Those 11 that remained had been cleansed by Jesus and His message Judas was not cleansed. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. The pruning of a vine involves cutting back live wood to improve its fruitfulness and the removal of dead wood that might spread decay. Pruning does not threaten the salvation of any believer. The Gk. of v. 6 says, like the branch that is thrown away. The emphasis is on the metaphor, not the believer. The branch of the grapevine has no use but bearing fruit. The stringy wood cannot be carved or used in building. It can only be thrown out and burned. Jesus is saying that the person who does not abide in Him is as useless as the branch that is thrown away. We are called to bear fruit. And God prunes true believers so that they will. [Bible Reader s Companion] Exhortation to protect the relationship. The personal application of the metaphor. Abide! 3306 μένω [meno /men o/] v. 11 occurrences in Chap.15 Aorist- active imperative You are responsible to pursue continuous state of abiding
to remain, abide. not to depart. to continue to be presentto be held, kept, continually. to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure. to remain as one, not to become another or different Notice the mutual abiding!! The consistency of Christ in the consistent believer. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. If I am a branch separated from the provisions of Christ how can I bear fruit that has a source in Christ 1. Any fruit, then, would be of my own doing not influenced by abiding but my own self-centered creativity. 2. In fact it is impossible to bear fruit that is acceptable to the Vinedresser apart from the Vine 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. MUCH fruit for those working within the guidelines or God-lines Jesus defines here. Not some fruit.much fruit 1. Is there much fruit in your life? 2. Is there much abiding? The branch apart from the vine can bear NO fruit BUT HERE Jesus goes from the metaphor to the person.. apart from Me YOU can do nothing. Now it is getting personal. 1. You might think surely I can do something. But it says NOTHING Nothing that is spiritually acceptable. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. To abide in Christ does not mean to keep ourselves saved. It means 1. live in His Word and pray 2. obey His commandments 3. and keep our lives clean through His Word The Christian who fails to abide in Christ becomes like a useless branch, like the salt that loses its taste and is good for nothing. Wiersbe Burned Branches interpreted as;
1. Christians who have lost their salvation Contradicts John 10:28 29 (ESV) 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father s hand. Romans 8:1 (ESV) 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2. Christians who lose rewards but not salvation But Jesus speaks of dead branches that are thrown away and wither 3. Professing Christians who, like Judas, are not truly saved and therefore are judged. Like a dead branch, a person without Christ is spiritually dead and therefore will be punished in eternal fire. Judas was with Jesus; he seemed like a branch. But he did not have God s life in him; therefore he departed; his destiny was like that of a dead branch. [BKC] 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Asking in His will bears much fruit and brings glory to the Father.proof of abiding Your kingdom come, thy will be done Matt 6:10) 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. The disciples have been encourage to abide in Christ, now he invites them to abide in His very love.agape love the full unconditional love of Christ We are encouraged to remain in the very emotion that enables a relationship with Christ His love for us.
OBEDIENCE 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father s commandments and abide in his love. Obedience then is prof of our love for Christ keeping is abiding 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Jesus had great joy in obeying His Father and wants that same joy for us the joy of obedience is the fruit of our abiding That love for Christ is to be extended to others.just as Christ laid down His life for us we are to have the same sacrificial love for others. The standard is as I have loved you 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another. The relationship we have with Christ is not as a slave but as a friend. The disciples reference to themselves as servant/bond servant is the result of that friendship.a willingness to serve Christ sacrificially. He commands them/us to bear fruit identifies that we all have been given a mission of love.
IN THE MIDST OF THIS LOVE THERE WILL BE HATE 18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. There is so much distraction in the world! We know our citizenship is in heaven but the daily decisions we make put us in an awkward position Am I supposed to feel hated by the world..what does it mean if I DON T feel that way? Nevertheless be assured of persecution when you speak His name. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. HIS TESTIMONY OFFERS NO EXCUSE FOR UNBELIEF FOR HATRED OF HE TRUTH 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: They hated me without a cause.
ABIDE IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION WE HAVE BEEN EMPOWERED TO ABIDE Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 26 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.