Scripture Focus John 15:1-17 John 15:1-17 Jesus: The God Who Commands Key Verse John 15:8 TDM Competency Live Biblically: Understand and apply biblical principles to all areas of life. Biblical living, in this passage, is narrowed down to two key acts. Loving other believers and obeying the Word of God are imperative to living biblically. We are not free to choose what faithful Christianity looks like, but rather are bound to live biblically by the clear directives and prohibitions of Scripture. This text calls for all that are truly in Christ to outwardly display their inward transformation by obeying Christ s commands and loving one another. Overview Jesus uses the analogy of a vine, branches and vinedresser to teach about genuine salvation. Just as there were Jews that did not trust Christ as the Messiah and Savior, there are people in the church that have not repented of sin and trusted Christ alone for salvation. Just as those unrepentant Jews would be cut away from Israel and thrown into the fire of Hell, so too will the unrepentant, unredeemed church member be cut away and thrown into Hell. Although salvation is an inward transformation of the heart, Jesus emphasizes that such inward change cannot be concealed on the outside, but rather is clearly seen through obedience to His commands and through loving other believers. Theme To correctly represent God and His salvation by producing fruit or living a life that demonstrates the Son s obedience to the Father and the Son s sacrificial love for man. Desired Learner Response [Aiming at the Heart for Life Transformation] To repent and be saved if they recognize they are not truly in Christ; To repent if they recognize that they are not rightly representing God, and to begin to obey Him out of a transformed heart and love others as Christ sacrificially loved us. Outline I. Dividing of True and False Branches (vv. 1-3) II. Obviously Abiding in Christ (vv. 4-11) III. Loving in Proportion to Christ s Love (vv. 12-17) 1
Lesson I. Dividing of True and False Branches (vv. 1-3) v. 1 The vine was a national symbol for Israel. Most often this reference is used to demonstrate the absence of fruit that the Jews were producing. Note: The text does not specifically define fruit so we should not attempt to read into the text and make the fruit something specific. Rather, fruit, in a general sense, through this text is referring to everything that comes from a believer that accurately represents the true Vine, Jesus, and glorifies the Vinedresser, God the Father. Jesus refers to Himself as the true Vine, the One that alone can produce fruit; and only those attached to Him can bear much fruit. The condemnation that His hearers had no fruit is a condemning judgment that they were not attached to Jesus. The vinedresser was responsible for pruning and removing the branches that did not produce fruit so that the healthy branches would receive more nutrients and have more room to produce much fruit. Revelation 2:9 offers insight on this idea of removing branches. In that verse Jesus said that there are those that profess to be Jews or profess to be branches attached to the true Vine, but are really synagogues of Satan. v. 2 The absence of bearing fruit revealed that the branch, although attached to the vine, was not really a part of the vine and had to be removed. Some translations read lift up rather than removed. The idea of lift up was for the purpose of examining closely, seeing no evidence of life and removing from the vine. Like Judas, all that appear to be attached to Jesus, but from a wicked, dead heart produce no godly fruit, will be removed by the Father. The believers or branches that are producing fruit should expect to be pruned. God s pruning believers includes His removing things from our lives that slow down fruit production or hinder us from producing as much fruit as He desires we produce. Every true believer has some measure of fruit and is being pruned by the Father so that fruit production increases. v. 3 Jesus breaks away from the vine, branch and fruit analogy to give the spiritual reality. The issue of clean relates to the heart of the individual. Jews believed they were attached to the vine by nature of their birth, but they were not. Each would have to be transformed by grace through faith. Jesus states that the word He spoke to them, the gospel, was that which made them clean. We see this same idea in Ephesians 5:26 where the cleansing agent is the Word of God. The Word calls men to repent of sin and trust in Christ alone for salvation. The Jews believed they were assured heaven without believing on Jesus. Jesus clearly draws a dividing line between those that are truly attached to Him and those that will be cast off and burned in the fire. That dividing line is the Word of God, which calls all men to repentance and faith. Ask: What does this verse tell us if we are not in any way representing Christ and glorifying the Father? Note that it is a strong indication of an unregenerate, lost condition. 2
II. Obviously Abiding in Christ (vv. 4-11) v. 4 Jesus begins a major theme that connects verse 4 through 11. Abiding is the key word throughout these verses. We are told what it means to abide in verses 8 and 10. In verse 8 abiding is accomplished by those who have been saved by the hearing of the Word and are producing fruit. In verse 10 abiding is accomplished by those that obey God s Word. Neither of these verses carry a works salvation idea or any idea that our security as a believer depends on our obedience. Remember, Jesus is referring to outward evidence of those that are truly connected to Him. The vinedresser would not cut into a branch to see if it was green before removing it. He would simply examine the outer parts of the branch, see no fruit, no evidence of life, then cut it off. Although God sees the heart, Jesus is teaching that a person truly connected to Him is clearly recognized by what happens on the outside. The truly connected person bears fruit and is obedient to the Word of God, actions that anyone can clearly see. v. 5 Traditions, denominationalism, marketing, programs and promotions may help dead people go through the motions of church, but only a person that is connected to Jesus by grace through faith gives evidence of genuine life by producing genuine fruit. Only through Jesus can fruit that is of Him, and for Him, be produced. A group of people can unite under the title of a local church, but if each is not attached to Christ in a saving relationship it will be evident by the absence of anything that truly glorifies God. Much activity and humanitarian efforts can be accomplished through such a group, but nothing that brings glory to God will come out of a group or individual who is not attached to the Vine. v. 6 A dead branch could not be used for furniture, utensils, tools or building materials. The original audience would have known that a branch attached to a vine that was not bearing fruit had no other use. A person that is in the church but not attached to Jesus may appear busy and productive, but the Vinedresser, God, examines the life and sees no true fruit. It is significant to notice the change in pronouns in this verse. In the previous verses Jesus used first and second person pronouns (I, me, you). In this verse, referring to those that do not belong to Him, Jesus used third person pronouns (them, they). The significance lies not only in the shift in pronoun usage but in the context which refers to those people that are trying under their own power and with their own works to be attached to the Vine, but are really detached and useful only for the fires of Hell. Again, emphasize that this text does not teach a loss of salvation but rather a weeding out of those that are among the body but not of the body. First John 2:19 gives an example of such people. v. 7 It is common to read this verse from a man-centered view. Erroneous statements like, God gives you whatever you desire, or just name it and claim it and as a believer it will be yours are a result the verse must be taken as a whole, not as a part. The entire context of the verse is regulated by the fact that the true branches (believers) are attached to the true Vine 3
(Jesus). The branch only produces what the vine sends it to produce. From the vine comes all the nutrient and directives for the exact type of fruit that the branch will produce. Since Jesus is the Vine and believers are the branches, we will only desire that which Jesus desires if we are truly attached to Him. Do not neglect to note that our sin nature still rages inside us and we often desire that which Jesus does not desire. This verse emphasizes a person connected to Christ and saturated, filled with His Word and who asks according to the nature of Christ and content of His Word. When a believer asks something of God, we do so in a manner that simply reflects what He has already promised in His Word. That is what a true branch desires; to only produce what is perfectly consistent with the Vine. v. 8 Since fruit is the result of Jesus work of salvation in our lives, it brings glory to the Father. The chief concern of the believer in producing fruit is that the Father is glorified. Glory is a commonly misused word. It is most often, in Scripture, a synonym for that which God has made known of Himself. John 1:14 is an example of this usage. The glory of Jesus was His self revelation while He walked and talked on earth. To glorify the Father with fruit is to live in such a way that the nature, character and activity of God is evident through our lives. It is living in such a way that all our actions and words in family, business, school, church, and social settings accurately represent Christ. vv. 9-10 Two as statements detail the life a person that abides in Christ. We do not have the freedom to self determine what faithful Christianity looks like. Jesus specifically taught what it means to glorify God and live as believers. The first as statement is a reminder that the Father and Son are one God with the same nature. Just as the Father loved the Son (completely, unconditionally, eternally, unselfishly) so too has the Son loved us. Notice that we are not commanded to love in that manner for only God can love in such a way. We are called to abide or live in His love. Verse 10 instructs the believer how to live in the love of God. Jesus again stated that He was submissive to the Father while on earth to carry out the Father s will for man s salvation. Jesus fully obeyed the Father. Believers are to exemplify the love relationship of the Father and the Son, which was demonstrated in the Son s obedience to the Father, by being obedient to the Word of God. We represent the Trinitarian relationship of Father and Son when we obey the Word of God in submissiveness to God. The if clause in verse 10 implies that a believer will not abide in His love if there is disobedience to the Word. Hosea 1:6 offers commentary on this issue. God said, I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel. He would not pursue them with His love and mercy so long as they were disobedient to Him and remained unrepentant. But Hosea 2:1 teaches that upon repentance God would pour out His mercy and love. The issue in Hosea is that God would not allow a sinful people to misrepresent Him among the nations. This idea is that which Jesus taught in John 15:10. Disobedience will often bring about a time when God prunes sin from our lives when we live without faithfully demonstrating His love. It is true that the pruning process is an act of a loving Father, but the idea Jesus communicated was that disobedience brings about punishment, and obedience to 4
God s Word is the only means by which a believer demonstrates the love between Father and Son. v. 11 Jesus made the complex system of Judaism with all its rites, rituals and religious expectations appear foolish in this verse. The simplicity of Christianity is that we open the Bible, read it, and out of a transformed heart desiring only to worship God, we obey. A joy-filled life is not one that is consumed with man-made religious expectations and outward adornments intended to convince others of one s spiritual maturity. Rather a joy-filled life is one that obeys the Word of God for the glory of God. Ask: Why is it futile to attempt to do good things apart from Christ? Note that only Jesus enables us to do works out of a transformed heart that glorify God. III. Loving in Proportion to Christ s Love (vv. 12-17) vv. 12-13 Now the disciples are commanded in the manner in which they were to love. They could not love with the depth of love that exists only between Father and Son. However, they could imitate the sacrificial nature of Christ s love. Christ s sacrificial love set the standard of normal Christian love for one another. Verse 13 is the commentary on verse 12. The love that Jesus was teaching them to love each other with was the love that He would display by willingly laying down His life for each of them. It was only after the cross that these words would have been significant to the disciples. After the resurrection they were able to look back and realize that the love Jesus displayed on the cross served as the standard by which they were to express love to one another. vv. 14-15 At the end of verse 13 Jesus introduces the friend theme. In verse 14 Jesus defines who His friends were, namely, those that obeyed His Word. All that is necessary to outwardly demonstrate one s love for Jesus is to do what He says to do. Jesus does not negate the fact that His followers were also His servants, but rather uses the idea of friend to communicate the close relationship between Himself and His followers. A servant was often seen as one detached from a personal connection with the master and certainly did not know the intimate details of the master s business. However, Jesus referring to the disciples as friends was for the purpose of reminding them that He has let them in on the eternal mystery of God s plan to redeem mankind to Himself. They were friends in the sense that they were allowed to see the glory of God in the Son of God and know that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh. vv. 16-17 Further emphasizing the closeness of the relationship with these followers, Jesus reminds them of their calling. He took the initiative in directing the affairs of their lives so that they were in the exact place at the exact time in history for Him to call them to Himself. Jesus leaves no room for doubt or question as to why He called them to salvation and to obedience to 5
His Word. The purpose of His choosing them was for them to bear fruit. The fruit that remains is more than likely a reference to the genuineness of the fruit since it is coming from branches (believers) that are connected, nourished and directed by the Vine (Jesus). Notice that verse 16 is a reiteration of verse 8, and verse 17 is a reiteration of verse 12. The themes of bearing fruit and loving one another are reiterated because both of these commands of Jesus, when obeyed, allow the believer to rightly represent God to the world. Ask: Describe the qualities of Christ s love. You may refer them to Ephesians 5:22-33 or I Corinthians 13. Ask: What are specific ways we can demonstrate the love of Christ to others in our church? Ask: What is the greatest struggle for you in demonstrating the love of Christ to others. 6