Anyways, tonight we're continuing our study in the Gospel of John, and John 15 is where we are, and what a wonderful section of scripture I'm going to read all the way through verse 17, and we will focus on actually all the way to verse 14, beginning at John 15, verse one. I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. 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. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 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. 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. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples as the father has loved me so have i loved you abide in my love 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 these things i have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this than that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. 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. 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. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. And there we'll end the reading of God's word. I'd like you to recall the context here for a moment. Jesus is going away, and he is preparing his disciples for this, and they are confused about everything that is happening, and they're confused about how to go forward in his absence. That is the great context to this passage, and that's what he's dealing with in this particular passage. That terrible things are happening all around the disciples. Terrible things have been said that are going to happen by Jesus himself. Think of Jesus saying to Peter, you're going to stumble and you're going to fall. Jesus has said numerous times that he's going to face crucifixion. And this section is one of the most pastoral sections of jesus's love and concern for his own disciples and john uh really is that what jesus is is doing here is calling them to find their strength in him so that they would not lose heart jesus is helping them to understand where the source of their strength is even in his physical absence so that they would fulfill the purpose for which he is leaving them in the earth they could um sit around when everything seems to go wrong when everything falls apart all around they could sit around and become bitter they could become depressed they could become inactive they could become fruitless they could live in fear that's one way they could go or they could listen to jesus and what he's telling them to do in the midst of all these things and that's what this passage is about when everything is falling apart and everything seems to be going to hell in a hand basket as they say so many people hunker down don't they so many people think that's the time to retreat so many people think that that's the time to back away and they become inactive as christians that's our great i think difficulty in light of the church is inactivity and this is one of the things that jesus is addressing here right now that is not what he's calling them to he does not want idleness you know the apostle will talk about not being idle and this is quite a passage for us because everyone wants to talk about action today that's the big thing everyone wants it wants to talk about action what is true action what does it look like what is the lord after from us and this is one of those meaningful passages that helps us with this concept of abiding abiding And that's what we're going to explore briefly here in the few minutes that we have. That really it is, in the time of our life here, there really is nothing more fulfilling. There's nothing more satisfying than doing the will of the Lord. That's a beautiful thing to say. There's nothing more satisfying as we live out our Christian life than doing his will. That's a cheer for us. That's a joy for us. that's a fulfillment for us and jesus doesn't want us inactive in the kingdom jesus is going to address very clearly here the problem of being fruitless in the christian life we are not to be fruitless christians and so he's explaining that for us and he's explaining them for them particularly when everything's going apart around them falling apart that's the context of this which is fascinating so it's kind of a big allegory here that you have to stand back from and look at the big picture of what Jesus is addressing lest you land in all kinds of dangerous places with this passage. First 11 verses form the first unit of John 15 and that conclusion statement's very important there in verse 11 that these things I've spoken to that my joy may remain in you and that your joy would be full. You know Christian life is about joy, right? You know, the Christian life is about having true happiness in the Lord. Blessed is the man, happy in the Lord. It's joy. So he's writing these things that we would have that inner peace and joy that he gives to his sheep as we go forward. Now, I want you to remember that Christ's desire in this passage is to give them that joy as they go forward in absence in light of what is now about to unfold. So that's where we left off last time. The context here is Jesus is administering the supper. you compare this with the other gospels he's administering the supper he has said at this point what we say when we partake of the supper this is my my body this is my blood that i've given for you he's holding up the wine and now john gives us a section here to explain exactly the teaching that came out of jesus at this moment that the other gospels don't provide so it's it's powerful it's really powerful we've studied this usually on the passion when we consider Good Friday and the events surrounding Good Friday will often address the institution of the supper. But here we are in the midst of that and what were the words of Jesus through this moment? What was he telling his disciples during this moment? And notice how he begins this sort of allegory here. I am the vine and my father is the vine dresser. It's a beautiful moment. It's a pastoral moment. One of the most comforting pastoral things that Jesus says. He describes the work of the Father as the cultivator of the branches. You're the branches. Saying, my Father is the keeper of my vineyards. Some of you had vineyards. You'll really understand exactly what he's talking about. He's the gardener. He's the vine dresser. He describes the heavenly Father as the one who, in a sense, tills the ground and is pruning and is maintaining the life of the vineyard. And Jesus says something that might be troubling to us. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he, the Father, takes it away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes that it would bear more fruit. That's quite a remarkable statement if you think about it. Many have taken this to say that there are those who were truly saved in the kingdom and hear all the blessings of Jesus they had received, but because they don't bear fruit, they lose salvation. That has been one of the ways this passage is preached, and that is not at all what Jesus is doing here at all. That is not close to what he's saying. He just said, I want joy in you. You don't give people joy by making them feel like they could lose their salvation. It's not going to work. Look closely at what he's saying. It's important. What Jesus is concerned to do is address every sort of trouble the disciples are facing at this moment and giving them a path forward, giving them wisdom, giving them help to how to think through all of this for their future ministry. There's one thing that is very disturbing to them that has not been addressed yet by Jesus. One thing. It was predicted that it would happen. but what did he say one of you will betray me one of you will betray me he did that at the supper and that one who would betray him got up at that moment and left right out in front of their eyes he walked out right out right out in front of their eyes think of the imagery of that Think of the discouragement of that. There was the one to go off named Judas to betray Jesus. That's the most troubling incident so far for them. You have to understand that. How could you walk with Christ? How could you see all that he did and betray him? It rocked their world. I would imagine Judas was somewhat of a hero among them. You know? Who would be the greatest heroes in Christianity today? Who would be the ones who are the greatest heroes that we follow and that we read and that we think are just great pillars in the faith? Imagine this. Imagine the discouragement of this. It would be really bad if one of our great heroes apostatized and defected from the faith, wouldn't it? And you could walk with Christ and see all that you did and end up betraying him? And it leads to the question, well, could I do that? See, that's what they asked, remember? Lord, is it I? Lord, could I do that? And Jesus is explaining something, I think, here that they needed to understand about the ministry and the nature of the kingdom. There is a painful reality in the vineyard. There always will be a painful reality in this life in the vineyard that Jesus is helping them here to understand and for their future ministries. Apostasy is a problem. apostasy is a real problem and jesus helping them understand an apostasy is knowing the truth believing the truth and turning your back and walking away from the truth and so here we have here people attached to the vine there are some people who are identified with christ in the church by baptism they are in connection with him they're in that connection they're in that relationship in the life of the church and they don't have life remember the theme of john is life the theme of john is is everything that we've been studying you know this by nature you know this by nature you listen you walk grab a tree look at a tree look at the branches on a tree you'll see some some branches and they have all kinds of buds on them and they have all kinds of of leaves and it's a healthy branch and then right next to that branch is a dead one that's exactly what jesus is describing they have the outward blessings of this but they don't have what john has been telling us in in in the gospel of john they don't have regeneration what is that regeneration it's what he told nicodemus you have to be born again you don't just get this by being born in the church and having baptism put on you you have to have life put into you by the holy spirit he has to regenerate the heart that's very important to put it in theological terms for what we have here they are in the covenant but they are not of the covenant they don't have the substance of the covenant that's The classic distinction that Paul would make in Romans, that a Jew is not one outwardly, but a Jew is one inwardly whose circumcision is that of the heart. That's regeneration. By the Spirit, not of the letter. Not by law doing, not by law keeping. Boys and girls, very simply, there are believers and there are make-believers. And that's an important distinction in the kingdom. Jesus is describing this reality because his purpose is to explain Judas. Not to discourage them, but to answer their distressing moment. In this great vineyard, we have Christ pictured and represented as the life of the branches. The Father tending to the vineyard. And in that vineyard, two kinds of branches. So that's what he says in verse 2. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes. that it may bear more fruit. Two branches there, aren't there? Now, this is crucial to understanding the text. Did you see what he did? He gave them a summary statement about Judas, if you will. At some point, the father takes away the dead branches. The parable of the sower, remember, he talked about the sower and that last seed that lands in the good soil. Remember the first thing that's said about it? It bears fruit, some 30, 60, and 100-fold, according to the grace given to them. And that's what's being described here in this particular section. And the apostles needed to understand this. Remember that the apostle Paul would speak of a fellow servant named Demas who would forsake him and walk away from it all having loved the world. Demas has forsaken me having loved the world. If you didn't understand this reality, it would be absolutely distressing in the kingdom. So Judas is gone. I think this affected John to explain to the church in 1 John this reality. They went out from us because they were not of us. For if they were of us, they would have remained with us. But now they went out of us that it might be shown that they were never of us. That's 1 John. He's describing this reality. He's describing this reality. So this is rather distressing at this point. And now Jesus turns to his disciples knowing this. And I want you to feel the comfort of the passage. But you are already clean. Because of the word that I've spoken to you. Think of this morning. The purging and washing effect of the word. Remember he said this when he was washing their feet. He said, he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet. But it's completely clean. But you are already clean. But not all of you. He was speaking of Judas. So Jesus begins now to describe, in contrast to that reality, what he's done for them. What has he done for them? Well, I've got a different plan for you. That's what he's saying. I've got a different plan for you. You're not going to be fruitless. You're not going to be fruitless. He looks at them, disturbed over Judas, and says, I want you to know, first and foremost, you're already clean. What a thing to say. What a pastoral thing to say. You're already washed, which means you're forgiven. You're purified ceremonially. We looked at that in John 13. And Jesus holds up the adverb, already. Already. You've been justified, is what he's saying. You're in the best standing before God. So he said this already in John 5. Anyone who hears my word, again, this morning, Anyone who hears my word, this is John 5, though, who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has already passed from death to life. It's already done. You've already moved out of being in the darkness and domain of death to having the principle of life implanted in your hearts through regeneration by the Spirit. It's done. That's the ability to hear the word. Cleansed and washed. And now I want you to know something, says Jesus. Do you know it's the Father's work? to grow you and to prune you. It's the Father's commitment to grow you and to prune you who are attached to me. This is really beautiful language here. And that's the point. When you are regenerated, life is given to you, and a branch cannot bear fruit in and of itself. You cannot bear fruit, and here it comes, unless you abide in me, says Jesus. Now, keep in mind, when I read this passage, he says other things that are very important here. You did not choose me. I want you to know that. Let's make that really clear. You did not make the sovereign choice in your life to choose me. I chose you, as he says, and I appointed you. Notice what he says. I appointed you that you should go and do what? Bear fruit. You're chosen and you're appointed to bear fruit and that your fruit should remain. So keep that all in front of you. He just said, it's absolutely true that my sheep will bear fruit and that my sheep are appointed to bear fruit because I chose them. That's powerful stuff. That is powerful stuff he's saying. Fruit bearing is that result of an ability to hear the word of God and which is based on his gracious washing and regenerating of our hearts so that by implanting life there, taking a dead heart and making it alive, You now become a branch connected to the vine where life is flowing from him to you and you are bearing fruit. That's what he's saying. Now, the whole point of this is to say, are you concerned about Judas? Listen, there is that reality in the kingdom and it's distressing. We call everyone to repentance and faith. But I want you to listen to what I'm saying to you here. You need to know what your concern is, is how dependent you are upon me for everything. That's what he's saying to them. I have to enable. I have to hold you. I have to keep you. I have to strengthen you. I have to pour my life into you. Or that's what would happen to everyone. See, this is moving. And Jesus is speaking this way. So now with the parameters set that way, Jesus is teaching his disciples the responsibility of the Christian life to learn then how to depend upon the true vine for help. This is where it's really important for us. To learn how to depend on that vine, the one who gives life, the one whom we're attached to by union with Jesus. How that life, how we are to go forward and now learn to find strength and dependence upon him so that we actually are not fruitless but fruitful Christians, you see. So what does he do at this point? He gives them a serious call to do what? Abide in him. Look at verse 4. Abide in me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 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 what? Nothing. I don't think we realize every day when we get up and we go do our tasks how much he's upholding us. You could do absolutely nothing without him. And that means that every bit of strength you have to do any good work is him with his life filling you. Now, it's a beautiful statement that even though he's absent, he's saying life still flows. And we're going to look at the work of the Holy Spirit to come that makes that so. But Jesus is commanding them to this responsibility in the Christian life. To tend and cultivate the life that is theirs because they're washed. Abide with me. You know what that means? It means to stay with me. Remain with me. Stay with me, says Jesus. He had already said this in John 14. You believe in God, believe also in me. Keep on believing, which presupposes that it's difficult in this Christian life, and it presupposes that when we depart and we're doing things in our own dependence, our own independence, excuse me, no wonder we find ourselves falling into sin. No wonder we find ourselves doing the things that we don't want to do. Jesus is saying the only way forward is in him, in his life. And this is important. There are real pressures to go backwards. There are many things trying to pull us away from Jesus every day. There are many ideas that are coming at us. You've caught three enemies you battle, you know, and they're not little enemies. We just read it, and I prayed about it in the prayer. you've got the world coming at you in every way don't we believe that now you've got the devil coming at you in every way he can and you got this problem in yourself that you're your own worst enemy those are three formidable foes that are coming at you all day long and you see what jesus is saying here you have a tendency to go real backwards when you listen to these foes in jesus calling his his followers to the crucial responsibility to find their strength and to find their help in him that's what he's doing especially in times when you're tested with severe hardship and trial you know you could have something tomorrow that devastates life i've seen it with people who once had strong convictions on something and all of a sudden because of a life circumstance, they've thrown it all out the door. Stay with me, says Jesus. Remain with me. Think of all the stuff happening right now. Think of how many people are pulled this way and that way with everything happening. What is everyone looking for? Meaning? Life? A kingdom? Strength? A savior? Really? Everyone's looking for a Savior. Everyone's looking for an answer. Everyone's looking to find meaning to all of this. Everyone's looking to find a place where we could actually give our energies in life to a cause that is successful. Well, here we are. To a cause that matters. It's a call here from Jesus to a life of dependency on Him. We try constantly to live this life on our own. Look at this morning. I was preaching that passage thinking, 2 Timothy 2, preach the word in season, out of season, that he gives this church and gives us a place to be ministered to the word. And there's actual power in life that flows from that. You say, well, I don't know. Where do I see that? Tell me, answer me this question. The people who stay away from the church, the people who are away from the church, tell me how fruitful they are in the kingdom. Not much, if at all. the people connected to the vine the people receiving that word are the most fruitful of people we can prove that we can prove that it's nothing to debate that's evidence to us I love what's said here you know this is crucial to the understanding of the Christian life the vitality of the Christian life you're already clean you're already justified but here's the way forward Abide. Abide in my word. Remember, he'll use this interchangeably. With abide in me, abide in my word. That's the whole key to this section, if you will. I believe it's understood by something that Jesus says after this, that you get it even further. Verse 7. Look at verse 7. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you. See? See how the word penetrates, and then it fills the heart, and the word has the effect of abiding in us. As we receive it. That's our connection to the vine, and that's how we're abiding in him. So notice that connection. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. What a statement. Desire. Well, we talked about passions this morning. What do people do today with their own passions? Whatever they want. What does the Christian desire? God's changed your desires. Your desire now is to love him. Your desire now is to do what's right in your life. Your desire is to honor the commandments of God. Your desire is to lead holy lives. Your desire is to be sanctified in sanctification. Your desire is to love one another. These are all redeemed desires that have filled your life. But performing them are difficult. Performing them are difficult. So let's see what Jesus is saying here. Let's see what he's saying here. He's saying so wonderfully that abiding in me through word and prayer, when you come to me and that word is dwelling within you, and you're abiding in me and I in you in that word, and you come to me and ask that these holy desires that have been changed now, not from the passions that you once lived in, doing whatever you wanted to do, But now the desires that have been changed, I'm going to give that. And you're going to have strength to do it. See how important. Talking about the word of God and prayer is not just super pious things that don't mean anything. They're vital. They're important for us. They're avenues for us. So what will the Lord do for you? Lord, I'm really struggling with sin in my life. I'm really struggling with this. and I really don't want to do these things, and I want to have a life that's more focused on you and more devoted to you and loving my neighbor and serving my neighbor, not thinking of myself. Guess what the Father is going to do? He's going to prune you. He's going to prune you. The word pruning is not an easy process, by the way. You leave a tree alone. I'm not much of a gardener, but I know this. If you leave a tree alone and hope that it has a lot of fruit on it, it's not going to turn out that well. You cut the thing way back, and you know that next year, it's going to be if you do it right. It's going to, see, you guys are all laughing because the guys don't know how to do this, but if you do it right, there's going to be real fruit on that thing. The word means here making clean by removing the bad parts. A lot of bad parts in us still. father's going to come and prune father's going to come and work you're going to ask the lord to do this the forest service says about pruning pruning for health involves removing diseased or insect infested wood thinning the crown to increase airflow and reduce some pest problems and removing crossing and rubbing branches pruning can be best used to encourage trees to develop a strong structure and reduce the likelihood of damage during severe weather removing broken or Damaged limbs encourages wound closure. Pruning then is removing sin in your life. It's chipping away at it so that you're able to grow properly. It encourages wound closure so that you're able to love and forgive your neighbor and serve them. Meaning it enables you to forgive. Enables you to love. It enables you to do the things of the kingdom that are everything contrary to this world. The Lord hears this and he makes a promise that when you come to him and recognize that I can't do anything without you, O Lord, that's what prayer is. Prayer is an act of total dependency upon him. Letting his word dwell in you is an act of dependency upon him as it fills your hearts and fills your minds and as you fill your minds and hearts with prayer, he prunes you and makes you more fruitful. That's what he's saying I'm going to do for you. That's the access you have because it's now the longing of it. Do you think Judas cared anything about that? Nope. In and out. Gone. Didn't matter a thing. This is why Jesus said, you'll know them by their fruits that they bear. There's no desire for the things of Christ and no fruit. They're not of Christ. I love verse 9. As the Father loved me, I also have loved you. Notice how this is such rooted in tender love language in the right way to simply encourage and help his struggling sheep. Listen to this beautiful language, beloved. As the Father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. You want to abide in my love, says Jesus. If you keep my commandments, you'll abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have truly spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. does anyone trust the love of God when they're living in sin? Well, they could falsely say that. The reality is, is when you go sin, your own conscience rises up against you and the first thing it says is, how could God love you? You know that. But when you're doing what's right in this life and you're honoring the path he has for you and you love his commandments, did you notice what he says? There's a way there, an encouragement to abide in his love. Jesus looks at them and assures them that the Father has loved them and that he loves them. And here's your way forward. Jesus says that the fruit of that will be a will and desire to love his commands. His commands are not burdensome, he says. This is what we call third use of the law. This is what we call a way of gratitude and living. Jesus is saying the fruit of remaining in his love is to have the desire of your hearts fulfilled in doing his commandments. What does that look like? Well, it's not surprising then that Jesus goes to the summary of all commandments. What's the summary principle of all the commandments? Love. This is my commandment, verse 12, that you love one another as I've loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than someone lay down his life for his friends. Be about my father's business. That's what I want you to do. I've loved you. I've died for you. I've washed you. I've cleansed you. You're not under condemnation. You're my children. Here's what I want you to do in going forward. Be about my father's commandments. I don't want you idle. I know everything's falling apart all around us right now. I don't want you idle. What do we do in these moments? Hunker down. Panic. We could complain. We can get bitter. We can fall into misery. We can do everything and become simply idle Christians, fruitless Christians. And that is not what he's called us to. See what he's saying here? He says the best way to be active in service, the best way to do and to go forward as my sheep is to look a lot like me. What did I do? I came here to lay down my life. Greater love has no one than this, than that someone lay down his life for his friend. That's what I've done for you, says Jesus. I've loved you. I've laid down my life for you. Now I want you to think about how to love one another. In a world that's dog-eat-dog right now, in a world that slanders and trashes everyone, in a world that hates their neighbor, what a fulfilling calling, you see? What a happy calling. Your rights have been taken from you a long time ago. Did you know that? Let that set in for a minute. Your rights have been taken from you a long time ago because you were bought with a price. You're no longer your own. For what? That we would show the world what sacrificial love looks like now and the way that we love one another. Didn't Jesus say, now this is how all men will know you're my disciples? By the love that you have for one another. You know what's weird, beloved, is now when I say these things, I feel like it's considered by our culture, even American Christians, as weak. Weak to say these things now. It's not weak. There is nothing that looks more like Jesus than when we love sacrificially this way. And this is what he's saying. You look like me this way. It's a fulfilled life this way. You're my children. Be my children. That's what he's saying. The fruitless will be carried away, but blessed are those who hear and bear much fruit. Jesus is encouraging us tonight that theirs is the kingdom. And I think what a meaningful passage for sanctification and for purpose in life. We're going to come back to this next time and continue it and see how Jesus continues to address these things. But go in this love, go in this confidence. You're already clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. So abide in that word. Let that word abide in you. Come to me in prayer. Ask that those desires that are now changed would be fulfilled. Abide in my love by honoring my will and the commandments. That's what you're to be busy with in serving and loving one another. That's what you're called to in these times where everyone's worried about action. That's what I want you to be as my people. I think this is a wonderfully encouraging passage tonight that Jesus uses pastorally to encourage his sheep in dangerous times and in hard seasons. And I pray that it encourages you. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us such a marvelous truth of how we are to be as your people. And thank you for, Lord, setting us apart. May we not be fruitless. May there be no Judases among us. May there be only people who hear the word, believe the word, and bear much fruit in their lives for the glory of God, abiding in that word and in the Lord Jesus Christ. And whatever unholy desires are within us, O Lord, would you take those away for we now hate them and replace them with holy desire, good motives, good things that are conformity to your law and your commandments. And let us be a people who are thankful. Thank you, O Lord, for giving us your word today and for guiding us in its light. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Thank you.