John 15:1-11: Abiding in Christ

True Joy and the Fullness of Joy is found abiding in Christ and living all of our lives for Him. As branches… God prunes us of sin and our love for the world that our joy may be full in wholehearted devotion to Him.

Notes

Transcript

Scripture Reading

James 1:2–5 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Intro

What are you living for?

What is the joy and aim of your life?

Where is true joy found?

John 15:1-11 gives us the answer.

True Joy and the Fullness of Joy is found abiding in Christ and living all of our lives for Him.

My goal for this sermon is that we would all reassess our lives and ask ourselves what are we really living for.

Because its so easy to get lost in the grind of everyday life that we can miss how we subtly and slowly easy it is to live ourselves or something else other than Him.

The call to abide in Christ is a description of the Christian and the Christian life.

To be a Christian is to abide in Him.

And in Jesus metaphor… I am the vine, you are the branches… Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself…

Gives us a picture of the overall goal and aim of the Christian life.

As branches… God prunes us of sin and our love for the world that our joy may be full in wholehearted devotion to Him.

Let’s start in John 15:1-2 to see that all of the Christian’s life is to live for the glory of God in all circumstances… in times of plenty and in times of pruning.

John 15:1–2 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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.

I AM

Jesus is the True Vine.

This is the last of Jesus’ famous I Am statements in the Gospel of John where Jesus takes the Divine Name… Yahweh… I Am… upon Himself to say I AM the Almighty Sovereign, Eternal God and Covenant Keeping Lord of Salvation (Exodus 3:14).

I Am God incarnate in Human Flesh.

And in saying He is the True Vine Jesus is saying He is the True and Faithful Israel.

The Faithful Vine as opposed to Unfaithful Israel.

And we talked about last week about how this means Jesus is the Fulfillment of all the Covenant Promises of God in the Old Testament.

As the True Vine He is the only way to be a part of the people of God and the only way to be saved from all our sins.

‌That all of God’s promises of Rest… Blessing… and Eternal Life find their Yes and Amen in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20).

In other words Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life and the only way to have Eternal Life is by grace through faith in Him (John 14:6).

In other words, you must be connected to the Vine.

You must be “in Him” in a vital Life-Giving… Life-Transforming Faith and Discipleship.

Jesus says…

John 15:2–4 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.

If you are not in Christ bearing Fruit in Faith and Discipleship… you are a Dead Branch.

You are dead in your trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).

You have no life or grace in you.

Lose Salvation?

Now some people might read this and think that what this means is that someone can lose their salvation.

They could be “in Christ” but if the do not bear fruit they are taken away… cut off from the True Vine.

But no one truly in Christ can ever lose their salvation.

We are saved by grace through faith, not the result of works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

If you and I could lose our salvation… that would mean there are at least some works we must do to contribute to it.

That we are saved by grace but then we are saved by grace plus works giving us all at least some reason to boast… the very opposite of God’s free promise of Grace given to us in the Gospel.

We are saved not by our works, but the perfect work of Christ in His once for all sacrifice on our behalf.

So what is Jesus saying?

That there are some branches… some people… that might appear to be in Christ but are actually not connected to Him at all.

They are Dead Branches that on the outside look like the are connected to the vine… but on the inside do not have the life and sap of the Vine… eternal life… running through them.

They are still spiritually dead.

Superficial vs. Saving Faith

This has been a recurring theme in the Gospel of John.

All throughout the Gospel we’ve seen that there is a difference between Superficial and Saving Faith.

You can profess faith in Christ and look like a Christian on the outside but on the inside still be dead in your trespasses and your sins.

In John 2 John said there were some that believed in Jesus Christ… that’s the word he uses… but Jesus for His part did not entrust Himself to them.

He had no faith in their faith.

Its the same word. He did not believe in them.

Why? Because verse 25 He Himself knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25).

They did not trust in Christ with a wholehearted all of life commitment to follow Him.

In John 6:66 there were many of his disciples… again the word John uses… who John says turned back and no longer walked with Him.

Well what happened?

They went out from us, but they were not of us (1 John 2:19).

Its not that they lost their faith… They never had any saving faith to begin with.

All those that follow Jesus will surely persevere to the end.

Jesus has already said in the Gospel of John.

John 6: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day (John 6:37-39).

John 10: I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 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 (John 10:28-29).

So Jesus is not saying in John 15 that you can lose your salvation.

He’s saying that there is a kind of faith that isn’t actually faith at all.

This is a major concern in the Gospel of John because John wrote the book that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name (John 20:31).

And to do that… John wants us to see what true faith actually looks like.

True faith in Christ bears fruit.

There is a life change that happens for everyone that is vitally grafted into the vine.

The Bible says you were made alive together with Christ with the Eternal Life and grace of the vine coursing through your veins (Ephesians 2:5).

No branch that is truly in Christ can every truly be fruitless.

The Gospel will always have a radical, life-changing impact on your life.

Faith without works is dead. (James 2:26).

‌ Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, its no branch at all but a dry twig… good for nothing but to be burned.

That’s verse 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.

Do you have faith in Christ? Do you have a Vital Life-Saving… Life-Giving… Life-Transforming relationship to Him?

Have you been grafted in?

Jesus says Abide in me and I in you.

the force of the Greek is a command.

See that You Abide in me and I abide in You.

See that you have genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Being loosely connected to the Vine…

Making a profession of Faith…

Coming from a Christian Family…

Going to church and trying to be a good person…

None of those things actually save you.

You can be in the Vine… connected to the People of God… without the life of the Vine coursing through you.

You must be grafted in in a living and vital relationship to Jesus Christ.

You must have a personal faith in Christ that casts the full weight of your soul on Jesus and trusts in Him alone for salvation.

Jesus says in verse 3… Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

There’s a play on words going on here.

That word clean is the noun form of the verb prunes in verse 2.

So in effect, Jesus is saying Already you are clean… Already you are pruned… not a dead branch but a living branch because of the word that I have spoken to you… that word being faith the Gospel.

Unlike the dead and lifeless branches you are not cut off.

You are already pruned… you are already cleansed…

What was dead in you has been cut off and now you are a New Creation in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

By grace through faith you’re grafted in…

You’re made alive together with Him and connected to the True Vine with His life and His grace flowing through you as sap flows through a tree giving life to all its branches.

Every branch that does not bear fruit He takes away… and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Fruit is the outworking of a vital relationship to Jesus Christ.

Without it… you are nothing more than a Dead Branch.

That’s the emphasis of this passage… that you bear more fruit.

And that does two things.

Non Christian

For the Non Christian it says Test yourself.

Examine yourself to see whether or not you’re in the Faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Does your life look like one that is transformed by the Gospel and wholly committed to Jesus Christ?

Or when you look out at your life is it a dead lifeless branch with no fruit or power of the gospel to speak of?

Hear Jesus’ warning and see that you are grafted into the Vine!

Trust in Christ and put all of your hope and faith in Him.

You might be dead now but His life is so powerful that He can take a dead branch good for nothing but to be thrown into a pile and burned and make it alive again!

Whoever comes to me I will never… no never… not ever… cast out… I will graft them into myself and give them eternal life.

Christian

And for the Christian if every branch in Him bears fruit then what fruit should we be looking for and expect to see flowing from our vital union to Christ.

If true faith bears fruit… what fruit should we be aiming for… shooting for… striving for…

Working all that we can to see cultivated in our life?

Fruit?

Now one of the first things you should think of is the Fruit of the Spirit.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

These are the qualities and character that should mark the Christian life.

They are opposed to the fruit or works of the flesh.

Galatians 5:19–21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

The New Testament also describes it as the Fruit of Righteousness (Philippians 1:11; Hebrews 12:11).

The Fruit of Repentance (Matthew 3:8).

The Fruit of Light as opposed to darkness (Ephesians 5:9).

In other words it is a holy and transformed life.

One that Loves God… Loves His Law… and walks in obedience to Him.

Hebrews 13:15 describes Fruit as a sacrifice of praise to God, which in Romans 12 would be our bodies as a living sacrifice.

OT Background

In the context of our passage the fruit Christ is talking about would be more broadly described as devotion to God and obedience to Him.

Remember… Jesus said I Am the True Vine as opposed to the False and unfaithful Vine of Israel.

Speaking to Old Covenant Israel, God said in…

Jeremiah 2:21–22 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine? Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord God.

This is talking about Israel’s sin.

In Isaiah 5 God said He planted Israel and looked for it to yield grapes, but it only yielded wild grapes.

Jeremiah 11 describes the wild grapes… They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers (Jeremiah 11:10).

So the fruit God was looking for was faithfulness and obedience to Him.

An all of life… wholehearted devotion to Him.

This is the fruit God is looking for in us.

My Father is the vinedresser. 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 (John 15:1-2).

And look at verse 8…

John 15:8–11 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.

Now don’t get confused.

Jesus is not saying if you keep my commandments then I will love you.

As long as your obedient then I will love you, but if you are disobedient then you can kiss my love goodbye!

No He said in verse 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

Already loved.

When He says Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love what He is saying is we will know and enjoy His love as we keep His commandments.

As I’ve told you before we can’t enjoy Christ drink the fountain of living waters of eternal life when we are choking on sand.

Our sins are broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13).

Think of Psalm 40:8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.

Sin is a rottenness in our bones that promises life but only brings death (Psalm 32:3, 38:3).

And the standard we should strive for in obedience to God is Christ’s own example.

Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

All throughout the Gospel of John we have seen how Jesus has kept the Father’s commandments.

John 8:29 I always do the things that are pleasing to him.

John 4:34 My food is to do the will of him who sent me.

So abiding in Christ’s love is not “feelings” its a life of total obedience to Him where we submit all of our lives and all of our will to Him.

Where our aim is to always do the things that are pleasing to Him and our food… our life!… is to do His will.

This is the fruit that glorifies God the Father and so proves that we are Jesus’ disciples.

The Fruit God is looking for is Christ likeness.

An all of life… whole-hearted devotion to Him Bursting forth with the fruit of total obedience.

Ephesians 4:13 Describes it as mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

If this is God’s aim for our life… should it not be our aim as well.

Should we not also bend all of our life and give all of our effort to bear fruit to the glory of God the Father?

If He is pruning us that we might bear more fruit are we living in line and in accordance to that Divine Plan?

Are we living to bear fruit or are we living for something else?

Joy of Christ

As Jesus said These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

True Joy is found in bearing fruit to the glory of God living with all of our lives and all of our hearts wholly devoted to Him!

And notice what Jesus says… that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.

The very joy of Christ!

Now what is that?

What does it mean to have the joy of Christ in us?

This is so key because this tells us what the true joy of our life will be in Him… what we should be aiming at and living all of our lives for.

Now remember the context because this is going to be important for when we talk about how the Father prunes.

Jesus was on His way to the cross… about to be betrayed and suffer the wrath of God for the sins of the world.

And His joy reached higher than His circumstances.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…

Jesus’ joy was rooted the glory of God and the salvation of His people.

Glory

On the cross, Jesus exalted the glory of God as The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty… (Exodus 34:5-7).

His holiness, righteousness, justice… mercy, grace, and forgiveness are all right there.

It is in the cross of Christ that we know God.

Salvation

And Jesus endured the cross for the salvation of His people.

As Isaiah says Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11).

For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross… looking forward to the glory of God and the salvation of His people.

Now what that means is that if Christ’s joy is in us, then our joy… our aim… our life will be the glory of God and growing into the full maturity of salvation that Christ has purchased for us!

Or as Paul called it to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

Christlikeness… godliness… living all of our lives… as Jesus did… doing that which is pleasing to God the Father (John 8:29).

Do you see your all of your life as for the glory of God and do make the aim of your life to bear fruit for Him?

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away.

This is the life and heart of the Christian!

So how do we bear fruit?

Jesus says there is only one way… Abide in Him.

Abide

John 15:4–5 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.

The only way to bear fruit and have the fullness of joy is to abide in Christ.

Now what does that mean?

Well first and foremost it means believing in Christ… we looked at that earlier.

But after that… it usually gets a little fuzzy.

Mysticism?

And that’s because most people have preached abide in Christ and turned abide in Christ into some kind of emotional feeling… some subjective experience of a relationship with Christ.

And here’s the danger with that.

It turns abiding in Christ into looking for the next spiritual experience… this somewhere out there spiritual feeling where we feel Christ is near to us instead of believing what the Bible says that we are already one with Him under His blessing, grace, kindness, and favor.

This kind of thinking puts our spiritual life on a never-ending treadmill and keeps us from bearing fruit to the glory of God in the ordinary Christian life.

Abiding in Christ is much more practical than some spiritual feeling.

The word abide means to remain, stay, or dwell.

It carries the idea of making our home with Christ.

Sticking close to Him.

Persevering

In the context of John 15 it carries the idea of persevering and holding fast to Christ in all life’s circumstances… the good times and the bad.

Walking with Him… persevering with Him… in step-by-step, moment-by-moment devotion and obedience to Him no matter the circumstances… the trials… the hardships we might face.

I believe Christ’s call to abide in Him is ultimately a call to persevere and hold fast in whole-hearted devotion to Him.

Consider the context…

The Disciples are troubled…

Christ is promising them Peace saying Let not your hearts be troubled, and neither let them be afraid (John 14:27).

He’s about to tell them if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you (John 15:18).

He talked about God pruning us in the context of trials and hardship which we are going to look at here in a second.

And in the high priestly prayer of John 17 Jesus prays for them and prays for our faith.

He prayed keep them in your name (John 17:11).

And I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one (John 17:15).

Jesus prayed that we might not fall away but persevere in our faith and abide in Him.

In John 16:1 He says I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.

The whole context of suffering and trials and hardship is really important for us today because Jesus’ whole point is we will not make it unless we abide in Him.

We must hold fast to Him.

Stick close to Him.

Abide in me and see that I abide in you.

Do all that you can to hold unbroken communion and fellowship with Him!

Far from being a command to seek out spiritual and emotional experiences… Jesus here is calling us to lean on Him.

Rest in Him.

Draw our life and strength from Him in absolute dependence on Him.

To persevere in the good times and the bad.

Prunes

And we need to talk about that… because hard times will come.

Jesus says every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

God prunes us… and times of pruning are hard.

When you prune a vine you use a sharp knife to cut all the unhealthy growth away.

You might even cut it down to nothing, but but eventually that vine is bursting with fruit.

That can be our own spiritual life.

God is looking for fruit… whole-hearted love, devotion, and obedience to Him.

And to get that fruit, He will prune all that unhealthy growth.

God prunes us of our love for sin and the things of this world.

He cuts it all off that we might be wholly devoted to Him and it might be painful for a time but God knows what He is doing… Do we trust in Him?

This pruning is progressive sanctification through the Ministry of the Word and Hardships of life.

Word

The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

The Word works in us to change how we think, feel, and from those new hearts and new affections… how we act.

This is why the Ministry of the Word and the preaching of the Word is so necessary for your Christian life.

It cant be neglected.

It is the knife God uses to prune us.

By renewing our thoughts and affections and being brought to bear on every area of our life.

Part of Abiding in Christ is having His word abide in us… taking root and bearing fruit in our life (John 15:7).

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16).

Suffering

And God also uses our sufferings… the trials and hardships of life.

This is a difficult doctrine and its why I tell you all the time Don’t waste your suffering.

It can be extreme hardships like cancer or failing health.

A miscarriage or the loss of a child.

Bur it’s not just suffering as in bad things happening to us.

God also prunes us by trials and difficulties of everyday life.

When biblical parenting is difficult and overwhelming.

Frustrations with work or your spouse.

Broken relationships or just frustrations you have in life.

Just as you don’t waste your sufferings don’t waste your frustrations… When that spirit of anger or discontent or impatience rises up in you.

James 4 says What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? and he says Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have…

You aren’t getting what you want.

We could take that principle and apply it to our everyday life.

Why do you get frustrated and quarrel and fight against life?

Its because your passions are at war within you… you aren’t getting what you want.

Those frustrations… those trials… those hardships is God pruning us of our love for sin and things of this world… the things we want… that we might be wholly devoted to Him.

Sometimes this is a painful cutting…

Because sometimes all God is wanting to show us is that when everything is lost we still have him.

All our hardship is not because of some sin.

Sometimes God strips away everything… cuts us down to nothing… to show us My grace sufficient for you… My power is made perfect in weakness.

Sometimes in the suffering all God is wanting to do is show us that all we truly want is Him.

That all that pruning is to draw us near to Him with a heart that says this world has nothing for me.

Don’t waste your suffering and don’t waste your trials and frustrations…

Ask yourself what is God trying to teach me in this?

How is God growing me in this?

What sins or love for the world is God cutting away that I might be wholly devoted to Him?

Its not pleasant.

But this pruning is not pointless and its not necessary chaos in your life.

Its Vinedresser pruning you that you might bear more fruit.

Hebrews 12:10–11 He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

When suffering comes, the answer is not to use it as an excuse for sin or grow lax in striving to live all of our lives in a life of godliness until things get better…

The answer is to Abide in Christ.

God is not pruning us to hurt us… He’s pruning us that we might live fruitful lives for Him (Psalm 119:67).

Ordinary Means of Grace

And how do we abide?

Remember its not mysticism or ooey-gooey feelings for Jesus.

Its persevering and holding fast to Him.

Keeping His word allowing Christ’s word to abide in us (John 15:7).

Its not seeking after spiritual feelings or experiences its the ordinary means of grace in the normal… ordinary Christian life.

What does it look like to Abide in Christ?

Cultivate an active spiritual life.

The Ministry of the Word… Prayer… and Active Participation and worship in the Church.

It looks like personal worship and devotion… family worship.

Prayer to the Lord and dependance on Him.

And joining the church and coming together to Worship the Lord, celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and sit under the preaching of His Word.

Its not fancy… its not spectacular but its what abiding in Christ looks like.

Holding fast and walking in whole-hearted devotion and obedience to Him.

Conclusion

Are we coasting or are we prioritizing our spiritual life and devotion to Christ?

Is our aim to live for the glory of God and strive in all things to bear the fruit of eternal life or to live for ourselves and the things of this world?

Jesus said These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Made complete… the fullness of joy.

Not a little bit of joy… all of it.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:11).

True Joy is found in abiding in Christ and living all of our lives for Him.

The Call to Abide in Christ is to surrender all of our lives to Him.

To die to yourself.

To say God prune me of sin and the things of this world that I may bear good fruit.

Help me to see and live all of my life for you glory.

And listen… I know that’s hard to pray.

Its a scary thing to pray God prune me of sin and the things of this world.

Let me be wholly devoted and find all of my joy in you.

Its a scary prayer because there’s a part of us that says, “I’m not really sure.”

We want that… we want to want that, but we’re afraid of what we might lose.

What that life might cost.

Even in preaching this sermon I know I have a hypocritical heart… one that says God I want to be pruned… but I’m afraid of the knife.

There’s some sin or love for the world in me that’s holding me back.

And If that’s you… I’ll tell you what I pray…

I believe… help my unbelief (Mark 9:23-25).

God change my heart.

Prune me of sin and the things of this world of finding life and joy in anything other than you.

In those times of suffering I don’t see it… I don’t know what you’re doing…

But give me faith to trust you…

Let steadfastness have its full effect and let me find my life and the fullness of joy in devotion and obedience to you.

And Jesus promises that if we pray this, He will do His work in us.

John 15:5 and 7 Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit… If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.

Let’s Pray

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