The Gospel According to John: 15:1-17
The Gospel According to John • Sermon • Submitted
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· 16 viewsThis is the 46th sermon in the series.
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Series Introduction:
The theme verse for our series is John 20:31
John 20:31 – “…these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
The “these” John is referring to are the seven recorded SIGNS/miracles and the seven recoded “I Am” STATEMENTS of Jesus. John focused on those 14 key SIGNS and STATEMENTS in order to show us that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World because He’s God’s only begotten Son. God had John write these things so that we would believe and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ so that by the grace of God we would be FREED from the penalty of our sin and given life to the FULL here on earth and life FOREVER in heaven.
Recap/review/summary:
Sign 1: Water into wine (John 2)
Sign 2: Royal officer’s won healed (John 2)
Sing 3: Lame man healed on Sabbath (John 5)
Sign 4: Feeding the 5 thousand (John 6)
Sign 5: Man born blind given sight (John 9)
Sign 6: Lazarus raised from the dead (John 11)
Sign 7: *(John 20)
I Am Statement 1: The Bread of Life (John 6)
I Am Statement 2: The Light of the World (John 8 & John 9)
I Am Statement 3: The Door (John 10)
I Am Statement 4: The Good Shepherd (John 10)
I Am Statement 5: The Resurrection and the Life (John 11)
I Am Statement 6: The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14)
I Am Statement 7: The Vine (John 15)
John 15:1–17 (NASB)
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 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. 11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things 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 would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 “This I command you, that you love one another.
Branches need to be placed.
Branches need to be placed.
16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you...
Who does the placing?
God does the placing.
Matthew 15:13 (ESV)
13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
Romans 11:23 (NASB)
23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
Romans 11:24 (NASB)
24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Have you been placed into a right relationship with Jesus Christ?
Branches need to be producing.
Branches need to be producing.
(v. 16) “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit...”
Producing fruit!
What kind of fruit?
Like fruit.
Like fruit.
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Love, Joy, Peace...
9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 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. 11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you...
John 14:27 (NASB)
27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.... (Galatians 5)
Psalm 1:1–3 (NASB)
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Lots of fruit.
Lots of fruit.
5 “... he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit...
v. 8) 8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
Psalm 1:3 (NASB)
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season...
Lasting fruit.
Lasting fruit.
(v. 16) 16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
Psalm 1:3 (NASB)
...And its leaf does not wither...
Branches need to be pruned.
Branches need to be pruned.
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
Some get Cut off
Some get Cut off
2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away...
6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
Judas was one of these...
Some get Cut back
Some get Cut back
2 “...and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Clean is the same word for “prune”. So how does God do His pruning? through the word of God…
Memory Verse of the Week:
Obadiah 15 (NASB)
15 “For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.
Discussion Questions: (John 15:1-17)
What does it mean for Jesus to be the vine? (v. 1a, 3)
In what ways is our Heavenly Father the vinedresser? (v. 1b-2)
What is the fruit Jesus is speaking of? (v. 1-2, 4-5, 8, 16)
How does the word of Christ make us “clean”? (v. 3) How does being made clean relate to fruit bearing?
What does it mean to “abide” in Christ? (v. 4-5) Why does abiding in Christ cause us to bear fruit?
Why do you think a lack of fruit bearing carries serve consequences? (v. 6)
How are abiding in Christ and answered prayer connected? (v. 7)
Why does God expect us to bear fruit? (v. 8)
What does it mean to abide in the “love” of Christ? (v. 9-10) In what ways do you need to be more consistent in abiding in the “love” of Christ?
According to Jesus, what is the secret to having a joy filled life? (v. 11)
In what ways has Jesus shown us His love? (v. 12-13) In what ways does He expect us to show love to each other? (v. 17)
What is it that makes us friends of God? (v. 14-15)
What is God’s purpose in choosing and saving us? (v. 16)
What else were you taught about God in this passage?
What else did the text teach you about yourself?
Did anything else in these verses stick out to you?
How do you believe God is leading you to respond to His word?
