In the short passage Jesus taught His disciples some very great truths. He spoke of how His disciples were joined to him by their faith. That faith-union already existed but could be deepened as His disciples drew nearer to Him. Jesus Himself would help them in that process. There was danger for those who refused to abide in Him. However, there would be a blessing for those who committed themselves to Jesus and to His words.
The theme here is of abiding in Jesus. But what does ”abide” mean? It comes from [menō; μένω] and has these meanings, to remain, await, continue to be, to remain regarding a place, a time or a situation.
1]. Believers Already Abide In The True Vine. 15:1-3
John 15:1 “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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.”
In these verses Jesus shares with His disciples that they are branches attached to Himself as the vine. The Father as the vine dresser wants the vine to grow and so He removes the branches that don’t bear fruit. But He also prunes the vines that do bear fruit so they may become more fruitful.
It reminds us that sometimes there are difficulties we face in our Christian walk. Often it is the Lord Himself who is arranging circumstances so we look for Him for His help. Fathers need to discipline their children and our Heavenly Father disciplines His children so they might live more fruitful lives. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews put it like this, “If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 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.” Hebrews 12:8-11. The Lord’s discipline is done in love and for the benefit of those who receive it as they are made more holy.
That came a word of encouragement from the lips of Jesus, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” 15:3. “Clean” is from [katharos; καθαρός] meaning ceremonially and morally clean, pure, unsoiled, upright, virtuous. Believers had already been cleansed by accepting and acting on what Jesus had spoken to them.”
2]. Jesus Wants Believers To Abide In Him More Deeply. 15:4-5.
John 15:4 “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. 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.”
The invitation to abide in Christ is also a command. The great truth is that Jesus does abide in His disciples and gives them the motivation to remain in constant communion with Him. But humans have to make the effort to be open to Him. Only when the branch is abiding in the vine will it be fruitful. Jesus then affirmed the truth that those who abide in Him will bear much fruit. They cannot be fruitful apart from Him and can do nothing of eternal value while they are separated from Him.
We need to ask what is meant by the word “fruit” in this passage. Fruit is the natural outflow of the life of the vine, so the fruit God desires is that which is produced in us by the presence of Christ living in our lives. It is the outflow of His life through us as we abide in Him.
St Paul expressed a similar concept when he wrote Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Believers to need to work out in their lives what God is working within them. He gives them the willingness and the ability to please God in their lives. Their lives are an expression of the life of God within them. The fruit is the outward expression of the work of God in our inner being and God is glorified when it exalts His name.
3]. The Danger Of Not Abiding In Jesus. 15:6.
John 15:6 ”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.”
This is a strong warning from the lips of Jesus. Unless people continue to abide in Jesus they will wither like branches and will be destroyed. There are many different interpretations as to what these words mean but they can be summed up in the sense of believers must abide constantly in Christ. Jesus has made it possible for believers to continue to abide in Him because He abides continually in them. Jesus later prayed to his Heavenly Father, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:26. Not only could His disciples know the indwelling presence of Jesus, but they could also experience His divine agape love.
4]. The Blessing Of Abiding In Jesus. 15:7-8.
4a]. Our prayers will be answered. 15:7.
John 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
It is not enough just to have some picture of Jesus in our minds as we pray. We have to be led in our prayers by the teaching Jesus has given to His disciples. Then we are praying in accord with the will of God and such prayers will be answered. As St John wrote in1 John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” Jesus can be trusted to hear His people’s prayers and to answer them as they continue to abide in Him.
4b]. God Will Be Glorified. 15:8.
John 15:8 “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
In the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the first question asks “What is the chief end of man?” The reply is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” It sums up the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” That should be the aim of every believer and the indwelling Christ can enable that to happen. It should be the characteristic of every believer to show forth fruit and so prove to be His disciples.
St Paul expressed the same truth but in different words in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The term “beholding the glory of the Lord” could be likened to “abiding.” The word “beholding” is from [katoptrizō; κατοπτρίζω] meaning to behold as in a mirror or to reflect what is being beheld. When our focus is continually on Jesus and His glory [abiding in Him], a change is taking place in us. It is called a “transformation” from [metamorphoō; μεταμορφόω meaning a change in external form, also translated as “transfiguration.” We begin to reflect in our lives the glory of the Person we are beholding, becoming more like Him. And this is an ongoing process wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, “from one degree of glory to another” as we behold Him or abide in Him. The more we reflect His glory, the more He is glorified.
Blog No.543 posted on Thursday 11 April 2024.
holbeck 
543. On John 15:1-8. The Necessity Of Abiding In Jesus. A Reading for Sunday 28 April 2024
In the short passage Jesus taught His disciples some very great truths. He spoke of how His disciples were joined to him by their faith. That faith-union already existed but could be deepened as His disciples drew nearer to Him. Jesus Himself would help them in that process. There was danger for those who refused to abide in Him. However, there would be a blessing for those who committed themselves to Jesus and to His words.
The theme here is of abiding in Jesus. But what does ”abide” mean? It comes from [menō; μένω] and has these meanings, to remain, await, continue to be, to remain regarding a place, a time or a situation.
1]. Believers Already Abide In The True Vine. 15:1-3
John 15:1 “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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.”
In these verses Jesus shares with His disciples that they are branches attached to Himself as the vine. The Father as the vine dresser wants the vine to grow and so He removes the branches that don’t bear fruit. But He also prunes the vines that do bear fruit so they may become more fruitful.
It reminds us that sometimes there are difficulties we face in our Christian walk. Often it is the Lord Himself who is arranging circumstances so we look for Him for His help. Fathers need to discipline their children and our Heavenly Father disciplines His children so they might live more fruitful lives. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews put it like this, “If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 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.” Hebrews 12:8-11. The Lord’s discipline is done in love and for the benefit of those who receive it as they are made more holy.
That came a word of encouragement from the lips of Jesus, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” 15:3. “Clean” is from [katharos; καθαρός] meaning ceremonially and morally clean, pure, unsoiled, upright, virtuous. Believers had already been cleansed by accepting and acting on what Jesus had spoken to them.”
2]. Jesus Wants Believers To Abide In Him More Deeply. 15:4-5.
John 15:4 “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. 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.”
The invitation to abide in Christ is also a command. The great truth is that Jesus does abide in His disciples and gives them the motivation to remain in constant communion with Him. But humans have to make the effort to be open to Him. Only when the branch is abiding in the vine will it be fruitful. Jesus then affirmed the truth that those who abide in Him will bear much fruit. They cannot be fruitful apart from Him and can do nothing of eternal value while they are separated from Him.
We need to ask what is meant by the word “fruit” in this passage. Fruit is the natural outflow of the life of the vine, so the fruit God desires is that which is produced in us by the presence of Christ living in our lives. It is the outflow of His life through us as we abide in Him.
St Paul expressed a similar concept when he wrote Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Believers to need to work out in their lives what God is working within them. He gives them the willingness and the ability to please God in their lives. Their lives are an expression of the life of God within them. The fruit is the outward expression of the work of God in our inner being and God is glorified when it exalts His name.
3]. The Danger Of Not Abiding In Jesus. 15:6.
John 15:6 ”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.”
This is a strong warning from the lips of Jesus. Unless people continue to abide in Jesus they will wither like branches and will be destroyed. There are many different interpretations as to what these words mean but they can be summed up in the sense of believers must abide constantly in Christ. Jesus has made it possible for believers to continue to abide in Him because He abides continually in them. Jesus later prayed to his Heavenly Father, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:26. Not only could His disciples know the indwelling presence of Jesus, but they could also experience His divine agape love.
4]. The Blessing Of Abiding In Jesus. 15:7-8.
4a]. Our prayers will be answered. 15:7.
John 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
It is not enough just to have some picture of Jesus in our minds as we pray. We have to be led in our prayers by the teaching Jesus has given to His disciples. Then we are praying in accord with the will of God and such prayers will be answered. As St John wrote in1 John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” Jesus can be trusted to hear His people’s prayers and to answer them as they continue to abide in Him.
4b]. God Will Be Glorified. 15:8.
John 15:8 “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
In the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the first question asks “What is the chief end of man?” The reply is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” It sums up the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” That should be the aim of every believer and the indwelling Christ can enable that to happen. It should be the characteristic of every believer to show forth fruit and so prove to be His disciples.
St Paul expressed the same truth but in different words in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The term “beholding the glory of the Lord” could be likened to “abiding.” The word “beholding” is from [katoptrizō; κατοπτρίζω] meaning to behold as in a mirror or to reflect what is being beheld. When our focus is continually on Jesus and His glory [abiding in Him], a change is taking place in us. It is called a “transformation” from [metamorphoō; μεταμορφόω meaning a change in external form, also translated as “transfiguration.” We begin to reflect in our lives the glory of the Person we are beholding, becoming more like Him. And this is an ongoing process wrought in us by the Holy Spirit, “from one degree of glory to another” as we behold Him or abide in Him. The more we reflect His glory, the more He is glorified.
Blog No.543 posted on Thursday 11 April 2024.
Share this:
Related
About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.