What Are We Molding

We live in a very success driven part of the world and it is difficult for some of us to not connect our meaning or happiness to our success. Rags to riches stories or the “founders myth” fill our new feeds and timelines and we often admire people who have “made it.” Yet so many people end up looking back on life wondering what kind of impact they made and whether they really found joy. Jesus deeply cares about our lives producing fruit and for us to have our joy be full. Instead of offering us a vision of hustle in order to find happiness, Jesus invites us to abide in him and find joy (John 15:11). We’re called to lasting and meaningful work that flows from our connection to Christ into the rest of our lives. To communicate this truth to us Jesus gave one of the most powerful images used in the gospels for what life in him looks like: he is the True Vine.

“I am the bread of life” (6:35).

“I am the light of the world” (8:12).

“I am the gate” (10:9).

“I am the good shepherd” (10:11).

“I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25).

“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (14:7).

The vine was a common descriptor for Israel as the people of God in the Hebrew scriptures, but instead of flourishing in relationship with God Israel struggled to trust and obey and ended up producing “wild fruit” (Psalm 80, Isaiah 5). Jesus now says that he is the “true” vine, meaning that he is the new Israel and being part of God’s people is not based on ethnicity or family heritage but our connection to him and as we abide in him we will produce fruit and find joy. Jesus is the vine, meaning he is the trunk of the plant, and we are branches extending out from the trunk that bear fruit. God’s role is pictured as a loving gardener caring the branches so they’d bear more fruit. Followers of Jesus are called to abide, the Father prunes and removes and the end result is that his church bears fruit and grows in joy. The key to all this is not producing through our own effort but through abiding in Christ.

Abiding John 15:1-8

Branches only bear fruit because they are connected to the vine. Branches are dependent on the vine for nourishment, water, pollination and all the various things that enable a plant to grow. Jesus told his disciples he was leaving, but he would not be abandoning them. It may seem hard to imagine how they disciples can “abide” in Jesus with him gone, but in the greater context of this section on John we have to remember that he is teaching about the Holy Spirit who will come and dwell in his people. How can they abide if he is leaving? Through the Holy Spirit. The word “abide” has shown up in John already when Jesus’ disciples first met him and wanted to see where he was “staying” or when Jesus talked about his word needing to “remain” in them (John 1:39, 5:38). “Abide" communicates a resting in Christ, relationship and a conscious need to depend on him. Notice that as we abide in Jesus he abides in us, meaning that this is a sharing of life, rest and peace that can only be present because of the Holy Spirit connecting us to God through his indwelling presence (John 15:4). This may seem a bit mysterious but do not let that push you away from the clear truth: Jesus wants his followers to know that to follow him involves a real relationship with him. This relationship results in meaningful work and fruit (John 15:5, 8). If you were to sever the connection of the branches form the vine they would no longer be alive and would shrivel up and die. We can abide in Christ through conscious recognition of our need for Jesus, by being in his word and through worship and the result is meaningful work produced from our lives (John 15:10). When Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” he did not mean that we couldn’t start a business, get organized, be better parents, volunteer at your school or even run a ministry; You can do a lot in your own strength without abiding in Jesus. But you can only bear spiritual fruit, grow in spiritual character, glorify God and influence God’s kingdom through an abiding, vibrant relationship with Jesus. Notice how God is not concerned with how useful or successful we are, rather he is commanding for us to rest in him and allow God to work to produce that fruit in our lives.

Exalting Jesus in John (Answered Prayer)

Think about this circle. We receive the words of God (his words inform us, instruct us, and command us). In response to the Word, Scripture, we pray to God (our requests are guided and shaped by the truth of the Word and are therefore in line with God’s will). God hears our prayers and joyfully responds to our requests because they were offered up in obedience to his Word. As the Word shapes our desires and the Spirit forms us from the inside out, we will begin to pray for those things that God cares about. God will hear and answer those prayers

Pruning and Removing John 15:2-3

God as the gardener has a role in this spiritual growth; every branch that is doing well gets the knife. It sounds counter intuitive but in order to bear more fruit the branches get pruned back often. Pruning a vineyard happens to prevent growth from being too rapid where you end up losing a whole branch and you also prune to cut away suckers that drain nourishment from the rest of the plant. It can look cruel but is what is for the best for the vine. Even though it is for the ultimate good of the branch, pruning still results in pain. In Psalm 119:71 the psalmist says that it was good for him to be afflicted so he could learn God’s statutes. Often growing in Christ can be painful. For some it is from the need to deny our worldly desires and say no to an ungodly relationship or change sinful actions that have been giving us earthly comfort. For others this pruning is the Lord bringing a measure of suffering to our lives to help us depend on him. From the outside it looks painful and it is certainly not easy, but pruning is always beneficial for us and it may take some seasons to see the evidence of that. In order to bear fruit the branches need to be stressed a bit. Just take a minute to think about what is more spiritually dangerous… seasons of suffering or times of abundance and comfort? You often see people grow more spiritually complacent during times of comfort. Remember, God never calls the evil we face “good” but he allows it and uses it for our good and it often results in growth and joy (James 1:2). If you’re a follower of Jesus you will face times of pruning, but know that it is for your spiritual good so you can bear more fruit and grow in your relationship and dependence on Christ. The Gardener’s second role is to remove dead branches (John 15:3, 6). It is hard not to think of Judas as the specific target of what Jesus was saying here. The word in Greek for “takes away” here has a double meaning and can also mean “lift up” which has caused some people to interpret this passage as a vinedresser mending the branch so it can re-grow back into the vine but the contextual clues lead us to a different interpretation. Jesus says he takes away dead branches that are not bearing fruit and talks about how they were all clean because of his word (John 15:3). Notice also that these branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire rather than restored to the vine (John 15:6). Jesus also made reference to being “clean” here and if we go back to chapter 13 he referenced how one of them would betray him and how the disciples were all “clean” but “not everyone of them” (John 13:10-11). Soon after that Judas left to go betray Jesus. God does have a heart to restore his lost and hurting children and to mend them into the vine. However, these branches that do not bear fruit are likely a reference to people who are attracted to Jesus or the church for some reason but are not born again. Some claim to be in the vine (connected to Jesus) but the lack of fruit disqualifies them. We should not be quick to rush to judgment and our hope would be that people in that sutaiton would become connected to the vine and bear fruit, but there are always people like Judas and Jesus here promises to remove them so that the living branches can thrive.

Resulting in Love and Joy John 15:9-11

Just as the Father and Jesus experienced love, so too we get to experience that same love. Jesus invites his followers to not just abide in him but to abide in the Father’s love (John 15:9). This happens through being in his word, prayer and keeping his commandments (John 15:7, 10). This fruitful life will result in greater intimacy with Christ, greater freedom from sin and greater joy. In our culture that emphasizes hustle, productivity and success know that the work you’re called to is to abide in Christ. God doesn’t care about your usefulness, he cares about how relationship with him leads to growing love and holiness through abiding and that will lead to greater happiness and joy.

The verse about joy (v. 11) follows the verses about obedience (vv. 9–10). We tend to think joy and obedience are mutually exclusive: we have to choose misery and obedience or freedom and joy. That’s a lie told from the beginning. Joy comes through obedience.

Love One Another As I Have Loved You: John 15:12-13

Jesus has been teaching his disciples about the need to be connected to him as a branch is connected to the vine. We draw life from Christ and are able to bear spiritual fruit through our dependence on Jesus. Nine times in John 15:1-11 Jesus commanded his disciples to Abide in him. To abide is a posture of rest and reliance and at the same time something they are commanded to do. We are instructed to abide in the word and prayer, by recognizing God’s love, following his commandments and through Christian community (John 15:8-12). This command to “love one another as I have loved you” is not given in isolation to the command to abide, but is one of the ways we are called to follow Christ and abide in him. That begs the question, what was Jesus love like? There are many adjectives to describe Jesus’s love, but let’s look at three that come from what we see in our text: sacrificial, pure and unearned.  His love was sacrificial. Jesus told them that there is “no greater love than this, to lay down your life for your friends.” On his path to the cross Jesus pointed out how his death on the cross was for their forgiveness, reconciliation and part of God’s plan to make all things new. They struggled to understand this in the moment, but would later see it. John would comment on it in

1 John 3:16 “by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”

Jesus was not just doing the bare minimum to get us cleaned up for God the Father, instead the cross displays what kind of love he has for us and he called his followers to emulate that kind of love. His love was pure. Jesus never used people for his agenda or his ego. His love pushed people towards holiness and never encouraged people to sin. You can see this in the various interactions between people and  Jesus in the gospels, they always leave his presence changed and he brought dignity and selfless humility into each of those encounters. We can be suspicious of people who are kind and loving towards us and concerned they have ulterior motives, but never with Christ, his love is pure. His love was unearned. Jesus told his disciples that he chose them, they did not choose him. Jesus did not call the best and the brightest to follow him. The gospel emphasizes that our salvation is not based on our worth or our loveliness but God’s grace.  This choosing language is often the basis of the doctrine of election which emphasizes God’s role in opening up our hearts to hear the gospel and respond to his grace. This focus on God’s choosing usually emphasizes his grace and his love. For example, Ephesians 1:4-5 highlights that before the foundation of the world we were chosen to be adopted in love.

English Standard Version (Chapter 1)

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Paul writes that before we could do any good or bad, God loved us and showed grace to us. When it comes to the love of Jesus, it goes first and is not in response to our having loved him first; his love is unearned (1 John 4:19).

Friendship with Jesus: John 15:14-17

Jesus moved from calling them servants to calling his followers his friends. The word friend in greek started out as an adjective meaning “dear.” It is similar to the greek word “Phileo” which is one of the Greek words for “love.” Over time the adjective moved to a noun meaning “friend” or “relative." Jesus’ sacrificial love takes them out of the realm of servant and into the status of friend. Notice how Jesus talked about the difference between a friend and a servant in verse 15. A servant is kept in the dark and their job is just to do certain tasks, whereas a friend reveals who they are and what they’re planning. We’re still commanded to obey and follow Jesus, but we’re also given insight into the Father’s plan and his character through Christ. We are called servants, but we are also more than servants. Thinking of ourselves primarily as servants will often have us acting in transactional ways with God, like how you may interact with a boss or service provider under a contract. Instead Jesus gives us a relational image emphasizing friend and family.  It is out of this new relationship that he calls us into a community of faith built on love for Christ and love for one another. This kind of friendship with Jesus will transform us over time where we bear more fruit and abide in Christ (John 15:16). It is not easy to go from loneliness to intimacy with Christ and his people, but this is an invitation to experience the sacrificial love of Jesus through the church. We can help others know this type of friendship as we serve, encourage and love each other. Friendship develops over time, as you are close with others and make it a priority. Spend time in your community groups, linger after service, find a place to serve and ask people how they’re doing spiritually and how you can pray. You’d be surprised hat kind of friendship develops and how you can help others practically experience the love of Christ.