Friend or Foe

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. 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. 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. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I 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, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone 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 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. 16 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. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another. 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

Intro

Back in 2010 Elisa and I were down in Louisville KY and I was going to Seminary. Just down the road from our home then was a church called Southeast Christian Church.

Kyle Idleman

11th largest church in America

“Six flags over Jesus”

21,764 weekly visitors

9,300 main auditorium

2x Sunday services… 9 & 11

Van Andel Arena = 12,000

Miller Auditorium = 3,000

2011 - Not a Fan

Open with the stands vs. the field.

Everyone in a stadium is “with” a team, but only a few are actually in the game.

Ask: Which are you with Jesus?

There are three responses to Jesus: Foe, Fan, or Follower. Only one is saved.

“Before Jesus talks about who is in, He tells His disciples what it will cost to be in. And the first thing He wants them to know is that the world will not welcome them, because it did not welcome Him.”

I. The Foe

The World Hates Jesus (15:18-25; 16:1-4)

Main point: The world hates God and Jesus, and if you belong to Jesus, it will hate you too.

2 Timothy 3:12 “12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

The hatred is rooted in the Father and Son

(15:18, 23-24). It is not about your personality; it is about whose you are.

The world loved you when you were its own

(15:19). Hatred is evidence you’ve been chosen out of it.

“A servant is not greater than his master”

(15:20). If they persecuted Him, they will persecute you.

They hate without cause

(15:25), even though they have seen His works and heard His words.

Jesus gives the warning so we won’t stumble

(16:1-4): synagogue expulsion, even killing done in the name of serving God.

1 Peter 4:12–13 “12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

Tertullian: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

Application: Don’t be surprised by adversity or persecution. It is not a sign God has failed you, but often a sign you belong to Him. If you are never opposed, ask whether you are distinguishable from the world.

Also note: As Followers, we should hate what the world loves because those things are at odds with the King (cf. 15:19; 1 John 2:15-17). If the world’s values feel comfortable to you, ask why.

1 John 2:15–17 “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

“Now, the Foe is easy to spot. He is hostile to Jesus, and you know where you stand with him. But there is a more dangerous category, one that sits right beside us in the pew, one who likes Jesus but never actually follows Him. Let’s meet the Fan.”

II. The Fan

Fickle, Not Fruitful (15:1-6)

Main point: A Fan enjoys the benefits of proximity to Jesus but never gets in the game.

The picture of the Fan:

Likes the wins and the energy of the crowd

Enjoys the entertainment and the view from the stands

Is never in the game, never risking, never changing

When the team seems to be losing, changes the channel

Jesus’ language for the Fan (15:2, 6): the branch that “does not bear fruit” is taken away; the one who does not abide is thrown away like a branch, withered, gathered, and burned.

John 15:2 “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.”

Connect to context: Judas has just left the room (John 13). He is the ultimate example: close to Jesus, cheering from the sidelines, and yet not His!

Matthew 7:21–22 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’”

Note: Many fans in John 6 turn back when the teaching gets hard (6:66). Fans leave when it costs them.

John 6:66 “66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

There are 62 instances in the Gospels that I could find that Jesus calls people to Follow him but 0 that calls people to be his fans or admirers!!

Bonhoeffer: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

Application: Cheer is not the evidence. Attendance, enthusiasm, and affiliation with Jesus are not the evidence. Fruit is.

What in your life has actually changed because of Jesus in the past year?

Serve, give, confess sin, join a group, and share your faith, anything that takes you from the stands to the field.

The Season Ticket Holder (Fan) A man has had season tickets for twenty years. He knows every stat, owns every jersey, and screams at every call. But he has never run a play, taken a hit, or sweated through a practice. He is with the team in every way except the one that costs him something. Jesus is not looking for season ticket holders.

The Channel Changer (Fan) When the game is a blowout in our favor, we stay glued. When the team is down by 20 in the third quarter, we flip to something else. That is the Fan with Jesus: loyal in the highlights, gone in the hard seasons (John 6:66).

“So if the Foe opposes Jesus and the Fan only cheers for Him, what does a real Follower look like? Jesus answers with a vine, a branch, and the fruit that proves they are connected.”

III. The Follower

Main point: A Follower abides in Christ, and the result is a changed life. Not just a cheering one. Jhn 15:1-16.

Expect

Experience

Express

Anchor: “Abide in me, and I in you” (15:4). Followers don’t produce fruit by effort; they bear it by connection.

John 15:4–5 “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.”

A Follower expects, experiences, and expresses:

Answered Prayer (15:7-8)

John 15:7–8 “7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Abiding in Christ and His words aligns our desires with His. Fruit and answered prayer glorify the Father.

Obedient Love (15:9-10)

John 15:9–10 “9 As the Father has loved me, so have I 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.”

Bonhoeffer: “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.”

Obedience is not the way to earn His love but the evidence we remain in it. Love and obedience are inseparable.

James 2:17 “17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Inexhaustible Joy (15:11)

John 15:11 “11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

His joy in us, complete and not dependent on circumstances. This is joy that persecution cannot touch.

Sacrificial Love (15:12-14)

John 15:12–14 “12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.”

“Greater love has no one than this.” The Follower loves like the Cross: costly, others-focused, and willing to lay down life.

Perseverance Until the End (15:16)

John 15:16 “16 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.”

“That your fruit should abide.” Followers are chosen and appointed, and they endure. Fans quit; Followers remain.

The Vinedresser’s Pruning Shears (Follower) A good gardener cuts back healthy branches, not because they are bad, but so they will bear more fruit. Pruning feels like loss. Sometimes God’s severe mercy looks like a closed door, a failed plan, or a hard season. Persecution and suffering can be part of how He produces fruit that lasts.

Eternal Reward (15:16; cf. 14:2-3)

John 14:2–3 “2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Romans 8:18 “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

The Father gives what is asked in Jesus’ name, and the promise of glory sustains the faithful through suffering.

Application

Pray Scripture-saturated prayers (15:7). Let His words shape your requests.

Identify one command you’ve been negotiating with and obey it this week.

Practice gratitude daily and ask where you are looking for joy outside Christ.

Choose one person to serve at personal cost this week, with no recognition.

Ask a trusted friend to hold you accountable for staying the course.

Keep eternity in view.

Key contrast: The Fan has a cheer. The Follower has a change. A Follower’s life is visibly different because it is rooted in Someone.

“That’s the portrait: answered prayer, obedient love, joy, sacrificial love, perseverance, and a reward that cannot be taken. And that portrait demands a response. Jesus did not give us this passage to admire. He gave it to change us.”

Conclusion: Therefore...

1. Examine your hearts.

Are you a Fan or a Follower? Ask:

Is there fruit, or just enthusiasm?

Do I obey Him when it costs me?

Do I love the things He hates?

Would I stay if following Jesus cost me everything?

(2 Cor. 13:5: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.”)

2 Corinthians 13:5 “5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

The Fake Fruit (Change vs. Cheer) Plastic fruit in a bowl looks perfect from across the room. Pick it up and it has no weight, no smell, and no life. Cheer is plastic fruit. Change is the real thing, a little bruised and imperfect, but alive.

2. Prepare for persecution.

It is coming in some form: social, relational, or worse. Jesus has told us ahead of time so we are not caught off guard. Settle it now in your hearts that He is worth it!!

3. Revel in your reward!

Your joy is full, your fruit will last, and your reward is eternal. Whatever the world takes, it cannot take what Christ has secured.

Closing Appeal

Return to the stadium image: Jesus isn’t looking for spectators. He’s calling you out of the stands.

To the Foe:

Your hatred of Him is not the end of the story. He died for His enemies.

Pray for those who persecute you, love your enemies!

To the Fan:

Come out of the stands. Cheering won’t save you; abiding will.

Put on the jersey and get in the game!!

To the Follower:

Stay connected to the vine. He who began a good work in you will complete it.

The game is over and He Wins!!

Gospel invitation and prayer.

Small Group Questions

Think of a team you’ve cheered for versus a sport you’ve actually played. What’s the difference between watching from the stands and being in the game? Where have you felt that difference in your faith?

Jesus says the world hated Him first and will hate those who belong to Him (John 15:18-25). Why do you think Jesus tells His disciples this before He tells them what lies ahead? How does knowing it in advance help us avoid stumbling (16:1-4)?

If you are never opposed, you should ask whether you are distinguishable from the world. What are some ways Christians in our culture might blend in too well? Where do you feel the most pressure to blend in?

Read 1 John 2:15-17. What are some things the world loves that are at odds with the King? Is there something you’ve grown too comfortable with that you need to examine?

The Fan is someone who enjoys proximity to Jesus but never gets in the game, and who “changes the channel” when things get hard (John 6:66). Why is this category so easy to slip into, especially for people raised in church? What are the warning signs?

Read John 15:1-6. What does it mean to “abide” in Christ in practical terms? What does abiding look like in your day-to-day life, and what tends to pull you away from it?

Looking back over the past year, what has actually changed in your life because of Jesus? Share one area of growth, and one area where you’re still mostly cheering from the stands.

Obedience is described as evidence of abiding, not a way to earn God’s love (15:9-10). How does this distinction change the way you think about obedience? Is there a command of Jesus you’ve been “negotiating with” that you need to obey this week?

Jesus promises His joy to those who abide (15:11), even in the midst of persecution. How have you seen joy and hardship coexist in your own life or someone else’s? Where might you be looking for joy outside of Christ?

The message called us to examine our hearts, prepare for persecution, and revel in our reward. Which of these is hardest for you right now? What is one concrete step you will take this week to move from the stands to the field, and who in this group can hold you accountable?

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