Fruitful Relationships
7.11.1999
John 15:1-17
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
17 This is my command: Love each other. (NIV)
Relationships? Gal.5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is fruit for relationship building.
v:4-5 The first Relationship must be maintained because it is the source of all the others that are to become fruitful.
· Notice he said remain in ME and I remain in you. This is living, not the letter of the law.
· We are branches; we cannot produce fruit of relationships without him.
· Why, because as we remain in him he will prune (Clean) us up so we can have fruitful relationships.
v:6 If anyone does not remain in me…
· He dries up.. KJV…and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. How many of us have been hurt by relationships? A branch that is connected is Flexible! A dry branch will break!
· I can almost say without qualification that someone that was DRY hurt you!
· Men are looking for dry wood to burn. They will not gather juicy wood.
v:8-12 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
· This will Glorify the Father! What will? That you bear much fruit! You mean by building relationships I will Glorify the Father?
· ..showing yourselves to be my disciples. What does the Word say ..how we show that we are his disciples? Right BY OUR LOVE!
· Read v:9-10…I knew it! That commandment stuff again. I knew that there was a hook somewhere.
· What do I have to do? Just what Jesus said. He said I have obeyed his commandment and so he remains in the Fathers love.
· What was that command? To loves us! You mean the Father commanded Jesus to love me? Yes, and he is obedient.
· OK, the big question, what is his command to us? To love each other as he has loved us. Then we will abide in his love.
· that your joy may be complete.
· Is there anyone here that wants to be Happy? To have Joy? He will show us how!
v:13-16 Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends
· Wait a minute why didn't it say for your family, mother, brother, wife, children?
· we have to begin here. Your friend may be your husband one day!
· You are my friends if you do what I command. How do we become the friends of God? We love who he loves! PEOPLE!
· Those that are the friends of God will know his will! …I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
v:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name
· I chose you AND appointed you to bear fruit (Build Kingdom relationships)
· Fruit that will last… Not evangelistic relationships!!! Life long relationships…People know the difference. We are building for eternity, not till the next paycheck.
· Then…(The condition) the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name v:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you
· v:17 This is my command: Love each other
· But Lord I tithed! But Lord I did this or that…ICor.13:1-3 without love for people… it was all for nothing….
Ministry:
Are you disconnected from God?
Pray where you are! Lead in Pray Pray where you are!
Lead in Prayer
Have you been hurt and your still hurting! Let us pray for you. Practical steps get hooked up with the Vine and get loved.
Have you hurt someone? God has forgivness for you!