Why Jesus #2: I Am a Branch

Why Jesus?

Short Answer:

Because Jesus Christ is our source of life and power.

John 15:1–17 ESV

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.

I need to be connected to life.

Jesus is the life I need.

Lessons

1. We must abide in Jesus to produce His fruit

John 15:4–5 ESV

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.

There is fruit that God loves and fruit that God hates.

Good Fruit:

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Bad Fruit:

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Abiding in Christ means you and God are constantly ripping out bad roots and pruning fleshly fruit while simultaneously nurturing fruit that is connected to the Holy Spirit.

John 15:2b (ESV)

...every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

God assists you through conviction from the Holy Spirit, discipline via circumstances, trials, etc.

This looks like: Confessing sin to Jesus and others, disciplining yourself to stay running towards Jesus and running from temptation, and praying to and through Jesus for help and deliverance.

We must abide in Jesus to produce His fruit

2. We must abide in Jesus to have life

Jesus is the source of our life

John 15:2 ESV

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.

“he takes away”

If a branch doesn’t bear fruit, it shows that it is not connected to Jesus, and therefore, the Father will remove it.

John 15:6 ESV

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.

When a branch is disconnected from Jesus, the vine, it withers away.

When a branch is connected to Jesus it grows and produces fruit.

We must abide in Jesus to have life

3. We must abide in Jesus to be heard by God

John 15:7 ESV

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

No matter how good you think you are or how worth listening to you are, in reality, you aren’t. Neither am I.

Only Jesus impresses God. Jesus, then, is the pipeline for which God hears us.

This isn’t because of any fault of God… But it is entirely our fault.

Even we, had to be pointed out to become fruit bearers. Because we couldn’t do it ourselves.

John 15:16 ESV

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.

This begs the questions: Does what we pray for actually come from bearing Jesus’ fruit?

Francis Chan’s illustration with Jehovah’s Witnesses

We must abide in Jesus to be heard by God

4. We must abide in Jesus to keep his commandments

John 15:8–15 ESV

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.

John 15:17 ESV

17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Abiding in Jesus means that we are able to let Jesus live through us.

Jesus shows us that living a life of love and obedience is something that flows from the heart.

We don’t check boxes to say, “I am abiding in Jesus, just look at all the good I am doing.”

Instead we say, “Look at what Jesus is doing! He is working, even in me!”

We must abide in Jesus to keep His commands