Be a Friend
Notes
Transcript
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
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.
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
These things I command you, that you love one another.
Intro:
Intro:
AG: Jackie ROBINSON was the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues. Breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced hostile crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium of Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, he committed an error. The fans began to jeer him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the crowd booed. Then, without saying a word, shortstop Pee Wee Reese went over and stood next to Jackie. He put his arm around him and faced the crowd. Suddenly the fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that that arm around his shoulder saved his career.
TS: Unless one is careful he will suppose all the final discourses of Jesus took place in the upper room. He had already left there (14:31), but had not yet gone out of the city toward the garden (18:1). Obviously the little band had to be somewhere in Jerusalem during this interval.
Here is a possible explanation of what happened. Leaving the scene of chapter 14 late at night they walked toward the brook Kidron. Because it was the Passover the moon was in full cycle. They might well have passed the Temple in the bright light. As they lingered at this sacred place Jesus spoke to them of what they must do while they were separated for a while. Then he prayed (chap. 17).
RS: Friendship! Who can live without friendship? Can you imagine being Jackie Robinson, sticking out like a sore thumb, as the crowd booed him? Can you imagine the loneliness, the awkwardness, and the anxiety? Then along came Pee Wee Reese! Can you imagine the relief, the peace, the warmth, and the comfort? In our text today, we hear this same story again
A group of awkward, anxious, and probably fearful disciples have just gotten the word that their leader was about to check out and they would be left alone. They had followed in the hope of a Kingdom and a Kingdom would come, but not as they thought. They needed a friend and Jesus teaches that HE truly is their friend. BUT, will they be HIS friends? The real issue of this text is not if Jesus is our friend or not, but if we will choose Friendship with Jesus! It was the same for the disciples and this is where we begin.
Jesus challenged His disciples to
I. Be Fruitful
I. Be Fruitful
A. The symbols (15:1, 5a–5b)
A. The symbols (15:1, 5a–5b)
1. The Son is the true vine (15:1a, 5a).
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
7th I Am: The Vine
The source of nourishment and supply.
The lifeline
He is using a metaphor which is found in much of Judaism’s literature.
(The Vine and the Branches (1–17))
The vine and the vineyard were ancient and powerful images in Judaism (as in most Mediterranean societies).
The vine represented the covenant people of God, planted and tended by him so that Israel would produce fruit (Hos. 10:1–2; Isa. 5:1–7; Jer. 2:21; 12:10–11; Ezek. 15:1–5, 17:1–6; 19:10–14; Ps. 80:8–18).
Generally in the Old Testament when Israel is depicted as a vine or vineyard, the nation is being chastised for not bearing fruit as God expected.
2. The Father is the gardener (15:1b).
The gardener tends the crops
Why? Any of you who have tried your hand at gardening, either food or flowers, why? Why put in the time, money, sweat and tears?
You expect a harvest!
Beauty from the flowers
Food from the fruit and veggies!
3. The believer is the branch (15:5b).
We are the point where reproduction occurs
Bearing fruit is displaying the characteristics of Jesus
Bearing fruit is making new disciples
B. The steps (15:2–4, 5c–6)
B. The steps (15:2–4, 5c–6)
1. We must submit to pruning by the Father (15:2–3).
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
As in a fruit tree, some branches may be fruitful, others quite barren, according as there is a vital connection between the branch and the stock, or no vital connection; so the disciples of Christ may be spiritually fruitful or the reverse, according as they are vitally and spiritually connected with Christ, or but externally and mechanically attached to Him.
The fruitless He “takes away” (see on Jn 15:6); the fruitful He prunes it—stripping it, as the husbandman does, of what is rank (Mk 4:19),a process often painful, but no less needful and beneficial than in the natural husbandry.
The branches that do not bear fruit are those who profess to believe, but their lack of fruit indicates genuine salvation has never taken place and they have no life from the vine
Especially in the immediate context, Judas was in view, but the imagery extends from him to all those who make a profession of faith in Christ but do not actually possess salvation.
The image of non-fruit-bearing branches being burned pictures eschatological judgment and eternal rejection
For believers:
He prunes. God removes all things in the believer’s life that would hinder fruit-bearing,
i.e., He chastises to cut away sin and hindrances that would drain spiritual life just as the farmer removes anything on the branches that keep them from bearing maximum fruit
2. We must abide in the Son (15:4, 5c–6).
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
a. ABIDE is defined as to stay in a given place, state, relationship, or expectancy. It also bears out the idea of continuity and dwelling.
b. Jesus is saying, “You hang with me and I will hang with you!”
c. True believers are connected to Jesus and remain so
C. The success (15:7–8)
C. The success (15:7–8)
1. It results in bountiful fruit (15:7–8a).
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
They bear fruit:
Changed life
New character
New souls
2. It results in glorifying the Father (15:8b).
All growth and accomplishment is for the glory of God
It has never been about our name!
It never will be about us!
AP: Remaining in fellowship with Jesus demonstrates our friendship.
It is the only way to be fruitful
II. Be Loving (15:9–17)
II. Be Loving (15:9–17)
A. The priority (15:9–12)
A. The priority (15:9–12)
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
1. The Father loves the Son (15:9b, 10b).
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.
Love- Jesus is real love
He is agape- sacrificial love, unconditional love
love that never gives up
He tells us to abide in his love
through obedience
Staying connected is living in step with Him
IL: In middle school band, we marched military. But we were a young and small band. The day I first time I saw the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band I was amazed. They were huge and marched close to each other, if one was off tempo or out of step it could spell disaster! Ye they didn’t have a calamity!
When we obey Christ’s commands, we remain in step with Him.
2. The Son loves the believer (15:9a, 10a, 11).
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
He seeks our joy!
Fullest joy comes from abiding in Jesus.
Fulfilling your God given purpose is the best life possible
3. The believer is to love other believers (15:12).
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
In this context, jesus commands us to love one another
Place value on our love within the family of God first
B. The proof (15:13–15)
B. The proof (15:13–15)
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
These things I command you, that you love one another.
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
1. What Jesus will do for his disciples (15:13):
He will lay down his life.
He will take our place in death so that we may have everlasting life
He makes us fit for the Kingdom through His atonement!
2. What Jesus now does for his disciples (15:14–15):
He calls them friends, not servants.
We are His friends.
C. The promises (15:16–17)
C. The promises (15:16–17)
1. Our branches will bear permanent fruit (15:16a).
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
Jesus had chosen the 11
He had trained and equipped them to bear fruit,
They fulfilled that ministry
The same can be said about us!
He has chosen to love and save us
He has a plan for each of us in His Kingdom
Fruit is mentioned in the NT:
godly attitudes (gal 5)
Righteous behavior (Philippians 1:11
Leading others to saving faith in Jesus
2. Our prayers will be answered (15:16b–17).
These things I command you, that you love one another.
He promises those in step with Him will see answered prayers
When we are in harmony with Him, we want what He does!
Conc
Conc
Abide with Him
Citations:
J. P. Allen, “John,” in The Teacher’s Bible Commentary, ed. H. Franklin Paschall and Herschel H. Hobbs (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1972), 680–681.
Brown, Fausset, and Jamison, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Chapter 15)
Evans, Craig John’s Gospel, Hebrews–Revelation
Harding, Joe https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/need-a-friend-joe-harding-sermon-on-endurance-51344
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
The Outline Bible (Section Outline Fifteen (John 15))