When Jesus promises that his “Father is glorified” by those who bear much fruit, proving to be his disciples, what is he intending to communicate and why is he concerned about his Father’s glory on the night before his crucifixion (v. 8)?
Sermons by Dean Wertz (Page 19)
When Jesus promises, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (v. 7) is he issuing a blank check for this type of prayer?
Fruit is God’s blessing to the world. So, it is a great metaphor for the works God desires to do in and through you. In this message we will grapple with questions from John 15:4-5. Why does Jesus promise “much fruit” through those who abide in him? What is the warning issued to his followers when he says, “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me” (v. 4)? Since non-abiding people do good things, why would he say, “apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5)?
After setting the stage for His vineyard teaching in John 15:1-3, Jesus invites His true followers to “abide in me.” What does this word abide mean? Further, what does it look like for followers of Jesus to abide today? In this message we consider the various uses of “abide” throughout John’s Gospel including Jesus’ own abiding relationship with His Father to see more clearly what abiding in Jesus can look like for us.
What type of person is Jesus describing when He says, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit” (v. 2b) and what does “he prunes” refer to? Further, when He says, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (v. 3) what is “the word” and how has “the word” made the disciples “already … clean”?
Today we enter week 4 of 12 in The Abide Project which includes the most vexing part of Jesus’ vineyard teaching. Who and what does Jesus have in mind when he declares in John 15:2, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away”? Is he opposing what many call the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints? Further, what is this verse’s connection, if any, with verse 6 in which he says branches are “thrown away … gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned”?
Why does Jesus seemingly complicate the simplicity of His invitation to abide by introducing His Father as the vinedresser who cuts some branches and prunes others? Apparently, maintaining a close, dependent and life-long attachment with Jesus also requires a wholistic view of life. Here is good news for followers of Jesus – when life doesn’t make sense and when we feel alone, this more comprehensive view of reality includes the presence of a sovereign and loving vinedresser.
Today we begin The Abide Project, a 12-week journey to better understand and experience Jesus’ invitation to abide. In this teaching (John 15:1-11) on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus started by identifying Himself as “the true vine.” Why does He liken Himself to a vine and is there any significance to His use of the adjective “true?” As we explore answers to these questions, we discover that these words are more than the beginning of Jesus’ vineyard teaching, they are the beginning of life as we were created to live!
“If I find in myself a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”1 In one sentence C.S. Lewis exposes the universal hunger of our souls. It is a craving for more joy, strength, comfort, peace, help, guidance, love, awe, gratitude, compassion, self-control and more. Today we prepare in a variety of ways to begin a journey this fall to explore Jesus’ proposed solution for this longing. His answer comes as an invitation to “abide” so our focus for the next three months will be called, The Abide Project.
1 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Glasgow: Fontana Books, 1975), 118.
For the 1st time in history a tent can be delivered tomorrow, popcorn can be enjoyed in 2 minutes and a movie can be viewed in 10 seconds. Immediacy reigns. Yet something beautiful, mysterious and rich is present when we see a couple in their 70’s walking hand in hand or a riverside tree bearing fruit in its old age. In God’s kingdom, immediacy happens but consistency reigns. Relationships with one another and (according to Psalm 1) with God, require a long walk in the same direction.