April 28, 2024|The Necessity of Abiding | John 15:1-8
JD Cutler
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Let me ask you a question as we begin this morning.
If you knew that your time was up today, that the Lord was calling you home this evening, how would your conversations look different? How might how you spent the rest of your day change? Would there be certain things you made sure to say to certain people? What instructions, lessons, or hopes might you share with those that you love?
It’s an interesting thought exercise. But for Jesus, it was more than that. He has of course known from the beginning that the events of calvary are coming. He has known that he would be betrayed by one that he chose. He had set his face towards Jerusalem in his ministry, implying that the events of the last week of his life in Jerusalem were never far from his mind. But, as his impending betrayal and arrest close in during these final hours, he does what I expect many of us would do knowing our time was closing.
He gathers with those closest to him, his disciples and he shares an intimate meal with them. He gathers those he loves together to spend his remaining time with them.
Now, it is evident that his intention was not merely sentimental, but in his great love for them, he wanted to prepare them for what was coming.
All of this begins in John’s gospel in chapter 13.
Jesus and the disciples observe the passover in the upper room spanning from chapter 13 to 14 where he washes their feet and we know from other gospel accounts, institutes the Lord’s Supper. He identifies that one of them is going to betray him and ultimately sends Judas out to do just that, unbeknownst to the remaining disciples.
Chapter 15 marks the transition from either location or at the very least, subject matter. His final teaching prior to his passion goes on through chapter 16 and then in 17, we have his prayer recorded for us.
Some interesting things to note is that in these five chapters Jesus is the one doing the majority of the speaking (words in red) and the only characters present are him and his disciples, first all twelve and then after 13, the remaining 11 minus Judas.
From it we recognize many of Jesus’ well known sayings.
John 13:14 (ESV) 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
John 13:34-35 (ESV) 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
John 14:2-4 (ESV) 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. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
John 14:16-17 (ESV) 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
(ESV) 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
John 16:12-13 (ESV) 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
(ESV) In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
In John 17 we have Jesus great priestly prayer where Jesus prays for his followers, both immediate and future.
John 17:20-21 (ESV) 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
It is in the midst of this large chunk of instruction and revelation that Jesus issues his last of John’s recorded I am statements.
So far the Apostle John has recorded Jesus saying,
I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world, I am the door of the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and lastly I am the true vine. Each one of these given so that men may understand better who he is and why he has come.
It is this last ‘I am’ statement we are going to spend time examining this morning.
We are going to examine these 17 verses around it over the next two weeks, starting this morning with the first 8 verses under the heading The Necessity of Abiding.
Let’s read those together now.
John 15:1-8 (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.
Jesus’ language here is emphatic, after commanding them to abide in him, he tells them they cannot procure fruit apart from him, that in fact apart from him they can do nothing of eternal significance. In his parting words, he wants them to understand the necessity of abiding in him and we could easily argue then, that if it was true for his first disciples, then it is equally true for his disciples today. It is to that necessity I want to speak to you about today.
Jesus presents for us two kinds of people, those who abide in him and those that do not and not only does he say their lives are going to be very different, their ends are as well. I pray that God will not only convince you of the necessity of abiding in Christ but clearly show each of us which kind of people we are.
In his parting words, he wants them to understand the necessity of abiding in him...
Why is it necessary to abide in Christ?
This morning I want to give you two reasons why. The first is…
Apart from Christ there is no salvation
I often wonder what prompts Jesus to say the things he does when he does. Some are easier to see than others. For instance when he says I am the bread of life, the people have followed him to the other side of a lake because he had miraculously fed them from a few loaves of bread. He tells them not to seek bread that perishes but bread from heaven. They bring up the manna that God gave their fathers, to which Jesus replies, I am the bread of life. John 6:32 (ESV) 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
Here he wanted them to understand that He was the true bread from heaven that gives eternal life that was symbolized in the manna.
In our text today, we can only speculate, but there are some good reasons Jesus might have chosen this figure of speech at this time. Many commentators point out that at the end of chapter 14, Jesus says, Rise, let us go from here.
We know that they are leaving the upper room and we know they are ultimately going to the Garden of Gethsemane. On the way it is very likely they would have passed the temple entrance. What is interesting about that, is we know from recording Jewish history they would have seen something extravagant there.
Josephus in Antiquities, writes, The temple had doors also at the entrance, and lintels over them, of the same height as the temple itself. They were adorned with embroidered veils, with their flowers of purple, and pillars interwoven: and over these, but under the crown-work, was spread out a golden vine, with its branches hanging down from a great height, the largeness and fine workmanship of which was a surprising sight to the spectators, to see what vast materials there were and with what great skill the workmanship was done.
In the Jewish writings of the Mishnah, rabbis wrote, “A golden vine stood over the entrance to the Sanctuary, trained over posts; and whosoever gave a leaf, a berry, or a cluster as a freewill offering, he brought it and [the priests] hung it thereon.
Whether or not the sight of this is what prompted our Lord, it is certainly relevant to their understanding of what he says. The inclusion of the vine at the temple entrance was an important imagery. The vine was a symbol of the nation of Israel. We find this imagery in Moses’ song in Exodus, in the language of the Psalms, as well as Isaiah and Jeremiah’s prophecies.
We do not have time to look at them all, but a few examples should be enough.
In Psalm 80, the psalmist, pleading for God to rescue his people, recounts God’s dealing with the nation of Israel.
Psalms 80:8-9 (ESV) 8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
He goes on, Psalms 80:14-15 (ESV) 14 Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
In Isaiah, the prophet sets the stage for God’s message to his people using this same language.
Isaiah 5:1-2 (ESV) 1 Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
To make sure we do not miss what is being said here, Isaiah goes on in verse 7
Isaiah 5:7 (ESV) 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!
God uses this imagery of a vine and a vineyard to describe his people, and furthermore they were supposed to be a blessing to the world by producing justice and righteousness as God’s people. In this, they failed, again and again, leading them into captivity and judgment again and again.
I think it is in light of this, that Jesus says, I am the true vine.
Yes the imagery of the vine and branches leads us to contemplate our connectedness to Christ, yet it helps us understand the nature of our relationship with Christ, both things we will look at this morning, but equally important is seeing the declaration Jesus makes here is one of utmost importance.
With his coming, with his obedience he establishes THE way to the Father. No more would men come to him through Judaism, but through the true vine, Jesus Christ.
Although Paul uses the imagery of the olive tree in Romans 11, his application is the same. Romans 11:17-18 (ESV) 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
Here Paul pictures Jesus as the root of the olive tree where unbelieving Jews were broken off and Gentiles were grafted in among the others. Who are the others? The Jews, like these disciples who accepted Jesus as their Messiah and their salvation.
With his coming, with his obedience he establishes THE way to the Father.
Jesus says, I am the true vine, with the implication being that if you are attached to any other vine you are not a part of God’s vineyard. Contrary to what current pop theology will tell you, there are not many ways to God. It is not a mountain with many paths to God, it is a vineyard and there is only one vine, only one way. Acts 4:11-12 (ESV) 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
It is in this context that Jesus goes further with the analogy. My Father is the vinedresser. Your bible may say ‘husbandman’. A vinedresser is the one who cares for the vine by removing lifeless branches and pruning good branches. In both instances, it is the health of the plant that is in view. Dead branches or fruitless branches take up energy from the plant that could be better utilized and too many shoots on a healthy fruit producing branch will hinder the fruit development because of the energy exerted on the shoots.
This is what Jesus says God the Father does. 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.
What does he mean by take away? Jesus picks this up again in verse 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.
This is reminiscent of what Jesus says happens in his parable of the wheat and the tares.
In Jesus’ explanation of that parable to his disciples he explains the various elements of it to them. Matthew 13:39-43 (ESV) The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Whenever and however God chooses to remove someone, the end result is the same. Unless they are supernaturally grafted into Christ their end is destruction.
In the end there will only be two kinds of people, those who are in Christ and those who are not. Those connected to the vine and those who are not. This is why it is necessary to abide in Christ.
What is the primary focus here in verse 2 does not bear fruit and 6 does not abide and therefore bear fruit? The production of fruit, which brings us to our next reason why it is necessary to abide in Christ, because…
Apart from Christ there is no fruit
Let’s read verses 3 through 5 again.
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.
The word clean here is the same word for prunes in verse 2. The practice of pruning can be referred to as cleaning the vine. Essentially, Jesus says to his disciples, you have already been pruned.
Which means what? One they are connected to the vine, two they are producing fruit, three they have been pruned in order to produce more fruit.
How have they been pruned? Because of the word that I have spoken to you. God’s word had been working in their life, cutting away wrong ideas, cutting away sinful thoughts, cutting away wrong presuppositions, preparing them to bear much fruit.
Which, by the way, on Wednesday nights we have been studying the book of acts, and in the first four chapters alone, we see an abundance of fruit being produced in them. Unity, love, boldness, faithfulness.
Which is what we should expect to see from disciples who are abiding in Christ.
Indeed, it is evidence of their abiding because Christ says that apart from him, they can do nothing.
What does he mean? Not nothing at all, because we see men and women apart from Christ producing things today, even things we might call good things. I think he means anything with spiritual and eternal value. True fruit.
Abide in me is the only imperative language here, or the only command we find here.
Jesus says abide in me, and I in you. What does it mean to abide? This is something I am planning on spending more time with next week, but for now, let us ask what, in general, Jesus is commanding.
The word abide means to remain.
It can refer to location, time, or condition.
Abiding in Christ then is to remain in the condition of being intimately joined together with him, allowing the spiritual, life-giving power to flow in and through us to produce fruit in relation to our new nature. As I said, next week I hope to dig deeper into what that looks like, but for now, I want to focus on why Christ says it is necessary.
As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine.
Using a very simple agricultural picture and continuing his analogy, Jesus asks us to picture a branch disconnected from its vine. Can it produce anything? Of course not. We understand, having been severed from the tree it possesses nothing within itself to produce fruit. The necessary condition for it to produce fruit is that it must remain connected to the life giving vine.
I got a chance to see this first hand at my first summer job. At 14 and then 15 I was working on a squash farm in Ruston Louisiana. They gave us a small steak knife and sent us out to walk the rows of vines removing ripe fruit. Sometimes because their labor force was made up of children, someone would cut a branch. Now they were interwoven together and there was no immediate way to know that a branch had been cut. But inevitably, after a branch was cut it would not take long before, walking that same aisle a few days later you could see that something was wrong. That branch was dead, it was no longer able to produce anything.
We understand, having been severed from the tree it possesses nothing within itself to produce fruit. The necessary condition for it to produce fruit is that it must remain connected to the life giving vine. Jesus says, just like that, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine and 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 are two interdependent parts to what Jesus says.
The first, we have already looked at, you cannot produce anything of lasting good apart from Christ.
The second is his statement, whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.
Let me say it like this, apart from Christ you cannot produce fruit, joined to Christ you cannot not produce fruit.
From what Jesus says here, we can argue that if someone is abiding in Christ then fruit is inevitable the outcome. Now they might require heavy pruning, but they will produce fruit, otherwise they prove that they are not connected and are removed. This is the implication.
It has been asked by others before, are these non-producing branches Christians that fail to produce fruit and are therefore removed, essentially having lost their salvation?
There are a number of reasons I do not believe that we should understand it like that, not the least of which is that Jesus says John 6:37 (ESV) 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. We find no reason in scripture to suppose that the Father and the Son ever operate outside of perfect unity. How can Jesus say someone who comes to him will not be cast out and then teach the father will remove and cast out unfruitful believers? We can’t.
So who are these unfruitful branches that are removed?
John Macarthur, during a sermon on this text, points us to the immediate context of the situation. In the last couple of hours one of the disciples, who looked like the other disciples, who participated in the same work as the other disciples, who for all intents and purposes looked like he was in Christ, has been revealed to be a false professor. In the next couple of days the disciples are going to need a category to deal with the betrayal of their Lord by Judas. They are going to need to think rightly about what happened, to which Jesus assures them that by his actions he has shown that he was not truly connected to Christ.
Later, the apostle John would write these words in reference to his own experience of having people who looked like they were connected but were in fact, not.
1 John 2:19 (ESV) 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
How did it become plain that they all are not of us? They did not continue with us, they did not produce the things consistent with being a disciple, the fruit, and therefore it became obvious that they might have went out from the church but they were not of the church.
All of that to say, the Bible makes a distinction time and time again between those who appear to be connected to Christ and those that actually are. And overwhelmingly, we are told the distinguishing factor is the fruit in their lives.
...the Bible makes a distinction...between those who appear to be connected to Christ and those that actually are...overwhelmingly, we are told the distinguishing factor is the fruit in their lives.
Now don’t make the mistake to think that then you can do anything to prove that you are in Christ or manufacture fruit that brings assurance. You cannot. A branch cannot produce anything by itself. Rather we should be willing to examine ourselves to see if we find fruit, evidence that the Spirit of God is at work in us producing the things related to our position in Christ. This is the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthian church.
2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) 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!
His expectation is that by examining themselves they would be able to find evidence that Christ was in them and they were in the faith.
We could devote a whole sermon to discussing fruit but this morning, let us just say that the fruit we are talking about is found in both attitude and action.
Scriptures like Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13:15 (ESV) 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Others like Romans 15:28-29 (ESV) 8 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
The word collected there is fruit.
Worship is fruit, giving towards the less fortunate is fruit, repentance of sin is fruit, sharing the gospel with lost sinners is fruit. These are outward actions of fruit, but they spring from internal fruit, which is summed up in Galatians.
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control;
It is interesting to note that fruit is singular. The fruit of the Spirit is…
If you are in Christ you ought to be able to examine yourself and find evidence of the fruit of the spirit in you and evidence of fruit outworking in your life.
In Christ, there is fruit, apart from him there is no fruit.
Conclusion:
Two reasons it is necessary to abide in Christ. Apart from him there is no salvation and apart from him there is no fruit.
Which brings us to the way Jesus applies this for us.
In verse 8 Jesus makes this statement.
John 15:8 (ESV) 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
The production of fruit is evidence that we belong to Christ and is glorifying to God.
The Father gives to the Son men and women who produce fruit displaying the glorious life of Christ in them and in turn the Father is glorified by it, Christ is honored by it, and we are blessed by it.
The word translated ‘so prove’ there is the idea that what you are called matches what you are.
Here is the question of the morning, does it? Does what you are called match what you are?
If you call yourself a Christian, a follower of Christ, does your life show evidence of it, are you producing fruit consistent with who you claim to be?
If you call yourself a Christian, a follower of Christ, does your life show evidence of it, are you producing fruit consistent with who you claim to be?
If the answer is no, if when you examine your life you do not see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control being increasingly produced in your life, if you find no evidence that you genuinely worship God, that you love the brothers, that you obey Christ, then understand, you may be among us, you may even look like one of us, but there is coming a day when you will be exposed as someone who was close to Jesus but not abiding in him.
Repent this morning, cry out to him, and be grafted in by the power of the Holy Spirit so that you may live.
If the answer is yes, if when you examine your life, you see fruit, even small sickly fruit, be encouraged. Know that the father does not remove fruitful branches, but rather prunes them so that they will produce more fruit. Rest in Christ, pray to the father that you may surrender to his pruning so that you may continue growing and producing fruit of salvation.
Let us pray this morning.
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