P’s and Q’s : John 15

“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 it so that it may bear more fruit.” (verses 1 & 2)

• What does it mean that Jesus is the true vine and God the Father is the vinedresser? What does it mean that God prunes those who are producing fruit? Why does God do this?

Jesus is saying that He is the life-giver. Like a branch of any tree (or any vine), it has to be connected to the life source (trunk/roots) in order to sustain itself. God the Father is the vinedresser because He is the one who reviews our fruit and judges it. God prunes us, meaning that God will cut off the dead parts of our life that do not glorify Jesus, because He loves us and wants us to become more like Christ. If we produce no fruit, then we are not truly connected to the true vine (or Jesus).

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so 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, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (verses 4 & 5)

• What does it look like to abide in Christ? Why is it that we can do nothing apart from Jesus, that we can bear no fruit?

If we are abiding in Christ, then we are accepting Him as our Savior, cherishing His words, and producing good fruit that shows our love for Him is real. WE can do NOTHING apart from Jesus because He is God – our own efforts will produce nothing eternal. Without Him, we are an empty branch, worthless to the vine.

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” (verse 6)

• What is the humbling truth of this verse? Why do people of the world not believe this truth?

The humbling truth of this verse is that if we do not give our life to Jesus and do not abide in Him, we will not produce fruit and will be like a dead branch thrown away to be burned in eternal separation from God in Hell. People do not believe in Hell because they do not want to face the truth that they will be judged for whether or not they gave their life to Jesus.

“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also 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 so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (verses 9 -11)

• How do we abide in God’s love? What is joy and how does God make our joy full?

Abiding in God’s love is simple but difficult; all that we must do is daily submit to His commandments and obey them. “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world” (John Piper). True joy can be experienced by knowing Christ and growing in our knowledge of Him. Things of the world can only provide temporary pleasure, but joy from Christ is lasting.

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (verses 12 & 13)

• How does God define loving one another? How can you better love your family and friends?

Loving one another is being willing to lay down your life for someone else, which can be literal and metaphorical. Example: I can better love my family by dying to myself and serving my parents better by helping around the house without complaining. As far as my friends, I can be better about listening to their struggles and not constantly talking about my issues.

“You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (verses 14 & 15)

• What does it mean that you are a friend of God?

First of all, it is amazing to think that I can be friends with the God of the universe! True friendship requires intentionality and open communication. God has opened that door for us so we have the ability to be close to Him. As His friend, it is my responsibility to honor Him daily by walking in His Word.

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (verse 16)

• In this verse, what is the truth about God’s love and pursuit of us?

The truth is that we didn’t do anything to earn God’s love. He chose to love us even though we do not deserve it. The pressure of trying to perform or earn God’s love is taken off our shoulders because we simply cannot do it. Through Him, we are able to produce good fruit, but ONLY through Him.

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.” (verses 18-21)

• Why does the world love you if you are “of the world”? Why does the world hate and persecute you if you abide in Christ?

If you are “of the world”, then the world feels comfortable with you. You are participating in the same activities of the world and are of the same mindset. If you abide in Christ, however, you are making the world feel uncomfortable by standing out. Those in the world, then, either believe you are judgmental, ignorant, OR they may even feel convicted in their actions.

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”  (verses 22-25)

• Why does no one have an excuse for sin? (Look at Romans 1:18-23) How do you see people of this world hate Jesus?

There is no excuse for our sin because, according to Romans 1, God has revealed Himself to every individual to ever live on earth. 

Three Takeaways:

• God will prune you.
• God will give you full joy.
• God makes you a friend.