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Abiding in Christ: A Path to Fruitfulness in John 15-16
August 21, 2025 · 14 min
Join us as we explore John 15-16, Jesus' final talk with His disciples before the Crucifixion.
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Abiding in Christ: The True Vine 0:11 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. My family and I have taken a little vacation, but we're still standing on the word. So today, we're gonna look at John chapters 15 and 16.0:23 This is a continuation of Jesus' final conversation with his disciples before his crucifixion. Now here's a verse that many have taken comfort in, and I I do all the time. Verse0:35 33 of chapter 16. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have0:46 overcome the world. Chapter 15 is focused on abiding in Christ and bearing fruit. Then the hatred from the world that comes from our association with0:58 Jesus Christ, the 1 who came into the world to expose the deeds of darkness. Now the warning of persecution carries over into chapter 16, which is followed by a discussion of the work of the Holy Spirit and the1:10 ability of Jesus' followers that they would have when Jesus returned to the father, which is the period in which we're living today. So we have the power. We're gonna look at the ability1:22 that we have to be overcomers. Alright. Verse 1. I am the true vine and my father is the vinedresser. Now this1:33 declaration is filled with meaning. Jesus is not just using this analogy, a word picture that he often did. He's declaring something here. He's declaring that he is their identity.1:46 A prominent symbol of Israel in that time was the vine. There there were several things that used to illustrate Israel. 1 was the vine. The psalmist speaks of this in Psalm 801:58 verse 8. You have brought a vine out of Egypt. You have cast out the nations and planted it. It was referring to Israel coming out of Egypt. They were a vine.2:10 Jesus is saying unlike the vine that became unfruitful and incurred the judgment of the father, I am the genuine, lasting vine that bears fruit.2:22 Verse 2, 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. Alright.2:34 Now let me be, clear up front. This is not speaking of a loss of salvation. We when saved, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote that in Ephesians 4.2:46 However, being taken away can mean physical death or it can mean being sidelined, which to me would be, I think, worse. If you are a child2:58 of God and you become a hindrance to the work of God, you just put it like this, you're not in a good place. But this also speaks of our productivity. Alright. Verse 3. You are already3:10 clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. The the word here that is used in the Greek is to is purge or cleanse of impurity. Now the branches in those days, they3:22 didn't have pesticide. They didn't spray them with things. They they actually took like water and a rag or hyssop, and they they would cleanse they would literally clean the vines of3:33 disease and of insects. And then they would cut away the useless sprouts that, the shoots that would come off, they would prune them. Now it is the word of God that3:45 accomplishes this in our lives, and the Holy Spirit. It's a part of the sanctification process. Now from experience, you can speak to this. This is often3:57 an uncomfortable process. It's analogous to the refining metaphor that we see used elsewhere in scripture where the the fire burns away the impurities. It is a4:09 it is a sanctification process. We are saved. We are then sanctified before we're glorified. We're justified. That is the salvation. We're sanctified, and then we're4:21 glorified when we get to heaven. And the so the sanctification is a process. It's an ongoing process throughout life. Verse 4, abide in me, and I in you, and the branch as the4:33 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 bears4:45 much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. You know, apart from Jesus, we can do nothing of lasting value. You know, I I I like to buy my wife flowers,4:57 and I I like flowers around the house. Cut flowers are pretty. And, you know, for for a while, I try to I get the flowers that last the longest, and some of them even they they, they5:10 unfurl. Alright? They now now some incorrectly said that they're blooming. They're they're not blooming because flowers only bloom when they're connect they're growing on the plant. Alright? That they're5:22 they're alive. We can only bear fruit. We can look good, and you know what? And we can unfurl unfurl and and make it look like we're alive, but5:34 we can only bear fruit when we're connected to the vine, to Jesus. So how do we how do we abide in Christ? How do we stay connected to the vine? Verse 6, if anyone does not abide in me, he is5:46 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 I5:57 and it shall be done for you. By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. Abiding in Christ, being connected6:09 to him is the result of being in his word, and his word being in us. As a result of his word being in us, we obey God, and our desires6:22 and our will are conformed to the father's. Alright? And a part of that is loving our fellow believers. That's a commandment that we love 1 another. And so we can only do6:34 that when we're abiding in Christ and we're conformed to the father's will. The result the results are this, our prayers are answered, and we have joy that the world6:45 cannot take away. Verse 9. 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's6:57 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 1 another as I have loved7:09 you. Greater love has no 1 than this than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. Now 6 quick7:21 observations here of abiding in Christ. Number 1, we see in verse 4, the command to abide. Abide in me. The purpose of abiding is fruitfulness, which will bring glory to the7:32 father. Alright? Remember, it's all about as we elevate, as we lift up Jesus, the father is glorified, and our mission is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. The result7:45 of not abiding, the destruction of our works and our efforts being burned up. Nothing. They're of no value. The way to abide, we've seen in verse 7 and 10, the word7:57 through the word of God and obedience to the word. It's not just enough of having an intellectual knowledge of the word and reading it, but it's obeying it as well. And the power of abiding is we see8:09 answered prayer. And the results of abiding, we have the love of God, we have joy, and we have fellowship with the father. You know, Newton's third law of motion is that for every action8:21 there is a reaction. Now that's true spiritually as well. As we abide in Christ and we take on his nature and his character, guess what? We're gonna face the8:32 same hostility from the world under Satan's influence that he faced. But hold on to the end because there's there's encouragement coming. Verse 18, if the world hates8:44 you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. Why did it hate it? Because he exposed the deeds of darkness. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but8:56 I chose you out of the world. Therefore, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word,9:07 they will keep yours also. But all these things, they will do to you for my name's sake because of Jesus, because they do not know him who sent me. Right? They don't know the father.9:20 If I had come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me, hates my father also.9:32 The hatred that we see toward Jesus and Christians, and and and I would say the the antisemitism at its core is a hatred of God himself. But9:44 notice in verse 26, but when the helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, he will testify of me. And you9:56 also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning. So despite the opposition, the Holy Spirit empowers and enables us to witness of and10:08 for Jesus. Now this flows right into chapter 16 verse 1. These things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble. Right?10:20 There's no small print in the call to follow Jesus. Remember when he when he said we are to to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him? I mean, he's very clear. There is a there's a10:32 warning here for this reason that difficulty will come to those who follow Jesus. It's to keep us from stumbling or from being offended by the hatred and the rejection that comes with our10:44 association with Jesus, and then as a result, turning away from following him when that persecution comes. Why will they persecute followers of Jesus?10:56 Because they do not know God. Verse 3, and these things they do. They will do to you because they have not known the father nor me. Now let's look now at the work of the Holy Spirit11:08 that Jesus promised to send when he departed to the father because this is essential. It's essential for us to have the the peace, the joy that Jesus wants us to have. It is11:19 found only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Verse 7. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to11:31 you. That's the Holy Spirit. But if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin, because they do not believe in me.11:43 Of righteousness, because I go to my father and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. So the work of the Holy Spirit is this, to convict and11:55 convince of sin so that we might turn from it, convict of the righteousness of Jesus Christ by showing that his claims were in fact true and convict of judgment12:07 that Satan no longer has dominion over man and the authority to enslave us. It was broken at the cross. Verse 12, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot12:19 bear them now. However, when he, the spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, and he will not speak on his own authority. But whatever he hears, he will speak, and he12:31 will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, and he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. Here again, we see that the Holy Spirit will lead us into12:44 an understanding of the truth, but this only happens when we abide in Christ. Now why did Jesus tell us all of this? Verse 33. Alright. Here it is.12:56 This is the culmination. These things I have spoken to you that in me, you may have peace. In the world, you'll have tribulation, but be of good cheer.13:07 I have overcome the world. Yes. Yes. There will be opposition to following Jesus, but take courage. Be confident. It's what it means. Take courage. Be13:19 confident. Jesus has overcome the world. Father, we thank you for your word. And, Lord, just thank you for the Holy Spirit and that he would lead us into all understanding13:31 of the truth and that, Lord, we would abide in you that as we abide and obey, that, Lord, we would see our prayers answered as we bring glory and honor to the father.13:43 Strengthen us through the power of the Holy Spirit that we would live as confident that you have overcome the world. We thank you for your word, and we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.13:55 Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Until next time, keep standing on the word.14:02 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you14:14 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Abiding in Christ: The True Vine
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