Abide in Me (John 15) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. John 15 Jesus will not abandon his disciples—so the call is to : remain, stay anchored, make your home in Christ and in His love. Key Image: Vine + branches + vinedresser (Father). Life and fruit come from connection, not self-effort. Four Things Jesus Gives His Disciples to Survive and Flourish 1) Who you to: Jesus is the True Vine (John 15:1) OT background: Israel pictured as a vine, but often wild/unfruitful. Illustration: Himalayan blackberry — capable of fruit, but untamed and functionally unharvestable. Jesus’ claim: “I am the true vine” → He is the faithful Israel, the true source of blessing to the nations. Pastoral implication: When disciples are rejected by the world (or even their community), they must remember: Jesus is the true vine. 2) How God treats those he loves: Pruning is painful but (John 15:1–3) Two works that look like pain, but aim at fruit: A) Weeding (sobering warning) — removal of fruitless branches (John 15:6) Judas as the immediate example: close to Jesus, but not truly connected. Warning against false discipleship and self-deception (Matt 7:21–23). “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23 Clarifying line: The difference isn’t perfection—it’s . Fruit doesn’t earn belonging; fruit reveals a living relationship. B) Pruning (loving discipline) — cutting even fruitful branches to bear more fruit Pruning can come through: consequences that interrupt sin plans that collapse when misaligned with Christ “hard mercies” that rescue and reshape Hebrews 12:7–11: God disciplines as a Father who His children. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:7-11 Another kind of pruning: through the Word (John 15:3) Jesus’ teaching cleanses, corrects, and redirects us from what drains life. 3) What happens when we on our own: Life apart from the vine is futile (John 15:5) “Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 6: many leave when Jesus won’t be king on their . Peter’s confession: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Modern mirror: systems that consume your life (exhaustion dressed up as purpose). Ecclesiastes 12:13–14: life without God collapses into meaninglessness Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 4) What kind of life is on offer: Full joy through abiding love (John 15:8–11) Fruit glorifies the Father and authenticates discipleship. Obedience is not slavery or a way to earn love: Love → abiding → obedience → fruit → joy Center verse: John 15:9 — “Abide in my love.” Promise: Jesus’ joy in us, and our joy made full (John 15:11). Jesus doesn’t say, “Get your act together or you’re gone.” He says: Remain. Stay. Make your home in my love. When life feels cut back: remain When others walk away: remain When obedience is costly: remain Don’t spend your one life trying to squeeze joy out of what can’t give it. Abide in the true vine—and let him make your joy full. Reflection & Discussion Questions Where do you most feel the disciples’ panic—“How can we go on without you?” What’s the modern version of that fear in your life right now? When you hear “Abide in me,” what do you instinctively think it means—emotionally and practically? The sermon says: “The difference isn’t perfection—it’s connection.” How does that challenge either (a) your shame or (b) your self-confidence? Jesus calls himself the true vine. What are the “vines” our culture offers for life, identity, and belonging—and which one tempts you most? John 15 includes a sobering warning about branches that don’t abide. How can we receive that warning without sliding into fear or legalism? Can you name a time God’s “pruning” felt like loss, but later proved fruitful? What fruit emerged—repentance, humility, compassion, freedom, wisdom? The sermon distinguishes careful pastoral wisdom in suffering: not every pain has an obvious explanation. What does it look like to trust the vinedresser when you can’t interpret the pruning? Hebrews 12 says discipline yields “the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” What kind of “peaceful fruit” do you most want God to grow in you this season?