The Joy of Christ in You (John 15:1-11)
Text:
“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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 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. 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. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I 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, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:1-11)
Jesus gives us an illustration in which He is the vine, we are branches, and the Father is the gardener. God the Father is the faithful and omnipotent gardener who sustains us through Christ. Jesus is the true vine. Christ is the only reality and all other religions are false. As branches, we must be connected to the vine in order to survive.
We are warned to watch over our works to make sure we are producing fruit. What is fruit? It is any good thing that comes out of your life as a result of your faith in Jesus. Fruit is obedience to Christ. What has Christ commanded of us? That we love one another.
Our lives must be consistent with our beliefs. While it’s possible to be an unfruitful Christian (see 2 Peter 1:5-8), it’s certainly not ideal. An unfruitful Christian will lose out on some of the blessings that Christ offers. He won’t lose his salvation, because even when we’re faithless, God is faithful. But he will lose fellowship with the church, joy, and peace.
The fruitful believer will be pruned so that he can bear more fruit. Who does the pruning? God. Thank God for trials. Grow through them.
We are encouraged to remain in Christ. He is our source of strength. We can do nothing apart from Him. We cannot please God at all by our own strength. We must rely upon Him. And when we please Him, we must realize that it is not something we can boast about, but rather that we can praise God that he worked through us.
He answers prayer. He’s not saying if we pray to win the lottery, we’ll get it. We’ve got to pray in accordance with His Word.
Abiding in Christ is how we glorify God. He is our source of joy. He came to give us abundant life.
A horrible fate awaits those who do not abide in Christ. It’s not talking about believers. Note the different terminology: “every branch” in verse 2, versus “if anyone” in verse 6. Anyone who does not trust in Christ and rest in his grace will be thrown into the fire. I don’t know if Hell is a literal lake of fire, but it’s certainly not going to be pleasurable. Trust in Christ, and have true joy both in this life and the life to come.
Pastor Chris Huff has been with us since July 2009. He and his wife, Abby, have four children. Chris is originally from St. Louis, MO and even though he was raised as a city boy, he has a small town heart. Chris is all over the internet, so you can find him on Facebook, Twitter,… (read more)
