August 2024 ~ Matt Mitchell

Sunday, August 25, 2024

“If The World Hates You” [Matt's Messages]

8/25/2024 12:14:00 PM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“If The World Hates You”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 25, 2024 :: John 15:18-16:4

Jesus says that His disciples should expect to experience hostility.

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus tells His disciples, on the eve of His crucifixion, to be prepared to be hated. To be ready to be hated by the world.

The very first words in verse 18 are, “If the world hates you...”

So far, chapters 14 and 15 have been more about LOVE.

Jesus has been preparing His followers for His departure, and for the most part, He’s been giving them comfort. He’s told them that He’s going away to prepare a place for them. And He’s told them that He’s coming back for them. And He’s told them that He is their way to the Father and that through Him they know the Father.

Jesus has told them that they are going to do greater things because He’s going to the Father. He’s told them that He’s going to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Alongsider, the Counselor) to be with them and in them forever. They are not alone.

And they are going to be loved! So loved! Loved by the Father, loved by the Son, loved by the Spirit, three in One. The Spirit reminding them of everything that the Son has taught them all along.

And giving them peace! And answering their prayers! And giving them life! And producing in them fruit like a vine to its branches.

Jesus has told them that they are His friends. That’s what we saw last time in the Gospel of John. Jesus has called you and me His friends! He has chosen us and appointed us. And He is going to die for us!

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (v.13)!

Love, love, love. And He says that we are called to love each other. The Vine wants the branches to love the other branches. How many times this evening has He said to them, “Love one another?”

We sang it last week at the end of the Malawi Team Report. “They will know that we are Christians by our love.”

It’s ringing out of verse 17, “This is my command. Love each other.”

“Love each other.”

But then in verse 18, He speaks of hate. “If the world hates you.” There’s a lot about hate in this next section, but notice that it all runs one way. It’s the world that does the hating. Jesus is preparing His disciples for the hate that is going to come their way very soon from the world.

And we should take note, because we can expect it, too.

Now, that doesn’t mean that all we can expect is hate from the world. There will be times of relative peace. Even in the book of Acts when this all first played out, there are times when the church experienced some favor in the eyes of the world.

But the general expectation is hostility. The world is not neutral about Christians because it is not neutral about Christ. And that’s the first and most important thing that Jesus wants His disciples to understand when they experience this hate. They are not alone. V.18

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

By the way, the “world” here is the human system of the world. Sinful humanity united together, working together against God. Not the “world” as in the Earth. But the world system that Jesus came into and for but who rejected Him. Remember that from the very first chapter of John?

“[The Word] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him...” (Jn. 1:10-11 NIVO).

If you experience hostility from the world, you are not the first. The world hated Jesus first. In fact, that’s why the world hates you. It’s not really about you. It’s about Him.

I have three points to summarize the teaching of this passage, and this is the first and biggest one.

If the world hates you...

#1. YOU ARE HATED WITH JESUS.

And that’s a good thing. It’s good because you’re not alone. Someone else has gone through this before you, and by the Spirit, is going through it with you even now. And it’s good because it means that you are doing it right.

I don’t know about you, but whenever the Christian life gets hard, I tend to think that I must be doing it wrong.

“Oh no, the world hates me. What am I doing wrong? What can I do to fix this?”

But Jesus tells us that this hate is going to flow towards us, and it’s not because we’re doing it wrong, but because we are connected to Him. Look at verse 19.

“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.”

It’s not because you are doing it wrong, but because you are doing it right. You’re with the right One!

Because you belong to Jesus now, and the world hates Jesus, so it’s going to hate you.

Now, by the way, make sure that this IS the reason why the world hates you and because you act like a total idiot. Make sure that the world hates you because you act like Jesus! Make sure that you abide in Jesus and produce much fruit. We want the world to hate us because of our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

If the world hates you because you’re angry, unloving, contentious, impatient, rude, mean, and out of control, that’s not on Jesus. That’s on you. And cut it out! But if we are abiding, remaining, dwelling in Jesus, that will not safeguard us from the world’s hate. It will actually attract it.

The world will hate that you left it for Jesus. And so you will experience the hate it has for Jesus. We will not escape the hate. Why would we think we would? V.20

“Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' [John 13:16]. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”

What a number of Christians have experienced in America for the last two centuries has been an anomaly. There has been quite a bit of favor shown to Christians in our culture. And we can be grateful for that and steward it well whenever it comes our way. Daniel is example of a believer who, at times, was shown favor by the world. Great example for us.

But not the rule. The Apostle Paul said, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted...” (2 Tim. 3:12 NIVO).

Our Lord Jesus said that no servant (that’s us) is greater than His master (that’s Him). So if they persecuted Him [And they did! They killed Him on cross!], they will persecute us, too.

Notice, however, that He also says if they obeyed His teaching [And some of them did. They came over!], then they will obey ours as well. So that gives us hope that there will be times when the haters will change and become the lovers! But don’t think that you are above this.

Don’t think that you, as a follower of Jesus, can expect to be celebrated by the world as a follower of Jesus.

I think this is especially appropriate for Back To School Sunday. When all of these Christian students, teachers, administrators, helpers, aides, bus drivers, head back into various situations amongst the world. You will not always be celebrated for belonging to Jesus. You may very well experience hate.

Don’t take it personally. Verse 21 says, “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” It’s not really about you and me. It’s about Him. It’s about His name.

Remember, that’s where we find life. “...that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31).

And you will also have persecution in His name.

It’s about Jesus. And it’s about His Father. “...for they do not know the One who sent me.” In fact, they rejected Him. And so they will be judged. Verse 22.

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.”

He doesn’t mean that they would have no sin whatsoever. We all have sin. He’s saying that if He had not come in the flesh, they would not have rejected Him in the flesh. But He did, and they did. And there was no excuse. They hated Him. And they hated His Father. Verse 23.

“He who hates me hates my Father as well.”

That’s really important. Some people say that they love God, but they just don’t believe in Jesus. But that’s not true. If you reject Jesus, you are rejecting His Father, as well.

Do you feel all the hate here? They hate the Son. They hate the Father. That’s why they hate you. Verse 24.

“If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, 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'” (vv.24-25).

Jesus is not surprised by this hate, and neither should we be. It was predicted a thousand years before He came on the scene. Jesus here is quoting Psalm 69.. A thousand years before Jesus was born, the Old Testament was predicting His suffering and death. And His persecution.

If you are hated by the world, don’t be surprised. You are in good company. You are hated WITH Jesus and His Father.

So what should you do if you find yourself hated by the world?

Don’t be surprised. Be grateful to be in good company. What else? What should you do if the world hates you?

Should you hate them back?

Should you fight fire with fire?

Should you whine and complain about being mistreated on social media?

Should you write your congressperson?

Should you make sure you vote for the candidates for public office that promise to give you the most protection for living out your Christian values the way you want to?

You can vote however your conscience directs you, but that’s not where Jesus goes here.

Jesus says that we need to testify.

If the world hates you...

#2. SPEAK UP FOR JESUS.

Look at verse 26. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit once again. Verse 26.

“When the Counselor 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.”

Remember this? Jesus is going to ask the Father to send the Spirit to come alongside us and even be in us. The “Paraclete” or the “Advocate” or the “Counselor.” And the Father is going to do it. He’s going to pour out His Spirit at Pentecost. The Spirit is going to come, and...what’s He going to talk about? he Spirit is going to testify about the Son.

“About me” Jesus says.

The Holy Spirit loves to point the spotlight on Jesus! Whenever the Spirit shows up, Jesus gets glorified!

You see the Trinity here? God is Three Persons.

The Son sending the Spirit to the Disciples.

The Spirit going out from the Father (who has also sent the Son).

The Spirit testifying about the Son.

Three in One.

And when that Holy Spirit comes, what is the Church supposed to do?

We are supposed to testify, too. Verse 27.

“And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

The eleven remaining disciples had been with Jesus since the start, and when the Holy Spirit shows up, they are supposed to talk about Jesus and talk about Jesus and never stop talking about Jesus. Even if they start to be killed for talking about Jesus. Jesus is preparing them to die if they need to. And most of the men in that room will eventually die because they belonged to Jesus. And we need to be ready to die for Him, too.

And we need to speak up for Jesus even if they come at us with guns.

Now, that’s easy to say and hard to do. And we need to pray for wisdom and discernment about how and when and what we say. But we also need to be bold.

Because Jesus is worth it. He died for us, and we need to speak up for Him. We need to tell the world what we know about Him.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through Him.

That’s not a popular thing to say to the world. But it’s true. And everybody needs to hear it.

Jesus is the Bread of Life.

Jesus is the Light of the World.

Jesus is the Gate for the sheep.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

Jesus is the True Vine.

We know the truth about Jesus, and we need to testify that truth to the world. And if they reject Jesus, that’s on them. But we need to speak up for Him, even if they hate us for it.

That’s hard to do. It’s easy for me to get up here on a Sunday with all of you smiling at me and say all these great things about Jesus. Everybody here nods at everything I say. I’m glad you do!

But they aren’t nodding at us out there in the world. They don’t want to hear what Jesus says.

They don’t want to do what Jesus says to do.

With their money.

With their bodies.

With their relationships.

With their words.

With their hearts.

And they are going to get mad when we tell them about Jesus.

But Jesus says (v.27), “You also must testify...”

You don’t do it on your own. The Holy Spirit is there testifying inside you and through you. He’ll provide the power! But you still have to step out in faith and speak up about Jesus. And not stop. Not run away. That’s the third and last point.

If the world hates you...

#3. DON’T FALL AWAY FROM JESUS.

Look at verse 1 of chapter 16.

“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.”

The Greek word there means to not “stumble” or “trip up.” Jesus is telling the disciples how hard it will be, so that they do not bail on Him when the going gets rough. And it’s going to get rough! Look at verse 2.

“They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.”

That happened. Think about Stephen. He was telling people about Jesus, and the Jews picked up rocks to throw at him. And they threw enough rocks at him that he died. And there was a guy named Saul there who was holding the coats for the guys with the rocks. And they all said, “We are offering a service to God” by killing this man talking about Jesus.

And it happens today. Not so much in this country at this point, but lots of places around this world, Christians are killed in the service of many gods.

And, of course, it’s not just killed. Jesus says that they may be ostracized. Put out of the synagogue. How hard that would have been to accept! To get kicked out of the center of your community.

And that can happen to us, too. You might get dirty looks and snide comments. You might lose a job or be denied a promotion or a scholarship. You might not get an important sal or lose someone’s business. You might lose your spouse if they can’t stand you talking about Jesus. You might be ridiculed or accused of things you have not done to smear mud on your reputation.

Or you may be jailed or tortured or killed. Verse 3.

“They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. [Remember, it’s not you. It’s Jesus.] I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.”

They were safe while He was still there. But He’s going away, and the hate will come raining down. nd He wants them to be ready so that they don’t run away.

Jesus did not tell us all of this to scare us. He told us all of this so that we are ready and steady. So that we would remain! So that we would abide! So that we would continue to stay closely connected to Jesus, the Vine.

And not fall away when the going gets rough. Because He did not fall away. He was ready to go all the way to the Cross for you and me.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

So we aren’t alone, we aren’t surprised, we aren’t scared.

And we don’t fall away, but instead we tell everyone what Jesus did for us.

***

Messages in this Series

01. "That You May Believe" - John 20:30-31
02. "In The Beginning Was the Word" - John 1:1-18
03. "John's Testimony" - John 1:19-34
04. "Come and See" - John 1:35-51
05. "The First of His Miraculous Signs" - John 2:1-11
06. "This Temple" - John 2:12-25
07. "You Must Be Born Again" - John 3:1-15
08. "God So Loved The World" - John 3:16-21
09. "Above All" - John 3:22-36
10. "Living Water" - John 4:1-26
11. "Ripe for the Harvest" - John 4:27-42
12. "Your Son Will Live" - John 4:43-54
13. "Pick Up Your Mat and Walk" - John 5:1-18
14. "To Your Amazement" - John 5:19-30
15. "Testimony About Me" - John 5:31-47
Christmas Eve Bonus: "The Astonishing Gift" - John 3:16 Again
Christmas Eve Bonus: "We Have Seen His Glory" - John 1:1-18 Again
16. "Enough Bread" - John 6:1-15
17. "You Are Looking for Me" - John 6:16-36
18. "I Am the Bread of Life" - John 6:35-71
Vision Meeting Bonus: "As I Have Loved You" - John 13:34-35
19. "At the Feast" - John 7:1-52
20. "I Am the Light of the World" - John 8:12-30
21. "Your Father" - John 8:31-59
22. "Now I See" - John 9:1-41
23. "I Am The Gate" - John 10:1-13
24. "I Am the Good Shepherd" - John 10:14-21
25. "I And The Father Are One" - John 10:22-42
26. "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" - John 11:1-53
27. "Expensive" - John 11:54-12:11
28. "The Hour Has Come" - John 12:12-26
29. "Father, Glorify Your Name!" - John 12:27-36
30. "Believe In Me" - John 12:37-50
31. "Do You Understand What I Have Done For You?" - John 13:1-17
32. "I Am Telling You Now Before It Happens” - John 13:18-38
2024 West Branch Baccalaureate: "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" - John 14:6
33. "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life” - John 14:1-6
34. "Show Us the Father" - John 14:7-14
35. "If You Love Me" - John 14:15
36. "I Will Ask the Father" - John 14:16-24
37. "My Peace I Give You" - John 14:25 -31
38. "I Am the True Vine" - John 15:1-11
39. "You Are My Friends" - John 15:12-17

“You Are My Friends” [Matt's Messages]

8/10/2024 10:45:00 AM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“You Are My Friends”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 11, 2024 :: John 15:12-17

Ready for some boggling? Want to have your mind boggled? This is mind-boggling:

In John 15, Jesus tells His disciples that they (and by extension you and I) are His friends

Jesus uses that word “friends” 3 times in these 6 verses.

He says it outright in verse 14, “You are my friends.” There’s our sermon title.

And in verse 15, He says, “I have called you friends.”

What a privilege to carry that designation! A friend of Jesus!

“‘Friendship’ was an important category in the ancient world” (Edward W. Klink III, ZECNT, pg. 657).

I’ve been reading a great book about friendship in the Bible by Rebecca McLaughlin. It’s called No Greater Love: A Biblical Vision for Friendship, and I highly recommend it. There’s a whole chapter just on this passage.

Friendship in that world was similar to and yet also kind of different from what we tend to mean when we use the word “friend” today.

It was different in that friendship didn’t always mean that the two people in the friendship relationship were considered equals. One could actually be a subordinate to the other. We don’t tend to use that word that way about most of our “friendships.” But they often did.

And we’re going to see that here. Jesus is not saying that He and His disciples are equals in everything. Share and share alike. Friend and friend alike. We are not equals with Jesus. But we are His friends.

Being a friend did mean that there was a special bond between the two people. And the word “friend” still means that to us today.

It takes a kind of love to be a friend. In fact, the Greek word translated friend is “philos,” the noun form of the Greek verb for loving something (like, for example, a sibling). “Phileo.” “Philadelphia” the supposed city of brotherly love.

A “philos” is someone you care about. Some you’re attached to. Someone you have something in common with, and you are fond of them. You have affection for them. A bond.

Peter and Macy's best friends came together yesterday be in their wedding party. Several handsome young men and radiant young ladies united together in lasting friendships. Their friends.

And Jesus says to His disciples (and by extension to you and me), “You are my friends.”

Last week, we saw that Jesus called them “the branches.” He was the True Vine, and His Father was the Gardener.

[Does that make the Father the first Branch Manager?]

Jesus said that He was the True Vine and His true disciples were the true branches whose main job was just to stay vitally connected to Him. Remain. Dwell. Abide.

You see here what happens when a so-called branch does not remain. How much fruit will this cut-off branch yield for the Gardener? None. Absolutely none.

But if a branch stays connected to the True Vine, then it will bear much fruit (as we saw in verse 5, and Jesus said in verse 8...) “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (Jn. 15:8 NIVO).

And now He calls these “branches,” His friends.

This is the same occasion. This is the same night. This is just the next few verses. Jesus knows He’s soon to be arrested, soon to be tortured, soon to be mocked, soon to be killed. He’s going away to the Cross.

And before He goes, He’s telling His followers that they aren’t just followers, they are His friends.

And, here, Jesus explains some of what He means by that and gives them at least three things that they are supposed to do because of it. Three points of application this morning. Here’s the first one.

Jesus says, “You are my friends” so...

#1. LOVE LIKE IT.

Look at verse 12.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Jesus has been emphasizing obedience to His commands throughout the Farewell Teachings. We had a whole sermon devoted to obeying His commands when the Challenge Crew got back. Chapter 14, verse 15.

Jesus said, “If you love me [my friends], you will obey what I command.”

In verse 9, Jesus said that if we obey His commands, we will remain in His love. We’ll live in His love. Dwelling in His love. Like friends!

And here He says what His big command is, “Love each other as I have loved you.”

Jesus wants His branches to love His other branches.

“Love each other as I have loved you.”

Jesus just keeps hammering this idea, doesn’t He? He’s going to repeat it again in verse 17.

And it is His new command that He gave earlier this very evening when they were still around the table after He washed their feet. It’s our memory verse for 2024. Say it with me:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34-35 NIVO).

Do you think He wants us to love one another?

It must not be that easy to do. It must not come naturally to us. We have to be commanded. We have to be reminded. We have to be told how important it is to our Lord that we do it. “Love each other!”

That’s important because we’re different from each other. We have different values, different personalities, different politics, different priorities, different backgrounds. These branches on Jesus’ vine can be wildly different from one another, but we all have the True Vine of Jesus in common, and so we’re supposed to love the other branches.

And He doesn’t just tell us to; He’s shown us how. Look at verse 12 again.

“Love each other as I have loved you.”

Jesus is our example of this, and there is none greater. Verse 13.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

That’s another verse to memorize. There is no greater love than sacrificial love for someone you say you love.

It’s one thing to say you love someone. To say that they are your friend. Your “philos.” That’s a good thing to say! Even saying it is a kind of love.

But it’s a totally different love on a greater level to actually show your love by sacrificing yourself for your friend.

And it’s even greater if your friend is not your equal! If your friend is your subordinate. Like the Shepherd laying down his life for the sheep. The Shepherd is greater than the sheep! But the Good Shepherd (the Best Shepherd!), lays down his life for the sheep.

The good friend, the best friend, lays down His life even for His inferior friend. We are not equal with Jesus, and yet we are His friends. And Jesus laid down His life for us.

Jesus knows what’s coming. He knows Satan is on his way. He knows that He will be dead in less than 24 hours from asphyxiation while nailed to a post. And He’s choosing it. He’s laying down His life. Willingly.

Because He loves us. Because we are His friends.

“Greater love has no one than this...” If that doesn’t boggle your mind, you haven’t gotten it yet or you’ve forgotten what you know.

But the main reason why Jesus is mentioning His sacrificial love here is because He wants us to do this, too! Jesus wants us to love each other as He has shown us love.

How are we doing at that? How are we doing at loving the other branches? The branches that are different from us? The branches that drive us crazy? The branches we wouldn’t relate to if they weren’t also branches?

Jesus says, “My command is this: Love each other.”

He’s talking to eleven disciples who may have hated each other’s guts if they weren’t all connected to Jesus.

Did you ever look at the backgrounds of Jesus’ disciples and how different they were from one another? We think it’s impressive when Christian Republicans and Christian Democrats can love each other in Jesus in America, but Jesus’ own inner circle had a Zealot and a Tax-Collector in it! One who colluded with the Romans and one who wanted to overthrow them.

“My command is this: Love each other.”

How are we doing at loving the other branches?

Here’s the measure: Are we sacrificing for them? Are we laying down our lives for those we say we love? Most of the time, our laying down our lives is not dying for someone like taking a literal bullet for them, jumping in front of the bus. Most of time it’s a little death, one little death at a time. It’s laying down your rights. It’s refusing to fight. It’s putting someone else’s best interests ahead of your own (Philippians 2).

Who have you recently died for?

Yesterday at their wedding, I talked to Peter and Macy about forgiving each other as Christ forgave them. That's a little bit like death each time you do it, but it's always the best way to live and to love!

Don’t wait until they deserve it to begin. Thankfully, Jesus did not wait until we deserved His love for Him to lay down His life for us. Don’t wait until that other Christians in your life have become worthy of your love before you start laying down your life for them. Because they won’t ever.

One great example of how this church family is growing in love is our Malawi Missions Team. Those 3 gave up some their limited vacation time to go over the sea and share our love with our Malawi branches. And you all gave from your own funds to send them. And you gave from your own hard-earned funds to send along with them money for food. That’s laying down your life for those you call your friends. That’s following our Lord’s example and obeying our Lord’s command. And that’s acting like Jesus’ friends.

You are my friends, so love like it. That’s the point of verse 14.

“You are my friends if you do what I command.”

Now, that sounds a little funny to our ears. Because we don’t tend to talk like that to our friends:

“You’re my buddy if you do what I say.”

But that’s not what He’s talking about. And it’s not a buddy-buddy friendship. Jesus is saying that if you do what He commands, you will show yourself to be His friend. A true friend is someone you can count on. A true friend is someone who acts like one.

We could say it this way. “You are my friends” so...

#2. LIVE LIKE IT.

Our obedience does not make us His friends, it shows that we are.

“You are my friends (and all will know it) if you do what I command.”

How wrong would it be if we said that we were the friends of Jesus, and we lived the exact opposite way that our Lord asked us to?! A true friend wants what their true friend wants. We show our friendship to Jesus by our obedience.

And that’s different from just blind obedience. That’s different from just mindless obedience. That’s the point that Jesus is making in verse 15.

“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.”

Now, there is a sense in which, of course, we are still also His servants.

But Jesus is emphasizing here that we aren’t mindless slaves. We aren’t robots. We aren’t following Jesus’ commands just because He says so and He’s more powerful than we are.

We don’t just obey because we’re scared of being punished if we don’t. We obey because we are His friends. We obey because we love Him. We obey because He’s told us what He is up to, and we’re a part of it!

Yes, this is saying we’re on Jesus’ team!

This is mind-boggling. “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business [They don’t know what God is up to in the world]. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Jesus has told them about the mission that He was sent on.

He has told them about His special relationship with the Father. He is the "monogenays," the One and Only Begotten Son sent from the Father full of grace and truth. He has told them about the Father’s love for the big bad world and how He has sent His One and Only Son to save everyone who believes in Him. He has told them He is going away to prepare a place for them and that He’s coming back for them to take them to be with Him. He’s told them that He’s going to ask the Father to send another Counselor, the Holy Spirit to take His place.

“Everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Jesus has taken them into His confidence. He’s disclosed Himself. He’s shown them the Father. They are not equals, but they are confidants. They have been brought into His circle. They are His friends.

And so are we. So we should live like it.

We know what Jesus wants from us. We have all of His teachings to study and put into practice. And we even know WHY we are supposed to do them. We are not mindless slaves. We are inner circle friends.

Are we acting like it?

Jesus tells His followers that they are on the inside with Him because He took the initiative to bring them there. They aren’t there because they’re so smart or because they deserve it or because they moved first. Look at verse 16.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.”

And there He is back to the vine metaphor.

Jesus says that His disciples did not love Him first. He loved them first. Before they ever chose Him, He was choosing them. We saw that in chapter 1 when He started gathering His disciples. And He’s doing that today. He always makes the first move, even if we never perceive it. We love because He first loved us. He came after us to make us His friends.

And to make us His branches, bearing much fruit that will last forever.

We are His friends (because of His love), so we should live like it.

We should live lives like Jesus’ with “[L]ove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23 NIVO).

Last week, we said that bearing fruit meant more followers of Jesus, and it meant more followers of Jesus living like Jesus!

That’s what we’re trying to do this week with the Good News Cruise, isn’t it? We’re trying to make more followers of Jesus and live as followers of Jesus more like Jesus. That’s the main thing, right? And we always say, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Jesus told us, “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.”

You are my friends so live like it.

And pray like it. V.16

“Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

#3. PRAY LIKE IT.

Jesus says that when we are on mission, bearing lasting fruit, His Father will give us whatever we ask in Jesus’ name. The Father delights to answer our prayers as we pray them in the name and authority and will of His Son. Jesus has been hitting this theme over and over again in the Farewell Teachings, hasn’t He? He wants us to ask for things.

Just because He’s going away doesn’t mean that we have no access to God. We have the Spirit, and we have prayer in Jesus’ name. And the Father is listening.

I think that Jesus says this kind of thing over and over again because we are tempted to not believe it. We often don’t believe that the Father really wants us to pray or that He really will answer our prayers.

But Jesus presents a picture of a generous heavenly Father bent on giving good gifts to His people. The Father/Gardener loves to bless the branches as they reach up to Him!

One of the true marks of friendship is being able to ask for something right?

We say, “I need a favor, and I’m asking as your friend.”

This weekend, any time Peter or Macy asked their friends to do something, they just jumped right up and took care of it.

One of the most important parts of having a friend is being there for each other. Well, Jesus doesn’t need anything from us. But He asks for our obedience.

But He wants us to ask Him for stuff and His Father for stuff. And because we are His friends, we should expect answers!

Of course, truly good friends will tell you, “No,” from time to time if you are asking for something dumb or bad or at the wrong time. But the best of friends love to help their friend out.

“Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

What are you asking in Jesus’ name today? I have my list. There’s something I’ve begun to ask for every single day. And I’m asking the Father through the Son in the Spirit. He hasn’t given it to me yet. But I’m asking. I’m a branch connected by faith to the True Vine, and I’m asking. I’m a friend of Jesus, and I’m asking. What are you asking for?

Pray for the Good News Cruise this week. Pray for all the details, and pray for lost souls. There are guaranteed to be lost people on our campus on Saturday, and we need to pray for them.

“I have called you friends...” so pray like it. “Take it to the Lord in prayer."

And here’s another thing to pray for. Pray for the love you need to love the other branches. Verse 17 and last.

“This is my command: Love each other.”

I think He’s serious about that. It’s not an option for the branches on the True Vine. Jesus wants His branches to love His other branches.

And mind-bogglingly, He has shown us no greater love than this at the Cross.

***

Messages in this Series

38. "I Am the True Vine" - John 15:1-11

“I Am the True Vine” [Matt's Messages]

8/04/2024 01:24:00 PM Life in Jesus' Name, Matt's Messages, The Gospel of John 0 comments

“I Am the True Vine”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

August 4, 2024 :: John 15:1-11

Here He goes again!

Once again, Jesus makes everything about Himself.

Six times so far we have heard Jesus make a grand statement like this about Himself in the Gospel of John.

Six times, He has said, “I Am” and then filled in the blank with an astonishing claim about Himself.

He said, "I am the Bread of Life."

He said, "I am the Light of the World."

He said, "I am the Gate for the Sheep."

He said, "I am the Good Shepherd."

He said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

And just a few moments ago, on this very same night, He said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.”

And now, the seventh “I Am” and the last one in this book, Jesus says, “I Am the True Vine.”

There He goes again. What did He mean by that?

It’s obviously a figure of speech, an extended metaphor. Jesus doesn’t mean that He is “Groot,” some kind of strange creature made of vines like the character from the Marvel movies. It’s a metaphor, but a powerful one. And an extended one. Jesus is going to explain what he means for 8 verses and then continue to refer to it beyond that. What’s going on?

Well, first we have to remember where Jesus was in chapter 15. This is the night that Jesus was betrayed. The night before the Cross. And Jesus has just told His closest followers huddled together inside that He is going away. So we often call this section of Scripture, “The Farewell Teachings of Jesus.”

His disciples are distraught and troubled so Jesus is giving them comfort and big promises that will sustain them and us[!] in the days to come.

In chapter 14, He has promised to make an eternal home for them and then come back for them to take them (and us!) there.

He has promised to answer prayers in His name about whatever and anything.

He has promised to personally pray the Father to give His disciples another Counselor (another Comforter, another Alongsider), the Holy Spirit to be with them and inside them (and us!) forever.

And He’s promised them (and us!) the gift of His peace.

And the last chapter ended with Jesus saying (14:31), “Come now; let us leave.” Now, it doesn’t say it outright, but my guess is that they all got up from the table then and headed out the door towards the Garden of Gethsemane. But Jesus doesn’t stop teaching them as they go. And my best guess is that they walk through a vineyard. And Jesus uses what is around them to teach them about their relationship with Him. And Who He truly is.

He said, “I am the true vine.”

Now, what they knew that we often miss is that in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was often symbolized by a vine. It’s all over the Old Testament. Israel was supposed to be a vine and vineyard full of life from God and producing much fruit for God. Israel was supposed flourish and be obedient and do great things for God, replicating the life of God in the world and for the world. Do you know that? Read Isaiah 5 this afternoon. Or Psalm 80. Or Ezekiel 15.

But, catch this, every single time Israel is called a vine in the Old Testament, they also are depicted as a FAILURE. A vine that does not produce good fruit. A vine that is disappointing to God. A vine that doesn’t do what the vine is supposed to do. Fruitless. Dead. Barren.

So what does Jesus come along and say about Himself?

“I am the TRUE vine.”

Jesus is what Israel was supposed to be all along. Jesus is going to succeed where Israel always failed. Jesus is going to flourish and have abundant life and fruit popping off of Him in every direction! Jesus is the TRUE vine. Just like He’s the GOOD Shepherd and the Bread of LIFE. He is the TRUE fulfillment of everything Israel was supposed to be. And the TRUE source of life for all who are vitally connected to Him.

There He goes again making everything about Him because, it turns out, everything is about Him.

Now, Jesus makes several points of analogy with his metaphor.

He says that He is the true vine. And He says that “His Father,” whom He loves to talk about, is “the gardener.” Verse 1.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

Some of you may have “husbandman” or “vinedresser” or “viticulturist.” That’s the person who tends the vineyard.

Now, all analogies break down somewhere. This is not saying that Jesus is something completely different from God the Father. We have been learning that the Father is God and the Son is God (and the Spirit is God). But in this metaphor, Jesus is the true vine, and His Father is the gardener.

So who or what are the branches? It’s people, like you and me, who claim to be followers of Jesus. People who claim to be His disciples and who claim to belong to Him.

[VINE] This came from Josh and Katie’s little vineyard here in Lanse. Thank you, Josh. You are a viticulturist! You are a husbandman. These are some branches that were just cut off yesterday.

In His metaphor, Jesus is the True Vine, the trunk of the vine, the heart of the vine, so to speak, where all of the life and heart and sap and vitality is.

Is that here in this room? No. That’s over at Josh and Katie’s house. If we wanted to see what Jesus was, we would have to have church over there. But you can get the idea. Jesus is the true vine, and people who claim to be connected to Him are the branches. Like these.

What does Jesus teach about the branches? Look at verse 2.

“He [the gardener] 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.”

There are two different basic kinds of branches.

There are what we might call “fake” branches and what we might call “true” branches.

The Father/Gardener looks at the branches and sees if there is fruit. If there is no fruit, He cuts off that branch. It’s no good. It’s just “faking it” we might say. He determines that it’s no good, and verse 6 will tell us where “branches” like that end up.

This is people, perhaps, like Judas. They appear to be disciples, but the Gardener can tell by close inspection that they really are not.

But other branches, upon close inspection, bear fruit. They have grapes. They are the real deal. What does Father/Gardener do with them?

He cuts them, too. He prunes them. He doesn’t cut them off. He prunes them. Or the word in verse 2 could be translated “cleans them.” He cleans up the branch, taking off the little tiny shoots that will get in the way of greater fruitfulness.

My wife once explained to me that a plant’s natural inclination is not to bear fruit but to keep growing more branches, more leaves, etc. But with each bit of growth, a loss of energy happens. So when a plant is carefully pruned, it focuses the life in the plant to produce stronger, healthier shoots, leaves, and more and better fruit. Make sense?

So what’s the basic difference between the two kind of branches?

Whether or not they yield or bear fruit, right?

What is “fruit” in this metaphor? Well, if Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches, then I think that the fruit must be the life of Jesus coming out of our lives.

Fruit is the product of a process, right? It’s the natural result of life doing what life does. So if you have an apple tree, and it’s fruitful, you get apples. If you have a orange tree, and it’s fruitful, you get oranges. If you have phone tree, and it’s fruitful, you get more phones, right? That last one is a joke because our phone are not alive. At least not yet. If you have a phone tree, you get more phone calls.

If you have a true Jesus vine, then what comes off of the vine is little true “Jesuses.” It’s the true life of Jesus producing true life in Jesus’ followers. So it’s more followers of Jesus, and it’s more followers of Jesus living like Jesus!

I think it’s things like what the Bible calls “the fruit of the Spirit.” Can you list the ninefold fruit of the Spirit? It’s “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23 NIVO). That sounds a lot like Jesus to me. And if we are His branches, that’s the kind of fruit I would expect to find on us.

And so would the Father/Gardener. He looks us over and He says, “Yep. I see the fruit. This one is mine. Nope. I don’t see any fruit. This one wasn’t real. Cut it out of there.”

This one from Josh’s had some fruit on it. Here’s a little bunch of grapes. It would have been a keeper if we didn’t need it for this illustration.

What did Jesus say the Father does to those branches that do bear fruit? Does He just leave them alone? No. He prunes them. That sounds painful. He takes the snipper to them.

He allows pain and suffering into their life to help them grow bigger and better fruit. More love, more joy, bigger peace, bigger patience, bigger kindness, bigger goodness, bigger faithfulness, and bigger gentleness and more self-control.

That’s encouraging to me. That’s actually comforting because when my life gets to hurting, I sometimes think I must be doing it wrong.

But Jesus said that the Father snips so that I would more fruitful. He never cuts off anything that is actually vital. I don’t lack for anything. But things that hinder? Snip, snip. Things that might stop my growth? Snip, snip. Things that need to go, no matter how painful? Snip, snip. “So that [I] will be even more fruitful.”

Now, what kind of branches are you and I?

Jesus knew that the eleven disciples still sitting there with Him that night were the real kind of fruitful branches. Look at verse 3.

“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”

They had experienced pruning already. Judas who was not clean (or faithful or fruitful) had left the circle. These eleven had put their true faith and trust in Jesus and were saved (see John 13:10). Jesus knows that they will bear fruit and fruit that will last.

And here’s where He gives them their instructions and another promise. V.4

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”

I have four points of personal application this morning, but they call flow out of this big one.

#1. STAY.

Jesus says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”

Some of your versions will say, “Abide” which is a beautiful word that we need to bring back. But we just don’t use it very much in English these days. We also don’t use it’s noun form, “Abode.” A place to “abide.” A place to dwell.

The Greek word here is “meno.” Which is the same root at the word for “dwelling places” or “rooms” like in chapter 14, verse 2, “In my Father’s house are many rooms....” “Monays.” We might say, “A place to stay.”

Jesus says that we should “remain” in Him. And He’s going to use that word “remain” at least 10 times from here to verse 11!

“Remain, remain, remain, remain, remain, remain, remain, remain, remain, remain.” I think He means it!

And means to do it Himself. “And I will remain in you.” Ge will stay connected to us. He asks us to stay connected to Him.

What does that mean? What does that look like?

Well, this is one of those places where the analogy continues but also kind of breaks down, right? I mean the branches of a grapevine don’t get to decide whether or not to stay attached to the rest of the vine, do they?

But that’s the very thing that Jesus is telling us to do with Him.

Stay connected to the true vine. Stick with Christ. Keep trusting Him. Draw your life from Him. Stay close to Him. Persevere in faith. Stay dependent on Him.

This is not about earning your salvation. This is about not abandoning your Savior. Not departing from Him. Stay. Stay dependent on Jesus because there is no life outside of Him. He’s the true vine. Look at verse 4.

“Remain in me, and I will 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.” Verse 5. “‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Stay. Stay dependent.

Anybody know what this branch is going to look like in a few days? It was just cut off yesterday, and it’s already brown around the edges. It was vibrantly green yesterday!

These grapes will be no good, and there will be no more grapes.

“Apart from [Jesus] you can do nothing.”

What does that mean? People who don’t trust in Jesus can do lots of things. You can do lots of things without Jesus, but nothing of eternal value. You can’t yield true fruit without being vitally connected to the true Vine.

Stay. Reside. Abide. Whatever you do, don’t leave. Because...look at verse 6.

“If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

That’s Judas, right? That’s the people who look like disciples of Jesus maybe for a time but then they bail on Jesus. Like those people in chapter 6 who just couldn’t accept that Jesus was the Bread of Life and walked away (John 6:66).

And Jesus asked the Twelve, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”

And Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn. 6:67-69 NIVO).

The Eleven stayed. They will have their ups and downs. They will be tried and tested and go through trouble. They will be pruned. But they will remain. They will abide. And they will bear fruit.

In fact, we in this room are a part of that fruit!

Stay. Stay dependent. Don’t try to do the whole Christian thing on your own. Some people think that they have to somehow produce fruit in their own power. That’s like asking this vine here to pop off some more grapes. Not going to happen! This isn’t about doing good works to somehow impress the Father/Gardener. This is about resting and trusting and staying vitally attached to Jesus the True Vine. Does that make sense? Do you see what I’m saying?

There’s a warning here, for sure. It’s for those who stop trusting in Jesus and walk away (in their hearts). Don’t be like Judas. Don’t depart. “Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

Stay. If you stay, you will bear fruit. It’s inevitable. The true life in the True Vine will pulsate from the True Vine to the True branches and produce true fruit. Jesus says (v.5 again), “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” Guaranteed! You can count on it.

Do you want to grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control? I do! I want to be (like we talked about last week) transformed into the image of Christ.

I want to be fruitful. I want more followers of Jesus, and I want to be a follower more and more like Jesus. Here’s how you get there: STAY. Remain in Jesus. Abide in Jesus. Dwell in Jesus. Allow the pruning. Submit to the snipping, painful as it can be. Stay. Keep trusting Him. Keep drawing your life from Him. And it will happen. “He will bear much fruit.”

And your prayers will be answered! Look at verse 7.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

That’s point number two this morning, but you can see how it’s really just the same application.

#2. ASK.

Jesus tells His disciples if they remain in Him, and His words remain in them, they can pray about “whatever,” and it will be answered. I think that “my words remain in you” is pretty much the same thing as “I remain in you” (from verse 4), but the emphasis is on Jesus’ teaching. If they have filled their minds with Jesus’ teaching, they will increasingly pray for the things that Jesus would want, in line with Jesus’ will.

And we learned in chapter 14 (verse 13&14) that the Son will answer our prayers in His name in the way which the answers will bring the most glory to the Father.

If we are abiding in Jesus, then we will see amazing answers to prayer! Have you seen your prayers answered? Have you been praying? Have you been asking?

I think we read a verse like this and we take it of the context of everything else the Bible says about prayer. We shouldn’t do that. So this doesn’t mean that the answer won’t sometimes be, “No.” Jesus was abiding in His Father, and the Father told Him, “No.” That’s true, too.

But also shouldn’t also KEEP FROM ASKING because we don’t believe these words! This is Jesus telling us to ask. Ask, seek, knock. The True Vine says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” Sometimes you have not because you ask not. Stay and ask.

And that will bring the glory to the Father. Verse 8.

“This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

This is why our church exists. Right here. What is our purpose statement as a church? Lanse Evangelical Free Church exists why?

"To glorify God (“This is to my Father’s glory”) by bringing people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ." In other words, to get people connected to the True Vine. And as they do, they will bear much fruit, and we will show ourselves to be His true followers!

The Gardener gets the glory! The Father/Gardener walks through the vineyard, and says, “Have you seen the size of my grapes?!” He gets the credit. “This is to my Father’s glory.” As we show ourselves to be Jesus’ disciples. Which means that we obey Him. That’s point number three.

#3. OBEY.

But, again, it’s really still the first point. Stay. Remain. Look at verse 9.

“‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain [same word] in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.”

Now, don’t get the wrong idea from these two verses! It might sound to you like, “If you don’t obey me, I’ll stop loving you. My love is completely dependent on your obedience.” Like an abusive parent. But that’s not at all what it’s saying!

It starts with Jesus’ love, and it says that He has loved us as the Father has loved Him! That’s amazing just all by itself! “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” That’s not like an abusive parent! That’s a sacrificial parent. We’re going to see, next week, in verse 18, just how much He loved us. He loved us enough to lay down His life for us.

And that’s what we are going to remember at His table in just a minute. Do you know how much He loved you?

Jesus says that He wants us to remain in His love. To stay in His love. That’s the same thing as staying in Him. Abiding in Him. The emphasis isn’t on His words here (like in verse 7) or His Person (like in verse 5), but in His love.

We need to not depart from His love! We need to live in His love. Dwell in His love. Depend on His love. Enjoy His love. Draw our life from His love. His love is the “sap” so to speak. His love is like the living energy that’s being transmitted through the True Vine to the true branches. His love is pulsating from Jesus to us.

Don’t walk away from that! Don’t detach from that! Because that will empower your obedience. Right?

That’s how it worked for Jesus. See what He says in verse 10? “Just I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” The Son’s obedience didn’t create His loving relationship with the Father. It just furthered it. Nurtured it. Continued it.

The Father loved the Son, and the Son lived off of that love and loved the Father back by obeying Him which made the Father just love Him the more! Which made the Son just want to obey Him even more (see John 14:31). If “even more” is even a way we can talk about Trinitarian love!

Stay in the love of Jesus by obeying Him. Obey. Do you know His commands? Next week, we’ll remind ourselves of some of them. Don’t disobey. Don’t conform to this world. Don’t step away from His love. Don’t step away from enjoying His love and trusting His love. When we go off and sin, we are saying that His love is not enough for us. Reside in His love. Stay and obey His commands.

And you will have joy.

#4. REJOICE.

Look at verse 11.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Yes, Jesus makes everything about Him.

But that’s because everything is about Him. So if we our lives about Him, then we will enjoy His joy! He told us that He is the True Vine so that we could get “His joy” inside of us. Last time, it was “His peace” that we get.

Now it’s “His joy” which could be just the joy that is a gift from Jesus. And that would be good enough. But I tend to think that He’s actually promising to give us a taste of His own joy, Jesus’ joy, His own divine happiness in having Himself. His own blessedness transferred from our vital connection from the True Vine into His true branches!

The fruit of the Spirit is joy! We get His joy as we remain in Him. And not just temporary joy. Here today and gone tomorrow. But He says (v.11), “That your joy may be complete.” Full of joy.

Joy, joy, joy. Deep in my soul! Stay. And rejoice. Forever.