John 15 Jesus Our Life

John 15 Jesus Our Life

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Outline for Upper Room Discourse

John 14:1-31 Jesus Our Peace
John 15:1-27 Jesus Our Life
  1-8 The True Vine
  9-17 Love and Joy Perfected
  18-27 The World’s Rejection
John 16:1-33 Jesus and Our Future 

1-8 The True Vine

Why does Jesus use the symbol of a vine to instruct His disciples?

It was a symbol used in the OT of Israel’s relationship with God. 

Now Jesus wants the disciples to understand that life and fruitfulness (productivity) is in Him.

Who is the vine?  Who is the Husbandman?  Who is the Branch?

Jesus is the branch, God the Father is the Husbandman (owner and caretaker), and the disciples (us) are the branches.

What is the purpose of the branch?

To bring forth fruit.

What happens to branches that do not bring forth fruit?

They are taken away, set aside by the husbandman.

What happens to branches that bear fruit?

The husbandman purges (prunes, purifies) them in order to bring forth more fruit.

How does this purging take place?

By removing those things in us which do not lead to fruitfulness in Christ.

Vs. 4-5 What is the only way there can be fruitfulness?

By abiding in Jesus Christ.

How do we abide in Christ?

We live with Him, walk with Him, talk with Him, surrender to Him, and submit to Him.  He must permeate our life and become that which is literally my very source of life.

Since we are the branches what must we do to make this happen?

Nothing!  The branch of a grapevine doesn’t will anything to happen it just draws its life from the vine.  The fruit comes naturally through the branch’s attachment to and drawing from the vine.

Vs. 6 Isn’t this verse teaching that unless we are fruitful we can lose our salvation and be cast into hell?

No, the subject is fruitfulness, not salvation.  It is men who gather the withered branches and cast them into the fire, not God casting men into an eternal fire. The fire speaks of judgment of our fruitless lives by men will who disregard our testimony and relationship with Jesus Christ because there is no fruit.

Vs. 8 What specifically is the fruit that we should bear?

Fruit speaks of reproduction.  We should bring forth other disciples.  It also speaks of growth and maturity.  We should also exhibit the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-25.

9-17 Love and Joy Perfected

Vs. 9  Why do you think Jesus mentions love after talking about fruit?

Love is the chief fruit that must be seen in our life.

Vs. 10 What must precede abiding in Christ’s love?

Obedience to his commandments in the same way Jesus obeyed the Fathers commandments.

Vs. 11 What is the result of obeying Christ, and continuing in His love?

His joy remains in us and our joy is fulfilled.

How does this dual aspect of abiding in Christ (obey and love) typify the goal of the Christian life?

It again shows the necessity of the Christian life being built equally on truth and love. 

Vs. 12 When Christ give His commandment, what does it do to all the other commandments?

It supersedes them, making them all subservient to His.  Loving one another encompasses and fulfills all the commandments.

Vs. 13-16   What is the true relationship of a disciple to Jesus Christ?

He is elevated above a servant to a chosen ordained friend.

Vs. 17 What is Christ’s overall command?
That we love one another.  This is vital because of what Jesus must say next.

18-27 The World’s Rejection

Vs. 18-21 Why does the world hate Christians?

If (first class condition: since) the world hate us it is because it hated and still hates Christ. We are not of this world therefore the world must hate us. 

Vs. 22-25 Why does the world hate Jesus Christ? 

He took away their cloak, exposed their sin of unbelief by his works while on earth therefore they hate Him.

Vs. 26 What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the hatred of the unredeemed world?

He would be our comforter in the midst of persecution and bear witness of Jesus Christ with the disciples.

 

 Conclusion

In this discourse Jesus gives the apostles and us our means of survival while He is physically absent from the earth. We must abide, stay vitally connected to Him and we will be fruitful. We must expect the touch of God’s hand, but not fear it. We must honor Christ’s by our obedience and love one for another. Finally, we must expect the hatred of the world but also the comfort of the Holy Spirit as we bear witness of our Lord and Savior.
Powerful instructions for the true disciple of Christ.