It’s Tuesday! Woo Hoo! There’s nothing like Bible Study to reset your mind on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent & praiseworthy. John 15 is a fantastic chapter. So very much to see in it. Let’s get started with a prayer.
Lord Jesus, this chapter is all You speaking. Help us understand. Help us see. Reveal what You want us to realize. Write this lesson, I give you my time and my hands and my mind always, Lord. For your glory, and in Your Precious name. Amen.
I’m in the NIV, if you have one, grab it. If not, go here in another tab or window. Get something to write with and write on and if you like to highlight, grab a highlighter too. I can guarantee there are things in this one you’re going to want to remember.
Read John 15:1-2
What is the subtitle at this point?
Who does Jesus say the Father is?
The footnotes in the NIV say “prunes” can also mean “clean”. Does that make a difference to you?
Why does the Gardener prune the fruit-bearing branches?
Read John 15:3-4
His word makes you ___________.
Remain: write out all the words you can think that mean Remain. Some translations use the word Abide in its place.
Verse 4. Jesus says Neither can you… unless you…
He promises Remain in me and I will ___________________.
Let’s talk about fruit. You know what the fruit he’s referring to here is, right? You can find a list in Galatians 5. You can listen to it sung by Zach Williams. I’ll add this song here. Listen but be sure you come back because we’re only getting started here.
A Little Less Like Me by Zach Williams
Read John 15:5-6
Trust. It’s not that you alone can do anything. It’s remaining in Him that allows you to do anything. He is everything we need. The vine empowers the branches. Remain in Him.
Read John 15:7-8
These two need slowed way down. Let’s try this.
“If you remain in me”… we know ‘remain’ means ‘to stay’
“and my words remain in you,” … that sounds like a key. His words must be in you. Sit here in prayer for a moment and let the Holy Spirit within you bring His words to your mind.
“ask whatever you wish” … I don’t want to say it must be His words asking, I don’t think it must be, we can ask for anything we feel we need, spiritually speaking, and he’s likely to give. Remember, He is in You because you’re remaining in Him.
“and it will be done for you”… done for you. Ask and it will be done for you. You are His, remember whose You are.
“This is to my Father’s glory”… give Him the glory. Thank Him, Praise Him, Honor Him with whatever He’s done for you.
“that you bear much fruit,” … There’s only one way to bear much fruit and that is to remain in Him. As the vine empowers and feeds the branches, He empowers and nourishes you.
“Showing yourselves to be my disciples” … bearing fruit makes you more like Jesus and proves that you are His disciple. Remain in Him.
Read John 15:9-10
Father loves the Son, the Son loves you the way the Father loves Him. In a sense it’s kind of like a snow globe. The snow being the love that is constantly falling on us and always surrounds us if we will just remain in His love.
Jesus tells us the way to remain in His love is to keep his commands. It’s obedience.
Read John 15:11
Not just love, but Joy too. To keep His commands and remain in His love is the fullness of Love and Joy and Peace that passes all understanding.
Read John 15:12
Make note of verse 12. Write it and mark it somehow.
Read John 15:13-15
Following His commands and we can sing “What a friend we have in Jesus.” Because He is our friend if we do what He commands and because He has made known everything He learned from the Father.
If we take verse 13 for example, how does it compare to Romans 5:6 & 8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. … 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Read John 15:16
Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight, in love
Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
What were we appointed to in verse 16? To go and bear ________. What kind of fruit?
That’s how you can ask whatever you are going to ask in Jesus’ name and the Father will give it to you.
Read John 15:17
Love is the command. Love each other. So simple to understand, so difficult to do. Yet He does not leave us alone, we have the Spirit of God within us who is more than powerful enough to love people.
Read John 15:18-19
The World Hates the Disciples
He has chosen us out of the world, we do not belong to it. Why do you suppose loving others would look weird to the world?
Read John 15:20-22
Remember… Always remember whose you are.
Those who will persecute and treat badly us who follow Him is because they do __________________________.
Read John 15:22-25
Another Law fulfilled. What was it?
Read John 15:26-25
The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Advocate comes from ______________ He is also called ______________________ and what does He do?
How do you interpret Testify?
Tell others what He’s done for you. Tell what He’s done in your life. But always, always, always, do it with gentleness and love.