4. Fruitful Living for Jesus - John 15:1-17 

Introduction
Chapter 14 closes with the words, "Rise, let us go..." Jesus and the disciples are about to leave. In chapter 15 the Lord Jesus uses the beautiful picture of the Vine and its branches to explain the New Life of the believer. Any of us who have gone over to France and seen the vineyards will understand the image. Let us also understand the culture and work of a vineyard.

Our passage paints a picture of how the vine grows, and how it produces fruit. By the end of the chapter 14 Jesus and his disciples have left the upper room and were making their way to the garden. This is the Garden of Gethsemane. Now at the entrance to the Temple on the way to Gethsemane was a large Golden Vine. The Vine was a National symbol of Israel. This significant biblical symbol of the Vine was used to describe the people of God in Ezekiel chapter 15 and 17. The picture develops as Jesus was walking towards Gethsemane when He saw this or another vine and He drew His disciple’s attention to it. In a sense it became His visual aid. The passage begins with Jesus powerfully telling His disciples that He is the True Vine.

Holy Spirit is God In the Bible qualities are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. These qualities are described everywhere to God alone. He is ever present. Ps139. He knows all things 1 Corinthians 2:10. He has all power. Luke 1:35 and Romans 11:8 as well the Rom 8:11. What is more, to lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God. Acts 5:5. He is to be obeyed. Gal 5:16-24.

What Jesus means is both clear and shocking. Israel was meant to be the faithful and obedient people of God. But Jesus says that the faithful people of God had been narrowed down to just Jesus himself. He alone had perfectly kept the Father's commands (14v31). He is the only true Israelite! Israel had traded on her spiritual past and was desperately in need of the caring work of the gardener.

In both the Old Testament, Isaiah 5, and in the time of Jesus, the Vine was the national symbol of Israel (God's people). As we saw in our readings, the Jews believed that the vine was a picture of salvation. But Jesus shocks his listeners by saying that you need to be in relationship with Him to have salvation and produce fruit.

Christ tells us what God wants from us. In a word, God wants fruit! Fruit is mentioned eight times in this chapter. In the eighth verse Jesus says, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become (or prove to be) my disciples.” Yes, God wants us to bear fruit. But what kind of fruit are we called to produce? We are called to bear the fruit of Christian character, Christian conduct, and Christian converts! First, God wants us to bear the fruit of Christian character. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (ESV) These are the qualities of a Christian or Christlike character. Yes, we are called to produce the fruit of Christian character and we are called, to bear the fruit of Christian conduct. Colossians 1:10-11 says we are supposed to “…lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him as (we) bear fruit in every good work.” You see, Christian character produces Christian conduct. If we have the Spirit of Christ living in us, then he will produce Christlike conduct through us. Finally, in addition to Christian character and Christian conduct, we should bear the fruit of Christian converts. People should come to Christ.

Christ’s first disciples knew that they could do nothing apart from having Christ’s presence in their lives. They had been living life with Him for three years, witnessing first-hand His power and authority. They also saw His connection with the Father. The disciples knew that without Christ’s help, guidance, and power, they would be useless to God’s kingdom. This passage shows us our need for help in living the Christian life. Look at Christ’s commands to His disciples: Remain in My love, obey My commands, love each other as I have loved you, bear fruit that will last, and love one another. Not only do we need Him for salvation; but we need Him every minute of every day. Intimacy with Christ through the Holy Spirit is our only hope of fulfilling Christ’s command to remain in His love.

Bible Study 4 Questions
Fruitful Living for Jesus - John15:1-17
Q1. We often think of the Spirit as “some rather vague nondescript power, not doing very much”; but in the Bible the Spirit is thought of as bringing pulsating active life. How does the picture of the vine in this chapter help us?
 
Q2. What does it mean that Jesus is the True Vine and God the Father is the Gardener?
 
Q3. What is meant by each of the parts in this picture in John 15?
The Vine v1
The Gardener v1
The Branches v5
The Fruit v5-8
And what more do we learn about the image in v9-17? 
 
Q4. What is the importance of understanding that God the Father prunes us?
  
Can you describe a time where God has pruned you: What happened? What did you learn? What was the result?
 
Q5. Thinking about the whole passage, what is our responsibility in relationship to the Vine and Gardener? What does that look like in our day to day lives?
 
Q6. Read Galatians 5:22-23: How does the Holy Spirit produce the fruit of the Spirit in us and in the life of the Church? Why is it so important to pray for these?
 
Q7. What are some planned changes you are going to take because of this passage?

Next Study: Study 5 Witnessing and the World (John 15:18-25)