The Vine and the Branches Chapter 5.6

Jesus is the Vine

The Job of Jesus Followers While on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane (a 30 minute walk from Jerusalem), Jesus taught the disciples a final lesson before his arrest. Up to this point, the disciples were supposed to watch Christ and listen to his teachings and promises. Now, however, their responsibility was to continue Christ’s work and teach themselves. Jesus set the example; now we follow after him. Scripture never makes demands without first making promises to us (John 14).

1st Responsibility: Bear Fruit (John 15:1-8) The disciples would have been walking by a grape vineyard on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane...Jesus used this as a visual to teach them how to be faithful Christians when he left them. Nature of the Fruit: 1. The fruit of character (Gal. 5:22-23) 2. The fruit of good conduct (Phil. 1:11; Eph. 5:9) 3. The fruit of converts (Rom. 1:13) Believers must have good character and conduct, and also produce new believers.

How is Fruit Produced? People don’t naturally produce those 3 types of fruit. We need help. 1. Read God’s Word daily (15:2-3). God uses the Bible to prune (cut back) our souls just like a good farmer prunes his grape vines. What things could God prune off of us? 2. Abide (live) in Christ (8:4-7). This means to live every day in conscious dependence on Jesus. We do this by treating him like he is with us during every moment.

2nd Responsibility: Love One Another The primary character trait of all Christians must always be Love. And not just any kind of love, but self-sacrificial love. Jesus said the greatest love is one that would cause someone to lay down his life for his friends. (v.12-13) Self-Sacrificial Love: “an unselfish, self-sacrificing desire to meet the needs of the cherished object.” Christ-like love is not jealous; it doesn’t criticize or gossip; it is not selfish.

The World’s Persecution Persecute: literally means “to chase after, or pursue.” You don’t have to go looking for persecution. If you live like Jesus, it will find you (2 Tim. 3:12). You will have to choose between godliness and compromise; between persecution and popularity. For those who love Jesus, persecution is a promise– “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)

Christians vs. the World The World automatically rejects Christians. Why? Because they act like Jesus. A good way to tell if you are like Christ is to compare the way the World treated him with how it treats you. The world hated Jesus because he made them aware of their sin: “…if I had not come…they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse…” (15:22)

Christians vs. the World Christians irritate the world because we do not agree with its ways of thinking and behaving: Examples: Movies/TV, jokes, music, opinions on social issues (war, divorce, the church, relationships, clothing, homosexuality, etc.) People don’t like others who they conflict with, so the natural response of the world in relation to Christians is to reject/hate us.

Promise of the Holy Spirit Christ didn’t promise persecution and then leave us defenseless. He promised someone would come to defend and counsel us: The Holy Spirit. The power provided by the Holy Spirit gives us the ability not to fear persecution. Jesus said he would abide in us, and that abiding comes in the form of the Holy Spirit living within us! The Spirit helps us bear fruit, love one another, and face persecution boldly.