John 15:1
Down to Business (3)
John started recording the events of the upper room in John 13:1.
After Jesus took care of a few issues, He started teaching.
I. \\#John 13:31-32\\ It was time for God to expose Himself and
the Father as the great God.
II. \\#John 13:33-35\\ It was time for Jesus to leave and the
disciples to love.
III. \\#John 14:8-31\\ It was time the disciples knew the Godhead.
IV. \\#John 14:21-5:17\\ It was time that the disciples knew the
importance of obedience.
A. How important is it that those who are Christians obey Jesus’
commands? Unfathomably important!
1. Jesus immediately and repeatedly told the disciples that
obedience shows love for Christ and disobedience shows
lack of love.
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he
that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and
I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If
a man love me, he will keep my words….
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my
sayings….
2. In another Bible passage, Jesus said lack of love
indicates lack of forgiveness.
Luke 7:42 …Tell me therefore, which of them
will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he,
to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him,
Thou hast rightly judged.
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which
are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but
to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth
little.
(1) If you have been saved, you received the full
payload of forgiveness!
(2) How could you not love Him? Is there an answer
to that question?
(3) All of this sounds like Jesus was saying if you
don’t love, you are not His!
3. Notice some of the things that Jesus said which seem to
indicate that is true.
a. If a person does not keep Jesus’ commands, he will not
be loved by the Father.
John 14:21 … he that loveth me shall be loved
of my Father….
(1) I know that God loves everyone but there is
another love that the Father has for His own.
(2) The implication is that if we do not obey, we do
not love Jesus, and if we do not love Jesus, we
are not God’s so He will not love us.
b. If a person does not keep Jesus’ commands, God will
not manifest Himself to him.
John 14:21 …he that loveth … I will love him,
and will manifest myself to him.
(1) How will God warn you of temptations, dangers,
foolish decisions?
(2) I guess the question is why should He since if
you are not obeying His commands you probably
won’t listen!
(3) However, disobedience cuts you off from every
power and blessing that Christ offers.
c. If a person does not keep Jesus’ commands, neither the
Son nor the Father will abide with him.
John 14:23 …he will keep my words: and my Father
will love him, and we will come unto him, and make
our abode with him.
4. All of these expressions mean two things.
a. You will obey Jesus’ commands if you are His.
b. If you do not obey Jesus’ commands, you are not His.
5. We can excuse and explain our willful sinfulness as it
pleases us, but Jesus made it pretty clear that the mark
of the true Christians is obedience to the Word of God.
(1) Call yourself a gay church, a modern-believer,
an open-minded Christian, or whatever else you
want to call yourself.
(2) These verses make it pretty clear, Christians
manifest themselves by their obedience to the
Word of God and so do lost people!
B. \\#John 15:1-9\\ Jesus gave us an illustration of how
important it is that we obey.
1. If you are familiar with this allegory, you know it is the
parable of The Vine and the Branches.
a. The main thought in parable is that we are to abide in
Him.
b. My contention is that this parable does not stand
along but is an illustration of how important
obedience is.
2. Notice some truths:
a. Consider that Jesus was talking about obedience before
this parable \\#John 14:21,23,24\\, and He was still
talking about obedience after it
\\#John 15:10,12,14\\.
b. What was the purpose of the parable?
(1) In the parable, Jesus pointed out that the
disciples had been made right with God while
Jesus had been with them.
John 15:3 Now ye are CLEAN through the word
which I have spoken unto you.
(2) They had been "made clean," another comparison to
being washed.
(a) Remember the first thing John records Jesus
doing? Washing the disciples feet?
(b) When Peter understood that to be washed by
Jesus was to have a part with Jesus, he
decided to let Jesus wash him all over but
Jesus said it was not necessary.
i. Why?
ii. He was already cleaned, washed.
John 13:10 …He that is washed needeth not save
to wash his feet…
(3) Their cleansing or washing was a reference to
their salvation.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye
are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and
by the Spirit of our God.
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
(4) The point of this parable was to help the
disciples to STAY right with God.
(5) How is that accomplished? By abiding in Jesus.
John 15:4 ABIDE in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
ABIDE in the vine; no more can ye, except ye
ABIDE in me.
John 15:5 …He that abideth in me, and….
John 15:6 If a man abide not in me….
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide
in you….
(6) But EXACTLY how do we do that?
(a) Oneness - We know that a branch and its
vines are intertwined together, becoming
one.
(b) Dependence - We know that a branch cut off
of the vine dies for it loses it connection
to life sustaining nutrients.
(c) Fruitfulness - We know that a branch
attached to the vine will produce fruit.
It’s seed is passed along and bearing fruit
s inevitable.
(7) But exactly HOW do we abide in Him? The parable
does not answer the question but the context
does.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
(8) \\#John 15;6\\ A Christian who does not obey does
not abide in Christ!
(a) Some think that means he loses his
salvation. I do not.
(b) But one thing we all agree on is that that
soul loses!
C. We have an example of what it means to obey.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s
commandments, and abide in his love.
1. What greater example is there?
2. Jesus obeyed to the last thought, to the last breath, to
the last moment, to the last drop of His blood—and
BEYOND!
D. Notice what obedience gained the disciples.
1. Peace
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither
let it be afraid.
s. When we looked at this verse a few weeks ago, I
mentioned that the Holy Ghost is the One who gives
peace. Now notice that obedience is that dolly that
brings it.
b. Call yourself a Christian, disobey God, and you will
have NO peace.
2. Joy
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you,
that my joy might remain in you, and that your
joy might be full.
3. Love - Love is a two way street.
a. \\#John 15:10\\ You will abide in God’s love
(receive it).
b. \\#John 15:17\\ You will love others (give it).
4. Answered prayer
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide
in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall
be done unto you.
5. A personal relationship with Jesus.
John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the
servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I
have called you friends; for all things that I
have heard of my Father I have made known unto
you.
a. At one time, it bothered me that Jesus called us only
friends—not family.
b. Then I understood that family is given by God, friends
are choosen.
c. \\#16\\ Jesus chose us to be His friends! That is
even better than family.
At this point, the only question to be asked is, "Are you in
obedience to Jesus Christ?" If not, you have severed yourself from
the benefits of Christ and you may have revealed that you are
separated from God altogether? What do you love more than Jesus?
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