John 15:9-13

October 5, 2014

Were in our study of John, and were reading what Jesus said to his disciples on the
night before his crucifixion. Hes about to leave the earth, but they wont be left alone;
the Holy Spirit will comfort them, and theyll discover Gods kingdom is on earth when
they obey his commands and bear spiritual fruit. The world, however, will not bear this
fruit, and theyll be gathered together and thrown into the fire. This, of course, glorifies
God, and proves his power and dominion over all creation.

Now we come to verses nine and ten, and theyre taken out of context as often as verse
seven. We studied that verse last week and saw that ask what you will isnt a blank
check to get whatever we want; its about bearing spiritual fruit to the glory of God, and
here in the next verses we need to keep the same thing in mind:

9
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10
If ye keep
my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Fathers
commandments, and abide in his love.

The confusion comes when we read this as a command that were left to obey. Essentially
it looks like hes saying If you want to stay in my love, then youd better follow my
commands. And people read that verse and take it out of its context and use it with fear
and guilt to make people pray more or come to church or do whatever they think it
means to obey. Well, people who want to be loved by God and go to heaven when they die
dont always see these kinds of verses in their proper context, so they respond in fear
and try with all their might, and suffer from guilt all their lives when they never quite
measure up.

But look carefully at the verse and remember the verses around it, and youll see
something far better than that legalism: As the Father has love me, so have I loved you.
What does that mean? You probably know the root Greek word: (agapao), and it
means to show affection or to be contented or pleased. Hes saying, The way the Father
1
is pleased with me is the same way Im pleased with you.

Well, the Father couldnt possibly be any more pleased with the Son, and the Son cant
possibly be any more pleased with us. And dont forget that while we were yet sinners
Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:8). Jesus uses the illustration of a woman hunting for
a coin to describe his work in redeeming the saints, And when she found it, she calls her
friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I
had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner that repents (Lk. 15:9-10).

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http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=hgaphsen&la=greek#lexicon
He knows that the healthy need no doctor, so he came to seek and save the sick and the
lost (Mk. 2:17). Those who think theyre righteous, and those who think they can please
God by their righteousness are the ones condemned and rebuked in the Scripture (Rom.
10:3), but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9).

And what has he already said to the disciples in this chapter? Now are you clean (Jn.
15:9). Its already a done deal! Right at that moment they were sitting in his presence
and he was pleased with them. The Father was already the husbandman, and he had
already pruned them; he already favored them, and he already guaranteed that they
would do the things he wanted and walk the way he desired: Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ:
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According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5
Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
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To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7
In
whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace;
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Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9
Having
made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath
purposed in himself (Eph. 1:3-9).

And so, that lays the foundation for what comes next:

continue ye in my love.

Again, dont start thinking works here. Theyve changed the wording in English, but in
Greek continue is the same word as abide used in verses seven and four: If you abide
in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abode in the vine;
no more can you, except you abide in me.

The idea is that we stay in Christ and wait on him. We dont look to legalism or self-effort
to bear fruit that pleases God. When someone asks, How do you make God happy? the
only answer is Christ. Christ makes God happy, and the only way we can make him
happy is to rest on Christ. If we do that, then bearing fruit is as sure and natural as a
branch bearing fruit. That branch cant do anything by itself, but if its in the vine the
fruit will come.

And now here he says, continue in my love or abide in it. This happens the same way
we abide in him. We look at that and nothing else: the love of Christ is my hope!

And how do I know I abide in his love?

10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Fathers commandments, and abide in his love.

Here again were tempted to look at works, but remember the context. If you keep my
commandments is not a threat; its an indication! Its evidence that the Kings rule over
me is even now and that the Messiah didnt fail his mission!

And dont miss even as I. If he means that we have to live up to his standard and keep
Gods commandments the same way he did, then he already knows weve failed. We all
like sheep have gone astray! (Is. 53:6). There is none righteous; no not one! (Rom.
3:10).

But we keep his commandments even as the Vine! Everything we have is received. If
the vine is bad, then so are the branches, but our Vine is the True Vine, so the fruit is just
as true. We will, we must, abide and bear.

How else can we explain verse 11?

11
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your
joy might be full.

You see, people use this verse to induce fear when its supposed to bring joy. Christ tells
his disciples that he is the vine and they are the branches. Theyll have nothing but joy
when they find the Spirits fruit coming through them because that proves that they are
loved by God and that they love him in return. The world can be religious, and they can
be moral, but they can never bear Gods fruit apart from Christ.

And what is his commandment? Thats something that needs strong consideration. The
legalists will have you observing laws and practicing disciplines to stay in Gods love. I
was reading something a couple weeks ago that said we observe certain practices to
receive more of Gods life, but thats not the truth of Scripture, and its certainly not
whats being said here:

12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13
Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

What is the commandment? It is that we love one another the same way he loved us. And
how does he love us? He laid down his life for us. Think about this within the illustration
of the body: every part works together, it hurts together, and it grieves together.

James says, What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not
works? can faith save him?
15
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16
And
one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give
them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17
Even so faith, if it
hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works (2:14-18).

Does this not say exactly what were reading in John? The vine bears fruit through the
branches. Any branch that doesnt bear fruit is cut off and burned. Christs disciples are
clean and pruned, and they are loved. The evidence that brings them joy is that they
keep his commandments and prove his reign over them in the world.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4
He that saith, I
know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5
But
whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we
are in him.
6
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had
from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the
beginning.
8
Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in
you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
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He that saith he is in the
light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10
He that loveth his brother
abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
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But he that hateth his
brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because
that darkness hath blinded his eyes (1 Jn. 2:3-11).

The Vine, the branches, and the fruit. They all go together, and it shows us how God sees
us. Most importantly it glorifies Christ as the source of spiritual life, and it praises his
name as the one who was, and is, and is to come: come quickly, Lord Jesus!

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