Series: Signs & Glory

Title: How do I live as a disciple of Jesus today?

Subtitle: Part 1

Scripture: John 15:1-6 NIV, Isaiah 5, Psalm 80

Bottom Line: A disciple of Jesus today is growing to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same.

INTRODUCTION

CONTEXT

SERMON OUTLINE

CONCLUSION

NOTES

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

MAIN REFERENCES USED

Opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same.

INTRODUCTION

"(Jesus said from the cross), 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' That young man—I forgive him. I forgive him, because it is what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do." Erika Kirk

Cf. Members of Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston forgave the murderer of their family members (Dylan Roof). (2015)

Cf. Tim Allen forgiving his father after hearing Erika Kirk forgiving the young man who assassinated her husband Charlie.

Jesus loved and forgave his enemies as they were executing him.

What does a disciple of Jesus look like today? Well, these examples are a good place to start. They loved their enemies and forgave them.

Bottom Line: A disciple of Jesus today is growing to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same.

Draw the matrix showing that high or Christlike character and high competency results in spiritual fruitfulness forever.

CONTEXT

Jesus's disciples are deeply troubled because they have just heard 3 things:

One of them will betray Jesus,

Jesus is about to leave them and go where they cannot go, and

Peter will deny Jesus 3 times that night.

He's taught them again to love each other as he has loved them

He's told them his spirit will come and empower them to do all that he's taught them to do

He's coming back (resurrected, as his spirit, second coming)

They leave the upper room where they've had their feet washed, heard all of this, and now they're heading to the garden of gethsamene to pray and be arrested.

OUTLINE (w/ help from Matt Carter & ChatGPT)

Bottom Line: A disciple of Jesus today is growing to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same.

Transition: This passage breaks down into 2 sections: 1) True disciples bear fruit, and 2) What that fruit looks like. We'll follow that with how we bear this spiritual fruit that lasts.

I. True Disciples of Jesus Today Bear Spiritual Fruit that will last. (15:-1-6)

7th of 7 "I am" statements

I am the bread of life

I am the light of the world

I am the gate

I am the good shepherd

I am the resurrection and the life

I am the way, the truth and the life

I am the true vine

Not "a" but "the"

"True vine" implies that there are "false vines"

While the vineyard was a picture of Israel (Isaiah 5, Psalm 80), Jesus says it's a false vine because they produced "sour, inedible grapes". Jesus is the True Vine.

Jesus is also the true Israel or God and man in fellowship through Jesus Christ. -Johnston

Fruitfulness = Living to our God-given potential out of the overflow of our relationship with Jesus.

God calls Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:28 ) "The fruitfulness that was lost thorugh the Fall, is recovered through Christ and his redemption." -Johnston

"The recovery of true fruitfulness in life is bound up in the recovery of fellowship with God through Jesus Christ." -Johnston

Jesus connects fruitfulness to fellowship.

We are Grace Christian FELLOWSHIP. That is we are a people connected in fellowship to one another through our fellowship with Jesus Christ.

The Point: "The path to God doesn't go through the nation of Israel; it goes through Jesus." -Carter

It's about union with Jesus. (Connection to the true vine)

Jesus is the True Vine, Father is the Vinedresser, we are the branches.

2 types of disciples:

Living and (alive in Christ)

Dead (never exercised saving faith; Ex. Judas Iscariot); "They hang around Jesus without a genuine, life-giving relationship with him." False disciples will be cut off and burned in judgment.

If you are alive in Christ, God will do his part to insure you are fruitful--pruning is key:

Dead wood

Good wood that will decrease fruitfulness if not removed

God's commitment to your fruit-bearing > Your commitment to comfort

"God will do whatever it takes for you to bear fruit. John Newton, the great eighteenth-century English pastor and songwriter, began a letter this way:

'At length, and without further apology for my silence, I sit down to ask you how you fare. Afflictions I hear have been your lot; and if I had not heard so, I should have taken it for granted: for I believe the Lord loves you, and as many as He loves He chastens.

I think you can say, afflictions have been good for you, and I doubt not but you have found strength according to your day; so that, though you may have been sharply tried, you have not been overpowered.'" -Newton, Amazing Works, 156-57

True disciples abide or remain connected to Jesus. Ex. Like a branch drawing life-giving sap from the vine is essential to life and fruit-bearing.

“Here Jesus introduced that rich word abide, which has to do with remaining close to Him. Jesus declared that our productivity, our fruitfulness, is directly linked to our abiding in Him. As Christians, we will bear fruit, but it will vary in degree. The closer we stay to Christ, the more fruit we will bear. The more we wander out from the center and neglect the means of grace that He has given to us, the less fruit we will produce” -RC Sproul

"People who claim to be Christians but do not show evidence of his life flowing through them will be cut off, gathered up nd burned." V. 6

"A fruitless disciple is not a disciple at all."- Carter

How does God cause us to bear spiritual fruit? Through his word.

II. Spiritual Fruit in a Disciple of Jesus today looks like this: (15:7-17)

A. Answered prayer--this happens because of the union with Jesus. The "sap" is the back and forth communication. "My words remain in you" (7)

Jesus speaks through his word. God prunes and cleans through his word (3).

We respond in prayer. Where there is prayer, there are answers. God listens to his people.

It looks like breathing. "When the Holy Spirit is pulsing through you, you pray without thinking. You just talk to God." -Carter

Prayer is as important to the soul as breathing to the body.

B. Obedient love--we obey because we love.

Our love flows from our obedience. Obedience is the evidence of love.

A persistently, willfully, disobedient person is not a Christian.

What's cool here is that even though Jesus is our King and has every right to demand our obedience, he doesn't treat us like slaves. He sees us as friends. Slaves are given commands without explanation. Jesus invites us into his inner circle. He shares his friendship and explains what he's doing. Not always as much as we'd like but he tells us what the Father says to him. (14-15)