We hope today’s message was encouraging and helpful. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or to be used for a Bible/sermon group study. Enjoy!

Main Scripture: JOHN 15:1-11

Other scripture mentioned: 1 John 4:15; John 1:11-12;

If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read or paraphrase through some of the provided scripture to catch everyone up!

Overview:

Last week we learned that God desires fruitfulness and is actively working to nurture these qualities and characteristics of His divine nature in our lives. God also desires fellowship with us. By remaining in spiritual fellowship with Him, the fruit will inevitably grow and mature, making us even more fruitful and useful in His mission on earth. We can grow and bear fruit because we are in Jesus but we must want, remain, and follow the process.

Notes:

John 15:1-11 NLT

Remaining in Christ means:

Believing that he is God’s Son

1 John 4:15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

Receiving him as Savior and Lord

John 1:11-12 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Doing what God says

1 John 3:24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

Continuing to believe the gospel

1 John 2:24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.

We know that every form of plant life needs time to dwell in three elements, soil, sun, and water. We too must remain in Jesus to become more like Him. We grow over time as we dwell in His Word and presence and live and obey His Word. There’s a call in this scripture to be active recipients but not hurried and busy. The best way to fix this is to start prioritizing being in fellowship with God. Many times it’s our spiritual fellowship with Jesus that falls to the waste side when it should be other things that don’t give you life. Be a branch that connects and relies on Jesus all day. Then the vine will feed you, God will prune you and you will grow and bear fruit.

V. 9-10 God loves you, remain in His love (v. 9)

You are loved. Our fellowship with God is initiated, rooted, and continues in love.

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
God’s love for you is fruitful in itself. It’s patience, gentleness, and faithfulness, and it’s so amazing it can be hard to believe, but it is real. Part of the journey for a new believer is learning God’s love and having faith in God’s love. As you read the life of Christ and scripture, you may ask yourself, does he really love me that much? Yes.
We come to know God’s love not just through knowledge but by His presence in our lives. Once again, the Holy Spirit’s role is unsaid but critical here. When we put our faith in Jesus for salvation, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives so we can know and experience God’s love.
Romans 5:5 For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

When you obey my commands you remain in my love (v.10)

What are the commands?

The Ten Commandments are summed up in these two: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40).
How about this command we often forget: 1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.
Or Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Jesus flips it the other way in chapter 14 John 14:15; 21; 23-24 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments…21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” 23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.
Jesus is teaching that love and obedience go hand in hand. If you truly love me you will obey my commands if you obey my commands you truly love me. We obey because we love God. We love God, therefore we obey. Obedience grows because we grow in our love and appreciation for God. The more I know God the more in love and devoted I am to him. Even so, is it wrong for God to want us to obey Him? No! And if it came down to doing what we want or obeying God shouldn’t we obey Him? Yes. Even Jesus himself obeyed His father’s commands, therefore remaining in and experiencing God’s love.

His commands are not burdensome

1 John 5:3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

God disciplines those He loves

Proverbs 3:11-12 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. 12 For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
This is quoted in Hebrews 12:6 and the word discipline here means to train or educate but can also mean a rebuke, and correctionπαιδεύω (paideuō). vb. train, educate. Used to describe the process of instructing someone to adopt a certain way of life. While paideuō can be used to describe the act of punishment or discipline, in other cases it is used positively in the sense of training or educating. Byrley, C. (2014). Discipleship. In D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Lexham Press.
I think the words, “commands,” “discipline,” “correction,” and “rebuke,” all get a bad reputation in this world. Ignoring reverence and submission to authority, doing whatever you want, and not wanting to be told you are wrong, are the ways of this world and of the devil, not God. Meanwhile, humanity desperately needs guidance and directions to follow and obey, and the same with Christians. Think of it this way…If you come from the worldly mindset that lived one way, but now you have come to faith and following Jesus Christ you need guidance, commands, and discipline, in love, to help you live the new life. This is what Jesus is advocating. Remain in my love and obey my commandments.

The TRELLIS

Consider the Trellis in the vineyard. The Trellis keeps the branches off the ground, encouraging the branches to go towards the sun. The trellis also gives space for the fruit to grow and not be trampled on the ground. God’s commands are like a Trellis that guide us to live in alignment and agreement with God. Spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible study, Obedience to commands) offers discipline and structure to follow for our own joy and growth. Embrace God’s commands because they are for our own good and His glory.
When Jesus says follow me he's calling us to a way of life that is disciplined for growth and maturity to be fruitful and useful for God's kingdom here on earth.

The Joy of Loving Obedience (v.11)

Joy is the result of remaining in love and obedience to God.
Jesus insists that His own obedience to the Father is the ground of his joy; and he promises that those who obey him will share the same joy Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 521). Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.
Divine Joy is resilient and not circumstantial. We will go through difficult circumstances but if we remain in the love of Christ we will have joy through hard seasons. I've experienced storms that would typically send people into despair and depression but the joy of God’s love and purpose in loving others sustained me. This is the only way I can explain how a Christian can smile and still find joy in this life after suffering a great loss or going through a difficult season.
But let us not miss that our joy is dependent upon obedience to God too. I have also experienced joy because of obeying God, whereas, if I had not obeyed God I would have been upset by my foolish consequences.

Proverbs 29:18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

Discussion:

What is one thing from the message that resonated with you?
Pastor Ryan mentioned 4 ways to remain in Christ. Which one stuck out to you and why?
Why is it important that we not only remain in Christ but remain in God’s love?
How have you felt and seen God’s love in your life?
What spiritual disciplines or trellis work do you need to submit to?
What action steps and prayers does this sermon inspire?

The most important decision you will ever make!

If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!

We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.

Pray Together

We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!

Ryan Coon

CONNECTED TO GOD’S LOVE