The Gospel of John Part 13

By Pastor Ron McKey

There are several misconceptions about the road to the Kingdom of heaven. Some of us think doing the best deeds guarantees our seat. Others believe that the church we go to will get us into heaven. But there’s only one way to heaven – Jesus Christ.

John 15:1 NKJV – “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

Jesus tells us not to look to a religious system for salvation. Your religion or denomination won't get you into heaven, the same way sleeping in the garage won't make you a car. So, merely going to church won't make you a Christian. It's not what you trust in that makes you a Christian; It's who you trust in. So, we must have a relationship with Jesus.

God's goal is not just to get you saved. If God's goal was only to get you into heaven, then you’d fall dead the moment you invited Jesus into your heart.

God has a deeper purpose for you. He saved you to get heaven into you. If God is the gardener, then we are the garden. And so, He appeals to the world through you. He shows off, manifests His plan, and manifests who He is through your life. People in the world don't know real peace, joy, or love until they see it in the life of a believer.

People will see the love, joy, peace, and hand of God in your life and want what you've got. When they ask you what enables you to respond and act as you do, you just say, “it's God in my life.”

Bearing Fruit as a Believer

John 15:2 NKJV – “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Bearing fruit is serious business with God. It’s not a take-it-or-leave-it option. This is something God wants us to do because it means developing Godly character. Bearing fruit is discipleship personified.

As a believer, you are either producing the fruit of the Spirit or developing the works of the flesh; there's no middle ground. And the closer you walk to God, the less you walk in the flesh because God cuts the unfruitful things out of your life.

The key to victory over any sin or problem in your life is not so much what you stop doing; it’s what you start doing. In other words, the farther you get away from the world, the closer you get to God. Jesus said He prunes the branch that bears fruit. This is the discipleship process. God always wants to see you producing fruit in your life.

So, What is the Pruning Process?

God prunes our lives through conviction. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit to help you get better, and God uses it to draw us closer to Him. Conviction is when the Holy Spirit begins to deal with you about something happening in your life. It grows you spiritually and helps you become a mature Christian. Conviction keeps us in a current relationship with Jesus.

There may be things in your life that you used to do, say, or listen to but didn't think were wrong. Because you didn't have a conviction about those things, they didn’t bother you. And suddenly, as you watch or do something one day, you realize that you don't feel good about it. You immediately know that you don't have any joy in that activity. That's conviction.

That's God showing you that you’ll get closer to Him if you cut that thing out. So, conviction is this process where God begins to deal with you about things and suddenly, you think differently. That's God drawing you closer to Him, and it's a good thing.

Abiding in God

John 15:4 NKJV – “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

It’s important to know that bearing fruit doesn't come from all your good deeds. God’s acceptance of us does not depend on our works. Bearing fruit comes from abiding. See, abiding is all about relationship and intimacy with Jesus.

Even as Christians, we still make big mistakes and sin. But God says you need to get back into relationship with Him the moment you do that. The only way you'll get better is by being closer to Him. See, bearing fruit is not a seasonal thing for believers. It’s something we do our entire Christian life.

John 15:6 NKJV – “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

Contrary to popular interpretations, this is not a verse about losing your salvation or being thrown into hellfire. The Bible is still talking about bearing fruit. The Greek word for “fire” used in this verse also means “conviction” or “fever.”

When you have a fever, you don’t feel good. You may still get up and go about your day, but you don't feel like yourself. The same thing happens in your spiritual life. God brings you to that place where you don't feel like yourself so He can get you beyond that. That's what it's like to live under conviction. And so, it's always best to obey the Holy Spirit.

John 15:7 NKJV – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Answered prayer comes from having the right relationship with God and abiding in Him. It's your relationship that positions you for all the benefits of Calvary. If you’re not abiding in Him, you have no peace, joy, strength, victory, or answered prayers.

Life becomes a struggle when we don’t abide in Him. But if we stay in a close relationship with Him, we maintain our joy, peace, and comfort.

The importance of Being a Joyful Christian

John 15:11 NKJV – “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

I'm cautious of unhappy, hateful Christians. There's something seriously wrong with your walk with God if you're hateful, mean, use harsh words, and don't have joy in your life. A fruit-bearing Christian will have joy in their life. When you're in the right relationship with God, there's joy in everything He calls you to do. So, if you find no joy in the things of God, you need to run directly to Him.

Joy is a spiritual matter, not an emotion. It is the currency of heaven. It has power, and that is why God wants you full of joy. When you're full of joy, you’re hard to defeat. When you get knocked down, you get up and praise God anyway. It's hard to stop that type of Christian because joy has power in the spirit.

God Has Called Us to Love

John 15:12 NKJV  - “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

See, we have this habit of tolerance in the church. We think tolerating somebody means we're loving them. But Jesus tells us to love one another as He has loved us. God loves you exactly as you are. And so, you’re called to extend that same love to your neighbors.

We've been called to love even our enemies unconditionally. Biblical love does not involve your emotions; it’s a decision you make. That's why you can even love the unlovely as a Christian. We’re called to love believers and non-believers alike.

John 15:13 NKJV – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Laying down your life doesn't mean taking a bullet for your friends. It refers to making yourself available for use. It means living for them as a servant to help make their life easier. You’ll probably never be in a position to take a bullet for your friends or family, but you will have a daily opportunity to make yourself available to serve them. So, try being a blessing to your family and friends as you lead them to Jesus.

John 15:16 NKJV – “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

Jesus will strategically place you somewhere so that you may produce fruit. God will place you where you need to be because He knows where you need to be and what He's doing in your life. The Bible says God will plant you at the place where you can flourish and where your life can be transformed.

We Were Not Called to Fit In

John 15:19 NKJV – “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

It's not always a compliment to fit in. We have to operate and survive in the world, but we're different. Therefore, we should look and act differently. Our lifestyle will offend the world at times. The church will thrive and grow, but the world is never going to fall in love with the church or believers. And that’s okay. If they rejected Jesus, they're going to reject you. But you still have to love them unconditionally.

This chapter ends with God calling us out of the world. When we leave here, we're going to our home away from home. But while we’re here, we don't live by worldly standards. We’re supposed to live by His authority and rules. The world can do what it wants, but we’re always called to live by the will of God and according to heaven’s rule.