Lesson 42
Six Steps To Spiritual Success
John 15:1-17
The words recorded in John 15, our text for today, come entirely from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ. They were spoken by Jesus to his disciples the night of his betrayal, arrest and trial - the night before His crucifixion. It is possible that these words were spoken in the upper room but from the sound of 14:31, Jesus and the disciples, now 11 in number, had left the upper room. Some scholars believe that Jesus spoke these words while the group walked from the upper room to Gethsemane. In chapter 15, Jesus deals with two main subjects. The first half of the chapter (verses 1-16) are about the disciple's relationship with the Lord and the second half (verses 17-27) are the disciple's relationship with the world. For today, we shall concentrate on those first sixteen verses. Let's read them. You follow along in your Bible while I read aloud.
In His message about the Vine and the Branches, Jesus points out six steps that the disciple must take to experience spiritual success. We might use the terminology of Jesus from John 10:10 and say that these six steps lead to the "abundant life" that Jesus promised us.
Unfortunately, I don't see a lot of abundant living going on among believers. Why not? Perhaps it is because we have neither nor implemented these six steps into our Christian experience. You and I need to learn and we need to take these six steps. If we do, we will experience spiritual success, an abundant life. If we don't, we will struggle and stumble along through life.
Step 1 - The Secret To Abundant Life Is Glorifying God, 15:8.
The first step to spiritual success is to commit your life to live for God's glory. To glorify God is to live to the praise of God, to magnify God. It means that we make God look good. God's motive, His purpose in everything is His glory. All of creation was designed to glorify God. The universe speaks of God's glory. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.
The animal kingdom glorifies God. Isa 43:20 The beast of the field shall honour me. The angels glorify God. Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest" is what they say when they show up. And to that list, we can add that mankind is intended by God to bring glory to Him. Isaiah 43:7 For I have created (man) for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. According to Exodus 40:34, the tabernacle was filled with the glory of God. According to I Kings 8:10-11, the Old Testament Temple displayed the glory of the Lord. According to Ephesians 3:21, God is to be glorified in the church. Nothing is more important to God than His glory. God does not want and will not allow someone else to receive His glory. Isaiah 48:11 I will not give my glory to another. 1 Cor 1:27-29 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1 Cor 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Remember what happened to Nebuchadnezzar because he sought to steal God's glory? See Daniel 4:30-34. Remember what happened to Herod because he sought to steal God's glory? See Acts 12:21-23. In fact, the rejection of God's glory is part of man's basic sin problem. Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. The chief end of man is glorify God. 1 Cor 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. The problem is that we want the glory, the credit, the prestige, the reward, the applause, the praise, the recognition. We have this problem. It is called our ego. I think that ego could stand for "Edging God Out". Stealing God's glory by seeking for ourselves. We want everyone to know who brilliant, how successful, how right we are when we should want everyone to know who wonderful God is.
The first step in a successful spiritual life, in having a right relationship with God, in experiencing an abundant life is to glorify God. The secret of abundant living is glorifying God.
Step 2: The Secret Of Glorifying God is Bearing Fruit, v. 8.
Please notice how often Jesus speaks here of bearing fruit, vs. 2,5,8,16.. You and I are the branches on which the fruit is produced, v. 5. From the creation God's desire for mankind is to bear fruit. To Adam and Eve the Lord God said, "Be fruitful" (Gen. 1:28). We understand that to mean that God wanted Adam and Eve to reproduce, to bear children, to populate the planet. What Adam and Eve were to do physically, the Christian is to do spiritually. As Christians, God want us to "be fruitful." The Father is glorified when we bear much fruit, v. 8. In fact, there are eight references to fruit in these verses.
Christians bear Christian fruit, sinners don't. Mat 3:10 Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Mat 7:17-20 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance. Christians bear Christian fruit, sinners do not. According to verse 2, fruit is natural, not manufactured. Verse 8 says that our fruit proves that we are His disciples.
Just what is the fruit of a Christian? There are at least five things identified in the Bible as the Christian fruit.
Souls - Romans 1:13; Proverbs 11:30; Phil 1:22; 4:17
Holiness - Romans 6:22
Sharing - Romans 15:25-28.
Good Works - Colossians 1:10
Praising/Thanking God - Hebrews 13:15
We glorify God by bearing "fruit" (v. 2), "more fruit" (v. 2), "much fruit" (v. 8), "remaining fruit" (v. 16).
We are warned by the branch that is removed, vs. 2a, 6. Why is it taken away? No fruit. We are encouraged by the branch that is purged (pruned), v. 2. Why is it pruned? To increase its ability to bear fruit. We must ask ourselves, "Am I bearing fruit, more fruit, much fruit, remaining fruit?" If not, why not? If so, how can I be more fruitful? Step 1 - The secret of an abundant life is to glorify God.
Step 2 - The secret of glorifying God is to bear fruit.
Step 3 - The Secret Of Bearing Fruit Is Abiding In Christ, vs. 4- 7.
The word "abide" appears nine times in this text. It means to dwell, to live, to settle down and be at home, to rest, to stay. Christ abides in us and we are to abide in Him. In fact, there is not fruit bearing unless we do. A branch has not ability to produce fruit in and of itself. For there to be fruit, the branch must receive nutrients from the vine. In like manner, we are totally dependent on Christ, see vs. 4, 5b. Paul says that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Phil. 4:13) but Jesus says that without Him we can do nothing.
Failing to abide in Christ, according to verse 6, results in withering and be cast into the fire to burn. And so, abiding in Christ, is another way of speaking of our salvation and the sanctification that follows it. We have a permanent union with Christ (He abides in us) and we have also a progressive communion with Christ (We abide in him). That is the manifestation of genuine salvation. Apart from that we will not bear fruit and will be cast into the fire and burned.
According to this text, abiding in Christ results in bearing fruit (v. 4) and, according to verse 7, it also results in answered prayer. In fact, please notice that Christ abiding in us is equated with His words abiding in us (v. 7). And God's word in us, leads to answered prayer. Prayer and the word of God go together. There is two-way communication. God speaks to us through His word. We speak to God through prayer.
Step 1: The Secret Of A Successive Spiritual Life Is To Glorify God.
Step 2: The Secret Of Glorifying God Is to Bear Fruit.
Step 3: The Secret Of Bearing Fruit Is To Abide In Christ.
Step 4: The Secret Of Abiding Is Obedience To Christ, vss. 10-14.
If you and I are going to abide in Christ and in His love, we must obey Him. We must "keep His commandments." What is involved in genuine obedience. First, we must obey immediately. We are to "keep His commandments", v. 10. Keep - present tense, right now. Procrastination is a subtle form of rebellion. If I tell one of my children to do something and they do not respond as quickly as I think they should. If they delay, I am not pleased. Obedience must be immediate.
Second, obedience must done joyfully. Jesus speaks of our joy in verse 11. He wants us to be full of His joy. Attitude is important when it comes to obedience. Paul speaks about giving in these terms. "Not grudgingly, nor of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver." We are to obey, not because we have to, not because we need to but because we want to. In I John, we are told that His commandments are not grievous. We must obey with an attitude of joy.
Next, we must obey unconditionally. Verses 12-13 illustrate this. One of Christ's commands is that we love one another, see also v. 17. The fullest expression of that love could mean that we die for a friend. Now, one might say, I will love you but not if it means death. In saying that, conditions are being added to the love. But we must obey unconditionally.
Finally, we must obey completely. We must do, according to verse 14, "whatsoever Christ commands us", v. 14. Partial obedience is not obedience at all. Partial obedience is really complete disobedience. If Christ tells you to go to Mexico and you go to the Spanish speaking people of Texas have you partially obeyed? I mean, your almost to Mexico and you are working with Mexican people? No, you have not partially obeyed, you have completely disobeyed! If God tells you to give 10% and you give 5% have you partially obeyed? No, you have completely disobeyed. We must obey completely. Anything less is unacceptable.
It is our immediate, joyful, unconditional and complete obedience that enables us to abide in Christ.
Step 1: The secret of a successful spiritual life is glorifying God.
Step 2: The secret of glorifying God is bearing fruit.
Step 3: The secret of bearing fruit is abiding in Christ.
Step 4: The secret of abiding in Christ is obedience.
Step 5: The Secret Of Obedience Is Loving Christ. 15:9-10; 14:15, 21, 23, 24.
We can obey out of fear. We can obey for selfish reasons - the reward that we receive for obedience. But the greatest, the best, the purest, the deepest, reason for obedience is love. Remember the story of Jacob. He wanted to marry Rachel but her father said he must serve him for seven years first. And so Jacob worked for seven years for Rachel. The Bible says in Gen 29:20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. After seven years he got married to the one he thought was Rachael. But the morning after his wedding he found out he had been tricked into marrying Leah. According to Genesis 31:41, he had to work for seven more years for Rachel. But Jacob was motivated by love. Likewise, our obedience must be motivated by love.
Step 1: The secret of a successful spiritual life is glorifying God.
Step 2: The secret of glorifying God is bearing fruit.
Step 3: The secret of bearing fruit is abiding in Christ.
Step 4: The secret of abiding in Christ is obeying Him.
Step 5: The secret of obeying Christ is loving Him.
Step 6: The Secret Of Loving Christ Is Knowing Him, v.15.
To know Christ is to love Him. The more you know Christ, the more you want to know. Paul said after years of serving Jesus Christ and finally from a prison cell Phil 3:10 That I may know him. The more you know Christ. The more you want to know Him. The more you know Him the more you love Him.
In verse 15, Jesus tells His disciples that their relationship is not merely servant and master. A master doesn't have to explain anything to his servant. But they are now friends. And as their friend, Jesus has explained everything that He could to them. They really know Christ, even as a friend. That's the way it ought to be.
Peter, who heard these words of Jesus first hand captured the complete process of spiritual success in the last recorded words that he wrote. 2 Pet 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. As we know Christ more and more we are able to glorify Him.
To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to obey Him. To obey Him is to abide in Him. To abide in Him is to bear fruit. To bear fruit is to glorify Him. And to glorify God is the secret of a successful spiritual life.