READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l This was Jesus’ final night before He was crucified on the cross. Jesus and His disciples were preparing to leave the Upper Room, where Jesus had just washed the feet of His disciples. In the OT, God often used the vine as a symbol of His people or Israel. This can be seen in Psalm 80:8-9. Unfortunately, the vine turned out to be unfruitful. The vineyard of the Lord is Israel and He planted it as a choice vine, but it turned out rotten and unfruitful. Jesus then declared that He is the true vine as shared in John 15:5-8.
Bearing Lasting Fruit
1. Abide in Jesus if you are to bear fruit. For apart from Jesus, you can do nothing.
With Jesus, we can do much more than on our own.
2. Bearing fruit is for the glory of God, and
God is the gardener who removes every branch that bears no fruit. He prunes every branch that bears fruit to make it bear more fruit.
3. Confirms to others that you are a Disciple of Jesus
By our fruit, others will know if we are true disciples of Jesus.
The words Abide and Fruits must be important for Jesus to repeat them 11 and 6 times respectively from v1-12.
What does Jesus mean by Abide? To walk closely with Christ; to rely on Jesus; to cling on to Jesus just as the branch clings on to the vine for support and sustenance.
What about Bearing Fruit? Obedience and Love. This is a process of sanctification where we grow to be more like Christ, to love God and one another. Love was mentioned 7 times in this passage. In Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit is listed as Love, Joy, Peace, Forbearance, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. These are positive changes in our character. Jesus commands us to love and serve everybody and anybody, and not just the loveable ones. Bearing fruit refers to our intentional discipleship. Growing to be more like Christ and do what He did on this Earth. We can grow in these areas only by the grace of God and with the help of the Holy Spirit. Paul assured warned us in Galatians 5:13 not to use our freedom to indulge the flesh but to serve one another humbly in love. Love can be an easy word to say but it is a very difficult thing to do. Love is the service we are prepared to render to our loved ones, especially since it requires time and effort. Actions speak louder than words. Love is something you can never fully repay. By our fruit, our words and our works, others can tell if we are true disciples of Jesus Christ.
How to live a fruitful Christian Life? God is just a call away, waiting patiently for us to return to Him. God often offers enough guidance to follow Him but does not show the final outcome. He wants to develop our faith in Him, to trust and obey, and abide in Jesus. God’s purpose always becomes clear with the benefit of hindsight. When God calls, He will enable and provide the resources.
Triple ‘A’ Discipleship Lessons
1. Abide in Jesus, not Apart from Jesus
For apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. We need the grace of God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in whatever we do. We need to abide in Jesus, do our best and let God do the rest.
2. Assured, not Anxious
The last verse of Matthew 28:20 is “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is the assurance that God gave us. Do not be anxious. We will never walk alone because God is with us.
3. Availability, not Ability
As we volunteer to serve others, we realise that it is not about our ability but God’s enabling power in and through us. When God calls, He does not just look at our ability, He looks first at our availability. That is why Avail comes before Able. Avail ourselves and surrender our 5 loaves and 2 fishes to God and let Him multiply them for His purposes.
Let us all be volunteers in doing God’s work and purposes for Wesley Methodist Church. Check out the Ministry Fair. Come and Discover, Go and Serve! Will you be AvailAble?
(Sermon notes by Honey Vreugdewater)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How has the Holy Spirit spoken to you through the preaching of God’s word?
- How would you summarise the message of this section or story?
- What are the implications for us through this message?
- What are the personal implications (for you)?
- What are the communal implications (for our gospel community)?
- What are the missional implications (for those we want to reach for Christ)?
