these things I have spoken to you so that my joy exists in you and your joy is fulfilled.(John 15:11)
Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts off and all bearing fruit he prunes so that it bears more fruit.(John 15:2)
What does Jesus mean he cuts off branches not bearing fruit? Paul writes of the grafting in of the Gentiles and the breaking off of branches, which were the Jews who did not believe.(Romans 11:17-24) Is Jesus talking about this? Possibly, but Paul warns "if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps sparing, not sparing you. Behold the kindness and the severity of God, severity to those fallen, now God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness."(Romans 11:21-22) Jesus said to those believing in him the true disciple continues, abides in his words.(John 8:31-32) To fall away is to be like a branch broken off? Why are we disciplined as children of God? he prunes so that we bear more fruit, of sharing in his holiness.
already you are clean through the message which I have spoken to you.(John 15:3)
Jesus makes this distinction early, when talking about bearing fruit. It is as John writes if God's seed abides in you, you will bear fruit, "No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him."(1 John 3:6) Therefore his words are for the elect, the ones chosen to be holy, in his presence in love. At the last supper when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples he said something similar, they were already clean, except for Judas, he had chosen them.(John 13:7-11) A further cleansing was needed and Jesus said they would understand later.
I am the vine, you are the branches, the one abiding in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.(John 15:1-5)
Jesus is the true
vine and the Father is the vine-grower, the source of true fulfillment of joy. It is His joy in us that brings the fulfillment of our joy. "Abide in me and I in you just
as the branch has no power to bear fruit by itself except it abides in
the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me."(John 15:4) There are conditions on the fulfillment of Joy in us, one is that we must be abide in Him, be connected and remain.
My Father is glorified in this, so that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.(John 15:1-5)
What is the fruit that glorifies God? it is becoming a disciple of Jesus, because he is of the Father, the radiance of His exact nature. But what specific fruit, what fruit is there of becoming a disciple of Jesus? Let's read further, "if you keep my commandments, you abide in my love just as I kept my Father's commands and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you so that my joy exists in you and your joy is fulfilled"(John 15:1-5) Here we see other conditions of the fulfillment of Joy in us, "and become my disciples" and we see what fruit a disciple must bear, "if you keep my commandments." If this is true then this becomes an important question, how do I keep his commands/words?
Just as the Father loved me I have also loved you, abide in my love, if you keep my commandments you abide in my love...(John 15:9-10)
The key to obedience, keeping the commands/words/charges is abiding. And we see if we do, we abide in His love. In other words we abide in His love when we obey his commands. Is God's love conditional? There is a difference, like when a child grows up to be like his father, the father is joyful. A disobedient child is loved but there is joy in the obedient one. We see there is a deeper love from God that comes when we mature, bearing fruit, which is why it is said to glorify God. Certainly, this maturity is about the fulfillment of joy, "these things I have spoken to you so that my joy exists in you and your joy is fulfilled."(John 15:11) There is joy and there is the fulfillment or completeness of joy. In the parable of soils, the rocky soil, the hard soil, and the soil with thorns all received the word with joy! But something happened, one fell away because he did not have deep roots, another because of persecution, another because of the cares of this world, and another because of the deceit of earthly riches.
Certainly, it is a scheme of the devil to plant weeds for this very purpose, so that we loose sight of Jesus and his joy. Surely, the good soil tells us the one who endures will understand that the only possible way to have happiness and satisfaction, the fulfillment of joy, is abiding in Jesus. Through this understanding he will endure as Christ endured, for the joy set before him? and bear fruit some thirty, sixty, and hundredfold.(Luke 8:11-15)
Since Jesus loves us as the Father loves him, abiding in Jesus is abiding in the love of the Father. If I abide in Him, I will bear fruit. What is the fruit? we have seen it is of obedience, following his commands. Which is loving God and loving one another. It is no coincidence that following this proclamation by Jesus that His joy will exist in us so to the fulfillment of our joy by following His commands, that he then gives a command, "this is my commandment; love one another just as I love you..."(John 15:12) "Just as I love you" implies you know experentially of his love and if you love him, if you are his disciple you will obey this command.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.(John 13:35)
How will the world know we are His disciples? because we follow his command and he commands us to love one another. In short, how do we know we abide in Jesus, that we are his disciples? because we love one another. The Father is glorified in that we bear much fruit of being his disciple. A fruit of being His disciple is loving one another thus God is glorified in us loving one another. The fellowship we have with the Father, we also have with the Son, and with one another if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light. The one who doesn't understand such love for His brethren is not in the Light neither has he passed from death unto life, John writes.*
all the ones believing that Jesus is the Christ, are begotten of God and all the ones loving the Father loves his begotten, in this knowing because loving the children of God on occasion of loving God and obeying his commands.(1 John 5:1-4)
You can't love God and not love Jesus and you can't love Jesus and not love his brethren. This is how we know who loves God and obeys his commands, because the one who loves Jesus obeys him and loves his brethren. Judge them by their fruit Jesus said. Also "greater love has no one than this, that one lays down his life for his friends if you do the things I command you, no longer do I call you servants but friends because all that which I heard from the Father I have made known to you. You did not chose me but I appointed you to go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that the Father gives whatever you ask in my name, these things I command you so to love one another."(John 15:12-17) We see if we are obedient to and follow His commands we are not called servants but friends and true friends love one another. Do you have a bunch of Christian acquaintances and not friends? It is not to be so. Are you a servant of doctrines and traditions of men or a friend of Jesus?
for this is the love of God so that we keep his commands and his commands are not burdensome.(1 John 5:3)
Tell the porn addict to stop looking at porn and he will say it is burdensome, the desires of the flesh are overpowering. Tell the ex-porn addict who has remained (enduring suffering and discipline) who continues to abide in the words of Jesus and he will say I know the truth and the truth has set me free, therefore his commands are not burdensome. To find the commands of Jesus not burdensome is to have put to death sin in the body. And this will only happen through abiding in Jesus, and through the Spirit of Christ, a part from him you can do nothing. John tells us this, the young person is strong because the word of God abides in him, he has overcome the evil one.(1 John 2:13-15)
whom we have seen and heard, proclaiming also to you so that you also have fellowship with us, now also our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and these things we are writing so that our joy is fulfilled.(1 John 1:1-3)
Who they touched, heard, saw, was the one who existed in the beginning, the word of Life, and this life was brought to light, and they having looked upon, also testify and proclaim to us eternal life. John writes the
fulfillment of Joy is closely related to Life in Christ and to fellowship with the Son, in whom we have
fellowship with the Father, and each other. There is a condition to this fellowship, that we walk in the Light as He is Light. If we do not love one
another, we walk in darkness, John writes. The good news is that we have an advocate with the Father, so any time we get off in the darkness, we can get back into the Light, if we confess our
sins he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The Father is glorified in that we bear much fruit, of being disciples of Jesus. A disciple of Jesus abides in his words, obeys his commands, loves his brethren, and deeply knows the love of Jesus and that of the Father. So we pray that we have strength with all the saints to lay hold of the love of God without bounds, to know the love of Christ surpassing knowledge so that we are filled to the fullness of God, holy and loved, so that His joy exists in us so to the fulfillment of our joy.