Everything You NeedSýnishorn

Where We're Going (Context of John 15)

Does the future make you nervous? John 15 is part of a powerful speech Jesus gave shortly before His arrest, unjust trial, and eventual Crucifixion. In the 14 chapters leading up to this moment, Jesus taught His followers, through both His words and His actions, how to live in alignment with God’s Will. Now, these young disciples, who had left everything to follow Him for about three years, were faced with the unimaginable: Jesus was leaving. How could they face tomorrow without Him? How could they trust what was ahead without the One who holds the future?

In the Everything You Need Bible study, we’re going to take a closer look at John 15 as Jesus speaks to four specific topics that often make us fearful when we think about the future:

Day 1) The Success We Desire (John 15:1-11)

Day 2) The People We Love (John 15:12-17)

Day 3) The World We Offend (John 15:18-25)

Day 4) The Loneliness We Avoid (John 15:26-27)

Prayerfully, as we learn to abide in Christ as He abides in us, we will find freedom from the fear of tomorrow and confidently embrace the Purpose He has for us today!

Day 1) The Success We Desire

How To Bear Fruit:

1) Acknowledge Your Position

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away…” (John 15:1-2a).

When the Bible references authentic success, the term “fruitfulness” is often used. While we all desire to excel in our careers and relationships, true success is displaying the fruit described in Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23, ESV).

In order to demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit, we must first recognize our position. Jesus is described as the Vine, our Heavenly Father as the Vinedresser and we are the branches—if we choose to place our faith in Him. This means we’re not responsible for creating the Power for fruitfulness; rather, we are responsible for staying connected to God, who is All-Powerful. While it’s possible to experience worldly success (such as riches, fame, and power) apart from God, it is impossible to experience true, eternal success if we are disconnected from Jesus, the True Vine.

2) Allow God’s Pruning

“…and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (John 15:2b-3).

To successfully walk in the Purpose and Plan God has for our lives, we must allow Him to remove anything that is keeping us from bearing fruit. He makes it clear that we are ultimately “clean because of the word that [He] has spoken to [us],” but our eternal security through belief in Him does not mean we are automatically living in alignment with His Will for us today.

Whether it’s bad habits, unhealthy relationships, or negative thought patterns, we must allow God to remove anything that hinders our full surrender to Him!

3) Abide In His Presence

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4).

In our fast-paced world, it can often feel as though striving and straining are the only paths to success. However, God’s command is for us to abide in, not chase after, His Presence. In the original language, to “abide” means to “remain” or “not depart.” This means our responsibility is to make intentional decisions to spend time with God.

We can abide in Him through reading the Bible, prayer, listening to worship music and engaging in Christian community. If you want to experience true success and bear the Fruit of the Spirit, you must spend intentional time with Him!

Big Idea: True success is found in bearing the Fruit of the Spirit, which begins by staying connected to Jesus, the True Vine. To bear fruit, we must embrace our position in Christ, allow God to prune away what hinders us and intentionally abide in His Presence.

Let's Think About This:

Question 1) What does success mean to you? How does your definition compare to the “Fruit of the Spirit” outlined in Galatians 5:22-23?

Question 2) Can you identify an area of your life that you believe God wants to prune or remove?

Question 3) Do you spend daily time with God, abiding in His Presence? If so, what does your time with Him look like? If not, what do you think your next step should be?