Persecution Is Normal

Lesson #256

With this lesson we begin chapter 16. As we look through this chapter, using the ESV translation, we find a short section of four verses at the beginning, which carry on the content of chapter 15. Following that are three major sections: “The Work of the Holy Spirit” (verses 4b – 15), “Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy” (verses 16 – 24, and “I Have Overcome the World” (verses 25 – 33). Each chapter we work through is an adventure that benefits our lives. Remember, we are to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV). So, shall we begin our study of chapter 16 with diligence?

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away” (John 16:1 ESV). This verse begins the conclusion of the last section of chapter 15 and probably should have been left there because it points back to the things Jesus shared with his disciples; things about being hated by the world. We were chosen out of the world by our Father and therefore the world hates us because they first hated Jesus. Jesus spoke with authority, explaining who he was and backed it up with many miracles, but they hated him for it and since we represent Jesus, they hate us. Their hate was expressed with reviling and threats and we can expect no less. Jesus is making it clear that we can expect suffering as a normal part of the Christian experience.

Jesus is sharing these things with his disciples and thus with us, so that when we experience persecution we will not try to escape suffering by falling away from the faith. Older translations used “be offended” in place of “falling away”. If something offends you, you may be inclined to withdraw from it, thus fall away from.

In addition to what has been said in chapter 15, Jesus adds the following: “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God” (John 16:2 ESV). If they were to identify with belief in Jesus, then they would be put out of the synagogue and not be allowed to worship there. In a similar fashion, today if a person converts from Islam to Christianity, that person often is disowned by the family. In either case, being Christian is seen as one who brings dishonor to the unit they use to identify with.

It didn’t take long for the hour to arrive when some believed they were offering a service to God to kill those who identified with Jesus Christ. Saul was a prime example before Jesus interrupted his journey to Damascus. He honestly thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians, but when he met Jesus he realized how wrong he was. Today, this is a common belief in countries of persecution under Islam dominance. To kill a Christian, some believe they will gain entrance into heaven and receive a reward for doing a good deed. Satan is waging war with God and has enlisted many to search out Christians and eliminate those who continue to search for converts through their witness.

Prayer

Father, even the killing of Jesus, the Jews believed they were offering a service to God and as Christians rose up to continue the witness of Jesus, we became the objects of their persecution.  Increased efforts are being put forth today to quench the activities of Christians. I believe this present day persecution will continue to increase and during the seals of Revelation it will become worldwide and will not cease until the last lost sheep is found, completing our work, allowing us to be raptured out before the bowls of God’s wrath are poured out upon the earth. Father, there is clearly a spiritual war raging in countries of persecution and we in the west need to be engaged with them through informed prayer and practical means of encouragement. 

An Effective Witness

Lesson #255

In the last lesson we were left with the sobering fact that as Christians we are hated by others without a cause. We, like Jesus, have done nothing wrong, but standing as a witness of the importance of living a righteous and holy life we make others feel uncomfortable and draw their hatred toward us.

With this lesson we will cover the next two verses and thus finish chapter 15. Those two verses are: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26 – 27 ESV). Here, Jesus is again making a promise that when he leaves he will send from the Father a Helper (also referred to as the comforter, Spirit of truth and Holy Spirit), who will replace him as a witness of the things of God. We also know from other Scriptures that he will dwell within the hearts of those born again. There is encouragement in this and for the disciples and for us because both they and we have been assigned kingdom work to do. This Helper will empower us to do that work if we are willing to obey the command and do it.

This Helper will continue to bear witness about Jesus and as we learn more and more about him, we are to be witnesses of that to others. Like Jesus being a witness to the disciples, we are to be a witness to those around us. This concept of being a witness, I believe has been skewed in the west today to focus mainly on sharing the gospel with others. An effective witness involves much more than just telling someone about Jesus. On the mission field I lived with a family whose language I did not know and they did not know mine, but as they watched me live out my life they decided to go to church with me, where they heard the message in their language. My living with them prepared them to want what I had.

I believe the most powerful witness come out of persecution where Christians are being tortured and as they endure this over a period of time they have learned to trust God with justice and as a result they can stand before those inflicting harm with an expression of love and forgiveness. This is so unnatural that even some hardened persecutors have been broken by it. This unnatural witness is only possible through the power of the Helper that Jesus has sent from the Father to dwell within us. Being willing to pay whatever cost is required to stand firm in our faith is a powerful witness. Witness with power is an effective witness, but that power is only available to those who have been trained by a close walk with Jesus through times of suffering. James, Peter and Paul make that very clear in their writings.

Prayer

Father, here in the west a witness is mainly spoken words to persuade someone to accept Jesus into their life. The goal is to persuade a positive response. When serving in China, I watched believers from the west use this approach and produce more damage than good. Father, I see believers stand in the face of persecution with love and forgiveness and as a result others want what they have, knowing they will also suffer. We tend to witness with words while they witness with action and power. With this in mind, I am not surprised that church growth is in areas of persecution.

Hated Without Cause

Lesson #254

In the last lesson we saw a connection between knowledge and guilt; if we know what we are supposed to do or believe and we don’t, then we are considered guilty. However, we can choose to not be informed, but then if we do wrong we will still be guilty, but to a lesser degree. What we need to do is to be informed and in love obey, doing the will of God.

In this lesson we will look at the next two verses: “If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’” (John 15:24 – 25 ESV). How were the works that Jesus did greater or different than those done by others? Think of the great number of miracles he did and how many were affected; miracles that no one had ever done before, like healing a man born blind. The nature of his miracles involved a greater exertion of power than others. He healed all forms of disease and raised Lazarus after being dead for four days. His miracles were also different than those performed by the prophets. Another thing that stands out is that he performed these miracles by his own power, not by calling on the power of God as the ancient prophets had done. Another uniqueness is the number of miracles he performed in just three and a half years. That number probably exceeded all those done by Moses and Elijah and all the prophets put together.

With this display of his power, those who were a witness and also heard him have no excuse not to believe him and when they don’t, but reject him as a false prophet, they stand guilty of sin. They not only disbelieve and reject him, but they hate him for claiming to be the Messiah, one that doesn’t match their understanding of what the Messiah will be like. They are so set in their ways that the words of Jesus, backed up by an unprecedented display of power can’t move them closer to the truth.

We are not to be surprised that they hated Jesus without a cause. David spoke of this: “More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?” (Psalm 69:4 ESV). Persecution today is carried out against Christians without cause. They have done nothing wrong that deserves punishment; they simply believe in and obey Jesus. Sin is simply rejecting God and doing your own thing and anyone who stands before them with a different standard will be hated and subjected to persecution.

Prayer

Father, I pray for my readers who face persecution in foreign countries because of their stand with Jesus. They are my brothers and sisters and I need to encourage them with my prayers, that they would be able to endure the evil they experience. I also pray for my readers here in the US, that they would take time to learn from those who endure persecution because one day we may also face the same thing. 

Knowledge Increases Guilt

Lesson #253

In our last lesson we were warned that our association with Jesus may result is some difficult times for us. It is often said that the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. In view of this warning we might want to rethink this as God’s will may place us in a very difficult situation to do some work for him. Jesus was in the center of God’s will when he died on the cross for our sin and for some, being in the center of God’s will may also result in their death as they defend their faith in the face of intense persecution. Western Christians may think that being safe, secure and comfortable is God’s plan for them, but it may not be. Such living, I believe, has allowed our culture to infiltrate the church thus causing us to be ineffective in maintaining a standard of holiness and righteousness in our nation.

In this lesson we will look at the next two verses: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also” (John 15:22 – 23 ESV). Jesus the Son of God came in the flesh as Jesus and declared God’s will and made known his requirements. By his arguments and his miracles, he demonstrated that he was the Messiah they were waiting for, but it was by this evidence that those who reject him stand guilty.

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin” does not mean they would have been cleared of all sin, because that is not true. This sin which Jesus speaks of here is their rejection of this evidence that he is the Son of God, the Messiah. Had Jesus not spoken of this to them, they would not have known and thus not have been guilty. There is a relationship between our guilt and the amount of knowledge we have about something. Consider the following: “And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:47 – 48 ESV). We have been entrusted with so much, but we lack the desire or willingness to do the work God has assigned to us. This may result in horrible shame for us when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ at the end of our life on earth. Like those who heard Jesus and had no excuse for their disobedience, neither will we.

To show them that this was no slight crime, Jesus reminds them that a rejection of himself is also a rejection of God. Such is the union between them, that no one can hate the one without also hating the other. You cannot come to the Father without coming by way of the Son (John 14:6).

Prayer

Father, in view of this lesson one might think it would be best not to have knowledge of the Scriptures if increased knowledge increases our guilt, but by ignoring the Scriptures we may fall short of doing the work God assigned to us and thus face judgment on that account. We have been given the command to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Father, we need to know the word of truth and live it out if we want to stand approved before you. Doing this will set us apart from those of the world and will probably result in some discomfort that we must be willing to live with. 

The Norm Is Persecution

Lesson #252

We learned from the last two lessons that if we are living godly lives there is a good chance we will be hated by the world. In this lesson a similarity will be drawn between us and Jesus. “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours” (John 15:20 ESV). Jesus was reminding the disciples to think back to when he had washed their feet and in the course of the conversation then he said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16 ESV). The implication we mentioned at the time was that we need to follow the examples set by Jesus. If we were greater than Jesus, then we wouldn’t be obligated to be obedient to him, but he to us. In this context it follows that if they persecuted Jesus then we can expect they will persecute us since we represent him.

When Jesus spoke there were those who believed and embraced what he said and there were those who rejected it as either false or of no value. I find the same is true when I share the word with others; some will believe and others will reject it. The closer we walk with Jesus and the more like him we become, greater will be the likelihood that we will be hated and what we say will be rejected.

Many who are persecuted today are told to deny Jesus and stop following him and maybe follow another religion and if they do they will no longer be persecuted. Jesus told his disciples, “But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me” (John 15:21 ESV). It is not us they don’t like, but the one we associate with and obediently follow. Identifying yourself with and being a witness of Jesus, quickly draws a line in the sand, making many very uncomfortable. There are even those who identify themselves with the Christian faith who become uncomfortable when Jesus is placed front and center of them. Jesus clearly divides the population into two parts; those who embrace him and those denounce him. You might say there is a third group who don’t know about Jesus or don’t care, but in the end they are with the group that is not with Jesus. The bottom line is if they do not know Jesus or accept him, then they really don’t know God the Father. If they did, they would believe Jesus.

Prayer

Father, as I think about how to pray at the end of this lesson, I am reminded of my readers who live here in the US and those located in many different foreign countries. There are many readers with so many different needs. Here in the US we need to be willing to set aside our addiction to safety, security and comfort and initiate conversation with people we often ignore. There are readers in foreign lands who face persecution and need our prayers for encouragement and steadfastness in their faith as they endure suffering. There are others who are simply going through hard times who need encouragement and a loving helping hand from someone. There are others who are searching who want to know more about Christianity and how Jesus can meet their needs. Father, I pray for my readers that they would experience your love, your presence, your mercy, the kindness of your grace, and the hand of your blessing as they walk in hope with the Lord Jesus. 

Do You Belong to the IN or the OF group?

Lesson #251

The last lesson got too long before I had finished. As a result, I would like to spend some more time on verse 19: “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19 ESV). There is a difference between being IN the world and being OF the world. Being of the world means that your lifestyle is like those who claim the world as their residence. Being in the world means that your residence is found outside the world and you are here as on assignment.

In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter refers to us as “sojourners and exiles” (ESV), as “foreigners and exiles” (NIV), or “aliens and strangers” (NASB). Like a foreigner visiting America, we would recognize them by their looks, by their speech, maybe by how they eat and what they eat, and maybe by a somewhat different behavior. In a similar manner, we as Christians should stand out as different and should reflect characteristics of our heavenly family. As people observe us we should remind them of Jesus by how we live and relate to people. They should also notice that we invest our time and energy differently than they do.

If we are of the world as Christians, it means we have accepted some world values and are beginning to look and act like those of the world, resulting in a greater involvement with sin. We would tend to gravitate toward being slaves of sin and not slaves of righteousness. As new creatures in Christ, we should understand our assignment and in loving obedience we should be doing our best to help build the kingdom of God. Living like God is our Father and representing Jesus in how we live, we will remind those of the world or Jesus and very possibly be hated by them. Here in America we have put a premium on not offending others and as a result we pick and choose verses to preach and teach from to keep people comfortable and in the process we have watered down the gospel and removed its power in changing the lives of people. As a result, the western church has become so much of a cultural church, that if we were to preach and teach the whole gospel and not leave out those verses that make us uncomfortable, we would probably be hated by many within the church not to mention those of the world.

Prayer

Father, I don’t think it is right to select 2 Timothy 3:12: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (ESV) and say that persecution is a measure of a godly life. If one lives in a peaceful Christian area of the world, persecution will probably be very minimal. If one lives in a part of the world dominated by another religion who see Christianity as a threat, then persecution will be a common experience for the one living a godly life. Father, have mercy on us and encourage us to live godly lives and be willing to suffer if called upon to do so. 

Why Are We Not Hated

Lesson #250

With this lesson we begin the second major section of chapter 15. As we read through this next section, we see that the normal Christian experience will involve suffering. Jesus makes it very clear that by identifying ourselves with him, we will be hated by the world as he was. Believers living in countries where there is persecution know about this first hand. We in the west have become cultural Christians by taking on world values and as a result we are tolerated and not hated. Let us begin our study.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18 ESV). If we are not hurting those in the world, then why do they hate us? Our Christian lives are examples of God’s grace at work and since the world is humanity set apart from grace, they see us as different. They see a higher and unworldly standard we set up and that makes them uncomfortable and stimulates their hate for us. Their hatred for us will be proportional to our faith, holiness and love for one another, which is no comforting factor for us. Their persecution can be a measure of our level of holy and righteous living; by how strongly we live like Jesus lived.

This hatred we experience is not about us, it is about the one we remind the world of, the person of Jesus Christ. In the beginning, Lucifer was a most beautiful and powerful angle in heaven. In God’s conversation with Job, in Job 38:4 – 7, we learn that the angels were created before the earth was. Sometime between then and the account in Genesis 3:1 – 14 he fell into sin and became known as Satan, the devil or the serpent. In this Genesis account we find him as a serpent tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. This hatred for God has its origin in Lucifer and continues through a sinful human race. Anyone whom God chooses to represent him becomes a target of Satan’s hate for God. This hatred rose to new heights when Jesus appeared on earth. The battle between Satan and Jesus had its ups and down during the earthly life of Jesus and then when Jesus rose from the dead, Satan realized the battle was not over. As Christians, we are to reflect the life of Jesus and when we do we become objects of his hatred.

“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19 ESV). When we live like the world, as so many western believers do, and do not reflect Jesus in our lives, we don’t then irritate those of the world and thus are not hated, but when we live like we are part of God’s family with our citizenship in heaven, then we are seen as different with a standard of holiness and righteousness that really chafes those of the world and stimulates their hatred toward us. In reality that hatred is not toward us, but toward the one we represent. We are a reminder of him that they hate and by removing us they hope to remove the reminder, thus persecution is strongest against believers who are willing to stand for their faith, even in the face of death. We were chosen out of the world, but left in the world to represent him and do his work and as we do we can expect to suffer from their hatred of him.

Prayer

Father, because we do not live under a major false religion, Christianity is not seen as a threat to be defeated as it is in many other countries and so persecution has not been a problem for us and as a result we have not had to suffered for our faith. As western values became more materialistic, Christians increasingly embraced those values. Had we stood our ground and defended our faith, persecution would have risen against us. With our position of being politically correct and not willing to offend, we have allowed Christianity to lose its ability to maintain Christian values in our culture. Father, we stand guilty of not properly representing Jesus Christ and as a result we are not chafing unbelievers with a holy and righteous standard and therefore we are not hated by them. Surely, one day this sin of ours will require accountability that we will find to be rather painful. 

Love, Sacrifice and Prayer

Lesson #249

In our last lesson we began John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16 ESV). We didn’t make it to the end of the verse, but we learned that God chose us and appointed us to bear fruit for him. Our assignment is to search for lost sheep, those he has chosen, and encourage them into the sheepfold of our savior, Jesus Christ. That work is understood as bearing fruit.

God the Father chose us for salvation, but then he appoints us to perform a task. Our life as a believer is not to do our will and have a good time in the world, but it is to be invested in going and bearing fruit. We have been given a work order, not a vacation pass, and the work we are called to do may require some discomfort, in fact it could even cost us our life as it does in countries where there is persecution. There is much preaching and teaching about our salvation, but very little is said about what God expects from the believer. It is easy to teach about Ephesians 2:8 -9, about the gift of salvation, but little is said about the fact that we were saved to work, as described in verse 10.

Bearing fruit is not something we should do in our own strength. It is to be a partnership with God. In verse 7 as well as here, we are told to ask the Father in the name of Jesus, for whatever we need to help us in fruit bearing. Our purpose on earth as Christians is to be involved, according to how we have been gifted, in some aspect of salvation of the lost and in helping that fruit grow to maturity. Again and again the command has been given to bear fruit. That involves all of us doing our part in bring fruit to maturity for a good harvest.

This brings us to the last verse in this section: “These things I command you, so that you will love one another” (John 15:17 ESV). Jesus is commanding us to bear fruit and if that is to be accomplished it will require an environment of love. Our Father loved us and sacrificed his Son for our salvation. Jesus loved us and was willing to bear the shame of the cross and die for our salvation. Do we love the unsaved enough to sacrifice to help reach them for salvation? In this chapter Jesus has commanded us to love one another, to abide in him and his love, to pray for help in bearing fruit, and then actually getting to work in some aspect of fruit bearing. Three words that stand out are: love, sacrifice, and prayer. Without these you will not experience much if any fruit.

Prayer

Father, a characteristic of being lukewarm is to have little concern for the lost. A lukewarm Christian tends to enjoy the things and pleasures of the world and its comforts, but not the inconvenience or discomfort and possible risk involved in searching for lost sheep and helping them find their way home. Unfortunately, we tend to see salvation as a pass to heaven, not as an assignment to a kingdom work force. A measure of how seriously we take our assignment lies in how often we come in prayer for help in bearing more fruit. Father, have mercy on us for our lack of desire or interest in doing the work you asked us to do. Father, encourage us to get to work while there is still time. 

God Made the Choice

Lesson #248

In the last lesson we considered what a unique privilege it is to be considered a friend of God. Only Abraham and Moses were called friends throughout the Old Testament and now Jesus is extending that privilege to those who live in obedience to him. We also learned that being considered a friend provides us with insight into what our Father is doing and how that affects us. In this lesson John brings us back to the context of fruit bearing and the importance of investing our lives in fruit bearing.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16 ESV). There is so much one can have conversation about in this verse. Let us begin with, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Think about what Paul said in Romans 3:10 – 12: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (ESV). We are born as spiritually dead people and according to what Paul said, a spiritually dead person does not understand spiritual things and does not seek God. If we are to reach out to God, God must first reach out to us and choose us and begin spiritual life within us. As I study the Scriptures I am convinced that the choice on the part of God is spiritual conception, similar to physical conception. There will follow a period of gestation when spiritual growth prepares one for spiritual birth. When you are ready for being born again you know it and as you accept the gift of salvation you know that you are a changed person.

Because of God’s love for us he chose us, but we need to ask what were we chosen for? Let us begin by looking at Ephesians 2:8 – 10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (ESV). Again we see that our salvation was God choice and we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to work for him. John describes that work as bearing fruit, a fruit that will abide and last forever.

We will finish this verse and do the next verse in our next lesson.

Prayer

Father, thank you for choosing me and adopting me into your family as a child. Thank you for your love for me and the sacrifice you were willing to make for my salvation. 

Are We His Friend?

Lesson #247

In the last lesson we covered the command to love one another as Jesus loved us. His love was a sacrificial love for our benefit of gaining salvation and for joy for Jesus for gaining a people for himself to enjoy forever in love and fellowship. In this lesson we will consider how to become God’s friend.

“You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14 ESV). When Jesus says, “You are my friends,” he is implying a stunning level of comfortable personal interaction with a holy God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. When we look back in the Old Testament we find that only Abraham (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8) and by implication Moses (Exodus 33:11) are called “friends of God.” Jesus extends this privilege of being his friends, if we obey his commandments. I wonder how many friends God has in the western church today based upon this criterion.

“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15 NKJV). Again and again, Jesus spoke of those who were his servants: “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26 ESV); “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:13, 16 ESV). Now if out of love for him, we obey him he will no longer call us servants, but friends. Servants are instruments, doing by command, not from intimate knowledge, but friends because of our intimate relationship are kept informed. Being born again makes us a member of God’s family, not one who is on the outside serving the family. If that relationship breaks down because of our disobedience, then our knowledge of what God is doing suffers and we become more like a servant who must simply obey his master. If one lacks knowledge of God’s will and feels distant from him, then maybe we need to check our obedience.

Prayer

Lord, it is an awesome thing to be considered your friend, but there is also a danger in this through loss of respect. Lord, it alarms me when I see how casual believers are in relationship to you. With friendship we are not to lose sight that you are the holy, sovereign God of the universe. Friendship implies intimacy and knowledge in relationship and is not to bring you down to our level. Lord, have mercy on us and help us not forget that you are a holy and righteous God, who by speaking words brought the universe into existence in which we live. As a friend, we need to respect that. Father, forgive us.

Sacrificial Love

Lesson #246 

In John 15:1 – 11, we saw the importance of obeying the command to bear fruit. We now transition to another commandment: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12 ESV). In verse 9 we were commanded to abide in his love just as Jesus abides in his Father’s love. Jesus now repeats the commandment to love one another as he has loved us (see John 13:34). We are to first love God and then as proof that we do, we are to love one another. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son and out of obedience he came as Jesus to die to purchase our salvation. Out of love for us, Jesus was willing to sacrifice his life that we might have eternal life. In view of the command to bear fruit, it would seem that to love others as Jesus loved us, even while we were yet sinners, we should be willing to sacrifice ourselves, if necessary, to reach out with the gospel to those who are still dead in their sin. Our love for one another is to be a sacrificial love, which will provide a benefit for the one being loved. It is not a love based on what we will get out of it, but what the one being loved gains. We see this in the next verse.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 ESV). No one can carry love farther than this: for, when he gives his life, he gives all he has to give. I read about this so often when I read about the behavior of Christians who stand before those who torture them. Since they have deferred justice to God for the evil against them, they are then free to love and forgive those who are causing them to suffer or to even die. Those who do this are loving even their enemies the way Jesus loved when he died for our salvation.

Consider the following as an example of the love Jesus had for us: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10 NKJV). How much are we willing to suffer for the benefit of others?

Prayer

Father, today our love is probably stronger for self than it is for others. An example of this is the emphasis on selfies, even among Christians. In the last days’ people will be lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:1 – 2) and so we take pictures of ourselves in various settings for all to see. Some are even willing to risk their lives to get an exceptional picture. Father, we need to crucify ourselves with Christ and reach out with love for others for their benefit as Jesus did. 

Conditions for Full Joy

Lesson #245

In the last lesson we were challenged to bear more fruit to bring glory to our Father and thus prove that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. We were also instructed to abide in or to remain in that love in which Jesus loves us. In this lesson we will learn how to abide in his love and to experience his joy.

Jesus then said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:10 – 11 ESV). God expects that we, as his people, will serve him with joyfulness and gladness of heart. Consider the following: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:47 – 48 ESV). Obedience is not something we do out of drudgery, but out of joy and if we don’t then we can expect judgment. This deeply concerns me when I see how much we in the west embrace comfort, safety and security as opposed to serving the Lord with sacrifice, love and joy. As I watch spiritual darkness manifesting itself in unrest and evil, I sense, as a result of our disobedience, I fear God’s judgment is developing against us. Evidence of our abiding in his love is found in our obedience with joy and that seems to be on the decrease today. I can say that I love Jesus, but without joyful obedience, I have no proof that I speak the truth.

Verse 11 is preparing for a transition to a wider deeper development of the union between himself and his disciples. We began this chapter with the metaphor of the vine and its branches, to introduce the concept of abiding in Jesus in order to produce fruit. When we were born again, we became a new creation, through his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Those good works that we should walk in, is this process of bearing fruit. Bearing that fruit is accomplished through prayer (verse 7) and obedience. These things that John has spoken of in verses 1 – 11 and we have studied in the previous nine lessons, clarifies God’s call for our lives and when lived out, fills our lives with his joy.

John speaks to us in this chapter of the importance of bearing fruit, out of obedience, as we abide in him. In 1 John 1:1-4, John talks about this joy being found complete in us as we have fellowship with each other and with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (ESV). Having joy fill our lives is clearly related to who we love and have fellowship with and with who we obey

Prayer

Father, thank you for assigning meaningful work for us to do in the form of bearing fruit and thank you for the benefit of joy we experience in so doing. We have also seen how important environment is to the production of fruit; the importance of love and fellowship. These lessons have shown the relationship between abiding, love, obedience and joyfulness. Without obedience the others will be incomplete. 

What Evidence Do You Have?

Lesson #244

In our last lesson we saw the importance of context. When a verse tells us that we can ask for anything we wish, we need to stop and see if we can find any conditions. We find three conditions that we need to consider. First, the person asking had to be a believer and second, that believer was to be a student of the word. There is one more condition and here is where believers get into trouble because they do not consider the context of the verse. The context is about bearing fruit. This verse is inserted here for those who might need help to bear more fruit. Therefore, you can ask for anything that will help you bear more fruit and if you are a student of the word and have the mind of Christ, you will know what to ask for and it will be done for you. As we look ahead to the verse of this current lesson, we will see the importance of this prayer.

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8 ESV). The will of our Father is that we bear much fruit and in so doing he is glorified or honored. The prayer of verse 7 is for the purpose of bearing more fruit and thus glorifying our Father. As we pray, we we are to be zealous and devoted to the work of the Lord and in so doing we will prove to be his disciples. As I write these studies, I like to stay in touch with what others before me have written. In an old Pulpit commentary, I found something interesting. “On earth the vine reveals itself in the branches, and thus conceals itself behind them. “This explains why the diffusion of spiritual life makes such slow progress in the world - the Vine effects nothing but by means of the branches, and these so often paralyze instead of promoting the action of the Vine” (Godet).”

In each of the verses 4, 5, 6, and 7, Jesus tells us we must abide in him if we are to bear fruit. Here in verse 8, the “abide in me” is changed to “abide in my love.” “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love” (John 15:9 ESV). Even before the foundation of the world, Jesus, as the Son of God, has been the object of his Father’s love and out of this love, Jesus responded with obedience unto death to purchase our salvation. As Jesus was the object of the Father’s love, we are seen as the objects of Jesus’s love and that love for us is as intense as the Father’s love for Jesus is. We are to abide in, or remain in, the love in which Jesus loves us. God is love and to abide in that love is to abide in Jesus as the Son of God and as we abide in that love we will reflect the characteristics of that love, which I see as “joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Galatians 5:22 – 23). Displaying these characteristics is an aspect of fruit bearing, affecting the lives of others for Christ.

Prayer

Father, I pray that my readers and I will abide more deeply in you and your word, that we will be more earnest in our prayers to bear more fruit and thus as you answer those prayers, you would be glorified. I pray that as we bear fruit we will prove to the world that we are your disciples.

Are You Making Proper Requests?

Lesson #243

All of our lessons from chapter 15 have to do with bearing fruit. John began with an example from agriculture to help us better understand the process of bearing fruit. From this example, in which the branch must abide in the vine in order to bear fruit, John extends the concept to us as believers abiding in Jesus in order to bear fruit. Anyone who does not abide in Jesus will not bear fruit and that person is unsaved and headed to the fire of hell.

We now come to a verse that has been misunderstood and misused; “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7 ESV). This verse begins with two conditions, which must be met if the expected results are to be obtained. First, the person making the request must abide in Jesus Christ and therefore must be a believer. Second, that believer must meet the conditions of 2 Timothy 2:15: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (NKJV). As we abide in Jesus, we draw life and light from him and as we abide in the word, we grow spiritually and become more and more like him in how we live and how we think.

Besides these two conditions there is another one of equal importance that most Bible students don’t think about. Always, and I mean always, stop and understand the context in which you find the verse. The western believer lives so far from the context of the Bible that little thought is given to context and as a result many verses end up being abused. The verse we are studying is clearly in the context of bearing fruit. The command is to bear fruit and as much as you can. Therefore, as a believer who is abiding in the word, you will be applying this verse in the context of bearing fruit. You can ask for anything you wish that you need to help you bear more fruit. Remember, God the Father chose you and caused you to be born again unto obedience to him in doing your assigned work, which relates in some form to fruit bearing. The general focus of the western believer is so far off that we live like those in the world and we use verses like this one to enhance our own comfort or position in the world. If we were to adjust our focus to meet the context of the Bible and actually apply the word from the context from which it was written your life would probably be quite different and you would probably be suffering in the face of persecution.

Prayer

Father, it is verses like this one that point out the importance of context. If we abide in Jesus and through faithful Bible study, his words abide in us and we are at work in some aspect of fruit bearing, then we can ask for whatever we want that will help us in this process and he will answer us. Father, when I watch spiritual darkness deepening in America I fear that one day we will wake up to horrible suffering because we haven’t been living out the theme of this lesson. We need to walk with the Lord in some aspect of bearing fruit, not with the world and its things.