1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he is going to cut off. And he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will bear more fruit. 3 “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I am going to remain in you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Likewise, you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me. (Jn 15:1–4)
But I planted you as a very good vine, healthy and from reliable stock. How then did you turn against me? How then did you turn into a wild vine? (Je 2:21)
So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ. (Ro 10:17)
5 “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples. (Jn 15:5–8)
You ask, and yet do not receive, because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on what gives you pleasure. (Jas 4:3)
Friends do ______________ for each other.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so also I have loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you hold on to my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have held on to my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that my joy would continue to be in you and that your joy would be complete. (Jn 15:9–11)
God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Co 5:21)
12 This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends. (Jn 15:12–13)
29 Jesus answered, “The most important [commandment] is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one. 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mk 12:29–31)
In fact, it is God who is working in you, both to will and to work, for the sake of his good pleasure. (Php 2:13)
4 You are my friends if you continue to do the things I instruct you. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. (Jn 15:14–15)
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will endure, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 These things I am instructing you, so that you love one another. (Jn 15:16–17)
Friendship has a __________.
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, for that very reason the world hates you. 20 Remember the saying I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. If they held on to my word, they will hold on to yours as well. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. (Jn 15:18–21)
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 This was to fulfill the word which is written in their Law: ‘They hated me for no reason.’ (Jn 15:22–25)
Friends keep their __________________.
26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also are going to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (Jn 15:26–27)
The Greek word translated Counselor [παράκλητος (paraklētos)] refers to a person who comes to the __________ of another person to say whatever is ______________ at the moment: admonition, comfort, guidance, and so on.
My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin. If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (1 Jn 2:1)
16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. … 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you. (Jn 14:16, 26)
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they [the followers of Jesus] were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the rushing of a violent wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw divided tongues that were like fire resting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, since the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak fluently. (Ac 2:1–4)
… that day about three thousand people were added. (Ac 2:41b)
In John’s Gospel, the Holy Spirit is our Counselor or Advocate, who pleads God’s __________ to human hearts to bring them to ____________.
Points to Ponder
What is one thing that stood out to you from this week's message?
What does it mean to you that Jesus is your friend?
What does it mean that you are a vine of the risen Savior?
