Notes
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
John 15:1-11
There is a pathway to joy, and a way to get our joy back if it’s stolen. This passage in John is Jesus telling us how to be joyful. Any number of things may steal our joy, but the way to get it back is by remaining in God and producing for God.
If you’re not experiencing joy in your life, ask yourself these questions:
1) Am I connected?
God is the vine, and as the branches, we have to be connected to the source in order to have joy. We connect to God through prayer, reading His Word, and being with His people. We can’t experience joy unless we are under God’s provision.
2) Am I producing?
We won’t produce unless we understand our purpose. The purpose of a branch on an apple tree is to produce apples. God gives us gifts to use to produce for His purpose, to draw people to Christ. Our job is to produce good fruit based on the gifts He has given us, and in doing so grow the Kingdom of God.
3) Do I need pruning?
Sometimes in order for a plant to grow or bloom, it needs to be trimmed. God prunes us so that we can bloom. Then, we’ll be able to produce even more good fruit than before. Change is hard, but through pruning, God creates fresh growth in our lives.
Group Questions
- What does it mean to remain in God?
- How do we stay connected to God, the vine?
- What does it look like to produce good fruit, and how can we tell if we are producing good fruit?
- When are times you have experienced God’s pruning in your life?
Prayer
We want to remain in you and experience your overflowing joy. Help us to find joy in the midst of any circumstance by staying connected to you, producing good fruit, and letting you prune our lives of those things that need to go.