1. For Prayer (verse 7)
2. For Fruitfulness (verse 8)
3. With Love (verse 9)
4. With Obedience (verse 10)
5. For Joy (verse 11)

A few years ago at our house, we made a big swap. We had a trampoline that our children used when they were little. But as they grew up, their usage of it declined greatly. And my daughter had a hot tub that she used in giving birth to their oldest child. The idea was that she would labor in the hot tub, until the time came for her to rush to the hospital to give birth. Well, we swapped our items that neither of us used.

Our grandchildren now love their trampoline. And I have very much enjoyed having a hot tub in the back of our yard. However, I can really only use my hot tub during the summer months, as it’s not insulated very well. and the heater can’t even keep up with the cold.

Well, this spring, we had some out of town guests visit church, and then come to our house for lunch afterwards. And as they were in our home, they noticed the hot tub in the back yard. I told them the story of the swap that we made with my daughter: Our trampoline for their hot tub. I told them of how much I enjoyed sitting in the hot tub each evening before I went to bed.

Well, to make a long story short, a few weeks after being in our home, I received a text which read, "Hey Steve! Hope all is well! A connection from church is looking to part with their hot tub. Wouldn’t cost anything, but you would have to move it. Thought maybe you might be interested since you like to use a hot tub. Let me know either way!” I quickly texted back: “Yes! I am interested!”

To make another long story short, I have spent the past few months preparing a platform for a new hot tub to sit in our back yard. It has been quite the project. And this past Monday, a few strong men arrived at our house with a hot tub that they moved into our back yard. I’m looking forward to soaking in a hot tub as the snow falls outside.

But my project isn’t done, because right now, the hot tub isn’t connected. I have an electrician coming out tomorrow to bid the job of actually connecting it up to power, so that we can use it. Right now, it’s a big empty shell that’s sitting in our yard. But once we are connected to the electricity, we will be in business.

So, why do I tell you that story? Because, it’s a great picture of our text this morning: John 15:7-11. The title of my message this morning is, “Abide in Me.” This is what Jesus tells his disciples on the night in which he was betrayed. He told them, John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you.”

The question rightly comes, “What does it mean to ‘abide’?” It means that we remain, stay, dwell, continue or endure. Fundamentally, it means that we are connected to Jesus, just like the story of our hot tub. In order for our hot tub to work, it needs to be connected to the electricity. And in order for us to live in Christ as he calls us to do, we need to be connected to Jesus.

Last week, we looked at verses 1-6, in which Jesus described himself as “the True Vine,” the one through which all life comes. Jesus said in in John 15:4, “The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Similarly, Our hot tub will not work, unless it is connected to the electricity. The call of our text, is that we abide in Jesus, that we stay connected to him, and that we remain close to him.

Now, before I read the text for us, I want to remind you of the context of these words. John 15 comes right in the middle of what is known as “The Upper Room Discourse” in the gospel of John. This is the name that many theologians have called John 13-17, where Jesus gives many of his final instructions to his disciples before he would depart from them. Perhaps a better name for these chapters is, “The Final Discourse,” as not all of it is in the upper room. But all of this has to do with the final words of Jesus to the disciples.

In these chapters, Jesus is preparing the disciples for his departure. In chapter 13, Jesus showed his love and servanthood for his disciples by washing their feet, leaving us an example for us all “to do as [he] has done” (John 13:15). Also in chapter 13, Jesus informed his disciples that one of them would betray Jesus, and that Peter would deny Jesus. All of this news created some anxious thoughts among the disciples. Jesus deals with these thoughts in chapter 14, which begins with Jesus telling the disciples, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me" (John 14:1). Jesus says much of the same thing in chapter 14 and verse 27, "Let not your heats be troubled, neither let them be afraid." Everything in between relates to this message somehow. Jesus is telling his disciples to trust in him. Yes, he is going away (John 14:2). But he’s going to come back (John 14:3). While he’s gone, he will send the Holy Spirit to be with them the help them.

Then, with the very last phrase of chapter 14, Jesus says, "Rise, let us go from here" (John 14:31). At this point, Jesus and the disciples are on the road, on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. And along the way, Jesus continues to teach them.

And as I said last week, with the change in scenery comes a change in topic. Chapter 14 was about Jesus calming the souls of the disciples, telling them not to be troubled at all that is transpiring. Then, at the beginning of chapter 15, Jesus will teach the disciples how to live when Jesus is gone. He begins with the importance of abiding in him. being connected to him, being connected to the vine.

Let’s read the first 11 verses of this chapter, and I want for you to listen for the word, “abide.”

John 15:1-11
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, 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. 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. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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.

I count 10 times in these verses, that Jesus uses the word, “Abide.” Jesus knew that if the disciples didn’t stay connected to Jesus, then they wouldn’t do well. This is summed up well in verses 5 and 6:

John 15:5-6
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Jesus says that those who aren’t connected to him will be thrown away and gathered into the fire. Just like my hot tub: not connected means “no use.”

Such is the importance of abiding in Jesus. And this is important for all of you as well. Don’t think that you can live the Christian life apart from abiding in Jesus. In fact, this is the very heart and soul of Christianity, is to live day by day, moment by moment, connected to Jesus.

Now, in our text, which is 5 verses long, Jesus will speak about five aspects of abiding in him. The first comes in verse 7. We need to abide 

1. For Prayer (verse 7)

We read in verse 7,

John 15:7
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

What an amazing promise! It’s the promise of answered prayer! "Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

This is almost like the genie in the bottle sort of promise. where, as the Fairy Tale goes, you find an old lamp that has been stopped up. in which is a genie that has been trapped for a thousand years. The genie is so excited to be released, that he says to you, “Thank you for letting me out of this bottle. Ask for three wishes, and I will grant them to you!”

Countless stories are told of those who make such wishes from a genie in a bottle. They wish for wealth and possessions, mansions and jets and storehouses of gold. They wish for power and influence, to be a king of a nation, to be able to control the thoughts and decisions of others. Of course the catch of these stories is that the wishes almost always backfire. The wish for endless wealth means that they become the target of greedy people and thieves rob them and beat them, and as a result, they need security, which only leads to isolation and loneliness. The wish for power comes the fear of being overthrown and dying a violent death.

The moral of these stories is that such wishes aren’t always what they appear. But this is not the promise of verse 7. Verse 7 is not a genie in the bottle sort of promise.

I say this because of the first half of the verse, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." That is, when you are connected with Jesus, and when you are saturated with the word of God in your life, your perspectives are different than the one who finds the bottle along the beach in which was a magical genie. You seek the way of Jesus. You seek the things that Jesus loves. You seek to walk in the way that Jesus walked.

And how did Jesus walk? He was a servant of all! He gave his life for ours, by dying upon the cross for our sins. He lived in constant communion with his heavenly father. When you are abiding in Jesus, you almost find that that’s enough! As the old hymn says it, 

Such is the sort of prayer that comes from the one who abides in Jesus, wanting more of Jesus.

Do you ever pray such a prayer? “Lord, draw me nearer to your heart today.” “Keep me close, Jesus, when I am prone to wander.” “Let Your word guide my steps and keep me near you.” “Lord, hold me fast in your love and never let me go.” “Give me strength to walk in your ways moment by moment.” “Abide with me, Lord, and teach me to abide in You.” “Keep my eyes fixed on you, and not on this world.”

Or are your prayers all about the things that you want, such as the pleasures of this world, comfort for the moment, or the problems of you life removed. Perhaps your prayers are mostly others-centered, for health for your loved ones, for safety when they travel, for God’s provision in a good job. That’s all well and good. Pray for others. But first, abide in Jesus, and your prayers will align with him and his purpose. Then, you will experience the reality, "ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Who knows, perhaps the Lord will give you what you never even asked for, like the gift of a hot tub!

OK, let’s move on. Jesus says, “Abide in Me,” first for prayer and second, 

2. For Fruitfulness (verse 8)

This comes in verse 8.

John 15:8
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Last week, we saw that the key to bearing fruit in your life is abiding in Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

This was the point of my opening illustration to my message this morning: The hot tub is useless apart from being connected to the electricity. Grapes don’t grow if they aren’t attached to the vine, from which they get the needed nourishment needed to grow.

Likewise, when it comes to the Christian life, the all-important necessity is that you are attached to the vine. oOr, in this case, that you “abide in Jesus,” that you remain connected to Jesus. In so doing, you will bear fruit.

So, the question comes, what does it mean to bear fruit in the Christian life? I think that the key is found in verse 8. Let’s read it again, "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." Fruit in the life of a believer will have two effects. First, it will glorify God. Second, it will give proof of genuine discipleship. The first effect is vertical, having to do with the Lord. The second effect is horizontal, having to do with others, as they witness your life.

OK, so let’s think about this. First, bearing fruit will glorify God. I think that some of fruit-bearing comes in the worship of God. When God works in the life of a person, their first, and most natural response is one of praise to God!

Psalm 107 speaks about those who have found themselves in hard places, where they had nowhere else to turn, but to the Lord. And “they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, 28). And the exhortation comes: “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!” (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31). Worship is the natural response to belief! "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble" (Psalm 107:1-2).

We see this in the gospel of John. Remember, in chapter 9, when the blind man was healed? Jesus spit in the ground to form some mud. He anointed the man’s eyes. He went away and washed and came back seeing. But the man never knew that it was Jesus who healed him, he never saw him. But at the end of the narrative, we read of Jesus finding him and having a discussion with him.

John 9:35-38
Jesus said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
[The man born blind] answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

This is the fruitful response of the believer: praise to God! "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name" (Hebrews 13:15).

But there is also a horizontal component of bearing fruit as well. It proves that you are a disciple. This is a super-helpful thought for all of us. Faith in Jesus produces fruit. When you are attached to the vine, you will produce fruit. If you aren’t producing fruit, it’s an indication that you are not connected to the vine! Don’t be deceived into thinking that you are a disciple of Jesus if you don’t see any fruit in your life, because, fruit is the proof!

Think about the historical context: Jesus is going away, but he will send the Spirit. What does the Spirit do in the life of a believer? He brings fruit! In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul points out nine aspects of the fruit that the Spirit produces in the life of a believer: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Note that this is talking about the Holy Spirit. This is what the Spirit produces in the life of those who abide in Jesus.

In John 13:34-35, Jesus spoke of how love will be proof of genuine discipleship: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Spirit-given love for others is a proof of genuine discipleship.

This is the sort of fruit that Jesus is talking about here. He is talking about love for others. Jesus speaks about joy in verse 11. Jesus gave peace to the disciples (John 14:27). How do you see such fruit in your life? By abiding in Jesus. Let’s move on. Jesus says, “Abide in Me," for prayer (verse 7), for fruitfulness (verse 8). and now, 

3. With Love (verse 9)

John 15:9
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

Jesus tells us here to “abide in [his] love.” If there was one characteristic that stands out above all others in the life of Jesus, it his love.

Do you remember how the Upper Room Discourse began? "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (John 13:1). The idea of this phrase, “loved them to the end,” carries with it, not only the longevity of his love, but the perfection of his love. That’s why the Amplified version of the Bible (which intentionally expands upon words and phrases to catch the original thrust of the text), reads this way: "He loved them [and continuously loves them with His perfect love] to the end (eternally)." Jesus loved his disciples.

Do you remember when Lazarus had died? (in chapter 11)? John says of his family, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Such was the comment of the Jews when Jesus came to the tomb. When he came to the tomb, we read in John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” In the very next verse we read of what the Jew said when they saw Jesus weep. They said, “See how he loved him!” (John 11:36).

Jesus was a lover of souls. Do you remember the woman caught in adultery? Jesus wasn’t angry and hurtful and spiteful toward her. No. He said, “I do not condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11). I believe that this was an expression of love toward her.

The love of Jesus stemmed from his father’s love. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love" (John 15:9). This takes us back to John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Why did Jesus come to the earth? Because of his father’s love, his father’s love for us!

The death of Jesus shows the extend of the love of Jesus. We will look at this next week. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). That’s exactly what Jesus did for us. He laid down his life for us. He died, so that we may live. He betrayed and arrested and flogged by the soldiers (John 19:1). He was mocked by the soldiers as they pressed a crown of thorns upon his head, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews” (John 19:2-3). The soldiers punched and whipped him. Eventually, they put him to death by the cruelest death invented by men: death on a cross.

And why did Jesus suffer all of these things? Because of his love. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). This what Jesus did for us. He died for us, in our place, so that by faith in him, we may live again!

It is good for us to think about the love of Jesus for us. That’s part of abiding, dwelling upon his love for us.

But note again in verse 9, of how Jesus describes his love. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." Jesus speaks about the love of the perfect father for the perfect Son.

There are many dysfunctional families in this world, where parents don’t speak with children. where they haven’t seen each other in years! because the hurt between them is so great. But the Father and the Son are way on the other side of the spectrum. The Father and the Son have perfect love for each other. Their love is unbreakable, eternal, and unchanging. They have perfect unity in purpose and will. They enjoy perfect harmony their relationship.

Such is the love that Jesus has for us. Let us abide in that love. Let us be connected with that love. You say, “How can I abide in this love?” It comes in verse 10 with my next point. Jesus says, “Abide in Me,” 

4. With Obedience (verse 10)

John 15:10
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.

Do you want to abide in the love of Jesus? Keep his commandments. This is how Jesus says that he abides in the love of the Father. He has kept the commandments of his father. I trust that you see the connection. Jesus said that he kept the commandments, and thus he abides in his love. So also with us, keeping the commandments is the path to abiding in his love. Listen again to verse 10, "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."

In other words, abiding in the love of God is not some mystical experience where you are communing with the Godhead in some sort of prayerful experience. No. It is very concrete. Abiding in love comes through obedience. There is a connection between love and obedience. You cannot have one without the other. John often brings up the connection, both here in the gospel of John, and in some of the letters that he wrote.

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me" (John 14:21).

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

"And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments" (2 John 6).

The connection could not be clearer. Love for God is show in obedience for God. This is exactly how it is with the family. Love to mom and dad is shown in obedience to mom and dad. So, also with our relationship with Jesus. Love to Jesus is shown in obedience to Jesus.

Note here (in verse 10) that Jesus refers to two sorts of commandments. First off, Jesus speaks about “my commandments.” And then, Jesus speaks about “my Father’s commandments.” "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" (verse 10).

Is there a difference between these “commandments”? I think so.

When Jesus speaks about “my Father’s commandments,” I believe that he is speaking about the entirety of the law: the Ten Commandments, the Levitical laws, the purity laws, the dietary laws, the sacrificial laws, all of the religious observances, all of the Sabbaths and all of the Feasts. I believe that Jesus kept all of them! The Jews have numbered the laws of the Old Testament.

They have found there to be 613 laws in the Old Testament. Jesus kept every single one of them, which we could never do. Paul said, "Through the law comes knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). In other words, when we look to the law, we see our failures, and thus our sin. But when Jesus looked to the Father’s commandments, he kept them all, perfectly, and with a whole heart. something that we could never do.

This is the good news of the gospel! That Jesus kept the law for us! He was the perfect man in whom we can place our trust! He was the Lamb of God who takes away our sin! (John 1:29). We are required no longer to keep all of the laws of the Old Testament. But it’s not that we are without a commandment.

Jesus gave us a “new commandment.” He says, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He said the same thing in John 13:34. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another." This is different than Old Testament law, which was flawed. The writer to the Hebrews summarizes, saying,

Hebrews 8:7-8
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says:

Then, he quotes Jeremiah from chapter 31,

Hebrews 8:8-12
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.

The new covenant comes with a new spirit that God puts in the heart of everyone who believes. This spirit in us wants to obey and love and serve the Lord. This is the "new commandment" that Jesus brings. With the coming of the "new," the "old" is now obsolete. This is what the writer to the Hebrews argues.

Hebrews 8:13
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

James said it this way: "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well" (James 2:8). So let me encourage you who believe, with sincere hearts to love the law of liberty. Love others, and so “Abide in Jesus.” This is the best way to live. Jesus says so.

Here's my last point. Jesus says, “Abide in Me” 

5. For Joy (verse 11)

John 15:11
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Jesus sort of sums up all that he has said about abiding. It’s for our good! It’s for our joy! As we abide with God in prayer, and as this shows itself in our fruitfulness, with love is our aim, as we obey the Lord, it’s all for our joy!

Notice here how Jesus says that it’s his joy that will be in us. When we read about Jesus in the gospel accounts, very little is said about his joy. Yet, I would hold that Jesus was a joyful man. You don’t read through the gospels thinking that he was a somber, depressed man. I’m sure with every miracle he did, there was a smile on his face, to serve those in affliction.

At the wedding of Cana, Jesus provided the wine so that the party could continue on! (John 2). Jesus used this metaphor when talking about John the Baptist. "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds” (Matthew 11:18). In other words, Jesus was accused of being a party man! This surely was an indication of the joy that he had.

He prayed for joy for his disciples. "But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (John 17:13). He wanted to fill up their joy! "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).

Jesus even had joy in his death.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Now, I don't think that the joy of Jesus was in the actual suffering upon the cross. Rather, I think it’s because of the joy he knew he would have, as sinners were saved from their sins. Jesus knew of the joy in heaven that would come when sinners repent of their sins (Luke 15:7). Such was the joy set before him. I believe that Jesus was a joyful man.

If there is anything that characterizes a believer, it should be joy! If there is anything that characterizes Rock Valley Bible Church, it should be joy. I'm not talking about a glib happiness, but a deep down contentment in what God has given to us in his word.

God wants our best. We need to joyfully trust in that. God will give us what is good for us for our joy, even a hot tub that I never asked for.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on September 21, 2025 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.