How Do I Live as a Disciple of Jesus Today? Part 2 | John 15:7-17 | Darien Gabriel
Series: Signs & Glory
Title: How do I live as a disciple of Jesus today?
Subtitle: Part 2
Scripture: John 15:7-17 NIV, Isaiah 5, Psalm 80
Bottom Line: A disciple of Jesus today is growing to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same.
INTRODUCTION
CONTEXT
SERMON OUTLINE
CONCLUSION
NOTES
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
MAIN REFERENCES USED
Opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same.
INTRODUCTION
What does a disciple of Jesus look like today? Well, these examples are a good place to start. They loved their enemies and forgave them.
Bottom Line: A disciple of Jesus today is growing to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same.
CONTEXT
Jesus's disciples are deeply troubled because they have just heard 3 things:
One of them will betray Jesus,
Jesus is about to leave them and go where they cannot go, and
Peter will deny Jesus 3 times that night.
He's taught them again to love each other as he has loved them
He's told them his spirit will come and empower them to do all that he's taught them to do
He's coming back (resurrected, as his spirit, second coming)
They leave the upper room where they've had their feet washed, heard all of this, and now they're heading to the garden of gethsamene to pray and be arrested.
Sub questions for today:
Q. What does spiritual fruit look like?
Q. How do I bear spiritual fruit that will last?
OUTLINE (w/ help from Matt Carter & ChatGPT)
Transition: This passage breaks down into 2 sections: 1) True disciples bear fruit, and 2) What that fruit looks like. Today we'll focus on part 2: What does true spiritual fruit look like and how do we bear it?
Let's ask some questions:
Q. What do I want you to know today?
A. What the fruit of a true disciple of Jesus Christ looks like.
Spiritual fruit
Is from God through his spirit
Lasts forever
What does this fruit look like according to this passage?
Answered prayer. God tells us to ask whatever we want in Jesus' name and it will be given to us. (15:7, 16)
Proof that we're true disciples of Jesus. (15:8, 14)
Glorify God (15:8) which is why we were created.
Overflowing with his joy (> happiness, which is based solely on circumstances). (15:11)
Love of God (in obeying his commands) and people (in obeying his commands). (15:10, 12, 14, 17)
Friendship with God through Jesus. (15:14-15)
Security in your salvation:
"Already clean" (15:3)
"I chose you" (15:16)
Q. Why do I want you to know this?
A. Because you will know where you stand as a disciple of Jesus Christ: true or false; fruit-bearing or not.
Q. What do I want you to do?
A. Bear spiritual fruit that will last forever.
Q. Why?
A. Because Jesus says this is why he chose you and me. Therefore, we should do this.
Q. How?
A. By training to remain in Christ. Here are 4 training regiments that will help:
Know, believe, and obey God's word.
Pray bold, specific, and believing prayers in Jesus' name.
Love each other sacrificially ("As I have loved you").
Recognizing and embracing the principle of pruning requires suffering, trials and testing.
Conclusion
Bottom Line: A disciple of Jesus today is growing to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same.
When we train to remain/abide in Christ, we will grow in the character and competencies of Jesus Christ, in his power (not ours), and we will lead others to do this as well.
Q. How do I know I'm doing this?
A. You'll multiply yourself.
You'll lead people to Christ deep and wide.
You'll help others lead people to Christ deep and wide.
You'll see God's love spread through his word in you.
Q. What's next?
A. Commit to getting a good grip on God's word by reading it daily, praying it daily, and obeying it daily.
B. Consider H.E.A.R. Method. https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/bible-journaling-method-to-hear-god-speak
INVITATION
What about you?
Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:
““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts 2:36-39 NIV
How do we respond? Answer 2 questions:
Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions:
What is God saying to me right now?
What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper.
What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.
[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.
Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don’t have to get too specific to give him praise.
Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.
Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)
Pray
NOTES
Outline with help from Matt Carter and ChatGPT
II. Spiritual Fruit in a Disciple of Jesus today looks like this: (15:7-17)
A. Answered prayer--this happens because of the union with Jesus. The "sap" is the back and forth communication. "My words remain in you" (7)
Jesus speaks through his word. God prunes and cleans through his word (3).
We respond in prayer. Where there is prayer, there are answers. God listens to his people.
It looks like breathing. "When the Holy Spirit is pulsing through you, you pray without thinking. You just talk to God." -Carter
Prayer is as important to the soul as breathing to the body.
B. Obedient love--we obey because we love.
Our love flows from our obedience. Obedience is the evidence of love.
A persistently, willfully, disobedient person is not a Christian.
What's cool here is that even though Jesus is our King and has every right to demand our obedience, he doesn't treat us like slaves. He sees us as friends. Slaves are given commands without explanation. Jesus invites us into his inner circle. He shares his friendship and explains what he's doing. Not always as much as we'd like but he tells us what the Father says to him. (14-15)
C. Inexhaustible joy--Jesus, who fills our Dixie cup/cone cup with joy, immerses our Dixie cup of joy into his ocean of joy.
Happiness is dependent on your circumstances. Joy transcends your circumstances.
Examples
Paul in Prison (Philippians 1:12–21; 4:4)
Happiness: No one would be happy about being chained up, falsely accused, and awaiting trial. His circumstances were bleak.
Joy: Paul still wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). His joy was rooted in Christ being proclaimed and in knowing that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” His joy transcended his imprisonment.
The Apostles Beaten (Acts 5:40–42)
Happiness: After being flogged by the Sanhedrin, they weren’t happy about the pain or humiliation.
Joy: They “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Joy came from sharing in Christ’s sufferings and being faithful witnesses.
Jesus on the Cross (Hebrews 12:2)
Happiness: The cross was excruciating, shameful, and horrific—nothing about it was happy.
Joy: Yet Hebrews says Jesus endured it “for the joy set before him”—the joy of redeeming us, glorifying the Father, and sitting down at His right hand.
Job Loss
Happiness: Losing your job doesn’t make you happy. The stress, loss of income, and uncertainty feel heavy.
Joy: A believer can still have joy by trusting God’s provision, remembering His past faithfulness, and resting in His promises. Joy looks like saying, “This is hard, but I know God is still with me and will provide,” even while updating your résumé.
It's no coincidence that Jesus follows, "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love" (10) with, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in your and that your joy may be complete." (11) "Joy comes through obedience." -Carter
👉 In short: Happiness is when circumstances go your way. Joy is when your heart goes God’s way—even when circumstances don’t.
D. Sacrificial love--how is this demonstrated? Well, in a way that costs us.
Jesus loved his Father as demonstrated in his perfect obedience to go and die on the cross for the sins of the world.
Jesus calls us to love one another in this way--as he has loved us.
An apple tree bears apples.
An orange tree bears oranges.
A follower of Jesus Christ bears loves, prays and obeys Jesus.
E. Friendship with Jesus. No longer slaves.
F. Desire to bear fruit that will last forever.
III. How do we bear spiritual fruit that will last?
We train to remain (abide) in Jesus Christ by:
Leaning into his pruning (2)
Remembering he picked me!
Obeying his word
Hear it regularly
Read it daily
Study it (reading with a pencil/pen or highlighter)
Memorize it (Ps 119:11)
Meditate on it (focused thinking)
Loving Jesus obediently
Loving Jesus sacrificially
Praying with confidence that he hears and answers our prayers
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What do I want them to know?
Why do I want them to know it?
What do I want them to do?
Why do I want them to do it?
How do they do this?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/
Read the passage together.
Retell the story in your own words.
Discovery the story
What does this story tell me about God?
What does this story tell me about people?
If this is really true, what should I do?
What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)
What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)
Who am I going to tell about this?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Alternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:
Who is God?
What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?
Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)
What do I do? (In light of who I am)
How do I do it?
Final Questions (Write this down)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent Hughes
Exalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg
The Gospels & Epistles of John, FF Bruce
John, RC Sproul
John, Köstenberger
The Gospel According to John, DA Carson
Let's Study John, Mark Johnston
The Light Has Come, Leslie Newbigin (TLHC)
The Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner (TVW)
“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee (TTB)
Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/
Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org
The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com
Nicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersion
ChatGPT AI
Grok AI
Google Gemini AI