But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name.

John 20:31

We’re all familiar with the Christmas hymn, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The injunction it gives to come and adore our Lord Jesus Christ is not a message for Christmas alone, but for every single day of the year. A few weeks ago I began doing a discipleship Bible study with a young man who recently came to know the Lord as his Savior. In this study, we have been encouraged to read one chapter from the book of John each day—but not merely read so that we can check it off a list. Instead, we are called to meditate on the passage, asking God to speak to us through His Word, and then speaking to Him about what He has taught us. While I will not be doing the Bible study with you, I would like to encourage you to engage in your own in-depth study of the book of John.

O come, let us adore Him together.

O Come, Let Us Adore Him

You and I have already been going through the book of John for quite some time, and rather than go back to the beginning, I’ll simply pick up where we left off, here in John chapter 15. If you would like my ADORE notes from Chapters 1 through 14, send me a message, and I’ll share them with you via email.

As you read the chapter, look for the answers to the following questions. I will give you my answers below, but know that there is no right or wrong answer to any of these questions. What God gives you from the passage may be different from what He said to me. After all, God’s Word is alive and powerful, and He meets us where we are.

Also, in the time I’ve been reading John this way, I’ve come to see that some of the things I’ve learned seem to overlap, as though they could be used to answer more than one question. That’s okay too. The main thing is to read God’s Word with the purpose of letting it change you.

A — Application — Are there any principles to apply or promises to claim?

D — Dependence — Are there any steps of faith I should take today?

O — Obedience — Are there any commands to obey or sins to forsake?

R — Relationship — What is God revealing to me about Himself?

E — Example — Are there any examples to follow or warnings to heed?

God’s Words to Me: John 15

1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser. 2 Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine; no more can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If a man abides not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples.
9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you: continue in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is My commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. 15 From now on I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, “The servant is not greater than his lord.” If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they would not have sin: but now they have no cover for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no other man did, they would not have sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this comes to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, “They hated Me without a cause.”
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me: 27 And you also shall bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

My Words to God

If you were going to talk to God about what you learned in this chapter, what would you say? Write your response in a notebook or journal in the form of a prayer.

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What God taught me

Note: As I read and study the chapter, I do not take these questions in order, but fill in my answers as the Lord shows me what He wants me to see.

A — Application — Are there any principles to apply or promises to claim?

2 Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.
8 In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples.

Verses 2, 5, 8

He will prune me—take away the unnecessary parts—and it will hurt. But I need this. There is still much of my old sinful nature inside of me, and it gets in the way. When the dead stuff is removed, then I’ll bear more fruit and glorify my Father in the process.

D — Dependence — Are there any steps of faith I should take today?

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Verse 11

When Jesus was talking to His disciples, their hearts were troubled. Judas had just been revealed as the one who would betray Jesus, and he left to go do his dirty deed. Jesus had also been talking quite a bit about going away to a place to which they could not yet follow. Then He said, “I’ve told you all this that you might have joy.” How can I have joy in the midst of situations I don’t like or understand? I’ve felt so much loss in the past two years—in the past two days! How can this bring me joy? By trusting that God is always and only good, that He knows and cares, and that He has a master plan I could never understand. I need to trust Him. I will trust Him. And He will fill me with joy—not when it’s over and things are “back to normal,” but now, here in the darkness.

O — Obedience — Are there any commands to obey or sins to forsake?

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine; no more can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.

Verses 4-5

Jesus commands me to abide in Him. What does that mean? How does a branch abide in a vine? Does it hold on for dear life? No. It rests, securely attached to the life-giving trunk. That’s what God wants me to do—rest in Him (Psalm 37:7), live through Him, and let His life flow through me. I can’t do this without Him. I can’t do anything without Him. A branch that has been cut off the plant no longer has the power to live. Neither do I.

R — Relationship — What is God revealing to me about Himself?

15 From now on I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.

Verses 15-16

I learned recently that where it says “servant,” it actually means “slave.” A servant earns wages, can come and go as he pleases, and can leave one master to work for another. A slave has none of that. The master owns him and has the right to expect total obedience. The master also provides for the slave’s every need. This more accurately reflects my relationship with God. But there’s more. Christ’s reference in John 15 is to a slave who has been with the master so long that he now holds the distinguished honor of being the servant who cares for the master’s every need. He attends to the master in his room: drawing his bath, preparing his bed, laying out his clothes and even helping him dress. This servant sees his master in the most intimate of situations and knows his deepest feelings, longings, fears, and frustrations. A servant in such a position would be called a friend because he knows the master better than anyone else, even better than his wife. I like knowing that I am God’s slave, and that He also calls me friend.

E — Example — Are there any examples to follow or warnings to heed?

9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you: continue in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is My commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Verses 9-13

My example is Christ. The love between the Father and the Son flows in both directions. He loves me too, enough to die for me. I ought to love Him enough to live for Him, and if necessary, die for Him. His death gave me life, though I did not deserve it. The best I can do with my death is to give Him glory, for He alone is worthy.

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This week’s memory verse

I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

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Photo taken at Princess Beach in Destin, Florida, 2019