Verses 1-10, 16
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Verse 1. As believers, we are branches attached to Christ, who is the Vine.
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Verses 2-3. Inside the church, unbelievers and believers who fall away are people who wish to be part of the Vine, and do appear to be, but they do not bear fruit. These will ultimately be removed from the Vine, in that these people will be thrown into hell.
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In churches of fruit-bearing believers, still there are dead shoots that waste energy and are prone to disease. God prunes off (to cleanse the branch) these twigs so that the energy of the Vine is not wasted, and so that the branches are protected from disease.
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Verse 5. Without Christ, we can accomplish nothing of value.
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Verses 2-3, 9-10. To abide in Christ and bear fruit, focus on and obey the Word, to depend on it as your own lifeblood. The Word prunes / cleanses you.
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Cling closely to the Word and listen to it always. Use it to grow in your obedience, and as your grow, it will correct you, as a means of cleansing you of sin and promoting more growth.
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Verse 7, 16. When you abide in Christ and are well-pruned, you will have a vibrant, healthy faith, and your desires will align with God's desires. Your works and prayers will become efficient (ideally, all of them answered), since there will be no wasted words or acts (dead twigs) in your life. And you will embody Christ's characteristics more and more (Galatians 5:22).
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Praying is also a way to abide in Christ, and answered prayer is a form of fruit-bearing. Answered prayer is fruit because it brings encouragement to believers and shows God's power, thus bringing Him glory. Pray always!
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Verse 11
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Christ's Word is meant to bring great joy.
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Focus on the Word, including obeying it, and you will grow in more joy—even to having the same joy that Christ had!
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Verses 12-17
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The one commandment of the Word that we should focus on most is the command to love others—specifically to lay down our lives, and for fellow believers especially.
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And the more obedient we are to love others, the closer with Christ we will be—like His friends, and not merely His servants
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Think about ways that you can sacrifice yourself for others. How can you help someone else in ways that gain you nothing? Doing what will benefit others at a loss for yourself is what true sacrifice is.
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Note that Jesus said the greatest form of love is to sacrifice for one's "friends". This indicates that you must have a relationship with someone in order to be able to serve them effectively. Building friendship with someone requires a sacrifice of your time to get to know them, and upon knowing them well you can learn how to help them. So, if you don't know how to serve or love people, be their friend first, and then you'll know.
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Verses 18-21
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The way that the world treated Jesus is the way that it will treat us. And the more like Jesus we become, the more we will be persecuted.
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If you ever feel discouraged by the way that unbelievers dislike or mistreat you for your faith, remember that even Jesus was hated by world. If He was perfectand hated, we should consider it a blessing if we are hated (Acts 5:40-41), as this means that we are becoming more like Him!
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Verses 22-25
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Those who sin in ignorance have more grace. But because Jesus revealed through His words and His works the clear truth about God, they were no longer ignorant. Their knowledge of the truth removed their grace.
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It is important to speak the truth to all people—even to those who will reject it. Why? The truth exposes people's sin and allows them to make an informed decision to obey or disobey. It is love to give people that choice. Always speak the truth!
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Verses 26-27
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The Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus, agrees with Jesus, shares Jesus' characteristics. The Word and the Spirit agree as one (1 John 5:7).
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You can know if the Spirit is influencing you or speaking to you because it will always agree with the words and actions Christ. Use this as a way of measurement to discern the Spirit. To determine that a thought is godly, look and see if you can find two or three scriptures to support it.
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