John 15 Part 3 - Study and Reflection

 

This study was done at Word Of Grace Church in groups on July 13th 2025. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Bible Study Questions: 

John 15:9-17

PART 3

As we conclude this study on John 15, it is essential to remind ourselves of the purpose behind studying scripture. John reminds us at the end of his book in chapter 20:31 Even these are written, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and when you believe you shall have life everlasting in his name.  We are told that the Word or scripture has life-giving power. How that power comes when the word is experienced or put into action. That has always been the understanding in biblical thought that upon hearing, one puts it into practice, and only then can it be said that you have truly understood.

Jesus finishes His Sermon on the Mount with a similar warning. It's like Him saying: “Now you have seen how you ought to apply the law to your lives, you have heard me say how you need to forgive, love and live. Now, I expect you to put this into practice. If you do not, then you are like that foolish man who built his house on the sand (Matt 7:24-27).

So our prayer is that as you study, meditate and reflect upon this passage that you will ask the Holy Spirit to shed His light upon your heart on areas that need to be reshaped to conform to the likeness of Jesus.

 

 

 Reflective Questions

1.   “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you” (v.9).

·         How would you describe the quality and depth of the Father’s love for Jesus?

2.   Remain in my love” (v.9).

·         What helps you stay rooted in the love of Christ and identify your distractions?

3.   “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love…” (v.10).

·         How do you understand the connection between obedience and abiding in love?

4.   “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you…” (v.11).

·         What is the connection between love, obedience, and joy in this passage?

·         Can you think of a time when obeying Jesus brought deep joy?

5.   “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (v.12)

·         How did Jesus love His disciples?

6.   Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (v.13).

·         What does sacrificial love look like in everyday life?

7.   Jesus calls His disciples “friends” (v.15).

·         How does it impact your relationship with Jesus to know He calls you, His friend?

·         Do you relate to Him more as a servant, a friend, or something else?

Application Questions

1.   In what ways can you intentionally “remain” in Jesus’ love this week? (Consider Scripture, prayer, community, gratitude, or confession.)

2.   How can you grow in joyful obedience to Jesus’ commands, especially to love others? Is there a command of Christ that feels challenging to obey right now?

3.   Is there someone in your life right now who needs to experience Christ-like love from you? What is one way you can serve, forgive, or encourage that person this week?

4.   Are you willing to love others sacrificially—even when it costs you comfort or convenience? What does that look like in your current season of life?

5.   Jesus chose and appointed us to bear lasting fruit (v.16). What kind of fruit do you sense God wants to develop in your life right now?

6.   Jesus commands us to love one another (v.17). How can your local church, small group, or ministry better reflect this love? What part can you play in cultivating a loving, Christ-centred community?

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

 

Back to Basics - Part 1 - Who are you following?

 

 This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on June 2nd 2024 by Lasya. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Who am I following?

Let’s start with a quiz - what were Jesus’ first words to any of his disciples? 

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 5:18-19 

About 10 times in each of the gospels, Jesus says, ” Follow me” to his disciples. 

You can be a social media follower of Jesus- enjoy his teachings, subscribe to his beliefs, and tomorrow if you see something that doesn’t align with how you think or feel, you can unfollow. 

University style of following - listen to sermons, learn the Hebrew and Greek but don’t actually know how to put it into practice. Spiritually obese.

A disciple is a life-long learner: not an academic acquiring information about God, but a craftsman acquiring skills in the faith.” –Eugene Peterson

Apprenticeship- In the Jewish culture of apprenticeship, the apprentice would go with his master everywhere, learn from him and one day, become like him.

Matthew 8: 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Does this model work? 

Illustration of the Meenakari work, Stradivarius violin, Kintsugi art centuries old crafts that are still alive today. It’s not because of a university, but because of apprenticeship. Each master in his lifetime will only take 6-10 apprentices. Is he ineffective? No, these crafts have lasted centuries without compromising the quality. This is the model of discipleship that Jesus laid down for us. How did Jesus take on the world? By taking Peter, John, James, Andrew and other disciples.

Each of them left something or someone behind to follow Jesus. How do we think of following Jesus today? 

There are 3 steps - the tagline of Word of Grace. 

1. Enjoying God - Being with him/ beholding him 

1. The primary call of God is to himself. Mark 3:13-15 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

2. How can you be with someone who is invisible? John 4:24 - God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

3. What do you do with him? Thank him (Psalm 100), Listen to him (my sheep listen to my voice), talk to him (prayer- ask and you shall receive), delight in him(behold, contemplate the glory of the Lord)

4. Reflection question - What rhythms do you have in your life to be with Jesus? What is your sacred space, time? Do you have times when you will not touch your phone or any digital devices and completely turn your attention and affection towards Jesus? (Not just Sunday morning worship)

2.               Making Friends - Do as he did.

 

a.               Imitation - we are so scared of that word because we all want to protect our individuality. 

                                     i. But we are called to imitate Him. John 13:14-15 “14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ” 

                                    ii. In fact, we are called to imitate those who imitate him! 1 Cor 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Illustration of an artisan. What are we supposed to imitate? Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Heb.13:7).

                                  iii. Reflection Question- Who are you imitating? 

 

b.               Picture of apprenticeship. Eric Metcalf - 5 stages of apprenticeship - 

i. I do , you watch, we talk  

ii. I do, you help, we talk

iii. You do, i help, we talk

 iv. You do, i watch, we talk

  v. You do, someone else watches. Jesus did this with his disciples.

 

c.               Meals not meetings - Christian life is lived around meals not meetings. Jesus was always eating. With his brothers and sisters(those who were for him), with his enemies(those who were against him), with noted leaders of the synagogue (those who were socially above him), with sinners (those who were beneath him). 

Reflection question- What meals are you putting off with any one of these categories of people? 

3.     Changing lives - Becoming like him 

          

Q. What is the goal of your Christian life? 

Believe → become?

Romans 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”

 

Believe → Behold → Behave → Become 

Salvation Sanctification

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2 ESV

a.               Who transforms us? So just as you would go to the doctor and ask why I am not losing weight, when we feel stuck in our spiritual growth, we need to go to his word and spirit and ask where I am stuck

b.               Jesus is committed to finish what he started. But what did he start in you? Not your job, your finances, your fame, or even your ministry. Jesus is not committed to your success. He is committed to forming Christ in you. 

c.               This is a long road. So much so that it is not going to be complete on this side of eternity. But it can be an indicator of who you are following. The partially formed version of Jesus that is in each of us. 

d.               Reflection Question - Are you more like Jesus today than you were a year ago? 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Perfect Love - Perfect Sacrifice

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on February 25th 2024  by James Moses. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here. 

Perfect Love - Perfect Sacrifice

When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.). ³⁴ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ³⁵ Some of the bystanders heard Him and said, “Look! He is calling for ^[j]Elijah!” ³⁶ Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah is coming to take Him down.” ³⁷ But Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His last [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan]. ³⁸ And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from ^[k]top to bottom. ³⁹ When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” – Mark 15:33-39

The whole instance and time during which Jesus was on the Cross brings our attention to what exactly Jesus went through on the Cross.

It is very important to keep our minds on the cross. We can never move away from what happened on the Cross. Something amazing and highly impactful happened on the Cross. It was something that changed the history.

Why did Jesus go on that Cross?

God created man in His image to enjoy fellowship with him. Adam could enjoy God’s presence. But Adam and Eve sinned and got separated from God. Their sin led to destruction and destruction led to separation. Thus, the ground was cursed and man had to work hard to sustain. Humans started to live in sin and bondage.

Because God is righteous, every sin must be punished.

since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, - Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[b] Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23

Whether we like it or not, we deserve death.

Let us look at God’s characteristics –

1.      Immense Love

2.      Holy

God’s desire is that none of us would go to hell. But He’s holy too. He will not tolerate sin. He’s a God of justice. He cannot go against His character.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

God brought both love and justice together and fulfilled it on the cross.

We were supposed to receive punishment for all our sins. But Jesus chose to cover us. He took all our sin and punishment on his own self.

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” – Matthew 26:38

4 things happened on the cross:

1.     Physical intense pain

Crucifixion is the most terrible punishment anyone ever could receive. It is given to the vicious criminals. It is a slow death with increased pain and bones are out of joint.

I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me. – Psalm 22:14

Jesus was in intense pain on that cross for 6 hours, only because He loves you and me. We are so precious to Him that He took our place, went through our pain, and died our death.

2.     Pain of bearing sin

He bore the guilt for the sins He never committed. We can’t even bear it if someone lies to us. But Jesus bore the sins of the whole world because of His love for His Father and us.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds, we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:5-6

 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! – John 1:29

3.     Abandonment

Jesus was left alone. It was not just the physical pain and the pain of bearing others’ sin, but he faced everything and went through all of it all by himself, all alone.

His deepest joy in life was His Father. As long as He was on the Earth, He was in a constant relationship with the Father, listening to him and doing His will.

This relationship was broken on that cross.

Mark  15:34 - And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[a]  

4.     Bearing the wrath of God

The fury of God fell on Jesus. The wrath of God, the righteous anger of God which was there from the beginning , fell on Jesus.

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,^[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:25-26

Jesus was made an atonement for the sins of all the people.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30

Jesus had completed the will of His Father.

What should be our response to Jesus for what he went through and for what He has done?

1.     Thankfulness – We must be thankful to Jesus for what He has done. Because of His sacrifice, we can freely enter His presence and worship Him

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases, - Psalm 103:105

2.     Do not take His sacrifice for granted.

¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:13-15

3.     Live not as slaves to sin but to righteousness.

You are no more under the bondage of sin.

Even when you sin, come to Jesus quickly.

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin – Romans 6:6

 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. – Romans 6:18

4.     Share the gospel news with everyone.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:14

We must partner with God and sow seeds everywhere. We must be intentional in sharing the Good News with our friends and neighbours.

Reflect and see if there is any area in your life where you’re struggling. By faith receive freedom. No sin has any power to keep you away from the love of God.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.