A Fruit-Bearing Life

Good morning.

It's a pleasure to be with you all here this morning.

! It's a pleasure to be with you all here this morning.

Before we left, I had several members of our church ask where we were going to be this

weekend, and I said, we're going down to Parker, Colorado to preach to a congregation down

there.

And they said, well, why are you going down there?

Do you know the pastor?

I said, no, never met him before.

Oh, do you know somebody in church?

No, never met any of them before.

They go, well, why are you going down there?

I said, they need somebody to come preach.

I'm going to go down and help the brothers out.

And they go, yeah, but how do you even know about these people?

I said, oh, I said, they're getting ready to join the association we've just become a

part of.

And this is one of the blessings of being part of an association of churches, that we can

come alongside one another, we can support one another, and bless one another's ministries

through helping the brothers out like this.

So it is a pleasure to be here.

Tanya and I arrived last night, spent the evening with the Gladdings.

I kind of got somewhat familiar with the church through that.

And then this morning found out I had met some of you before at last year's GA, but I met

so many new people there I didn't remember it.

So it is a blessing for us to be here.

I had a unique experience already this morning in the discussion about today's passage.

As I was just listening to everyone discuss it, I found myself being encouraged by the passage.

I'm about ready to preach to people, hoping to encourage them with it.

And I haven't even preached it yet.

So it made me look, it made me all the more eager to bring this message to you today.

So I also have to bring greetings from the people at Trinity Bible Church.

And we are looking forward to a closer association with you through this association of churches

and getting to know all of you.

So if you would open your Bibles to John chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

And we're going to be reading verses 1 through 8 here.

This is a very familiar illustration that Jesus uses, one that's very well known.

Sometimes when we come to a familiar ground like that, familiarity sometimes can impede our

ability to understand it.

So let us come to this looking at it afresh this morning.

John chapter 15 verses 1 through 8.

John 15:1–8

This is Jesus speaking.

I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away.

And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Abide in me and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine,

so neither can you unless you abide in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit.

For apart from me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and they gather

them and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you.

By this is my father glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Let me ask you, if you knew your death was imminent,

what would you want to say to those closest to you?

I mean, typically we don't know when our time is going to come.

But occasionally, in God's providence, we do.

You get that diagnosis of the deadly disease that there's nothing they can do to treat it

and there's weeks to live or months to live.

And if you were in that position, what would you want to say to those closest to you?

You know, would you want to express your love for them?

Would you want to give them words of encouragement?

Would you want to provide them words of guidance?

Would you want to exhort them in any way?

Is there any important things or truths you'd want to remind them of?

And what we have to realize is that in the section in which our passage lies,

that's exactly what is happening.

John 13 through John 17 is Jesus' last discourse with his disciples,

those closest to him.

This very evening he will be betrayed.

Within 24 hours he will be in the grave.

And so these are the things that he wants to speak to them to equip them for their apostolic ministry.

This is the capstone to three years of discipleship.

In this discourse, in these five chapters from John 13 to John 17.

And what we see here is he begins with laying a foundation of humility by washing their feet.

Then he provides them with sustaining grace in the establishment of the Lord's Supper.

And then he shows them the means by which they will accomplish their apostolic is love.

But love in a way that they never understood it before.

You see, under the law, love was, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength,

and your neighbor as yourself.

And they are still to love in that way.

But he's now giving them command of a new love, a new kind of love,

oriented towards the brethren.

That they are to love the brethren like he has loved them.

He then goes on to exhort them to believe in him, that he and the Father are one.

And to exhort them to do the works that he has done.

He gives them the encouragement that he's sending them a helper, the Holy Spirit.

He's giving them encouragement in that he goes to prepare a place for them and will come for them.

And then we come to this passage in John 15.

And right in the absolute center of this discourse is our passage today.

And in this, he's calling them to abide in him as he abides in them and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.

And then he's going to go on and promise them the coming of the Holy Spirit.

He's going to forewarn them that he will die and be resurrected so this isn't some surprise to them.

And then in John 17, he wraps it up by praying for them.

And we also have to see he's praying for us as well.

Because he prays for all those who will believe in him through their word.

And what we see here are these intertwining themes of humility and faith and love and grace and abiding in Christ

and depending upon the Spirit and prayer and bearing fruit to the glory of God.

And all of these are essential to the Christian life.

All of these are essential for us to live a fruitful life to the glory of God.

But because today we're going to be taking a very narrow look at one little piece of this,

it's possible we could miss out on all of these rich themes that are interwoven in this larger discourse.

For instance, we're not going to delve into making the connection between abiding in Christ, love, and our obedience.

And yet it's all here.

So I just wanted to lay that broader foundation of this context because it forms a very rich tapestry for us.

And we're going to be diving into that and looking at one very narrow piece.

And part of the thing that encouraged me this morning in listening to your discussion

was hearing some of you pick up on these broader themes and pull them into the discussion.

So we are going to be looking at this narrow focus of bearing fruit in the Christian life.

And let me start right out by saying our context here is not bearing fruit as the instrumental cause

of our salvation, our sanctification, our perseverance, or our glorification.

The instrumental cause for all of that is the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

I will say that repeatedly before I'm done today.

But what we have to do understand is the fruit we bear in life is the manifested evidence of a soul united to Christ

enjoying the benefits of redemption that Christ has purchased for us.

See, it's only by His empowering grace that we can live a life of faithful fruit bearing

that glorifies God, honors our Lord Jesus Christ, edifies our brethren, is a testimony to the lost,

and constitutes a life of blessing for redeemed sinners.

And so we're going to look at it today under three headings.

Those three headings are in your handout.

We're going to see in verses one through three God's design.

In verses four and five we're going to see our dependence upon Christ.

And in verses six through eight I just labeled it our discipleship to keep with my dealliteration.

It's not really a good title but you'll see when we get there.

So first, this divine design in verses one through three.

Now, let me start by saying this illustration of a vineyard Jesus is using to make His point

absolutely highlights God's creative and redemptive design that His image bearers are to bear fruit

to the glory of His name.

This is from Genesis to Revelation.

In Genesis 1.28, God's creation command was for Adam as mankind's federal head

to be fruitful and multiply and exercise dominion over the earth.

Adam was to bear fruit by extending the Garden of Eden to cover the whole earth

and to fill creation with God's worshipers.

Adam fell into sin.

Adam failed to fulfill God's design for him.

And Adam was cast out of God's presence.

But you see, this was also God's design for Israel as the corporate Adam.

We read that in Psalm 80 this morning.

The people of God who are there described as a vine taken from Egypt

and planted in the promised land.

And yet God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 2 verse 21 says,

Yet I planted you a choice vine, a completely faithful seed.

How then have you turned yourself before me into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?

See, Israel too failed as well.

They failed to bear fruit to the glory of God.

And they were taken away into exile.

And yet in Isaiah 27 verses 2 through 6,

Isaiah 27:2–6

God does proclaim that a day will come when Israel will take root and blossom

and fill the whole earth with fruit.

And we have the fulfillment of that now in John 15 verse 1.

John 15:1

Because now comes Messiah saying,

I am the true vine.

First, he is asserting his deity as the divine son by invoking the divine I am.

And he is proclaiming that as the divine son,

he is this choice vine sent forth by his father,

planted in his humanity.

And the father is the vine dresser who cares for him,

who is nurturing him in his human growth

so that he grew in stature before God and man.

Nurturing him by pouring out his spirit upon his humanity,

equipping him for his redemptive work as our mediator and our redeemer,

and that he would do all the father's will.

And now the time has come.

The time is at hand for him to glorify the father

in his sacrificial atoning death and his glorious resurrection.

You see, Jesus has bore the fruit

that Adam and Israel failed to bear.

Jesus has fulfilled the covenant of works,

bearing the fruit of righteousness

in his own personal, perfect,

and perpetual obedience to the law of God.

And he will now fulfill God's creative and redemptive purposes

in his death and resurrection

that all those who are united to him by faith in the new birth

may bear the fruit of righteousness in him.

And within this fruit-bearing design,

we also see a divine discrimination in verse 2.

He says,

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away.

And every branch that bear fruits, he prunes it,

that it may bear more fruit.

So you see, there's two kinds of branches.

And each of these branches is treated very differently.

And so we have to ask,

Who are these branches that do and don't bear fruit?

It gets a little tricky because Jesus describes both of them

as being in him.

So in what way are they in him?

Who are they?

Now some would say the branch that is in him,

not bearing fruit,

is the so-called carnal Christian.

I don't even know if that term gets used anymore.

That's like a 1990s term, I think.

I don't hear it anymore.

But what it is,

is that person who professes to be a Christian,

will be present in church,

has no fruit in their life,

lives like the world.

And many times this text was used

as an argument to support

that they were indeed truly saved.

And the argument is,

well they're saved because Jesus describes them

as being in him,

but they just don't have any fruit in their life.

However, if we're going to be good theologians,

we have to have a good hermeneutic.

And that means we need to let the scriptures

interpret scripture.

And in verse 5, Jesus says,

he who abides in him bears much fruit.

See, there's a presupposition here

of what Jesus is saying.

If you abide in Jesus,

you will bear fruit.

The idea of someone being in union with Christ,

not bearing fruit,

is absolutely foreign to scripture.

And this branch that does not bear fruit in verse 2

is described in verse 6

as anyone who does not abide in Jesus.

You see, this branch that does not bear fruit

is one who has never been united to Christ

in a new birth,

and they are merely an outward professor of religion

in the visible church.

You see, they appear to be in Christ.

That's what's meant by they are in him,

in Jesus.

They appear to be.

They have an outward profession.

They are in the assembly of God's people,

the visible church,

but they are merely an outward professor.

They appear to be in Christ,

but they are not.

And this branch,

the vine dresser,

takes away.

Now, in context,

this term translated takes away,

it means to be carried away

in judgment.

Now, in contrast to that

is the branch that does bear fruit.

You see, that branch,

the vine dresser prunes it

so that it bears more fruit.

And this fruit-bearing branch of verse 2

is further described for us in verse 7

as those who abide in Christ.

This branch is one united to Christ

through the new birth

and, importantly,

is under the vine dresser's care.

We do have to ask, though,

what is this fruit

that those united to Christ

are to bear?

What is it?

Well, I would propose to you

it's the same fruit

that Jesus brought forth

in his humanity.

It is the fruit of righteousness.

Now, it's a fruit of righteousness

that he possessed

in his perfect humanity,

a righteousness that is native to him,

but it is foreign to us

as redeemed sinners.

It comes from outside us.

It is imputed to us

that those of us

who are united to Christ,

we receive this

through the inner cleansing,

transformation,

and indwelling of the Holy Spirit,

and that then manifests itself

in the bearing of fruit in our life.

Now, you might ask the question,

what is this spiritual fruit, though?

Is it some grand spiritual sacrifice?

Is it going off and being a missionary

in the jungles of Africa somewhere?

Is it being a martyr for the faith?

Is it, you know,

is it being an evangelist

or preaching the gospel?

Well, you know,

it most certainly could be those things.

Could be.

But here's what we have to understand.

Fruit pleasing to God

is anything,

and this opens it up,

anything

that we do

out of faith in Christ,

according to his word,

for the glory of the Father.

And as you consider what that is,

here's what I want you to think about.

The mundane

of every day.

Because everything you do in this life,

from the moment you get out of your bed

in the morning

to the moment you go to bed at night,

is to be done

out of faith in Christ,

according to his word,

for the glory of the Father.

That is fruit

that is pleasing to God

and glorifies the Father.

Think about how that applies.

Kids, doing your schoolwork.

Are you doing it trusting in Christ

for the grace to strive,

to learn,

and study,

and whatnot?

Are you doing it according

to the word of God,

or are you cheating on the tests?

And are you doing it

to see God glorified?

When you go to work

at your job.

I mean,

I was convicted

of this recently.

You know,

struggling with getting up

to go to work,

and then come to realize

the one thing

I wasn't doing

in the morning

was saying,

Lord,

give me the grace

to work today.

Help me to serve

my employer well.

And it's just amazing

how that fundamentally

changes your perspective.

I mean,

it didn't make the job

any different.

It didn't make the challenges

of the job

any different.

Okay?

Moms,

with your children

at home,

you know,

this never-ending

role you have

of raising your children

and nurturing them,

and Tanya and Katie

were talking about

homeschooling last night.

We homeschooled

our children.

And just

what can seem

to be a grind

day in and day out,

year in and year out

over the life

of the child,

sometimes when

they're not cooperating,

and you go,

I don't see the point.

Understand,

persevering in faith

that glorifies the Father.

So,

I want you to think

of fruit,

bearing fruit

in our life

and walk

that glorifies God.

It comes mainly

in the mundane

of everyday life.

And the last thing

we see about this

design of God's

is as we are striving

in the flesh

and against the flesh

to bear fruit

to God

by faith

according to His word

and for His glory

the whole time

the vine dresser

is taking care

of us.

See,

there's a divine care

for the true branches.

We see it here

in verse 3.

He says,

you are already

clean because of

the word which

I have spoken to you.

Now,

this may seem

like an awkward

shift in verse 3

when Jesus says

to His disciples,

you are already

clean.

We've been talking

about grapevines

and branches

and vine dressers

and pruning

and now there's

this shift to

you are already

clean.

And you might be going,

did I miss something

here?

Not really.

Once we understand

the word translated

clean in verse 3

is the same word

translated prune

in verse 2,

the connection

becomes apparent.

See,

when you prune

a vine,

you are cleaning

up the dead

and fruitless

branches that

will enable

the vine

to bear more

fruit.

Now,

my wife is the

farmer in the

family and we

actually have

four grapevines

at our home

along our

one boundary

fence.

And not too

long after we

had them,

she says to me

in the fall,

I'm going to

go out and

I'm going to

prune the

grapes.

I'm going,

well,

what for?

Why would you

cut perfectly

healthy branches

off of that?

And she said,

well,

if you do

that,

they'll produce

more grapes.

And I'm like,

okay,

if you say so,

I'm not the

farmer here.

So she goes

out and does

it.

I come out

an hour or

two later

and I swear

there were

more branches

on the ground

than there were

still on the

vine.

And my

thought was,

well,

they're not

going to make

it through

the winter.

Next year,

we had the

largest harvest

we'd ever had

to that point.

And we have to

understand it is

this way with

believers.

You see,

God,

by his word

and his spirit,

is pruning

or cleaning

us of

remaining sin

and distractions

in our life.

He is

cutting out

those things

that inhibit

our fruitfulness

through the

ministry of the

word.

You see,

it's the word

that comes

and renews

our minds

through which

the spirit

then works

conviction of

sin,

conviction of

purpose,

and conviction

of calling

in our life.

And here's

what we have

to understand.

He doesn't

just do this

individually.

He does do

it individually.

He does do

that as part

of his care

for each

of us

of individual

branches.

But he's

also doing

this in a

corporate sense.

Okay?

And I think

he's speaking

of that

corporate sense

here as well

because this

is a clear

allusion to

Jesus'

teaching in

John 13,

8 through

10 when

he washed

the disciples'

feet.

How did

Peter respond

when Jesus

wanted to

wash his

feet?

He said,

no,

Lord,

will you

wash my

feet?

And what

did Jesus

say to

him?

Unless I

wash your

feet,

you have

no part

in me.

His

response,

well,

head to

toe then.

Give me

the entire

bath.

And again,

Jesus'

response to

him was

that he

had already

been

cleansed

and all

he needed

was to

have his

feet washed

indicating our

need for an

ongoing cleansing

of remaining

sin in the

Christian life.

And he

told his

disciples

corporately

as a group

then,

after washing

all their

feet,

he says to

them,

you are

clean,

but not

all of

you.

He's

referring to

Judas.

Okay,

let's

remember,

Jesus

washed

Judas'

feet in

John 13.

By the

time we

get to

John 15,

Judas

has already

gone out

to betray

Jesus.

God

had removed

Judas from

their midst

and he

has been

taken away

to eternal

judgment.

Now,

I want you

to contrast,

though,

Judas

to Peter.

Within a

matter of

hours,

Peter

would

deny

Jesus

three

times.

Yet,

Peter

was not

taken away

into

judgment.

Peter

was pruned

by God

who brought

him to

repentance

and Jesus

restored him

in John

21 to

fruitful

apostolic

ministry.

You see,

Judas

was taken

away.

Peter

was pruned.

And this

is the

vine dresser

at work

caring for

the vine

and the

branches.

So,

when Jesus

here tells

the disciples,

you are

already

clean,

this is

true of

them

individually,

but it's

now also

true of

them

collectively

because

he's

removed

the dead

branch

from their

midst.

And,

brothers and

sisters,

we have to

see two

things at

work here.

One is

the providence

of God.

Sometimes

there are

those people

in our

midst

that God

just

providentially

removes.

And it's

for the

welfare

and benefit

of the

church.

But we

also have

to see

church

discipline

at play

here.

We have

to see

in those

two things

the vine

dresser

at work

caring for

the vine

and the

branches

the body

of Christ.

This

brings us

now to

our

dependence

in verses

4 and

5.

Abide

in me

and I

in you

as a

branch

cannot

bear

fruit

of itself

unless

it abides

in a

vine,

so

neither

can

you

unless

you

abide

in

me.

I

am

the

vine,

you

are

the

branches,

he

who

abides

in

me

and I

in

him,

he

bears

much

fruit,

for

apart

from

me

you

can

do

nothing.

Well the

first thing

we have

to ask

is what

is meant

by

abiding?

That was

part of

the discussion

this morning

and that

is the

question

that needs

to be

asked.

What

does

that

mean

to

abide?

Well the

word

simply means

to dwell

in

or

remain

in

or

live

in

but

what

does

that

mean

that

I

dwell

in

Jesus

remain

in

Jesus

or

live

in

Jesus

and

what

is

in

view

here

is

a

steadfast

continuing

and

total

dependence

upon

Christ.

One

commentator

described

it this

way and

I

think

it's

a

great

working

definition

of

abiding

he

said

to

abide

in

Jesus

is

an

ongoing

exercise

of

faith

and

love.

To

abide

in

Jesus

is

an

ongoing

exercise

of

faith

and

love

in

the

Christian

life.

You

see

to

abide

in

Jesus

in

an

ongoing

exercise

of

faith

and

love

in

which

we

are

clinging

to

Christ

with

our

whole

heart

as

our

Lord

and

head

and

as

we

do

that

we

derive

life

from

him

and

grace

from

him

and

strength

from

him

and

nourishment

from

him

and

then

he

on

his

promises

to

abide

in

us

as

an

encouragement

for

us

to

persevere

in

this

abiding

to

persevere

in

this

ongoing

exercise

of

faith

and

love

and

when

Christ

is

so

held

in

our

hearts

he

is

that

living

principle

of

grace

to

us

and

he

sustains

us

in

our

fruit

bearing

you

see

it

is

a

dependent

relationship

we

are

totally

and

completely

dependent

upon

Christ

but

this

relationship

was

initiated

by

Christ

we

didn't

even

initiate

it

it

was

initiated

by

Christ

in

the

new

birth

that

unites

us

to

him

in

which

he

gives

us

life

and

we're

maintained

by

the

presence

of

his

spirit

dwelling

in

us

so

his

abiding

in

us

is

a

sure

deal

it's

a

sure

thing

he

says

I'm

going

to

abide

in

you

we

can

take

him

at

!

his

word

he's

going

to

do

it

so

we

are

commanded

then

to

live

in

dependence

upon

him

maintaining

the

vitality

of our

union

through

this

constant

abiding

and

from

that

drawing

grace

to

bear

much

fruit

William

Hendrickson

in his

commentary

said

abide

in me

does

not

constitute

a

condition

which

man

must

fulfill

in

his

own

power

before

Christ

will

do

his

part

far

from

it

it

is

sovereign

grace

from

start

to

finish

but

the

responsibility

of

abiding

in

Christ

is

placed

squarely

upon

man's

shoulders

exactly

where

it

belongs

and

this

is

an

important

distinction

we

have

to

make

sure

we

have

clarity

on

Christ

is

not

saying

hey

you

abide

in

me

and

then

I'm

going

to

watch

for

a

while

and

when

I've

decided

you've

abided

well

enough

then

I'll

come

abide

in

you

that's

not

what

he's

saying

what

he's

saying

is

because

I

abide

in

you

and

because

I

will

never

leave

you

nor

forsake

you

work

from

my

good

pleasure

you

now

be

steadfast

in

abiding

in

me

so

as

we

abide

in

Christ

in

this

ongoing

exercise

of

faith

and

love

there's

two

aspects

of

this

abiding

we

need

to

see

first

in

verse

four

abide

in

me

and

I

in

you

as

the

branch

cannot

bear

fruit

of

itself

unless

it

abides

in

the

vines

so

neither

can

you

unless

you

abide

!

we

need

to

observe

we

cannot

bear

fruit

of

ourselves

apart

from

Christ

as

he

says

at

the

end

of

verse

five

apart

from

Christ

we

can

do

exactly

nothing

we

can't

bear

even

a

tiniest

little

bit

of

fruit

apart

from

Christ

we

are

helpless

apart

from

Christ

the

only

power

to

bear

fruit

comes

from

what

Christ

imparts

to

us

none

of

this

ability

to

bear

fruit

is

contributed

by

us

it

is

all

of

Christ

now

again

as

Hendrickson

pointed

out

we

are

responsible

to

bear

fruit

we

are

commanded

to

bear

fruit

but

we

can

only

do

so

out

of

Christ

empowering

grace

you

know

you

will

hear

this

trite

little

saying

in

Christian

circles

these

days

well

you

know

God

won't

give

you

anything

you

can't

handle

God

won't

make

you

responsible

for

something

you're

not

able

to

do

well

I

got

news

for

you

you're

not

able

to

do

anything

of

all

the

things

God

has

called

you

to

do

all

right

I

mean

that

the

philosophy

imbibed

in that

little

saying

is

secular

humanistic

rationalism

and it's

rotten to

the core

okay

we can't

do

anything

I

can't

I

can't

take

one

little

step

towards

doing

anything

God

has

called

me

to

do

I

don't

have

the

ability

apart

from

Christ

the

ability

to

do

it

comes

from

him

everything

God

calls

me

to

do

I

am

unable

to

do

on

my

own

but

in

Christ

I

am

able

to

bear

much

fruit

Matthew

Henry

says

abstracted

from

the

merit

of

Christ

we

can

do

nothing

towards

our

justification

and

from

the

spirit

of

Christ

nothing

towards

our

sanctification

without

Christ

we

can

do

nothing

aright

nothing

that

will

be

fruit

pleasing

to

God

or

profitable

to

others

and

then

we

come

to

verse

five

and

what

we

see

is

abiding

in

Christ

we

bear

much

fruit

okay

and

I

want

you

to

notice

how

verse

five

puts

it

I

am

the

vine

you

are

the

branches

he

who

abides

in

me

and

I

in

him

he

bears

much

fruit

you

see

there's

this

mutual

reciprocal

abiding

taking

place

here

Jesus

is

the

source

of

life

and

as

the

mediator

he

brings

life

to

us

and

through

the

Holy

Spirit

he

sustains

life

in

the

redeemed

and

we

bear

fruit

only

to

the

degree

of

our

dependence

upon

Christ

and

when

we

abide

in

Christ

he

pours

out

an

abundance

of

grace

upon

us

to

bear

fruit

and

what

I

want

you

to

notice

throughout

this

passage

is

there's

a

progression

in

the

text

in

verse

2

Jesus

says

every

branch

in

me

that

bears

fruit

notice

the

implication

Jesus

is

presupposing

that

if

you

are

truly

in

him

you

will

bear

fruit

he

goes

on

to

say

that

the

vine

dresser

prunes

that

branch

that

it

may

bear

more

fruit

and

then

he

goes

on

verse

5

and

says

he

who

abides

in

me

and

I

in

him

he

bears

much

fruit

so

union

with

Christ

will

produce

fruit

God's

pruning

by his

word

will

produce

more

fruit

I

should

say

by his

word

and his

discipline

and his

providence

will

produce

more

fruit

and

an

ongoing

exercise

of

faith

and

love

abiding

in

Christ

produces

much

fruit

fruit

and

then

that

brings

us

to

our

last

point

of

this

divine

discipleship

in

verses

6

through

8

if

anyone

does

not

abide

in

me

he

is

thrown

away

as

a

branch

and

dries

up

and

they

gather

them

and

cast

them

into

the

fire

and

they

are