Two Are Better Than One

(From JOHN #34 - 15:1-16)

C. 15:1-16:33 RESULTS FROM THE SPIRIT’S COMING

3. 15:1-16 FRUIT: PURPOSE OF THE SPIRIT

a. 15:1 RELATION OF JESUS THE VINE TO THE FATHER

E-GOei-mi heAMpe-los [288] hea-le-thiNE,

I am the true :vine,

kai ho paTER mou ho ge-orGOS [1092] es-tin.

and my :Father is the husbandman.

b. 15:2 THE TWO-FOLD PURPOSE OF PRUNING

pan KLEma en eMOI mePHEron [5342] karPON [2590], AIrei [142] auTO:

Every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes it away:

kai pan to karPON PHEron,

and every onethat bears :fruit,

kaTHAIrei [2538] auTO, HIna karPON PLEIo-na PHEre.

he prunes it, that it bear more fruit.

c. 15:3 Already YOU are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.

EdehuMEIS ka-thaROI es-te diA ton LOgon [3056] hon leLAle-ka huMIN.

d. 15:4a Abide in me, and I in you.

MEIna-te [3306] en eMOI, ka’ ’GOen huMIN.

e. 15:4b FRUITFULNESS: PURPOSE OF ABIDING

kaTHOS to KLEma ou DUna-tai [1410] karPON PHErein aph’ he-auTOU,

Even as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

eAN meMEneen teamPElo;

unless it abide in the vine;

HOUtos ouDE huMEIS, eAN meen eMOI MEne-te.

thus neither you, unless you abide in me.

f. 15:5 IMPOTENCY: RESULT OF NON-ABIDING

eGO ei-mi heAMpe-los, huMEIS ta KLEma-ta:

I am the vine, you arethe branches:

ho MEnon en eMOI, ka’ ’GOen auTO,

Who abides in me, and I in him,

HOUtos PHErei karPON poLUN:

the same bears much fruit:

HOti choRIS [5565] eMOU ou DUnas-the poiEIN [4160] ouDEN.

for apart from me you can do nothing.

g. 15:6 THE PENALTY FOR NOT ABIDING

eAN metis MEneen eMOI, e-BLEtheExohos to KLEma, kai e-xeRANthe[3583];

Unless one abide in me, he is cast forth as the branch, and is withered;

kai suNAgou-sin auTA, kai eis to pur [4442] BALlou-sin, kai KAIe-tai [2545].

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

h. 15:7 THE LIVING WORD: A CONDITION FOR ANSWERED PRAYER

E-AN MEIne-te en eMOI, kai ta 'REmaTA [4487] mou en huMIN MEIne,

If you abide in me, and my :words abide in you,

ho eAN THEle-te aiTEsas-the [154], kai geNEse-tai [1096] huMIN.

ask whatever you will, and it shall be done to you.

i. 15:8 FRUITFULNESS IN GOOD WORKS: GLORIFIES THE FATHER

en TOUtoe-doXASthe[1392] ho paTER mou,

Herein was my :Father glorified,

HIna karPON poLUN PHEre-te, kai geNESthe eMOI ma-theTAI [3101].

that you bear much fruit, and become my disciples.

j. 15:9 THE DESCENDING PATTERN OF LOVE

kaTHOS eGApeSEN me ho paTER, ka’ ’GOhuMAS eGApe-sa:

Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you:

MEIna-te en teaGApeteeME.

abide you in :my :love.

k. 15:10 THE SECRET OF ABIDING IN LOVE

eAN tas en-toLAS [1785] mou teREse-te [5083], meNEIte en teaGApemou;

If you keep my :commandments, you shall abide in my :love;

kaTHOS eGO tou paTROS tas en-toLAS teTEre-ka,

even as I have kept the commandments of my :Father,

kai MEnoauTOU en teaGApe.

and abide in his :love.

l. 15:11 CHRISTIANITY PROMOTES JOY AND STRENGTH

TAUta leLAle-ka huMIN, HIna hechaRA [5479] heeME en huMIN E,

These thingshave I spoken to you, that :my :joy be in you,

kai hechaRA huMON ple-roTHE [4137].

and your :joy be made full.

HAUtees-TIN heen-toLEheeME,

This is my :commandment,

HIna a-gaPAte alLElous, kaTHOS eGApe-sa huMAS.

that you love one another, even as I have loved you.

n. 15:13 THE MEASURE OF LOVE

MEIzo-na TAUtes aGApen ouDEIS Echei,

Greater love has no one than this,

HIna tis ten psuCHEN [5590] auTOU thehuPER ton PHIlon [5384] auTOU.

that a manlay down his :life for his :friends.

huMEIS PHIloi mou esTE, eAN poiEte ho eGO enTELlo-mai [1781] huMIN.

ouKEti LEgohuMAS DOUlous [1401];

I call you no longer bondmen;

HOti ho DOUlos ouk OIden ti poiEI auTOU ho KUri-os:

for the bondman knows not what his :lord does:

huMAS de EIre-ka PHIlous; HOti PANta

but you I have called friends; because all things

a Ekou-sa paRA tou paTROS mou egNOri-sa [1607] huMIN.

that I heard from my :Father I have made known to you.

ouch huMEIS me e-xeLExas-the [1585], all’ eGO e-xe-leXAmen huMAS,

You did not choose me, but I chose you,

kai Ethe-ka[5087] huMAS, HIna huMEIS huPAge-te kai karPON PHEre-te,

and appointed you, that you go and bear fruit,

kai ho karPOS huMON MEne[3306]:

and thatyour :fruit abide:

HIna HOti an aiTEse-te [154] ton paTEra en tooNOmaTI [3686] mou, dohuMIN.

that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my :name, he give you.

NOTE: 12 Embryonic Revival Principles came together in 1948 as Restoration Truths – 7 of them through George R. Hawtin. God started to form them in his life in a specific manner in 1935 in Star City, Saskatchewan. One of them is in our text – John 15:5b – “For apart from Me you can do nothing!”

In 1945 God sovereignly led me following my Navy discharge to Bethel Bible Institute of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, founded by George R. Hawtin. Often Brother Hawtin led the Chapel worship in the morning. One of his favorite choruses was –

Without You – we can do nothing;

Without You – we’d surely fail;

Without You – we’d only be drifting –

Like a boat without a sail.

This was the heart of Brother Hawtin, and like King David of old, he desired to walk in an abiding relationship with Jesus. Did David walk perfectly in this relationship? No – and neither did George Hawtin or any other human being.

J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission and close friend of George Muller – was another who treasured the truth of this verse. But it didn’t happen until 20 years after he started walking with the Lord. Then one day he was ascending the Yangtze River on a Chinese Junk. And as he sat on the deck watching the passing mountains – without warning the Lord dropped into his heart the absolute truth of John 15:1-16. Mrs. Howard Taylor wrote “Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret” on the basis of this revelation. Scarce a letter he wrote following this revelation, but he did not challenge his readers to receive and walk in the truth of us as branches – effortlessly bearing fruit by abiding in the Vine! Following this revelation, he saw the Lord through him accomplish 2-3 times the fruitfulness of the past through him, with but one half the effort on his part.

And finally, John 15:16 is probably the key verse to this passage. Dr. E. Stanley Jones released God to move through him each time he preached – on the basis of the truth of this verse. It is

not us– but Jesuswho initiates His plan through us – and uses us. And our abiding fruitfulness is because of Him, not us. Oswald Chambers effectively and powerfully sets forth this truth in his writings.

For me then – this passage shines forth as a powerful example of how Jesus releases the Holy Spirit through us to accomplish His Father’s purposes and to let His Glory shine forth. J.A.W.