John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth (to prune or cleanse) it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
As a branch connected to the true Vine (Christ) we will bring forth fruit or our Father will remove us from fellowship with Christ, if we bear fruit he will prune (prune or cleanse) us continually so that we can bring forth even more fruit unto him. If you are removed from the Vine then simply put, you will perish.
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. To bear fruit then you must be continually cleansed and it is the Words of Christ that cleanse you.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches (tender shoots or limbs): He that abideth (to stay) in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
We cannot bring forth fruit on our own. It is Christ that produces the fruit as the nourishment provided by the Vine flows into the branch. Unless we are attached to the Vine we cannot receive the nourishment we need, so we must abide (to stay remain, wait, stand, , endure,) in Christ.
We must remain present in the Lord, connected to the Vine.
How does Christ abide in us? Through the Comforter, which is his Holy Spirit.
John 15:6 If a man abide (stays) not in me, he is cast forth (thrown out) as a branch, and is withered (dries out); and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Again, a branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off and perish in the fire. This is that written in Revelation 20:12-15.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear (bring forth) much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory and joy to my Father.
If we continue in Christ and his Words are present in us then we can (and will) ask our Father for help with fruit-bearing and he will give us the help you for what you ask for. God is glorified by the fruit that we bear and the bearing of much fruit is a sign of discipleship.
This does not tell us that all our prayers and requests will be answered but speaks only of those requests that lead to the production of fruit.
John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue (abide) ye in my love.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Christ loves us the way that God loves him. We are to remain in his love. How can we do that? By keeping the commands of Christ in the same way that he obeys the commands of the Father. If we do these things then we can expect the gladness of heart (the calm happiness, the sense of well-being) that Christ had to be ours also. Think of a cup so full that it's running over.
What commandment does Christ speak of that we are specifically to obey in order to receive this full cup of joy ? That we love (agapao) one another the same way that he loved us.
Christ called us to unselfish love ... agapao (to dearly love in a moral or social sense, to welcome) ... which encompasses but surpasses phileo (to be a friend to, to have affection for, to have an attachment to, to show signs of affection). Agapao implies a deliberate decision to love based on a sense of duty and rightness and principle. Where phileo is a matter of the heart, agapao engages both the heart and the mind. Agapao implies both responsibility and servanthood. It is without end, and is infinite.
You love (phileo) your friends but you will love (agapao) even your enemies and the undeserving.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Christ demonstrated his great love by dying a cruel death on the cross for us. We were not even his friends at the time but rather sinners that did not know or respect God. In Romans 5, Paul even reminds us that not too many would die for the sake of a righteous man and nobody would be likely to give up their life for one that is not good. Yet that is exactly what Christ did. He died for you and I while we were still his enemies so that we might be reconciled to God as sons and become friends of Christ.
John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; (no longer) for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
If we do what Christ has commanded us (to love one another as he loved us) then we become his dear friends. He no longer calls us slaves or servants but friends (philos). A servant is bound to do another's will regardless of what he himself desires or whether or not he understands the purpose behind it. Christ has treated us as friends rather than servants because he has explained to us all the things that his Father has told him of. What we do for Christ, we can now do willingly, as if we were his friends rather than as a slave under coercion does, because we understand the end that he and the Father are trying to achieve.
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen (selected) you, and ordained (established) you, that ye should go (withdraw, retire) and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain (endure): that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. (KJV)
We did not pick Christ, he has separated us out from the ungodly multitude and established us for his purpose so that we can withdraw from the world and bear lasting fruit, asking God to give us what we need for the bearing of it.
To abide in Christ means that the Holy Spirit can abide in you and work in your life. So what are the fruits of the Spirit? From (Ephesians 5:9) Goodness, righteousness and Truth. From (Gal 5:22-23) Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. From 1Cor 13:13 by Faith, hope, charity. (love) (2 Tim 2) by righteousness, faith, charity, peace.
How can we stay connected to the Vine? How can we bear much lasting fruit? How can we have a cup of joy running over? How can we obey the commands of Christ? How can we be disciples, friends and not servants?
Well my friends, stay connected to the Vine by staying in the Word of Christ so that we are cleansed. Ask of the Father for that which we need to bear fruit. And most important to fruit-bearing, keep the commandment of Christ, which is Love One another.