Share Your Win!

The Relationship of Jesus to the People of the World, 15:1–8(15:1–8)

Introduction—Jesus Christ, Facing Death:

Jesus was facing the most terrible scene in all human history. The Son of God was about to be murdered at the hands of men. All that He had to face was weighing ever so heavily upon His mind, in particular the reaction of everyone to Him and their fate. He had come to save them all, and few were responding in a genuine way. He was even facing the collapse of His own inner circle.

Most tragically, they were falling away.

One disciple was in the very process of betraying Him (Judas).

The leader of the disciples was to deny Him three times, even by cursing (Peter).

The other disciples were to flee and desert Him. And then, there was the world of men who were rejecting Him: the religionists who strongly professed to know and live for God, and the non-religionists who had no attachment to God and professed none.

He had come to save them all and not one was standing with Him in His most needful hour. As the thought of it all raced through His mind, He recalled the vine of God so often described in the Old Testament (Ps. 80:8–16; Is. 5:1–7; Je. 2:21; Eze. 15:1–8; 19:10; Ho. 10:1).

In it He saw a graphic lesson that the disciples needed to learn, the great lesson of “The Vine and the Branches” the relationship of Jesus to the people of the world.

Jesus, the Vine; God, the Gardener; man, the branch (v.1).

Unfruitful branches: are taken away (v.2).

Fruitful branches: are pruned (vv.2–4).

Unattached branches (vv.4–6).

Attached branches: the results and promises (vv.7–8).

POINTS:

The promises and results of abiding in Christ are threefold.

a. The attached branch receives nourishment, that is, answered prayers.

1) The branch is attached to the vine. It abides in the vine: dwells and lives and never faces a moment when it is not attached to the vine. So it is with the believer. The believer is attached to Christ: he abides, dwells, lives, and walks in the very presence of Christ, never facing a moment when he is not attached and walking in Christ. A genuine believer walks in constant fellowship and prayer with the Lord. He is always abiding and sharing with the Lord.

2) Similarly, the vine is always nourishing the branch, always sending its life-giving food and drink to the branch. So it is with Christ. Christ is always sharing His life-giving nourishment with the believer, always answering prayer and meeting the needs of the genuine believer.

“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn. 16:24).

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Mt. 21:22).

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 Jn. 5:14–15).

b. The attached branch glorifies God by bearing much fruit. Remember what the fruit is. It is …

• righteousness

“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Ro. 6:22).

“Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Ph. 1:11).

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

• godly character

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Ga. 5:22–23).

• converts

“Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles” (Ro. 1:13).

When men see fruit in the life of a believer, they are forced …

• to turn their mind to God

• to acknowledge that only God’s power could do such

• to desire God to save them

• to begin asking God for help

• to accept God or to close their mind and reject God

God is glorified by the fruit born in the life of a believer, glorified by some men beginning to think about God and calling upon Him.

c. The attached branch proves he is a disciple by bearing fruit. There are ways to tell if a person really is attached to Christ:

⇒ Does he bear fruit?

⇒ Does he live righteously or do shameful things (Ro. 6:21–23)?

⇒ Does he bear “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Ga. 5:22–23)?

⇒ Does he lead the lost to Christ (Ro. 1:13)?

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (Jn. 13:34–35).