STEPS TO THE CROSS

Text: John 15:1-5

John 15:1–5 KJV 1900

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 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. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Title: Jesus Is Our Strength

Introduction: The Christian life is Christ leading and living through us.

Context: John 15 is part of the final instructions and exhortations Jesus gave to His apostles before His arrest and death.

Jesus comforts them by revealing in chapter 14 the new ministry of the Holy Spirit as the eternal Comforter. At the end of chapter 14, Jesus says, “Arise let us go hence.” He and His disciples now leave for the garden of Gethsemane. While they travel from the upper room to the garden, Jesus speaks about abiding in Him.

Slide—Show Map

Some believe Jesus told this parable of the vine and branches because a vineyard was among the olive groves as they passed through the Kidron Valley. Jesus used the relationship of a vine and branch in agriculture to speak about the importance of “abiding” in Him.

This morning let us see how Jesus is our strength!

1. A PROVISION FROM THE SOURCE

Christians Are Kept By Christ’s Strength (The Source of Our Strength)

The Vine Is the Source (vs. 1)

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Jesus Is the True Vine

Note—The adjective “true” is used to distinguish this particular vine, just as “true” is used when referring to Jesus as the “true light”—John 1:9; the “true bread”—John 6:32; and here the “true vine.”

Slide—Picture of grapevine and branches

Jesus Is the Only Source for the Branch

Note—There is no abiding or living without receiving life from the True Vine.

The Branch Is the Servant

Note—The branches would be the disciples here in this context. Talking to the saved.

Note—Their identification is no longer with the nation of Israel or the religion of the Jews, but their identity is related now to Jesus Christ.

But we will, for all believers are being "kept by the power of God." The word translated "kept" is a military word that means "guarded, shielded." The verb's tense reveals that God is constantly guarding us, assuring us that we shall safely arrive in heaven.

The Source of Our Strength

1. A PROVISION FROM THE SOURCE

2. A PREPARATION FROM HIS STRENGTH

Christians Are Prepared By Christ’s Strength (The Sustaining of Our Strength)

1 Peter 1:6–7

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

We must remember that all God plans and performs here is preparation for what He has in store for us in heaven. He is preparing us for the life and service yet to come. Nobody knows all that is in store for us in heaven yet, but this we do know: life today is a school in which God trains us for our future ministry in eternity. This explains the presence of trials in our lives: they are some of God's tools and textbooks in the school of Christian experience.

Purging (vs. 2)

Branches Not Bearing Fruit

Note—“taketh away” These branches, if you notice, are “in me”—Christ.

The Audience is eleven. Judas is gone, so Jesus is speaking to all believers.

This is not the idea of losing salvation nor the branches representing those who only profess salvation but are not truly saved.

These are believers who are saved but, for some reason, have stopped bearing fruit.

Note—The verb “beareth” is present tense, meaning ongoing until they stopped bearing fruit. The implication is that these branches once bore fruit but now are not.

Luke 8:18

18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

1. Branches Not Bearing Fruit

Branches Bearing Fruit

Note—“purgeth”—kathairō—cleanses of filth, impurity, etc., to prune trees and vines from useless shoots.

First, it is the pruning of the branches.

Note—The branches that bear fruit will be trimmed, too. This is not punishment or chastening but helps them grow even more and produce more fruit in the future.

Note—In first-century Palestine, preventing a vine from bearing fruit for three years after planting was common.

Quote—“The branches of the autumn will well repay each stroke of that keen edge with fuller, richer fruit. So we gain by loss; we live as we die; the inward man is renewed as the outward decays.”—

F. B. Meyer

A. Purging

Cleansing (vs. 3)

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

Note—This speaks now of a process the first-century farmer did in the vineyard—cleansing the branches.

Note—“clean”—katharos—clean, pure; physically; purified by fire

in a similitude

Note—Cleaning out the impurities makes for strong and healthy branches that can bear good fruit. This will come from the Word of God.

James 1:21

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

John 17:17

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

A. TRIALS MEET NEEDS.

The phrase "if need be" indicates that there are special times when God knows we must endure trials. Sometimes trials discipline us when we have disobeyed God's will (Psalm 119:67). At other times, trials prepare us for spiritual growth or even help prevent us from sinning (2 Cor. 12:1-9). We do not always know the need being met, but we can trust God to know and to do what is best.

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B. TRIALS ARE VARIED.

Peter used the word "mani-fold," which means "variegated, many-colored.” In 4:10, he used the same word to describe God's grace. No matter what "color" our day may be —a "blue" Monday or a "gray" Tuesday—God has grace sufficient to meet the need. We must not think that because we have overcome one kind of trial we will automatically "win them all." Trials are varied, and God matches them to our strengths and needs.

C. TRIALS ARE NOT EASY.

Peter did not suggest that we take a careless attitude toward trials, because this would be deceitful. Trials produce what he called

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“Heaviness." The word means "to experience grief or pain." It describes our Lord in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37) and the sorrow of saints at the death of loved ones (1 Thessalonians 4:13). To deny that our trials are painful is to make them even worse. Christians must accept that life has difficult experiences and not put on a brave front to appear "more spiritual."

D. TRIALS ARE CONTROLLED BY GOD.

They do not last forever; they are "for a season." When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. If we rebel, He may have to reset the clock, but if we submit, He will not permit us to suffer one minute too long. The important thing is that we learn the lesson He wants to teach us and bring glory to Him alone.

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Peter illustrated this truth by referring to the gold-smith. No goldsmith would deliberately waste the precious ore. He would put it into the smelting furnace long enough to remove the cheap impurities, then pour it out and make a beautiful article of value. It has been said that the eastern goldsmith kept the metal in the furnace until he could see his face reflected in it. So our Lord keeps us in the furnace of suffering until we reflect the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ.

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The critical point is that this glory is not fully revealed until Jesus returns for His church. Our trying experiences today are preparing us for glory tomorrow. When we see Jesus Christ, we will bring

The Source of Our Strength The Sustaining of Our Strength

1. THE PROVISION FROM THE SOURCE

2. THE PREPARATION FROM HIS STRENGTH

3. THE PERMANENCE IN HIS STABILITY

Christians Can Enjoy Christ’s Strength Now (The Stability of Our Strength) (vs. 4)

Note—Our strength is up and down, but Jesus is always the same…

Abiding Brings Stability (vs. 4)

Illustration—(Slide) In 1934, Mordecai Ham preached in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a great awakening occurred. A farmer was deeply concerned about the meetings, so he invited a group of his Christian friends to spend a day praying at his farm. As they prayed, they felt compelled to ask God to raise a man from their city to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. The great awakening had begun, although they didn't see an immediate answer to their prayer. The farmer's teenage son was converted during the crusade, and that boy has indeed carried the gospel to the ends of the earth. (Slide) His name was Billy Graham! Good thing that the farmer took time to pray for revival!

Note—“abide”—menō —means to remain, to tarry and not depart, to continue or wait. Eleven times in this chapter, abide, remain, and continue are used to speak of remaining in the vine.

Quote—“What does it mean to “abide”? It means to keep in fellowship with Christ so that His life can work in and through us to produce fruit.” —Warren Wiersbe

Note – How should we abide in Christ and He in us?

(Boxed in the notes and graphic on the screen.)

We are Secure in His Salvation - Slide

Note—When Jesus tells us to abide, He does not tell us we must save ourselves. We are permanently saved in Jesus Christ; nothing could ever change that.

Ephesians 1:13-14

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

We Must Remain in His Love - Slide

Note—Our abiding in Christ does not deal with our relationship, whether we are a part of God’s family or not. Rather, it deals with our fellowship—if we walk closely with the Lord daily.

Note—vs. 9 tells us to continue in His love.

John 15:9

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

Quote—“This abiding relationship is natural to the branch and the vine, but it must be cultivated in the Christian life. It is not automatic. Abiding in Christ demands worship, a meditation on God’s Word, prayer, sacrifice, and service— but what a joyful experience! Once you have begun to cultivate this deeper communion with Christ, you have no desire to return to the shallow life of the careless Christian.” —Warren Wiersbe

1. We are Secure in His Salvation

2. We Must Remain in His Love

We Must Remain Under His Leading - Slide

Note—Christ abides in us through the Spirit of Christ—the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:9

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Note – The Holy Spirit will never leave us, but we must also choose to let Him control us every day

Quote—“Obey every impulse of the Holy Spirit.”

Abiding Brings Stability

B. Abiding Brings Fruit (vs. 5)

Note—Our strength is up and down, but Jesus is always the same.

Quote—“Our union with Christ is a living union, so we may bear fruit.”

Note—This is not our fruit. It is fruit born through the vine or by Christ’s Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Psalm 1:3

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Note—Not every Christian will bear fruit in the same way or at the same rate, but every Christian should be bearing some fruit.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Note—The sanctifying change that the Holy Spirit works in us is called the fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The Fruit of Souls

Note—God’s plan for our lives is that we would multiply fruit.

John 15:8

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Note—Spiritual fruit is an eternal fruit.

Ill – A neighbor came by a nearby farm and asked the farmer, "How is the corn crop this year?"

Well, he said, "I didn’t plant no corn. I was afraid of the drought."

“Well, how’s your cotton crop this year?"

The farmer replied, "I never planted any cotton this year. I was afraid of the boll weevil."

He tried again, "How is your wheat crop this year?"

"Well, I didn’t plant wheat—I feared the blight."

The neighbor asked again, "How’s your potato crop this year?"

He says, "I didn’t plant any taters because I was afraid of the tater bug." Then the farmer adds, "Friend, to tell you the truth, I didn’t plant anything this year because I was playing it safe.”

Note: Sometimes we doubt that we will see fruit in our lives, so we do nothing for the Lord—that’s not the correct response!

Conclusion—Ultimately, we never produce fruit or stay strong without Christ.

In vs. 5 Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing.”

Philippians 4:13

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

1. THE PROVISION FROM THE SOURCE

2. THE PREPARATION FROM HIS STRENGTH

3. THE PERMANENCE IN HIS STABILITY