I Am The True Vine

Questions:

Walk through the last 6 “I am” statements

Context:

The passage were about to read is about 24 hours away from the moment Jesus gets arrested. And Jesus knows it. So this is what he says…

John 15:1–11 (ESV)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

So this one starts off right away with his “I am” statement.

What did he say?

“I am the true vine” and my Father is the vinedresser.

like last week, we see a connection between the Son and the Father.

They are one but distinct in their roles

So we each have a role in this picture Jesus is setting. He’s the vine, the Father is the vine dresser (The one cleaning up and taking away) and we are the branches.

Jesus saying “I am the true vine” would have hit home with the Jews. In the OT, a vine was used to describe God’s people (Israel). But every time its used, it’s used negatively.

When Israel was described as ‘the vine” it was a vine that didn’t bear fruit. A vine deserving of the wrath of God. So for the Jews, when they hear “the vine” they’re thinking about the judgment of God. But Jesus is repurposing that imagery. He says now “I’,m the true vine.”

In other words, “I am doing what you can’t do, I am what you’ve never been able to be.”

He’s stepping in and providing salvation for a people that have failed. That have only been faced with judgement for their actions. They haven’t been able to work up to God’s standards. And yet Jesus comes in here and says “I am able.”

And this connects to us today too. Jesus steps into our mess and says “I’m the true vine, not you. You’ve never been able to and you never will be able to amount to what God requires. But I, Jesus, have stepped in to provide a way.”

Jesus is The Vine.

It doesn’t matter what we do or don’t do. We can’t accomplish what Jesus can. We’re not capable of living a perfect life, but Jesus did. We’re going to fall short and mess up, but Jesus didn’t and never will.

So with all of that said, Jesus is calling us to abide in Him. He’s saying, I’m the vine, I’m your lifeline, abide in me.

So what does it look like when we abide in him?

Well Jesus says

John 15:2 (ESV)

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Let’s focus on one part of this verse to start off. He does that every branch that bears fruit will be pruned.

2. A follower of Christ is pruned.

expand on what the process of pruning is…

- trim by cutting away dead overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth.

- To be pruned: to be cultivated, tended, and cut back, in order to grow healthier or to produce more fruit.

Abiding in Jesus isn’t always easy to do. It’s a process. Just think of how we’re disciplined by our parents, coaches, and teachers. It’s hardly ever enjoyable to be disciplined. We don’t like the feeling of being corrected or having to face consequences. But those that discipline us in life don’t do it because they hate us. Even if you think that’s why. They do it because they love You.

God does it for the same reasons. He wants to see us grow and move in the right direction.

This “pruning” process is lifelong. It allows us to continue to bear fruit and bear more and more fruit than before.

John 15:2–5 (ESV)

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

So, a branch that’s connected to the vine is going to produce something right? It’s going to produce fruit.

If we’re connected to Jesus, we’re gonna bear fruit. We’re gonna start to look more and more like him.

3. A follower of Christ will bear fruit.

Jesus states in this passage that the pruning is done so that we can bear fruit. God uses the pruning process to bring you closer to himself and to glorify His name in the process.

Someone who is now with Jesus, identifies with Him, has been given a new heart, will follow His commands.

So what does bearing fruit look like?

Well Galatians 5 talks about the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Here’s something interesting. Notice that it’s fruit. Not fruits. There’s not multiple fruits of the Spirit but one fruit that possesses all of the characteristics listed in Galatians. It might seem like that’s not really important. But I read something by Matt Chandler in preparing for this message that might be worth considering.

“The reason this is singular and not plural is because if you take any one of these out and make it singular, it reveals that it's a counterfeit fruit. It's like a fruit that's stapled to a tree in the hopes that it would grow more fruit rather than it is legitimate fruitfulness. If you lack patience, you're probably not loving. If you just took this and tried to take one out, you would see they all fall apart if they're not growing.

If you lack love, you probably aren't walking in any real joy. If you lack joy, you're probably lacking in kindness. If you lack kindness, you probably aren't walking in a lot of goodness. If you lack goodness, you're probably not faithful. If you lack faithfulness, you're probably not gentle. This is a fruit that grows symmetrically over time.”

It all goes together. You can’t separate each fruit as it’s own category. Now let’s be honest though. We’re not all hitting the mark on all of these characteristics. We’re all still growing. But the expectation and hope is that where we are now isn’t where will be in the future when it comes to our ability to live out the fruit of a Christian. And where we are today should look different, and by different I mean better, than where we were when we first came to Christ. Why? Because He prunes Us. He prunes us so we can grow in all of these areas.

So bearing fruit is found in the fruit of the Spirit, JAmes talks About a believer doing good works. Not because the works elevate us in any way. But it comes from a heart that’s been transformed. A heart connected to the vine.

Good works looks like sharing the Gospel…

Because this is the reality,

Jesus also talks about some branches being thrown in the Fire. He says

John 15:6 (ESV)

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

In verse 2 he says that the vine dresser, the father, will take away the branches that don’t bear fruit.

Those that don’t follow Jesus. Who haven’t surrendered to Him will ultimately be separated from Him. And will face the jjudgement that we all deserve. That is the hard truth in this passage.

As we talked about last week, Jesus is the ONLY way, truth, and life. And if you don’t believe that, then you’ll have judgement waiting for you at the end of your life.

This is what Scripture says. This isn’t a tactic to scare you into believing. Or to make you feel lesser than. But the hope is that you’ll open your eyes to this reality. There is no Other way that’s right. And we’re all sinful, we’re all deserving of punishment.

But Jesus steps in as the light bringing us out of the darkness of your sin. He steps in as the bread, providing a solution that will never allow us to go hungry again. He is the good shepherd leading us the His door that leads to eternal life. He is the resurrection And thE life. He not only resurrected but offers a spiritual resurrection to us bringing us from death to life. He is the only way, truth, and life. He is the true vine.

Are you connected to the vine?

Are you connected to Jesus?

Highs/ Lows

Jesus Moment.

What are the 7 “I Am” statements. Explain each one.

Jesus talks about a vinedresser, vine, and branches. What does each one represent?

What does Jesus mean when he says that his “branches” (believers) will be pruned? What does pruning mean? What does that look like in our life?

What does it mean to bear fruit as a believer?

Is it “fruit” or “fruits” of the Spirit? Why is that important?

Even though we bear fruit, we still struggle following Christ at times. What is an area you can grow?

What else can we apply from tonight’s message?

10. Take time to pray for those that aren’t connected to Jesus.