In the Vine

Review

Israel was the original vine of God’s Choice

It was in a great location.

It was of the best stock.

It had the best soil, wall and watch tower.

Yet it produced wild grapes. It was rejected by God, for this time.

Jesus is now the true Vine.

Is being in the Vine the same as being Saved?

It sounds like it is.

John 15:5 “5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Reasons why it is not.

Israel as the vine in the vineyard of the Lord was lost.

Isaiah 5:7 “7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.”

Matthew 8:10–12 “10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.””

All the plant parables are from here on this earth and include both saved and lost.

Matthew 13:11 “11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

This was given to us to use to understand salvation and life in the church age.

The HEART of the Matter is the HEART

Matthew 13:18–19 “18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.”

Here is the key, watch the heart, not the outer signs....

Matthew 13:20–21 “20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.”

Matthew 13:22 “22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”

Both of these describe the heart of the man. Both hearts are lost.

Hard as Rock Ezekiel 36:25–26 “25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

Divided Heart --

Matthew 6:24 “24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

1 John 2:15–17 “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Luke 9:62 “62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.””

So we learn from Matthew 13 that there are those who 1) hear the word; 2) appear to grow with the church 3) assemble with the church, but ultimately are lost. Some leave after a time, some continue but with no fruit showing the emptiness of the inner man. All of Matthew 13 is shown as in the world and shows the differences between those that are His and those who appear to be His for a time. (So it would be similar to John 15)

Matthew 7:21 “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

Matthew 7:15–19 “15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Again, Christ is teaching about false teachers, unbelievers in the church. They are lacking Fruit! Fruit is the true sign that can’t be faked.

Matthew 7:23 “23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”

Here is clear teaching from Christ on the unbelievers in the church.... Look for fruit. Those who don’t produce the fruit of righteousness have never known God.

If God comes in and gives a new heart that desires righteousness.... There will be a continuing form of righteousness.

Romans 8:29 “29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

1 John 1:5–7 “5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (Same author as the gospel… Gives this added weight.)

1 John 3:7–9 “7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Ephesians 2:10 “10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

For… This is the reason; His workmanship.... A new creation made by God.... Created.... for good works…

Which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Sovereignty of God.

The Fig tree

Luke 13:1–9 “1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not aft that you can cut it down.”

Luke 6:43–45 “43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Doesn’t Paul use it this way?

Yes in Eph 1, but notice that he is speak of all our spiritual blessing that we receive in Christ. Here the term “in Christ” is describing the source of those blessing. He never wants us to lose sight that all of our blessing come those Jesus alone.

Yet he also uses illustrations of tree and fruit.

Romans 11:16–24 “16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?”

Notice that the olive tree is cultivated? It is the in the Lord’s field.

Those who were cut off, were cut off because of their unbelief.

The lack of fruitfulness is because they are unbelievers, not a lack of effort.

John 15:5 “5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Luke 6:43 “43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.”

James is clear about this same issue as well. James 2:18-26...

James 2:18–20 “18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”

James 2:26 “26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”