John 15:1-5
Notes
Transcript
I am the Vine
I am the Vine
Good evening my friends!
Today we come to the end of the Great I’Am’s saying for Jesus.
It has been a great little study, over the past several weeks.
We have seen Jesus saying I am the Bread of Life, The Light of the World, I am the Gate of the Sheepfold, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Resurrection and the Life. I am the Way, The Truth and the Life and finally today I am the True Vine.
These have been some tremendous statements that we need to pay attention too.
They tell us a lot about who Jesus is and His all important ministry on behalf of the Father.
Now this evening we are looking at the Gospel of John, 15, 1-5 verses....
So my friends, lets look at this....
Just a little background. Remember the scene, Jesus and the 12 are in the Upper Room, in Jerusalem and it is getting close to their time of departure to head out of the city making their way to the Garden where they will pray and ultimately, where Judas will betray Jesus, with Him being arrested.
Lets look at this, verses 1-2 to start with this evening. John 15:1-2
1 “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.
So the I Am saying begins here right off the bat…
Now this saying is a little different that the other ones, in that Jesus speaks about the Father here.
This reminds us that there is a close relationship between Jesus and the Father.
Jesus says I AM the true vine… What is Jesus saying here.
When Jesus uses this language that He is the true vine, He is referring to himself as the True Israel.
The people (Jews) were to be a productive people. But they were unfaithful. Jer 2:21 says
21 Yet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
How then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
They became a wild and bitter vine… one like sour grapes and thus unusable… But for Jesus to refer to himself as the “True Vine” he was the right representation of what the people should have been.
The vine is also a symbol of Wisdom, who is the all wise one, well the Lord is the True Wisdom of his people.
So Jesus is the true vine, his people like grapes should be connected to him. Secondly, Jesus says the Father is the true vinedresser.
So He is the owner of the vineyard and thus is the one who makes all the decisions in regard to the Vineyard.
God is the one who tended the vineyard, if you look back at Isaiah 5, verses 1-7 we see the story well. God is the one who planted a great vineyard but it did not produce..
Verse 2 we see that, the Vine dresser takes away every thing that does not produce. He prunes away the dead or bad leaves so that the plant will yield more..
Now verse 3 John 15:3
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Those being addressed are those with Jesus around the table. These are in contrast to those who in the world.
These are cleansed and pure. I think you could say they are fruitful in their efforts.
The cleansing here, is said to be because of the word I have spoken to you.
Some think Jesus exercising the foot washing of these men back in chapter 13 provides their cleansing… And that is possible..
They believed, and his upcoming death would apply for the once and for all cleansing of their sins through his sacrificial death. But they would need daily wash ups..
Not that they need to be “saved” over and over again, but like the foot washing the dirt of the world gathers upon us so we seek some necessary daily work.
Sins of omission and of commission..
Some have said this cleansing came about through their faith in the Lord Jesus. They believed his word and had faith
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
I think this is a good possibility, They heard his word and believed. They exhibited faith by leaving all and following Jesus when He called them.
One last thing, He is also speaking against a faithless Israel.
Now verse 4, John 15:4
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.
The word Abide is special, it means to remaining, dwelling in or with.
Just as the Father abides or dwells in Jesus ( John 14:10 )....
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
And as the Paraclete or Holy Spirit abides in them, so the disciples are commanded to abide in the Vine.
That command then tells us that every disciple should do this...
A branch is not able to sustain itself if it is separated from the vine. It will whither and die, but connected to the vine, it flourishes, it produces its fruit and it grows.
So the same is true of the Lord’s disciples. We cannot be fruitful apart from our connection to Jesus. The is no life apart from Him. but connected to, with him we have life and life abundantly.
Verse 5 John 15:5
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.
Plainly here, Jesus says I am the Vine. You (the disciples around Jesus and now us) are the branches.
So the one who is the Great I Am (ego eimi) is uniquely different from the branches. Jesus is the one who is both Lord and God as Thomas confessed...
We are part of humanity. we are different than the vine, we are dependent on Him, the vine for life. If the branch stays connected to the vine, it grows, produces and has life.
Break it off and the branch dies. So it is true with humanity, if a person is not connected to the vine they are dead spiritually and will not produce fruit.
People think every day, I don’t need Jesus… And you are allowed to live this life apart from God. But you are responsible for your hereafter. There is no hope for those who die without Jesus and they have no one to blame but themselves.
Now verse 6 John 15:6
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.
Jesus issues a warning here, anything or truly anyone who does not walk in and with Jesus, the true vine. They are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.
A fruitful person stays connected and produces fruit.
And unfruitful person is cast into fire. Which in truth is literally hell.
Who will do these things, who will cast the dead branches into the fire, the master vinedresser, God the father.
Remember Aaron’s 2 sons who offered a strange fire before the Lord. It was an act that God had not established as service and worship toward him. So God punished them
2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
There is judgement for those who are disobedient and refuse the gift of God, namely to be born again, connected to the vine.
Verse 7 John 15:7
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Here is truly a wonderful concept..
Ok, the central theme here is abiding in Jesus. We are called to do this everyday since we are His.
But now the theme of abiding is connected to prayer.
So if we abide in Jesus, ask whatever you wish and it will be done to you.. Wow, I can ask for more money, a new car and a private jet...
No, you know that is not true.
Listen if you are truly abiding in Jesus you are walking in a way that is pleasing to him. If we abide in Him, it is really impossible for us to pray in any other way than that of representing the nature of Jesus.
Now look at verses 8-9 John 15:8-9
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.
If a disciple abides in the Lord Jesus, bears fruit and walks faithfully showing that you are His disciple, a person glorifies the Father.
The Father is glorified directly by your actions.
One theologian Borchert said...
The primary task of the disciple is to glorify Jesus, who glorifies the Father.
This bearing of fruit, therefore, not only indicates that the followers are true disciples of Jesus but also that God is glorified in their discipleship.
And love is the central theme, we are loved in the Lord Jesus..
God not only loves the disciples but loves the world and gave his Son for its people
Bearing fruit therefore means loving others as God loves them and giving witness to the world. Such fruit bearing is possible only by abiding in Jesus, the Vine
Verses 10-11 John 15:10-11
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.
This statement, tells us obeying/keeping his commands results in abiding in Jesus love.
Love defines how you live and what you do in this world for the Lord Jeuss.
If you love Jesus, if you are His you will live and keep his ways…the commands, this action in turn allows us to abide in Him.
Just as Jesus kept the Father’s commandments, because He was in Him, so we will keep his by remaining in Him.
He is the vine and we are the branches....
Here is the last thought… abiding in him result in us having true love and joy made present in our lives.
If you love Him, you will keep his ways..