I Am The Vine

Who knows something about growing plants? How can the plant live? (Root, Sun, Water)

When you see a dead plant, what is your first thought? Enough water? Enough roots? Enough sun?

When you see a shriveled up plant cut off, what happens? (It dies)

John 15:1–11 NRSV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just 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. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 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. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

Beginning in and continuing until Jesus gives a series of farewell addresses immediately before his crucifixion.

He knows he will soon be lifeless on a tree - the Crucified King.

In middle of all this, He graciously reminds us that to be His means to bear fruit and we bear fruit by abiding in Him.

- Jesus was describing Himself as the true vine and His father as the vinedresser.

Direct reference to Old Testament

He was the Messiah and the fulfillment of the covenant because of the Old Testament’s reference to the vineyard (; )

Isaiah 27:2–6 NIrV

At that time the Lord will sing about his fruitful vineyard. He will say, “I am the Lord. I watch over my vineyard. I water it all the time. I guard it day and night. I do it so no one can harm it. I am not angry with my vineyard. I wish thorns and bushes would come up in it. Then I would march out against them in battle. I would set all of them on fire. So the enemies of my people had better come to me for safety. They should make peace with me. I will say it again. They should make peace with me.” In days to come, Jacob’s people will put down roots like a vine. Israel will bud and bloom. They will fill the whole world with fruit.

Isaiah 5:1–7 NIrV

I will sing a song for the Lord. He is the one I love. It’s a song about his vineyard Israel. The one I love had a vineyard. It was on a hillside that had rich soil. He dug up the soil and removed its stones. He planted the very best vines in it. He built a lookout tower there. He also cut out a winepress for it. Then he kept looking for a crop of good grapes. But the vineyard produced only bad fruit. So the Lord said, “People of Jerusalem and Judah, you be the judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard? I did everything I could. I kept looking for a crop of good grapes. So why did it produce only bad ones? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard. I will take away its fence. And it will be destroyed. I will break down its wall. And people will walk all over it. I will turn my vineyard into a dry and empty desert. It will not be pruned or taken care of. Thorns and bushes will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” The vineyard of the Lord who rules over all is the nation of Israel. The people of Judah are the garden he takes delight in. He kept looking for them to do what is fair. But all he saw was blood being spilled. He kept looking for them to do what is right. But all he heard were cries of suffering.

Isaiah 5:1–7 NIrV

I will sing a song for the Lord. He is the one I love. It’s a song about his vineyard Israel. The one I love had a vineyard. It was on a hillside that had rich soil. He dug up the soil and removed its stones. He planted the very best vines in it. He built a lookout tower there. He also cut out a winepress for it. Then he kept looking for a crop of good grapes. But the vineyard produced only bad fruit. So the Lord said, “People of Jerusalem and Judah, you be the judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard? I did everything I could. I kept looking for a crop of good grapes. So why did it produce only bad ones? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard. I will take away its fence. And it will be destroyed. I will break down its wall. And people will walk all over it. I will turn my vineyard into a dry and empty desert. It will not be pruned or taken care of. Thorns and bushes will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” The vineyard of the Lord who rules over all is the nation of Israel. The people of Judah are the garden he takes delight in. He kept looking for them to do what is fair. But all he saw was blood being spilled. He kept looking for them to do what is right. But all he heard were cries of suffering.

Isaiah 27:2–6 NIrV

At that time the Lord will sing about his fruitful vineyard. He will say, “I am the Lord. I watch over my vineyard. I water it all the time. I guard it day and night. I do it so no one can harm it. I am not angry with my vineyard. I wish thorns and bushes would come up in it. Then I would march out against them in battle. I would set all of them on fire. So the enemies of my people had better come to me for safety. They should make peace with me. I will say it again. They should make peace with me.” In days to come, Jacob’s people will put down roots like a vine. Israel will bud and bloom. They will fill the whole world with fruit.

Jesus explains that the branches that do not bear fruit are taken away, but the branches that bear fruit are pruned to bear more fruit. To bear fruit simply means to grow in character — to become more like Christ and reflect the fruit of the Spirit ().

- His command to abide: “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” ().

Not Abiding

Dictionary definition of abiding: “to accept or act in accordance with a rule, decision, or recommendation.”

Synonyms: “to obey, observe, follow, uphold, heed, and accept”

Before Jesus gets down to the definition of abiding, he gives us a picture of what it looks like to NOT abide in Him

John 15:6 NIrV

If anyone does not remain joined to me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and dries up. Branches like those are picked up. They are thrown into the fire and burned.

Who among us is a plant killer? Who tries to purchase plants and try to care for them but fails miserably? Who forgets to water them and give them the needed nourishment? If we don’t nourish the plant, it will wither and the branches will fall off.

What Jesus is trying to explain to us in . He explains that by not abiding in him we are like my pitiful plants — we will soon fall off the vine — our roots where we receive nourishment were never truly planted. The fruit of the vine is proof of our faith. Not perfection — but fruit, even if a small bud.

Abiding

Picture of what it means to abide in Jesus:

John 15:10 NIrV

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. In the same way, I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

To abide in Jesus means to keep his commandments and to keep his commandments means to love God with all our hearts and souls and minds and to love our neighbor as ourselves ().

- One way that we display our love for God is through our trust, prayer, and devotion to him.

- We abide through relationship.

- We pursue in love.

- We pray in love.

- We obey in love.

And here is the good news: We love Jesus because he first loved us (). We didn’t choose him; he chose us and he chose us to walk out our faith in obedience to him (). Apart from Christ, we cannot do anything ().

- This is also good news to the weary person who thinks he must muster up strength to pursue and know Christ (and to love his neighbor — a fruit Jesus emphasizes). He provides the grace and the strength.

The fruit that Jesus speaks of is simply evidence of a relationship with him. It is a relationship that he initiates through and by his sovereign love. In this chapter, Jesus reminds us that there is no greater love than someone laying down his life for his friends. He then says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” ().

Jesus tells us that we are his friends (let that soak in for a minute) if we obey his command to love, and that command is fulfilled through abiding.

- As we abide in him we will bear the fruit of righteousness. This does not add to our salvation by grace alone through faith alone, yet it confirms our transformed heart.

- And the offer to be Jesus’s friend — the author and perfecter of our faith, the Alpha and Omega, the Beautiful One, the one who bore our sins and transgression — the offer to be his friend is irresistible for the Christian.

Abide in him, and he will abide in you. He who began a good work in you will complete it (). He who called you is faithful; he will surely do it ().