I AM The True Vine
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John 6 - I Am the Bread of Life - Believe in Me and you will be satisfied for eternity.
John 7-9 - I Am The Light of the World - Follow My light and I will lead you out of the darkness.
John 10 - I Am the Good Shepherd - Come under my care and I will protect, provide, and die for you.
I Am The Gate - You can only be a part of my flock by coming through Me.
John 11 - I Am The Resurrection and The Life - The Proof of Who I Am will come when I prove I have power over death and life.
The last 2 “I AM” statements are specific to the disciples as Jesus speaks these to them in private during the Upper Room Discourse
John 14 - I Am The Way And The Truth, And The Life
John 15 - I Am The True Vine
As spoken to the disciples, this is not about justification, but rather the sanctification process:
2 sets of progression
Bearing Fruit
Abiding in Jesus
Read John 15:1-17
I AM The True Vine (vs 1-2)
I AM The True Vine (vs 1-2)
I AM the true vine / My Father is the Vinedresser
Israel as God’s choice vineyard was a common metaphor used in the OT. Isaiah 5:1-7
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
It’s interesting that Jesus starts with the issue of bearing fruit.
This is the goal of the Christian life.
Sanctification.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son...
and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Bearing Fruit As Bearing The Image Of God To The World
Creation
Emphasis on being created in the Image of God.
Then God commanding us to take dominion over His creation.
God commanding us to be fruitful and multiply.
To be the Image Bearers of the King.
To promote Him - to make Him famous
To bring Him glory
To do the work He calls us to do
So Bearing Fruit: A Metaphor For Making Him Known Through What We Do.
Why do I love? Because Jesus loved me.
Why do I forgive? Because Jesus forgave me.
Why do I do what is right? Because Jesus’s righteous covers me.
Why do I have compassion on others? Because Jesus had compassion on me.
As we are sanctified we are better able to do all for the glory of God.
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Hence verse 8
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
Bearing Fruit For The King (vs 2-5)
Bearing Fruit For The King (vs 2-5)
Progression
Not Bearing Fruit
Bearing Fruit
Bearing More Fruit
Bearing Much Fruit
Play on words in play
airo – takes away/lifts up; - verb prai
kathairo; - prune - verb prai
katharos - clean - adjective preceded by already and followed by the verb - have spoken - pfai
Something that began in the past and is carried on into the present with a sense of completion, but with no end implied.
So, it is something that is to be a state into the future as well.
In Sequential Order of Progression
katharos - clean -
airo – takes away/lifts up; -
kathairo; - prune -
Jesus Cleans Us Up - vs 3
Jesus Cleans Us Up - vs 3
You are already clean (katharos) because of the word which I have spoken to you. (vs 3)
Links back to the foot washing ceremony in chapter 13
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
Jesus was telling Peter and the others that they were already clean.
This is a reference to justification / they were saved.
The exception was Judas. He was not clean.
In this vine analogy - clean = ability to produce fruit
You were saved not just from something, but for something.
You were saved from sin to produce fruit.
In addition, washing of one’s feet is connected to ongoing repentance.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse (katharizo) us from all unrighteousness.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
These are spoken to believers who have been justified already.
Although forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus is a one time for all time covering applied by faith, in other words our sins have already been forgiven past, present, and future, we are still living in the present and for conscience’s sake we need to come to confess our sins, that is acknowledge where we have erred, so that Jesus can ease our conscience and point us in the right direction.
It’s like falling down and getting dirty and we say, “I know you told me to watch out for things that will trip me up, but I got tripped up again. I’m sorry. Help me see them sooner, so I don’t stumble.”
And then Jesus dusts us off and says, “I’ve already forgiven you, and I’ll help point them out sooner for you. Keep walking, we got a long ways to go.”
The word of Jesus cleanses us...perfect tense - started in the past with ongoing action in the present.
The cleansing power of the Word is taught throughout all of Scripture
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
We are clean because of the message (logos) that Jesus has spoken over us.
The message of salvation...my atonement for you...my blood over you.
“Go in peace, your faith has made you well.”
And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”
The Heavenly Father Helps Us Bear Fruit - vs 2
The Heavenly Father Helps Us Bear Fruit - vs 2
Not Bearing Fruit
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away (airo) - vs 2
to raise up off the ground (to prop up) - common practice in vinedressing.
The branch is on the ground - It’s where we start when we first come to Christ.
In the darkness - no sunlight.
More moisture - mold, fungus, disease
Injured - dirty, stepped on.
lifted up and tied to a rock.
to take up and place on oneself - to bear or carry
and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear (airo) You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ”
And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried (airo) by four men.
God is going to gently pick you up and tie you to the rock so that you can get healthy and strong so that you CAN bear fruit.
Bearing Fruit
He prunes - katharizo - to cleanse
to cleanse from filth, purify.
Sanctification - holiness - hagiazo
A process of cleaning you up so that you can produce fruit.
cleanses - positive
introduce good insects - ladybugs to get rid of aphids.
Butterflies to pollinate.
fertilize and good soil bacteria
Pruning can be “painful”
cuts off suckers - draining resources from the vine.
cuts off dead wood - things from our old self that are still just hanging on
Trials are one way of pruning. Refining fire...
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
It’s His gracious way of directing the flow of spiritual energy in order that His plans for our lives will be realized.
Bearing More Fruit
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Bearing Much Fruit
The goal of the process of sanctification is maturity.
First year crop small or not much at all.
fruit trees nothing for first 3 years.
Second year crop bigger.
Third year crop full.
Tying in the trials in life as pruning.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Abiding In Jesus (vs 4-5)
Abiding In Jesus (vs 4-5)
But here’s the crux of the issue and the Great I Am’s statement
I AM The True Vine.
True vs. false (teachers, doctrine)
words spoken to you. logos - message
my words - rhema - specific statements.
Vine - energy for producing fruit.
life giving sap vs. the suckers that sap life from us.
We’ve got to allow God to prune the suckers from our lives so that we can be vibrant and experience the abundant life He promises.
Abide - Imperative
The word abide occurs 10 times in the first eleven verses.
meno -
to abide
to remain
to dwell
and in this context, it’s a relational term, so it is doing this with someone
an intimate fellowship which reflects the goal of Christlikeness
Jesus Abides in Us. No Fruit
We Abide In Jesus. Bear Fruit
We Abide In Jesus’ Words. Bear More Fruit
We Abide In Jesus Love. Bear Much Fruit
Abiding Is Necessary And Essential
The branch cannot bear fruit from itself.
It must be connected to the vine
It MUST share the life of the vine.
Apart from Me you can do nothing.
So we cannot bear the kind of fruit God desires us to bear unless we are connected to and are in a relationship with Jesus.
All spiritual power for living out the Christian life comes from God.
Our spiritual effectiveness is linked to our ongoing relationship with Jesus.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
If we abide in Him and He in us, we will bear much fruit.
When we are abiding with Christ, we can’t help not to produce fruit.
It is produced. We don’t produce it perse.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
The challenge is not hindering the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
If you do not abide in Me - vs 6
The immediate reference - both Judas and apostate Israel.
Implied construction - And I do not abide in You. They are not saved.
Abiding In The Words Of Jesus - vs 7
Abiding In The Words Of Jesus - vs 7
If you abide in Me AND My words abide in you. Subjunctive
change in verb tense.
When Christ abides in us and we in Him we can’t help but produce fruit, this is the evidence of salvation.
However, further sanctification is a cooperative work of our submissive will, obedience to His commandments, and faith put to action.
Hence the conditional if/then statements of the last 2 abidings.
Christ abiding in us and we in Him gets us into Heaven, but abiding in His words and abiding in His love is what brings about the rewards in Heaven.
It brings about greater fruit.
I Cor. 3 - wood, hay, straw / gold, silver, precious stones.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
The words of Jesus contain power - this is rhema...
We see rhema used in Eph.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
the spoken word with authority and power.
Also more about a specific phrase rather than the totality of the whole.
promises
precepts - teachings, doctrine
Without taking Jesus’ words out of context, we can lean into His teachings and promises and find power and life.
The more power and life we find in the words of Jesus, the greater our production of fruit will be.
The fruit will come.
But that means effort on our part to study and learn the words of Jesus.
And interestingly enough, this is connected to petitionary prayer.
Making Requests Of The Vinedresser
Making Requests Of The Vinedresser
Mary, queen of Scots, once said that she feared the prayers of John Knox more than an army of twenty thousand men. God’s purposes in history are realized when believers, through fellowship with him, come to understand his will and then by prayer release him to act redemptively in the world.
Abiding In The Love Of Jesus - vs 9-10
Abiding In The Love Of Jesus - vs 9-10
Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you:
Jesus loves us with the same love God has for Him...ponder this...
Abide in My Love
Marinate your heart and mind in the unfathomable love that Jesus has for you.
The automatic response of abiding in His love is a joyful desire to do His will.
If you keep My commandments - vs 10 - This is that conditional IF/Then. And this abiding results in much fruit.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
He already said it once during the foot washing ceremony: As Christ has loved us, so we are to love others.
You could say that abiding in His love is loving God fleshing itself out by loving others.
The Result Of Abiding In Jesus, In His Words, And In His Love? - vs 11
The Result Of Abiding In Jesus, In His Words, And In His Love? - vs 11
JOY
JOY
I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you.
Satan wants to make us think of obedience as restrictive and palpably unfair (cf.
We can experience the same joy that Jesus had now.
But, someday that joy will be brought to its fullest completion.
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Summary:
Jesus wants to be your source of truth and power
He wants to be your closest companion, your friend.
Jesus wants you to experience His love for you and be filled with His joy.
Jesus wants to bless you with abundance of life, spiritual vibrancy and fruit that will remain with you.
“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. “This I command you, that you love one another.”
It all starts with Jesus abiding in you and then you abiding in Him.
Closing Song: One Thing, The More I Seek You
