John 15:1-16 | Grounded Grapes
Notes
Transcript
Today we are continuing in our series in the book of John, and we are also continuing in the conversation and teaching Jesus has with his disciples before he would go to the cross.
Last week we looked at the roadmap for the Christian life left by Jesus
But today we are looking at John 15, where Jesus takes it a step further, in what is required of them along this walk of the christian life.
Now can I start by asking you a question.
What stops the unbeliever, from taking 5 seconds out of their day, and saying I believe.
Saying I repent
Saying God saved me
AND MAYBE EVEN THEY MEAN IT AT THE TIME
But what stops them from doing this, living however they want, and still gaining salvation?
Because in the end that is all that is required right? Confess Jesus is Lord, say the words, maybe even mean them, and you are saved
LIKE WE KNOW SALVATION ISN’T BY WORKS IT’S BY FAITH RIGHT - SO YOU HAVE A MOMENT OF FAITH - THEN YOU ARE SAVED, RIGHT?
Well Jesus challenges this idea.
and gives us some clarity on exactly what it means to live in him
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Now for the rest of the message when we don’t have the scripture passages up on the screen I want to show this picture
What you can see here are the 3 main parts of the grapevine
1. The vine itself - it looks a like the wood from a tree of the right side of the picture
2. The Branches - which look like sticks growing out from the vine
3. The Grapes - which grow from the branches
Now Jesus will use every part of this vine to teach an overall lesson
He starts verse 15 by saying that...
HE IS THE TRUE VINE
AND THE FATHER IS THE VINEDRESSER
Now we understand what he means by being the vine, what is a vinedresser?
Well we see the job of the vinedresser in verse 2
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
The job of vinedressing is not something we are as familiar with here in Indiana as in other parts of the country
But the vinedresser has a very difficult job
You see vinedressing is one of the few jobs today that is still by necessity mostly done by hand
The job of the vinedresser is to walk the fields with a saw and a pair of shears
and they are trying to determine what needs to be removed from the vines so that more grapes can grow
So they will look at the branches coming off of the vine and cut off what is needs to be removed
They may find a branch that has been infested with a disease, and is not bearing any fruit, so they take the saw and cut it off
Or they may find a cluster of grapes that is being covered by a leaf so it isn’t getting the sun it needs, and they will take the shears and cut the part of the branch off with the leaves so the grapes can grow better
They may see a branch growing in a direction that is not ideal, and cut it so it grows the right way, long before it would even get there
So you can see why a tractor or a machine just can’t do this job as effectively as a vinedresser
There is a lot of thought and consideration, and planning that goes into it shaping the branches to all grow together in a way to produce the most fruit
And Jesus says this in verse 5
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
We are the branches that come out from the vine, and if we are abiding and growing in him, we will bear much fruit
And as we are growing the father, the vinedresser, comes along, and he looks at the church, the believers who have identified themselves with Christ, the vine, and he watches them, and sees if they are producing fruit, and if they are, he prunes them so they will continue to grow in the most efficient way possible, but if they are bearing no fruit, they he cuts them off from the vine
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Now there are many different interpretations of exactly what type of person Jesus was referring to in the branch that is cut off, but I think with the context of the story, and John 15:3 together, we have some clarity.
Remember Jesus is likely at this point on his to the Garden of Gethsemane, he is walking with his disciples, and he would have walked 10-15 minutes or so before going through the Kidron Valley to the garden, a total walk of about 30 minutes
It is believed it was during this time that he shared these teachings with his disciples
So if this is the case he now walking with 11 of his disciples, because Judas had just left them at the supper to prepare the betrayal of Jesus, and it was during this time, you may remember that Jesus said this while washing the disciples feet....
10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
And in light of all this, Jesus now tells them this...
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
This is important in determining exactly who Jesus is speaking of in reference to the branches, and I think what he is doing is alluding to the relationship that Judas had with him, and in contrast what the disciples have with him
And this is very important in the theology of understanding what Jesus is talking about here
But before he gets to clarifying the picture of the branch that is cut off, he starts with brand that is actively producing fruit
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
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.
Imagine you were to go outside and cut a branch off of a tree, and you dropped it on the ground.
What if you came back to that branch on the ground, a week from now.
Has it produced more leaves than it had when it was attached to the tree, or less
At that point it is starting to die, the leaves are starting to fall off, it is producing nothing
Today, if you are living apart from Christ.
If you do not abide in him, you do not trust in him, repent of your sins, put your faith in him to save you, and show as a result the fruits of your salvation
If that does not describe you
YOU CAN DO NOTHING OF WORTH
NOTHING YOU DO IN THIS LIFE IS VALUABLE
YOU ARE LIKE A BRANCH DEAD ON THE GROUND SLOWLY ROTTING AWAY
Jesus says without me you can do nothing
“But Zach I am kind to people, I help the poor, I contribute to society, I do beneficial things all the time”
CAN I ASK YOU HOW ANY OF THAT MATTERS OVERALL AFTER 200 YEARS HAVE PASSED
WHEN NOBODY EVEN REMEMBERS YOUR NAME
WHEN EVERYONE YOU HELPED IS GONE AND NOBODY EVEN REMEMBERS THEIR NAME EITHER
Do we look at a fly, or an ant, and say they are doing something with an immense amount of existential value? NO, THEY LIVE FOR A SHORT TIME, THEY CONTRIBUTE TO LIFE WITHIN THEIR TIME AND THEN THEY ARE GONE
And the life of the unsaved person, is no different
We are put on this world for one purpose, and everything that we do is only valuable if it contributes to this purpose.
7 Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
THE ONLY PURPOSE FOUND IN THIS LIFE IS TO GIVE GOD GLORY
AND ANYTHIGN THAT IS NOT DOING THAT, HAS NO PURPOSE
But you may say Zach the unsaved do things that bring God glory all of the time right
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The unbelievers good works are to God, what the fruit of a wild grapevine is to the vinedresser
WHAT PURPOSE DOES THE VINEDRESSER HAVE IN FRUIT OF THE VINE THAT DOES NOT PRODUCE FOR HIM
IT MAY PRODUCE AN ABUNDANCE OF GRAPES, BUT IF THEY DON’T GROW FOR HIM, THEY HAVE NO VALUE IN THEIR OVERALL PURPOSE, AND EVENTUALLY THEY DIE OFF, NEVER TO BE BENEFICIAL IN THE END
And here is why this is important to you today
In a time where vines are on every corner, it can be easy to be deceived into thinking you are a part of it, when you are not
And I think this is what Jesus is trying to tell us here.
That there are a lot of professing believers, church members, people sitting in pews, that think because they are in close proximity of the vine, that they are a fruitful branch of it too
This is where Judas was
He was in proximity of the vine, he walked and talked with Jesus daily, he did miracles, he preached the gospel, but he was not abiding in Christ, he was not a growing part of that vine
And as result, his works did not glorify God, and ultimately had no lasting inherent purpose
And because of this, he was cut off
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
I hope you are starting to get the picture.
That clearly just saying the words that you believe Jesus existed or God is real, and maybe sitting in a pew every once in a while does not result in anything with purpose
But also that doing the outward works of obedience, even following Jesus physically, joining a church,serving in a minsitry, even sharing the message of the gospel, does not result in any purpose for your life in the end either
Because we are made to glorify God, and without faith it is impossible to please God
My goal today is force you to stand at a crossroads.
One of the devils favorite weapons is complacency, he doesn’t like crossroads, where you have to decide one way or another
The Devil prefers you to be right in the middle of the road, not choosing one way or another
But Jesus doesn’t allow this
He says there are two people in this world
Those who abide in me and bear fruit, and those who don’t
And the ones that abide in him have eternal life, and the one’s that don’t, do not
There is no room for coexistence in the faith.
There is no room for multiple roads to God.
There is no room for multitudes of religions.
THERE IS ONE WAY, ONE PATH, ONE VINE - AND YOU ARE EITHER A PART OF IT OR YOU ARE NOT
AND IF YOU ARE NOT, THEN YOU WILL BE CUT OFF, AND THROWN INTO THE FIRE
But if you abide in him, its a really beautiful thing
Abiding in Christ gives us so much more than just purpose, it gives us everything we could ever want or need
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Oh cool Zach if I abide in Jesus then God becomes my personal genie and gives me whatever I want right
Can I ask you a question
What do grapes want?
Like of you went to a vineyard, and asked a grape what he wanted out of life, what would it say
Well it obviously wouldn’t vocally say anything, but you know how it’s existence would respond to that question
WHAT IT WANTS, IS NOTHING, BUT TO GROW
THAT’S IT
You see that’s what abiding means
abiding isn’t just trusting in or believing in, it is BECOMING ONE
THE WORD MEANS TO STAY REMAIN OR RESIDE
the picture is like moving into a house - YOU ARE QUITE LITERALLY DWELLING WITHIN THAT THING
And notice Jesus says that what you desire will be done for you, if you abide in him, and his words in you
SO IF YOU ARE THE BRANCH, PRODUCING FRUIT, ABIDING IN THE VINE, YOUR ONLY DESIRE IS TO PRODUCE MORE FRUIT
IF YOU ARE A BELIEVER TODAY, YOU ARE ABIDING IN CHRIST, AND THE WORDS OF JESUS ABIDE IN YOU, THEN YOUR DESIRE FOR YOUR LIFE WILL BE TO GLORIFY GOD BY PRODUCING AS MUCH FRUIT FOR HIM AS POSSIBLE
AND THAT FRUIT MAY BE PRODUCED IN BLESSING, IT MAY BE PRODUCED IN SUFFERING
IT MAY BE PRODUCED IN USEFULNESS, IT MAY BE PRODUCED IN FAITHFULNESS
What he promises to do for us is not provide the means, he provides the desire
and if we are abiding in him our ultimate desire isn’t to have a new car, or more money, or greater health, our desire is simply to produce more fruit for him - AND HE WILL ANSWER THAT PRAYER EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU ASK
He says....
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Now Jesus will use the rest of the chapter, to hone in on what that fruit looks like, and notice the first layer he shares
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
Ok so abiding just means that we recognize the love of Jesus right?
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.
He is not saying that he only loves you if you keep his commandments
He actually pictures his love for you in the same way that the father loves him
THE FATHER DIDN’T BEGIN TO LOVE JESUS ONLY AFTER HE LIVED A PERFECT LIFE
HE LOVED HIM REGARDLESS, AND JESUS OBEYED HIS COMMANDMENTS WHILE ABIDING IN HIS LOVE
JESUS DOESN’T ONLY LOVE US WHEN WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS
HE LOVES US IN SPIT OF OUR SIN, AND WE OBEY HIS COMMADMENTS WHEN WE ABIDE IN HIS LOVE
The branch doesn’t bear fruit in an effort to get the vinedresser to notice him and then go put him on the vine
The branch ONLY bears fruit when it is already abiding in the vine
But what does this look like practically, what's the result?
We sang an old hymn earlier, called Trust and Obey
We tend to view obedience as restrictive
Laws and rules result in restriction and a lack of freedom, right?
But the lyrics of the song say Trust and Obey for there is no other way to be HAPPY IN JESUS, but to trust and obey
I don’t think anyone sings about the speed limit, or the tax laws, in that way
So how is it that obeying the commands of a law system can bring us joy
Well this is a foundational point, that we must understand in what it is that is required of us
Jesus didn’t say that you will result in his favor or in a lack of punishment if you keep his commandments, he says you will abide in his love
I don’t remember the Putnam County Sherriff saying that obeying the speed limit sign is a result of abiding in his love
No he ensures that you follow the law, and that’s it, and if you don’t you get punished
BUT JESUS’S COMMANDMETNS ARE NOT FOLLOWING A LAW SYSTEM, THEY ARE ABIDING IN A PERSON
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Jesus says this is my commandment, that you give money to the church
Jesus says this is my commandment, that you go to church once a week
Jesus says this is my commandment, that you don’t lie, cheat, or steal
NO HE SAYS MY COMMANDMENT IS THAT YOU LIVE LIKE I HAVE LIVED, AND YOU LOVE LIKE I HAVE LOVED
WHAT IS THAT - ABIDING IN HIM
IT IS DWELLING WITHIN HIM AND HIM IN YOU
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
JESUS HAS MADE A FRIEND WITH SINNERS, THOSE UNWORTHY TO EVEN STAND IN HIS PRESENCE HE HAS JUST LEFT THE DINNER TABLE WITH
HE HAS JUST SAT WITH THEM IN ALL OF THEIR SIN AND ALL OF THEIR PRIDE AND ALL OF THEIR DECEPTION AND LIES AND BETRAYAL AND DENIAL AND NOW HE IS WALKING WITH THEM TO THE PLACE WHERE HE WOULD HANG ON A CROSS FOR THEM AND HE SAYS....
LOVE OTHERS LIKE I LOVE YOU - THAT’S MY COMMANDMENT
AND YOU WONDER ZACH WHAT ABOUT THE....
DO NOT LIE
DO NOT COVET
DO NOT WORSHIP OTHER GODS
GO TO CHURCH
GIVE TO THE POOR
SUPPORT THE MINISTRY
WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT? ALL I HAVE TO DO IS LOVE OTHER PEOPLE AND I AM GOOD?
AND YOU SEE THIS IS THE VERY ISSUE THAT PERFECTLY DESCRIBES WHY THE FATHER IS THE VINEDRESSER
BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT APPEARS TO BE FRUIT WE ASK QUESTIONS LIKE....
HOW CAN WE DETERMINE WHAT WORKS ARE FRUIT AND WHAT ARE NOT
HOW CAN WE DETERMINE IF THE FRUIT IS ENOUGH
HOW CAN WE DETERMINE IF WE ARE GROWING THE RIGHT TYPE OF FRUIT
WE CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THE FRUIT, THAT WE LOSE SIGHT OF THE VINE BEING THE SOURCE OF IT IN THE FIRST PLACE
AND THE SOLUTION COMES IN UNDERSTANDING THE LEGALISTIC VIEWPOINT OF OBEDIENCE VERSES THE HEART CENTERED TEACHINGS OF CHRIST
JESUS CONSISTENTLY CHALLENGED THE IDEA THAT FRUIT IS ALL VISUAL AND EXTERNAL
IF YOU SEE GRAPES, IT IS FRUIT OF SALVATION
THAT IS WHAT THE PHARISEES BELIEVED
THAT THE FRUIT WAS THE SOURCE OF ALL THINGS
BUT THE VINE DOESN’T GROW FROM THE GRAPES, THE GRAPES GROW FROM THE VINE
BUT THE ISSUE COMES IN PEOPLE LIKE JUDAS, THAT OUTWARDLY SHOWED THE WORKS - BUT INWARDLY HIS HEART WAS NOT PRODUCING THE FRUIT
AND THIS IS WHY GOD IS VINEDRESSER AND NOT US
BECAUSE GOD DOESN’TY LOOK AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART
AND IF WERE THE VINEDRESSERS WE WOULD LOOK AT A BRANCH WITH A LOT OF GRAPES AND DETERMINE IT IS ABIDING WITHIN THE VINE, BUT GOD SEES WHAT WE CAN’T AND WHAT WE MAY SEE AS FRUTI ON THE OUTSIDE, HE SEES NOTHING BUT A DYING BRANCH
And this is why Jesus doesn’t give us a list of commands, he says abide in my love, and love one another
He says love me, and love others
You know every single thing you do in this life that is beneficial in the slightest, are actions toward others, and God
That's really all we are a capable of
In fact Jesus already clarified this in depth in Matthew 22
You see one day during Jesus’s ministry, he was approached by the Pharisees, and with them, a lawyer.
And the lawyer asked him this question
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Say someone wants to obey God, earn his favor, what is the best commandment they could fulfill
and he was trying to trick Jesus knowing there wasn’t a right answer to this
But notice what Jesus says is the greatest commandment
37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
And notice that he doesn’t say these are the greatest because they are somehow more honorable than the rest
HE SAYS THESE ARE THE GREATEST BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN ALL OF THE REST
The Pharisees wanted to control with legalism
a reliance on the individual laws instead of the heart behind them
but in the very next chapter notice what Jesus calls them
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Is Jesus looking at you today, sitting in that church pew, and saying hypocrite
You are like a clean, white tomb
Beautiful on the outside, dressed up, ready for church, carrying your Bible, but on the inside THERE IS NOTHING BUT DEATH
A branch full of grapes, serves no purpose when the branch is on the ground
cut off from the vine
But a branch abiding and grounded through the vine, will naturally live as an expression of the vine itself
it will love Jesus, and will love others
and all the obedience to the commands, the fruit, will come as a result
And you see this is really the key to understanding the whole point being made
Jesus isnt saying that grapes dont matter
He isnt saying that the fruit is worthless because we just need to focus on the heart
He'ssaying if you abide in the fruit, you miss the vine, and as a result the fruit too
But if you abide in the vine, you get both
If you strive to give to the poor, but you don't love them, it means nothing
But if you love them, you will naturally desire to care for them
If you are begrudgingly staying faithful to the service to God and in the church, and you have no true heart for serving him or others, it means nothing
But if you love him and others first, you will naturally desire to serve him and his church
People tell me I struggle so much to read my people or stay consistent in the church or to love those who hate me
And I consistently tell them, start by just loving Jesus, loving others and abiding in his word, and all that will come natural
We've got the christian life all backwards
Because The fruit of the true believer comes naturally only when you abide in the true vine
SO DON'T LEAVE HERE ASKING, “DO I HAVE ENOUGH FRUIT?” ASK THE QUESTION JESUS ACTUALLY PUTS BEFORE US: “AM I ABIDING IN THE VINE?” BECAUSE THE FRUIT DOESN'T GIVE LIFE TO THE BRANCH—THE VINE DOES.
AND A BRANCH THAT IS TRULY ALIVE WILL BEAR FRUIT.
