The Vine, The Dresser & The Branches

John 15:1–8 NKJV

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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 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. 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. 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. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Intro:

· Hours before His arrest – They have shared the Passover supper, Jesus has washed His disciple’s feet, Afikomen & His betrayer has been announced, identified & departed, the new commandment has been given, Jesus tells His disciples plainly that where He is going they cannot come, Peter and Philip’s questions… Jesus tells of the coming of the Spirit and further of the intimacy of the Father and Son coming and making their home with he who love and keeps His commands, His word… Chapter 14 ends with His words regarding the Spirit, who will teach us all things, bring to remembrance all things, and Jesus giving peace He reiterates His departure and His love for His Father, and as the Father has given Him commandment, so He does… Arise let us go from here…

· Their walk towards the Kidron Valley and the brook Kidron… they are walking eastward and likely walked through the Temple courts area, they would have taken the eastward walk passed likely through the court of the gentiles, across Solomon’s Porch, passing the gate called Beautiful and heading out of the walled City through the Shushan Gate … It is Passover, the Spring festival – Three Feasts – Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits, the temple courts area is open 24 hours a day at this time… It was also a full moon, an thus a ‘well lit’ night ()

“Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.”

· Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews and Wars of the Jews, he records the view of the front of the Temple, “…a golden vine spread out above the lentil with clusters of grapes “as tall as a man’s height”… Jesus’ next words occur on their walk toward the Brook Kidron, which they will cross at Chapter 18…

15 “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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 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. 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. 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. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

The Vine - Jesus

The Vinedresser – The Father

The Branches – Disciples of Jesus

Branches – Disciples of Jesus

Roles:

The Vine - Sustains, Supplies & Strengthens the Branches

The Dresser - Tends the Branches

The Branches - Bear Fruit

The Vine: Jesus

Bearing Fruit – Abiding in the Vine, branches will bear fruit (it is their purpose)

· Fruit of Righteousness

· Fruit of the Spirit

Sustains - the life giver

· Fruit ‘After “Kind”’

Supplies - the nutrient supplier (All things)

Strengthens - the power giver

The Dresser: The Father

Tends the Branches

Lifts Up

Purges

Lifts Up, takes up, elevates and bears…

Positions us – Lifts us up from the ground

Postures us – Elevates us upwards

Promotes us – Bears us on Himself… Like a child being pulled up onto His daddy’s shoulders

Purges (Prune) – Cleanses, Purges

Purifies Us – Chastens us to remove from the filth

Prunes Us – Cleanse us from unfruitful ‘shoots’

Purges Us – Clears us from all guilt and condemnation

The Branches: The Disciples (Us)

Bearing Fruit – Abiding in the Vine, branches will bear fruit (it is their purpose)

Fruit of Righteousness

· Fruit of the Spirit

Fruit of the Spirit

Fruit ‘After “Kind”’

Process of growing and bearing more fruit… Both of these processes enable us to bear much fruit!!

What does this look like?

Abiding in the Vine (Jesus) and His word abiding in us (My words abides in you)

What does this mean? His words abiding in us?? Scripture memorization?

“I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.”

Which is the opposite of abiding…

It means that His words find ‘home’ in us, they fit, they belong… they’re not foreign, rather belong… we move things around, even rid ourselves of some things so that they are even more comfortable

The words of Jesus don’t “abide” without effect. When they take root, they produce faith and holiness.

“Sanctify them in the truth,” Jesus says; “your word is truth” …

So, when his words abide in us, sanctification happens. Transformation.

Holiness and Purity become the byproduct…

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Christlikeness happens.

Altar Response:

Are you a Branch? Invite Jesus in!

Are you in need of “Lifting Up”?

Are you in need of “Purging”?