I AM the True Vine John 15:1-5 November 12-13, 2016 Introduction I ve really enjoyed this series as we ve studied all of the I AM statements of Jesus. Today, we re going to be studying the final I AM statement, I AM the true vine, which is meant to encourage us and comfort us even when everything else in the world seems to be going crazy around us. So I just want to jump right in, because we ve got a lot of content to cover. So as you turn to John 15, let me pray. I want to break this down into three sections today: the parable, the purpose, and the product. There are many things that we re going to have to skim over in order to focus on the main point that Jesus is making here in His final I AM statement. Before we read the text, we need to remember that Jesus gave this teaching in the upper room shortly before He went off to pray in Gethsemane, was betrayed, captured, and crucified. Judas the betrayer had already left at this point and so Jesus is addressing the remaining 11 disciples. John 15:1-3 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. The Parable The first thing PP we need to do is understand this parable-like word picture that Jesus is painting for us. Christ says He is the true vine, God the Father is the vinedresser and we are the branches. As you probably know, Israel in Jesus s day was an agrarian society, and there were many farms and vineyards around the land. Jesus, as the master teacher, was drawing on a familiar image to illustrate to His disciples the intimate relationship He desired His true disciples to have with Him, the true vine. o And in order to really understand this statement, we need to know a little something about viticulture which I learned is the fancy word for the cultivation of grapes. PP You see, the grapevines were grown and multiplied through the process of grafting new branches into the vine. A vinedresser would take a branch from one vine and graft it into the new life-giving vine so that the branch would bear fruit. o And the grafting would be accomplished in two phases: the first was the outward structural adhesion of the branch into the vine, and the second was the inward Page 1 of 9
vascular adhesion of the branch into the vine. This will be important later. So this is the imagery that Jesus is drawing upon when He tells His remaining disciples that He is the true vine. But why did Jesus refer to Himself as the true vine? o Well, any Jew who heard teaching using vine imagery would have immediately been reminded of passages PP like Psalm 80:8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it or Jeremiah 2:21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. (See also Hosea 10:1, Isaiah 5:1-7) o You see, Israel was the first vine. God s chosen people were supposed to be the means through which the world heard the truth of the gospel and placed their faith in God to receive life. o Yet, Jeremiah 2:21 PP continues How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine? Israel had not fulfilled its call to be a blessing to the nations. Therefore, the Lord sent His Son, the true vine, to be the source of life for the world. o The word PP True (Gk. alēthinos) refers to that which is the real thing as distinct from a type of something, genuine rather than counterfeit. o Jesus isn t just some poor man s version of the vine, He is the one true vine, the one who truly brings life to all the branches who are grafted into him. And the one who does the grafting into the true vine is the vinedresser, God the Father. He s the one who is overseeing the vineyard and making sure that His kingdom, His vineyard, is flourishing and producing much fruit. You see it s the job of the vinedresser to make sure that the vine is bearing fruit. PP And the way he does that is by making sure all of the branches on the vine are properly maintained. o And so verse 2 explains that branches PP that don t bear fruit are taken away (GK airō) (literally, lifted up) and branches that do bear fruit are pruned so that they can bear more fruit. o Now, understanding a little about the grafting process helps us here. Remember that I said that grafting involved two things: the joining of the branches outer structure to the vine (the bark, etc.) and the joining of the branches inner vessels to the vine? o Well, a branch could be in a vine structurally and yet not produce any fruit because the inner life of the branch had not been joined to the vine. In such instances, the vinedresser would lift the branch up and try to reposition it on the trellis so that it received more light and hopefully allow for its inner vessels to graft so that the life giving sap could flow into it and produce fruit. Page 2 of 9
o If that didn t happen, and only after it was given every chance by the vinedresser to receive the life-giving sap, then even though it had the appearance of a branch connected to the vine, it would be removed to make room for a branch that would produce fruit. Now here s the thing. Just because the branch was in the vine doesn t mean it was drawing life from the vine. When Jesus says every branch in me in verse 2 he isn t using the phrase in me in the same sense that Paul does when Paul writes about our being rooted in Christ and being new creations. o No, Jesus is simply using the imagery of a vine and branches to illustrate the difference between a branch that outwardly looked good, but inwardly was dead versus a branch that fully abided in the vine and produced fruit. o Remember, Judas had just left to go to the authorities to betray Jesus. Judas was a branch that looked like he was in the vine outwardly, but inwardly he wasn t joined to the vine. So we need to see that there are true branches and false branches. There s only two categories of branches here (abiding and not abiding), not three (branches that were at one time abiding and then stopped are not pictured here), but a non-abiding branch is given every opportunity by the vinedresser to abide and bear fruit. But recognize, even if you have a branch that does bear fruit, the fruit has to be harvested PP and then it s got to be pruned. And it s really interesting how the vinedressers pruned the branches. o You see, throughout the growing season a healthy branch wouldn t only grow grapes, but the branch itself would also grow. And a branch could grow up to 10 feet long in a really prosperous growing season. A healthy branch grows, but if it s constantly growing larger and not pruned, all of the sap will be taken up on the branch itself and there will be no sap left to produce fruit o In fact, if left unchecked a branch could put down suckers of its own into the ground and try to become its own vine. So what the vinedressers would always do is after the growing season, when the fruit was harvested, they would prune the branches all the way back to the vine itself. PP This assured that the branch would continue to rely on the vine for strength and that the fruit that it would produce next growing season would be rich and full. It s when as little of the branch is left as possible just enough to bear the weight of the fruit that the largest and best fruit is produced. When the branch is nearly indistinguishable from the vine, that s when its most productive. Page 3 of 9
o I hope you re seeing the application here? I mean how many of us try to become our own vines at times? Or how many of us are spread so thin that the fruit we produce isn t what it could be if we would just concentrate on the one thing we were called to? Can I just be the first one to put my hand up and say that I feel convicted by this. o As branches, PP it s so easy for us to try to expand on our own in the direction that we like, pursuing the things we want, putting our hopes and dreams in things other than the vine itself our jobs, our families, our hobbies, our sports teams, our political candidate, and the list goes on and on. How many of you can relate to doing that? And so our master vinedresser has to prune His branches. He cuts us back when we get overextended. He cuts out the parts of us that threaten to make us self-reliant and think that we can become our own vines. He redirects us away from the things that threaten to steal our attention from the task of producing fruit as we rely on the vine alone. o After seasons of producing abundant fruit, he reigns us in so that we can rest and be rejuvenated by the vine in preparation for the next season. PP Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all [pruning] seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. o And we ve got to see, verse 3, that the pruning instrument that the vinedresser uses is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12), which He surgically uses in our life as we experience all kinds of different circumstances that expose what s going on inside our hearts. How many of you have experienced pruning in your life? You know what I m talking about right? The seasons of squeezing. Those moments of conviction. Those points of disciplining and correcting. Those times when we feel utterly helpless and out of control, and then the Word of God is brought to bear upon our hearts and minds to prune out those parts of our lives that are holding us back from producing fruit. o But recognize, when the branch is pruned and its brought back to the vine, though its length had been curtailed, the thickness of the branch has increased. Its not as long as it once was, but its strength and durability have grown as its thickness has enlarged. So now, in the next growing season, it ll be able to handle the weight of even more fruit. o But that fruit is only produced when the branch abides in the vine. The Purpose Page 4 of 9
And that s what this statement is all about. PP The purpose of this statement is to remind us that Jesus is God (I AM) and that He is the source of all of our strength, all of our life, all of our joy, all of our peace. He is the source of everything good in our lives. And in a lot of ways, this final I AM statement of Jesus is a summary of all of the other statements that have gone before. Let s read verses 4-5, 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. 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. If I were you, I d circle all the times you see abide in these verses. It appears 10 times in verses 4 through 10. You think Jesus is trying to tell us something? o PP Abide - (Gk. menō) describes something that remains where it is, continues in a fixed state, endures. Biblically, it means remaining in an unbroken communion with and reliance upon Jesus o Now, I know that s a bit anomalous for some of us. So I want to give you practical examples of what it means to abide based off of how a branch relates to a vine. First and foremost, PP a branch abides in the vine by seeing itself as one with the vine. A branch s identity is fully enveloped by the vine. A branch has the same life as the vine, the same nature, the same spirit, the same place, the same work as the vine. 2 Peter 1:3-4 PP His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. When the branch looks at itself, it simply sees itself as an extension of the vine.it is a partaker in the very nature of the vine. The more we re able to remain in our identity as children of God, united with Christ, the more deeply we ll abide in Him. Second, PP a branch abides in the vine by depending fully upon it. Andrew Murray wrote in his excellent little devotional on this passage, The vine has its store of life and sap and strength not for itself, but for the branches. The branches have nothing but what the vine provides and imparts. The believer is called to, and it is his Page 5 of 9
highest blessedness to enter upon, a life of entire and unceasing dependence upon Christ. Andrew Murray The True Vine. We abide in Christ as we learn to depend upon Him more fully. Third, PP a branch abides in the vine by placing all of its confidence and hope within it. A branch doesn t have to worry about anything so long as it remains in the vine. No matter what storms may rage, or what thieves may come to steal the fruit, or what drought may afflict the land, the branch isn t undone because it continues to draw life from the vine and continues to grow and produce fruit through any and every circumstance. Abiding is not a continual effort of strenuous activity. It s a peaceful rest in the person and work of Jesus. PP Psalm 46:10-11 Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the Earth. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. To abide means to have confidence and hope the promises and provision of our God. Fourth, PP a branch abides in the vine by staying submitted to it. A branch will remain healthy so long as it remains connected to the vine and doesn t get too large and unruly and seek to do its own thing apart from a vine. Thus, the vinedresser constantly seeks to make the branches heartier, yet still firmly connected to the vine alone. We re the branch we re to be nothing less and we re to be nothing more. We mustn t take on any of what the vine s responsible for indeed we cannot for to do so would be to break under the weight of an impossible task that we re not adequate to bear. As we learn to submit more and more of our lives to Christ, we will abide more deeply in Him as we trust in His control of our lives. Finally, PP a branch abides in the vine by remaining fixated upon it. The attention of the pruned branch is firmly fixed on the vine as it is the vine that gives it its life, its direction, and its purpose. In verse 5, Jesus repeats, I AM the vine. This is the only part of the metaphor that is repeated. Jesus really wants us to understand that we must remain fixed and focused on Him if we are to abide in Him. Page 6 of 9
The truth of what He s done must remain ever present in us. The reality of His saving work, His ongoing transformation of us as we abide, the invitation that He gives us to bear fruit for His kingdom, until He returns and restores this world to the beautiful vineyard it was always meant to be - we must keep our eyes fixed on this truth if we are to abide in Him o We ve got to see that abiding means letting every part of us our heart, soul, mind, and strength remain rooted in Christ. o And lest any of us become discouraged and think that we can t do this or are failing to do this. Let me just say that there are deeper and deeper levels that a branch abides in the vine. A tiny baby branch doesn t just wake up one day fully abiding in the vine and producing massive clumps of grapes. As we mature as branches we ll naturally abide more deeply in the vine and produce more fruit. Remember, the surface level is merely the structural attachment. If that s all there is, then you aren t a true branch and you will be exposed and removed. But once you begin to abide in the inner part of you and receive the life giving sap from the Lord; which by the way verse 7 says we are to abide in His Word and verses 9 and 10 both state that we are to abide in His love; as we abide more and more in the sap of God s word, and God s love, and allow His Life-giving Holy Spirit to flow through us and empower us and strengthen us and guide us; the more we learn to do this, the more deeply we ll abide. But we ve got to see the order of things in the beginning of verse 4. Jesus says, Abide in me, and I in you. Once the vinedresser has placed the branch in position to be grafted into the vine, first the branch abides in the vine and then the life giving sap from the vine flows freely into the branch and bears fruit. The Product And ultimately PP the product of our abiding is the fruit. This is what the vinedresser is after. He wants His vineyard to produce as much fruit as possible. o The Parable is told by Jesus for the purpose of getting his true disciples to remain in Him more deeply so that more and more fruit can be produced in their lives. There is only one purpose for a branch and that s to bear fruit. If a branch doesn t bear fruit, it s not doing its job. Any healthy branch that s receiving the life-giving sap of the vine must bear fruit. o And we ve got to see the progression of the fruit here in the text: Page 7 of 9
In verse 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it may bear more fruit. Then, in verse 5 whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. o From no fruit, to fruit, to more fruit, to much fruit. This is the progression that the vinedresser seeks to take every single branch through. The vinedresser calls all of us to ultimately bear much fruit as we abide more deeply in Jesus. And I want us to see that the fruit isn t for the vine or the branch to enjoy. PP It s for the vinedresser and whoever he decides to share it with. We don t produce fruit so that we can enjoy it ourselves. The fruit that s produced through us is for the purpose of others to enjoy and be fed with. But we shouldn t falter under the expectation that we ultimately produce much fruit. o There is a tremendous danger of trying to produce fruit through our own efforts, relying on our own strength and failing to abide in Christ. While good things may get done, those things won t be true kingdom fruit that brings glory to the vinedresser. o Instead, our focus can t be on our own efforts but on simply continuing to abide in the branch. Continuing to receive the life giving sap of the Word of God, and God s love, as we re filled with the Holy Spirit. PP o Zechariah 4:6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts. o It is the Vine that does all the work as it supports and sustains and strengthens. All the branch must do is abide within the vine to remain, rest, receive, and simply bear the fruit that emerges by virtue of being in the vine. You may wonder what the fruit looks like? Well, I would encourage you to study that more deeply on your own. But very briefly, scripture describes several different types of fruit: PP we have the fruit of the Spirit which is love and then all of the aspects of love (joy, peace, patience, etc.) (Gal. 5:22-23), we have the fruit of a heart filled with praise, worship, and thanksgiving to our God (Heb. 13:5), the fruit of our works of light pushing back the darkness (Eph. 5:8-11), and we have the fruit of our making disciples of Christ (John 4:35-36) and seeing more branches grafted into the vine. This is what we should expect to see produced through us as we abide in the vine. And I say through very intentionally, because if we try to produce these things on our own, then we ll fail. All we must do is abide in the vine, go through the seasons of pruning, and the vine will produce much fruit through His branches. Page 8 of 9
Conclusion And so the next time people are freaking out over an election. Or a job is lost. Or health is in jeopardy. Or your boyfriend breaks up with you. Or someone else gets the promotion. Or your team loses. Or you re at your wits end with your kids. PP Just remember the words of our King. I AM the true vine you are the branches abide in me bear much fruit. Amen. Amen. Page 9 of 9