“Lessons
from the Vine”
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in
him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” John
15:5
Scripture Reading: John 15:1-8
A sermon preached on March 10, 2013 at Hebron Baptist
Church, Denham Springs, Louisiana by Pastor Joe Alain.
John 15:1-8 deals with the
intimate and living relationship that believers share with Christ. Believers as
God’s branches are vitally connected to Christ. As a result, we draw our life
from Christ. The promise of this text is that in an abiding relationship with
Jesus, we bear “much fruit” (v.8) which brings glory to our Father. However, without
Him (i.e., Christ) we “can do nothing.”
There are some powerful “lessons
from the vine” for disciples in this passage of Scripture.
1. Jesus is the true
source of life
Here we have another one of
the great “I am” statements made by Jesus in the Gospel of John that clearly
identifies Himself with God, the great “I am.” When Jesus used the symbolism of
the Vine, his listeners knew exactly what he meant. The vine had become the
symbol of the nation of Israel. It was the emblem on the coins of the
Maccabees. One of the great treasures and glories of the Temple was the great
golden vine upon the front of the Holy Place. When Jesus calls himself the
“true vine” (v.1), he is saying, “I am the vine of God and you must be branches
joined to me. It is not because you belong to Israel that you are saved, but it
is faith in Me as the true source of life.” The first lesson of the vine is
crystal clear, Jesus is the true source of life – He is God!
What is the significance of
this truth for us? Because Jesus is the true source of life,
2. Life results from being connected to Jesus
We draw our life from Christ
as Paul said, “‘For in him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:28). Jesus
is the true source of life. Common sense tells us that oranges do not grow on
apple trees and strawberries are not produced from pear trees. Like begets
like. It is terribly frustrating, in fact it is impossible, to try to live the
Christian life if you are not one. The life you were created to live is impossible
to see realized without Jesus, the true source of life. Because Jesus is the
true source of life, it is imperative that I am connected by faith to Jesus
Christ, “the true vine” (v.1). Are you connected to God through Christ?
The fact that Jesus calls
Himself the “the true vine” implies that there are other ways that a person may
try or depend upon but that they are false sources of life rather than true. Many
of Jesus’ listeners believed that they were connected to God by being part of
Israel, the vine. But Jesus says we are God’s “children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (Jn.
1:13). Some people think they are saved because they were born in America, or
because they joined a church, or because they do “good” deeds. But it’s faith
in Christ that connects us to Him. This results in the new birth, as Jesus described
it to Nicodemus in John chapter 3. “Any other way but God’s way in Christ will not
lead to spiritual growth and fruit. Jesus alone is the true source of life and
life results from being connected to Him.
Are you connected to God
through the Vine – Jesus? Here God’s promise to you. “Yet to all who received
him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God” (Jn. 1:12). God is calling you to receive Him, to believe in His name. When
you do that, new life results from being connected to Jesus, the Vine.
A third lesson from the vine
is that,
3. Remaining
in Christ produces change (fruit)
There is a relationship
between our remaining in Christ and our producing fruit. Jesus refers to the
importance of remaining in him at least six times in these eight verses (vv.4,
5, 6, 7). To remain in him is to see fruit produced in your life. To fail to
remain in him is to remove yourself from the source of life and wither and die!
This brings up several
questions. First, what does it mean for us to remain in him? Second, what kind
of fruit is produced in our lives when we do remain in him? First, to remain in
Jesus means that discipleship (your life in Christ) is not a passive process.
Your part in the process of seeing fruit produced is to remain or abide in
Christ. The language used in this word “Remain in me, and I will remain in you”
means to continue in a relationship that has already been established. Jesus is
talking to people who are “in Christ.” He reminds them in verse 3, “You are
already clean” signifying that they are already in a living relationship to God
the Father through Christ. Jesus is not saying, I want you to “keep on”
establishing a relationship with Me as if our relationship with Christ is “on
again” and “off again.”
God is saying continue in the
relationship that has already begun (It’s an aorist, active, imperative). For
example, if you are married and I say remain in that marriage, I’m not saying become
married, you’re already married. I’m saying continue in that state, develop
that relationship. That’s what Jesus is saying to us. Remain in me, continue
following Me, develop this relationship that has begun. Jesus says to us. If we
will do that, we will bear “much fruit”. Branches never “strive” to produce
fruit, they simply abide in the vine. Your job is to “remain” in the vine –
Jesus!
What kind of fruit can we
expect to see when we remain in Christ? This is important because Jesus said in
verse 8, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples” (v.8). It’s equally important because God’s kind
of fruit makes a difference in our daily lives. If bearing fruit pleases God, I
need to know what this fruit is. It is true that like begets like, meaning
Christians beget other Christians, so in one sense the fruit produced through
us is other Christians. But fruit is not limited to reproducing other
Christians. The NT says much about the kind of spiritual fruit that results
from our relationship with Christ. This spiritual fruit is most clearly
described in Galatians 5:22-23, although it’s not limited to what Paul
mentions.
This list of nine qualities
is merely representative of the “kind” of fruit that is produced through the
believer’s relationship with Christ. A fuller picture of the fruit of the
Spirit is found in simply observing the life of Jesus. He is not only our
substitute (to many people stop there), he’s our great example. The logical
question for me to ask is, “is my life exhibiting the fruit of Christ?” Am I
becoming “more” loving? Patient? Kind? Merciful? Gracious? Compassionate? At
peace? Jesus demonstrated these and more in His life. This is the measure of
our lives!
There’s another important aspect
to this remaining in Christ. To be connected and remain in Christ is to be
connected to other believers. In Christ we are connected to one another “for
better or for worse.” You cannot remain in Christ and be disconnected from
other believers any more than you can be married and never relate to your
spouse. Why is this important to know? Because we learn to bear fruit in the
context of human relationships. How else are we able to learn how to love
others, how to have patience, how to serve, etc. unless we do so in the context
of living in connection with others?
Jesus said what you do to
others, you are doing to him! And it’s also true that what you do to others, you’re
doing to yourself, for we are all members together in the body of Christ. Now
if you are a branch, if you are connected to Christ the vine, you’re connected
to all of Christ’s followers. So when you love others, you are loving yourself,
when you are gracious to others, you are being gracious to yourself. However, when
you criticize your brother or sister, when you tear them down, or speak evil of
them, you are in effect “hacking” away at your own limb. You’re committing
spiritual suicide. Remember, when you point one finger forward, there are three
pointing back to you.
Remaining in Christ produces
fruit, and fruit is the proof of our discipleship. There is a fourth lesson
from the vine and it may be the most difficult for us to grasp.
4. God prunes
us in order to conform us to
His character
The vine cannot produce the
crop which it is capable of producing without occasional pruning. Fruitful branches
are pruned, not to kill the branch, but to produce even more fruit. While our
part in the process of discipleship is to remain in Christ, God’s part is the
pruning away in our life of all that does not look like Jesus. God prunes us to
conform us into the character of Christ.
Spiritual fruit is produced
and maximized in your life over time through the process of spiritual pruning
(v.2). Here is something that from a logical standpoint does not make sense.
“Every branch that “does” bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even
more fruitful” (v.2). You would think if a branch is bearing any fruit, leave
it alone, that’s great. But God is not content for us to bear a “little” fruit,
he wants you bear “much fruit.”
Spiritual pruning is for your
benefit. It will bring more fruitfulness in your life. The word here translated
“clean” or “prune” (v.2) is related to the verb “katharizo,” – to cleanse as in
the cleansing of a disease or making one pure. This word is used in the
following ways: Matthew 8:3; Luke 17:14, 17 – lepers who are declared cleansed
(Aorist, passive, indicative). Hebrews 9:14, 22 – of the blood of Christ that
cleanses us (Future & Present act. ind.) 2 Corinthians 7:1 – Out of
reverence for God, we are to purify ourselves from all contamination (Aorist,
active, subjunctive).
If cleaning (spiritual
pruning) means removing that which is diseased and harmful to your spiritual
growth, is that not a good thing? When the surgeon cuts out the cancerous
tissue from your body, is that not a good thing? Of course it’s good! So it is
with spiritual pruning. In pruning, God is removing the diseased and dead wood
from your life. It’s all for His glory so that you will be able to produce more
fruit.
God is one determined
gardener and He is committed to do the pruning in your life and mine. Anger,
bitterness, impatience, unmerciful, unloving, critical judging spirit, all dead
branches that ruin my relationships and have to go in my life, but all for my
good! And if you’re willing to learn from the Lord, you will grow through the
pruning process. But if you don’t let God work in your life and respond to his
judgment (which spiritual pruning is a form of), you’re going back around the
track again. How long God? God says, “until you get it!” Israel wandered for 40
years, going around that same old track. Don’t be like a mule that has dug in
and won’t budge, or the horse that has to have a heavy bridle placed upon him
(Ps. 32:8-9). Let God do a work in your heart and life!
If a branch bears no fruit
there is nothing else you can do except remove the branch. There’s no hope for
a dead branch (Jn. 15:6). The only branches that can be improved are the
branches that are producing fruit. So if you are being spiritually pruned,
that’s good news. That means God is at work in your life removing all that does
not look like Jesus. But if you’re not going through some occasional spiritual
pruning, you’re already kindling (v.6)! No pruning means no life!
In our backyard we have tree
that to me looks completely dead. I almost pulled it up the other day, but
Rhonda peeled back a little of the bark and said, “It’s still green it’s just
dormant, give it a little bit more time.” Maybe there’s not much fruit in your
life, but there’s still a little bit of life left somewhere underneath, you’re
not dead yet, but your spiritual life is dormant. Jesus says to you, it’s time
to get back to remaining in me, you can still be fruitful, I’m not through with
you. There’s really only two possibilities, remain in Jesus and produce fruit,
or become kindling for the fire. Which will it be? “The one who remains in me .
. . produces much fruit” (Jn. 15:5).
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
