Connected To The Source (I Am The Very Vine) Series

Connected to the Source

Week 12: "I Am the Very Vine"

John 15:5

Introduction

Church, we have walked through eleven weeks tracing the I AM declarations from the burning bush to Bethlehem. We have seen God reveal Himself as the Provider, the Healer, the Shepherd. Tonight, we come to the twelfth revelation in our series, and I tell you, this one will transform how you live every single day of your life.

Jesus stands before His disciples in John 15:5 and declares, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." This is not poetry. This is not religious language. This is the declaration of your absolute dependence on Jesus Christ for everything that matters in your life.

Look at what Isaiah wrote hundreds of years before Christ walked on earth. In Isaiah 5:1, the prophet sings, "Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." God planted a vineyard. He gave it everything. He expected fruit. But what did He get? Wild grapes. Sour grapes. Worthless grapes. Israel failed. The vine became corrupt.

But praise God, Jesus stands up and says, "I am the true vine." What Israel failed to be, Jesus became. What the law demanded but people never produced, Jesus accomplished. Tonight, you will discover that your fruitfulness, your joy, and your effectiveness in the kingdom all depend on one thing: staying connected to Jesus Christ.

I. Israel the Vineyard

Before we understand what Jesus means when He calls Himself the true vine, we need to understand the failure of the first vine. God had a vineyard. That vineyard was the nation of Israel. The story of this vineyard teaches us something critical about human nature and divine expectation.

The image of the vine was everywhere in Israel. A golden vine decorated the temple door. Vines grew along the city walls. Every Jewish person knew what Isaiah meant when he sang about the vineyard. The vine was the symbol of Israel, just as an eagle represents America or a lion represents Britain. When you saw a vine, you thought of God's chosen people.

But here is what breaks your heart when you study the Old Testament. Every single time the prophets mention Israel as a vine, they describe failure.

• Isaiah speaks of wild grapes. Isaiah 5:1-7

• Jeremiah calls it a degenerate vine. Jeremiah 2:21

• Ezekiel shows it burned and trampled. Ezekiel 19:10-14

• Hosea describes it as empty, running to leaves but producing nothing of value. Hosea 10:1

• Psalm 80 cries out for God to restore what has been destroyed. Psalm 80:8-19

This pattern matters because it shows us something profound. Human effort, religious activity, and national privilege cannot produce what God requires. Israel had everything. They had the law, the prophets, the promises, and the covenants. They had God's protection, His presence, His provision. But they still failed to produce good grapes.

A. God's Careful Planting

Look at the detail God gives us in Isaiah 5:2. "He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well." Every single action here demonstrates careful, loving attention.

God brought Israel out of Egypt like a gardener transporting a precious vine from hostile soil. Psalm 80:8 tells us, "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it."

• Egypt was killing them.

• The waters of the Nile were death to their shoots.

• Pharaoh trampled them underfoot.

• But God delivered them with signs and wonders, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Then God prepared the land. He cleared out stones. He removed the Canaanite nations. Archaeological evidence tells us that about fifty years before Moses, Egypt launched a massive campaign against the Canaanites. God was already preparing the place for His people before they even knew they would need it. When Joshua led Israel across the Jordan, the work had already been done. The soil was ready. The enemies were weakened.

God chose the best location, a fertile hillside with perfect drainage and sun exposure. He planted choice vines, the finest stock. He built a watchtower to protect against thieves and wild animals. He cut out a winepress in anticipation of an abundant harvest. Nothing was left to chance. Nothing was overlooked. God gave His vineyard every possible advantage.

The nation spread from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. Psalm 80:11 describes how "she sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river." Under Solomon, Israel reached its peak. The hills were covered with their shadow. This vine overshadowed the mighty cedars. Foreign nations came to see the glory of Israel and departed amazed.