How, And Why, Do We Abide In Jesus? (John 15:1-17) Series

Today, we have the privilege of working through John 15:1-17.

Some of you will be familiar with these verses. And if that's you, as we start reading, you will maybe find yourself thinking that you already understand this passage. You won't expect to learn anything, or be challenged. Well.

Maybe. But if these verses hit you like they hit me, this sermon will cut pretty deep. We will see.

As we start reading, it's going to help you to have three questions in the back of your mind:

(1) What does it mean to abide in Jesus?

(2) Why would people not abide in Jesus-- either stop abiding, or refuse to abide?

(3) Why should we abide in Jesus?

Verse 1:

(1) I am the vine-- the true one--

and my Father, the Farmer, He is. ["farmer" is focused]

In verse 1, Jesus starts a new topic in his teaching. He uses an illustration, or analogy, or parable, or allegory. I'm not sure what to call it, to be honest. But Jesus gives us this image to think about: picture Jesus as the grape vine, and God as the Farmer.

Jesus is the grape vine. But he is not just any grape vine-- he is "the true one" (this is a slightly more emphatic way of saying "true" vine). He is the one you point to, and you say, that's the true grape vine.

Why does he say this?

Let's turn to Isaiah 5:1-7 (I maybe wouldn't actually use this part in the sermon, to save my word count, but I think it's helpful):

(1) Let me sing, please, for my beloved a song of my beloved one about his vineyard:

There was a vineyard belonging to my beloved one on a fertile hill,

(2) and he broke up the soil,

and he cleared it of stones,

and he planted it with choice vines,

and he built a watchtower in its midst,

and, what's more , a wine vat he hewed/dug out in it,

and he hoped for it to make grapes,

and it yielded rotten/bad/stinky grapes,

(3) and so then, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and man of Judah, make a ruling, please, between me and my vineyard.

(4) What shall be done still for my vineyard?,

and I didn't do for it?

Why did I hope for it to make grapes,

and it made rotten/bad/stinky grapes,

(5) and so then, understand, please, what I am doing for my vineyard--

removing its hedge, and it shall be for destruction/burning,

breaking down its wall, and it shall be for trampling,

(6) and I will make it a wasteland.

It shall not be pruned,

and it shall not be cultivated,

and briars and thorns shall come up,

while concerning the clouds, I shall command not to send rain upon it,

(7) for the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel,

while the man of Judah [is] the garden of his delight,

and he hoped for exercising of authority,

and LOOK! Bloodshed.

For righteousness,

and LOOK! A cry of distress.

In the OT, God did everything that He could possibly do to make Israel a fruitful, successful people. He set them up perfectly, and then, every gardener knows what comes next. You do you everything you can, and then you wait, and you hope, and you check the progress.

But what God ended up getting, after all his hard work, was worthless. He ended up with a nation filled with bloodshed, where authority wasn't exercised on behalf of the poor and vulnerable. The rich oppressed, and cheated, and murdered-- and got away with everything.

Israel was a worthless vine, and Yahweh, in anger and frustration, destroyed it.

It's against this background that we should hear Jesus' words. Jesus is the vine God always wanted. He is the true vine. He is the vine that Israel was meant to be, and wasn't. And what that means, is that we are God's vine. We are his people, his family. We bear the fruit God was hoping for.

I'm cheating ahead. But let's reread John 15:1, and keep going:

(1) I am the vine-- the true one--

and my Father, the Farmer, He is.

(2) Every branch in me not bearing fruit, He removes/takes away,

and every branch bearing fruit, He cleanses/prunes it,

in order that more fruit, it would bear. [more fruit is focused]

God is a competent Farmer. He understands vines, and how to successfully grow grapes. You can't just let a grape vine grow however you want, and expect good things to happen. On every grape vine, there are two types of branches. And both of these types need attention.

(1) Branch type #1

The first type of branch is the one not bearing fruit. When harvest time comes, and you are looking at any type of fruit tree or vine, you'll notice that some branches don't bear fruit. A competent grape farmer understands that those branches should be removed. Maybe the branches look dead. Maybe they look like they are thriving. But if there's no fruit, there is no sense in letting the vine give life to that branch. That life is better used elsewhere.