THE IDENTIFYING MARK OF A TRUE DISCIPLE
Text: John 15:1 – 8
Introduction:
• When I was a kid I used to watch a game show called “To Tell the Truth”
• Three contestants appeared, all claiming to be the same person, and a panel of judges had to guess who was the real person by that name
• Sometimes they would fool the judges, sometimes they wouldn’t
• I saw a statistic that startled me the other day…according to some sources, it is estimated that 33% of the population of the world are Christians
• That means that one out of every three people you know would be Christians
• I don’t know about you, but with all the crime, war, and hate going on around us, I think that the actual percentage is probably much lower
• Just like those judges on “To Tell the Truth”, we can sometimes be fooled by people that say that they are Christians but really aren’t, but if you hang around them long enough, there is a sure fire way of knowing if they are for real
• There is an identifying mark of true discipleship revealed to us by Jesus in this scripture
• Judas had gone to betray Christ
• Jesus had just completed the last supper, washed the disciples feet, and was on his way to Gethsemane when He passes by a grapevine
• He uses an allegory to reveal the mark of true discipleship, comparing Judas with the other 11
I. The Picture (vv. 1, 5a)
A. The Father is the husbandman (OE for “farmer” or “gardener”)
• A farmer that planted and kept a vineyard worked hard to produce his crop
o Dug soil and cleared of stones
o Built a wall to keep out animals
o Built a lodging place to live in during harvest
o Built a watchtower and winevat
o Pruned the vines
o Hoed the ground
o Thinned and supported fruit clusters
o Irrigated the crop
• It was so much work that Deuteronomy 20:6 exempted a man from military service if he had planted a vineyard and had not enjoyed its fruit
• The Father has invested a lot of time, energy, and resources on us to help us to grow and to develop into the Christians that He wants us to become
B. Jesus is the vine (v. 1)
• Vines were usually allowed to lie along the ground or to fall over terraces, but sometimes they were raised above the ground with sticks or supported on poles
• John 3:14, 15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
• Jesus the Vine was raised up for us on the cross of Calvary
• He said He was the “true” or “genuine” vine, meaning that His way was the only way to salvation, as opposed to the religious leaders who trusted in their works or heritage
• John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
• If you want eternal life, you must go to the one and only Source of life – Jesus Christ
C. True believers are the branches (v. 5)
• There is only one Vine – but from Him come many branches
• Romans 12:5 “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”
• Doesn’t matter if we are black or white, American, German, or Norwegian, educated or non-educated, rich or poor, tall or short, fat or skinny, male or female, if you are saved you are an offshoot of the same Vine that I am on – Jesus Christ
II. The Proof (vv. 2 – 5)
• THE mark of a true believer is fruit
• In Scripture fruit refers to:
o Spiritual virtues
Galatians 5:22, 23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…”
o Good works (Colossians 1:10)
“Fruitfulness is the result of the Son’s life being reproduced in a disciple.” – Bible Knowledge Commentary
o Praise to God (Hebrews 13:15)
Testimonies, poems, drama, singing, playing instrument
o Giving (Romans 15:28)
o Winning souls (Romans 1:13)
Apple trees produce apples; pear trees produce pears; “Christian” plants should produce “Christians”
• In order to bring forth fruit, the branches must:
A. be pruned (v. 2)
• Pruning means to cut off useless or undesirable parts
• This speaks of the process of sanctification, in which the believer is made more and more like Christ
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
• Sometimes pruning is painful…it’s not pleasant to have our faults and failures exposed and removed…but it’s worth it in the long run
• 1 John 3:2, 3 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
B. be cleansed (v. 3)
• Here we have the strongest evidence that Jesus was referring to the 11 and excluding Judas
o John 13:10 “…ye are clean, but not all.” (v. 11 says that He was referring to Judas)
• Sometimes after a rain, mud would splash on the leaves of the branches and prevent the plant from drawing energy from the sun, so the gardener would wash the leaves with water
• We are cleansed by the Word of God
• Psalm 119:9 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
• Important to study God’s Word so that it will reveal the mud of the world in your life, and to listen to it being preached and taught so you will know how to apply it to developing your relationship with Him
C. remain on the vine (vv. 4, 5)
• “abide” used 11x in this chapter, 40x in John, 27x in John’s Epistles
• Means “remain” or “continue”
• Abide means “to keep in fellowship with Christ so that His life can work in and through us to produce fruit.” – Bible Exposition Commentary
• You abide in Christ by being faithful and obedient
• Stay in fellowship through contact – prayer and Bible study
• If you don’t stay on the vine, you can’t bear fruit, because the fruit is a result of the Holy Spirit flowing through you
III. The Precaution (vv. 2, 6)
• Some people interpret these verses to refer to Christians who backslide to the point that they lose their salvation
• Since the immediate context refers to the difference between the 11 (true believers) and Judas (a false believer), I believe that it refers instead to those who look like Christians, talk like Christians, and act like Christians, but do not have a relationship with Christ
• Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
• Judas walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, preached in Jesus name, was identified as one of Jesus disciples, but he never really had a relationship with Jesus
• You may read your Bible every day, come to church every service, invite others to church, participate in communion and feetwashing, sing in the choir, teach a Sunday school class, but if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, one day you will be taken away and cast in the fire
• Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
• John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
• Shortly after this, Judas betrayed the Son of God, and then went out and hanged himself
IV. The Promise (v. 7)
• Jesus promises that if we abide in him, or continue with him, we will have our prayers answered
• This does not mean that we can ask for anything and expect God to give it to us
• James 4:3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
• If we continue with Christ, stay obedient to, and allow ourselves to be cleansed by the Word, we will ask for things that are in agreement with God’s will for our lives
• Pray for fruit to develop in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control
• Pray for opportunities to witness and to lead others to the Vine
V. The Purpose (v. 8)
• Why should you want to bear fruit? Because it glorifies the Father
• When unsaved people see your faith in the midst of a trial, or receive your love even when they have persecuted you, they take notice
• They may not say it, but they know that it’s not “normal” for a person to act that way
• And what better way is there to glorify the Father than to be the instrument He uses in producing other Christians?
• God may get the glory, but we get a blessing at the same time
Conclusion:
• Did you see the progression in these verses? It begins with “no fruit” in verse 2, then goes to “fruit”, then “more fruit”, and finally in verse 8 “much fruit”
• Where are you in your relationship with Christ? If you are bearing fruit, could you bear more fruit? If you are bearing more fruit, could you be bearing much more fruit?
• Are you willing to let the Father prune you and cleanse you so you can produce even more fruit?
• Are you being faithful and obedient, or do you need to recommit?
• Are you praying in accordance with God’s will? Or are you praying and asking for things that would hinder your growth?
• Unsaved: you can’t bear any fruit because you are not even on the Vine
• You need to give your life to the Lord and let Him graft you in as one of His branches
• Going to church, being good to others, and carrying around your Bible in the back window of your car is not good enough
• Matthew 7:22, 23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
• Are you a Judas, or a disciple?
• Jesus wants to know YOU tonight…can I introduce you to Him?
