The Fruitful Vineyard – HEART
Highlight – John 15:1-5 (CSB) - (1)“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2) Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. (3) You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (4) Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. (5) 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 15:1-5 (CSB)
Explain - At the end of John chapter 14 Jesus & the disciples left the upper room & went to the garden of Gethsemane. On the travel Jesus continued to teach His men more about the way to faithfully serve & follow Him; how to be a true disciple. He taught them that they should always have an intimate relationship; like the vine has with the branches stemming from them. In John 15:1 Jesus tells us that He is “the true vine” from which we are to receive our nourishment. We need this nourishment to live a productive life that bears good fruit. He goes on to say that He is the Vine & that His Father is the Gardener.
In verse 2 Jesus teaches that there are 2 types of branches. The first are those who only believe in Him for a while. They profess to believe when it's convenient, or agreeable, with them. They join church & perform the practices of the religion but they are not rooted in a relationship with Jesus. These branches are not connected to the vine & are unfruitful. The fruit they do have, withers away, and proves to not be genuine. It serves only to glorify themselves, & not God. The Gardener will remove these branches.
The other type of branch is one that does bear fruit. These are the type that are truly in Christ & have a relationship with Him. These good branches are pruned, which is needed for their growth and fruitfulness; just like the pruning & cutting of vines are in a healthy vineyard. Though these practices are sometimes harsh, & never joyous, it's done so the branches will bring a harvest that is healthier, more fruitful, & bring more honor & glory to the God. Every branch being pruned should trust that the Gardener knows what He is doing and be grateful for His care and attention.
Jesus' disciples had been with Him for some time now & saw the principles He was teaching. In Verse 3 Jesus tells His men that because of the Word He has spoken to them they are considered clean & they've had their hearts purified by faith in the blood of Christ. Because of the time that they'd been learning under Jesus' instructions these men were found to be clean & justified. Verse 3 states the branches are clean making them ready & able to bear fruit.
In verse 4 He tells them, “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.”
God's love revealed in Jesus is perfected when we know & experience living in Him. This is done through an exercise of faith & love for Christ. The disciples & followers are to hold on to Him with all of their heart. By doing this they gained life, grace, and nourishment from Him. To have life in it's fullness we must remain attached to the Vine of life that is Jesus Christ. Apart from the nourishment from Jesus the branches can do nothing. This verse shows the necessity of abiding in Christ by fresh & repeated acts of faith & love. When believers depart from Christ it will leave them in a fruitless condition that brings no honor or glory to God.
In verse 5 Jesus says, “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.”
To live a productive spiritual life we have to take in the nourishment for growth. This nourishment is found in the Word of God & in Jesus Christ. Jesus begins this verse stating that He is the vine & His disciples are the branches. This expresses a unity with one another. The branches get their life, strength, purpose, & fruitfulness through the power of the vine. The moment we invite Jesus into our lives He gives us new life & new strength. When we ask for salvation we become one with Christ. We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). This growth process is to be the same as the branch that grows from the vine. It doesn't grow by adding to the surface, but grows strength & develops from within. We change from the core of our inside, out.
When we come to Christ for Salvation the Holy Spirit, along with God the Father & Son, take up residence in our heart. God is in you & you are united with Him. When we live by & operate according to the will of God we produce a bountiful harvest of good fruit. We bear this fruit not by virtue of our own free will, power, & strength, but by the grace we receive from Christ.
Everyone who is a true follower of Christ is united with Him. In the book of Galatians the apostle Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) In 1st Corinthians he writes, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17) When we ask for salvation we become one with our Savior. Having this united relationship with God is one of the things Jesus was talking about when He said that He is the vine & His disciples (& all believers) are united like the vine & branches. The branches of the vine are many, yet, meeting in the root, they are all joined. All true Christians, though they may be distant from each other, meet & become one in Christ.
The best way to become a true Christian is to have communion & a relationship with Christ. When we get more of the nutrients into the branch there will be more fruit; a bigger harvest. The fruit this garden produces is good fruit & not bad. John 15:5 is the first place that the word “much” appears in the Bible. God doesn't want us to be content with a small crop of blessings. When there is no union with Christ, or a weak union, there will be little fruit produced by our lives. God doesn't want that to happen. When we remain in Christ & He in us there will be “much fruit.”
Without the presence of our Lord we can do nothing at all. This Vine gives the branch everything it needs. Nothing is to be done "without Christ"; without his Spirit, grace, strength, & presence. If the branches that are truly in Him were removed, they could produce no fruits of good works; just like a branch separated from the vine can not bring forth grapes. All of the fruitfulness of a believer is because of Christ, & his grace; not the free will & power of man.
Before I tell you how I find the verse to apply how would you apply this scripture?
Apply – In this scripture Jesus is using an analogy of agriculture that people of that time, & today, can relate to. We know that it is important for us to take in nutrients for physical health. It is just as important, if not more so, to digest spiritual nourishment. We're told that we have to stay close to Him to live a full life. This is done by spending time reading God's Word & time talking with Him in prayer every day. These are essential for being a part of the family of God. By studying God's Word & putting them into practice great fruit will blossom giving Him more glory. Jesus warns us that if people neglect to do these things our Father in Heaven will separate them from the body of believers. If these branches continue to have fellowship with other branches it will choke their production & be the same as tares, or weeds, growing in a crop of wheat. God will remove these so there will be a greater harvest.
It is human nature to want to get the most out of life. To do that we should abide in our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. When we have an intimate relationship with Him, like the vine & branches, great things will happen in & through us. Knowing this scripture will create a greater desire in our hearts to faithfully read & study the Word of God. Doing that will better enable us to handle the circumstances that come with life. By applying this scripture when bad things happen we can see how the trials we go through could be God's way of removing things that are obstacles in leading a pure life devoted to Him. He is taking away, or pruning, the things that are hindering us from worshiping & serving Him with all of our heart, mind, body, & soul. By spending time with God every day His Word will become part of our very being. When we accept Jesus as our Savior His righteousness is imparted to us & we are made acceptable in the sight of Almighty God.
Respond – Reading these verses prompt us to look into our lives & ask questions about how we stand in the garden of life. We ask things like how does this make us feel about ourselves, our church, or the ministries we are involved in. Are we a fruitful branch or one that needs to be pruned? How would God use His Word to “prune” or cleanse you to make you ready to become more fruitful? When I apply the teaching of this scripture to my life the activities I do will be more righteous & glorifying to God the Father. I know that having an intimate relationship with Jesus is not only something I should do it is something I must do to live up to the full potential life has for me and to reach the goal God has set for me to be more like His Son Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving – Heavenly Father, I thank you for wanting me to be a part of Your family. You want me so much You made it possible for me to pass from death to eternal life through the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus. I pray that from this day on I will live according to Your will & everything I do will bring honor & glory to your name. May I not commit sins & I pray when others see the blessings of living the truly Christian life many other souls will be led to You for eternal salvation. I love You, Lord. I thank You & praise you in Jesus' name. Amen
