Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD, USA
www.mycrossway.org
View this and other messages at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/channels/8118
I was looking at a recent Axiom/Momentive Poll where they asked Americans how they felt going into 2022. Over 51% said that they described their outlook of the New Year as “fearful” and that fear is driven primarily by economic concerns and fear over the ongoing COVID-19 “plan-demic.” Coupled with all of this is fear over the current political climate that is driving both of these issues. The top 5 words respondents used to describe 2021 were: exhausting, worrisome, chaotic, hectic, and hellish.”
We are living in unprecedented times and this poll describes the kind of world the Lord will find when he calls his church home with the Rapture. The day is closer than most want to believe. Even more concerning is the state of the church. As we have just studied in the 7 Churches of Revelation many in the church will fall away from the true gospel to compromise with the world - or doctrine of demons.
Early the other morning, I was walking our dog, Tarzan, around the neighborhood, when I heard the Holy Spirit say that “it is time for people to get their house in order.”
When Jesus said that he is the true vine (John 15:1), he was making it clear that there is no other vine and no other hope. When you are alive on the vine of Christ, the entire meaning of life is transformed. How you live, how you work, your marriage, how your raise your children, everything is different from the rest of the world and looks different from the rest of the world.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:1–11 ESV)
Last week, we started our study of John 15 and we examined the identity of those in Jesus’ parable of the vine. First Jesus identified himself as the true vine. The reality of this is that he is the only vine. We try to find our fulfillment in life through all types of vines. Money, relationships, work, power, addictions, you name it. The sad reality of all these things is that they will take life from you, no matter how much they promise something more. The only source of real meaning in life is the one who gives us life and that is the Lord Jesus Christ,
Second, Jesus identifies God the Father as the Vinedresser. The vinedresser is the owner of the vineyard. He is responsible for tending to the vine, keeping the vine healthy. He prunes the vine, keeps the branches off the ground, and cuts away the dead branches to make room for the fruit of the branches that are alive.
Then there are the branches. Man, al of man, are the branches on the vine. The question is are the branches receiving life on the vine or are they dead. Those who do not receive life from the Lord Jesus Christ are branches that are dead. They will one day be cut off from the vine by the Vinedresser and thrown into the fire. The remainder of the branches are those that are alive on the vine. They receive their life from the vine, meaning Jesus. They are the believers and they have one job: to bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The way we do that is through abiding.
Last week, we looked at the what of this parable. This morning, we examine the why or the purpose of each of the vine, the vinedresser, and the branches.
The Purpose of the Vine
Jesus does a complex picture: the vine, the branches, and the fruit. The main point of the analogy reveals the purpose of this entire parable is to show us the reality of the True Vine, which is to bring God-glorifying spiritual life and in turn bear spiritual fruit. To live a fruitful life of Christ-likeness, a branch must ABIDE in the vine. Jesus is clear in explaining this fruit-producing principle when he said: “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). We’ll talk more about this in a few minutes.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
What we must first understand is that apart from the vine, no branch can have life. The purpose of the vine is to be the supplier of life to the fruitful branches. The vine is the picture of the exclusive source of life- it’s how the branches and the fruit obtain nourishment. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and sending of the Holy Spirit is that life-giving vine. He is the sole source of life for all people and therefore, true life can only be gained through the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 15:4–5 ESV)
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6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 ESV)
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV)
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:11 ESV)
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21 ESV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ESV)
The Purpose of the Vinedresser
There are 3 main functions of God the Father as the Vinedresser of the vineyard: clearing, pruning, and lifting. The main purpose of the Vinedresser is to assure that the vine is producing the largest yield of healthy fruit. The careful caretaking of the branches is akin to God sovereignly working now and His judgment to come.
First Jesus says twice in this passage one of the principal works of the Father is to remove the dead and fruitless branches. The dead and fruitless branches he removes he throws into the fire. This is a clear reference to God’s eternal judgment. Friends, it is clear here and throughout Scripture that those alive in Christ will bear the fruit of Christ and those that do not receive new life in Jesus will face eternal judgment.
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19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. (Matthew 21:19 ESV)
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;(Colossians 1:9–10 ESV)
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9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:9 ESV)
The other work of the Vinedresser is to lift up branches that are alive but not bearing much fruit. The work of the father in the life of the believer is always to help the believer bear more and more fruit for Him. This is so the fruit on the vine does not touch the ground. Grapes are not like pumpkins and do not develop well when they touch the ground and so any branch that trails on the ground does not produce fruit. The vinedresser will lift up the branch and trellis it with string and poles so that it will be healthy and productive.
If you’re not bearing fruit for Jesus, God helps you. He doesn’t just lop you off the vine. John 15:4 “as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” This is the sanctifying work of God in our lives. God wants our lives out of the dirt. His desire is to lift us out of destructive behaviors, addictions, and the curse of this world. The question is will you put your faith in Him to lift you up? Many people believe that they can lift themselves up if they try hard enough. The truth is we are unable to lift ourselves up.
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2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. (Psalm 40:2 ESV)
The last thing the Father does is prune our lives. The Greek word here is katharizo, which means to cleanse, make clean, or purify. The idea here is that our Heavenly Father is doing the work of removing everything that would be detrimental to our fruitfulness. In spiritual terms is the removal of that which is harmful to our spiritual health.
Pruning can be painful. Sometimes God removes things that we love, but He knows need to be out of the way to make room for more of Him in you. We tend to want to clutter our lives with possessions, and business that robs our lives of living for Him. We load ourselves down with debt. We have habits that need to be stripped away to make room for more of His glory. We try to fill in our own self-righteousness instead of the righteousness of Christ. What our Father in Heaven does is remove all of these things so that all that remains are the pure branches of Christ bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
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33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 ESV)
God prunes us to teach us, not punish us, so that we will bear more fruit. God prunes us to give us the assurance of the completeness of His salvation in our lives and that we are truly saved. God prunes us to learn to abide in Jesus; that our lives fruitful, abundant, and rich in God
The Purpose of the Believer
You and I have 2 purposes and we’re going to get into each of these in detail next week. We are to abide and bear fruit. Ten times Jesus tells us in this section of Scripture to Abide. The Greek word, ‘men’ means to say, remain, don’t walk away, and don’t leave. This is a constant theme throughout the Scriptures and specifically, Jesus continually exhorts the believers in Revelation to persevere and overcome.
There were a couple of reasons this is so important. First, the work of the Vinedresser (the pruning and lifting up) can be stressful. The very sanctifying work of God in our lives is stressful. To the believer, especially the young disciple, the temptation may be to jump off the vine, to forsake the faith, or evade the work of God’s hands.
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12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, (Psalm 94:12 ESV)
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6 ESV)
Secondly, our faith is strained from the temptations and hatred of the world. There are more and more increasing temptations around us. Even more, this world and its rulers are doing all they can to rebel against God and those who put their faith in Him. We see how Government and Social Media are censoring those who oppose abortion, vaccine mandates, immoral behavior, and relationships while at the same time allowing open hatred of Christian values.
The reason we abide is to produce fruit. Just as fruit-bearing is the natural result of the branch being alive on the vine, so is fruit-bearing is the result of being alive and abiding in Christ. We are alive on the vine of Christ to bear fruit. The question is what is the fruit we will bear. We’ll get into more of that next week.
