Title: Jesus said: “I am the true Vine” Type: Series
Scripture: Jn. 15:1-17 Where: Navigators UI 10-10-24
Intro: Pastor Simala Grant asks: How many of you know what you are supposed to do when you get lost in the woods? (answer: remain where you are until somebody comes and finds you). Have any of you ever tried to do that? Can you imagine how difficult that must be? To simply remain in one place, waiting, passive, hoping someone will find you? Many people don’t remain in one place – instead they decide to try it on their own, to try to find the way back themselves. They get tired of doing nothing, get sick of waiting, they panic and try to get themselves out of the trouble they are in. And they end up making the situation worse – they end up getting even more lost and decreasing the chances of rescuers will find them. Illust – Me in SC deer hunting Fall of 1992. No cell phones. Friend finally found me… “Where did you go? I came looking for you. All had to do was abide. Wait. “Abiding” is the key to fruitful discipleship found in John 15:1-8. That is the idea I want to look at today – what does it take to be a fruitful disciple, and how do we do that?
Prop: What did Jesus mean for us when He said He was the “true Vine”?
BG: 1. In this allegory Jesus again makes a statement of comparison, here it is “I am the true vine”. 2. If you are keeping track, 14:31 Xst and remaining disciples leave upper room and they go out to what will take them to Mt. of Olives, the Garden, and ultimately Christ’s arrest.
3. 7 “I Am” statements in John. Are 3 key words/ideas repeated in this allegory: abiding, obeying, bearing, each is important in the concept of bearing fruit.
Prop: Let’s look at John 15 to see what Jesus meant when He declared Himself the “True Vine”.
I. 1st We See: The basis of Bearing Fruit. Vv.1-6
A. Bearing Fruit is based on a Relationship with Jesus Christ.
1. Conversion is the first step in the process of bearing fruit for the Lord.
a. v.3 – “You are already clean because of the word…” Rom. 10:17 – “So faith comes from hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ.” Who does John 1 say is the Word? Christ! Conversion is a work of Christ. Solely. Illust – I have witnessed the birth of all 5 of my children. I can say authoritatively, no is born clean! Nurse has to clean up child. No one is born spiritually clean either. Need Christ.
b. Let me ask you, are you trying to earn favor with God? Are you trying to do things for the Lord? If you are not yet a Christian, let me tell you that you need to let Him do something for you! You need to repent of your sins and by faith receive His free gift of salvation.
2. Why did Christ use the figure of a Vine to illustrate the point? Illust- If I asked what is the symbol of Israel today: Star of David. The grape vine and olive tree were the traditional symbols of Israel – Ps. 80:8-18; Is. 5:1-7; Jer. 2:21; Ez. 19:10-14; Hos. 10:1. So what is it that Christ is saying in v. 1? “I am the true Israel of God.” Being in a proper relationship to God has nothing to do with your ethnic birth origin, rather, it has everything to do with your 2nd birth in Christ.
B. Bearing Fruit is Conditional Upon Being in Christ
1. Christ’s allegory of the Vine teaches the Christian a lesson in producing fruit.
a. Jesus is the whole vine, not merely stem, so that as branches, those who believe in Him are not merely connected to Him, they are absorbed by Him.
b. Illust- My wife’s grandfather was a very godly man. Left MIT in the late 1920’s to go to Bible college and mission field. Nearly every letter wrote he signed: Gal. 2:20 “I’ve been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me…” Recognized that this commitment to Christ didn’t mean some cheap brand of spiritual fire insurance, but rather, that it changed entire way live life. Illust- Do you know old Russian proverb when person became Christian, detractors used to say: “Those who have the disease called Jesus will never be cured.”
2. What is the condition of the Unfruitful branches?
a. Who are these “unfruitful branches”? Different opinions. Peril of false or pretend believers.
b. The unfruitful branches at one time were attached to Christ. There was a time, a point, when they began to bud and sprout. They even grew into branches. They listened to Jesus and the Gospel. Possibly they made professions of faith. Possibly were baptized, seemed capable of bearing fruit. Yet, concerns and cares came and choked away life. (Illust: Isn’t that exactly what Jesus said in Mt. 13 – 4 types of soils and yet only one soil was fruitful.)
C. Applic: Being connected to Jesus in an all-absorbing relationship of His Lordship is the key to bearing fruit.
II. 2nd We See: The Resources Available for bearing Fruit. V. 7
A. The Fruitful Christian Abides in the Vine.
1. A Picture of the Christian’s Relationship to Christ is seen in the Figure of the Vine.
a. “abide” – meno- GK – used 9X in 1st 10 verses, IMPORTANT! Means to remain, or dwell, or last. Really this isn’t difficult to picture. In growing grapes, if branch becomes disconnected from vine, what happens? Shrivels and dies. When stays attached and healthy, derives nutrients and sustenance from the vine and thrives!
b. What practical steps do I need to take to make sure I am abiding in Christ? Daily in the Word? Praying? Fellowship? Church?
2. The Christian Must Remain Connected to Christ to be Fruitful.
Illust- Old house we had tall bush blueberries in backyard. Right soil and rain combination and have tremendous blueberries. Battle the birds! Occasionally by kids or dogs or deer, few of the lower branches get broken off. A day or two after broken off, fruit still ok. More than a couple and withers. Jesus is speaking to this very principle. Some of us here today maybe haven’t taken new steps in our spiritual lives in months or years. Are you allowing your faith and fruitfulness to wither on the vine? Abide in Christ!
B. The Fruitful Christian asks of the Lord to meet his/her needs.
1. Illust- Ever since I was a kid a saw the 1960’s Aladdin, I always dreamed of what it would be like to have three wishes to ask for and know I would get them. You ever done same?
2. What is the context of this passage? Bearing fruit. If we are seeking to bear fruit, if we are seeking to honor God, if we are abiding in Christ and His word in us, what can we ask Christ for? V.7 “Whatever you wish” – Million$$? Why? Improve your lifestyle or build orphanage in India? Homeless center in America? Support indigenous workers in closed countries? Or so you can live in a better neighborhood, drive better car, better clothes, better hobbies…
C. Applic: Do you desire to remain fruitful for your Savior? Abide!
III. 3rd We See: The Results of Bearing Fruit. V.8
A. God is Glorified when we Produce Much Fruit.
1. Why are we to produce much fruit?
a. How many have goals for life? Possibly financial, educational, etc? Do you have goal to glorify God? My experience, tend to do what set as a goal.
b. Illust- The bragging rights of a vineyard is according to how many pounds of grapes are produced per vine. We do the same in Iowa. Only the basis is how many bushels per acre of corn or beans. Listen to Hawkeye football, seems like half ads are for seed and fertilizer companies. Sales pitch is promised increased yields. *We need to see increased yields of souls saved. I recently heard a pastor say that every church in IC could grow 6x current attendance/membership, and not steal “sheep” from other churches. Do you know how this takes place? When we are obsessed and consumed with passion for the glory of God!
2. What is the type of fruit that we are to produce “much” of?
a. There is an internal aspect to this fruit: Character of Christ. – Gal. 5:22ff – “Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”
b. There is also an external aspect to this fruit: We are expected to see others come to faith in Christ. Do you know how to share your faith in Christ? Some of most effective witnesses ever seen were new believers. How many of you here tonight have been a Christian less than 3 years? God bless you! You are in an awesome place to lead others to Christ! Majority of friends still non-Christian? Wonderful!
B. When We Produce Fruit we Prove to be Christ’s Disciples.
1. Spiritual fruit in our lives is an evidence of our Christian Faith.
a. Illust- 90% of all N. American Christians would never lead another person to faith in Christ! Astounding! What you are doing is phenomenal.
b. Illust- Years ago had family in Maine and often traveled thru Canada to get there. Crossed the border at Port Huron/Sarnia. One time crossed at nearly midnight. Wasn’t a lot of traffic, and we got grilled. Asked if I was an American citizen. Yes! Asked for identification. Produced driver’s license. “Not sufficient. Anyone could fake that.” As part of the trip, Carol and I were continuing to Europe, so I said, “How about a passport? Would that be sufficient?” “Absolutely!” Passport is undeniable evidence of citizenship. Christians are to produce fruit as evidence of salvation. Listen, it is not being judgmental to be a fruit inspector!
2.
a. “Where people are not stunned by the greatness of God how can they be sent with the ringing message: “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” (Ps. 96:4) (Let the Nations…, Piper, p. 14)
b. Illust- Wm. Carey, father of the modern mission movement. “When I left England, my hope of India’s conversion was very strong; but amongst so many obstacles, it would die, unless upheld by God. Well, I have God and His Word is true. Though superstitions of the heathen were 1000x stronger than I supposed, and example of Europeans 1000x worse than I supposed, though I were deserted by all and persecuted by all, yet my faith, fixed on the sure word of God would rise above all obstructions…” (Puritan Hope, Murray, p. 140)
c. Applic: Christians bear internal and external fruit. Are you? Take some time to inspect your life. Have you led another to Christ? College is an exciting opportunity to change the direction of a life for eternity!
IV. 4th We See: The Dynamic in Bearing Fruit. vv 9–11
A. There is a Divine Synergism in Bearing Fruit.
1. IN order to bear fruit we must abide in Christ’s Love.
a. What do I mean when say “synergy”? the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects
2. In order to bear fruit we must obey Christ’s commands.
Illust- I was recently talking to a single man is involved in a particular moral failure. This man has been involved in this behavior for decades, off and on. Yet, man also states that he made a real commitment to Christ in his high school years. He is troubled with this and bemoans his lack felt spiritual security or vitality. Is it any wonder when consistently participating in something know is contrary to God’s Word. Jesus makes it very clear that we need to remove ourselves from consistent moral failure if we are to grow and experience assurance in the Christian life.
B. The Result will be the Christian will have Joy in Full. V. 11
1. Illust – Our era of the Western Christian Church is the most taught, trained and best preached to in history and yet it is also they most counseled, medicated. (I am not against either counseling or medication when necessary.) However, we have the source of joy right before us and we reject what is ours in Him!
2. There are more young people today on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications than at any time in history. Why? Average person has no purpose in life. What are they looking for? Joy! Where is that found? Hook-up culture? Bar crawl? College degree? Career? No! Found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
C. Applic: (Illust- Cassidy quit pursuit of DMA – no one is happy.)
V. 5th We See: Relationships Necessary to Bearing Fruit vv. 12 -17
A. Recognize Your Relationship to the Body of Christ.
1. As Christians we are to be in a special relationship with other brothers and sisters. We are called to love our brothers and sisters. Especially those you don’t like.
2. Loving the body of Christ is a choice of the will: Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. "I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me." Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan "Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that your're getting a divorce. That will really hurt him." With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, "Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!" And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting "as if." (After a couple of months) When she didn't return, Crane called. "Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?" "Divorce?" she exclaimed. "Never! I discovered I really do love him." Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. (J. Allan Petersen.)
B. Recognize Your Relationship to Christ.
1. Christ has raised the level of our relationship to Him through His death and Res.
Illust- Jesus says to His disciples: “You are no longer doulos – slave, one who was in a permanent relationship of servitude to another, but now a philos – friend, brother, or dear one! I don’t know about you. You might be having a bad day, you might be angry at the song birds just for singing, but this tells me that the Creator of the Universe, the Person who spoke ex-nilhio the universe into being, the very One Who sustains this world and all within it, the One Who thru His very death I have been reunited to the Heavenly Father, the One to Whom I owe all and would gladly serve as a slave for a millennium, calls me His FRIEND! And He says that to you!
2. What is the Value of a “friend” You really can’t place a monetary value on a friend. Priceless. “A friend is the first person who comes in when the whole world goes out.” (Henry Durbanville ) Jesus Christ is that friend!
C. Applic: Hampton Court near London has arguably the largest grapevine in the world. Lancelot Brown directed the planting of the Great Vine 1768 from a cutting taken at Valentines Mansion in Essex that was already several hundred years old. In 1887 it was already (4') around the base. It is now (13') around the base and the longest rod is (120'). It produces up to 850 lbs of grapes a year! Besides fertilizing and watering, pruning is one of most essential practices for the vine’s continuing health and vitality. Us too!
