Just Be A Branch
Fortifying the Foundations #34
John 15:1-17[1]
4-25-04
Intro
1. Have ever struggled in you walk with the Lord and found yourself asking, “How can I make Christianity work in my life?” There is no passage in the Bible that better answers that question than Jesus’ words in John 15. In my early experience I really struggled with that question—almost to the point of giving up. I was saved in a legalistic church that talked a lot about what I should do but very little about how to do it. I would struggle through the week sincerely trying to “live the Christian life” and then go to church Sunday morning. I would look around at all the people. They seemed so pious and holy sitting there in the pews. It seemed to me that others were cut out for Christianity but I wasn’t. The truth is I just didn’t understand what Jesus is saying here in our text.
In verse 16 Jesus talks about his will for our lives. John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” God designed each and every one of us to be fruitful. Are you bearing the fruit God designed you to produce?
2. What kind of fruit is God looking for in your life? He is looking for the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peach, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.[2] He is looking for the life of Jesus to be expressed through you and me— his character, his works, his will being done, lives being impacted by his love flowing through us.
3. My first reaction to that is a bit of panic. The works of Jesus, his character, his love flowing through me transforming people’s lives, that sounds like a lot to ask. I’m not sure I can live up to that. Have you ever felt a little overwhelmed when you realized God’s call on your life and His purpose for you? Can any of us do the works of Christ, be his representative here on earth, love others the way he loves them, demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit? In my own strength it is an absolute impossibility.
4. But here is the good news. I don’t have to do all that. All I have to do is allow him to do it through me, which is a very different matter. In fact, a whole lot of frustration can come into our lives if we don’t understand that distinction.
5. Paul makes that distinction in Galatians 5 when he contrasts the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit. Normally we would expect him to contrast bad works and good works. The works of the flesh are bad works. They are things we produce out of our flesh that are contrary to the will of God. But the good that is produced in our lives is not called works in that passage but fruit. Fruit is something that naturally happens when God’s life is producing godliness in our lives. We don’t have to make it happen. All we have to do is let it happen.
6. Think about the job of a branch. All it does is be an extension of the vine. It doesn’t have to produce life. It just receives life from the vine. It doesn’t have to decide what kind of fruit to produce. As the life of the vine flows through it, it just naturally produces the fruit consistent with what the vine is. The life is in the vine. The vine does it all. The vine extends its roots into the soil and draws the minerals and nutrients and moisture. The vine sends the sap to the branches so that fruit can bud forth.
It is impossible for a branch to function as a vine. The branch does not have life in itself. It is totally dependent on the vine for its life and productivity. The great mistake we make is to try to be the vine when all we have to be is a branch. Life is very frustrating for a branch that is trying to be a vine.
Jesus begins our text in John 15 by explaining
I. Our Relationship with him.
1. At the end of Chapter 14 he concludes one portion of his teaching by leading the disciples out of the upper room toward the Garden of Gethsemane. John 14 ends with Jesus saying “Come now; let us leave.” It’s a fair assumption that that is exactly what they did. As they walked toward Gethsemane it is very possible that they passed by a vineyard[3] where Jesus began his teaching in John 15:1. “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.” In verse 5 he clearly says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”
2. Why does Jesus consider it so important for these disciples to understand the relationships that he is describing? He is about to be crucified. He will no longer be with them in the flesh. So how are they going to deal with the persecution that is coming their way? How are they going to advance the kingdom of God in Jesus’ absence? How are they going to challenge the might of Rome with the message of Christ? How are they going to successfully fulfill the call of God on their lives?
Their natural inclination would be to either give it up as impossible or try to do it in their own strength, which will not work either. They are going to have to learn how to allow God’s life to flow through them and let Him accomplish His purposes through them. That’s the way Jesus had operated. Now they must learn to operate that way as well. Everything depends upon it.
3. Here is perhaps the greatest source of discouragement and frustration in Christian’s lives. We want to do the right thing. We want to accomplish great things for God. We want to please God. But we don’t really understand how that gets done. We try to live the Christian life but the problem is that it is us trying to live it rather than Jesus living it through us.
Do you know what it feels like to be frustrated with your own failures and shortcomings? Believe it or not, that may be the beginning of your victory. Until we realize we can’t do it—we will keep trying to do it in our own strength. And nobody can do it that way. (Romans 7)
Perhaps some of us have learned a measure of dependence upon the Lord. But still we have so much more to learn.
5. The first thing these disciples had to know—and the first thing you and I need to know is what our relationship with the Lord really is. It is exemplified by the relationship of a branch to the vine. The branch has no life of its own. It is dependent upon the vine for its life. The branch cannot produce fruit by itself. The vine produces the fruit through it. I think I know that but does my behavior really verify that I know it? Does my prayer life reflect that or does the way I invest my time and energy really say that I still think I can do something worthwhile in my own strength?
6. The relationship between the branch and the vine can be summed up in one word: dependence. I am dependent upon Jesus as the vine to supply His life flow in me so that what is produced is a fruit of his life flow rather than a work of my carnal efforts (no matter how well intended). My life is simply an extension of His life. We must think according to that truth. We must act according to that truth. Our whole lives must be lived in the light of that truth.
a. In contrast to what Jesus is teaching here, most of us try to live our lives as if we were the vines and Jesus is an attachment to us—a kind of support to help us do what we want to do. We have our goals, our desires, our work, our play and we attach Jesus to our lives. But Jesus wants us to understand something. He is not an attachment to our lives. We are an attachment to his life (Grafted into Him).[4] He is not dependent upon us. We are dependent upon him.
b. I am dependent upon the Father as the vinedresser to prune the things in my life that are robbing me of fruitfulness. Obviously sin blocks the flow of life in me and robs me of fruitfulness. There are cares of this life, distractions, worldliness that may not be evil but are superfluous and need to be cut away. There are attitudes in me that He deals with—outgrowths of fleshly ambition, jealousy, pride that need to be cut out of my life.
So here is a work of the Father in our lives. Verse 2, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” What does a pruned tree look like? It can look pretty naked. Right after it has been pruned it does not look as good as a tree that has not been pruned. There are seasons in our lives when the fruit just seems to flow. God is blessing. Things are happening. We feel victorious. The devil runs from us in Jesus name. People appreciate us. Lives around us are being changed. People are getting saved and we are having a positive impact.
And then there are seasons when you feel like a stub. There’s no beautiful green foliage. All that has vanished. People are certainly not impressed with you. You feel like there’s not much left of you. You wonder if you will ever produce anything worthwhile for God. About all you can do is hang in there and know that the Father is really a very capable vinedresser. He is not pruning your life as a rejection or because you are unfruitful. He is working in your life to produce even more fruit.
Heb 12:5-11 “And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.’ 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
In John 15 Jesus is talking to Christians. Verse 3 “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” Have you been born of the incorruptible seed[5] of the word of God? Has God’s word found place in your heart and led you to commit your self to Jesus as Lord and Savior? If so, you are already in Christ[6] You are in this life-giving relationship that Jesus illustrates when he says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”
Based upon that relationship, Jesus’ tells us one thing to do.
II. Our Responsibility to Him. “Remain in me!”
That message runs all through this passage. It is the one and only thing we are called upon to do—remain. Verse 4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” What does it mean to remain in Christ?
1st It means very simply, “Don’t leave.”
Imagine putting a young child on a flight from Springfield to Los Angeles. The American Airlines flight has a brief stop in Dallas but then goes from there non-stop to Los Angels. You have made all the arrangements for the child to have a safe, successful trip. Family members will be waiting at LAX airport to receive the child back home safely. You have arranged for the airline stewardess to walk the child to them when they arrive in LA. You have gotten approval for the child to just stay in his seat in Dallas. Now as you take the child to the airport you have only one message for him. “Remain in the plane. Everything is taken care of; all you have to do is just remain in your seat. And you will arrive at the desired destination.” That’s what Jesus is saying to these disciples. I have gotten you on board with me. Don’t get off the plane in Dallas. Just remain there and I will get you home safely.”[7]
Heb 10:35-39 “35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”
2. Remaining in Christ means we remain in his love. Verse 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
What does that mean? Does it mean Christ might stop loving me? No, his love for you is everlasting and unconditional. He will not stop loving you. But by our disobedience we can remove ourselves from the benefits of his love.[8] The prodigal son in Luke 15 left his father’s presence. That father never ceased to love his son. But by his own decision that son left the loving atmosphere of home and wandered into a land full of hardship and trouble. His father was at the farm waiting to help him. But the prodigal left that provision and deprived himself of his father’s love. Only when he returned to that place did he experience the love of his father. It was there all along but he had removed himself from its atmosphere.
That’s why Jude writes in his epistle, verse 20 “20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
3. Remaining in Christ means we obey his commands. There is a terrible trap that many people fall into called legalism. That error is precisely the result of not understanding the relationship Jesus is describing in our text. The other error is to think that we can just ignore the revealed will of God, ignore the boundaries and commandments in the word of God, do whatever we want whenever we want and everything will be fine.
But Jesus says in John 15:10 “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love...” He continues to link obedience with love. Here is the key to remaining: it is obeying. Jesus said, “If you obey you will remain...” What happens when I disobey? I remove myself from the flow of God’s Spirit. I grieve the Spirit[9] and therefore deprive myself of life-flow. Remember what Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” Love is irrevocably linked with obedience. If we really love God we will obey Him. The way we remain in him and in his love is to obey his commands.
There are some wonderful things that happen when we live in this intimate communion[10] with Christ.
III. Our Reward in Him.
1. We experience joy! Verse 11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Jesus wants to share his joy with us. How does that happen? It happens in intimacy and fellowship with him. Jeanie (my wife) and I share one another’s joy. Our lives are intertwined. We experience things together. I cannot have her joy apart from her. It is as I remain in her that I partake of her joy. It is as I live in fellowship with Christ that his joy can fill my heart. And when his joy fills my heart I am full of joy.
2. This abiding/remaining/communing with Christ also causes us to love one another. Verse 12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” That is a high standard of love: “as I have loved you.” How has Jesus loved you? He loved you before you loved him. He loved you enough to sacrifice for you. He loved you unconditionally. “Love each other as I have loved you.”
How can I possibly love in accordance with that standard? I can only do it as I abide in his love. I can only do it as the Holy Spirit sheds God’s love abroad in my heart. I can only love like that as the life and character of Jesus flows through me by the influence of the Holy Spirit.
3. Jesus says those who remain in him are his friends! Verse 15 “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
The obedience we are invited to walk in with God is not a blind obedience without purpose or relationship. It is an obedience that is in partnership with the one we love.
Abraham was called a friend of God. How did he enter into that relationship with God.
Heb 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” When God was about to destroy Sodom he shared that information with his friend, Abraham. A friend can be trusted with information. There is a loyalty there that makes it safe.
Look how Jesus links this friendship with obedience. John 15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command.”
4. In this kind of relationship and fellowship our prayers are effectual. John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.” Notice in that verse, two conditions for effective prayer: 1. If you remain in me—that means we are obedient to the Lord. We stay in the realm of his will for our lives. We stay in vital fellowship with him. 2. And my words remain in you. Ps 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!” NKJV When God’s word becomes engrafted in our hearts we start thinking right. Then we start doing right. And we pray right (according to the will of the Father).
Effectual prayer is not my getting God to do what I think He should do. Effectual prayer is me getting so connected with God that I am partnering in what He wants to do and I am praying the kind of prayers that He can righteously answer. Ps 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Conclusion:
Jesus wants all that for you and me. Biblical Christianity is all of that. Much of what we experience is sub-Christian. It’s not that we don’t belong to the Lord. It’s just that we live way below the privilege that is ours in Christ.
Jesus is telling us to do one thing in this passage: stay connected with him, live in fellowship with him, draw our life and strength from him, obey him, depend upon him.
All of that is wrapped up in this imperative, “Remain in me!”
Always move toward Him not away from Him. Even today you may want to pray, Lord, I need you more than ever before.” In fact, I invite anyone who so desires to join me in that prayer.
TEXT: John 15:1-17
15:1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other. NIV
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Text was presented earlier in the service using DVD from Visual Bible International (www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com). Text is provided at end of manuscript. All quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
[2] Galatians 5:22-23
[3] Frank Gaebelein, Expositors Bible Commentary, Vo. 9 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981) p.150 also proposes the possibility that they passed by the great golden vine on the temple gate which was a reminder of prophetic references in the OT to Israel as God’s vine (Ps 80 and Isa. 5:1-7 are examples). The metaphor of the vine was therefore not a completely new concept to these disciples.
[4] Romans 11:17-21
[5] 1 Peter 1:23
[6] Paul uses the terminology “in Christ” often, for example, Romans 8:1; 1Corintians 1:30; 15:22; 2Corinthians 5:17; Phil. 4:21.
[7] F.B. Myer, Gospel of John (Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania: Christian Literature Crusade, 1983) p.268. My illustration is an updated version of the one he used years ago. His comments on p. 265 also enriched my understanding of Jesus’ command to remain.
[8] I am sure this thought is not original with me but I cannot remember where I read it.
[9] Ephesians 4:30
[10] Time does not allow for me to deal with this intimate communion with Christ in relationship to the metaphor Jesus is using in our text. However, Andrew Murray has written some excellent books on the subject, which were published by Moody Press in Chicago.
