The True Vine Series

Welcome to the last week of our I am: Discovering who Jesus says he is. Over the last 8 weeks we have explored the differing I am statements made by Jesus in the book of John. Let me start this morning with a little review.

The First week we looked at Jesus as the Great I am, while each of these statements are comparing the divinity of Christ and revealing more of his character of God, the first statement were the 3 times where Jesus made his e?? e?µ? I am that I am statements that revealed him as the great almighty God. This shows him as the timeless one of Israel, who is, who was and is to come, there in the beginning of time itself, and yet come as man, leaving heaven on High, living as fully man and fully God. When Jesus says this in Gethsemane, the soldiers fell down from his power, from the power of the God of the universe, even though he is man, he is God.

Second, we looked at Jesus as the Bread of Life, if we wish to join him in Life, we must join him in death, dying to our self and allowing him to live in us.

Third I am the Light of the world…Calling us to follow him, as he leads us through this dark world, and guards us through the wilderness

Fourth The Gate for the Sheep, protecting us from the enemy as we take shelter in the Fold…as the Gate He leads us to the Father

Fifth, The Good Shepherd, who cares for his sheep, who finds those who are lost and brings them back to himself.

Sixth: The Resurrection and the life: in Him we have victory because he has defeated Sin, death and the Grave

Last Week, Week Seven I am The way, the Truth and the life… Jesus is the way because he is the truth. That is the revelation of God and because of the life of God that resides in Him.

Today we come to the last of the Statements: I am the True Vine, please turn with me to John 15. As you turn let me remind you of what is going on in this passage. This is still a part of the same conversation that we talked about last week. They are walking from the last supper: from Passover where Jesus washed their feet, where Jesus revealed not only that he would be betrayed, but who would betray him, and they are on their way to the Garden. He is most likely either near the garden of Gethsemane or near some sort of vineyard as he starts talking in Verse 1

Read John 15:1-8

This 250-year-old vine is the oldest and largest living vine in the world with single root that is 13 feet in diameter. Planted in 1768 by Lancelot Brown, the fruit of this vine was intended for royalty.

Despite its age the vine produces 500 to 700 bunches of grapes a year that weigh 507 to 705 lb. The largest recorded crops of grapes from the Vine were 1,800 bunches in 1798 and 2,245 bunches in 1807. Even though some of the smaller branches are 120 feet from the main stem, they still bear the sweet and delicious fruit because they are connected to the vine. Life flows from that single root and throughout the vine bringing nourishment and strength to each of the branches.

Jesus talks in this passage that He is the true vine, this leads to a question, If Jesus is the true vine what is the false vine? Throughout the old Testament profits, Israel is referred to as the Vine…Listen to these scriptures:

Isaiah 5:1-8

A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:

My Well-beloved has a vineyard

[a]On a very fruitful hill.

2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,

And planted it with the choicest vine.

He built a tower in its midst,

And also [b]made a winepress in it;

So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,

But it brought forth wild grapes.

3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,

Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.

4 What more could have been done to My vineyard

That I have not done in it?

Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,

Did it bring forth wild grapes?

5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:

I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;

And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

6 I will lay it waste;

It shall not be pruned or [c]dug,

But there shall come up briers and thorns.

I will also command the clouds