JCSLK 67 In the Upper Room 3 Jesus Is The Vine John 15:1-8

 

JCSLK 67 In the Upper Room 3 Jesus Is The Vine

Text: John 15:1-8

Introduction:

To many Christians living the Christian life, especially having the joy, peace and hope of the Christian life can be confusing. We know what it is to believe, but we often can’t make the transition to living. It’s almost as if believing in Christ and living in Christ are two separate things instead of one seamless way of life.

It is a little like a story which is supposed to have happened centuries ago when the Pope decided that all the Jews who were then in Rome should leave. Not surprisingly, there was uproar in the Jewish community. So, the Pope made a deal. He would debate it with one of the Jewish communities, and if the Jew won, they could stay, but if the Pope won, then the Jews would have to leave. The Jews realized they had no choice, so they picked a man called Moshé to represent them.

Moshe agreed, but on one condition. Since their native languages were different, and neither would be at a disadvantage, they would need to use sign language. To this the Pope agreed. So the day of the great debate came, and Moshé and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute, neither side moving or speaking. Then the Pope made the first move, by raising his hand and showing three fingers. Moshé looked back and in the most determined of ways, raise just one finger.

The Pope then waved his three fingers around his head. Moshé thought hard, and pointed his one finger to the ground where he sat. Finally, the Pope brought out some bread and a glass. Whereupon Moshé brought out an apple.

At this the Pope looked utterly overwhelmed. "I give up" he cried out "This man is too good. The Jews can stay"

An hour later the college of Cardinals met with the Pope to ask whatever had happened.

"Well first" said the Pope "I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded with just one finger to remind me that there is one God common to both religions. So I waved my fingers around to show him that God is all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground, showing that God was also right with us.

So, I brought out bread and wine to represent God's answer to human sin. He pulled out an apple to remind me of original sin which binds all people together. He had an answer for everything … what else could I do?"

Meanwhile, the entire Jewish community was crowding around Moshé to ask whatever had happened. "Well" said Moshé "He began by saying that the Jews had three days to leave Rome" I told him we were staying, right to the last one. Then he told me the entire city was going to be cleared of Jews. So, I let him know we were staying right where we were" "But then what happened?" they asked. "This is the bit I really don't understand" said Moshé "He took out his lunch and I took out mine!" - http://www.ebcg.ch/sermons/050220.htm Evangelical Baptist Church of Geneva 2006

Living in Christ is what the first part of John 15 is about. In this passage Jesus teaches the disciples to “abide” in Him. And this is what living in Christ is all about, it is the how, the what and the why of Christian living. Abiding in Christ simply means learning to trust him in such a way that His power, grace and strength flows from Him and into us. It is the core of what it means to living the way a Christian should live.

The Vine and the Husbandman - John 15:1-3

John 15:1-3 ​1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

The Son and The Father

Jesus uses the symbol of a grapevine to explain the relationship between the Son, Father and Believers. This isn’t a parable, but it is symbolic, but like a parable, in symbolic language we look for one overall interpretation or meaning. What meaning is Jesus conveying by using the symbol of a grapevine?

First, He says that He is the is the “true vine.”

Jesus is saying that He is the genuine vine of righteousness replacing the vine that Israel was supposed to be.

Isaiah 5:1-7 1 Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. 2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. 6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgement, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

Jesus will now fulfill His Father’s will as the vine that will bring forth judgment (justice) and righteousness.

Jesus also says, “My Father is the husbandman, the vinedresser.”

He says that His Father prunes the branches that grow from the vine that they might be more fruitful.

The figure means that God gave, or appointed his Son to be, the source of blessings to man; that all grace descends through him; and that God takes care of all the branches of this vine—that is, of all who are by faith united to the Lord Jesus Christ. –Barnes Commentary on John 15

Two words are used here for pruning in the Greek they form a play on words which we can’t see in the English. The Greek words airei, taketh away, and kathairei, purgeth. The play on words in English would translate as “cuts away” and “cuts back.” – Tyndale NT Commentary on John pg 176

Jesus then tells the disciples that they are now “clean” kathairei, cut back though the word that He has spoken to them. His teaching in the upper room, his sending away of Judas, his admonishing them for not knowing Him or the understanding about where He must go, “cut back” their ignorance and “cut away” one of their own members so now as a group, they were clean.

The First Aspect of Christian Living

If ever we would be able to truly live the Christian life, then we must understand what Jesus is saying here.

First, Jesus establishes Himself as the source of all blessing in our life, that is not hard, that it a joy to experience. He then says the Father is the vinedresser, the One who will determine by His working in our life, how fruitful we should be. He will do this by cutting and cleaning the branches.

One lesson in two facets. Jesus is the source of our spiritual life and the Father is the determiner of what that life can achieve. He does that by cutting, pruning, shaping us our lives and the circumstances of our life. Now, cuts are never pleasant, are they? No one likes getting cut. The cutting or the pruning that Jesus is talking about here is of course not physical, but it can be even more painful. This is what the Bible refers to as chastisement.

Hebrews 12:5-7 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

This cutting, pruning, chastening by the Father, is the way in which God works in our life and the circumstance around our life to make us live the Christian life. He desires fruit from us and in order for that to happen, then we must submit to His hand, guidance and care. If you are not willing to be shaped by the Father’s hand, then not only will we not be fruitful for Him but we will not have the fruit in our lives that we desire in our life.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We want Love, joy and peace in our life, but we can’t find it in us it must flow through Jesus and then through us and by the guiding hand of the Father bring forth fruit.

 They first truth about true life in Christ is accepting the Fathers hand and trusting in his wisdom to do what is necessary to cut away that which will not bring forth fruit for Jesus.

Jesus then goes on to talk about the second aspect of the fruitful vine, the branches.

The Vine and the Branches - John 15:4-5

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing..

The Son and The Disciples

The father is the vinedresser, Jesus is the true vine and the disciples are the branches. Jesus tells the disciples to abide in Him, just as branches must stay attached to the vine in order to live and to bear fruit.

Jesus commands His now “clean” disciples, “Abide in me and I in you.” He tells them this is essential, “You cannot bear fruit except you abide in me. He emphasized the relationship again, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” He is telling them that in the same way a branch cannot live unless it is attached to the vine neither can the disciples live and bear fruit outside of a constant, consistent and complete attachment to Jesus Christ.

There is no eternal life with believing in Jesus and there is no true present Christian life without being attached to Jesus daily and dynamically.

The Second Aspect of Christian Living

Christians today look to multiple means for being fruitful, of living the Christian life. We look in so called successful, growing, gargantuan churches. Or search out TV listing or internet feeds for the newest, latest and greatest preacher, prophet of pundit. Some seek signs and miracles believing these are the key to living as a Christian.

Yet Jesus gave only one way to live and to bring forth fruit, He emphatically commands, “Abide in me.”

Okay, Lord, then what do I do to abide in Christ. Do I need to give greater effort, more energy, or more money? Not if we listen to what Jesus is saying here. The symbol Christ uses teaches us what it is that we need when it comes to fruitful Christian living.

Vs 5 Listen again; I am the vine ye are the branches . He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing.

The branch of a grapevine does not do anything of itself. It does not strain and concentrate on the need to grow a leaf or send out a tendril or shoot forth a bud or grow a cluster of grapes. These things happen because the branch is attached to the vine. As long as the life-giving flow of nutrients and water move from the vine to the branches, growth takes place and the fruit will come.

This second aspect of the Christian life is staying strongly secured, absolutely attached to the vine, Jesus Christ. Be close to Jesus. Draw all you need from Him. Trust that all you can do must come through Jesus, then through you and finally produce the fruit of the Chistian life. As long as that relationship is strong, there will be fruit.

We often miss how this really works. We think if I am to live the Chritian life, then I must read my Bible a lot, pray a lot, go to church a lot, witness a lot, sacrifice lot. When I do these things then I will be living the Christian life. But what did Jesus say? Abide in me. We read the Bible, pray, go to church, witness not to make myself a better Christian but because those things draw me closer to Jesus. These things let me draw more from the vine because the more I know Him, the more I walk with Him, the more I serve and sacrifice for Him, the more I am attached to Jesus, the vine.

Are you plugged in?

Back in the day when you would buy a personal computer, a PC and bring it home, you entered into a whole new world of computing and most people had no idea what all that meant. In his book Spiritual Stamina, Stuart Briscoe tells the story of a man who bought a new computer. Bringing his new prize home, he carefully opened the box, gingerly took the machine out, studied its manual, and connected the wires. Eagerly he flipped on the power switch -- but nothing happened. Puzzled, the man switched the computer off and rechecked all the connections. He rounded up a screwdriver and fastened the wires more securely. He read again the relevant portion of the manual. Satisfied that he'd followed directions, he flipped the computer on -- and again nothing happened. As his anger rose the man's little girl walked into the room.

"Hi, Daddy!" her cheery voice rang out.  "What a pretty computer! Can I plug it in?" - Moody, 6-23-91

The most important part about computing was to plug it in. The same is true about living the Christian life. If you’re struggling the first thing you better do is make sure you’re plugged into Jesus. He is the vine, We are the branches and without Him we can do nothing.

There is one more element of Christian living, of being fruitful for Christ and it is in…

 The Vine and the Promises - John 15:6-8

John 15:6-8 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

The Son and Two Promises

Jesus makes two promises, the first sorrowful the second joyful. “If a man does not abide in Christ he like a branch is cast forth, withers, gathered and burnt but If a man abides in Christ, and His words abide in them then you shall ask anything and it shall be done. This glorifies the Father. By abiding in Jesus and the fulfilled promise of fulfilled prayer shows them to be true disciples.

Two promises, both equally true and both equally misunderstood at times.

The first is a promise of loss because the believer has lost his attachment to Christ, he no longer abides in Him.

Understand, this is not a casting off to damnation in Hell or losing your salvation. Jesus is talking to believers in the upper room. He is not talking about being saved because they are already saved. This discourse is not about salvation but about discipleship and about fruitfulness. And always, always remember, just like a parable you cannot use a symbol or a metaphor to prove doctrine. This symbolism has one overall truth, abide, dwell, live in Jesus.

What Jesus is saying is that those believers who will not submit themselves to the shaping of their lives by the Father and will not stay close to Christ will be judged, cut off rather than cut to serve. Some will be cast off through the discipline of the church, some through sin that removes them from service to Christ, some though depression and anxiety that prevents them from experiencing fruitfulness.

Their discipleship and their fruit withers on the branch and they, the works, the useless fruit, are cut away from the vine. But this is not eternal judgment, Jesus is simply following the symbol of what happens in a literally vineyard. The dead, unfruitful branches are gathered up and burned. It is a judgment of their works not of their salvation.

1 Corinthains 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The joyful promise, the one we want to see fulfilled in our life, is a promise of fruitfulness, not of being cast away but of glorifying the father through the way we live, serve and walk with Jesus. It is as simple as the illustration itself, the branch that is close to Christ is fruitful. The branch that abides in Him, brings glory to the Father.

The Third Aspect of Christian Living

Is really a question we must ask ourselves every day, Am I abiding in Christ?

I want to experience the joy of the fulfilled promise of glorifying my Father in Heaven. I will know that promise in my life by power of my prayers and His working through me. The key to the promise then and the key to the promise now is the same, staying attached to Christ. Will I abide in Him and do His words dwell in me?

Only you can answer this for yourself. Do I spend a dedicated part of my day just to be with Christ? Do I read his word on a regular basis? Do I pray with expectation because I know that it is Christ in me that is empowering my prayers? Do I trust that close connectedness to Jesus on a moment by moment basis?

Acts 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Conclusion

The Henry Francis Lyte, Author of Abide With Me

He was born on June 1, 1793, in Scotland. He lost both his parents while while he was very young. He grew up in abject poverty as most orphans, especially back in the 19th century. But he overcame his poverty to study at Trinity College, Dublin, Initially wanting to be a doctor but felt the call of God and was 1815, and served in various churches, but his last was a long tenure as pastor of All Saints Church in Devon, England, back then a smale fishing.

Lyte suffered from poor health throughout his adult life, and developed tuberculosisIn 1847, at only 54, he faced final battle with sickness. He preached his last sermon in Brixham and boarded a ship for Italy to try and regain his health. Tradition holds that on the evening after his farewell service, he walked along the coast in reflection and prayer, then returned to write or complete the hymn "Abide with Me." He handed it to a relative with a tune he composed himself boarded the ship to Europe while his congregation he had served for so many years bid him farewell through tears and sorrow. Pastor Lyte never regain his health and died within the next year. Lyte said his inspiration for the hymn came from Luke 24:29 the story of the two disciple on the Road to Emmaus who walked with Jesus that Sunday evening. As they came to the end of their journey they turned to Jesus and when it looked like he would keep going, “they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent."

As we close our service this morning may we, like Pastor Lyte and those disciple, seek to have Jesus abide with us. For we know that without Him we can do nothing.