Sermon Tone Analysis
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— 4 Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have 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.
When the Lord Jesus Christ unfolded his parable of the vine and the branches he knew what he was talking about,
When the Lord Jesus Christ unfolded his parable of the vine and the branches he knew what he was talking about,
for he wished to stress that his disciples must be fruitful, and
it is a characteristic of the vine that it is good for nothing except fruit-bearing.
If it does not produce grapes, it is worthless.
The reason for this is that the wood of the vine is too soft for any other purpose.
A tree might be cut down, sawed into planks, and then used to construct furniture or build a house.
But the vine is always gnarled and twisted and cannot yield planks.
Besides, it is brittle.
Anything built of it would soon break in the user’s hands and be worthless.
It is not even good for burning.
I read that at certain times of the year it was stipulated by law that the people were to bring wood offerings to the temple to supply the fires for the sacrifices.
But it was also laid down that the wood of the vine must not be brought, because it was useless for that purpose.
It burned too quickly.
The only thing that could be done with it, except letting it lie around, was to make a bonfire and destroy it quickly.
This, incidentally, is the basis of here the prophet is emphasizing the uselessness of Israel in her then, quite-unproductive state.
He writes,
“Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3 Is wood taken from it to make any object?
Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? 4 Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned.
Is it useful for any work?
This is the image that Jesus uses of those who are joined to him in saving faith.
So the question immediately arises:
Are we who are joined to Christ fruitful?
Are we useful to him?
Or are we merely a lot of leaves and dead wood, fit for nothing but to be gathered up and burned?
Now, the main idea of this passage is remaining or abiding in Christ.
The word “abide” occurs some 10 times from v4-10.
But then we come to this devastating phrase (in v6) used to describe all that fail to abide, “he is cast out as a branch”.
— 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
Those who do not abide has to be understood by what it means to abide.
Not abiding is bracketed in by the positive statements of abiding, “…He who abides in Me...” (v5).
And in 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
So we won’t really understand failing to abide until we learn what it is to abide.
The key to growth in godliness is remaining in the True Vine, who is Christ Jesus.
Here, remaining in Christ and bearing fruit is nothing less than
the outcome of persevering dependence on the vine,
driven by faith,
embracing all of the believer’s life and
the product of his witness.
And this fruitfulness comes as the Word of the Lord remains in the disciple.
Words must so lodge in the disciple’s mind and heart that
conformity to Christ,
obedience to Christ,
is the most natural (supernatural?) thing in the world.
Abiding in Christ, remaining in His Word, is essential to proper Christian discipleship and growth.
USE THE ORDINARY MEANS OF GRACE
Many Christians seem to believe advancement in spiritual maturity must come through some extraordinary or “breakthrough” experience.
But in , it is the ordinary means of grace that ordinarily produces growth and maturity.
In fact, while the sensational and extraordinary can and often does lead people astray,
the Word properly taught and understood never will.
The “ordinary means of grace” include the
study of the Word of God,
participation in the ordinances of baptism and communion along with
the gathered church, and prayer.
These are the customary ways in which the grace of God is
proclaimed,
displayed, and
appropriated in the Christian life.
By the Word of God, we hear Christ revealed and glorified, and there
we “learn Christ” most clearly.
But in the ordinances of baptism and communion, we see Christ and the gospel
as we picture his death, burial, and resurrection for us and for our salvation.
A healthy Christian does not neglect these ordinances and means of grace but
rejoices in them,
prepares for them, and is
reminded through the senses
of the glories of Christ our Savior.
She or he remembers that grace
“teaches [or trains] us to deny ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” ().
A healthy Christian relies more and more on the grace of God as it is communicated through the Word and the ordinances.
PARTICIPATE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
instructs us not to neglect the assembly of the saints.
Instead, we are to gather and encourage one another more and more as we await Jesus’ return.
The public assembly is meant for the edification, the building up, the growth of the Christian.
Neglecting to participate in the corporate life of the church or
failing to actively serve and be served is a sure-fire way to limit our growth.
offers a pretty strong argument that participation in the body of Christ
is the main way in which Christ strengthens and matures us.
When we serve others in the church,
bear with one another,
love one another,
correct one another, and
encourage one another,
we participate in a kind of “spiritual maturity co-op” where our stores and supplies are multiplied.
The end result is growth and discipleship.
LOOK TO JESUS’ COMING
Finally, we grow in holiness by meditating on and looking forward to the coming of Jesus.
Most of the New Testament references to Jesus’ return are connected with some exhortation to holiness and purity.
For example, in when Jesus finishes teaching the disciples about his second coming,
he concludes with the simple exhortation to “be ready,”
to look for his return, and to live a fitting life in the meantime.
follows with three parables, all exhorting his hearers to watch and to be faithful until he returns.
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