John 15_1-17 The True Vine Insert

The Vine, the Grapes and the Wine-ing

I.                   Fruit Bearing

The Symbols

·        The Son is the true vine 15:1a & 5a

o       v.15:1a “I am the true vine”

o       v. 15:5a “I am the vine”

·        The Father is the gardener 15:1b

o       “My Father is the vinedresser”

·         The Believer  is the branch 15:5b

o       “you are the branches”

 The Steps

·         Submitting to the Pruning of the Father 15:2-3

o       “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.  "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

·         We must abide in the Son 15:4. 5c-6

o       “for apart from Me you can do nothing. ‘If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

 The Success

·         It results in bountiful fruit 15:7-8a

o       "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you… that you bear much fruit.”

·         It results in glorifying the Father 15:8b.

o       "My Father is glorified by this

II.               Loving

The Priority

·        The  Father loves the Son 9b-10b

o       "Just as the Father has loved Me”

o       “… Just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.”

·        The Son loves us 15:9-10, 11

o       "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love…”

o       "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

·        The believer is to love the other believers 15:12

o       "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

The Proof 15:13-15

·        What Jesus will do for his disciples… 15:13

o       “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

·        What Jesus now  does for his disciples…15:14-15

o       "You are My friends if you do what I command you. "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

The Promises 15:16-17

·        Our branches will beat  permanent fruit 15:16a

o       “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain…”

·        Our prayers will be answered 15:16b-17

o       “…so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. "This I command you, that you love one another.”

III.            Suffering

The Facts

·        Christians will be hated  because Christ was hated 15:18-19

o       "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

·        No servant is greater than his master.  15:20-21

o       “Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”

·        The reason for this hatred is Jesus’ fearless preaching against sin 15:22-24

o        "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”He who hates Me hates My Father also. "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.”

The Foretelling

·        All this is predicted in Psalms 35-15 and 69:4 – 15:25

o       “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.”

IV.             Witnessing

·        The Holy Spirit will soon witness to the discples concerning the Saviour 15:26

o       "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,”

·        The disciples should then witness to the world concerning the Saviour 15:27

o       … and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

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