The Vine
Notes
Transcript
Seven “I Am” statements of Jesus
Predicate Noun
the Bread
the Light
the Gate (Door)
the Shepherd
the Resurrection and Life
the Way, Truth, and Life
our final one today
PLEASE STAND AS WE HONOR THE READING OF GOD’S WORD
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He 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.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in me, as I also 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 you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
THE WORD OF GOD
FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD
Jesus is reassuring his disciples that it is going to be OK
Three most familiar trees - olive, fig, vine
Using the metaphor of the vine. Old Testament - Israel/Wisdom
Jesus is the full vine. All branches get their life from Him.
We see the gardener, vine, and branches.
God the Father connected with his people through Jesus.
Branches Receive
Branches Receive
Branches Receive (vv 1-7)
All our life and sustenance comes from Him
Grafted from Adam (and sin) to Jesus the Vine
Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII Branches, Disciples, Friends (John 15)
The life of the branch, then, is a life of continual appropriation. The call of the vine to the branch is to take, take, take.
We just keep allowing the Vine to nourish us so that we can bear fruit.
The fruit of the spirit in Galatians is part of that fruit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
We get all that from being connected to the vine.
Some of them may be more dominant that others - we see differences among the fruit on the same branch, but they are all still there.
Some of that could be “us” as the branch filtering by personality and/or by choice- but the vine is still the source we need to bear fruit.
Disciples Follow
Disciples Follow
Disciples Follow (verse 8)
Remain/Abide in Him and He in us
Bearing fruit shows that we are walking in His footsteps
Implications that discipleship brings:
Readiness to sit at His feet
Willingness to believe His words
Love one another
Friends Commune
Friends Commune
Friends Commune (vv 14-15)
More than servants
14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
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.
We know and understand that there is more than just what this world affords us.
Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students, Series I–XIII “I and You” (John 15:12–26)
Servants have kitchen privileges, but friends have parlour opportunities.
We walk in the world not as servants of Jesus, but at His friends.
We learn each day more about the secret of life and peace, now and for eternity.
As we spend time with Jesus as a friend - we begin to share in His likes and His dislikes.
We might suffer from the world as they see us a friend of Jesus. Satan doesn’t want us to have that kind of friendship. He would rather see us scared of the “lightning of God”.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
This verse probably impacts me personally more than any in this metaphor of the vine.
Are you connected to the Vine, Jesus Christ?
Are you His disciple?
Is He your friend?