He is the True Vine addressed once saved always saved in John 6 (v. 37) and John Derek Westmoreland John 15:1-11 HBC 10-18-20 10. In John 10:27-28 it says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to Turn to: them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them This morning we conclude our study of the 7 “I am” statements out of My hand.” made by Lord Jesus and recorded by the apostle John. Back in Exodus 3:14, the Lord told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him The reference to the vine and the branches was familiar to the that “I AM” sent you. That same I AM that spoke to Moses is original audience. They were well aware that of what a vineyard the one who became flesh and said, was and that the vinedresser would prune the branches. I am the bread of Life. I am the light of the world. Jesus, here in John 15, declares Himself to be the true vine and I am the door. we, His people are the branches. I am the good shepherd. II. WHAT IS THE RESULT OF BEARING FRUIT? I am the resurrection and the life. Verse 2- “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes I am the way, and the truth, and the life, and away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it I am the true vine. may bear more fruit. Title: Every one of us is a branch; and The words we read in John 15, are believed to be stated by Jesus every branch is bearing fruit or not. while in the upper room with the disciples the night before His Each of us must ask “which type of branch am I?” crucifixion. By the time Jesus spoke the words, it is believed One that God is taking away; or one that He is pruning to bear that Judas had revealed himself as a traitor and that he had left more fruit? the room to fulfill his purpose. Let’s now read John 15:1-11. Pruning is vital to bearing much fruit. In the Holy Land, pruners Pray: are often trained to two to three years before they are given the freedom to prune without supervision because they must know I. WHO DOES HE CLAIM TO BE? how to cut the branches, how much to cut off, and even what Verse 1- “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. angle to cut at. Pruning is vital and pruning also demands In this text we find God the Father to be the vinedresser. precise action. God the Father is the perfect pruner! God the Son to be the vine. True believers in Christ are the abiding branches, and some say The Father prunes the fruitful branches by removing anything the non-abiding branches are backslidden Christians while that would hinder growth and greater fruitfulness. others believe them to be non-believers who profess to be The word translated “prunes,” in verse 2, means “to cleanse.” believers. God cleanses the true believer. Some might interpret this text to teach that one can be saved and S. Henriques wrote, “Pruning is necessary in order that the then lose his or her salvation but one must realize that the letter branches of the vine produce the best fruit. When the from John is a continuous account and John has already vinedresser comes through with his pruning knife, he operates under two key principles: one, all dead wood must be removed; Fear, pride, selfishness, anxiousness, unforgiveness, impatience, and two, the live wood must be cut back drastically. Dead wood anger, discontentment, jealousy. What is it? harbors insects and disease, and if rot sets in, it can easily be spread to the entire vine. A grapevine grows so rapidly that live You want to be holy and pleasing to the Lord; yet the way to get wood is cut back drastically to force the vine into producing there is by Him pruning you of all unrighteousness; of all fruit rather than just wood. Left to itself, the vine produces all defilement of flesh and spirit. kinds of growth, but not the kind which bears fruit. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “The more we abide in Christ, the more In the same way, our Heavenly Father moves among us, cutting fruit we bear; and the more fruit we bear, the more the Father out the dead wood from our lives. He cannot allow disease or has to prune us so that the quality keeps up with the quantity.” Warren Wiersbe, Bible Exposition Commentary, John 15:1-11 rot to settle in us. He also cuts back the live wood so drastically that sometimes it even seems cruel. But He knows exactly what Long to bear more fruit while realizing that the result of fruit He is doing. …He moves among us with His Pruning Knife to bearing is to be pruned. remove those dead things from our hearts.” Jesus is the vine; you are a branch, and Sermon on John 15:1-11 by S. Henriques the Father is the vinedresser; the pruner. God’s not just interested in you growing. He is interested in fruitfulness. III. WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF ABIDING IN CHRIST? Verse 2 of John 15 presents only two options: 1. He will abide in you. God’s judgment or God’s pruning. Verse 4- “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear Which type of branch are you? Pruned or thrown away. fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you Pruning is not pleasant; but what it produces is pleasant. unless you abide in Me. Pruning is not about appearance; it is about fruitfulness. The word “abide” is found 11 times in John 15:1-11. God does not prune you so you can look like what others The Wycliffe Dictionary of Theology states that “abide” is “to perceive a Christian should look like. He prunes you for you to continue in a place or state in which one now is, to reside, to bear fruit. last.” The branch cannot survive without connection to the vine. Let me say that again: Pruning is not about appearance; it is The branch has no life of its own. It only has life through its about fruitfulness. connection to the vine. Likewise, the Christian cannot bear good Let me address the misconception of what fruit looks like. Fruit fruit unless he/she is connected to Jesus. Fruitfulness is the is not simply a church’s gain in numbers. Cults can gain in result of learning to abide; to reside in Christ. numbers; yet they are not fruitful. Galatians 5:22a says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, “In Hampton Court in London is a large greenhouse containing goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. an old magnificent vine. Its branches run everywhere. Its These describe fruitfulness. foliage is beautiful, its fruit colorful and abundant. Even the remotest tiny tendril, seeking a corner to which it can cling, is What is God pruning out of your life; that you will be bear vitally connected with the parent stem. That vast vine is an more fruit? organic whole. One branch does not try to dominate or direct another branch. Each branch runs back to the source. The one that does not abide in Christ, is thrown away. John Philipps, Exploring the Gospel of John, 287. The 4th result of abiding in Christ is The first result of abiding in Christ is that He abides in you! 4. You will see prayers answered. 2nd result: You will bear much fruit. Verse 7- “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask Verse 5- “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you Notice who this promise is to: can do nothing. 1) To the one who abides in Christ. Two truths from verse 5: Not to simply the one that says, “I am saved;” but to the one 1) Everyone who abides in/clings to Christ Jesus, bears good who ABIDES in Christ. fruit. 2) To the one who has Christ’s words abiding in him/her. 2) No true believer can bear fruit apart from abiding in Christ. That person can ask whatever; because that person will only ask what is according to God’s will and God’s ways. You cannot produce fruit on your own. You cannot produce fruit from trying harder. You produce fruit by abiding/residing 1875 “What Hath God Wrought!” in Christ. In conversation with Professor (S. F. B.) Morse, the inventor As Jesus says in verse 5, …he who abides in Me and I in him, of the telegraph, the Rev. George W. Hervey asked this question: he bears much fruit, “Professor Morse, when you were making your experiments yonder in your room in the university, did you ever come to a The point is, your emphasis should not be on fruit bearing but stand, not knowing what to do next?” upon abiding in Christ. Enjoy delighting in His Word, His “Oh, yes, more than once.” presence. Delight in obeying Him and by doing so, you will “And at such times what did you do next?” bear the fruit of God.