Jesus Said,

I am the Vine

Adapted from “I Am” series byK. Edward "Ed" Skidmore

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Earlier in our“What Jesus Said”

series we studied John 15 to find out“What Jesus said About

Bearing Fruit.”

John 15 is our text today when Jesus declared,

“I am the true vine.”

John 15:1 ESV "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every

branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does

bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean

because of the word that I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,

unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that

bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done

for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove

to be my disciples.

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I 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. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and

that your joy may be full. 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one

another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his

friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I

have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should

go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it

to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

We are winding up our study of the I AM statements that Jesus made. All of

them are recorded in the Gospel of John. It seems all of the I AM statement were connected with an event going on

around Jesus.

Jesus responded to the circumstances around him. He used every-day events

as a jumping-off point for teachings about God.

Let’s review the I AM statements, and you’ll see what I mean:

In John 6 Jesus fed over 5,000 people. Right after that miracle: Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever

comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never

thirst. John 6:35 ESV

Jesus and his Disciples were at the Temple during Festival of Lights. John 8:12 ESV Again Jesus spoke to them,

saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in

darkness, but will have the light of life."

Guarding the sheep & being a good shepherd was important in Bible times.

Maybe a shepherd was watching his sheep nearby when Jesus said: John

10:9 ESV I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will

go in and out and find pasture… 11 I am the good shepherd. The good

shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus was talking with Martha just before He raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever

believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, John 11:25 ESV

At the Last Supper, Jesus warned his apostles about his coming arrest and

death. The Apostles couldn’t understand what he meant. Finally,

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” John 14:5 ESV Jesus took that opportunity to teach them: 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and

the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

It’s clear that Jesus used every-day events as a springboard for teaching

eternal truths. He was setting an example of what all of us are called to do. In the Old Testament, Moses told the Israelites how they were to pass

God’s truths along to each new generation.

Deuteronomy 11:19 ESV You shall teach them to your children, talking of

them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and

when you rise.

That’s the kind of teaching that works. We need to be ready for “teachable

moments” that come while we’re going about our daily lives: sitting down to breakfast, walking (or more likely for us, driving) our children to school,

putting the kids to bed at night.

All of these daily events provide opportunities to teach about God.

That’s the way Jesus taught. He was always alert to “teachable moments” when he could tie eternal truth to the

events of the moment.

Jesus made his last recorded I AM statement after the Last Supper. It is

likely a visual cue might have sparked his words that night.

Some have suggested the cup of wine during the Last Supper, a vine growing in the window of the room, or perhaps the elaborate vine on the Temple gate,

a symbol of Israel placed there by Herod the Great.

http://www.talbot.edu/sundoulos/spring-2010/fourth-feature/#_ftnref1

Above the doorway of the Sanctuary, inside the Antechamber of the Temple,

was a large grapevine of solid gold weighing over 25 tons.

http://www.torah.org/learning/templetour/class12.html Jesus may have pointed to that

golden vine when he told his Apostles, "I am the true vine, and my Father is

the vinedresser.John 15:1 ESV

Jesus was using a word-picture that was very familiar to his men. Grapes

were central to Israel’s economy.

In scripture, grapevines are used as three types of symbols, representing

the past, present, and future.

· The Past Vine symbolizes Israel as a choice vine that disappointed the

vinedresser by producing only wild grapes.

(Psalms 80:8-19, Isaiah 5:1-7, Jeremiah 2:21, Ezekiel 19:10-14, Hosea 10:1)

Isaiah 5:1 ESV Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and

cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me

and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to

yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will

break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; 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 are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold,

bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!

· The Future Vine symbolizes the earth in the last days … ripe for God’s

judgment of wrath.

Revelation 14:14 ESV Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated

on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a

sharp sickle in his hand.

15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him

who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." 16 So he who sat on the

cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel

came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he

called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your

sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are

ripe."

19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the

grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of

God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood

flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

The Present Vine is the Lord Jesus Christ.

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he

it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

ABIDE

John 15:1 ESV "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every

branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does

bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean

because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine,

neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the

branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If

anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown

into the fire, and burned.

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish,

and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I

loved you. Abide in my love.

The operative word here is ABIDE. This word is used 11 times in 11 verses. We can see that Abiding is necessary to

produce any fruit. WE can also see that NOT Abiding means the branch will be

useless. So, what does it mean to ABIDE in Christ? Jesus made it a little more specific when He said: 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in

you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

To ABIDE in Christ means we spend time focusing on Him and His words. In

practical terms, it means we spend time reading, studying, and meditating on the Bible. When God’s word abides

in you, you are abiding in Christ.

I know that certain theologies demand that God alone is the active one when it comes to salvation. Some people see

humans as passive receivers who have no part to play at all. But I find a

different kind of emphasis here: the picture of the vine and the branch is one of partnership with God through

connection to Christ.

George Whitfield conducted outdoor evangelistic campaigns in the 1700’s during a period of revival called the

“Great Awakening.” Thousands responded to his Gospel message. After one of his sermons, someone

asked Whitfield how many people were converted.

He replied: “We’ll know in five years.” In other words, the passing of time would show which decisions were

superficial and which were genuine. Some would ABIDE, others would not.

We are told to ABIDE because it is something we can do … or not do. We have a part to play. In practical terms,

we have a daily choice to make. Will we spend time in prayer? Will we open the

Bible and read? Will we focus on Christ? Will we spend time with other

believers? If we fail to see that ABIDING is our job, we miss the message of this whole chapter.

The one who fails to abide is in a dangerous state. Jesus gives us

reassuring promises for those who stay connected, but chilling warnings

for those who turn loose. The unfruitful branch is taken away.2a Every branch in me that does not

bear fruit he takes away,

A branch cannot bear fruit and, in fact, can do absolutely nothing apart from

the vine. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,

unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that

bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

In the end, the one who does not abide is thrown into the fire, and burned.

6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown

into the fire, and burned.

If we don’t abide in Christ, the consequences are terrible. But when we do ABIDE in Christ, we will have a wonderful outcome. It’s called Fruit-

bearing! The purpose of the branch is to bear fruit, (otherwise why bother).

Fruit bearing doesn’t require effort on our part. (When was the last time you

saw a vine grunting and groaning, trying to pop those grapes out?) Fruit

is the natural result of abiding.

While Fruit comes from abiding, a good harvest DOES require effort on the part

of the vinedresser.Jesus said, 1 "I am the true vine, and

my Father is the vinedresser. The vine provides life, and the vinedresser

provides what is needed for a good harvest.

When we bought our house we discovered in the north & east yards there were two grapevines. The north yard vine grew small to average sized grapes that I didn’t think tasted all that good. The east yard vine grew grapes that were rather tasty, but small, good enough to eat, but definitely not good enough for making into grape juice or

wine.

The vines were healthy, but the fruit sparse. It would take a vinedresser to

improve the quality of the fruit on these vines. Greater fruit bearing was going

to require more expertise & energy than either of us had to spend on them.

I think they are both dead now.

God is willing to provide the expertise and the effort to cultivate and prune his

Vineyard. I mentioned before the last time I preached from John 15, we took time to look at “What Jesus said about Bearing Fruit.” Today I want to focus on the two things John 15 commands

US to do.

This passage lets us know that we are branches connected to the vine, and

that we are friends of Christ rather than just slaves of Christ. Those two

connections refer to actions on our part: branches ABIDE, and friends

OBEY.

Obey

John 15:10 ESV 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. 11 These things I have spoken to you,

that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one

another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his

friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I

have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should

go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it

to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

This passage, adds an exciting dimension to our connection with

Christ. Vines and branches have an organic or biological connection in

which the vine does all the giving and the branch all the receiving. But

friendship is another matter. Friendship is personal, and friendship is

reciprocal.

So what does it mean to be Christ’s friend? Well, for one thing, obeying

Christ as his friend is more a matter of choice than it would be for a slave.

After all, a slave could be executed for disobedience against the master. But a friend has the freedom to obey willingly

and gladly.

Also, Jesus mentions that he wants to share his plans with his friends.

Friends care about what is important to their friend. Jesus told his men that together they possessed a shared ministry and a shared destiny. That gives us every reason to abide with and to obey our truest friend. What does it mean to abide and obey?

Well, each one helps out with the other. The one who abides finds it easier to obey, and the obedient one is more comfortable abiding. On the other hand, the one who fails to abide is more likely to disobey, and the one

who disobeys doesn’t feel comfortable abiding.

You might remember me telling you the story about a high-school girl who was a real asset to the church youth group.

She took a real interest in getting to know the Lord, and she brought

excitement about Christ even to the Youth Leaders. But during her Senior

year of high school, she was seen less and less for about 6 months, then she

didn’t come to church at all.

You see, she had started dating a boy who was not a Christian. She told the

group enough about him that they knew he had a temper and a drinking

problem. She knew that if she kept coming around them, they would keep trying to talk her out of seeing him. So

she stayed away. By the time she connected with the group again, they

were engaged.

Sadly, she married a violent drinker and drug user. All those in the group were heart-broken at the turmoil he brought to her world. But the real

sadness was that during the time they could have advised her, she failed to abide with them. Because she didn’t

want to obey, she stopped wanting to abide. And because she didn’t abide,

she went further and further into disobedience.

Years later, she told how foolish her choices had been and how many

regrets she had. You see, the saddest person of all is the Christian who does

not abide and obey. But on the other hand, the happiest person in the world is the Christian

who is abiding and obeying. http://www.sermoncentral.com/

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Jesus explained this when he said, 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy

may be full.The outcome for the obedient abider is joy to the full. That is a terrific reason

to obey and abide.

The final I AM of Jesus to his men on the night he was arrested gave both a promise and a command. As the vine, Jesus provides all the nourishment we need for life. As the vinedresser, God

does all that is needed to give us fruitful lives. As the branches, our part is to ABIDE and to OBEY. If we abide in

his love we can experience his joy to the full. If we obey him, we are his friends and share in His life and

ministry.

How would you describe your connection with Christ today? Jesus is

the vine.Is he your vine?

Are you an obedient abiding branch thoroughly connected to him and

hanging tight to the only source of life itself?