“Grape Expectations from the Vine to the branches”
John 15:1-8
JN 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
JN 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.”
JN 15:8 “My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.”
Today’s text comes to us towards the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus has been preparing his disciples for the drawing end. He has told them of the painful events coming His way. He has also encouraged them in the midst of their sorrow.
Jesus now challenges them (and us) with a message on what it means to be a true disciple. A true disciple of Christ is he/she that produces & continues to produce “much” fruit in their lives.
In our text Jesus identifies Himself as the “true” vine. Israel was God’s choice vine on which God lavished care & attention. God longed for Israel to become fruitful, but the vine became degenerate & instead produced rotten fruit.
So Jesus came to earth & became the “true vine” who fulfilled what God- the Father, had intended for Israel to be.
In our text God the Father is the gardener. It is He who cultivates and protects the vine.
Finally in the text Christ’s followers are called the branches. But not all branches are what they claim to be. And so the false braches, its says, “are cut off and burned”
We find in our text four types of branches (followers) that claim connection to the vine (Jesus). Let’s identify them in the text, and then look at each and see what Jesus has to say to each.
In our text we find:
NO fruit bearing branches
SOME fruit bearing branches
MORE fruit bearing branches
MUCH fruit bearing branches
Which kind of branch are you? & Which kind should you be?
1. NO FRUIT BEARING BRANCHES- What does that mean?
It means that you are not connected to “the true Vine”.
Some in here today think they’re Christians, but they’re really not.
They think they have a connection to Jesus, but their lives reflect something different.
Some think that because you come to church, or read Bible, or pray, give money to church, or try to be good, you’re connected to Jesus.
But the truth is that you’re ignoring or have been unaware of the most basic principle of the Christian faith-it is not about what you do, but rather what Christ has done for us.
Bible makes it clear that our sin makes it impossible for us to have a relationship with God.
Bible makes it clear that as long as we are carrying our sin, we are also carrying the penalty of that sin-separation from God and an abundantlife & eternal condemnation.
Some people here today, are calling themselves “followers”, but you’ve never established a connection to Jesus.
You’ve never acknowledge before God that you have a sin problem.
You’ve never sought out God’s forgiveness & remedy for your sins.
So although you may claim to follow Christ(as a religion)you’ve never truly have begun a genuine relationship with Jesus, you’re just stuck on a religion about Jesus.
Your lack of a connection is causing you to be unfruitful. And if you remain unconnected, you will be cut-off (eternally lost without the possiblity of entrance into heaven).
Today you can get off the religion wagon and get connected to Jesus through a person relationship with him.
2. SOME FRUIT BEARING VINES
There’s also another group here. You’ve got a connection to Christ, but your connection is not clear-You’ve got static on your line!
So in your case, your fruitfulness is being limited. You are producing some fruit, but you ought to be producing more fruit.
In your case there’s no doubt you’ve admitted your sinfulness and have asked Jesus to cleanse you of your sin problem. Maybe you have even been fruitful in bringing others to Jesus’ feet. But your fruitfulness is small in comparison to what they ought to be.
You have (with the help of Christ) overcome the consequences of your sins, but now you are facing a second probelm-LACK OF OBEDIENCE!
In your case, the gardener-God, is not going to cut you off, instead He is going to have to pune you.
Many “new believers” get stuck in a rut. You’ve embraced Christ as Lord and Savior, but you do not moved in other elements of the Christian walk.
What is causing you to falter in your walk with Christ? Sin/ Disobedience to God’s Word & His Spirit living within you.
This problem causes you to become unproductive in your spiritual development. Paul Heb. 5:11, referred to it as “being newborn babies still requiring to be nurse when we ought to be eating solid food.”
When you are connected to Christ, your next step is to produce fruit. Christians produce other Christians.
We produce them through our verbal witness-speaking about Christ.
We produce them through our non-verbal witness-living like Christ.
If you are not verbally witnessing or visually witnessing, like you ought to be, it is because of disobedience. So if you are only producing some fruit, our text says that the Father’s involvement in your life brings pruning.
Pruning may not be enjoyable, but it is necessary.
Pruning may come in the way of trials, hardships, pain, etc.
You may be going to a great deal of difficulty in your life right now and you may be asking God, why? Why am I so unhappy when I am your child?
The answer may be that He is pruning you to bring you into obedience.
The answer may be that many of your heartaches are self inflicted. You are not fulfilling the role and goal of your Christian walk.
So God,the gardener, has to pick you up off the ground, clean you off, remove the blockage, and put you back on the trellis.
You were not saved to sit back and have worldly fun! You were save for a purpose-to live in obedience to Christ.
So your problem is not that of a non-connection, rather is that of obedience. So God is currently trying to get your attention. He wants to help you cleaning out your life, to purge the sin in our life that is keeping you from bearing more and much fruit. (Heb. 12:1)
Today, if you are not bearing only some fruit, Christ wants to move you into bearing more fruit! Be obedient and move along! Get baptized, join in praying, reading and studying, witnessing.
Pruning brings obedience and obedience bring growth.
James 1:3-4, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Final two groups we’ll look at quickly.
3. MORE FRUIT BEARING VINES.
There are many of you here today who have moved from producing some, to producing more. Well, guess what? God’s goal for your life is to produce much more!
The more obedient you are to Christ, the more results we see in your life.
In our spiritual progression in becoming more and more like Christ, we must be careful never to think we have attained the goal. If you do, you will remain producing more, instead of much.
At this stage of the Christian walk, many could become prideful and think they are doing enough.
We never do enough, our task is never finished.
If you are witnessing verbally and non-verbally
If you are reading and studying God’s Word
If you are joining your brothers and sisters in worship regularly
If you are faithfully supporting the Lord’s work thru tithing
If you are involve in some type of ministry in the church
Have you attained all you can be for Christ? No.
How are you as a neighbor or worker?
How are you as a father/mother?
How are you as a husband or wife?
How are you as an encourager to those hurting?
If you are bearing more fruit, seek to bear much!
4. MUCH FRUIT BEARING VINES.
Finally some might have moved from not producing, to producing some, to producing more and now God is producing much more!
What is your challenge? To teach, lead, disciple, care for those seeking to do like wise. Keep you eyes on Jesus, never look at your self!
Jesus begins his message by calling himself the “True Vine.” Israel had failed in not becoming the vine that God called on them to become. So Jesus became the example and fulfilled the role. He is the “True vine.”
But now, at the end of our text, Jesus makes another great claim. True disciples, are those that bear much fruit.
To bear much fruit, you must abide in Christ, that Christ may abide in you. Then you’ll constantly bear much fruit.
”Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my father. (vs. 5, 8)
Do you want to be a “true disciple of Jesus?
Do you want to bring great glory to the father?
Then, come to Jesus today and turn you life over to his direction. He will accomplish that which he begins in you!
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Phil. 1:6
