John 15:1-8

Let us move forward into John 15 because this theme continues on. It uses different words, but John is still trying to get this idea across to us that He lived with us. And this puts us under certain obligations because He has chosen us to live with Him.

So, He tells His disciples here during His Passover message.

Really interesting section of Scripture, especially in terms of what we are doing today in the Feast of Tabernacles. The metaphor is a little different; not a lot, but it uses a different word. The meaning is the same, even though the Greek word is different.

He emphasizes abiding. You shall abide in Me, I in you. The word underlying abide is meno. It is Strong's number 3306, and it means to remain or to continue, to stay or reside, lodge, dwell, or sojourn. You sojourn for a time in Myrtle Beach for the Feast.

However you want to define it in terms of an English word, an English synonym, it connotes remaining in the same place over a period of time. It can be a short time or it could be a long time, but you are remaining in the same place or state or condition for a period.

He uses the metaphor here of the vine and the branches. The branches, individual called-out ones, the individuals among the elect must abide or remain in Him or with Him. They must be attached to Him or as He also says, in Him. He is our dwelling place where we remain or lodge or dwell for a time.

Now we are human. We think of time in finite bits: a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, decade, century, millennium. We can expand our mind out to thinking, well, maybe, you know, maybe a millennium. That is still way, way more than we have ever lived. But not too much longer than, let us say, Noah lived. Noah walked with God for a long time.

But you know what? Those are piker figures. God wants us, Christ wants us to remain in Him forever, for all eternity. Not just for a few years of our physical lives, but He wants us forever. He loves us forever if we are part of His elect, His Bride. He wants us side by side with Him forever.

So He is our dwelling place where we remain for a time and in this life, that would be our whole converted life. Say you were called at 30 and you die at 70 or 80 years. Well, that is your time as a branch abiding in the vine. But that is just the beginning. That is just where we learn to prepare for what is ahead. Because even though we die, He gets our spirit and He is eager to plug that thing back in and give us a spirit body so that we could abide in Him forever, for all eternity.

It is hard to fit in our finite brains where we use only 10 or 15% most of the time, or less. But this is an Old Testament concept. What I am talking about is the very finite time of our physical lives. That is an Old Testament concept, that we dwell with God now. And that is fine.

But you have to remember that the children of Israel were very physical beings and they did not have the Spirit of God. But they understood the concept that we are supposed to abide with God or they might say Yahweh. And in the covenant they would know that, that they were dwelling with their Lord, because their Lord lived in Jerusalem or He lived in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. And so they had this concept, and those few who had the Holy Spirit understood that there was a lot more behind that than just the physical idea of God being near.

We could rebel and do something else, but we saw in John 15 what happens to those branches that after they are pruned a bit, do not bear any fruit. They go on the fire. Not good.

John 15:8

Who owns the tree? God does. The fruit is what? What is its purpose? To glorify Him! This is what we just read in verse 8, that if we produce a lot of fruit, God is glorified. It is our responsibility to give Him back on His investment. That is our obligation, to produce fruit to glorify Him. But, you see, there is a secondary aim in the production of fruit and that is that others are benefited from it.

So we find God is the primary recipient. Others receive the benefit of what the tree produces and the tree itself receives a benefit from what is produced. It is not a matter of producing fruit just for the sake of producing fruit, that is not the goal. The reason for the production of fruit, the reason for God's concern, is that others will benefit and we will benefit as well from that.

We are seeing here how God will work with us and we of course understand that He is quite patient with us and He will work with us through Jesus Christ to the extreme limit of His patience in order to make sure fruit is produced. So even when we are producing fruit He cuts us back, He prunes us back in order that we produce even more fruit.

If we do not produce fruit then we are purged. Do you know that men have not been able to find little, if anything, that a grapevine is good for, except for producing grapes. What is the wood good for? I do not know. Maybe somebody can make a decorative piece from it that might fit on somebody's mantel or coffee table or something like that. Cut it, whip it into shape, and maybe stain it or something, but other than being decorative, I cannot find a good use anybody has ever made grapevines put it to. But they can produce fruit that is wonderful to eat and to drink.

If we are a non-achiever, are we going to a fit into a whole kingdom of achievers? We will not fit there. So God cannot use us.

John 15:1-8

A grapevine has two kinds of branches: those that produce and those that do not produce. The non-producing ones are shown in the parable to be cut off and burned. Even the wood is not good for anything. Can anyone tell me what a grapevine is good for? Producing fruit—that is it. Other than that, I have never seen a good use for grapevines—unless it was Tarzan in the jungle, and he could swing on them.

Now if a branch does not produce fruit, it is purged. But even those branches that are producing fruit, they are pruned even further! So they will produce even more in the future.

Let us go back to John 15:1. In order for good fruit to be produced, there has to be good stock. We have the best stock because Jesus Christ is the vine and we are tied into Him. If you do not have good stock, then the branches are not going to produce good fruit. The important thing in producing good grapes is first of all it begins with the stock. If the stock is good then you have a pretty good chance.

In verse 2, we found out about fruit. If we are not producing, it is thrown away, and if we are producing, more will be produced. Now, verse 3 is telling us that because we are clean, we are ready to bear! That is the point in the parable. We have been cleaned, now we are ready to bear. But the communion, the fellowship, the relationship, the connection with the stock has to be kept—if you are tied into the vine. . .

Verse 7 indicates how that is done. It is through prayer, talking with God, listening to His Word, keeping the communication going, getting to know one another. And if that is occurring, the Spirit of God is flowing back and forward and fruit is going to be produced.

John 15:1-10

Like I said, this saying of His that "I am the true vine" and later "I am the vine, you are the branches," is very much similar to what He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." But this one, this particular "I am" saying emphasizes our dependence on Christ for everything spiritually. We can do nothing, He says. We can have no understanding. There could be no overcoming. There can be no growth, no production of fruit without Him, without His example, with all that He provides for us, all the strength that comes through His Spirit. We could paraphrase His saying to read, "I am the true firstfruit. You become firstfruits through abiding in Me." Or continuing in Me, which implies emulating Him in everything. And we could go back to I John 2:6 (which we will not do), but it says, "If you abide in Him, you ought to walk as He walked."

John 15:8

Turn to John 15. A little bit later in the sermon we are going to get back here in more detail, but in John 15:8 Jesus said, "By this My Father is glorified." I believe that it is part of the Presbyterian church's creed that the chief end of man is to glorify God. That comes pretty close to being right.

Now, how do we glorify God? By bearing much fruit. What is so interesting is that last phrase: "so you will be My disciples." Is He subtly suggesting there that we are really not a disciple unless we bear fruit? It kind of indicates that now, does it not?

John 15:7-8

This threefold promise during His final message to His disciples still stands for God's elect. It is wide open. He says, whatever you ask—and ask what you desire in Jesus' name—and it will be done for you. In what He says here, the only qualifications are that we abide in Him and in His word.

John 15:8

Isn't that clear? A disciple is one who, in his lifetime, is continuously loyal to God and is always in the position of a student, of a family member, being prepared for the Kingdom of God.