John 15

Well, if you were stuck on a desert island, what would be your desert island essentials?

! So there's been a storm, and you've been thrown overboard, off your ship, and you've ended up

! stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere, and you can have only three things to take

with you on this island. What would it be? If you're wise and forward-thinking, you might

take a knife, or a rope, or matches, or a bottle of water. These things would be critical

to your survival, because without these things, you would die. And in this life, we are on

a desert island. We are all in a desperate situation. In fact, we're in a far worse situation

than any man on an island. We are on the brink of a severe judgment. And there's only one

thing that can help us, one essential for survival. And this is what John 15 reveals to us, the

key to survival in this life. So let's not hang around. This is urgent. Let's find out

what it is. And here in chapter 15, Jesus is leaving behind this vital information to

his disciples. He's leaving behind the key to survival, the key to the very source of life

itself. And what is it? Well, the key is Jesus Christ himself. Jesus is the only thing you need

to survive in this life. So if we want to survive, we need to know what this passage means. And

I've broken it down into three points which you can follow along with. Firstly, Jesus is

the true vine. Jesus is the true vine. So this whole passage is built on an illustration. Jesus

explains the key to survival with an illustration. So he paints a picture for us for what the world

is truly like. He explains to us a model of the very fabric of reality. So forget what

every textbook has ever taught you about the world. Forget what you've ever learned in school

about human nature and humanity. This is the truth about the world. And Jesus says this, you

are either a living branch attached to him, or you're a dead twig on the floor. This is the truth about the

universe. And Jesus describes himself as the true vine. It's right there in verse one. I am the true vine, and my

father is the father is the vine dresser. So what we have here is an image of a tree or a plant. So perhaps picture a

grape tree, a grape vine, and you have the vine, the main trunk in the middle, right in the centre. And that part,

that's rooted into the ground. That's the heart of the tree where all the nutrients go through.

That's the heart of the tree. That's the heart of the tree. That's the heart of the vine. And off the vine, you have all these smaller branches.

So they spread out in every direction. And off those branches, you have the fruit. That's where the fruit appears.

So that's where you've got your grapes or your apples, whatever tree you're thinking of.

And Jesus says, he is the vine. And the father, while he's the vine dresser, he's the gardener, you could say. So he trims and chops the tree to make it healthy and beautiful.

So look to verse 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.

So the father removes any branches that do not produce fruit. So he takes his clippers out and he snips them off.

So the tree only has branches with good and wholesome fruit growing from it.

And where are we in this picture? Well, verse 5, Jesus says,

I am the vine, you are the branches.

His disciples are the branches.

Christian, we are the branches.

And we only have life if we're attached to the vine.

To Jesus.

Jesus is the source of all life.

So we find spiritual life,

spiritual growth and eternal life

only through Jesus Christ.

Only by being united with Jesus Christ.

There's no other vine in this picture.

There's no other source of life.

No, Jesus is the true vine.

No one can be alive,

no one can bear fruit

unless they're firmly attached to Jesus.

Look at verse 5.

Whoever buys in me,

and I in him,

he it is that bears much fruit.

For apart from me,

you can do nothing.

A branch

can only have life

if it's attached to the vine.

So imagine if I went to Ealing Common

and I went up to one of the trees there

and I snapped one of the branches

off the tree.

What would happen to that branch?

It would die, wouldn't it?

It would eventually wither

and dry

because it's not attached to the vine.

It doesn't have life in itself.

No, it gets life from the vine.

And so what this tree is picturing here,

it's the church.

This tree is the church.

And the fundamental truth

about this world

is that you are either

in the church

and alive

or you're out of it

and dead.

Outside of Jesus

and his church,

you have no life.

You're spiritually dead.

You're like a dry

and withered twig

on the floor.

You cannot produce fruit.

And the Father,

he wants fruit

from his vine.

The gardener,

he wants a beautiful

and fruitful tree.

And lifeless branches

have no place among it.

Look what happens

to these branches.

Verse 6.

If anyone does not abide in me,

he's thrown away

like a branch

and withers.

And the branches

are gathered,

thrown into the fire

and burned.

Any branch

that's not connected

to the vine,

any person

that's not united

to Jesus,

will be thrown away.

Burnt up.

If you do not cling

to Jesus

as your only source

of life,

then when this life

is over,

you will be thrown

into an eternal fire.

So his final words

to his disciples,

they're critical

to surviving.

Verse 4.

Abide in me

and I in you.

Abide in me.

This is the key

to life.

Abide in Jesus.

Now,

abide is a bit

of a funny word,

but we don't use it

too much.

Another way

of putting it

is cling

to me.

Stay united

to live

in Jesus.

Cling to Jesus

and you will

live.

So do you?

Do you

abide in him?

Being connected

to Jesus

is the only

means of survival.

The only way

of being spiritually

alive is

to being spiritually

healthy,

to bearing

fruits,

is to receive

life from

Jesus.

So a church

that is not

preaching Jesus

Christ,

and a church

that is not

focused on

Jesus Christ,

that is a

dead church.

It has no

life.

It cannot

bear any

fruits.

And I

recommend you

that you run

from a church

like that

immediately.

So do you

truly love

Jesus?

Do you cling

to Jesus

as your

source of

life?

Do you

think about

him if you

go about

your day?

Well, a

life that

doesn't do

that, it's

no life at

all.

You're

lifeless.

And so

Jesus is

saying to

you today,

abide in

me.

Cling

to me.

me.

But how

can we do

that?

What does

it look like

to cling to

Jesus?

Well, this is

my second

point.

So obey

Jesus.

Jesus is

the true

vine, so

obey Jesus.

So what

does it look

like to

abide in

Jesus?

I get the

picture of

the tree and

the vine,

but what does

it actually

look like and

mean to

abide in

him?

Well, look

to verses

8 and

9.

So by

this my

father is

glorified,

that you

bear much

fruit and

so prove

to be my

disciples.

As the

father has

loved me,

so have

I loved

you.

Abide in

my love.

To abide

in Jesus,

to cling to

him, he

says, is to

abide in

his love.

So can

you see, he's

kind of drawing a

parallel here.

If you

abide in

Jesus, it

means you

abide in

his love.

Okay, but

Jesus, what

does that

mean?

What does

abiding in

your love

mean?

Well, he

clarifies that.

Verse 10,

if you

keep my

commandments,

you will

abide in

my love.

To cling

to Jesus,

to be

attached to

the vine,

means keeping

his

commandments.

commandments.

If you

love Jesus,

if you

are a true

disciple,

you will

obey Jesus'

commands.

So that

means following

everything that

this book

says.

The Bible,

the book

that's in

your lap and

in your hand

right now,

that is the

word of God.

It is Jesus

Christ's

commandments

for you.

And by

obeying his

words, by

doing what

it says,

that's how

you love

Jesus.

That's what

a true

disciple looks

like.

It means

believing

everything this

book says,

even if it

doesn't

immediately sit

right with

you.

Sometimes

you might

read the

Bible or

hear a

sermon and

you think,

oh, I

don't like

the sound

of that.

The Bible

says that,

really?

You might

think, I'll

accept the

important stuff.

I'll believe

the gospel

basics just

fine, but

I can't

accept this

or that.

Well, Jesus

says that is

not what a

living branch

looks like.

If you're

abiding in

Jesus, and

if he's

abiding

in you,

then every

single word

of this

book you

will obey.

you will

follow what

Jesus says

because that's

what loving

him looks

like.

And that's

true even

in our

relationships.

So, kids

in the room,

if your

mum and

dad tell

you to do

something and

you say to

them, no,

mum and

dad, I'm

not doing

that, well,

that isn't

valuing their

love at all,

is it?

That shows

you don't want

anything to do

with mum and

dad.

well, that's

the same with

us and

Jesus.

You cannot

have Jesus'

love without

obeying him.

If you

refuse to

obey him,

then you're

a dead

branch, and

the father

will cut you

off and

you will be

thrown away.

But

disobedience,

this isn't

just kind of

mindless

slavery, as

if Jesus is

saying, look,

just do what

I say and

put up with

it.

No,

this obedience

is a joyous

experience.

Look to

verse 11.

Verse 11,

these things

I have spoken

to you,

that my joy

may be in

you, and

that your

joy may be

full.

Jesus

is saying

all this to

a group of

disciples with

troubled hearts.

They're on the

edge, they

don't want him

to leave.

So Jesus

says to

them, this

is where

you will

find joy.

This is

where you

will find

comfort, by

keeping my

commandments.

Now, this

is a wonderful

thing to say.

To be a

Christian is a

truly joyous

thing.

To follow

Jesus and

to live a

godly life,

it's a

joyous

thing.

It's to

live out your

salvation that

Jesus has won

for you.

Obeying

Christ, it

goes hand

in hand with

knowing that

your sins are

forgiven.

It goes

hand in hand

with knowing

that you

will have

eternal

blessings,

and that you

have life by

the grace of

God.

And this,

it's a deep,

everlasting joy

that won't

fade.

Jesus says

it's a joy

that fills

us.

So, all

other joy

and happiness

and fun in

this world,

it cannot

compare to

the joy that

you have

from being

loved by

Christ.

Worldly joy,

it's fleeting.

It won't

last.

Christ's joy

will last for

all eternity.

So, as

branches, we

only have

life and

bear fruit if

we're attached

to the true

vine.

We only have

life in Jesus

Christ, and

that means if

we're true

disciples, we

will obey

all his

commandments.

But actually,

Jesus hones

in on one

commandment in

particular.

So, yes, we

should obey

everything the

Bible says,

but as he

departs from

his disciples,

he gives

them this one

commandment.

Did you

notice this?

Verse 12.

This is my

commandment,

that you

love one

another as

I have

loved you.

He says,

if you're a

true disciple,

if you truly

love Jesus,

you will

love the

church.

And this

is my third

and final

point.

Jesus is the

true vine,

so obey

Jesus by

loving the

church.

By loving

the church.

This is what

an obedient

Christian looks

like.

This is what

a fruitful

Christian looks

like.

This is what

a branch looks

like when it's

attached to

the vine.

They love

the church.

If you are

truly clinging

to Christ,

and if he's

truly giving

you life,

then you

will love

the church.

So I

wonder what

you think

is a sign

of a healthy

and lively

church.

I guess you

could look

on their

website,

and you

could think,

oh,

wow,

they have

two creches

throughout the

week.

They must

be thriving.

Or,

wow,

they get

over 200

on a Sunday.

They must

be a strong

church.

Well,

what does

Jesus say?

Jesus says

a fruitful

church is

one that

loves one

another.

This is

the sign

of fruitful

branches,

of branches

that are

connected to

the vine.

The fruit

is Christians

loving one

another.

So imagine

that tree

again,

with Jesus

as the

true vine

in the

centre,

and all

the branches

spreading out.

When you

look at

that tree,

how do you

know if that

tree is

healthy and

alive?

Well,

it will have

lots of fruit

on it,

won't it?

All the

branches will

be producing

rich and

plentiful

fruit.

Well,

when we

look at

the church,

a sign

of health

and life

is that

its people

are loving

one another.

These are

Jesus'

final words

to his

disciples.

As he

departs,

he wants

them to

love each

other.

So it's a

bit like

that moment

in a film

when someone's

on their

deathbed.

So let's

say it's

kind of a

mother in

a hospital

and her

kids come

in and

she's saying

a final

goodbyes

to them.

What does

she usually

say in

the film?

She's

something

kind of

like,

you be

good to

each other.

Billy,

you take

care of

your little

sister,

okay?

Sorry for

my bad

acting.

But it's

kind of

like that.

Jesus is

leaving behind

how he

wants his

church to

be.

He wants

you to

love the

church.

church.

But this

is no

ordinary

love.

No.

Jesus tells

us what

kind of

love this

is.

Look at

verse 13.

Greater

love has

no one

than this,

that someone

lay down

his life

for his

friends.

Jesus

wants us

to love

the church

to death

the way

that he

has loved

us with

his sacrifice

on the

cross.

That is

the way

Jesus

wants us

to love

each other.

So is

that you?

Do you

love the

church to

death?

This is a

serious

challenge for

us all

because for

most of

us, I

don't think

death is

the limit

for our

love.

I think

inconveniences.

So we

might be

happy to

wash up

the mugs

after church

and put

some tables

away.

We might

be happy

to host

some people

for lunch.

But if

serving the

church and

loving each

other start

to encroach

on our

home life

or our

family life

or our

marriage,

I think

that's

usually where

we draw the

line,

isn't it?

You might

think,

absolutely,

I will

serve the

church.

I'll stay

behind our

service and

love my

lonely

brother and

sister,

but I

can't have

them over

for dinner

tonight.

Tonight's

family time.

It's been a

long enough

week already.

I'm drawing

the line

there.

Or you

may think,

I'll help my

church family as

much as

possible.

I'll help

them move

house and

concern when

they're ill.

But you

need to

understand,

my marriage

comes first.

I need to

prioritise my

wife.

No,

Jesus says

that isn't

quite right.

We must

love the

church to

death.

And that

means sacrificing

our comfort,

our convenience,

and our

time.

So we

need to ask

ourselves,

will you

reschedule

that holiday

so you

won't miss

another Sunday?

Will you

stay up

into the

small hours

on the

phone to

that

struggling

brother or

sister and

be prepared

to be

shattered the

next day?

Will you

take someone

into your

home,

even if it

will make

family life

chaotic?

Will you

continue to

tithe even

when money

seems to be

getting tight?

Will you

keep making

meal after

meal every

Sunday just

to host your

church family?

will you

give up

every Sunday

evening to

come to

church to

be with

your eternal

family?

This is

what loving

each other

should look

like.

But it

may also

mean actually

dying for

each other.

It may seem

unlikely to

happen in

this country,

but just

look around

you right

now this

evening.

Look at

your brothers

and sisters.

Would you

die for

them?

Would you

literally take

a bullet to

the chest

for them?

Because

Christ is

saying,

I died for

you, so

you must be

prepared to

die for

them.

To love

the church

family is

to invest in

something far

greater than

anything of

this world.

It's to

invest in

something

eternal.

all.

And so

that means

it should

be of

primary

importance

in our

lives.

Sinclair

Ferguson,

a Scottish

theologian,

he spoke

at a

Catholic

conference

in the

summer.

He said

something

very

striking

about how

we should

think about

the church.

Ferguson

said this,

if there's

no marrying

or giving

in marriage

in heaven,

if everything

these human

relationships

are intended

to satisfy

will be

fully satisfied

in the

glory of

Christ and

the fellowship

of God's

people,

then I need

to see that

my family

takes a

secondary place

to the

church family.

The church

family alone

will last

for all

eternity.

My family

as it's

presently

structured

will last

only until

the death

of its

members.

Now that

is an

earth-shattering

truth,

isn't it?

That really

should make

us rethink

our lives.

Now it

must be

said that

loving our

wives and

our families

and children

is a very

good thing

to do and

we need

to do it

more.

But

she's just

saying that

loving the

church,

it needs

to be at

the top

of the

list.

Because we

love our

families best

by loving

the church.

So do you

love the

church?

Do you

love God's

people to

death?

That is

Jesus Christ's

command for

us.

That is

what branches

that abide

in the vine

look like.

This is

what a

fruitful

church looks

like.

So if

you're

feeling at

any point

how can

I love

Jesus more?

How can

I grow

more?

Well,

love the

church.

Sacrifice your

time and

your convenience

and your

energy for

the people

sat around

you.

Sacrifice your

life for the

church.

That is

obedience.

That's what

clinging to

Christ looks

like.

The

gardener,

he wants a

fruitful and

healthy tree.

The

father,

he wants a

fruitful and

healthy church

because it

glorifies him.

it reflects

the love of

the father

to the

son.

It shows

the glory

of the

gardener.

So look

at verse

eight.

By this

my father

is glorified

that you

bear much

fruit and

so prove

to be my

disciples.

People

should be

looking in

from the

outside and

thinking,

wow,

what love

what a

God they

must have.

So

Christians,

we are

attached to

the true

vine.

Let's make

this tree

beautiful.

Let's go

out and

love one

another to

death.

Let's

glorify our

God.

Let's

pray.