The True Vine | What's In a Name

Would you please stand as we read the Word of

God? This is coming from John chapter 15, verses

John 15:1–11

1 through 11. John chapter 15, verses 1 through

John 15:1–11

11. I am the true vine, and my Father is the

vinedresser. 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. Already you are clean because of

the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 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. 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 you abide in me,

my words abide in you. Ask whatever you wish,

and it will be done for you. 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. 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. These things I have spoken

to you that my joy may be in you and that your

joy may be full. This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God. You may be seated. So I could

hear the disciples talking amongst themselves,

saying, that triumphal entry really triggered

something in Jesus. It's almost as if as soon

as he entered Jerusalem, Jesus was different.

He's even doing some strange things. First, after

raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus' Lazarus

entourage, they meet him in Jerusalem with palm

branches and they're giving him a kingly entrance.

Then instead of hopping on top of a horse as

a sign of a conquering king, Jesus... The one

whom all things are made chose to make his way

through Jerusalem sitting on a baby donkey. The

optics aren't good, Jesus. Then Jesus is once

again talking about his soon -to -be death. How

he has to be lifted up in order to cast out the

ruler of this world. The crowds who sought to

crown King Jesus even recognized that Jesus'

death statements were off because they knew from

the law that the Christ remains forever. How

can you, Jesus, say that the Son of Man must

be lifted up? See, this statement, along with

the miracles that Jesus performed, really divided,

well, actually confused his audience. His mission

is not just to save Israel from the Romans, but

to save the whole world? And all this happened

in chapter 12. And I dare not speak of what happened

in chapter 13. Well, I already started, so I

guess I might as well. See, Jesus continued to

go on and on about his hour having come, which,

as he stated earlier, had something to do about

his soon -to -be death. Then, at the Passover

dinner party, Jesus does something else unbecoming

of a king. Jesus subjects himself to a foot -washing,

door -tended slave and claims that if he doesn't

wash his disciples' feet, that they will have

no share with him when he comes into his kingdom.

Also at the party, in some... random act of clairvoyance,

he predicts not only that one of his disciples

will betray him, but he openly identifies the

disciple who would do it. He also predicts that

another one of his disciples will deny him before

men. In chapter 14, Jesus first stated that he

was the way, the truth, and the life, and that

no one comes to the Father except through him.

Now when one of his disciples longing to see

the Father asks Jesus to show him the Father,

then Jesus in some mysterious and confusing way

said that the Father was in him and that he was

in the Father? Now the only thing that he said

that made sense was the new commandment that

he issued for his disciples to love one another

just as Jesus had loved them. But even this was

perplexing because just what was special about

Jesus' love for his disciples? Or what was the

nature of the connection that Jesus has with

God the Father? Or this promised Holy Spirit

whom the world cannot receive because it neither

knows him or sees him? Now John... chapter 15

verses 1 through 11 should help clarify these

questions and jesus's overall behavior during

this also special stretch of jesus's time during

holy week now in these verses jesus in his seventh

of seven i am statements shows us four aspects

of him being the true vine and they are the vines

vine dresser the vine's vitality, the vine's

victory, and the vine's vicarious love. Now,

these four aspects of Jesus as our true vine,

they compel us by faith to call him your sweet

vine of mine. It's the title of my sermon today,

Sweet Vine of Mine. Let's look at the vine's

vine dresser in verses 1 through 3. Now, God

the Father's inextricable connection with Jesus

the Son begins to come into focus with the Father's

role as the vine dresser to Jesus' vine. In verse

1, Jesus stated, I am the true vine, and my Father

is the vine dresser. Now, by calling himself

the true vine, Jesus wasn't saying anything new

that the apostle John hadn't already said about

him in chapter 1. In chapter 1, John said that

in Jesus was life and the life was the light

of men. See, Jesus' disciples would have recognized

the agricultural importance of a vine and its

ability to impart sustaining life and produce

fruit through branches that it spawned. Now,

Jesus stated that it wasn't just a vine nor the

vine, but the true vine. Now, in the phrase the

true vine, the adjective true is meant to modify

the noun vine. Jesus is speaking primarily to

the vine's quality of being the opposite of what

is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated,

or pretended. Meaning Jesus, like a vine, is

teeming with life -giving power that sustains

all that came forth from him, or as we'll see

later on, that which would by faith attach itself

to him. Now Jesus says, God the Father is so

intimately connected to him, the true vine, that

the Father, in conjunction with the sun, not

only sustains the branches, but he also preserves

the vine from supplying its precious life -giving

power to non -producing branches. Now, as any

farmer in Jesus' time would know, the vinedresser's

careful attention to an observation of the vine

was pivotal to the vine's life -producing capabilities.

I know we have farmers in our midst, so I want

to be careful about what I'm saying. Now, Andrew

Murray, he said that the chief care of the vine

dresser is the pruning. The pruning is a cleansing

for the vine. Now, in verse 2, Jesus mentions

two types of branches in him. One type is a branch

that does not bear fruit. And the other type

is a branch that does bear fruit. Now the father

takes away the non -fruit producing branches

and he prunes the fruit producing branches that

they may bear more fruit. Sort of like our liturgy

just said. Now the pruning process, as Murray

put it, is not the removal of weeds or thorns

or things. from without that may hinder the growth

of the vine it's the cutting off of the long

shoots of the previous year the removal of something

that comes from within the vine that has been

produced by the life of the vine itself we're

talking about cutting healthy fruit producing

branches sometimes eight and ten feet long leaving

just one to two inches coming from the wood which

is enough to bear The grapes. Here's a real -life

example of the two types of branches. Judas and

Peter. See, Jesus, the true vine, he hand -picked

both Judas and Peter. Judas betrayed Jesus for

30 shekels. Peter denied Jesus three times. Judas

was not bearing good fruit at the time of his

betrayal, and Peter was not bearing good fruit

at the time of his denial. So what's the difference

between these two men? In John 13, Jesus, after

Satan had entered into Judas, told Judas, what

you are going to do, do it quickly. In Luke 22,

Jesus told Peter, but I have prayed for you.

that your faith may not fail, and when you have

turned again, strengthen your brothers. In other

words, the vinedresser took away Judas and pruned

Peter. Well, what does the vinedresser use as

his pruning tool to cleanse the true vine? Now,

intuitively, we would think it's primarily affliction

and adversity. But in verse 3, Jesus says, already

you are clean because of the word I have spoken

to you. See, the vine dresser's pruning shears

and his loppers are his word. For the word of

God is living and active, sharper than any two

-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul

and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning

the thoughts and intentions. of the heart. And

when the word of God makes contact with our hearts,

it either accuses or excuses our consciences.

So it's only appropriate that Jesus only said

what his father, the vinedresser, told him to

say to reveal what type of branches we are. In

John 12, Jesus said, The one who rejects me and

does not receive my word has a judge. The word

I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

For I have not spoken on my own authority, but

the Father who has sent me, he has given me a

commandment what to say and what to speak. It's

as if Jesus' words are the vine dresser's pruning

and cleansing tools. See, affliction or adversity

are merely the means by which the word comes

to life for us. See, if the word of the gospel

has no effect on your life, then there is no

level of affliction or adversity that will bring

you to saving faith in Jesus Christ. You're just

going to simply find yourself taking lap after

lap on the track of hard times, never bearing

the fruit that you were intended to bear. You,

my friend, are a branch that the vinedresser

will take away. However, when you're faced with

affliction or adversity and the word of the gospel

penetrates through the coarse cracks of your

crusty heart, Then the supernatural response

is a person who finally has a sense of their

sin and the mercy of God in Christ. And with

grief and hatred, they turn from their sin and

they turn to Christ with the full purpose of

an endeavor after new obedience. If this is you,

then you, my brother or sister, are a branch

that the vine dresser is pruning. Now this time

of pruning, it's good for you because of the

true vine's vitality that continually supplies

you with what you need to continue producing

the fruit. And that's what verses 4 to 6 say

in regards to my second point, the vine's vitality.

Now, particularly in verse 4, Jesus showed the

importance of the continual life -giving power

of the vine by commanding his disciples to abide

in me and I in you. Now, by abide, Jesus means

to stay, and this is in a given place, a state,

a relation. or expectancy. It also means to continue,

to dwell, to endure, to be present, to stand,

and to tarry. More importantly, it means to remain

as you are, to not become another, or to not

become different. Abide in Christ. Or die. Now

after the command, Jesus further illustrated

the importance of abiding in him in verse 4 with

an agricultural reality. As the branch cannot

bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the

vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

Abide in Christ or die. And just when you thought

the command and the agricultural reality were

enough, Jesus in verse 5, I'll write, reiterated

what he said earlier. 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 in Christ or die.

In verse 6, all Jesus did was further elaborate

on what happens to the non -abiding, non -fruit

-producing branches. They are thrown away like

a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered,

thrown into the fire, and burned. Abide in Christ

or die. Now, this further look. and to the non

-abiding branches is no doubt an allusion to

hell. The place of unquenchable fire, where non

-abiding branches do not die. They are not consumed.

They are tormented day and night, forever and

ever. See, this is eternal defeat. However, this

is not the destiny. of the abiding branches.

The abiding branches experience the vine's victory,

my third point. See, victory in the vine is God

being glorified in the fruit -bearing prayers,

words, decisions, and actions of his covenant

people. In verse 7, Jesus gave his disciples

some scary assurance. If you abide in me, and

my words in you, then ask whatever you wish,

and it will be done for you. See, here Jesus

writes his disciples and us a blank check to

ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done

for you. Now, you're probably thinking, there's

no way Jesus means what he says. Well, I think

he does. He means what he says because he said

it before. Look with me in some of the ask and

receive verses in the Gospels. Matthew 7, 7.

Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you

will find. Knock, and it shall be opened. Matthew

7, 8. For everyone who asks, receives. And the

one who seeks... and the one who knocks it will

be opened. Matthew 18, 19. Again, I say to you,

if two of you agree on earth about anything that

they ask, it will be done for them by my Father,

the vinedresser, in heaven. Matthew 21, 22. And

whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive

if you have faith. Well, Jesus, you got me. You

got me. What's the catch? The catch is that you

abide in Christ and his words abide in you. Abiding

in Christ and his words, abiding in you, is the

only condition standing between you and whatever

it is that you desire. Now, when I read this,

when I say this, I get the prosperity gospel

heebie -jeebies. You know, the health. wealth

and prosperity gospel, the name it and claim

it gospel, the blab it and grab it gospel. I

know and I have seen the damage of this brand

of gospel, if you want to call it that. I know

what it can do to a person, to a family, to a

church. and to a society who's on the outside

looking in for some kind of hope in this garden

of Whedon. Yeah, okay, all right, all right.

So we must hold Jesus' words not only in context,

but we must hold them in tension. For example,

if your tendency is to think to ask for wealth,

fame, or riches, Then you also got to remember

that the very same Jesus who said, verse 7, also

said to a rich young ruler who couldn't stand

the idea of pardon from his stuff, that it's

easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom

of heaven. Uh -oh. Or how about the same Jesus

who in his Sermon on the Mount said, don't lay

up for yourselves treasures. Here on earth, where

moth and rust destroy and where thieves break

in and steal. Or how about this same Jesus who

says you can't serve God and money? Don't get

me wrong. I'm not saying that Jesus is saying

that being rich is bad or somehow it's a sin.

Rather, Jesus is alluding to how our sin nature

can turn a good thing like money into an ultimate

thing. thus making it an idol. So if you who

are spiritual, if you have Christ's words abiding

in you, then the things you are praying for,

which will be granted, are of a spiritual nature.

Things such as your kingdom come and your will

be done on earth as it is in heaven. See, these

types of prayers and the results that they bring,

as verse 8 says, it serves two purposes. They

bring God glory and they prove you to be Jesus'

disciples. In fact, this is the example that

Jesus gave his disciples to pray. Wanting and

yearning and praying for the spiritual things

of Christ are the result of a pruned faith. Christian.

The true vine is supplying you with his abundant

life, and through his abundant life, you produce

the fruit of an abundant life. This, my brothers

and sisters, is the vine's victory in the Christian's

life. This is the life that Jesus came to secure

for you, Christian, both in the life now and

in the one to come. The only thing I could think

to call Jesus' act of securing this life for

you and me now is divine's vicarious love, which

is my fourth and final point for this text. Now,

verses 9 through 10, Jesus once again showed

his disciples the inseparable nature of the eternal

and qualitatively perfect love between him and

his Father. of the vine and the vine dresser

but the eternal love that jesus and his father

have for one another doesn't terminate between

the two of them jesus brings his disciples into

that love look at it in verse 9 as the father

has loved me so i have loved you see first jesus

talks of the from before The foundations of the

world love that his father had him. The entirely

self -sufficient love that his father had for

him. The I didn't need to create to know what

it means to love, love that the father had for

him. The holy, holy, holy love that the father

had for him. Then Jesus says, with that same

measure of love, so have I loved you. Jesus loves

us with the very same love that his father loved

him with. Let that sink in for a moment. And

then think about John 3, 16. For God so loved

the world that he gave his only begotten son

so that the believing one should not perish eternally,

but have everlasting life. See, God's love led

him to giving his only begotten son. Jesus' love

for the Father led him to voluntarily lay his

life down for the sheep. God the Father's love

and God the Son's love are identical in their

purpose to seek and save at great cost sinners

like you and me to the glory of God the Father.

And the eternal nature of divine and divine dress

is love. It had no beginning. And guess what?

It'll have no end. Christian, your only hope

in life and in death is to, as verse 9 says,

abide in Jesus' love. Abide in Christ's love

or die? Those are your options. Now, this love

that we're talking about, it's not the superficial

and the fickle and the artificial love that the

world has to offer. See, the world's idea of

love... is that it strings us along, and then

it leaves us high and dry, and it has us afraid

to risk the vulnerability that God's love would

have us receive and reflect to one another. See,

the world's love has given God's love a bad name.

Well, how do we abide in Jesus' love? Verse 10

tells us, by commandment keeping. 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. Earlier in John 14, 15, Jesus said,

if you love me, keep my commandments. The condition

of abiding in Jesus' love is that we keep his

commandments. Commandments. Adam and Eve blew

it with just one commandment. Just how are we

to keep commandments? If Jesus expects us to

keep commandments, we are cooked, baked, fried,

and filleted. See, Jesus knows this, and he makes

a way for us to be able to keep his father's

commandments. He himself fulfills his father's

commandments. Listen to this. Listen to this.

Out of the love he has for his father. See, Jesus'

example of commandment keeping is as verse 11

says, a joy to him. Jesus received joy from obeying

his father, and his joy was full. Now, Jesus

wants to transfer the same eternal joy he felt

in following the Father's commandment to us in

the midst of this fallen condition. It's as if

Jesus is saying the only way for you to experience

the eternal love and joy he experienced with

the Father is if you live vicariously through

him. Abide in Christ or die. Just like a father

or a mother may live vicariously through their

children. You've all seen it. They look silly.

You've seen them on the sidelines. Right? And

I'm ashamed to admit that I'm one of those parents.

But the idea of the father or the mother trying

to live vicariously through their children, you,

Christian, must live vicariously through Christ

to make it in this life. And the one to come,

abide in Christ or die? Well, just how do we

abide in Christ? This brings me to the centrality

of Jesus. How do we abide in Christ? It's through

a theological phrase titled union with Christ.

Union with Christ means seeing your life. as

inseparably bound up or united with Christ's

life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension,

and intercession, otherwise known as the gospel

of Jesus Christ. Union with Christ is by faith

and repentance, living your life through the

lenses of the gospel to experience and enjoy

the eternal love that the vine and the vinedresser

had. from before the foundations of the world.

Union with Christ is prioritizing Jesus above

everything, putting Jesus smack dab in the middle

of everything, and then having Jesus right at

the end of everything. See, this is the type

of focus that Jesus had while he was here on

earth, exemplifying what true humanity is and

complete and utter devotion to God at all times

and in all ways. This is God's standard. You

shall be holy, for I am holy. Now, this type

of focus is truly supernatural. That for us to

have it, it's almost as if we at least have to

die to ourselves and be born again anew. And

at most, we have to literally be God to do what

God says. Now, if you're thinking this, you're

right. This is what Jesus secured for us so that

we could vicariously experience the fullness

of the inseparable love and joy that freely flowed

between the Father and the Son. Are you abiding

in Christ? Well, I submit to you that we are

not, at least not as we should be. How do I know?

Because I heard it through the grapevine. See

what I did there? Yep. Now, by grapevine, I mean

Jesus. See, Jesus knows that without the Holy

Spirit, the Comforter, the one that he promised

to leave us in John 14, 16, we couldn't and we

wouldn't be able to stomach the idea of someone

besides ourselves being in the forefront of our

lives. And I speak of this in moments of our

greatest joy and our greatest despair. It's us

at the center of our universe. In our greatest

moments of joy, pride creeps in. And it deceives

us to think how good we are. How fortunate my

spouse is to have me. How lucky my job is to

have me. How blessed my church is to have me.

In our greatest moments of despair, pride creeps

in and it deceives us, making us think that nobody

knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows my

sorrows. Have you ever thought to yourself that

this world would be a better place if you weren't

in it? That everything and everyone that you

touch goes to waste? Ever think you can't be

redeemed? Well, my friend. This could be you

still being at the center of your universe, and

you must surrender from this pride. This pride

is the reason that most of our relationships

suffer. See, pride is the number one destroyer

of marriages, thinking that your spouse exists

to worship you, or even worse, that they exist

to complete you. Come on. Union with Christ is

the life -giving source of marriage. For marriage

is a picture of the saga of redemption between

Christ the bridegroom for the church his bride.

Christ's humility and his obedience is where

we find the security in the traditional vows

that husband and wife say to one another. See,

the biblical prescription is husbands loving

their wives and wives respecting their husbands

as Christ loved and revered the Father. To all

my married folks, you ever go back to look at

your vows? You promise that you'll stay together

for good times and bad times, sickness and in

health, richer for poor, to death do you part?

You know where that comes from? That comes from

Christ's example to his church. And we are called

to be little pictures, little micro pictures

of the macro imagery and reality of what Christ

is doing with his people. Abide in Christ by

vicariously living out your marriage through

the lenses of Christ's example. Pride is the

number one destroyer of our vocations, our jobs,

what we do every day. Thinking that you exist

for your job. Or that you're irreplaceable. The

constant search for validation from your employer

or your employees as if that's the justification

for your existence in this world. Union with

Christ is the life -giving source of our vocations.

See, Jesus' validation didn't come from man.

Jesus' validation came from God the Father. God

the Father? perpetually and eternally recognize

Jesus as the employee of the month. Remember

when he said, this is my beloved son in whom

I am well pleased. And he exalts him and he gives

him a name that is above all names so that at

the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every

tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father. Now the biblical

prescription for not feeling validated by your

employer or your employees is to work heartily

as for the Lord and not men. Knowing that from

the Lord you will receive the inheritance as

your reward. Abide in Christ by vicariously working

as one serving not man, but ultimately the Lord

Jesus Christ. Pride is the number one destroyer

of our children. Thinking that you must model

strength and infallibility before your children

to earn the respect that you think you deserve.

Or even worse, failing to disciple your children

out of laziness. I've been there. Or failing

to discipline your children for fear that they

may not like you. Been there too. Union with

Christ is the life -giving source of our parenting.

For parents are to raise their children in the

fear and admonition of the Lord, and children

likewise are to obey their parents. See how the

Bible sets it out for you in those clear terms?

Abide in Christ by vicariously teaching, admonishing,

and obeying all that the Father gives you before

your children. Apologize to your children. Admit

fault and wrongdoing. And then model faith and

repentance to your children because of the free

grace that Christ won for you. It's amazing,

especially in my generation. I have a lot of

friends, a lot of my professional colleagues

who have the bitterness of their mother and their

father as an impediment that keeps them from

coming to Christ. This is true. All because you

can't apologize and say that you were wrong.

What do you have to lose? Your life is hidden

in Christ. In him you live, move, and have your

beings. You're a sinner who's been saved by grace

that's going to keep making mistakes. Why not

model that to your children so that when they

grow up, they don't feel ashamed and prideful

and admit the same thing? Pride is the number

one destroyer of our friendships and common bonds,

especially when you put unrealistic expectations

of what a friend should be on another. And then

you get mad when they don't reciprocate what

you've given them. I've been there. See, union

with Christ is the life -giving source of our

friendships and common bonds. For it was Christ

that said, greater love has no one than this,

that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Abiding Christ by vicariously understanding your

own sinful nature. as well as others, so that

your expectations are realistic even when your

close friends let you down. And if you haven't

been there yet, that day is coming. Your joy

in this life cannot be conditioned upon other

people because that, my brothers and sisters,

is a miserable existence. Believer, allow the

word of God to prune you. Do you know that the

word prune is where we get the word catharsis?

See, a cathartic activity is an activity that

provides psychological relief through the open

expression of strong emotions, such as crying

or screaming or physically exerting oneself.

And with God, your cries and your tears are not

in vain. The Father's pruning is cathartic in

that the whole point of the Christian life is

to bear fruit. And that bearing fruit is proof

that you are one of Jesus' disciples. So the

vine dresser's pruning is good for us. Unbeliever,

if you're not in union with Christ, you're not

bearing fruit. If you're not bearing fruit, then

you're not being pruned. If you're not being

pruned, then you are being prepared to be fuel

for the fire. So believer and unbeliever alike,

turn from your sin and by faith abide in the

vine. My prayer is that you come to see the sweetness

of the vine and you sing. He's sweet. I know.

He's sweet. I know. Storm clouds may rise. Strong

winds may blow. That's the pruning. But I'll

tell the world wherever I go. That I found a

Savior. And he's sweet, I know.