The Vine and It's Branches

John 15:1,  I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

True-(alēthinos), real, true genuine; opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended.

 *Isaiah 5:7, Psalm 80:8-11, James 1:1 & 2:1 (James is speaking to the early Christian believers from Jerusalem.)

 Romans 11:17, branches represent individual Jews, while the wild olive shoot is the Gentile Christians.  Usually a shoot of cultivated tree was inserted into a wild one.  However, this metaphor is ‘contrary to nature’ (verse 24) and that is precisely the point.  Normally it would not produce fruit, but God flips the process and it produces much good fruit.  The whole olive tree is representative of the people of God.

Therefore, we are now grafted in branches as New Testament believers.

 John 15:2, He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

cuts off- refers to judgment

    prunes- produces fruitfulness.  Good fruit is representative of evidence of a godly life, or virtue of character.  Prune can also mean clean or cleanse- of filth impurity, etc, to prune trees and vines from useless shoots.

 John 15:3, You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

John 13:10-17- (follow me and serve humbly), James 1:27

John 15:4, Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Remain in me-the believer has no fruitfulness apart from union and fellowship with Christ.  A branch out of contact with the vine is lifeless.

John 15:5, I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

I am the vine- the repetition here is emphasizing its importance.  A living union with Christ is absolutely necessary.

    If a man remains= he who abides, one who or whom stays.

 John 15:6, If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such a branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

fire and burned- another reference to judgment. It is important to note this is not the will of the Father.  See John 6:39, Ezekiel 33:11 

This passage is most likely speaking of non-believers; genuine salvation is evidenced by a life of fruitfulness.  Matthew 7:15-20

John 15:7, If  you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Ask whatever you wish- Matthew 7:7-8 (ask, seek, knock; these are Greek imperatives that emphasize persistent prayer.)  John 14:13, this is prayer that not only mentions Jesus’ name, but that is in accordance with the intent of carrying forward the work of Jesus.

John 15:8, This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

to my Father’s glory-the Father is glorified in the work of the Son and in the fruit-bearing of the disciples. 

John 15:9, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.

remain- if we circled this word alone it appears 11 times in John 15.  I think Jesus is telling us something very important here!

remain- (menō) to remain, abide, in reference to place; to sojourn, tarry; not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, continually, in reference to time, to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure; of persons, to survive, live: in reference to state or condition, to remain as one, not to become another or different

 to wait for, await one.

 What definition of the word remain/abide above most speaks to you ?  Why?

John 15:10, If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

 How to abide or remain in Christ’s love: obedience.  Obedience and love go hand in hand. Christ has provided us the perfect example of both.  John 14:15

Obedience means: compliance, submission; obedience rendered to anyone's counsels, an obedience shown in observing the requirements of Christianity.

See Romans 1:5, 5:19

 John 15:11, I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Why abide or remain in Christ’s love-   that your joy may be COMPLETE!!!

complete (plēroō)  - to make full, to fill up, to render perfect, to carry into effect, bring to realization, to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting, the full measure.

joy (chara)- joy, gladness, the joy received from you,  the cause or occasion of joy (Galations 5:22)

 

John 15:12…17, 

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.......

This is my command: Love each other.