By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 1045am Svc, 2010-05-02

Text: John 15:1-11

On 26 December 2006, a big earthquake off the coast of Taiwan caused several undersea communication cables to snap. This in turn caused massive disruptions in telecom and Internet services throughout Asia. Internet access slowed down to a crawl for about a week and some websites became totally inaccessible. IDD communication and financial transactions in all Asian countries were seriously affected by the disruptions. 

This disaster has highlighted one interesting fact: Within the last 20 years the world has become extremely dependent on connectivity for everything it does. We stay connected through the Internet, mobile phonecalls, SMS, email, videoconferencing, Skype and Facebook. Life as we know it would be very difficult without these connections. 

In today's message we will be looking at a different kind of connection - one which is so vital and important to us that living the Christian life would not only be very difficult, but impossible without it. And a disruption of this connection can result in a major spiritual consequences. This important connection is the subject of John 15:1-11. The chapter just before this ended with Jesus saying, 'Arise, let us go hence' to His disciples. Therefore these words that we just read in John 15 were probably spoken as they made their way towards the Garden of Gethsemane which was outside Jerusalem. On the way there they might have passed through some of the vineyards that grew around Jerusalem. And under the bright Passover moonlight they would probably have a full view of the rows of grape vines with their branches and clusters of grapes growing in those vineyards. This may well have been the setting which provided Jesus with one of His best illustrations for His relationship with us who are His disciples - the Vine and the Branches. There are at least 4 precious lessons on abiding in Christ that we can learn from this illustration:

I. God's Care is Displayed over It (vv.1-3)

This is seen in the first 2 verses where Jesus said: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.' Here we see God the Father portrayed as an expert vinedresser who knows how to derive the best yield of good quality grapes from his vine. The art of cultivating grapes started about 52 centuries ago from the Middle-East. Grape vines have grown abundantly in Israel from ancient times. When the 12 spies surveyed the Promised Land they returned to Moses with a bunch of grapes so big that it needed two men to carry it (Number 13:23). 

Because of this the grape plant became well-known to all Jews, and it was used in many illustrations in the Old Testament (e.g. Genesis 40:9,10; Deuteronomy 32:32; Judges 9:12,13; 1 Kings 4:25; Psalm 80:8-16; 128:3; Isaiah 5:1-4; Jeremiah 2:21; 6:9; Ezekiel 15:2-6; 17:6-9; Hosea 10:1). The vine became a symbol of personal prosperity and was even employed as a national symbol of Israel. By the time of Jesus most Jews were familiar with the growing of vines and what was involved in obtaining the best fruit from them.

Thus, when Jesus said, 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman [vinedresser],' the 11 disciples understood what He said. They would know that a lot of specialized experience and skill is required to grow grapes of good quality and quantity. The vinedresser first needs to prepare the ground to ensure that it is well-drained of water. Then he has to choose cuttings of the choicest vine to plant in his vineyard. There are different kinds of vines available and he has to select the right one which would give him fruits that had the qualities he wants. If the fruits are meant for eating he would choose one kind of vine. If they are meant for wine-making he would choose a different kind of vine. 

The selected cuttings are then planted in the ground in rows about 2 metres apart. They take about 3-4 years to grow before they start bearing fruit. As the vine plant is actually a creeper, it needs a trellis to support it and to give it maximum exposure to sunlight - this usually consists of vertical stakes joined together by horizontal wires or ropes. And as the vine grows longer and twines itself around this trellis it would sprout shoots which become its branches. Buds would appear on these branches, and out of these buds bunches of grapes would grow. 

But the vinedresser has to do a lot of work to ensure that he gets the results he wants. He has to protect the plant from pests and fungal infection. He has to prune the vine and its branches regularly to keep them just the right size and shape. If he does not do any pruning, they would keep on growing and growing and all the sap of the plant would get used up to produce wood instead of grapes. Pruning requires the greatest skill and years of experience to do well. 

First, the vinedresser must cut away all branches that are not bearing any more fruit. These branches are dead and their bark is already cracking and peeling off. If these dead branches are not removed, they will hinder the growth of the living branches. As some dead branches may even be diseased with mildew, removing them will also protect the living branches from being infected. And to ensure that any mildew on them is totally destroyed, these dead branches must be burned. 

The second thing the vinedresser does in pruning is to cut the living branches. Correct pruning of the living branches is actually the most critical of all factors in vinedressing - it directly affects the strength and stability of the plant, and the quantity and quality of the fruits on each branch. Every branch requires a decision by the vinedresser. Before he prunes a branch he looks at its position, thickness and colour and the number of leaves and buds that it has. He must know when to cut it, where to cut it and how much of the branch to cut. If he cuts it several days too early the branch may succumb to the cold of winter and die. But if he cuts it a few days too late, the wound of the cut will not heal before the flood of sap starts to flow in springtime. Then the sap would 'bleed' out of the wound and attract pests. If the vinedresser leaves too many buds when he prunes the branch the fruits on it will not be able to ripen. But if he leaves too few buds, the branch may not bear any fruits at all.

I think you can see how critical the vinedresser's skill is to the health and productivity of a vine plant. If a vine plant is well-cared for, it can keep producing grapes for hundreds of years. The oldest vine on record today is more than 400 years old and is found in a town called Maribor in Slovenia. Only one specially-trained vinedresser in Maribor is allowed to prune that vine, and a special ceremony is held when he prunes it. And because of this special care it is still thriving and producing about 45 kg of grapes a year. 

How thankful we ought to be that we enjoy such special care from God, who is our divine vinedresser. Every branch under His care will be able to produce the best fruit. This was taken care of when God chose His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Vine for us to abide in. Our abiding relationship with Christ began right here in God's choice. According to v.1, Jesus is the true vine, the only genuine choicest vine. Only His life-giving sap can produce the kind of fruits that God wants to see on all living branches that are joined to Him.

God's supreme care as our vinedresser is also seen in what He removes. According to v.2, he takes the dead branches away from the vine. Through the marvellous outworking of God's providence, false teachers and false disciples are eventually separated from God's people so that their false teachings and sinful influences will not destroy God's people.

And God's removing work is not limited only to the dead branches - it is applied to the living branches as well. But what He does to the living branches is not to remove them, but to remove things from them. He cuts away anything that may hinder our growth and productivity - especially those things which draw our attention away from Him and that may become idols if we are not careful. 

God cannot tolerate anything that may crowd Him out of your life. He wants to be the sole object of your devotion. Please don't wait for Him to remove all other objects of devotion from your life. It is less painful for you to get rid of them before He does.

Verse 2 also helps us to understand why bad things sometimes happen to good people - and even to the most god-fearing Christians. It says that, 'Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it.' Those who preach a health and wealth gospel should read this verse to see how wrong they are. Why are fruit-bearing Christians sometimes deprived of the things they love? Why does an obedient believer not get the promotion he deserves in his place of work? Why do some faithful disciples of Christ lose their health and source of security? We must see all these trials as part of God's removing work in our lives. They are all designed for our own good. They may equip us to be of better use to God. They may introduce new virtues into our character. They may bind us more closely to Christ. Thus they make us stronger and more fruitful than we were before.

But going through this removing work of God may be very unpleasant for us. No branch ever likes to be pruned and reduced down to size. It's painful to feel the blades of the pruning shears. But the end results make it all worthwhile to endure. One well-known song by Ron Hamilton expresses how we should respond to this: 'Now, I can see testing comes from above, God strengthens His children, and purges in love. My Father knows best, and I trust in His care; Through purging, more fruit I will bear.' Dearly beloved, whenever you go through a trial that hits you out of the blue for no rhyme or reason - a trial that comes even though you have faithful to God - don't be discouraged. Look at it with eyes of faith as the work of the Divine Vinedresser in your life and be glad that He cares so much for you.

Thus we have seen that the illustration of the Vine and the Branches teaches us how much God cares for us, that we should abide only in the true vine who is Christ. 

II. Fruit-Bearing is Impossible without It (vv.4-6)

The second lesson from this illustration is found in vv.4-5 'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.' In this entire passage of John 15:1-11 there are only 2 explicit commands given. One of them is the command for us to abide in Christ in v.4, and the other is the command for us to continue in His love in v.9. But both of them are actually translated from the same word - the word which means remain or abide. In fact that word is found altogether 10 times within these few verses. Doesn't that tell us what we should be concentrating our efforts on? Not on bearing fruits, but on abiding in Christ.

Unfortunately many Christians concentrate their efforts on the wrong thing. They are trying very hard to bear fruits as if that is what God has commanded them to do. Actually the only command to be fruitful that God ever gave man is to 'be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth' (Genesis 1:28; 9:1) but that is about procreation, which is a very different kind of fruit-bearing from the one in our passage. And since procreation is commanded it becomes our responsibility. But unlike this, the responsibility for the kind of fruit-bearing that Jesus spoke of in John 15 does not belong to us but to Jesus HImself. He causes our lives to bear fruit when we abide in Him.

This is the reason why the Vine and Branches illustration is used. It brings out this truth very well. Fruit bearing does not depend on the branch at all, but on the vine that it is attached to. As long as the branch is joined to the vine it automatically bears fruits, but when it is detached from the vine it ceases to bear any fruit. It the detached branch is successfully grafted back to the vine, then it will start to bear fruits again. It is easy to see that the cause of fruit bearing is not in the branch but in the vine. All that the branch needs to do to bear fruits is to remain attached to the vine.

This brings out the most fundamental principle of Christian living - It is not we who live the Christian life, but Christ who lives it through us (cf. Galatians 2:20). What eventually counts for all eternity are not the works that we accomplish on our own strength for Christ, but the works that Christ accomplishes through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you miss this principle, you have missed the most basic and most fundamental of all principles for Christian living. 

Therefore our responsibility is to keep abiding in Christ. Our personal relationship with Christ is the key. That relationship gradually transforms us from within until our lives outwardly manifest its fruits in Christian living. This means that the more we build up and strengthen our relationship with Christ the more fruits we will bear from it. Let me therefore ask you this question: How is your relationship with the Lord right now? Are you enjoying a close walk with Jesus everyday? 

Many of you may say, 'Yes, I read the Bible and pray at the beginning of each day.' But this does not necessarily mean that you are enjoying a close walk with Him. Reading the Bible avails nothing if it is done in a cursory or routine manner like reading the newspapers. To commune with the Lord means reading the Bible with faith and devotion, believing that He is personally speaking to you and teaching you through it. It means that you keep looking out for those precious little gems from His Word that move your soul and invigorate your spirit.

And though you may be praying daily, it avails nothing if it is done perfunctorily with the same 'recorded message' everytime. To commune with the Lord means praying fervently from the heart not just during your devotions, but throughout the day. At times it may be a simple word of thanks to Him for little blessings that you sometimes take for granted. At other times it may be an urgent petition for help to deal with an unexpected situation or for a person who is in need. Sometimes it may be a plea for wisdom to decide what to do with your time. And oftentimes it may be a sincere confession of a sin you had just committed in your words against someone or in your thoughts about someone.

If you think that it is too difficult to maintain a close relationship with God like this, please remember that abiding in Christ is a command, not an option. It is non-negotiable and much more important than any other Christian activity whether it is attending committee meetings or serving in some ministry of the church or leading a Bible study group. It is that one thing needful that will keep you from having only a form of godliness but denying the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). If you are too busy to abide in Christ, you are just too busy.

Note what Jesus said at the end of v.5 'Without me ye can do nothing.' From this it is clear that we need Him not only for those occasional huge challenges that we face in life, but for everything that we do in life - we need to rely on Him. So please don't let a single day of your life go by without remembering how needful it is for you to abide in Christ. You simply can't live without it!

And please be assured that it is not a burden at all to abide in Christ. In fact you will derive much joy from it, for Jesus Himself said in v.11 'These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.' The more you abide in Christ the more you will experience all the precious delights that come from it. And one of these precious delights is to see the fruits that come up naturally in your life. How wonderful it is to bear fruits and not just some fruits, but much fruits! This brings us to the next lesson that we must learn from the illustration of the Vine and the branches-

III. Much Fruit is Possible through It (vv.7-11)

How thrilled we ought to be at the real prospect of becoming as fruitful as God wants us to be! We had seen in v.2 what God does to the branches that are already bearing fruit - He prunes them so that they will bear more fruit. And now in v.8 we see that this is not all. He wants them to bear much fruit. As Jesus says, 'Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.' This verse also helps us to understand why much fruit is so desirable to Him: It glorifies the Father. But how is the Father glorified when we bear much fruit? I believe that the answer is found in the words, 'so shall ye be my disciples' at the end of this verse. 

The more fruit we bear, the more evident it becomes that we are true disciples of Christ, because those fruits actually make us more Christ-like. And since the next verse tells us that the Father loves Christ, it follows that He will also love to see His own beloved Son's image appearing in us. Nothing pleases the Father more than to see Christ formed in us (cf. Galatians 4:19). 

This is a truth that should motivate us to abide in Christ even more - by abiding in Him we become more and more like Christ, and this brings glory to God. The more we abide in Christ, the more our wills will be conformed to His will. Then everything we ask for in prayer would be the same things that Christ Himself would ask for. That is why Jesus said in v.8 'If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.' This verse is sometimes mistakenly used as a claim to answered prayer: 'I can ask God for anything I want and God's Word promises that He will do it for me - How grand!' Actually what Jesus said here is only meant to teach us that abiding in Him can produce fruit that glorifies God by conforming our wills and our prayers to His. 

Obedience is another area where abiding in Christ will produce fruit that glorifies God. This is seen in v.10 'If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.' The more we abide in Christ, the more our obedience to His commandments will be conformed to His obedience. 

To find another area where abiding in Christ will produce fruit that glorifies God let us turn to 2 Peter 1:5-8 'And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

The words, 'neither be barren nor unfruitful' in verse 8 make it clear that this passage is about fruit-bearing. The 8 graces that are mentioned in vv.5-7 (faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity) can therefore be understood as the fruits that should appear in our lives as we grow in our knowledge our Lord Jesus Christ. And all 8 of these graces are found in Christ Himself. 

Thus we have seen that abiding in Christ is the key to becoming more like Him in His will, in His praying, in His obedience and in His character. These are the fruits which we must bear as branches joined to the Vine. Look for them and not for other kinds of fruit.

There is one more lesson about abiding in Christ that we must learn from the illustration of the Vine and the Branches:

IV. Destruction is Certain without It (v.6)

This sobering truth is found in v.6 of our text 'If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.' Here is a branch that outwardly appears to be connected to the vine, but there is no inward connection to the vine at all. The branch is not receiving any life-giving sap from the vine. It cannot produce any fruit and so it will eventually wither and be burned. 

This speaks of a person who professes to be a Christian, but is not truly born again. He may have a lot of head knowledge of Jesus, but there is no heart knowledge of Him and no real change in his life. Such a person is still unsaved and unless he repents he will eventually find himself burning in hell forever and ever.

If you are convinced that what Jesus says here in v.6 describes your life, please take urgent action before it is too late. Confess your sins to the Lord and ask Him to save you from sin and eternal death right now. Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ and trust Him completely to be your Lord and Saviour. Only then will you begin to have that vital inward connection between you and Christ - a connection that will enable you to be a real fruit-bearing Christian growing into the image of Christ.

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