WWUTT 956 I Am the Vine?

The Last “I Am” Statement in John’s Gospel

Jesus said, I am the true vine, and whoever abides in me bears much fruit. Jesus is our true reason for being, and he is our reason for doing when we understand the text.

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Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Thank you, Becky, and greetings, everyone. My voice is still a little bit weak. I didn't improve much over the weekend. I don't know how much stamina I've got here, but we'll see how far we get. This week in our study of the Gospel of John, we begin chapter 15, and I'm going to start out by reading verses 1 through 11.

Jesus said to his disciples, 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.

The Song of the Vineyard in Isaiah 5

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 and 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 I have 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.

So here right at the start of chapter 15, we have the last of seven I am statements that Jesus has made over the course of John's gospel. The first I am statement that Jesus made was, I am the bread of life, and that was made in chapter 6 verse 35.

Jesus then said, I am the light of the world, that was in chapter 8 verse 12. He said, I am the door of the sheep in chapter 10, where we also had another shepherd metaphor when he said, I am the good shepherd, that was also there in chapter 10.

He said in chapter 11, I am the resurrection and the life. And then a couple of weeks ago we were in chapter 14, we read the famous statement in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And now we come to that seventh and last I am statement here at the start of chapter 15, I am the vine.

Now he'll say, of course, later on in this particular chapter, I am the vine, you are the branches, but it doesn't mean it's a separate I am statement. It still goes with the same I am statement he made at the start of the chapter.

So I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. 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. Now to really understand what it is that Jesus is saying here, we need to go back to Isaiah.

This is a reference to the song of the vineyard in Isaiah chapter five. Here is what we read. Let me sing for my beloved, my love song concerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines. He built a watchtower in the midst of it and hewed out a wine vat in it, and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

And now, oh, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I look for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge and it shall be devoured. I will break down its wall and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste. It shall not be pruned or hoed, and briars and thorns shall grow up.

I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it, for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting. And he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed, for righteousness, but behold, an outcry.

The wild grapes that are being referenced here in Isaiah chapter 5 could also be translated as sour grapes. If you're going to grow a vineyard and you're going to cultivate the vine, would you expect it to produce sweet grapes?

So you make the best wine, it makes good wine. You don't want wild grapes, there's kind of any grape that you can find that is not from a cultivated, cared for vine, for then you get bitter or sour wine.

And so here in this particular picture that we have in the song of the vineyard, you have the Lord who has taken care of his vineyard and what it produced for him was wild grapes. This is talking about how he cared for the nation of Israel and yet they do not follow him.

Now, the immediate context in Isaiah is, of course, we're talking about Israel being turned over to exile. That's what's coming next. They would not produce sweet grapes and so the Lord is going to remove the hedge.

All the protection that he has given to Israel, he's going to take it away and the enemy is going to come in and they're going to ransack Jerusalem, Israel, removing all of the Jews and sending them into exile.

That's what's coming and that's what Isaiah is prophesying here in this particular chapter. But Jesus is calling attention back to this again here when he says, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser.

There's a sense here in which Jesus is suggesting that Israel did not learn from their previous sins, that which had happened to them 600 years before. Well, they're continuing to repeat the same mistakes.

They're still rebelling against God. They're still kicking against the goads the way that the apostle Paul put it in the book of Acts. And so God is this time going to cut off every branch that does not bear fruit.

Jesus says, I am the true vine. I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Now, don't read into that too much because it makes it look like, well, they were in Christ at one point.

So apparently we could say, hey, they were Christians, right? They were in Christ, but they weren't bearing fruit. And so he cuts them off. No, just for the sake of the metaphor, Jesus says, every branch in me that does not bear fruit.

What he's actually suggesting is they're not really part of the vine. They were not truly believers or in Christ in the first place. This is metaphor that he's using here. So don't try to take it too literally.

It's very clear that he's using metaphor. So when he says every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he's saying that this branch does not belong to me. It is not really a part of the true vine. My father is going to cut it off and it is going to be removed.

He takes it away. Every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. This is a reference to discipline that God disciplines the ones he loves. Jesus says this also in Revelation chapter three, those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.

So be zealous and repent. And we have also in Hebrews chapter 12, the reference to the fact that God disciplines those who are his sons and daughters. If he did not discipline us, then we would be illegitimate children and we would not be the children of God.

We face the trials that we face so that our faith may be perfected, that we may be steadfast and pure, blameless in our ways, that it would cause us to rely more on God who raises the dead. That's what Paul talks about in second Corinthians chapter one.

We felt like that we had received a burden unto death, but that was to make us rely more on God who raises the dead. So we go through the trials and tribulations that we face in this life so that we may be perfected, so that we rely all the more on Christ.

And this is the way that God prunes those that do bear fruit. So we may bear more fruit. We're bearing more fruit when we endure more trials and give praise to God, even in the midst of these things and trust in him more and more.

We are being shaped all the more into the image of Christ. We are sharing in his sufferings and it develops in us a longing for the hope of glory that awaits us that is in heaven. We desire this world less and less.

The more we suffer in this life, the less we want this world and the more we want the kingdom of God. And we're asking of God, come quickly, Lord Jesus, put an end to all of this. Judge your enemies, deliver the righteous.

That's the way our prayers become, that we would seek the things that are above where Christ is. So this is the way that God prunes the ones that he loves, that we may bear more fruit. Jesus says in verse three, already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

Now, Jesus kind of started the conversation with his disciples in this way in John chapter 13. And he's also going to finish this conversation like that as well. In the high priestly prayer that he prays in John chapter 17, he says to his father, sanctify them in your truth.

Your word is truth. And so even here in the middle, in John 15, he has said that you are clean because of my word. What I have said to you and you have believed, you are made clean. Remember that Jesus washed his feet in John chapter 13.

And he said in verse 10, the one who has bathed does not need to wash except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean. So he's already said this to his disciples, but then he adds, not every one of you because Judas was still among them, but the disciples were clean.

Why? Because they had heard the word of Christ, the gospel proclaimed, and they believed it and even left their entire livelihoods to follow Jesus because they were so convinced by what it was that he had said.

So they have been made clean by the word. We also read in Ephesians chapter five, that we are being cleansed by the washing of water with the word. Consider the instruction that is being given to husbands in Ephesians 525, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word so that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish.

So we are being perfected how? By the word of Christ. Yes, when we go through sufferings and we endure sufferings and we give praise to God in the midst of those sufferings, there is a sanctification that happens there.

But ultimately we know to do that because of what the word of God says, not because we just endure trials and it just automatically makes us want to give praise, but it's in light of the hope of the promises that have been given to us in Christ.

We know that our sins have been forgiven by believing the gospel. Our sins are forgiven and we have right standing with God. And therefore, as we read in Romans eight one, for those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation.

No one on earth can condemn us. God does not even condemn us. He receives us as sons and daughters because by faith we have believed in the sacrifice, the giving of his son and his resurrection from the grave for the forgiveness of sins.

So by faith we have come to believe this and we are cleansed. We are granted entrance into the eternal kingdom of God. Cleanse being justified means that we have fellowship with God. We can enter into his presence and not fear the judgment of God because of the righteousness that we've received.

That is not our own. It is the righteousness that comes from Christ. And with that, all the very great and precious promises, being a fellow heir of the kingdom of God, being more than conquerors through him who loved us, having the resurrection of the dead, having a place to sit with Christ on his throne.

Revelation three, 21, all of these promises that are given to us in the scriptures, these are the things that make us hope. And this is why we can endure trials and we can give praise to God in the midst of these circumstances because we know the hope of the promise that is laid up for us in heaven for all those who are in Christ Jesus.

So in this way, the word of Christ has made us clean and it is this word that continues to cleanse us and purify us and give us that expectation of the future, the promise that has been given us in Christ.

Already you are clean, Jesus says, John 15 three, because of the word that I have spoken to you, abide in me and I in you. Jesus has already previously talked about abiding in his word. This was John 8 31.

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. In other words, you live in it. I think it was Charles Spurgeon who said, visit many great books, but live in the Bible. There are a lot of great books to read, but the the word that we need to most apply ourselves to or apply to ourselves would be the word of God, the Bible.

We live by it. We look through it. Our entire worldview is shaped by it. Everything that we do is according to what the word of God says. There is not a book that is more important to us that we are devoted to reading and understanding and living according to because we believe that the Bible is the very word of God.

All scripture is God breathed, as it says in second Timothy 3 16. So we know that on every page of the Bible is God's word being spoken to us. The very creator of the universe has indeed spoken. He speaks to us every day and he speaks to us through his word.

If you know and you have come to believe that the Bible is the very word of God, why would you not want to read it when you think of the most probing question of the age of man like you go all the way back to the philosophers?

What seems to be that root question that all of philosophy is asking? Who am I and what am I doing here? You know, that seems to be the question that all of philosophy is attempting to figure out. What is our purpose in the cosmos?

Why are we even here? And even all of science is attempting to answer that question. The reason why people are looking into outer space or we're sending probes to Mars and we're trying to find life on Mars is because, though they may not articulate it, though NASA doesn't have it as a banner in their in the mission control room, you know, or something like that.

Nevertheless, the question they're attempting to answer is, what is our place in the universe? Why are we here? And the answer to that question is in the Bible. But they don't want to read the Bible. They don't want to have to submit to God, the creator of the universe.

Of course not, because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So every one of us born into the sin nature of Adam have in us a rebellious heart and we don't want to submit to the creator of the universe.

But praise God that he shows mercy on whom he shows mercy and he has compassion on those whom he has compassion. And there are those whom he has called out from the world, that sinful, aimless wandering that everybody else is in.

And he's called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. The light that he has shown to us is in Jesus Christ. And he is our reason for being. He is the one who has made us. He is the one who is remaking us into his own image.

And so the answer to who we are and why we are here is in the pages of scripture. The chief end of man is to love God, glorify God and enjoy him forever. And we go to the end of Ecclesiastes for that one.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, the great philosopher who had riches and luxuries and everything that his heart desired. And yet he determined that all of it was a chasing after the wind. So ultimately, what does this all come down to?

What is the meaning of life? And he says, Ecclesiastes 12, 13, the end of the matter, all has been heard. He has considered all wealth and knowledge on earth. And here's the conclusion that he comes to fear God and keep his commandments.

For this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Fear God and keep his commandments. How do we know God? The Bible. How do we know his commandments?

It's right here in the Bible. So if we abide in the word of God, he will abide in us. If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. And then here in John 15, talking about abiding, abide in me and I in you.

And he will say in verse seven, if you abide in me and 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.

And that's where we'll come to a conclusion for now. I'll pick back up again tomorrow in verse four, 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.

And then we have that oh so famous verse in verse five, 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. Let us pray.

Heavenly father, we are at your mercy. Who are we that you are mindful of us? Though we had sinned and rebelled against you, you showed love to us. Mercy and compassion by sending your son Jesus to die for our sins so that all who believe in him will not perish under the judgment of God that is coming.

But rather, we will have eternal life. Thank you for your mercy and your grace. And I pray that as we go throughout our day, we're not left wandering or pondering what our place is in the world. We already know we have been created to glorify God.

And so teach us as we go throughout today, how we can do that. How can we glorify you in the midst of this situation? May we not be so quick to respond according to our flesh, but according to the spirit that dwells within us.

Lead us and guide us in all truth. We pray in Jesus name, amen.

Thank you for listening to when we understand the text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website www .wutt .com and click on the Give tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study when we understand the text.