Jesus is the True Vine

I Am the True Vine

John 15"1-17

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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. ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴  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. 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.⁶ 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. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have keptmy Father's commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

¹²  “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵  No longer do I call you servants,^[a] for the servant^[b] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

This is what I have been reading about the last couple of weeks. It's the kind of thing that I should already know, but it helps to get refreshed on it. I'm always amazed how God will take something I've read over and over again and then show it to me in a new and amazing light. Jesus came and said that he is the vine that all good fruit will grow off of and God, the Father is the one who grows and nurtures the fruit of the vine. In verse 2, He says that any branch that does not produce fruit will cut off, while branches that produce good fruit will be cared to and pruned to grow more. It seems simple enough, but so often we forget who we are. We are the branches and when we walk the teaching of Jesus, we will bear good fruit. If we do not produce fruit, we will be cut from the vine. Because in Revelation 3:16, if we are neither hot nor cold for Christ, we will be spit out from Him. So when we are unproductive we will be tossed aside.

In verse 4, we learn that we cannot grow and produce fruit by our own strengths and abilities. We must rely on God, for He is the own who prunes and nurtures the branches on the vine. So what must we do to become fruitful? It is key for to rely entirely on the Father. We must ask Him to make us fruitful through prayer. We need to pray to produce good fruit. In being fruitful, we will glorify God.

To abide in Christ, is to abide in love, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." Jesus goes from verse 12-13, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Because Christ came to earth to die our death in love, so we are to daily die to sin and live in the love of Christ. He closes this section verse 17, "These things I command you, so that you will love one another."