John Lesson 39

Introduction

The Gospel of John contains no parables, at least not in the form of those to be found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, where Jesus is quoted as having said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto. But whereas it does not contain a parable in that form, it is filled with various allegories. And that’s simply another form of an illustration, where Jesus did use some things by which he compared truths. These are extended metaphors, one might call them. In John chapter 15, verses 1 through 8, we find one of these examples or these allegories, where Jesus spoke about being the true vine, and his disciples as being the branches. I hope that you have a Bible that you’ll get it open to John chapter 15 as we continue our verse-by-verse study of this wonderful book that tells us about Jesus Christ and produces faith in him.

Jesus said in John 15, verses 1 through 3, 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. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. When Jesus said, I am the true vine, he is using the illustration that as a vine, he is the only one through whom there is real life. He is the one by whom we have eternal and spiritual life. Here he is the source of that life. He describes the Father as being the husbandman or the caretaker of the vineyard. And the disciples are the branches who find life in him.

Jesus is using this illustration to also speak about the importance of disciples bearing fruit. In fact, he says, Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. Just as in a vineyard, when you find branches that become useless by the fact that they’re not bearing fruit, they’re cut back, and they’re thrown into the fire, they’re put away. So it is that disciples who failed to bear fruit, that is, who fail to have the will of God bearing in their life to its full fruition. Even those the Lord will cut off, and they shall be cast into the fire. Now Jesus here is speaking about the need for obeying Him and bearing fruit in Him, and He’s giving us the illustration that we have a relationship with Him, if indeed we are in Christ.

But you notice in verse 1, where he said, I am the true vine. This is a significant statement in the Gospel of John, some seven different times. In fact, Jesus has used the expression, I am. We’ve been pointing these out as we go along through this gospel. For example, back in John chapter 6 and verse 35, Jesus claimed to be the bread of life. I am the bread of life. The men who eat of Jesus Christ shall never hunger. Now we recognize that that’s a metaphor, that’s simply a form of speech. He’s not literal bread. But rather he was speaking about the kind of life that should be attained through coming unto him. In John chapter 8 and verse 12, Jesus said, I am the light of the world.

If you want to see where you’re going, if you really want to see the truth, if you want to see the way of eternal life, then you’ll have to come unto Jesus Christ. Darkness is the way of error and of evil. But only through Jesus Christ can one really see and know the truth and the way unto God. In John chapter 10 and in verse 7, Jesus said, I am the door to the sheepfold. Those who are his sheep are in the sheepfold. They are in the place of safety. But the only way to get him to that place of eternal safety is through Jesus Christ, who is the door to the sheepfold. In John chapter 10 and in verse 11, Jesus said, I am the good shepherd.

He is not like those evil shepherds, those hirelings who who simply are working for money’s sake, and when trouble comes along they will flee. But rather Jesus Christ proved his love for his disciples. For as the good shepherd, he said, I laid down my life for the sheep. And furthermore, in John chapter 11, verse 25, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. At the grave of Lazarus, Jesus proved that he had power over death and over life. He had the ability to raise the dead, even as he called Lazarus come forth, and he came forth from that grave. But more than just power over physical life, Jesus Jesus has power to grant eternal life. And so he said, I am the resurrection and the life.

In John 14 and verse 6, we learn where Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father except by me. I am the way. The only way, actually. You cannot come to God unless you come by Jesus Christ. And then in this passage of John 15 and verse 1, Jesus said, I am the true vine. I am the real and the genuine vine. If a man is going to have life, it’ll only be through Christ Jesus. Does one who rejects Christ have any hope of eternal life? What about a faithful Jew who believes in God and follows the Old Testament scriptures, but really rejects Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God? Or what about the Muslim who who really says that he believes in the God of the Bible?

He calls him Allah. But he rejects Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. He believes Jesus is a prophet, but he believes that Muhammad is a greater prophet. And he does not accept Christ as being deity as the Son of God who has come to be with us to represent the Word of Heaven. Or indeed, can he be saved? Well, Jesus, by these seven IMs would say not. That man cannot be saved, who would reject him? Very clearly throughout the Gospel of John, in fact, Jesus made it plain. As in John 8 and verse 24, he said, Ye shall die in your sins, except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Now that may seem rather hard. That may seem very narrow, but it is important what we believe about Jesus as the Christ.

Who is he? He is much more than just a good man. He is much more than just a philosopher. He is much more than just a man who came and brought us a good standard of morals. Jesus claimed to be the Christ, and the gospel of John is written from a point of view that we may know him who is the Son of God. That as he said in John 1 verse 18, he has declared the Father, that it is by Jesus Christ we can know the words of the Father, that Jesus came to do the works of the Father. Indeed, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. What do you believe about him? But there’s a further question to be raised. There are those who would say amen to the things we’ve just been discussing.

That is, they would say amen to the fact that Jesus is the Christ, and we must believe in him. There are many who profess to be Christians. They’ll tell you that they believe Christ is God’s Son, but when you begin to ask them concerning their life, they would have to admit to you that they’re not really actively faithful to him. That is, they they very rarely pick up their Bible and study it. They’re not people who pray regularly or attend with others who call themselves Christians on the Lord’s day. They, they fail to worship him in a regular manner. They call themselves Christians. But you look at their lives and they bear no fruit for the Lord. You look at their lives, and many of them are hypocrites.

That is, they say one thing, but they’re really doing something else. This parable or this allegory that Jesus teaches in John 15 would say that the unfaithful disciple is in no better position than the unbelieving Jew, or the unbelieving Muslim, or the unbelieving atheist. You see what Jesus said in John 15 and verse 2, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. And every branch that bear fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Indeed, those who are in the Lord’s kingdom who are servants of his have a responsibility. In our relationship to Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to live for him, to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven.

The disciple who simply claims to be in him but is not bearing fruit, even that disciple is going to be purged or be cut and put away. The Lord has disciplinary measures that are set forth in his word, and disciples who fail to keep the Lord’s will should be reproved and rebuked. In 2 Peter chapter 1, the apostle spoke about those who are in Christ. He said in verses 5 through 11, beside this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and a knowledge temperance, and a temperance patience, and the patience godliness, and the godliness brotherly kindness, and the brotherly kindness charity. For these things be in you and abound. They make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and have forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather bread and give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things ye shall never fall, for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Are you adding to your faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and so forth? Indeed, if you are, then you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful. But those who are barren and unfruitful, the husbandman, the caretaker of the vineyard, will cut them off and purge them. Now continuing in John 15, reading in verses four through eight, 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 divine, 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. If a man 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 burnt. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples. You notice in the last verse we read, verse 8, herein is my Father glorified.

1. One Must Be in Christ for Spiritual Life

If you want to glorify God, then we must bear fruit. We must bear much fruit. And that simply means that one who is indifferent and who is unconcerned, who is not actively serving the Lord, is not bringing glory to God. Lip service is of no value. The Lord wants actions. Actions speak louder than words. I think there are three significant lessons that we ought to glean from this text, John 15, 1 through 8. The first one is that one must be in Christ for spiritual life. The man who is not in Christ cannot have life. You abide in Christ and you’ll be able to bring forth fruit. But if you abide not in Christ, then he says in verse 6, you’ll be cast forth as a branch.

Verse 4, particularly, 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. You cut a branch off of a vine, and it would never grow grapes, would it? And so it is the disciple or the man who says he’s a disciple of the Lord, but he’s never really come to obey the Lord, he cannot bear fruit. How do we get in Christ? Now that’s an important question. In Galatians chapter 3 and verses 26 and 27, the apostle says, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have believed in Christ have been baptized. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

My friends, those who are in Jesus Christ are those who are the only ones who can bear fruit. And the only ones who have put on Christ are those who have been baptized into Christ. If you’re not baptized into Jesus Christ, then you’re not really able to bear fruit for him. Your words mean nothing. Do you really believe in him? Then if you believe in him, obey him. Put him on in baptism. Only those who abide in Christ can bear fruit. We’re going to examine two other important lessons from this text. We’ll be back in just one moment. We were discussing three important lessons that can be learned from the allegory that Jesus used in John chapter 15 concerning the true vine and the branches. One of them is that we must be in Christ.

2. Either Bearing Fruit or Cut Off

Every branch that is not in Christ cannot bear fruit. And so one make needs to make certain that he has obeyed the gospel to be saved. Indeed, just professing to believe in Christ is not enough. For one needs to, as a believer, be baptized in the Christ to put on Christ from Galatians 3, verses 26 and 27. But a second important lesson that can be learned from this lesson in John 15, verses 1 through 8, is that one must either be bearing fruit or else he is going to be cut off. In verse 2, every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away. It isn’t enough just to have obeyed the gospel and to have become a Christian. Baptism is not the finish line.

Baptism is the starting point. It is the time at which we enter Jesus Christ. It is the time in which we become a branch that that now has a responsibility to be bearing fruit, to let the light of the gospel shine in our lives, to indeed shine forth as one who is a Christian and is not ashamed to be the child of God, and will tell others about the Christ. Now fruit bearing certainly may be seen in the fact that we lead others to Jesus Christ. That isn’t the only way to bear fruit, but it is one essential way. Are you telling others about Jesus Christ? But also there is a need to be living the life as a Christian in your morals, in your attitudes toward your neighbor.

Are you of such that would bear the fruit of the Spirit? In Galatians chapter five and in verses twenty two and twenty three, the apostle said, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance against such there is no law. These are the fruit of the Spirit. Are they in your life? Can people see in you love, joy, peace, long suffering, and so forth? Well, those who are not bearing fruit in Christ, he shall cut off. He shall purge them. Now, really, that says something about the fact that one who is once saved can be lost. There are those who teach a doctrine once saved always say. There are many different places in the Bible that they have some difficulty, and this happens to be one of them.

When Jesus was talking about a branch that beareth not fruit as being cut off. Indeed, he spoke about some who may at one time be saved. They may be in relationship with the true and real vine. They are branches in the vine. But just like branches in a vineyard that do not bear fruit, they’ll be cut off and cast away. And so Jesus here describes some who once were in him, but they can be cut off. That’s just Galatians chapter 5 and verse 4 so says that ye are fallen from grace. That there are those who would be justified by the law of Moses, even. And he said, Christ has become of no effect unto you, you are fallen from grace. So as in New Testament times he could use expression, there are some who have fallen from grace.

It is possible that people today who may have once started the walk with Christ, but have not continued, can so sin as to be lost. In Matthew chapter 25, in verses 41 through 46, where Jesus was picturing the judgment scene, and the sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left, he said to those who are on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. What have they done that was so bad? Well, it’s really what they had not done. Listen to him. In verse Matthew 25, verse 42. For I wasn’t hungry and you gave me no meat. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you took me not in, naked and you clothed me not, sick and in prison, and you visited me not.

Then shall they then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we being hungered or a thirst or a stranger, or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister unto thee. Then shall he answer them saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous and the life eternal. Indeed, one who fails to do, who fails to bear fruit for the Lord, can be lost. A branch that bears not fruit shall be cut off and cast into fire. Indeed, are you as one who was once saved, but you become inactive, you become unconcerned, you become indifferent, then you better be careful.

3. Individual Disciples, Not Denominational Churches

If you remain in that condition, you’ll be cut off by the Lord. It isn’t just that you may go out and be a sinner and be cut off, the inactivity also will cause the Lord to have nothing to do with you and cut you off and cast you into the fire. But a third important lesson that should be gleaned from this text of John 15 is the fact that Jesus is here speaking about disciples, individual disciples. He is not speaking about denominational churches. They are those who want to teach us that that Jesus here was speaking about many branches and how that a branch may be cut off, and they simply say, Well, he’s talking about denominational churches here. But Jesus is not saying that I am the vine, and there are a lot of different churches, but rather he is simply talking about individual Christians.

In verse 5, he says, 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. The Bible nowhere talks about a lot of different churches. Jesus said in Matthew 16 and verse 18, Upon this rock I will build my church. And really, the Bible speaks only about one body, the body of which Christ is head, the one body which is his church. Ephesians 1, verses 22 and 23. And the Lord prayed that all who believe in him might be one. The parable or the illustration here of John 15 is simply saying, if you are in me as an individual Christian, then you ought to be bearing fruit.

And if we’re bearing fruit for the Lord, we’re going to be united with others who are believers in Christ. We ought to be working for unity and praying for unity and bearing fruit to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, in verses 10 through 13, the apostle addressed the church at Corinth that had some divisions. If there were ever a time that denominationalism were approved of the Lord, you would think it would be at Corinth, because that was an occasion where there were already some divisions among believers in Christ. But rather than the apostle writing in 1 Corinthians 1, it’s all right, believe what you want to believe. He said instead, I’m reading 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 10, I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Cloy, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I have Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? The apostle speaks to a church that has some divisions. But rather than saying, It’s all right, some of you say I’m of Paul, and others of you say I’m a I’m a Cephas kind of Christian, and others say I’m of an Apollos kind of Christian, he said, Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Those are rhetorical questions that really need no written answer. They’re obvious. Christ is not divided. And Paul was not crucified for anyone. And people are not baptized into the name of Paul. And so therefore the implication is that those who believe in Christ ought to be one. We need to be united. We need to be speaking the same thing, being in the same mind and in the same judgment. Really, the illustration in John chapter 15 is not talking about different churches, and it seems ridiculous that there are those who would take this passage and try to prove that there are a lot of different denominations in the one vine of Jesus Christ. He’s talking about individual disciples. I hope that each of us will take that passage in John 15 and take an examination of our own life.

Are we in Christ? Are we bearing fruit in him? Are we really working for him? Or are we worthy of being cut off and cast into the fire? It’s a sobering passage. Now let’s continue in our verse by verse study of John. We let the Bible speak. In John chapter 15, reading in verses 9 through 13. Jesus said, As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my life. 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. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love hath no man done this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Tremendous passage.

Indeed, the appeal of Satan is, Come have fun with me, and do the things of the world. Do the things that that sinful people would do, and you’ll really be happy. You can live it up. And they leave the impression that if you’re going to be a Christian, that it’s a life of soberness and somberness, there’s no real joy. But to the contrary, Jesus speaks about true joy and peace. That real joy and happiness comes in loving God and in keeping his word. But there’s also a lesson here to be learned of what love really involves. When Jesus here spoke in John to his disciples, he said, If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love. It isn’t enough to just talk about the love of the Lord, or to say, Oh, how I love Jesus.

You prove it by what you do. Actions speak louder than words. Jesus said, If you love me, keep my commandments. And in fact, Jesus said here in chapter 14, in our passage prior to this, Jesus spoke about those who do love him as ones who keep his commandments. John 14 and 15. In John 14 and verse 21, he said, He but hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved with my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. In John 14 and verses 23 and 4, he said, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.

But notice, he that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. You want to prove whether you love Jesus or not? It’ll be proven by whether or not you’ve kept his word. What does it mean to you? The will of God. In John, first John chapter 3 and verse 18, the disciples said, Let us not love in word and in tongue, but in deed and truth. Let our actions speak for our mouth. Prove it by your love. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3, this is the love of God that you keep his commandments. And his commandments are not grievous.

We don’t think about them as burdening us down, but rather there is joy and peace in keeping them. Furthermore, there is that joy and peace in loving others, just as Christ loved us, so we love them.