John 15:1-7
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.
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.
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.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Song:
I found a new way of living
I found a new life divine
I have got the fruit of the Spirit
I’m abiding, abiding in the vine
Abiding in the vine
Abiding in the vine
Love, Joy, Health, Peace
He has made them mine
I have prosperity, power and victory
Abiding, abiding in the vine.
Jesus often speaks to us in words that paint a picture. Today we shall be looking at the picture of the vine and the branches.
The word of God tells us emphatically in Hebrews. 1:1-2:
‘God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds’.
It means that the words that Jesus speaks are weighty. They are direct words from God. When he speaks, we better listen. He is not prophet Isaiah or Jeremiah. He is the Son of the Living God.
What is the Lord telling us today?
1] I am the vine
We pause here and ponder over the picture of a vine… the vine supports the branches and the leaves; without the vine, the branches are nothing. It paints a picture of dependence.
2] Jesus is saying today that we are the branches of the vine. What this means in effect is that we are an emanation of the vine…an extension of the vine. It paints a picture of constant connection.
Jesus is saying today: without the vine, the branch can do nothing. The vine can stand on its own; but the question we need to ask ourselves today is: can the branch do without the vine? The answer is no.
The Blessedness of Abiding in the Vine.
- Nourishment: the branch is nourished by the tree. It is inconceivable that a branch can be nourished if it does not abide. Nourishment in the word of God is very important in the life of a believer. The Bible says in 1 Peter.2:2:
Like new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.
The milk of a mother nourishes the child. That is what the word of God does to us. It is inconceivable that a baby will grow without the mother’s milk; and it is inconceivable that a branch can be nourished without the tree itself.
- Fruit-bearing: it is only when we abide in the vine that we can bear fruits. Every child of God is likened to a fruit-bearing tree. God expect us to bear fruits, and the fruits we bear must abide. Without the vine, the branches thereof cannot bear any fruits. That’s why Jesus said in John 15:5:
‘…for without me ye can do nothing.’
Every tree that does not bear fruits runs the risk of being cut down and the branches cast into the fire. (Matthew 7:19). That will not be our testimony in the name of Jesus.
- Pruning: Do you know brethren that the Lord prunes us, just like the vine-dresser prunes the vine? But our pruning is directly related to out fruitfulness. Every fruitful branch is pruned for maximum fruitfulness; those that do not bear fruit are removed, so that they do not become a hindrance. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the unfruitful fig tree in Luke 13:6.
- Cleansing: When we abide in the vine, that is when we become clean by the Word of God that we hear continually. It is true that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness… but so also is the Word of God. The Bible makes it clear that the Word of God has cleansing power. Jesus was emphatic in John 15:3
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
We can only receive cleansing in the Word of God when we abide. Paul the Apostle emphasised this in Ephesians 5:26
That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
The Dangers of Not Abiding in The Vine
John 15:6:
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.
Our refusal or reluctance to abide in the vine is fraught with risks. What are the risks?
- Firstly, we run the risk of being cut off from the branch. A branch that has been cut off is from the tree is lifeless. It is like fish cast out of water. It dies slowly. That shall not be our testimony.
- Secondly, we run the risk of withering; this happens when we run dry of faith. Faith is the fuel we need in to run the Christian race. When a car runs out of fuel, that can grinds to a halt. That shall not be our testimony in the name of Jesus.
- Thirdly, we run the risk of being gathered like men gather dry wood in the forest… this refers to the likelihood of satanic entities using a non-abiding child of God ‘to play football’. That will not be our testimony.
We all remember the story of Sampson when he was in captivity. In Judges 16:25 –
And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
When the children of Israel were in Babylonian captivity, that was when the enemy asked them to entertain them:
Psalm 134:3-4 says:
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
It was not because the enemy loved the song of the Lord. It was because they wanted to make fun of the captives. We shall not be captives to the children of the enemy in the name of Jesus. The enemy will never require of us to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land.
- Lastly, we run the risk of being burned in the fire: this is a reference to unquenchable fire written in Matthew 3: 12:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. This will not be our testimony in the name of the Lord.
Now having said all this, what does it take to abide in the vine?
Abiding in the vine has two key components: we demonstrate our desire to abide when we obey and serve.
1] In Job 36: 11, the Bible says: if they obey and serve me…they will spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures.
2] In John 15:10 Jesus said: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love;
We look at obedience:
Obedience is a key requirement in our walk with God. Obedience is total submission to the commandments of God.
Obedience validates our Christian faith. One cannot say that he is a child of God and walk in disobedience. I am not saying that we do not make mistakes from time to time; but that is different from walking in disobedience. Spending hours in prayer and fasting cannot equate to obedience. Samuel in 1 Sam. 15:22:
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
And Jesus speaking to his disciples said in Luke 6:46:
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Service is a key requirement in our decision to abide. Abiding in the vine means making a conscious decision to serve in the vineyard. When we serve in the vineyard of God, we make ourselves available to be used by God.
Jesus said very branch that beareth fruit, my Father will purge. Service in the vineyard of God means being a solution-provider, not being a problem.
It means partnering with God to make his will come to pass in the lives of men.
Therefore, we cannot claim to be abiding in the vine when we cannot spend time on the Word of God, when we do not find time to pray; when we do not find time to fellowship; when we claim to be too busy to serve and to be useful vessels in the hands of God.
Abiding in the vine signifies a continued connection and relationship with Christ. And Jesus was empathic about the blessedness of abiding in the vine.
He said: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.
The ultimate blessing is in receiving answers to our prayers, and also making it to heaven.
Let us receive grace to abide in the vine and be vessels unto honour in the house of God.
