John 15
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
4 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. 5 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. 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.
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.
This verse implies that there are other vines too – vines which are not the “true” ones. Jesus said that many will say, ‘Lord did we not this and that in your name’, but He will answer, ‘I do not know you’. There are many Jesus’s; there is the true and the false Jesus’s. Many follow the Jesus that suits them, but not the true one.
Which Jesus are you following? Is it the one that took your and my sin onto the Cross; that delivered you from your sin; the one who is your Lord, Saviour and King? Or is He just the one that leaves you in your sin; your life does not change, you’re still a slave to your sin, but somehow you believe that He’s your Saviour and you presume that some day all will be fine.
Our text also teaches us to be sure about whether we’re grafted into the true vine. If you are grafted into the true vine, you will bear “much fruit”. It is your duty to abide in Him, lest, as Jesus says in verse 6, you wither, and die, and “are cast into the fire”.
Many people say that they accepted Jesus, but they are withering away; their spiritual life goes continually down. They do not abide in Him.
Example: A person shared with me how he lost his relationship with Jesus. It all started with something small in his eyes. First, he only confessed certain sins; the ones he considered to be big. Then he noticed how things from his old life started to enter. Yet, all the time he read and studied his Bible as never before, and attended prayer meetings, etc. Yet, whenever he was alone, he knew that something was wrong with his relationship to his Lord. Eventually, after years, he finally surrendered and acknowledged that he had backslidden because he allowed the little foxes to destroy his vineyard. By renewed surrender to the Lord he experienced the joy of close fellowship with Jesus.
Oh, that we might remain in Him; stay united with Him; stay grafted in Him, so that we would bring forth His sweet fruit.
In this verse it declares, ‘My Father is the vinedresser’. This is a great blessing, that He dresses, prunes, and waters the vine. This is what we experience when we are grafted in Jesus. The gardener cuts, prunes and waters the vine, so that it might bear much fruit. Sometimes this is difficult for us, but it is necessary.
Whatever befalls us who are grafted into the true vine, whether it be sickness, a financial strait, loss of a family or friend, persecution, etc., remember that God allows these things so that He can prune us to bear more fruit.
Just look at Job’s life, how God changed Satan’s devices to sanctify and purify Job so that his life might be an even greater blessing. It is most important that we do not rebel, but allow God to prune us, though it be very painful at times.
“Herein is my Father glorified” (vs 8)