THE VINE AND BRANCH RELATIONSHIP
John 15:1-10Key Verse: 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
- What does this tell us about God’s relationship to his people Israel? (Isa 5:7) (1)
Isaiah 5:7, “The vineyardof theLordAlmightyis the nation of Israel,and the people of Judahare the vines he delighted in.And he looked for justice,but saw bloodshed;for righteousness,but heard cries of distress.”
God chose the nation of Israel and placed his blessing on them looking for justice and righteousness, but instead found bloodshed and cries of distress. Yet God still chose them as his own.
What does Jesus mean when he says, “I am the true vine?” (Compare Jn 1:3)
John 1:3, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Jesus is the source of all life.
Jesus says he is the “true vine,” that implies that there are also false vines. He is the vine pointing to himself—all things through him.
- Read verse 2. What does it mean that we are branches, not the root or the tree?
2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,while every branch that does bear fruithe prunesso that it will be even more fruitful.”
It means we are dependent on the root and not the most important part of the plant. Either we need to bear fruit or we will be pruned. A severed branch cannot regenerate itself.
What is the gardener’s purpose in planting and caring for his vineyard? (2, 4, 5; Ps 1:3)
4Remain in me, as I also remain in you.No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” The gardener wants much fruits. God desires us to bear much fruit.
5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.
Ps 1:3, That person is like a treeplanted by streamsof water,which yields its fruitin seasonand whose leafdoes not wither—whatever they do prospers.
The gardener desires that we remain in Jesus and much fruit to be produced from caring for his vineyard. God doesn’t fail in his will and we were created to bear fruit.
Why is fruit-bearing so important? (8, Ge 1:28)
8This is to my Father’s glory,that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Ge 1:28, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Because according to scripture this is natural—not some modern idea. Also this brings Glory to God and joy to our hearts when we fulfill the purpose we were created for. This was God’s design and plan.
- Why does the gardener prune the vine? (2)
2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,while every branch that does bear fruithe prunes[a]so that it will be even more fruitful.”
God cuts two types of braches—branches that are dead and braches that maybe healthy but are not producing any fruit.
What does it mean that God cuts off our dead branches?
God takes away our sinful habits and past sins through the blood of his Son Jesus.
What does it mean that he prunes the fruitful branches?
God cuts off that which saps our spiritual strength so that we may be focused on the fruit that God wants us to bear.
- What is the good fruit that God wants? (Gal 5:22, 23)
Galatians 5:22 and 23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Strange that there are no laws against these things. These are not a list of arbitrary items, but this is God’s character. These are what we are to bear in our Christian life as we are made more and more like Christ. Fruits other than the spirit are not edible.
What is his pruning tool? (3) (John 17:17)
3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”
John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
The pruning tool then is the word of God which Jesus has spoken. This is what will cut off all dead and fruitless branches and make us more like Jesus. When we concentrate too much on outside fruit we miss what is really important.
- Read the verses in which “remain” is found (4-7, 9-10).
4Remain in me, as I also remain in you.No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7If you remain in meand my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
9“As the Father has loved me,so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10If you keep my commands,you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
We remain in Jesus through prayer and through reading the scripture. Jesus has a clear point then—the opposite of remain is to leave—if we leave Jesus’ word how can we have any spiritual power or strength to bear fruit?
Why is it necessary to remain in Jesus?
It is the only way to bear fruit that is pleasing to God.
How can we remain in Jesus? (Deut 8:16-18; Col 3:16)
16He gave you mannato eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known,to humble and testyou so that in the end it might go well with you.17You may say to yourself,“My power and the strength of my handshave produced this wealth for me.”18But remember theLordyour God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Col 3:16, “Let the message of Christdwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdomthrough psalms,hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
We can remain in Jesus by being humble and remembering what the Lord God has done for us. We can remain if we are constantly engaged in talking, singing, praying, and being with the Lord. The community that remains in Jesus will then begin to look more and more like its source.
- What does verse 7 teach us about remaining in Jesus and having his word remain in us?
7If you remain in meand my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
When the word of Jesus remains in us it transforms our desires into a desire to do God’s will.
What is Jesus’ promise?
Read verses 9-10. What do these verses teach about how to remain in Jesus?
9“As the Father has loved me,so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10If you keep my commands,you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
As we remain in Jesus our will is transformed to coincide with his will. When our will is like Jesus’ when we pray and ask God we will be asking in accordance to his will and God will definitely answer prayer that aligns with his will.
What was Jesus’ own example? (Heb 5:8, 9)
Heb 5:8-9; “8Sonthough he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered9and, once made perfect,he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” He obeyed in Jesus’ love.
Remaining in Jesus’ love is dependent on keeping his commands. Jesus as an example kept God’s command and was obedient to his will and became the source of eternal salvation.
The vine branch relationship is kept through prayer. Without prayer and Jesus’ word as a Christian we won’t bear any inner or outer fruit and will shrivel up like a chopped off branch.