I am the True Vine John 15:1
The Lord Jesus had just come to the conclusion of the Lord's
supper. What a blessed time of fellowship that had been when he
and his disciples had entered into wonderful fellowship and the
Lord had told them as never before about what now lay ahead. Now
they were making their way from that last supper to the garden
of Gethsemane where the Lord Jesus was going to undergo an agony
as he prayed to His Father. It was in that garden that the Lord
was going to begin to enter into the sufferings that would have
their conclusion at the cross. So these are the last words that
the Lord is going to give to his disciples before he goes to the
cross. They are walking toward Gethsemane. It is very likely that
the theme of what he was going to say was suggested by something
he saw. It may have been that the lord was looking at the great
golden vine with which Herod had decorated the temple or it may
just have been that as they passed the vineyards along the road
and as the moonlight fell on the clusters of grapes. No doubt
they would have seen the strong vines with their branches laden
down with the luscious fruit and when the Lord saw that He immediately
took hold of the lessons that such a thing would teach his disciples
and he said " I am the true vine and my Father is the
husbandman You know that nature is a parable of God and even
as we look at the things around us there is a wonderful lessons
that the lord would have us learn. But is there not a peculiar
solemnity about these words. When you think that these words were
among the last that the Lord passed on to His disciples before
he went to Gethsemane and the agonies of Pilate's Judgement Hall
and the cross is there not a peculiar importance placed on the
words
Remember too that this text gives us one of the Great "I
am" sayings of Christ. The words "I am" are the
Words which mean Jehovah. The name Jehovah simple means "
I am that I am" The Lord had added a number of things to
that title. He said "I am the Bread of Life" I am the
door" I am the Good Shepherd." "I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life." and so on. What thoughts are brought
to our minds and what wonderful gospel truth there is in each
one of those sayings. Today I want us to think of this one. What
did the Lord mean when He said " I am the true Vine"
There are a number of things that I want you to see about
this vine in the passage.
I The Destinctives of the Vine
The first thing that is the destinctive of the vine. The Lord
likens Himself here to the vine and we might wonder why that should
be? I want us to take a look at some of the destinctives and the
distinguishing characteristics of the Vine that set forth the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Think with me of THE SEASON OF THE VINE. There is a season for
the vine. There is a time when the grape ripens and when the fruit
is ready. The vine will die away in the winter but will grow up
again in the summer until the fruit bearing season comes around.
Those that grow vines will know well about the right time for
the vine to flourish. And so it was with the Lord Jesus. There
is a significant phrase in Gelatines 4:4. It says But when
the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, There was a time that was
right for the Lord Jesus to come into the world. God had ordained
the time . And when you look at history the time was right. The
Greek language was an almost universal language enabling the spread
of the gospel. Then the Roman law had quelled many of the lawlessness
and the bandits that were the scourge of travellers and the Roman
roads had enabled fast travel. God had thos planned. THe Lord
had this whole thing planned. Some people see the cross of christ
as a mistake but the Lord had all these things planned in the
inimitable counsel of His Will. And really the cross and the resurrection
are the central fruit of the true vine. From those events flow
all the good that we can have. But those events were planned.
Peter spoke to the members of the Sanhedrin who had crucified
christ and he said in Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and
by wicked hands have crucified and slain: God delivered Christ
by His determinate counsel, No! the cross was not a mistake! We
see the season of the Vine.
But then I want you to think of THE SUPPLY OF THE VINE; The fruit
that comes from the vine is something that produces joy and happiness.
Wine has always been associated with that which is happy and that
which is joyful. It is designed to bring joy into the life. And
that is what the Lord Jesus who is the true vine brings into the
life. He brings real true joy and happiness. Those who have spent
any time drinking at the world's watering places have often found
that they are broken cisterns. They have promised so much at the
outset and yet when the person has come to partake they have found
that the thirst of their soul has not been satisfied. The waters
that seemed to be there on the surface just faded away when you
stooped to drink? Are you spiritually thirsty today? Do you know
what the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money;
come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money
and without price. There is a supply that can make you satisfied.
There is a place that can give you true joy and blessing and that
is where the Lord Jesus Christ supplies your need. Romans 14:17
tells us that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Do you
know anything of this joy that is supplied in the Lord Jesus Christ
But then not only does the Vine supply joy and happiness but it
supplies sustenance. We think of the wine that comes from the
grapes but we forget about the raisins that are made from the
grape as well, and even the goodness and refreshment that comes
from the grape itself. It does the person good! And even when
you look at the context where the people of God are taken as the
branches of the vine we realise that all the food and sustenance
that is given to the branches of the vine flows through the vine
itself to the branches. The apostle Paul was able to say My
God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory
in Christ Jesus It is the Lords will to bring good into the
lives of His people. He says that no good thing will he withhold
from them that walk uprightly. But more than that we realise that
the sustenance that the vine brings is something that bestows
life. Without food we die and certainly we have to say that without
the supply that the Lord brings the soul is dead. It is dead in
trespasses and sin. So just like the Vine the Lord brings a vital
supply. I wonder has there been a time when you have partaken
of the joy and the sustenance that comes from the vine of God?
We see the supply of the vine
Can I bring you further and think of THE SHADE OF THE VINE. The
vine in the east was more than just a plant that supplied grapes
but it was often used as a shading place from the searing heat
of the Sun. The vine is a great spreading plant and it was often
the practice of the traveller or the husbandman to sit down in
the shade of the leaves of the vine tree. And in the word of God
the Lord is often likened to a shade from the burden and heat
of the day. In Song of Solomon the Lord is likened to the shade
of the apple tree . He says in Song of Solomon 2:3 As the apple
tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among
the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and
his fruit was sweet to my taste. How many people
are bowed down by the burden and heat of the day. How many are
overcome with the stresses and strains of this life. but what
a wonderful picture we have here of the Lord as a shade. The Psalmist
could say in Psalm 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper:
the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. Tell
me is He your keeper? Is He your shade on your right hand? Have
you found in the Lord a resting place from the troubles and trials
of this old life. Surely when we think of the Lord as the true
vine that thought is given to us here
But then let us go a little bit further in this picture and think
of THE SUFFERING OF THE VINE The vine had to be pruned and wounded
that it should bring forth the fruit. It was also the practice
in order to get the fruit from the vine that the vine would be
taken and its branches would be spread out and then stakes would
be taken and the branches would be pinned to wooden stakes or
to a trellis so that the vine would be trained into the right
place. And surely when we think of that it reminds us of Calvary.
In order that the Lord Jesus might bring forth fruit. He had to
have His arms and His feet taken and they had to be spread on
the wooden stake and they were pinned there. He could not have
brought forth fruit if the knife of God's justice had not been
taken to Him there because there on the cross He was dying the
Just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. There on the
cross He was bearing the sins of His people. There could not have
been any fruit if the Lord had not gone through the sufferings
of Calvary. But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes
we are healed. There is fruit through the sufferings
of christ and it is that fruit that brings eternal life to our
souls. Thank God for the suffering of the true vine
But then would you just think with me of THE SPREADING OF THE
VINE. The vine is a plant that spreads The vine is able to take
the rains and the dews of the summer and turns it into plenteous
fruit And the Lord is able to take the circumstances and conditions
of your life and bring forth fruit unto repentance in your soul.
Oh that the vine may spread into your life? He is the true Vine.
He brings all the good and all the blessings that you need. You
need Him this evening! We see the destinctives of the Vine
II The Designation of the Vine
Notice secondly the designation of the Vine. He is called
the vine but he is also "The True vine" The Lord goes
further here and he calls himself the true vine. And of course
that is something that we should take note of. Why is He not only
called the vine but " The true vine"?
First of all there is a CONTRAST here. If He is the true vine
then it would seem that there are false vines. There are strange
vines and wild vines and certainly that is the teaching that we
get in the Word of God. It is probable that the Lord was referring
to Israel here. Israel was often likened in the Word of God to
a vine. In Isaiah 5 for example there is the Lord's song of his
vineyard. Verse 1 of that chapter says Now will I sing to my
well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My
well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: and
it goes on to describe how the Lord treated the vineyard of Israel
and how he gave it every possible advantage and encouragement
to bring forth fruit. But we see how that the religion of Judaism
had at the time of Christ sunken down into formalism and how they
had actually rejected their Messiah, their Christ and they were
at the time the Lord spoke even plotting to get Him put on the
cross So the Lord was saying " I am the true Vine. The
vine that you have been trusting in up to now has turned itself
into a false vine. The formality of the scribes and Pharisees
and their refusal to accept the Saviour were deadly blows that
had Destroyed the vine and had turned it into a false vine. So
Christ says I am the true vine What you need to do now
is to turn to me and find your sustenance and your support and
your shade in me. But isn't it significant here that the Lord
was speaking about false vines and when we think about false vines
there are certain things we should keep in mind. Perhaps the first
thing that we should keep in mind is the similarity between the
true and the false. They are both likened to vines. If Christ
is the True vine then it implies a false vine but both are vines.
And if that is so we can see that the difference between the true
and the false might not be obvious. And certainly that is the
teaching of the Word of God. The devil has his counterfeits and
the devil knows that man is a religious creature. He knows that
there is within man, though marred by sin a realisation of His
maker. So the devil has devised a religion of his own. And in
many ways the devil's religion is just like the true religion
. Paul wrote to warn the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11 and he
said For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we
have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit,
which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not
accepted, ye might well bear with him. He was concerned
that even these Corinthian believers might be taken in by this
counterfeit. And do you notice the list he gives. He mentions
another Jesus and another spirit, and another
gospel The devil makes these thins look like the true. There
is a false gospel and there is a false Jesus and there is a false
vine. And what is the purpose of the false? It is to confuse people.
The devil wants people to be confused and that is what is wrong
with many people today. People do not know what is the truth.
They here one say one thing and another say another and they have
come to the point where they do not know what is right. But could
I say something that might help you to know what is right. The
false gospel always exalts man. The false gospel is a gospel of
works. It tells man that he needs to do something to be saved.
He should do good works or go through outward ceremonies or look
within himself to find salvation. The true gospel turns a man
away from Himself and directs him to the Lord of glory for there
on the cross the Lord has made one complete and never to be repeated
sacrifice. The true gospel directs a man to take what Christ has
done by faith.
But if there is a similarity between a true and a false vine then
there is also a vital difference. The false vine will not bring
forth the needed fruit, the false vine will not provide for you
your need. If you are not attached to this true vine then you
perish. There is a vital contrast between the true vine and the
false
But not only is there a Contrast between the true and the false
but there is a comparison here because the word that is translated
'true" can also be translated as "the ideal vine"
or "the perfect vine'. The Jewish Church was represented
in the Old Testament as shadow that pointed forward to the perfect
vine. The Old Testament Church was but a forerunner of that which
was perfect. He is the perfect vine. There are no imperfections
in Him. There are no faults in Him nor in the provision He gives.
If you trust in something that is perfect and ideal it is not
going to let you down. An imperfect thing may let you down but
something that is perfect is never going to let you down. Thank
God that the Lord JEsus is the perfect vine. He is the perfect
Saviour. There is no danger in trusting in Him. There is no gamble
in trusting in Him. I am glad that I present to you a perfect
Saviour! He is he true Vine! We see the designation of the true
vine
III The Demand of the vine
But thirdly would you think with me of the demand of the vine.
The demand is that you should be united with this true vine. Verse
4 says 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. The people who think they can
work to get themselves into heaven have got it wrong. You cannot
bear fruit to the Lord until you have been brought into union
with the vine.
But look at this and think of the wonderful thing that is being
demanded here. The text holds out the possibility of you not just
having an association with the Lord of glory and that would be
a wonderful thing in and of itself. but this is not just an association
with the Lord of glory but this is an an actual union with Christ.
The Bible tells us that not only will the Lord forgive his people
of their sin and make them right for heaven but He brings them
into union with Himself. The Bible tells us that we are adopted
into the family of God. It tells us that we become heirs of God
and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Did you ever think of that
remarkable statement that is made in 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now
ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.? Those
who are saved are part of the body of Christ. That is the same
here. There is a vital relationship between the vine and the branches.
But if that is true there is a sense in which we can humbly say
that we are necessary to the Lord. We are those through who the
Lord brings forth fruit. But that is amazing! The Lord has a vital
interest in His people. The Bible speaks of the love He has to
His people and how he protects His people. There is a Union between
those who are saved and the Lord of Glory! Are you in this union?
Are you saved. This passage urges you and indeed commands you
to get into union with the Lord. The Lord says Abide in me
You need to get into a relationship with the true vine of God.
But not only do we see the wonder of this but the warning of it.
It speaks of fruitless branches that are attached to the vine
but the fruitless branches are taken away and burned . There
are nominal adherents to Christianity. There are those who seem
to attach themselves to the vine but they are fruitless. A true
branch will bring forth fruit. A person who is truly united to
the vine will show fruit in his life. There are christian professors
who have some kind of an attachment to the vine but they are not
so attached that the life giving sap of the grace of god flows
through. You need to be truly united to the vine. You need to
be truly saved. There is not a person here who does not need a
relationship with the true vine. Outside of the true vine you
perish! You need to be saved today!