I Am the True Vine

Truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30–31)

Jesus, the true vine, calls us to abide in Him—for only there do we bear lasting fruit, glorify God, and find joy that is full.

The Seven "I Am" Statements of Jesus

This summer we have been spending time in the Gospel of John, considering what Jesus has to say about Himself. There have always been many opinions about Jesus—even when He walked the earth. He asked His disciples in Matthew 16, "Who do men say that I am?" Some said a prophet, some said John the Baptist back from the dead. But John writes for a very clear purpose: to reveal the true nature of Jesus through the things Jesus says about Himself.

The Gospel of John is built around seven "I am" sayings, and we are finishing today with the seventh. It is also constructed around seven miracles, or signs, some of which correspond to the sayings. In John 6, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life," and in that same passage He multiplied bread for the multitudes. In John 8, "I am the light of the world," and in John 9 He gave sight to a man born blind. Also in John 8, He said, "Before Abraham was, I am"—revealing His eternality, that He has always existed. He is God.

In John 10 there were two statements: "I am the good shepherd" and "I am the door." The good shepherd reveals Himself by laying down His life for the sheep—and the pinnacle of all four Gospels is Christ's death on the cross, giving His life for us. As Jesus says in John 15, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Yet God's love is greater still, for "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). In John 11, "I am the resurrection and the life," authenticated when He raised Lazarus, dead four days. And last week Pastor Jason taught John 14: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me"—one of the most audacious and, to many in our culture, offensive claims Jesus made.

The Setting: From the Upper Room to Gethsemane

After raising Lazarus in Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem, Jesus came into the city on what we now call Palm Sunday—the triumphal entry. News of Lazarus had spread quickly, and the crowds waved palm branches and sang Psalm 118: "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" They were looking for a conquering king who would throw off Roman occupation. But Jesus came meek and lowly, riding a donkey, and immediately began grounding His disciples' expectations: "My hour has come."

In John 13, Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples in an upper room and revealed that one of them—Judas—would betray Him, and that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Their joy gave way to troubled hearts. That is why He says in John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled... In My Father's house are many dwelling places... I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again." You only tell people not to be troubled when they are troubled.

At the close of John 14, Jesus says, "Now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe... Arise, let us go from here." That is the turning point. From the upper room on Mount Zion, they would pass the Temple Mount on the way back toward Bethany, ending that night in the Garden of Gethsemane at the base of the Mount of Olives. Somewhere along that walk, Jesus speaks the words of John 15.

"I Am the True Vine"

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit... Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches... for without Me you can do nothing... By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit... These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:1–11)

This is one of the most famous passages of Jesus. As a Bible teacher, I always hope a passage lays out neatly and linearly, but this one circles around and circles back. Still, I believe it answers five important questions: What does God desire from you? How does He accomplish this? Why does He do it? What is our part? And what is the ultimate outcome for us?

What God Desires: Much Fruit

Twice in this passage Jesus says, "I am the vine." He is the source of life; we are the branches; God the Father is the vinedresser. These are the three characters. In verse 2, the Father takes away every branch that bears no fruit and prunes every branch that does, "that it may bear more fruit." Point one: God desires that we bear much fruit.

This word picture was not foreign to the disciples. About eight hundred years earlier, Isaiah used the same imagery:

Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard... He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine... He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes... For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel... He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. (Isaiah 5:1–7)

God had a choice vine and looked with anticipation for fruit, but found none. So He stepped back, leaving it unpruned and exposed—a story that plays out through Israel's history. What fruit is He looking for? Isaiah names righteousness and justice. And Paul names more in Galatians 5:22–23: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness... gentleness, self-control." This is what God desires from our lives in abundance.

How God Accomplishes It: The Pruning Work

How does God produce this fruit in us? Point two: fruitfulness increases by the pruning work of the vinedresser. The Father comes into our lives and cuts things away for a purpose—so that we will produce maximal fruit. But pruning is not fun, especially for the branches. It is essential, but it is not enjoyable.

When my wife and I bought our first house in Escondido—a bank foreclosure—the yard was mostly brown and dead, but one giant grapevine was green and vibrant, with branches running twenty feet into trees and over fences. Yet there was not a single grape on it. I knew enough to prune and train it, so I cut it back until it looked completely bare—naked, sad, dead. I thought it could never grow again. But the next March, little shoots appeared. I built a trellis and trained the branches, cutting it back hard every year. The first year, nothing; the second, a couple of grapes; then a few more. Three or four years later, Ethan and I went out and cut off fifty bunches of grapes. Fruitfulness came through the pruning work of a vinedresser who barely knew what he was doing.

Every day I now drive past a huge vineyard. This time of year, between August and early October, it is beautiful and heavy with grapes. But every November the vinedressers strip those vines bare until they look like dead wood. If those vines could speak, you would hear terror—it is like the rapture for the vine. Yet in that pruning there is a clear picture of death and resurrection: a dying so the resurrecting power of God can work. God desires that we bear much fruit, so He prunes painful things from our lives. When that happens, we must know He sees beyond it to something He is doing in and through us.

Why God Does It: For His Glory

Look at verse 8: "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." Point three: we bear much fruit for the glory of God. For centuries the Christian faith was passed down through catechisms, since most people throughout history were illiterate. The famous Westminster Shorter Catechism opens: "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."

This echoes Matthew 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Isaiah 61, which Jesus read in Nazareth and said was fulfilled in their hearing, speaks of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, "that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." And Paul prayed in Philippians 1:9–11 that the church would abound in love, "being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." The vinedresser prunes us so we bear much fruit for His glory.

Our Part: Abide in Christ

If God desires this fruit, Christ's power produces it, and the Father prunes for it—what is our part? Read the passage and one word leaps out: abide. Jesus says it ten times in the first ten verses. Point four: fruitfulness is impossible apart from abiding in Christ.

There is no fruitfulness on a branch cut off from the vine. It simply shrivels, withers, and dies. One Bible teacher says there is no spiritual or enduring achievement possible outside of Christ. Some say unbelievers do good works—that is fine, but it will not be spiritual or enduring fruit. "Without Me you can do nothing," Jesus says. We want to object, but apart from Him we can do nothing that glorifies God. The other side of the coin is Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

How do we know if we are abiding? To abide means to remain in, to stay plugged into Christ's life. First, we produce fruit—righteousness, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control, patience. You are not patient apart from Christ. Test it: how patient are you when you're sick, hungry, or tired? Anyone who has waited tables knows hungry people reveal their true nature. The manifestation of self-control, patience, and love is evidence the Spirit of God is working in you.

Second, His word abides in us (verse 7). When you are tempted to impatience and a word of Scripture comes to mind, where did that come from? Jesus said in John 14 that the Spirit brings to remembrance the things He has spoken. Third, our prayers are not hindered: "You will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." Some love to claim that promise, but the qualifier is that His word abides in you—you will ask in accordance with His word. Fourth, we keep His commandments (verse 10): "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love." Those abiding have a desire to do what Jesus commands.

The Outcome: Fullness of Joy

What is the outcome for us? Verse 11: "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." Be honest—how many of you want your joy to be full? That word "remain" is the same Greek word translated "abide." Jesus wants His joy to abide in you. Point five: the increase of fruitfulness produces the increase of joy in our lives.

The more your life produces the fruitfulness of God, the more joy you will have. We are most satisfied, most joyful in God as His work produces the fruit of the Spirit in us. We live in a country where the pursuit of happiness is enshrined in our founding documents—330 million Americans pursuing happiness. Yet we are among the most unhappy, anxious people in the world. Is it possible we are pursuing it in the wrong place? Advertisements constantly tell us happiness is over here, over there—a timeshare, perhaps. We had that meeting last week, and we said no. That is a joyful place, but it is not where happiness is found.

How many have been to the "happiest place on earth," just an hour and a half up the road? If you have kids, no one is happy by four o'clock in the afternoon. "That your joy may be full"—I want that, and I think you do too. The increase of fruitfulness produces the increase of joy. This is why God, who desires His glory, prunes us so that we produce fruit. And it glorifies Him because it does not come from you. When you are truly patient, self-controlled, and kind, you cannot say, "That's just my nature." Ask your spouse—it is from God, and it points to Him. People long for this, because we long for our joy to be full. So Jesus says, "I am the true vine. He who abides in Me bears much fruit. I've told you this so that your joy may be full." That is good news.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You for the Scriptures, and how You reveal Yourself to us—that Jesus, You are the bread of life, the light of the world, the eternal One, the good shepherd, the door, the way, the truth, and the life, the resurrection and the life. And You are the vine. When we are plugged into You, connected to You, we experience Your abundant life in us, producing the fruit of righteousness and justice and love, joy, peace, and gentleness. God, make that to abound in our lives, for Your glory and for our joy. In Jesus' name, amen.