Archives for August 2020

Good morning,

John 15 is about abiding in Christ. We will learn about vines, branches, and why it is important for the branches to abide in the vine. We will also learn God loves us, calls us His friend, we will be hated by the world, and that Jesus will send us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God.

Abiding in Christ (15:4-11)

“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.⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.⁹ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.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.¹¹ These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

The disciples were familiar with the role of the vinedresser. After a vine is planted, the vinedresser has two duties. First, he cuts off fruitless branches, which take away sap from the fruit-bearing branches. If sap is wasted, the plant will bear less fruit. Then he constantly trims shoots from the fruit-bearing branches so that all the sap is concentrated on fruit-bearing. The fruit-bearing branches are pruned so they will bear more fruit. We know these branches represent Christians, because only Christians can bear fruit. Pruning is not done only once—it is a constant process. The Father prunes a branch so it may bear more fruit. After continual pruning, it bears much fruit.

The nourishment we need, as believers in Christ, is in Jesus Christ. Practically speaking, we need to abide in Christ. Understanding the Bible, who Jesus is, what He has done for us, what He continues to do, and what He will do in the future, helps us to surrender our lives. A surrendered life, is a life ready to abide in the vine. When we abide in Christ, we become more like Jesus. We desire the things that Jesus desires. We choose to fully obey His word. We want to be like Jesus in every way.

The Christian that abides in Christ, produces brings forth much fruit. The fruit here are character qualities, works that glorify God, and ability to see souls come to Christ.

Unfortunately, there are many who claim to be Christians who fail to produce fruit. They are not abiding in Christ. They make a profession of faith, but have no desire to grow in Christ. They expect Jesus to conform to their image of Christianity. They are the tares among the wheat. These are the unfruitful branches.

What kind of fruit are we producing? Much fruit or no fruit? Abiding or colliding with Jesus? Maturing or decaying?

It is God’s will that all true believers abide in Christ.

Are we?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

John 15 is about abiding in Christ. We will learn about vines, branches, and why it is important for the branches to abide in the vine. We will also learn God loves us, calls us His friend, we will be hated by the world, and that Jesus will send us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God.

The true vine (15:1-3)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.² 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.³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

The metaphor in John 15 is of a vine and its branches. The vine is the source and sustenance of life for the branches, and the branches must abide in the vine to live and bear fruit. Jesus is the vine, and the branches are people. While it is obvious the fruit-bearing branches represent true Christians, the identity of the fruitless ones is in question. The Father is the vinedresser.

This introduction sets the stage for our teaching on abiding in Christ. The vine, the husbandman, and the branches. The branches that produce fruit and those that do not.

“Jesus was not introducing a new idea by using the metaphor of a vine and branches. In the Old Testament, God’s vine was Israel. He used them to accomplish His purpose in the world, and He blessed those connected with them. He was the vinedresser; He cared for the vine, trimmed it, and cut off branches that did not bear fruit. But God’s vine degenerated and bore no fruit. The vinedresser grieved over the tragedy of Israel’s fruitlessness:

Let me sing now for my well-beloved a song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; then He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones. “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between Me and My vineyard. What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones? So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. I will lay it waste; it will not be pruned or hoed, but briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it.” For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. (Isaiah 5:1-7)

God had done everything He could to make Israel bear fruit, yet it bore none. So He took away its wall and left it unprotected. It was then trampled down by foreign nations and laid waste. Israel was no longer God’s vine; it had forfeited its privilege.

Now there is a new vine. No longer does blessing come through a covenantal relationship with Israel. Fruit and blessing come through connection with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true Vine.” (The Vine and the Branches, pg. 25, John MacArthur, Grace to you ministries)

This week will help us to determine are we fruitful branches or not.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001