Turning to the chapter that we
read, John chapter 15, and taking for our text the first two verses. John 15, verses 1 and 2, I am
the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth
fruit, 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. John 15 verses 1 and 2 I am the
true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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. We consider then here the vine
and the branches and of course it is one of those remarkable
statements that we find scattered throughout this gospel where
the Lord Jesus is declaring himself as the great Jehovah God. Those I am statements, there
are many of them and we can, I'm sure, think of some of them
quite readily. He declares himself to be the
true shepherd. I am the true shepherd. He declares
himself to be the door of the fold. I am the door. By me if
any man enter in, he shall go in and out and find pasture. He says I am the resurrection
and the life and so on and so forth. And in all of these statements,
of course, we see him as that one who has come, the image of
the invisible God. He is revealing to us so much
the attributes and the character of that God who is the great
I AM THAT I AM. Now, God, in these last days,
has spoken unto us by His Son. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. And so, here He declares Himself,
I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman. Now, We read the chapter through,
and the chapter, in a sense, divides quite neatly into some
three parts. In the opening part, verses 1
to 11, the Lord Jesus, under this imagery of the vine and
the branches, is setting before us the precious truth of union
and communion. in order for us to know anything
of real communion, that is fellowship with God, there must be a union,
we must be united to Him. And he is speaking of that when
he refers not only to the vine, but also to those branches. And the branch that is truly
in the Lord Jesus, we see here in these first 11 verses, is
that branch that is fruit-bearing. Verse 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. Now the The proof of that union
is to be seen in the fruit that the branch is bearing. By their
fruits ye shall know them, says the Lord Jesus. Fruit, then,
is the important thing in those that are living branches. And then, at verse 12, following
verse 12 through to verse 17, he makes mention of that particular
fruit of love. He says at verse 12, This is
my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. And in many ways this is the
most significant and important of all the fruits of the Spirit
of God. Think of the language of 1 Corinthians
13, now abideth faith, hope, charity, or love. Agape is the
word, that highest form of love that can be expressed in the
Greek language, the language of the New Testament. Now abideth
faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is
love. And so, At verse 11 following
we see how the Lord speaks of the importance of that fruit
of love. Through to verse 17, He says,
These things I command you, that ye love one another. And then in the final section,
from verse 18 through to the end, we see the awful antipathy
with the world. Those who are in Christ are the
people who have been called out of this world and how the world
hates, how the world despises Christ and therefore despises
those who are in Christ. He says at verse 18, if the world
hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. And then at verse 23, he that
hateth me, hateth my father also, he says. And thou believest thou
to love one another, though the world despises and hates the
people of God. But we're Interested in particular
tonight in what the Lord is saying here at the beginning of the
chapter. Our text is found in these opening two verses of the
chapter where the Lord uses this figure of the vine. I am the true vine and my father
is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit
he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit. Now, it's a
figure that we find in the Old Testament Scriptures. We see
it with regards to what Jacob has to say concerning his sons
when As he comes to his deathbed he calls his sons together there
in Genesis 49 and pronounces his blessing upon each of his
sons. But really the blessing is also
a prophetic word and it's interesting with regards to both Judah and
to Joseph Jacob speaks in terms of the vine. Look at the language
that we have in that particular chapter. I'm sure you're not
unfamiliar with the chapter. It's a great chapter where we
see the H Patriarch as he calls his sons around him and see what
he says concerning Judah. Judah of course is that tribe
from which the Lord Jesus Christ himself has come. And the blessing on Judah is
set forth there in verse 8 through to verse 12. But I'm thinking
in particular of what he says there at verse 10, he says concerning
Judah, the scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver
from between his feet until Shiloh come, that is Christ, and unto
him shall the gathering of the people be, binding his fold unto
the vine. And his asses caught onto the
choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the
blood of grapes. It's a prophetic word, as I said,
and it concerns certainly there in verse 11 the Lord Jesus Christ. And though he did indeed wash
his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes
when he came to die that accursed and bloody death of the cross. So there's a reference to the
vine, there's a reference to the fruit of the vine there in
what Jacob says concerning Judah. But then also we have reference
to the vine in association with Joseph at verse 22. Joseph is
a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well whose branches
run over the wall. The archers have sorely grieved
him, and shot at him, and hated him. But his bough abode in strength,
and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the
mighty God of Jacob, and so forth. We see then that the vine and
the imagery of the vine is used there concerning Jacob and Joseph
in Psalm 80 the image of the vine is also
used in reference to Jacob himself or to Israel we might say because
Jacob becomes Israel and Israel is a nation is spoken of as a
vine or as a vineyard. Look at the language that we
have there in Isaiah chapter 5. You read the opening verse
of that chapter. And there at verse 7 we read,
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah is pleasant plants. Israel is spoken of then
as the Lord's vineyard. And again, Judah, remember Genesis
49, Judah is spoken of as His pleasant plants. But it is Christ. It is Christ who is the true
vine, as He says here. I am the true vine. He is the fulfillment of all
these things that we have spoken of in the Old Testament. Is Judah God's pleasant plant? Well, the Lord Jesus is spoken
of by Ezekiel as that one who is a plant of renown. This is
the imagery that he's employed then in Scripture to show us
the excellence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we made some reference
just then to the language that is used in the 80th Psalm, where
this idea of the vine is taken up again. And there at verse
8 it says, Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt. Thou hast brought a vine out
of Egypt. That's Israel. God delivering
the children of Israel out of the bondage that they endured
in Egypt. But of course Ultimately, the
reference is to the Lord Jesus. In Hosea we are told, when Israel
was a child, I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. Again, it's the same as we have
in the Psalm. It's a reference to the historic
events, the deliverance of the children of Israel, the Hebrews,
out of Egypt. But it's more than that. Hosea
11.1 is taken up in the New Testament and it is applied to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Look at the language that we
have concerning his nativity and the days when he was a child
in Matthew chapter 2 remember how Joseph and Mary together
with the baby Jesus they have to flee from cruel Herod who
is seeking the destruction of all the children and they go
into Egypt as we see there in In Matthew
chapter 2, verse 14, he arose at his Joseph, he took the young
child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and
was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of
Egypt have I called my son. All that vine that is taken out
of Egypt, yes historically it was Israel, but prophetically,
spiritually, the reference is clearly to be understood in terms
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what is true of Christ is
true of His people, they are united to Him. They are united
to Him in the eternal covenant. And because the children were
partakers of flesh and blood, we are told how He likewise took
part of the same. And therefore we can say that
the church is God's vine, or more particularly, more especially,
we say, the branches. The branches are the people of
God. Christ is the vine. and his people,
his church, are the branches. I am the true vine, ye are the
branches. Now, as we come to consider these
words tonight, I want us to think of these branches in particular.
And we see that there are different branches. And some branches are
fruitful, and some branches are fruitless. It's a very solemn
picture that the Lord himself is painting. And first of all,
to say something with what we might refer to as those branches
that are said to be fruitless. At the beginning of verse 2,
every branch in myrrh, he says, that beareth not fruits, he taketh
away. that is, the husbandman, the
father, takes away those branches that are fruitless. What are we to understand by
this? Well, it comes close to it. It's not talking about those
who are the ungodly, who have never made any profession of
faith in the Lord Jesus. Surely it is referring to those
who would appear to be in the Lord Jesus. It would
appear that there is a visible union with the Lord Jesus, but
really that is deceptive, because there is nothing real. There
is only with them a faith that is a temporary faith. There's
an historic faith. They've given a certain ascent
with the mind. They have a notional faith. But
they know nothing of that faith that is real. How searching we
see God's word is. We think of the ministry of the
Lord Jesus and the parable that he tells concerning the sower
and his seed. Remember how the sower, as he
takes his seed in that account, he makes a very broad cast. He casts his seed abroad and
he falls on a variety of grounds. It falls sometimes on stony ground,
it falls also amongst the thorns. And we're familiar, we're familiar
with the detail and what the Lord says there in the parable. And he interprets the parable
to his disciples. And this is what he says, "...he
that received the seed into stony places, The same is he that heareth
the word, and anon with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not root in himself,
but dureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that receiveth the seed
among the thorns is he that heareth the word. So he hears the word,
but the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke
the word and he becometh unfruitful. But he that receiveth the seed
into good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it,
which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some an hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty." The Lord interpreting the parable. We see there that as the seed
is cast so with some it seems to germinate. It seems that there
is life there but it's but stony ground and it soon withers away
or it's fallen amongst the thorns and it appears immediately it
is choked. Those who know nothing more than
a mere profession who say, Lord, Lord, And yet in that terrible
day of judgment the Lord will say, I never knew thee. And of course we know that there
are various portions of Scripture that are very searching to us. We refer sometimes to those words
of the Apostle in Hebrews chapter 6 where he points out how close
this profession, this empty profession might seem to be to that that
is genuine. He speaks of the impossibility
of those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted
the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him
to an open shame. What remarkable language Paul
is employing. He speaks of them as partakers
of the Holy Ghost, tasting the good word of God, the powers
of the world to come. And yet, they fought away and
there's no possibility of them ever being restored. Their profession
ultimately is exposed. as that that was never really
genuine. And we know we have accounts
of men like Simon Magus in Acts. He was baptized. But when he
sees how that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given by the laying
on of the hands of the apostles, he thinks that he can purchase
that gift, he can do these sort of things, and he's in the very
ball of bitterness. We read of him there in Acts
chapter 8. Or we read of Demas. He sends his greetings there
at the end of the epistle to the Colossians. He's there amongst
the apostles. He's there amongst those early
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. But what does Paul say when he
writes at the end of his life in 2 Timothy? Demas hath forsaken
me. Themis hath forsaken me, having
loved this present world. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruits ye taketh away, or by their fruits, by their fruits
ye shall know them. The godly, remember how the godly
are described in the first psalm, like a tree planted by the rivers
of water. bringeth forth his fruit in his
season, his leaf also shall not wither, whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper. The young godlier not so, but
are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. All these fruitless branches,
this is that that is a profession, but it's nothing more than that,
it's a profession, but there's no possession. of the true grace
of God and so ultimately there is that solemn departing from
God and that's what we read there
in the parable of the of the sower remember what the Lord
says concerning that seed that fell on the stony ground it's
interesting it says and on with joy, they receive
it. As soon as the word comes, they
receive it with joy. And that's indicative, surely,
that their initial response is somewhat unhealthy. They immediately
are filled with joy, they're full of religion. But it's not
real. They've not really known anything
of the convicting work of the Spirit of God, what have they
known of a gracious sorrowing over sins? What have they known
of that Spirit of true repentance? Surely when God's Word first
comes to us, it doesn't come as a Word that fills us with
joy and gladness, it convicts us. Oh, it's sharper than a two-edged
sword, piercing. David finds us out, those on
the day of Pentecost, they were pierced to their heart, it says.
They were under conviction of sin. They knew not what to do. They cry out to the apostles,
what must we do to be saved? Yes, they might be looking to
themselves, they might be thinking in terms of the old covenant,
that covenant of worth, what must we do? There's nothing to
be done. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
But there is that conviction of sin. And so there, with regards
to those who are said to be stony ground hearers, their beginning
is suspect. But not with joy they receive
the word. But what does the Lord go on
to say? Yet hath he no root in himself
that dureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. All the word is an offence. How
different it was with Job in the midst of all his trials and
all his troubles. All that comes upon him also
contrary to him. He can say there in chapter 19
the root of the matter. is found in me. Oh friends, is that root of the
matter found in us? Those stony ground hear us. There is no root in them. There's
a shallowness, you see. That's why it springs up immediately,
an arm. or the ground with joy receiveth
us, there's soon some evidence, and yet it's no real evidence.
There's a departing. And what causes the departure
when the trial comes? Tribulation, persecution. And it's all because of the Word.
There's a cost to those who are the true followers of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But here, there's a departing
from God. because of persecution. We read
of other reasons why there are those who depart. There are those
who fall into heresies. Think of the language that we
have in 1 Corinthians 11. There must also be heresies among
you that they which are approved may be made manifest. They went out from us, said John.
but they were not of us for if they had been of us doubtless
they would have continued with us but they went out that they
might be made manifest that they were not really of us there are those you see who fall
into heresy that expose them when they embrace that false
teaching that is soul destroying and now Paul speaks of some when
he writes to Timothy and warns him of such characters. He says,
Shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more
ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a canker, of whom
is Imenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have heard
saying that the resurrection is past already and overthrow
the fate of self. Or they depart, maybe it's persecutions,
or they embrace erroneous doctrine, they fall into grievous heritage,
but they depart. And then others depart because
of immorality. in first Corinthians chapter
5 we read there of the incestuous person and the matter must be
dealt with there's the possibility of course always the possibility
of restoration when a person falls when a person falls into
erroneous doctrine, when a person falls into immorality, there's
the possibility of restoration. We're not saying that there's
not. In fact, that's what the Church
desires. That's the whole point and purpose
of any Church discipline. Not to cast off, not to put a
person away forever, but to seek their proper restoration. But there are those who by these
things are exposed, they never had any real faith. They're like these branches.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. And of course we know that the final separation is to come
in that great and dreadful day of judgment. And now the Lord
Jesus that one who spoke such gracious words never man spake
like this man the prince of all preachers and how the Lord Jesus
so compassionate in all his ministry and yet at the same time that
ministry so cutting and so separating look at the language that we
have there in the Sermon on the Mount and there at the end of
the sermon Matthew 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out
devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye
that work iniquity." Now I've known people. Ultimately we have
to leave these matters with the Lord, but I've known people in
evangelical churches who I look to as gracious men and women,
and when you speak to them, all they ever tell you is what they
do for the Lord. But what do they say of what
the Lord has done for them? Many will say to me in that day,
Lord have we not prophesied in thy name? In thy name cast out
devils, in thy name are many wonderful works. And yet the
Lord rejects them. Solemn word and we know later
in that same Gospel of Matthew the chapter 25 he goes on to
speak of that day of judgment when he will make the final separation
between the sheep and the goats. But in that will be the final
departing from God with regards to those who were but false professors. Job asked the question, what
is the hope of the hypocrite when God taketh away his soul? What is the hope of the hypocrite. And that's the one that we're
reading of here at the beginning of this second verse. Every branch
in me, or they appear to be in the vine, they appear to be in
Christ. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, he taketh away. Verse 60, For man abide not in
me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, The men gather
them and cast them into the fire and they shall be birthed. The fruitless branches. Silent
words. And we have to examine ourselves.
I have to examine myself. We have to prove ourselves and
know ourselves that Jesus Christ is in us. That's the vital thing.
Christ must first be in us before ever we can be in Him. But turning now to that more
positive aspect, the fruitful branches. The fruitful branches. Every branch that beareth fruit. He purges it, that it may bring
forth more fruits. Here is the difference, you see,
With these branches there is a vital union with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Oh, what is that vital union?
It's a living union. It's the union of faith. This is the work of God, says
the Lord Jesus to those Jews. They came to Him and they said,
what must we work that we might work the works of God? And the
Lord says, this is the work of God that ye believe on him whom
he hath sent. They come and they say, what
must we work? And the Lord says, this is the
work of God that you believe. You believe in him. And literally
there it is that ye believe into him. that ye believe into him
whom God hath sent." Remember the words of the hymn writer,
"...but he that into Christ believes, what a rich faith has he! In Christ he moves, and acts,
and lives, from self and bondage for ever." Well, that is true
liberty, to be in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to see that all our
salvation is in Him, all our salvation is of Him. He is that
One who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption, that he that glorieth he must
glory in the Lord. The fruitful branches, they're
not just professors, but they possess faith. And they possess
that faith that is of the operation of God. They know that faith
that is the gift of God. And you say to me, how can I
ever obtain that sort of a faith? Well, you have to look on to
Jesus. It's that looking on to Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith. It's always looking on to Jesus.
It's looking away from every other object. It's looking only
on to Jesus. He says, look on to me and be
ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there
is none else. It's not what I do. No, it's
what the Lord has done. And it's what the Lord does do.
Oh, what does He say here at the end of verse 5? Without me
ye can do nothing. 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. Is it not a precious truth Or
did we not sing of it in our opening praise, that lovely hymn
of John Berry-Jews? He says, does the Lord through
the Prophet Hosea, from me is thy fruit found? From me is thy fruit found, and
amongst that fruit, remember, is that fruit of faith. We're told what the fruits of
the Spirit are, Paul, there at the end of Galatians chapter
5, he says, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against
such there is no law. And they that are Christ have
crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. If we live
in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Oh, it is the
fruit of the Spirit, it's the life of faith, it's the walking
in the Spirit. It's those who have that faith
that has come by the gracious working of God, the gracious
operation of God in the soul. Every branch that beareth fruit,
these are those who are truly in Christ, because Christ to
them is all and in all. The life which they now live
in the flesh they live by the faith of the Son of God who loved
them, who gave himself for them. That must be true of all those
who are really the Lord's people. Well, is that true of us? Is
that true of me? Is that true of you? But Mark,
what the Lord says concerning these fruitful branches He speaks
of how the husband-man purges the branches. Every branch that
beareth fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more
fruit. He wants the vine to be ever more fruitful, I'm told.
I'm no gardener, I don't pretend to be, but I'm told that if you
have a vine, when you come to prune it, you cut it right back. You're bold in the pruning, you
take the knife, and you cut deep into the vine, and that makes
it ever more fruitful. My Father is the husbandman,
whom the Lord loveth. He chasteneth and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with sons. What son is he whom the Father
chasteneth not? How the Lord chastens His people.
And why does He chasten His people? Because He will make them fruitful
in the ways of righteousness. He will wean them away from their
sins. He will teach them the right
way. No chastening for the present which ought seemeth to be joyous
but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward. Oh,
there's an afterward with it. nevertheless afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness there's fruit you see the peaceable fruit of righteousness
it says to them who are exercised therein all friends are with
those who are exercised when the Lord is dealing with us how
the Lord does deal with his people he comes he chastens his people
he purges his people He cuts against the grain, as it were.
He doesn't deal with us the way we want Him to deal with us.
And we have to pray for that meekness of spirit, that readiness
to submit to His sovereign wise. He knows best. And why does He do these things?
Well, we're chastened of the Lord, we're told, that we should
not be condemned with the world. We don't want to be those branches
that bear no fruits. Why? They're taken away. They're
cast into the fire, they're burned. We don't want to be like that. We want to be those who are fruitful
and we're exercised, spiritually exercised in in the Word of God,
our reading of the Word of God, our consideration, our study,
our meditation. But we seek to understand also
the ways of the Lord, His dealings with us. We don't want to be left to ourselves. Oh, how we love an easy way. I love an easy way. I want an
easy life. But woe to them that are at ease
in Zion, it says, or to be those who are rather exercised than
at ease. Remember where there is that
true faith. There will also be that trying,
that testing of that faith. It's all the gift of God. To
the Philippians, Paul can say unto you, it is given in the
behalf of Christ. And it's all given in the Lord
Jesus Christ. to you it is given in the behalf
of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for
his sake and oh these people they suffer in the world you
see remember what he says at the end of the chapter the antipathy
of the world if the world hates you you know that it hated me
before it hated you if you were of the world the world would
love his own but because you are not of the world But I have
chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. All God's people, you see, they
are people apart. And down at verse 16 he says,
You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that
you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should
remain that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name
He may give it you. For those who are truly the Lord's,
they endure. There's nothing temporary about
their faith. He that shall endure to the end,
the Lord says the same, shall be saved. I am the true vine,
and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, He taketh away. and every branch that beareth
fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Ought to be those who are fruitful,
who feel the profit, the benefit of the Word of God, now he says,
ye are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit
of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except
ye abide in me. The Lord grant his blessing on
his work. Let us conclude our worship today
as we sing hymn number 939 and the tune is sorely 231. Jesus, immutably the same, thou
true and living vine, around thy all-supporting stem, my feeble
arms I twine, I can do nothing without thee, my strength is
wholly thine, withered and barren should I be if severed from the
vine. 939.