I Am the True Vine

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus being the true vine?

Jesus identifies as the true vine, emphasizing that all spiritual sustenance comes from Him. In John 15, Jesus declares, 'I am the true vine,' illustrating that He is the source of all spiritual life and sustenance. This metaphor signifies that believers, as branches, draw their life and nourishment from Him. He is not merely one of many sources; He is the unique and essential vine through which all spiritual vitality flows. This truth underscores the importance of remaining in Him to produce genuine fruit in our lives.

Q: How do we know we are bearing fruit in Christ?

We bear fruit by manifesting qualities like love, joy, and peace in our lives, as a result of abiding in Christ. In John 15, Jesus teaches that believers who abide in Him will naturally bear fruit, which is indicative of a genuine relationship with Him. This fruit is not merely external actions but the inner qualities produced by the Holy Spirit, including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, and more (Galatians 5:22-23). Thus, authentic fruit-bearing serves as evidence of our connection to the true vine and demonstrates the work of God in our lives.

Q: Why is it essential to remain in Christ?

Remaining in Christ is vital as it allows believers to bear much fruit and glorify God. Jesus emphasizes the necessity of abiding in Him in John 15:4, stating that just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, believers must remain connected to Him to live a fruitful life. This ongoing relationship not only sustains us spiritually but also produces visible results that glorify God. When we abide in Christ, His words abide in us, and we desire to live according to His will, leading to a fruitful and vibrant Christian existence.

Q: What does it mean that the Father is the husbandman?

The Father, as the husbandman, is the owner and caretaker of the vine, purposing all for His glory. In John 15, the Father is described as the husbandman, or vine dresser, who oversees the cultivation of the vine and its branches. This role signifies His sovereign authority and care over His creation. The husbandman actively prunes the branches to encourage greater fruitfulness, which illustrates God’s involvement in the lives of believers. His purpose is to bring about His glory by working in and through us to produce spiritual fruit, as we abide in Christ.

Q: How do trials produce fruit in the life of a believer?

Trials serve as God's means to prune believers, leading to greater spiritual growth and fruitfulness. Trials and tribulations are part of God's pruning process in the lives of believers, as mentioned in John 15:2. Just as a gardener prunes vines to maximize growth, God uses challenges and hardships to refine our faith and character. Such experiences teach us patience, kindness, and deeper reliance on God, ultimately leading to the fruit of the Spirit being manifested in our lives. This purging is essential for spiritual maturity and reflects God's loving work in us.

Now John chapter 15, and let me tell you something
about this passage of Scripture before we begin, which is very
important. This passage of Scripture is
not for everybody. It is not for the world in general,
not at all. This is family truth. These are
family words. Now, in this order, mail receives my attention. Number one, I despise to pick
up a piece of mail which has on the address box holder. Really, don't even look at it.
I just see box holder and it goes in the way she can. Box
holder. The second type of mail that receives almost as little
attention is a form letter. Dear friends, I've had people tell me constantly
that what I need to do to save time, they've told me this, instead
of writing these television listeners that send contributions that
I should draw up a form letter, dear friends, and say the same
thing, let Martha run it on the copier, and when the letter comes
from one of those people, an offering comes, just send them
a form letter. I don't read them. A mimeographed form letter goes
almost as quickly into the waste can as a box holder. But I will enjoy a typed letter,
one that someone types to me personally. But I'll tell you
one that gets my attention. It's one written by hand in ink
from that person, dear Henry. Love, George. I just really,
and that's what this is. This is family letter. It's family
truth right here. You see, our Lord in chapter
15 is continuing, you who know something about this part of
John's gospel. He started this in John 13. You
remember, look back there for a moment, John 13. Now, before
the feast of the Passover, verse 1, Jesus knew that his hour was
come, that he should depart out of the world. having loved his
own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end, and
supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart
of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing
that the Father had given all things into his hands and he
was come from God, went to God, he arises from supper, laid aside
his garments, and washed the disciples' feet." That's when
he started talking to them. They're just the chosen few. were there, and our Lord began
to talk to them. And then in chapter 14, he continues
this talk with them. See, chapter 14, verse 1, let
not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. In my father's house and many
mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. He goes
on talking to these disciples. This is family affair. This is private talk with the
disciples from the Lord. And look at the last verse in
chapter 14. The last verse. But that the
world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave
me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. In other
words, they've been here in this upper room. They've observed
the Passover and the large table. He washed their feet. He's been
talking to them. He's been comforting them, instructing
them. He's been giving them His promises.
And now He says to them when He comes to the close of this
particular talk, He says, Let's go. Arise. And you know when
the Lord said to them, Arise, Bob, I know they got up. He didn't
have to keep talking. He said, Arise, let's go. And
evidently they went out. And evidently, I don't know this,
but it may be as they walked, the Lord and his disciples. And as they walked, evidently,
they must have passed a vineyard. I don't know that, but I just
suppose that they passed a vineyard. And that's when he spake these
words. You see, these words You don't divide the Bible up into
chapters. That's for our convenience and
health. I've told you that. But he says, Arise, let us go
hence. And as they went, good possibility,
they passed a vineyard and he turned to them and he said, I'm
the true vine. I'm the true vine. Our Lord used illustrations. He said, Consider the lilies
of the field. They toil not, neither do they
spend. Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like these. He said, you know something about
a sparrow? Well, a sparrow never falls to
the ground without your father. And he said, the kingdom of heaven
is like a great tree, and so forth. The kingdom of heaven
is like a net cast into the sea. He saw these things and he showed
them these things. And he said, I'm divine. There
is no other. No, he didn't say, I am avine.
I am divine. I am divine. You see, God is
in Christ, and all that eternal God has for men, spiritually,
eternally, and always, is in Christ. He said, I am the vine. I am the source. I am the fountain. I am the vine. Let me show you
that in several places. Turn back to John 3. Christ is
the bind. I want you to see this in your
Bible and mark it. John chapter 3. Christ is the
bind. You know, he said, I am the door.
Spiritually, in the kingdom of God, there are not several doors.
He's not a door. Moses a door and Christ a door.
No, he said, I'm the door. He said, I am the bread of life. I am the water of life. I am
the way, the truth, the life. Definite article. I'm the only
one. And here in John 3, 35, listen, "...the Father loveth
the Son, and hath given all things into his hands." I'm the vine. I'm the fountain. I'm the source.
I'm the life. I'm the bread. Everything is
in me. Look at Colossians 2. Just keep
your text there, John 15, and turn to Colossians 2 a moment.
Listen, these are so vital, these scriptures. committed to memory. Colossians 2 verse 9, listen. For in Christ dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. In Christ dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him which is
the head of all principality and power. He's everything. That's what he's saying to these
disciples. I am the vine, the true vine. I am the true God. And over in 1 John 5, I'd like
you to turn there also, 1 John 5. Let's begin reading with verse
10, 1 John 5, 10. 1 John 5, 10. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth
not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record. that
God has given to us eternal life, and this life's in his Son. I'm
the vine, I'm the door, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life,
I'm the bread, I'm the water, I'm the fountain, I am Christ. This life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. And these things I've written
unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you
may know that you have. eternal life that you may believe
on the name of the Son. So back to the text. Christ said,
I'm the true vine. And he says, secondly, my father
is the husbandman. My father is the owner. The husbandman
here is the owner. He's the farmer. He's the vine
dresser. It's his vineyard. It's his vine. It's his crops. It's his purpose
that will be accomplished. This is not, you see, I am the
vine. This is not a wild vine. This
vine didn't just come up. This is not a stray vine. This
is a vine planted and purposed. Every plant that my heavenly
Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. I am the vine, that's true. We'll
get to the branches in a minute, but I'm the vine. And it's not
a wild vine, it's not a stray vine. My Father is the vine dresser,
the vine planter, the husbandman, the farmer. He did it according
to his will. Let's turn to Ephesians 1. Let's
see that in Ephesians chapter 1. You're familiar with this,
but let's read it again. My Father is the husbandman.
Things are given to Christ by the Father's will. Now, Ephesians
1, verse 3, now listen to it. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath
chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before him, in love having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself according to the good pleasure of his will. My father
is the husbandman. This is all his purpose and his
will. Listen to verse 9, Ephesians
1, 9. Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he purposed
in himself. that in the dispensation of the
fullness of time he might gather together all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, which are on earth, even in him, in
whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will." My father's the husband now. I wish I could just shout this
to the whole world. I am divine. There's no water. There's no living water but Christ
the living water. There's no bread. He said, I
am the bread from heaven. There's no other source. There's
no other bread. I am the bread. I am the water. I am divine. And it didn't spring
up by accident. It's not a stray vine or a wild
vine. My father planted it. My father
is the husbandman. That's what the vine's doing
here. He willed it, he works all things after the counsel
of his will. All right, let's go to verse 2. I'm the vine,
my father's the husband, and verse 2. Now two words appear
over and over as I call to your attention a few moments ago,
branches and fruit. I am the true vine. My father
is back of this whole thing. It's his purpose, his will. He's
the farmer, he's the husband. But there's some branches and
some fruit. Now listen. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, he, the husbandman, he, the bindresser, he, the father,
will take it away. And every branch that beareth
fruit, he, the bindresser, will purge it, cleanse it, prune it,
that it may bring forth more fruit. Now who are the branches? What are these branches? Christ
said, I'm the bind. I'm the bind. My father's the
husbandman. Who are the branches? Well, down
here in verse 7 he tells us, or verse 5, he tells us, I am
the vine, you're the branches. You're the branches. His people
are the branches. They're people. They're his sheep,
they're his elect. He's the vine, we're the branches,
and branches grow out of the vine. Branches have their beginning
in the vine, and they grow out of the vine. Branches grow out
of the vine. Or they're part of the vine.
So every branch in, now let's see, that's what branches are.
Branches are people. His elect, his sheep. What is
the fruit? We'll get to this verse in a
minute. What's this fruit? Keeps talking about fruit. Well,
I'll tell you. I look throughout the word to
find a definition of fruit. You know, it's not plural here,
it's singular. Fruit, it's always f-r-u-i-t,
fruit. And there's only one place that
I can turn, Galatians 5, and find what I believe to be an
accurate description of the fruit he's talking about here, this
fruit. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit, Not fruits. You know, he talked about false
prophets. He talked about you shall learn them by their fruits.
That's their converts. That's the results of their false
ministry. But here he talks about the branch
bearing fruit. Fruit. Much fruit. All right,
let's look at Galatians 5, verse 22. Now here, it's taught by
the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit who regenerated us,
and the Spirit of God who dwells in us, and the Spirit of which
it is said, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none
of his. This is the fruit. But the fruit, and this is singular,
this is not plural, it doesn't say fruits of the Spirit, it
says fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love. We ran into this when I was reading
John 15 a while ago, this is my commandment, that you love
one another. But you love one another, as I've loved you. And
this fruit of the Spirit is love. He that loveth not knoweth not
God. God is love. Love is of God. So this is the fruit of the Spirit,
love for Christ, for one another. Joy. Joy. We rejoice in the Lord. Paul,
this was his theme in Philippians, rejoice in the Lord. There's
a joy. in the love of Christ. Joy, that my joy might remain
in you, that your joy might be full. Joy. How many times does
that word appear in the Bible? Joy. Happiness. Happiness in
Christ. Satisfaction. Joy. Thirdly, peace. Peace. Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace. He said, Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is staged on thee. My peace I give
unto you, let not your heart be troubled. He purchased peace
by the blood of his cross. You know what peace? Longsuffering,
is that the next word? Longsuffering, that's patience.
Wait on the Lord. Talk about the patience of Job.
Longsuffering. Wait, I say, on the Lord. Patience
with the providence of God. Patience with the will of God.
Patience with the trials of grace. That's patience. Gentleness. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you. Gentleness. Kindness. Tenderness. That's
the fruit of the Spirit. Goodness. Just plain goodness. Liberality. Honesty. Goodness. Truthfulness. Dependability. That's goodness. Faith. That's trust. That's day-by-day trust in God. Trust. Meekness is the next word. That's humility. Let not a man
think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but be
humble. God resisteth the proud, giveth
grace to the humble. What hast thou that thou didst
not receive? Who maketh thee to differ? Humility,
temperance, that's moderation, that's enjoying the good things
of God, enjoying them in moderation. Let your moderation be known
unto all men, moderation in dress, moderation in in conduct, moderation
in life, moderation in eat and drink, moderation in conversation,
moderation. Not an extremist, moderate. There's
the fruit, right there. Now question my mind, that's
the fruit, right there. That's the evidences of the presence
of God, that's the evidences of the Spirit of God. It's not
doctrine, it's these things right here. It's not theological exactness,
it's not a system of doctrine, it's not being in the right church,
it's not having the right theology. Here's the fruit right here that
he's talking about. All right, turn back to my text.
I'm the vine. My father planted this thing,
started this thing, purposed it. He's the husbandman, he's
the farmer, he's in charge of this vineyard. Everything that
grows, And every wind that blows, and every branch that grows,
and every grape that comes out, is all in his will. He's in charge
of this thing. Now, you're the branches. And the fruit, the fruit, no
question about it, the fruit is love, the love of God shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is joy. peace, longsuffering,
gentleness. Now, verse 2 says, every branch
in me that beareth not fruit. At first glance, this seems to
be saying this. Now, listen to me. At first glance,
this seems to be saying this, that there are people in Christ,
actually in Christ, who have no love, who have no joy, who
have no peace. who have no faith, who have no
goodness, no gentleness, no patience, no kindness, no moderation. That
can't be. That can't be. That absolutely
cannot be. For the Bible says, if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his. Know what the
word says? He's none of his. It can't be. Because in verse 5, look at verse
5, I am the vine, you are the branches, he that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same, bringeth forth much fruit. Much love,
much joy, much peace, much gentleness. I am the vine, you the branches,
and if you abide in me, you'll bring forth fruit. Well brother
man, what's he saying in verse 2? This is exactly what he's
saying here. You see, Judas was one of the
disciples. What he's saying is this. I'm
not saying that Judas was with them at this particular time,
but he was one of the disciples. He is saying this in this verse. These branches that bear no fruit
are people who claim to be in Christ, who profess to be in
Christ, who by outward association even appear to be in Christ. I could name you several, Judas,
Simon Magus, Demas, Homogenes, Phagellus, Alexander the coppersmith,
Paul talks about lots of them, who appeared to be in Christ,
who claimed to be in Christ, who by association were in the
church. And in time they shall be exposed. He will take them away. That's
what he's saying. Every branch that claims to be
in me that appears to be in me, that by association even with
you appear to be in me. But if it does not bring forth
fruit, in time it'll take it away. It will be exposed. In time it'll be exposed, it'll
be taken away. But look at the next line. And
every branch that beareth fruit, every branch that beareth fruit,
God doesn't take it away, but he will purge it. He will purge
it. You know what purging is? I used
to drive up here, up 23, up Ohio. We used to pass that grape vineyard
there, that winery where they make the wine, up on 23 on the
left, I guess on the left and the right. And you pass there
at a certain time. And I'm telling you, it looks
like they've destroyed those vines. They cut those branches
back so far. That just looks like they've
destroyed those vines. But I'm told from folks in California
to prune a grapevine, and when you think you've pruned it too
much, do it a little more. And I'll tell you, the Lord does,
He does purge us. He does prune us. He does cut
us. He does try us. He does that. He does it. And I'll tell you
why he does it. He does it in order that we may
bring forth more fruit. More fruit. Oh, I'll tell you. These trials and experiences,
these purgings, these purifying tribulations work in patients. I'll tell you, When we discover what we are,
we're a little more kind to others, more gentle. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
patience, kindness, faith, moderation. I know these things in principle
when God regenerates a believer, when God saves a believer. In
principle, these things are in us. But like I said in a message
recently, these things must be also taught to us. They must
also be taught to us. We must grow in these things.
Grow in grace. Become more loving. Love Christ
more. Love each other more. Become
more joyful. Grow in peace. Experience the
peace of God more than ever as you grow. Long-suffering patience. Kindness, gentleness, not so
quick to condemn or quick to judge or quick to get angry. Patience, kindness, gentleness,
temperance. Well, how do these things learn? Well, they learn by experience. They learn by valley experience.
They learn by trouble. They're learned by suffering.
They're learned by tears. They're learned by, as God teaches
us, our own frailty and foolishness and weakness. How do you learn
not to say anything after you've said it two or three times and
cried over it? Then you quit saying it. How
do you learn to hold your temper by realizing the results of what
you've done with that temper? I've had enough of that problem.
Somebody said, well, I boiled over, but I simmered down. Yeah,
but everybody scalded around you. And they don't heal that
quickly, you know. You learn. You just got, we've
got to learn these things. Well, how are we going to learn?
Well, we learn them by purging. See, every branch that claims
to be in me and professes to be in me and appears to be in
me and so forth, he'll take it away. He'll take it away. It'll be, you say, well, folks
used to come here. Well, that's all right. God'll
take them away. Folks used to claim to believe
the gospel. God take away. After a while, they'll be exposed.
But every branch that beareth fruit, this fruit we've been
talking about, God will purge it, that it may bring forth more
fruit. That's the reason he's working
on us, chasing us. And that's the reason everything
doesn't go just like we want it to go, because he wants some
more fruit. When are you satisfied with an
apple tree? More fruit. When are you satisfied with a
grape vine? More fruit. Go out there and find two or
three grapes. Next year I want five. Next year I want ten. Next
year I want a bushel. Next year I want a cart load.
And so I'll have to keep working with it, says Cecil. Keep pruning
it. I want more fruit. Alright, look
at the next verse. Now you're clean, purged, purified
through the word which I have spoken unto you. Let me tell
you something. I'm the vine. My father's taking
care of this thing. And you're the branches. And
the branches that bear fruit, love, joy, peace, so forth. My
father will keep working with them to get mold. And he'll work
with a knife. What's the best knife he works
with? That's the other word. You can say what you want to
about affliction. It's good for me that I've been
afflicted, that's fine. It's good for me that I've been
tried, that's fine. It's good for me to cry a little,
that's fine. But I'll tell you where most of the work is done
on this center, and I know on you, is reading right here. That's
where I learned love, right here. That's where I learned joy. That's
where I get my joy, Bob, right here. And I'll tell you, the people
who are neglecting this book, neglecting the sword, the pruning
shears, the knife, are missing the fruit. This is where I learned
patience. This is where I learned moderation,
temperance. This is where I learned peace. This is it right here, the Word
of God. The Word of God. And we need to get into it. It's
about here. Turn to 2 Timothy. Let me read this to you. 2 Timothy
3. See if it's not what this is saying. 2 Timothy 3. 2 Timothy
3, verse 16. Now then, now then, all Scripture,
2 Timothy 3, 16, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God
and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness. That instruction in righteousness,
is that instruction in imputed righteousness? Well, yes, but
not altogether. That's instruction in righteousness.
Not just imputed, but a righteousness of God's people. They are righteous
people. that the man of God himself,
the child of God, might be perfect, mature, truly furnished unto all good
works, you see. The Word instructs me in good
works and righteousness and how to behave and how to talk and
how to conduct myself and how to be generous and liberal as
my Father in heaven, you know, has been merciful. I'm merciful.
Learn that from the Word. Now verse 4, back at the text.
Verse 4, quickly. Now you abide in me, you branches. Here's another word that's used
frequently, abide, abide, abide, abide. He's saying abide, abide
in me and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit
of itself except it abide in the vine. What does the word
abide mean? Well, any of you can get one of those concordances
in there. For ten dollars, and you can
look up any of these Greek or Hebrew words, the Greek word
means, abide means to live, to dwell. That's what it means,
to dwell. It means to continue, it means
to remain. So verse 4 says, remain in me,
live in me, dwell in me, and I dwell in you, and I remain
with you. That's what he's saying. Look
back at John 14, 16. John 14, 16, this is the same
word, abide. I cross the page, John 14, 16.
I will pray to the Father, He will give you another comforter
that He may abide, He may dwell, He may live, remain in you, with
you. Alright? We dwell in Christ.
Christ dwells in us. We dwell in His Word. Look at
verse 7 of our text, John 15. You abide in me and my words
dwell in you, live in you, remain in you, continue in you. Verse
10, you keep my commandment, you abide, dwell in my love. So this is what he's saying in
verse 4, abide in me and I in you. The branch cannot bear fruit
of itself. Now let me ask you a question.
What is the fruit called? What is just a regular conversational
term, what are grapes called? The fruit of the what? The vine. It's not the fruit of the branches,
it's the fruit of the vine. And that's what Paul said this,
I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live
by the faith of the Son of God. He said in another passage I
read a few Sundays ago, Paul said, I labored more abundantly
than anybody, but not I, Christ in me. So, somebody says here,
well, people ought not brag about their love. It's not theirs,
it's his. People ought not brag about their
joy. Don't go around telling me you're joyful. It's not mine,
it's his. I'm joyful because he is suffered
of the vine. Abide in me and I in you, the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself. I don't have any love, but I
have the love of Christ. Your peace, I'm not talking about
my peace, I'm talking about him who said my peace I give unto
you. My faith, it's not, that's what
he's saying here. You can't, no more can you except
you abide in me, it's not mine, it's his. And I tell you, every branch
that claims to be in me and appears to be in me, and by association,
my Father will take it away eventually. There's no love, joy, peace,
kindness, gentleness, meekness, faith, temperance. It's just
not there. But those that are in me, truly in me, my Father
will purge it. He'll work on it with the Word,
with the sword of the Word. And it's going to bring forth
more fruit. Now abide in me and abide in my word, dwell in me,
continue in me. You can't produce this fruit.
I hear people say, I can't do that. I know that. Never said
you could. I can't. He can. I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me. I can if He's there, except in
me. Look at verse 5 now. I am the
vine, I repeat that. You are the branches. He's the
source and the fountain, the spring. The vine cannot exist without
the branch. Read on. He that abideth in me
and I in him, believers are one. Let me ask you a question. When
you look at a vineyard and you say to your wife, Look at that vine and look at
those branches. Aren't those pretty vines and
branches? No, you don't. You say, isn't that a pretty
vineyard? They're all one. And you look at a person and
you say, he's got a nice head and he's a nice body too. No,
you say, he's a nice person. That person looks good. The whole
person, you don't isolate the head and the body, the vine and
the branches, so they're one. I am the vine, you're the branches.
He's the body, it's in me and I in him. That's what he's saying. The same will bring forth much
fruit. Yes, he will if he continues
in Christ and dwells in Christ and Christ in him. I promise
it. I'll guarantee you he'll bring
forth fruit. He can't help but bring forth
fruit. He's going to do it. And if he doesn't, God will take
him away. Without me, you can do nothing.
Look at verse 6. If a man abides not in me, if
he's truly not, now we've got the word abide here. If a man
does not dwell in me and I don't dwell in him, if a man does not
live in me and I don't live in him, even though he claims it,
he's cast forth as a branch. When the vine dresser comes to
the vineyard, The branches which bear fruit will receive his special
attention. He's going to prune them. God's
going to visit us. I hope he does. That's what you
pray to God. I hope he does. Let him come
with whatever he comes with. Whatever he comes with. That's
all. Because I know I'm in the vine when I get his special attention.
If you be without chastisement, you're a bastard. You're not
a son. Father chasing every... He'll prune every branch that
bears fruit. He wants some more. But those, when he comes and
those branches which are hanging around the vine, hanging around,
diseased and dead and fruitless, what's he going to do? Well,
he tells you in verse 6, he said, this branch is withered and abides
not in me. My Father will gather them and
cast them into the fire and they'll burn. That's like the tares. But I tell you this. This is
not my work or your work. It's God's work. And I warn every
preacher who's here and who hears this tape, you better leave wheat
and tares alone. You leave branches alone. Whether
you think they're withered, lively, dead, you don't know where they're
bearing fruit anyway. And I don't either. Their fruit
may be artificial. They may have hung it on there
themselves. It's hard for us to tell by outward appearance.
I look over this congregation. I can't describe how I love this
congregation, how comfortable I am up here, how happy I am
to be here. I'm happy to just open this word
here and these little notes I jotted down yesterday and come and visit
with you and preach. But I don't know who's in Christ
and who's not. Do you? I don't know. That's not my business. That's
not my business. I wish preachers would get out
of the vine-cutting business and the pruning business and
the purging business. It's not our business. When the
vine dresser comes, my father's a husbandman, and he'll come
and he'll take care of, he'll lovingly take care of each branch.
He wants more fruit. And he'll trim them and prune
them and fix them. And they'll bring forth much
fruit. And if there's a vine there, a branch there that's
dead and diseased, he'll recognize it, and he'll whack it off and
throw it over there, and he'll whack it off here and throw it
over there. And then he'll gather it together, and that's what
it says here, and he'll burn. But I'm too stupid and foolish
and blind to go out here stumbling around in my Lord's vineyard
and start cutting on branches. That's just not my business.
I am not going to do it. I'm going to assume that every
branch is in the vine. I'm going to assume that. And
let the vine dresser. Is that all right, fellas? That's
right. Let the vine dresser himself. Because he's the only one with
those sovereign eyes. But here's good news verse 7. Good news. If you abide in me,
you dwell in me. My words dwell in you. You ask
what you will. You ask what you will, and it'll
be done. Well, you know, some people take
that wrong. You don't. I know that. You're
wise in the scripture. This is not to be understood
of riches and honor and perfect health and material and physical
luxuries. You know better than that. That's
not really what we will. My God will take care of our
needs, having food and rain with therewith to be content. I know
the dangers, and he talks about it in 1 Timothy, I know the dangers
of complacency, luxury, riches, too much. We spoiled a lot of
our children with too much. We've taken the struggle out
of life. Some children are not worth a dime because they've
just had too much. They've had no struggle in life.
They've had no conflict. Everything they want, the little
fellas get. And that's not good. And I know
for me, spiritually, it's not good for me to have everything
that this old flesh wants. And he's not talking about ask
what you will physically, materially, luxuriously, health-wise and
everything. But I'll tell you what the believer
wants. This is what he wills and this is what he'll get if
he abides in Christ. Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in him. Oh, that I may know him and the
power of his resurrection. Oh, that I may attain unto the
resurrection of the dead. You've got it. You've got it. You ask what you will. You just
ask what you will. You abide in me, and my words
abide in you. You just ask what you will. What
will you ask? Come on now. Well, I want a better job. Well,
it'd just take you away from the Lord. Well, I want more money
so I can get rid of all my worries. Well, it'd just spoil you. You'd
become more entangled with that stuff. Well, I want, want, want,
and I'll tell you what I want. I want to know Him. I want to know Him. I want to
have that love and joy and peace and faith and love. Do you? Ask
what you will. Ask what you will. And it shall
be done. And watch this, one other verse,
and I'll quit. He said, Is my Father glorified? What's this
next verse? I've got to give this verse right
here and let you go. John 15 verse 8. Herein is my
Father glorified that you bear much fruit. You want to glorify God? Don't
go buy you some old books of theology so you can show everybody
your library. Show them your love. Show them your faith. Show me
your faith by your works. Show them your joy. Show them
your kindness. Show them your generosity. My
Father, glorify that your light so shine before men that they
may see your good works and what? What did he say? Glorify your
Father. And so shall you be my disciples.
He doesn't say that you're his disciples because you bear fruit,
but you bear fruit And that's the evidence that you're his
disciple. That's good, isn't it? That's a good chapter. I
love it. Well, I've been blessed tonight, haven't you?

I Am the True Vine

What does the Bible say about Jesus being the true vine?

How do we know we are bearing fruit in Christ?

Why is it essential to remain in Christ?

What does it mean that the Father is the husbandman?

How do trials produce fruit in the life of a believer?

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I Am the True Vine

What does the Bible say about Jesus being the true vine?

How do we know we are bearing fruit in Christ?

Why is it essential to remain in Christ?

What does it mean that the Father is the husbandman?

How do trials produce fruit in the life of a believer?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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