27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” (John 14:27-31)
Our Peace: �The Promise, �The Gift, �The Contrast, �The Assurance.
The Assurance
“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Us and the Vine (Part 1) - Commitment and Pruning
John 15:1-2
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
“Get up; let’s leave this place. (John 14:31)
Josephus, Jewish War v.210–212
“The gate opening into the building was, as I said, completely overlaid with gold, as was the whole wall around it. It had, moreover, above it those golden vines, from which depended grape-clusters as tall as a man.”
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
1.) Jesus is the True Vine and The Father is the Vinedresser
John 15:1
“I am the true vine.”
Israel as The Vine in The OT
Ps. 80:8–19; Isa. 5:1–8; Jer. 2:21; 6:8–9; Ezek. 17:6–8; 19:10–14; Hos. 10:1–2
“True” = “alēthino” (Gk)
John 4:23: ‘true worshippers’
John 6:32: ‘true bread’
John 15:1: ‘true vine’
John 17:3: ‘the true God’
Psalm 80:8-9
8 You removed a vine from Egypt;�You drove out the nations and planted it.�9 You cleared the ground before it,�And it took deep root and filled the land.
5 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.�2 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 also hewed out a wine vat in it;�Then He expected it to produce good grapes,�But it produced only worthless ones. (Isaiah 5:1-2)
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,�Judge between Me and My vineyard.�4 “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? (Isaiah 5:3-4)
5 “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.�6 “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.” �(Isaiah 5:5-6)
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel�And the men of Judah His delightful plant.�Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;�For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress. �(Isaiah 5:7)
The Parable of the Vineyard
Matthew 21:33-44
David Guzik
“We must be rooted in Him (not in Israel) if we will bear fruit for God. In the New Covenant community, our first identification is in Jesus Christ Himself, not in Israel or even in the church as such.”
Application
We must see what Jesus is offering is greater than any other source.
Join me in repenting of what we swapped for the True Vine.
Let the truth of God’s Word remind us to make the True Vine what we run to for sustainable life.
The Father is the vinedresser (or the gardener).
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. (John 15:1)
Georgos = Earth Worker
‘Vinedresser/Gardner’
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
2.) The Vinedresser Takes Away and Prunes
John 15:2
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:5
5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
aírō = take away/cut away
to lift up; by implication, to take up or away; figuratively, to raise (the voice), keep in suspense (the mind), specially, to sail away (i.e. weigh anchor).
Three Interpretations of John 15:2
1.) The “fruitless branches” represent genuine believers who, through a lack of spiritual fruit or a failure to persevere in a holy life, ultimately lose their salvation. (cf. John 15:6)
2.) The “fruitless branches” as true believers who, because they persist in fruitlessness, come under the loving yet serious discipline of God. (cf. Acts 5:1-10; 1Cor. 5:5; 1John 5:16)
3.) The “fruitless branches” represent people who appear to be disciples but are only connected to Jesus in an outward and superficial way. (cf. John 2:23-24; John 6:60-66; John 8:31-59)
Three Interpretations of John 15:2
1.) The “fruitless branches” represent genuine believers who, through a lack of spiritual fruit or a failure to persevere in a holy life, ultimately lose their salvation. (cf. John 15:6)
2.) The “fruitless branches” as true believers who, because they persist in fruitlessness, come under the loving yet serious discipline of God. (cf. Acts 5:1-10; 1Cor. 5:5; 1John 5:16)
3.) The “fruitless branches” represent people who appear to be disciples but are only connected to Jesus in an outward and superficial way. (cf. John 2:23-24; John 6:60-66; John 8:31-59)
John 2:23-25
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
John 6:60
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”
John 6:66
66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
John 8:31
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
John 8:59
59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Sam Storms
“There is in John’s gospel, therefore, a transitory, superficial, surface “faith” or “belief” that may be based solely on miracles seen but is not grounded in and is not the fruit of a saving understanding of and trust in who Jesus really is. Such people are in some sense connected or united to Jesus, perhaps mentally or emotionally, that they may even be called “disciples,” yet they are not Christian disciples.
2Cor. 13:5
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
Mark 4:16-19
“16 In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
Application
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
Mike Breen, Building a Discipling Culture
“At the time of Jesus’ incarnation, a vine would be cultivated, planted. And left to grow for three years before being allowed to bear fruit. Every time it tried to bring forth a bunch of grapes, it would be cut back. After the third year, the grapes would be allowed to grow on their own. By then, the branches, were strong enough to support the weight of the grapes without breaking. After the harvest, the branches were pruned back for a time of nourishment and rest before the fruit-growing season began again.”
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,�But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
2Cor. 4:7-12
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you.
Application
RECAP
Acknowledge and Live as if Jesus is the True, and Only Vine and our only source for life.
Relinquish any superficial ways of faith. Don’t be a branch that leans on others for faith. We must accept the Vine genuinely.
Step into the season of pruning that the Father has ordained for us. It will make us a righteous vessel for His cause.
Let’s Discuss
What is your takeaway from today’s message?
How did today’s message make you reflect on the superficiality of faith and/or the God-ordained pruning in our lives?