The Lord’s Vineyard
John 15:1-8
“Abide in Me” is the call that God has for us today!
If God sends us to do something, we may never know what we’re doing but as we do it for God faithfully, we’re impacting His kingdom in a marvellous way!
The gospel according to John is a very closely written book because John was very close to Jesus.
John 14:31
John 13
Jesus was sharing a beautiful time with His Disciples on the way to Gethsemane in these chapters of the book of John.
Jesus knew that Judas would betray him but can you imagine the feeling of knowing that someone very close to you is betraying you out there? Jesus really loved his disciples like his own family!
When Jesus was washing the disciples’ feet, Peter again makes a scene by refusing to be washed.
John 13:18+
There was a scripture fulfilled when Judas (one of his own people) decides to betray him.
It’s amazing how Jesus knew everything but still allowed to be betrayed by Judas.
Whatever Jesus did and spoke, He knew that his time had come and known what would happen to him. He still loved and spoke to them gently! In fact, the washing of feet is a scriptural command.
What prompted Jesus to speak about the vine in this scenario that he was in having come from the Passover going to Gethsemane? He had just finished speaking about the Passover then all of a sudden he switches to the vine.
John 15 is a very big interaction with the word of God.
Why did Jesus mention about the Vineyard and the fruits? In Psalms 80:8-10 it says that the Israelites were called the grapevine.
Isaiah 5:1 says the same thing too!
The thing is that the people who were already chosen as the grapevine was not living up to what God had called them to. They had corrupted themselves! If you also claim to be close to God, are you really connected to the Lord as his Vineyard? If you’re not, God’s calling you to live and walk right with him. He says He had a plan for us when He called us and He expects us to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 2:21
Hosea 10:1
A master of the Vineyard checks each and every branch to see if it’s bearing fruit. He touches both the good ones bearing fruit and also those that are not to make a way for it to bear fruit.
Israel was called to be sacred and they thought they had everything and started taking things for granted.
Check yourself if you’re really doing something for the Lord! When you ask God for productivity at work and business etc, do you also ask him for productivity in the Kingdom too? If we’re not, there’s still an opportunity to come back to Him and ask for direction again with Him.
It wasn’t just about Judas who betrayed Jesus but all of them betrayed Him when they distanced themselves from Jesus at the cross. Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus still loved these guys and believed that they would still be the ones to spread the gospel after His death?
Lessons from the Lord’s Vineyard
- Relationship
John 15:2-4
Jesus asks us to remain in him as a vital connection. If a branch is vitally connected to the vine only then it can bear fruit, Even if we disciples of Jesus do everything like miracles in Jesus’ name but haven’t a personal relationship with Him, it’s all in vain. We all need to have a personal relationship with God! God says it’s not about the things you do in church like evangelism but being with Him is the most important thing to Him.
It’s not the good acts or moral code that you have that will take you to heaven but having a personal relationship with God will do. People will always love to hear about healing and prosperity but haven’t the basic relationship with Him. No one should be taken off course by anyone or anything even if it’s a pastor. Make sure you remain on track to receive the kingdom of God.
Matthew 7:21
Can we look to our lives and check if we’re really connected to the vine?
Romans 9:17
We have been called and exposed to God’s purpose. He won’t come down to show Himself but wants us to do the job of showing God to others. We were gentiles but were grafted into the covenant.
Romans 10:9
There’s only one way to receive salvation and it’s through accepting Jesus Christ and confessing with our mouth that He is Lord.
- Reproduction
The vine has only one distinct purpose and it is to bear fruit.
The true vine only bears true branches and these also produce good fruit. When Jesus calls himself the true vine, he means He bears the fruit through the branches. He brought us as the fruit and through us, he reaches more fruits. We are called to bring produce /fruit.
The beauty of the grafted parties is that it receives a new nature. We receive this new nature (divine church) when we get baptised.
1 Peter 2:4
When God allowed Jesus to die for us he was made the vine. It’s not about how many grapes you bear but how you bear! That’s what matters to the master of the vineyard. We are created to reproduce and serve God in one way or another.
2 Cor 5:17
There’s a transformation that happens when we receive Jesus Christ. The branches have nothing to boast about except the fact that they are connected to the vine. When it bears fruit no one will look at the branch but at the vine.
When God looks at us it’s not about how much we’ve done but if we have done it for Him!
There are 4 references for fruit :
first, there was no fruit, another with fruit, another with more fruit and ends in verse 8 with much fruit.
God loves progression when he looks at our spiritual lives.
He loves when you start to bear fruit where there was none and then He requires more fruit till it’s much fruit.
Three basic fruit God expects us to bear;
- To become more like him.
- To behave more like him
- To be burdened to be more like Him.
Paul asks us to have the mind of Christ. Holiness speaks of becoming more like him because He is holy!
Romans 6:22
Galatians 5:22
When you’re connected to the vine, all the good qualities/fruits of the Spirit shall be yours like kindness, patience.
Romans 1:13
Paul was burdened to reach the Gentiles.
- Lesson on reality about the gardener’s relationship with His garden: the gardener walks through His garden (Church). While He walks, He is very connected to every branch of the church.
Don’t say that Jesus won’t see you, he sees every branch even that one which is not bearing fruit. A branch should not think that the gardener will only look to the one bearing fruit but He will check all. He also sees the ones that are hidden in darkness and touches them to bring them to the sunlight and fresh air. He will look again after some time to check on them but if they haven’t then He’ll cut it off. If He finds a branch not bearing fruit, He’ll touch it and expects it to bear fruit again. If He finds a branch that’s green in some areas and is dry in another area, He cuts/prunes that dry part not to destroy but to remove the bad parts and to leave the rest to bear fruit!
He still speaks to us all so that we come back to his presence!
- Lesson on*responsibility and reliance* on Him.
When your car has an issue, you take it for inspection and don’t immediately throw it away. The maker of the Benz car and knows every nut and screw: if he finds anything wrong with it, he can go through it and rectify any issue. In the same way, God by the power of the Holy Spirit works on us: allow him to work on you and rectify anything going the wrong way. Allow the moulder of our lives to rectify and prune us.
God is the gardener and he allows His hands to touch the branch and make sure it’s all right. He could cut or throw the branch away but He is gentle and tender and has allowed the branch to stay.
He called us to bear fruit so we shall do the same. Amen!
All Glory to God
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