What is the relationship between Christ and His disciples? In what ways are we dependent on Him? What are practical lessons to be learned from our Lord's metaphor?

1. I Am the True Vine
John
15:1-­‐8

2. • “I
am
the
bread
of
life”
(6:35)
• “I
am
the
light
of
the
world”
(8:12;
9:5)
• “I
am
the
door”
(10:7,9)
• “I
am
the
good
shepherd”
(10:11,14)
• “I
am
the
resurrecIon
and
the
life”
(11:25)
• “I
am
the
way,
the
truth
and
the
life”
(14:6)
• “I
am
the
true
vine”
(15:1)

3. I
am
the
true
vine,
and
My
Father
is
the
vinedresser.
2Every
branch
in
Me
that
does
not
bear
fruit
He
takes
away:
and
every
branch
that
bears
fruit,
He
purges
it,
that
it
may
bring
forth
more
fruit.
3Now
you
are
clean
through
the
word
which
I
have
spoken
unto
you.
4Abide
in
me,
and
I
in
you.

4. As
the
branch
cannot
bear
fruit
of
itself,
except
it
abide
in
the
vine;
no
more
can
you,
except
you
abide
in
Me.
5I
am
the
vine,
you
are
the
branches:
he
that
abides
in
Me,
and
I
in
him,
the
same
brings
forth
much
fruit:
for
without
Me
you
can
do
nothing.

5. 6If
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.
7If
you
abide
in
Me,
and
My
words
abide
in
you,
you
shall
ask
what
you
will,
and
it
shall
be
done
unto
you.
8Herein
is
My
Father
glorified,
that
you
bear
much
fruit;
so
shall
you
be
My
disciples.

7. Isaiah
5:1-­‐7
Now
let
me
sing
to
my
Well-­‐beloved
a
song
of
my
Beloved
regarding
His
vineyard:
My
Well-­‐beloved
has
a
vineyard
on
a
very
fruiXul
hill.
2He
dug
it
up
and
cleared
out
its
stones,
and
planted
it
with
the
choicest
vine.
He
built
a
tower
in
its
midst,
and
also
made
a
winepress
in
it;
so
He
expected
it
to
bring
forth
good
grapes,
but
it
brought
forth
wild
grapes

8. The
Original
Vine:
Israel
Isaiah
5:1-­‐7
3“And
now,
O
inhabitants
of
Jerusalem
and
men
of
Judah,
judge,
please,
between
Me
and
My
vineyard.
4What
more
could
have
been
done
to
My
vineyard
that
I
have
not
done
in
it?
Why
then,
when
I
expected
it
to
bring
forth
good
grapes,
did
it
bring
forth
wild
grapes?
5And
now,
please
let
Me
tell
you
what
I
will
do
to
My
vineyard:
I
will
take
away
its
hedge,
and
it
shall
be
burned;
and
break
down
its
wall,
and
it
shall
be
trampled
down.

9. The
Original
Vine:
Israel
Isaiah
5:1-­‐7
6I
will
lay
it
waste;
It
shall
not
be
pruned
or
dug,
but
there
shall
come
up
briers
and
thorns.
I
will
also
command
the
clouds
that
they
rain
no
rain
on
it.”
7For
the
vineyard
of
the
LORD
of
hosts
is
the
house
of
Israel,
and
the
men
of
Judah
are
His
pleasant
plant.
He
looked
for
jusIce,
but
behold,
oppression;
for
righteous-­‐
ness,
but
behold,
a
cry
for
help.

10.
“what
more
could
I
have
done”
“wild
grapes”

11. Jeremiah
2:21
Yet
I
had
planted
you
a
noble
vine,
a
seed
of
highest
quality.
How
then
have
you
turned
before
Me
into
the
degenerate
plant
of
an
alien
vine?

12. • Hosea
10:1-­‐2
Israel
empIes
his
vine;
he
brings
forth
fruit
for
himself.
According
to
the
mulItude
of
his
fruit
he
has
increased
the
altars;
according
to
the
bounty
of
his
land
they
have
embellished
his
sacred
pillars.
2Their
heart
is
divided;
now
they
are
held
guilty.
He
will
break
down
their
altars;
He
will
ruin
their
sacred
pillars.
self-­‐absorbed

13. The
Problem:
self-­‐sufficiency
Hosea
14:8
“Ephraim
shall
say,
‘What
have
I
to
do
anymore
with
idols?’
I
have
heard
and
observed
him.
I
am
like
a
green
cypress
tree;
your
fruit
is
found
in
Me.”

14. “visit
this
vine”
• Psalm
80:14–17
Return,
we
beseech
You,
O
God
of
hosts;
look
down
from
heaven
and
see,
and
visit
this
vine
15and
the
vineyard
which
Your
right
hand
has
planted,
and
the
branch
that
You
made
strong
for
Yourself.

15. “visit
this
vine”
• Psalm
80:14–17
16It
is
burned
with
fire,
it
is
cut
down;
they
perish
at
the
rebuke
of
Your
countenance.
17Let
Your
hand
be
upon
the
man
of
Your
right
hand,
upon
the
Son
of
Man
whom
You
made
strong
for
Yourself.

17. Not
the
opposite
of
false;
but
perfect,
essenIal,
enduring
• True
Light
(1:9)
• True
Bread
(6:32)
• True
Tabernacle
(Heb.
8:2)

19. :
_________________________
(3)
“clean
through
the
Word”
“bear
fruit”
(2)
“bear
more
fruit”
(2)
“bear
much
fruit”
(5,
8)

20. William
Barclay
“At
certain
Imes
of
the
year.
It
was
sIpulated
by
law
of
the
people
were
to
bring
wood
offerings
to
the
temple
to
supply
the
fires
a
sacrifice.
But
it
was
also
sIpulated
that
the
wood
of
the
vine
must
not
be
brought,
because
it
was
useless
for
that
purpose.
It
burned
too
quickly.
The
vine
was
useless
apart
from
producIon
(Ezekiel
15:2-­‐4).”

22. A.
He
graphs
the
branches
“in
Christ”
(2)
“My
Father
is
the
Vinedresser.”
(1b)

24. A.
He
graphs
the
branches
“in
Christ”
(2)
B.
He
li@s
up
to
separate
from
the
world
(2)

25. “airo”
-­‐
4
basic
meanings:
a) To
lij
up
or
pick
up
b) To
lij
up
figuraIvely
as
to
lij
up
one's
voice
or
eyes
c) To
lij
up
with
the
added
thought
of
carrying
away
d) To
remove

26. A.
He
graphs
the
branches
“in
Christ”
(2)
B.
He
li@s
up
to
separate
from
the
world
(2)
C.
He
prunes
to
increase
producIon
(2-­‐3)

28. 1.
“prunes”
(2)
2.
“pure”
(3)
katharós
=
clean,
pure
kathaírō
=
to
cleanse,
purify

29. John
15:3
Now
you
are
clean
through
the
word
which
I
have
spoken
unto
you.
Psalm
119:9
Wherewithal
shall
a
young
man
cleanse
his
way?
By
taking
heed
thereto
according
to
Thy
word.

30. A. “Abide”
(4-­‐6,
9-­‐11)
Used
51
Imes
John’s
wriIngs:
• John
1:38
• John
4:40
• John
14:2

31. 1.
Trust:
By
depending
completely
on
the
Vine
(4,
5)
2.
Obey:
By
yielding
to
(10)
&
being
controlled
by
His
word
(7)

32. searching
tendrils

33. A.
“Abide”
(4-­‐6,
9-­‐11)
B.
“Ask”
(7-­‐8)
C.
“Love
one
another”
(12-­‐17)
D.
“Remember”
(18-­‐25)

34. "This
is
the
LM
pilot.
I
'd
like
to
take
this
opportun-­‐
ity
to
ask
every
person
listening
in,
whoever
and
wherever
they
may
be,
to
pause
for
a
moment
and
contemplate
the
events
of
the
past
few
hours
and
to
give
thanks
in
his
or
her
own
way."
He
then
ended
radio
communicaIon
and
there,
on
the
silent
surface
of
the
moon,
250,000
miles
from
Buzz
Aldrin
and
Neil
Armstrong
July
20,
1969

35. He
then
ended
radio
communicaIon
and
there,
on
the
silent
surface
of
the
moon,
250,000
miles
from
home,
he
read
a
verse
from
the
Gospel
of
John,
and
he
took
communion.
Here
is
his
own
account
of
what
happened:

36. "In
the
radio
blackout,
I
opened
the
lirle
plasIc
packages
which
contained
the
bread
and
the
wine.
I
poured
the
wine
into
the
chalice
our
church
had
given
me.
In
the
one-­‐
sixth
gravity
of
the
moon,
the
wine
slowly
curled
and
gracefully
came
up
the
side
of
the
cup.

37. “Then
I
read
the
scripture,
‘I
am
the
true
vine,
you
are
the
branches.
Whosoever
abides
in
Me
will
bring
forth
much
fruit
.
.
.
apart
from
Me
you
can
do
nothing’.”