Dear Christian friends:

Today we have the picture of the grape vine with branches and grapes. Again we thank Ferol for making our beautiful picture to help impress the sermon on our hearts today.

In our text Jesus says, "I am the true vine." So today I preach to you about:


What does Jesus mean? He says to His disciples, "I am the true vine." He means that He is the Vine and we Christians are the "branches." (John 15:5) Jesus wants to impress His disciples and on us today that we are very closely joined with Him and receive our life and power from Him. There is one hymn, Chief of Sinners Though I Be, verse one, which shows this very beautifully and clearly:

Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed his blood for me,
died that I might live on high,
lives that I might never die.
As the branch is to the vine,
I am his and he is mine!

I am joined with Jesus as a branch is joined with the vine (short tree). He gives me new life, spiritual life, and eternal life. I am one of His dear friends, and He is my best Friend. "What a Friend we have in Jesus!"

The Vine and the branches mean the Christian Church. The Church is both Vine and branches, both Jesus and Jesus' friends, both Shepherd and sheep; people who walk in the light of Jesus the light of the world; people who tell others about Jesus' love and Jesus' glory; people who eat the Bread of Life and drink the Water of Life; people who have entered the Door and believe in the resurrection and eternal life. About these people Jesus says, "I am the Vine, you are the branches."

Jesus' Father and our Father is the vine keeper. Jesus says, "I am the true Vine, and my Father is the husbandman." (John 15:1) "Husbandman," means the man who keeps the vineyard. We sign the word, "husband," man married. The same as a husband loves his wife and keeps her, supports her, the same as God our Father keeps the Vine and branches, the holy Christian Church.

Our Father loves the Church very, very much, the same as a man loves his wife. The same as a man loves His vineyard. The love and life of God Himself, like sap, flows through the Vine Jesus and to the branches, giving them life and love and beauty.

The Vine and branches produce much beautiful fruit for the Father. Jesus says, "Here is how My Father receives glory, that you produce much fruit." (John 15:8)

What is this "fruit"? What is the fruit of a Christian? It is the good works which a Christian does because He is joined with Jesus, his Savior and loves God who first loved him.

The Christian willingly does these good works. St. Paul describes these fruits. He calls them, "the fruit of the Spirit." He writes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance." (Galatians 22-23) (as you list these show the opposites)

Our Father, the lover and keeper of the Vine and branches, expects to see this "fruit" from each one of us. And therefore He "prunes" the branches. Jesus says, "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 15:2)

Pruning is necessary and good for grapes, apples, peaches and all fruit trees. You know that. I'm sure we all have some experience with pruning. (relate personal experiences)

Cut, cut, that hurts when our heavenly Father works on us to clean us and improve us so we can bring more fruit for His glory. It hurts when He takes away some of our money through losses. It hurts when He lets sickness happen to us and our health fails. It hurts when we must give up pleasures to have time to do His work. It hurts much. We don't like His forcing us and coaxing us. His pruning hurts much.

But that is necessary. Jesus wants us to have true joy, not earthly pleasure or happiness, but joy of our being joined with Him; joy of receiving our Father's love and power, the joy of suffering to serve Him and give glory to His name.

James 1:2-4 says to us, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Jesus is the Vine; we are the branches and our Father in heaven is the vine keeper, "the husbandman." He receives much glory when we bring forth the fruit!

Amen.