Dear Christian friends:

The Bible uses various relationships to help us understand and appreciate our beautiful relationship with Christ. Bride and groom, head and body, shepherd and sheep are some of these.

In our text Jesus uses the relationship of a grapevine and its branches. In this beautiful picture Jesus gives us some comfort, inspiration and a warning.


What kind of relationship?

Here is a union, not of beads strung on a string, not of boards nailed together, but members of a living body. It has one and the same life from the deepest root to the furtherest shoot.

Truly it is a great honor for us Christians to be united with the glorious Christ! But what did it cost? Our war in Vietnam, which we remembered this past week, cost 58,000 American lives and billions of dollars; but to make happen our union with Jesus cost God the death of His Son. Think about that! Is that not surprising and wonderful? God lets His holy Son die for sinners, enemies, that they can be forgiven and become his friends.

Jesus says, "My Father is the Husbandman." (verse 1a) God is the Vintner, the Owner and Keeper of the Vine. The first Christmas He planted the Vine, and later He grafted believers to it as branches of the Vine. On the first Pentecost 3,000 believers joined with the Vine. Since then during 1985 years millions more have joined with Christ by faith. In one hymn we sing:

"Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed His blood for me.
Died that I might live on high;
Lived that I might never die;
As the branch is to the vine,
I am His and He is mine."
(TLH 342: Chief Of Sinners,
Though I Be, verse 1)

What is our purpose? Salvation and that we bear fruit.

If our Father is the Husbandman, the Owner and Keeper of the Vine, why worry? Will He harm the Vine or the branches?

Non-bearing branches are taken away.

Jesus answers. "Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He (the Father) takes away. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (verses 2a and 6) Either you are in Christ or in the fire. Jesus says this to church members. This has happened to others; it can happen to us. Beware! This is what happens to those who abide not in Jesus and bear no fruit.

Bearing branches are expected to bear more and more.

And even those branches which bear fruit need pruning. Jesus says, "Every branch in Me that bears fruit He (the Father) cleanses (prunes), that it may bear more fruit." (verse 2b) Any grapevine or fruit tree needs pruning so that it will bear more and better fruit.

Mr. Cecil visited the Botanical Gardens of Oxford, England and noticed a large pomegranate tree which had a deep cut in the trunk near the roots. He asked the gardener why he had chopped that trunk. The gardener replied, "It bore nothing but leaves; after I cut it deeply it began to bear plenty of fruit."

So God the Father expects to see us bear much fruit, and He "prunes" us so that we produce more and more fruit. Good is not good enough. Often we are satisfied and feel no need to do better. We must do better and better and more better. Good, better, best: Did you do better this year than last year? Did our Pilgrim Church do better this year than last year? Ask John Sine. He will tell you.

Martin Luther says, "This life is not holiness, but a becoming holy; not health, but a becoming healthy; not being, but a becoming; not a rest, but an exercise; it is not the end, but it is the way; all does not yet glow and sparkle, but all is polishing." And Jesus says, "Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples." (verse 8) We are not yet really His disciples; we are always becoming His disciples - better and better disciples, more and more like Christ Jesus.

The Father prunes us through Jesus’ Word and prayer.

How does God the Father cleanse or prune us? Jesus answers, "Now you are clean (pruned) through the Word which I have spoken to you." (verse 3)

The Word of Christ grafts (joins) us into Christ the Vine and justifies us; it the Word also makes us bear fruit in Christ, sanctifies us (makes us holy). Christ's Word is the means of grace, the sap that gives us life to bear fruit. Do you gladly hear Jesus' Word which is signed and preached here in church? Do you eagerly and gladly come to Bible Class to study and discuss His Word? Do you regularly read and study His Word in the Bible at home? Or do you make beautiful excuses?

Jesus says, "Abide in Me, and I in you." (verse 4a) He means hear, learn, memorize and believe My Word. Jesus continues explaining, "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, so neither can you except you abide in Me. He that abides in Me and I in him, the same bears much fruit; because apart from Me you can do nothing. If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you will ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you." (verses 5 and 7)

Also by prayer we abide in Jesus. This year the world is celebrating the 300th Anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach, the world's greatest musician and writer of many fine hymns. Bach had the habit of praying before he began to compose his music. At the top of each page he wrote these words in Latin:

"Iesu Iuva!" = "Jesus Help!"

By this Bach declared that apart from Jesus he could do nothing good. Bach abode in Jesus by prayer and by hearing and meditating on Jesus' Word, and therefore he bore much fruit for God's glory. His beautiful music is still praising God today, every day.

Jesus, immutably the same,
Thou true and living vine,
Around thy all-supporting stem,
My feeble arms I twine.

Quicken'd by thee, and kept alive,
I flourish and bear fruit;
My life I from thy sap derive,
My vigour from thy root.
(Vine and Branches, verses 1-2,
Author, Augustus Toplady)

If we abide in Jesus, we also will bear much fruit, more and more.

Amen.