Thus speaks the Lord Jesus:
John 15:1. I am the true vine,
Many questions have been raised about which is the true Church; the Saviour answers them, «I am the true vine.» All who are united, really united, to the ever-living Saviour are members of the true Church. Find ye them where ye may, if they are one with Christ, they are his they are parts of the divine vine; they are belonging to his Church.
John 15:1. And my Father is the husbandman.
It is the Father's province, by the Holy Spirit and by the works of Providence, to see to the prosperity of the Church. «My Father is the husbandman.» All preachers, all teachers, are but, so to speak, the pruning tool in the hand of the great vine-dresser. «My Father is the husbandman.»
John 15:2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
It is a necessary part of vine-dressing to remove the superfluous shoots. Too much wood-making, which does not lead to fruit-bearing, is but a waste of strength. And so in the Church there are those that bear no fruit, and for a while they appear to be fresh and green, and they who are the under-vine-dressers dare not take them away. But the Father does it sometimes by removing them by death; at other times by permitting them openly to expose their own character, until they are then amenable to the discipline of the Church, and are removed.
John 15:2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit
What of that? «He purgeth it (pruneth it) that it may bring forth more fruit.» «I cannot understand,» said one to me the other day, «why I am so very sorely afflicted. I have been searching myself to discover what sin can have been the cause of it.» Now, beloved, if that be your question tonight, there may be a sin to be put away, and, if so, God forbid that I should prevent your searching; but remember, on the other hand, affliction is no evidence of sin, but oftentimes of the very contrary, It is the fruit-bearing branch that gets the pruning. You are so good a branch that God would fain have you better. You have such capacities for bearing fruit, that he wants to see those capacities developed. The lapidary does not chase upon the wheel the stone that is not precious, but that which is, and so real affliction is no mark, therefore, of your want of grace, but of your having it. «Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.»
John 15:3. Now ye are clean--
For so it should be.
John 15:3. Through the word which I have spoken unto you.
While Christ was with his disciples he kept his vine continually pruned by the word which he spoke. That word cut off the non-fruit-bearing-branches, for we read that after that saying there were some that went back, and walked no more with him, for they said, «'This is a hard saying; who can bear it?» That was the word pruning off the useless branches. And there were others who were grieved by his Word. These, were good people, and it did them good. It was a godly sorrow that led to bringing forth fruits meet for repentance.
John 15:4. Abide in me and I in you.
There is the great canon of the Christian life. Hold fast to Christ. Not only live with him, but live in him. «Abide in me.» And on! let Jesus not be merely your companion now and then, on holy occasions, but let him abide in you; make your heart a temple; let him find his sweetest rest his home in you.
John 15:4. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
It is keeping in Christ, then, that is the vital relater. There is the root of the whole business, to be still one with Jesus by vital union, deriving the sap of our life entirely from him.
John 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
This double abiding gives a double harvest. Christ in me, and I in Christ I must be fruitful. Oh! beloved, look well to this. I am afraid we get at a distance from Christ. There is more danger of this in old professors than there is in young beginners. The young beginner is warm of heart. The very novelty of the thing keeps him near his Master, but oh! take care of slackening; you that have been long pilgrims, take care of slackening. It is so easy to grow cold in this cold world, and it is so hard to maintain the holy spiritual fervent, without which there is no spiritual health.
John 15:5. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Not «ye will do less,» or «ye will do least,» but ye can do nothing nothing good, nothing spiritual, nothing acceptable, if severed from Jesus.
John 15:6. If 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.
And oh! how many come to this end! They did seem to be all that the fruit-bearing branches are, but they were never saved souls, for saved souls always bring forth fruits of righteousness. Their salvation is proved by their fruitfulness. But these appeared to be all that the others were, and after a while they were discovered, and cast into the fire and burned.
John 15:7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,
My very words. You must treasure up Christ's teaching; you must obey his precepts. If ye do this, «Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.» In this chapter we are taught once or twice that the power of prayer depends very much upon the closeness of our communion with Christ, and the completeness of our obedience to him. We are saved by faith in the Redeemer, but the joy of salvation, the very dignity and glory of it, will only come to those men who jealously watch themselves, and zealously obey their Lord and Master.
John 15:8-9. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:
What a glorious word! I scarcely know a text more deep, more full than this. After the same manner as God the Father loves the Son after that same sort does the Son love us. Hear ye the words again, «As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in my love.» He confirms us in it, and bids us live in the enjoyment of it.
John 15:10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.
Ye shall know it; ye shall live in it; it shall be the atmosphere you breathe.
John 15:10-11. Even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you.
Christ would have his people happy; happy, however, with a holy joy, which is not, therefore, a dim and second-rate joy. It is the very joy of Christ, God's people are to enjoy.
John 15:11-16. That my joy might remain in you. and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
A second time he puts this remarkable prevalence of prayer side by side with walking in the Lord's commandments. Oh! ye that miss success in your life and work, may you not trace your failure to your forgetfulness of God. Shall God do your will, if you will not do his will? Shall he wait on you, if you will not wait on him? Will he not (must you not expect that he will) walk contrary to you if you walk contrary to him? May Spirit make you pure in life, for then shall you be successful at the mercy-seat!
John 15:17. These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Jesus! send us this spirit of love, we pray thee. Amen.