Dec 22

Question 1

Grapevine in Hampton Court

Answer 1

1000 years old
1 root that is 2 ft wide
branches 200 ft long
despite age still produces tons
some branches 200 ft away from root
still delicious fruit  because connected
life flows from that single root bringing nourish

Question 2

each much answer two questions this morning

Answer 2

are we connected to the vine or is the life
of Christ flowing within us

how much fruit are we producing
no fruit some fruit abundant fruit
read John 15:1-8

Question 3

Jesus tells disciples he is the true vine

Answer 3

ever wondered why he told them that
I know what I think
remember what had just happened
and where they were at this time

Question 4

night of Jesus betrayal

Answer 4

but before that they were in upper room
as they celebrated passover in upper room
Jesus washed their feet & spoke with them
about things going to take place
after much discussion Jesus ends chapter
saying come now let us leave

Question 5

Mathew another of disciples said

Answer 5

following passover meal they sank hymn
went out to the mount of olives
believe that they were making their way 
to mount of olives & garden gethsemane
Jesus continued to instruct the group
who had walked with him last 3 years
He knew time was running out but
still had much wanted to share with them

Question 6

Chapter 15 continues Jesus teaching

Answer 6

Jesus was a master teacher
didn’t talk over peoples heads
used things common to those taught
so they could understand his teaching
I believe that as Jesus & disciples made way
walked by something everyone in Jerusalem
familiar with - a grapevine

Question 7

Jesus walks up to the vine

Answer 7

tells his disciples I am the true vine
now he had their attention
now there was something they were familiar with
could understand as an illustrated sermon

Question 8

in upper room Jesus had told disciples

Answer 8

things that would be difficult to understand
now he could help them comprehend
two things stand out from what he had told

Question 9

two things he told them

Answer 9

he was the life
holy spirit was coming with strength
and would be in them

Question 10

Jesus clarifies

Answer 10

the upper room teaching with illustration
we all can understand when he says
I am the true vine

Question 11

even the rough fisherman walking wit him knew

Answer 11

life flowed from the vine into the branches
so Jesus uses common sight seen around area
bring further understanding to what said earlier

Question 12

Therefore Jesus is showing

Answer 12

his disciples and us
he is the source of spiritual life
Jesus is the source of life
a resource made available by the holy spirit
when he comes to dwell in believer
John spell this out plainly

Question 13

John 15 : 11& 12

Answer 13

and this is the testimony
God has given us eternal life
and this life is in His son
He who has the son has life
He who does not have the Son of God
does not have life

Question 14

lets deal with our first question

Answer 14

are you connected to the vine
if you are not connected through forgiveness
then you are as good as dead
life you are living is empty & meaningless
because not connected to source of life
but when connected to Jesus

Question 15

The choice is yours

Answer 15

you can either stay the way you are
choose to be grafted into life giving vine
all other vines are lifeless
branches have no fruit because no life in vine
but when connected to Jesus suddenly
everything made new & alive

Question 16

the life source produces fruit

Answer 16

Jesus is life source
his life within believers for one purpose 
to produce fruit
question we need to think about
how much fruit
no fruit  some   much

Question 17

what is this fruit supposed to be producing

Answer 17

Just what is the “fruit” which is either absent or present? What is the difference between a “fruitful” branch and an “unfruitful” branch? Some think that the “fruit” our Lord refers to here is the “fruit of the Spirit” (see Galatians 5:22-23). Others think of the “fruit” as new converts—those who have been saved as a result of the witness of the branches. I understand the term fruit a bit more broadly. I believe that as we abide in Christ, He abides in us, and when He abides in us, Jesus Christ becomes evident in and through us. The “fruit” then, is being Christ-like. The church is the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12). I believe we bear fruit as Christ is manifested in and through our lives. He is seen in us as we manifest His character (Galatians 5:22-23). He is evident in us as we carry on the work He began when He was on this earth (see Acts 3:6, 12-16; 4:13). Being fruitful, then, is manifesting Christ in our lives.

Question 18

lets examine the question of how much fruit

verse 2 and verse 6

Answer 18

2 Jesus says the branch is in me

6 Jesus says does not remain in me

Question 19

How does God lift up these vines that are only

producing some fruit?

Answer 19

He places us in relationship with other believers. We need each other to grow effectively and be fruitful; none of us can make it alone. I believe this is the single most important thing that God does for us. Being a part of a church and sharing in loving relationships with other Christians is vital to your spiritual health.

Question 20

If we don’t let God lift us up

Answer 20

If we don’t enter into relationships with other believers, if we don’t apply His word to our lives, if we don’t let the Holy Spirit renew our minds, then we are cutting off the flow of Christ’s source of life that He places within us.

Question 21

Jesus said the Father’s desire is

Answer 21

all who are in Christ will produce fruit bringing glory to the Father. The Father receives no glory by cutting off branches that are in Christ. The Greek word “airei” translated “cuts off” or “takes away” also means “LIFT UP.” That’s what a gardener does for the new branches; he lifts them up giving them the support and training that they need in order to produce fruit. Jesus uses another word all together in verse six when He talks about what happens to the branch that does not remain in Him.

Question 22

He instructs us in His Word.

Answer 22

The Holy Spirit is our teacher; through our personal devotions, sermons, teaching and interaction in small groups the Holy Spirit will cleanse and strengthen our lives through the Word of God.

Question 23

God renews our minds

Answer 23

so that we no longer conform to the ways of this world but pursue His kingdom; He teaches us to hate sin and desire righteousness in our lives. When we have sin in our lives we want to be restored in our relationship with God and He is faithful to forgive us

Question 24

Not all branches are as fruitful as others

Answer 24

Some branches may have bushels of fruit while another branch may only have a single bushel or a peck or two, and still other branches while not barren have very little fruit at all.

Question 25

NOW DON’T CONFUSE QUANTITY AND QUALITY

Answer 25

As a believer you are joined to the vine. The life of Christ within the vine is what produces the fruit. Therefore any fruit produced in your life, obedience, reproduction, or the Fruit of the Spirit, IT IS ALL GOOD FRUIT. Christ’s life in you will not produce inferior fruit. Christ, the true vine, only produces the best quality fruit.

Question 26

What is it that restricts the production of fruit

Answer 26

In a word it’s SELF. We love Christ; His Spirit is within us, and His fruit is evident in our lives. But from time to time, more often for some and less for others, we stop relying upon Christ and His life within us and live our life in our own strength. Jesus said, “No branch can bear fruit by itself!” In those times when we stop depending on Christ and rely upon our own strength and ability, it is then that the branch is unable to continue to produce fruit. Often times we may fall into sin once again simply because we didn’t depend upon Christ the source of life to help us

Question 27

What does the Father do for the branch that only produces some fruit

Answer 27

Does He cut the branch off and throw it away? No, the Father’s desire is that each branch produces an abundance of fruit; that’s not possible if the branches are cut off of the vine. What did Jesus say the Father would do? “Every branch in me that doe bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Question 28

What is the Father doing when He prunes the branches

Answer 28

He is causing us to stop depending upon self in order that we might rely fully on Christ and bear more fruit. Have any of you noticed, PRUNING IS PAINFUL. But have you also noticed that although pruning is painful, PRUNING IS PRODUCTIVE. When the branches are pruned back more fruit really is produced. The pain of cutting accomplishes what the Father intends–FRUITFULNESS!

Question 29

The branches that produce an ABUNDANCE of FRUIT

Answer 29

These are the branches that have been properly trained through the discipline of pruning. They have crucified self and have learned that apart from Christ they can do nothing.

Question 30

Why can Jesus say what He does in verse seven?

Answer 30

Those branches that remain in Him and His word remains in them will not ask selfishly. They have died to self and the passions of the world; they live for Christ. Therefore whatever they ask for is what Jesus would ask for. Finally when we mature as believers that we bear an abundance of fruit the Father is glorified as we show ourselves to be Christ’s disciples.

Question 31

Conclusion

Answer 31

Jesus, the true vine is producing fruit within His branches. Christ’s fruit is good; it alone will endure. How much fruit are you letting be produced through your life? Is there no fruit, some fruit or an abundance of fruit?

Question 32

Jesus promises to do same for us

Answer 32

He is the “true vine” bringing life to each of the branches. The purpose of the vine is to bring nourishment to the branches in order that they might produce fruit. When separated from the vine the branches wither and die. The vitality of our spiritual life is dependent upon our connection to Christ the “true vine.” Read John 15:1-8

Question 33

Jesus employs imagery

Answer 33

In our text, Jesus employs the imagery of a vine to describe the new relationship which His disciples are about to enjoy with Him and with the Father. Our Lord is the “vine”; unbelievers are the fruitless branches,43 while believers are the fruit-bearing branches. The grapes are the “fruit” which God produces in and through the saints as they draw their life and strength from the “vine,” the Lord Jesus Christ. And God the Father is the gardener, who tends the vine, removing dead branches and purifying the living branches

Question 34

Christians have long been attracted to these verses

Answer 34

Christians have long been attracted to these verses, both because they are profound and because they are perplexing. They are profound in that they deal with certain deep realities in the Christian faith. … But the passage is as perplexing as it is profound. Exactly what kind of fruit are we expected to bear? Does any believer really enjoy the extravagant prayer promises in verses 7 and 8? Exactly what does ‘remaining in Christ’ really mean? Above all, how is it that branches are said to be in this vine, yet fruitless? And how can these branches be cut off and destroyed?

Question 35

Father is vinedresser or gardner

Answer 35

the One who tends the vine. Every branch which does not produce fruit in the Vine is removed by the Father. As we would expect, this verse is understood differently by students of the Bible. There are two key expressions in verse 2, the translation of which will determine (or justify) our understanding of what our Lord means in this verse. The terms are “in Me” and “takes away.” If the phrase “in Me” indicates that these branches are true believers, then we must either conclude (against a mountain of contrary evidence in John and the rest of the Scriptures) that Christians can lose their salvation, or we must show that “takes away” does not refer to eternal condemnation (hell).

Question 36

One solution is to translate the Greek word airw “lifts up,”

Answer 36

with the sense of helping or assisting. Thus, unfruitful branches are given special care by the Father, with the view to helping them become fruitful. The majority of translations seem to render this verse in a way that indicates that the unfruitful branches are taken away in judgment. This view is consistent with verse 6, which is much more clear about the fate of unfruitful branches, branches which did not abide in the vine. There, unfruitful branches are cast into the fire.

Question 37

I believe the weight of the evidence

Answer 37

falls on the side of that interpretation which concludes that the unfruitful branches are removed from the vine and destroyed.45 In much more blunt language, the unfruitful branches burn in the eternal fire of hell. If this is the case, then how do we explain the phrase “in Me” (verse 2)?

Question 38

Three passages in the Gospels and one in the Book of Romans

Answer 38

help me to understand what Jesus is saying here in verse 2. The first is found in Matthew chapter 3: many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to John for baptism. They certainly appeared to be identifying themselves with John and his message. John rebukes them because they assumed they were going to enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of God based upon their lineage. They trusted in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham. And yet John warned them of God’s coming wrath. Surely the fruitless “trees” here are dead trees—unbelievers—and the fire is that of eternal punishment. Those who believe they are truly saved, and may even appear to be to others, are not really saved, but are destined for the coming wrath of God on the unbelieving

Question 39

Matthew 7:15-23

Answer 39

Here, we learn from the lips of our Lord that not everyone who claims to be a spokesman for God is a true prophet. True prophets and false prophets can be distinguished by their “fruits.” The people Jesus describes in verses 21 and 22 certainly thought they were true believers, and many others may have thought so too. But Jesus says that in spite of their profession, and in spite of their impressive deeds, He never knew them. It is by one’s fruit that his profession of faith is found to be either true or false. Though they may claim to be the people of God, those who profess faith without producing fruit are cast into the fire of God’s eternal judgment.

Question 40

Parable of the soils Mark 4:1-20

Answer 40

It should be said at the outset that the relevance of this text to our text in John 15 is somewhat dependent upon the conclusion that the first three soils represent those who are not saved, and that only the fourth soil represents genuine believers. If this is the case, then the ultimate proof of one’s faith46 appears to be the bearing of fruit. Believers do not all produce the same quantity of fruit, but they do all produce some fruit. Each of the other three soils fails to produce any fruit. Notice, too, that one might assume for a time that the seed sown in the second and third soils has produced true believers. The first soil rejects the gospel immediately, but the second and third soils appear to have life for a time. It is not until persecution and hard times come that they fall away. These seeds sprout, and they appear to be lively, but they ultimately fail to produce any fruit.

Question 41

(Romans 11:13-24,

Answer 41

Jewish branches were removed from the olive tree because of their unbelief, even as Gentile branches are grafted into the tree by faith. Surely Paul refers here to the very thing that our Lord is speaking about in John 15. Those Jewish branches which falsely assume they will inherit God’s blessings through Israel (“the olive tree” here, according to their way of thinking) will be severed from the “tree,” Jesus Christ, because they do not believe in Him, and thus they do not abide in Him or bear fruit through Him.47