That It May Bear More Fruit

John 15:1-8

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

I AM THE TRUE VINE
John 15 is often quoted, and no wonder; for it contains incredible reassurance, but also clear exposition regarding God’s eternal plan. It also holds the gardening metaphor that began in Eden and ended with the Garden Resurrection. Jesus calls Himself ‘the true vine’, and there is a special relevance to choosing a vine instead of any other plant.

• Vines are very long-lived — suggestive of eternal life
• Vines thrive on poor dry soil, indeed, wet clay ground suffocates their growth — So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, [Exodus 22:14a] — the dry ground being a place of safety (see also Genesis 8:13 and elsewhere)
• Vines are best planted on a southern facing hillside — the higher ground, with south representing the place of blessing, with its gentler, warmer winds.
• The fruit of the vine — the grapes — grow in clusters; communities of individual grapes in a sense — His people are His fruit, and each fruit contains seeds.
• This fruit, as we know, is put into a wine press to remove the flesh of the fruit, — in the same way that the trials and suffering in our lives removes the flesh nature to make us holy — producing wine; a type for life in the Spirit
• Pruning the vine in the right way, cutting away the trailing tendrils, exercises an order and a government which encourages more fruit on the same plant… bearing fruit after its kind.

IF ANYONE DOES NOT ABIDE IN ME … HE IS CAST OUT … AND WITHERED
The vine that only produces the same few clusters of grapes each season will not thrive, but the well-tended vine will fill the vineyard. The picture Jesus gives us to consider is the perfect example for the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ, but He also reveals the warning for not abiding in Him. So Jesus reveals the consequences of life with Him, or without Him.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

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‘Meditate on these things…’

PSALM 92:13-15
Those who are planted in the house of the LORD
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

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“I Am The True Vine” — Theatre of Voices - The Pro Arte Singers

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A HOLY WALK: Oswald Chambers on FAITH
— What God says about THE WORLD --

Spiritual famine and dearth, if it does not start from sin, starts from dwelling entirely on the experince God gave me instead of on God who gave me the experience.
When I plant my faith on the Lord Jesus my experiences don’t make me conscious of them, they produce in me the life of a child.
[from ‘Disciples Indeed’]

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Listen to this meditation by clicking below…

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