Beloved, I am glad to share with you today a theme from Jn 15:1 and following. Indeed, Israel was a barren vine despite all the care of the divine Winemaker (Ps 80:9-10; Isa 5:1-2). Jesus presents himself as the true Cep, bearing fruit through the disciples. But, just as on a vine all the branches are far from being equally loaded, the Lord makes a difference between those who say they know Him, according to whether they bear “no fruit … of the fruit… more fruit” … or “a lot of fruit”. To be part of the latter, two conditions are necessary: To dwell in Him, just as a branch remains attached to the nourishing trunk – and He in us, like that same branch that lets itself be crossed and impregnated by the sap that is its life. On the other hand, let us never forget that if the Father “cleanses” us by stripping us in a sometimes painful way, it is so that we carry more fruit. But other happy consequences flow from such communion: the knowledge of God’s will and then the answering of our prayers, since we no longer want anything other than what He Himself desires; the joy, finally the priceless approval of the One who consents to call us his friends.
“I am the real vine, and my Father is the winemaker. All the branch in me that bears no fruit, he takes it away; and any branch that bears fruit, it cleans it, so that it bears more fruit. You are already pure, because of the word I have spoken to you.” Through this image of the vine stock, the Lord teaches His disciples their new position on earth. They had hitherto been part of the people of Israel, often compared to a vine from which God expected fruit. At Ps 80. 9, it is said, “Thou hast carried from Egypt a vine; you drove out the nations, and you planted it.” When God set aside the Gentiles, because of their idolatry, he formed a people whom he called out of Egypt and placed in Canaan, in the most favorable circumstances, so that he would bring back to him the fruit he had been waiting for; this fruit consisted in obedience to the law given by Moses. But this vine produced only wild grapes, fruits of the evil nature of the sinful man.
As soon as this result was noted, the prophets announced God’s judgments on the people, which were not finally carried out until forty years after the Lord’s death. In christ’s death the judgment was also executed on man in Adam; there, God ended with him on the foot of his responsibility, and also with Israel according to the flesh. From then on, Christ replaced him as God’s vineyard on earth. This is what the Lord teaches the disciples by telling them that He is the true vine and that instead of being vines planted in the ground, they are branches attached to the new vine, to Christ Himself. They are in him and they will be able to bear fruit by remaining attached to him vitally and practically. The cultivator, the Father, will take care of the branches, clean them so that they bear more fruit; as for the branches that will not carry them, he will remove them.
In all these passages, it is the Christian profession. Whoever professes Christianity is a branch; but he who professes it without having the life of God cannot bear fruit, for without this life man produces nothing good for God; it will be a branch that the winemaker will remove. If, on the contrary, he bears fruit, proof that he has life, the Father will prune him; it will bring him through discipline to deliver him from what can prevent him from bearing even more fruit. En addressing the disciples, the Lord said to them, “You are already pure, because of the word I have spoken to you.” You are not one of those whom the Father will remove, but one of those whom He will heal, since they were already pure. By his word, Jesus had revealed the Father to them; they had received him and she had placed them in a vital relationship with Jesus.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit on its own, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you dwell in me. I am the vine, you the branches. He who dwells in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit; for, separated from me, you can do nothing.” These verses teach us how long the branch bears fruit. It is therefore not enough to be a branch, that is, to have the name of a Christian; you have to bear fruit. For this one must remain attached to the vine, to Christ, vitally and practically: “Dwell in me, and I in you,” says the Lord. If the believer dwells in Christ, Christ will dwell in him, and the fruit will occur naturally. Then the Lord told the disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, they will know that they are in Him and He in them. That is what defines their new position; but here it is about practice, about responsibility. “Abide in me,” and “me in you” will be the consequence.
To dwell practically in Christ, one must take care of him, enjoy him, live his life, depend on him, imitate him; then what he is will be seen in us; fruits will be produced that will prove the reality of his life. “Separated from me, you can do nothing,” says the Lord. These exhortations were addressed to the disciples and to all those who possess the life of Christ. And for those who do not have it: “If someone does not dwell in me, he is thrown out like the branch, and he dries; and they are amassed, and they are set on fire, and they burn.” The Lord does not say if you, but if someone, anyone, making a profession of Christianity, does not remain attached to Christ, does not bear fruit, he will be treated as the dry branch and he will burn, as Ezekiel says. This will happen to all those who are left on earth, after professing Christianity, when the Lord has taken away the Church. Solemn truth for those who do not have the life of God!
Thus, the Lord again addresses the disciples: “If you dwell in me, and my words dwell in you, you will ask what you will want, and it will be done to you. In this my Father is glorified, let you bear much fruit; and you will be my disciples.” The Lord’s disciples – every believer is one – do not dwell in Him in an unconscious way: they enjoy Him, feed on His word and realize their dependence through prayer. Since the believer has neither strength nor value in himself, he must continually depend on the one in whom there are all the resources he needs to bear fruit. We can pray so that we can only be answered if we know the Lord’s thought as to what we ask of Him. His word alone, dwelling in us, can form our desires. If it inspires them, we can ask what we want, because we will only want what is according to God’s will, for His glory and the fulfillment of His service.
In this way, we will get what we have asked for. It is important to retain this teaching, because nowadays there is often a very inappropriate use of prayer. Instead of using it for the glory of God, for his testimony, to serve him faithfully, we want by it to oblige God to satisfy desires that his word has in no way formed. But God cannot be the servant of our will: We must know His, to obtain what we ask, which can only take place if we live very close to the Lord, nourished by his Word. In this state, we realize the judgment of ourselves, we examine our desires in its light; our motives are cleansed and we ask what we want, because we only want what God wants.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Jesus, the real vine:
· Christ is life
-The light of life Jn 1:4 In it was life, and life was the light of men.
-Abundant life Jn 10:10 The thief comes only to steal, slaughter and destroy; I have come that the sheep may have life, and that they may be in abundance.
-Life for the dead Jn 11:25 Jesus said to him: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even if he is dead;
The way, the truth, and the life John 14:6 Jesus tells him: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Eternal life Rom 5:21 so that as sin reigned by death, so grace reigned by righteousness for eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Death abolished 2 Tim 1:10 and manifested now by the appearance of our Savior Jesus Christ, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
-The only source of life 1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
· Spiritual fruit, conditions for bearing fruit
-Contact with the living water Ps 1.3 It is like a tree planted near a stream of water, Which gives its fruit in its season, And whose foliage does not wither: Everything it does succeeds to him.
Spiritual Receptivity Mt 13:23 He who has received the seed in the good earth is the one who hears the word and understands it; he bears fruit, and one grain gives one hundred, another sixty, another thirty.
-Death of ancient life Jn 12:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, if the grain of wheat that has fallen into the earth does not die, it remains alone; but, if it dies, it bears much fruit.
-Punishment or pruning Jn 15.2 Every branch that is in me and that bears no fruit, it removes it; and every branch that bears fruit, it prunes it, so that it bears even more fruit.
-Abiding in Christ Jn 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who dwells in me and in whom I dwell bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.
· Closeness to God, abiding in Christ
Jn 15:4-7, 10 Abide in me, and I will abide in you. As the branch cannot of itself bear fruit, if it does not remain attached to the vine, so neither can you, if you do not dwell in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who dwells in me and in whom I dwell bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. 6 If someone does not dwell in me, he is thrown out, like the branch, and he dries; then the branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and they burn. 7 If you dwell in me, and my words dwell in you, ask for what you will want, and it will be granted to you. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and I dwell in his love. 1 John 2:6 He who says he dwells in him must also walk as he walked himself. 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him, that when he appears we may have confidence, and that at his advent we may not be confused and distant from him. 1 Jn 3:6 Whoever dwells in him does not sin; whoever sins has not seen him, and has not known him. 2 Jn 9 Whoever goes further and does not dwell in the doctrine of Christ has no God; he who dwells in this doctrine has the Father and the Son.
· The Power of Prayer
Depends on faith Mt 21:22 Whatever you ask for in faith through prayer, you will receive.
-Is unlimited for those who dwell in Christ Jn 15:7 If you dwell in me, and my words dwell in you, ask what you will want, and it will be granted to you.
-To be effective, must be accompanied by praise Acts 16:25-26 In the middle of the night, Paul and Silas prayed and sang the praises of God, and the prisoners heard them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; at the same moment, all the doors opened, and the bonds of all the prisoners were broken.
Manifested in the life of Elijah Jas 5:18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
-Examples
Jacob Gen 32:27-29 He said to him, “What is your name? And he answered: Jacob. 28 He says again: your name will no longer be Jacob, but you will be called Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have been victorious. 29 Jacob questioned him, saying, “Please do to me, know your name. He replied: Why do you ask my name? And he blesses him there.
Elijah 1 Kings 17:21-22 And he stretched out three times upon the child, invoked Jehovah, and said, Jehovah, my God, I beg you, that the soul of this child should return within him! 22 Jehovah listened to Elijah’s voice, and the child’s soul returned within him, and he was brought back to life.
The evildoer on the cross Luke 23:42 And he said to Jesus, Remember me when you come into your kingdom.
The first disciples Acts 4:31 When they prayed, the place where they were gathered trembled; they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they confidently proclaimed the word of God.
From all the above, we note that we are talking about requests to bear fruit to the glory of God, as true disciples of the one who has borne many of them. In the circumstances of life, it is often difficult to know God’s thought. Is it a healing, or a need related to our material affairs? If we do not know God’s thought on these matters, we can place them before Him in complete submission to His will, as we read in Phil 4. 6: “Do not worry about anything, but in all things expose your requests to God through prayers and supplications with thanksgiving.” So, we leave it to God to act as He sees fit. The certainty of His ever-active love for us will give us rest, knowing that He makes all things work for the good of those who love Him. Our hearts will be kept in peace instead of turmoil under circumstances contrary to our will and we will wait patiently for God to find it good to intervene whenever and as He pleases. Let us not forget that prayer expresses dependence and not our own will. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Trust in the presence of enemies.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.