Vine and branch analogies, John 15:1-2.

Title: Vine and branch analogies, John 15:1-2.

 

John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

   

John 15:2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

 

Some analogies of the vine and branches:

 

The branches have unity with the vine. The farthest leaf gets its nutrients from the same source; the roots gather water and nutrients and pass them through the vine.

 

A person may think he is too far from God for salvation, but that is never true, not as long as there is breadth in his lungs.

 

There is also unity among the branches. The branches farthest from the vine need the branches closest and vice versa for a full harvest.

 

The unity or communion with the vine must take precedence over unity with other branches. God emphasis always precedes people emphasis.

 

1 Cor 12:20-21

But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

 

1 Cor 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

 

1 Cor 12:5And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.

 

1 Cor 12:6And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.

 

1 Cor 12:7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

 

1 Cor 12:8For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;

 

1 Cor 12:9to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

 

1 Cor 12:10and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.

 

1 Cor 12:11But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

 

1 Cor 12:12For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.

 

1 Cor 12:13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

 

1 Cor 12:14For the body is not one member, but many.

 

1 Cor 12:15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.

 

1 Cor 12:16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.

 

1 Cor 12:17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

 

1 Cor 12:18But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

 

1 Cor 12:19And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

 

1 Cor 12:20But now there are many members, but one body.

 

1 Cor 12:21And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

 

1 Cor 12:22On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;

 

1 Cor 12:23and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness,

 

1 Cor 12:24whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,

 

1 Cor 12:25that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

 

1 Cor 12:26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

 

1 Cor 12:27Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.

 

1 Cor 12:28And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

 

1 Cor 12:29All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?

 

1 Cor 12:30All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

 

1 Cor 12:31But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

And I show you a still more excellent way.

 

The greater gift from God is impersonal unconditional love, without which the spiritual gifts do not function.

 

1 Cor 13:1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 

1 Cor 13:2And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

 

1 Cor 13:3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

 

1 Cor 13:4Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

 

1 Cor 13:5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

 

1 Cor 13:6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

 

1 Cor 13:7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

1 Cor 13:8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

 

Some have taken this to mean that the church should have an overt showing of unity and they attempt to press the church into some hierarchy or business like organization. Sometimes this is emphasized in fellowship, one Christian with another, laying aside false doctrine to have an overt showing of unity. This is a lie a deceit.

 

Organizations like the World Council of Churches and some of the larger denominations forgo the truth of sound doctrine to show themselves to be an organization. Churches that emphasize people over God emphasize organized social events as well as groups or clubs above the teaching of sound doctrine.

 

What they fail to understand is what is revealed plainly by Christ and is visually magnified in this analogy, and that is that unity comes from sound doctrine shared amongst those within the church, whether they fellowship or not, whether they are friends or social or not, or whether they exist in the framework of some church organization which is visible to others.

 

[slide: Islam, peace, male female evolution, Judaism, Wiccapaganism, BuddhismTaoismConfucianism, Christianity.]

 

The church is one organic whole body with Christ as its Head and it is supernaturally held together through the baptism of the HS.

 

The church is not an organizational chart. Every member is known to the head and they are members of the body, every one who believes in Christ, whether they attend a church or not.

 

But the vine and the branch analogy pertains to abiding in Christ which is communion with Christ through the filling of the HS and PVTD.

 

We can see this because some of the branches are thrown out and that does not mean loss of salvation, but rather loss of communion. And so the unity of the body is in reference to like mindedness that is the spiritual experience of the believer, which is in addition to the position of the believer.

 

Phil 2:2

make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

 

Not all believers have this because not all believers are positive towards the word of God and there are those who quench and grieve the Holy Spirit.

 

Resultant unity is not a church picnic or the world council of churches, but each of us fulfilling our election and personal sense of destiny. Impersonal love is not overt, but a system of thinking where there is no judging, no maligning, no gossip, and a lack of MASs amongst like minded believers.

 

EPH 4:13

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.

 

COL 3:12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

 

COL 3:13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

 

COL 3:14And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

 

COL 3:15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

 

It takes a monumental amount of sound doctrine and the humility of inculcation for this to be a reality. This soars far beyond any human organization or social event.

 

There are inner branches that are in the path of feeding outer branches and the inner branches enjoy the same harvest from the fruit of the outer branches.

 

This means that for those who abide in Christ there is unity with the brand new believer, the believer of 50 years, and those long dead, even the apostles.

 

Dying branches draw nutrients from the other branches without bearing fruit. God is extremely patient in giving them time to recover, but if they continue then eventually they will suffer under divine discipline and be taken away from the vine. This is not in judgment or wrath, but in anticipation of recovery for much fruit production, unless the believer has gone so far as to experience the sin unto death.

 

Types of divine discipline: warning discipline, intensive discipline, and dying discipline.

 

John 15:2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

 

The positive believer is dealt with by the Father, the vinedresser, who with His pruning hook ministers suffering for blessing. This removes any excess that might be drawing energy away from fruit production.