Amen. Please remain standing and take your Bible together with me. You can use the church Bible if you want. And I will be reading two scripture readings. The first one comes from the Old Testament, Isaiah chapter 5. Isaiah chapter 5, verse 1 to 3. And then I will add number seven to give us the whole picture of what Isaiah is speaking about in Isaiah chapter five. It's concerning the Israelites as divine of God. And our text this morning comes from John 15, verse one to 11. Isaiah five, one, two, three, and then I will skip to verse seven. Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones. He planted it, planted it with choice vines. He built a watchtower in the midst of it. He hewed out a wine vat in it. And he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. Verse 7, For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting. He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed. For righteousness, but behold, an outcry. Now turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 15, where God in His Word shows us who the true vine is. It's a contrast between Jesus, the true vine, that's what He's claiming to be, and that false and corrupted vine, the nation of Israel. John 15, 1 to 11. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He brunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love, these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Amen. Let's pray. Gracious and heavenly Father, the unfolding of your word gives light. It gives insight and instruction to the simple. So this morning, as we hear your word, Lord, we ask you to turn each and every one of us into simple and humble hearers of your word. Lord, help us to treasure your words in our hearts, so that no one from us would sin against you. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Well, before the preaching of the Word of God, I just want to say to all of you, it is good to be back to the church family, you all, and to this pulpit to proclaim the Word of God for the glory of God. I have been away for a mission trip. I joined our General Secretary of the Committee on Foreign Missions, Reverend Douglas Claussen, to visit our missionaries in Uganda as a member of the committee. And I had a privilege to see all the missionaries for whom we have been praying, especially those in Uganda, in Karamoja, in Mbali, at the Bible School. It's one thing to pray for them, but it's really a blessing to see them in action. to see them preaching, teaching, witnessing very exciting work that the Lord continue to do through our missionaries in Uganda. I encourage all of you to continue praying for them. I plan to give a presentation at some point on my mission trip to Uganda. But in the meantime, I want to make sure that you all know that your prayers have been much, much appreciated, and it's always good to come back to my church family. Now, I want you all to imagine a person on whom you rely, on whom you depend almost for everything that you need in this life. Whenever you have a need, you need support, you need guidance, you need hope, it is this person to whom you come, to whom you look to. Then one day, suddenly, this person, your support in life, maybe your only support in life, tells you that death might take him away from you. that at some point, maybe very soon, He might not be around to help you. He might not be around to support you, to guide you, and to give you hope. I'm sure Him telling you that would break your heart. and shatter your hope, and all sorts of questions would come to your mind. Questions like, how am I going to survive now? Who will support me? Who will provide my needs? The news will definitely leave you in desperation and hopelessness. and you will look for some kind of hope and comfort and assurance. You see, when we are in the Gospel of John this morning, the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ were exactly in the same condition. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to leave them. Now remember, the disciples relied on Jesus every moment of their life. He was their support, He was their hope, He was the answer of all their prayers, and He was there in person with them, and He told them, I am going to leave you. Of course, in the upper room, even after he told them that he was going to leave them, Jesus kept instructing them. Jesus kept giving them promises. And one of the greatest promises that Jesus gave them in John chapter 14 and 15 is the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told them, I will leave you, but I'm not going to leave you as orphans. I will come back to you, and I will come back to you as a risen Lord, but also through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will dwell in you to testify that you are indeed the children of God, but also to come alongside of you and to assist you, to help you in your life of prayer, worship, and Christian living. But you see, these disciples were troubled. These disciples were struggling with the reality, with the fact that they will live their life without the presence of Jesus, without the physical presence of their Savior and their Teacher. So in chapter 15, we see Jesus giving them another promise, another assurance. And he tells them, listen, I am the true vine, and you are the branches. We will be together. You are already attached to me. You are already united with me. I am the true vine. Take courage. Don't be discouraged. You are in me. I am in you. We are together in this. I am the true vine. Even in verse 5, notice, I am the vine. You are the branches. He speaks to them about that believer's union with Jesus Christ. You see, He wants to encourage them. He wants to make sure before He dies on the cross, He wants to make sure that His disciples will bear fruit for the kingdom, will bear fruit for the glory of God. So what is the lesson in chapter 15, brothers and sisters in Christ? The main lesson in chapter 15, verse 1 to 11 is those who abide in Christ. Listen carefully, those who abide in Christ by faith. The Father will prune or sanctify them to increase in fruitfulness. to experience answered prayers, and to have the fullness of joy. Do you see your privilege in Christ Jesus? Do you see what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? If you are truly the disciple of Jesus Christ, you are abiding in Him. And if you are abiding in Him, the Father is at work in your life, pruning you, sanctifying you. For you to bear not just fruit, not just more fruit, but much fruit. And you will experience the answers of your prayers, and you will have full of joy in the Christian life. And by God's grace, I want to unfold this wonderful privilege, wonderful provision that you have, you as a Christian, have in Christ Jesus the true vine. Jesus uses three images here. Speaking about, you know, making a reference to himself, he says, I am the vine. Speaking about his father, the vine dresser. Speaking about us, the branches. So you have three images. This is an analogy. This is a picture illustration that Jesus is using, and we'll see why. But as an analogy, Jesus is using three images, the vine, the vine dresser, and the branches. What are they? Why are they here? Why is Jesus speaking in terms of the vine, the vine dresser, and the branches? Let's start with the vine. I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he, the father, takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, he brooms that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Now remember, how chapter 14 ended. But do as the Father has commanded me, but I do as the Father has commanded me so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. That's how chapter 14 ended. Rise and let us go. From where? To where? Well, Jesus was telling his disciples, we're done with the upper room. We will leave the upper room now and go to the garden of Gethsemane, where Judas will betray the master. So rise and let's go to the garden of Gethsemane. It's about the end. It's about Crucifixion now, so let's go. And Bible commentators, many of them say, as Jesus and the disciples are walking through Jerusalem, they were passing by the temple. And at the wall of the temple was a vine, as a symbol of Israel, the vine of God. And Jesus makes this statement, I am the true vine. I am the true vine. In contrast to any other vine, and there are many, many vines in the world. This is not only in reference to Israel as divine, and we will see that in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, Israel is described as a vine, the vine of God. But before we even consider that, you see, Jesus, by using the term, I am, brothers and sisters in Christ, he's claiming to be God. This is the last I am statement in the gospel of John. He's claiming deity. He's claiming to be God. He's telling his disciples, if you need life, I give you that life. I am the creator. I am God. Life flows out of me to you. I give you life. I am the true vine because I am God. He's claiming to be God. But then he makes a contrast. He's making a contrast with Israel as the vine. In Psalm 80, in Psalm 80, verse 8, you brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it. It took deep roots and filled the land. God went to Egypt and he brought Israel as his own vine from Egypt, expecting fruit from her. And in Isaiah chapter 5, you know, the portion of the book of Isaiah that I read for you, God said, I came to my vineyard, I came to my vine expecting fruit. What I found was corruption. What I found was failure. Israel failed me. You see, the system in Israel, the religious leaders in Israel, with their false teaching and the false hope that they were giving to the people, how people might be saved through the keeping of the law. Through that deception, people failed. And God said, I came looking for fruit. In my vine, in my vineyard, I didn't find any. In fact, what I found was wild graves. Life doesn't flow to us, to the people of God, from this vine in the Old Testament, but from Christ. You see, Jesus is saying, I am the true vine for both Jews and Gentiles. You see, God is not forsaking His people. He's not saying, I have forgotten Israel. There is no Israel. No, that's not what Jesus is saying. Because in Romans chapter 1, Paul tells us salvation came to both Jews and Gentiles. In fact, the Bible says, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. We are being engrafted, Paul said, to that old vine, Israel. So this is not a condemnation to all the Israelites. But it points everyone, Jew and Gentile, to Jesus because he is the true vine. What it means is life flows out from Jesus to the children of God. It is who gives life in John chapter 1 verse 4. In him was life, John said. In him was life. I am the true vine. But also he is reminding his people that what Israel failed to do, he's going to do it. He's going to become the light of the world. In Psalm 80, listen to the prayers of the people. Turn again, O God of hosts, look down from heaven and see, have regard for this vine, the stalk that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself. They have burned it with fire. They have cut it down. But let your hand be on the man of your right hand. This is Jesus. The hope of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles. You see the psalmist here represents the people. He's praying, Where is life? In the sun. not in the nation, in the Son. Every nation needs Jesus. Every nation, every individual person finds his life, her life in Jesus Christ, the true vine. Isn't that what Jesus said? I am the way, the truth, and the life. You see, beloved, that's why Jesus is claiming to be the true vine. He is God. Life comes from Him. He sustains life. That brings us to now the second image, branches. Verse 5, I am the vine, Jesus said. and you are the branches whoever abide in me and I in him he it is that bears bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing you see beloved this is this is a wonderful picture of your union with Jesus Christ when a person believes in Jesus Christ When a person repents and believes in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that person, through the work of the Holy Spirit, is united with Jesus Christ. Jesus in him, and the believer in Jesus. You see, this is the believer's union with Jesus Christ. This is the deepest theological message in the Bible. And the greatest privilege that believers have in Christ Jesus, our union with Jesus Christ, becoming one with Jesus. Now let me show you what this union means. First, this union is a living union. It's a living union. Because as branches, you are at attached to Jesus as a true believer. If you have really believed in Jesus, repented of your sin, then you are attached with Jesus as a branch. And you have already received life from Jesus. Jesus said you have already been cleansed by the Word. I have done that cleansing. I have justified you by faith. My Son has reconciled you with me, so you have now peace with God by faith. Justification is the ground of peace with God, being declared as righteous, not guilty because of what Jesus did for you and the cross. It's a living union because it is about receiving nourishment from the vine, as branches through the Word and the Spirit. The preaching of the Word of God, the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we're being nourished as branches. But we need to be attached with Him. We need to be united with Him for Him to function as a vine toward us, feed us, nourish us, sanctify us, grow us in the Christian life. You see what it means to be a branch? Being attached to the vine. So it's a living union, but also it is a loving union. Jesus said, as the Father loved you, I also love you. It's a love relationship. It's a loving relationship. It's unconditional. We love him because he first loved us, the Bible says. You see, it's a loving relationship. He didn't require us to give Him gold or silver to do anything, but believe in Him, repent of our sins. It's a loving relationship, brothers and sisters in Christ. And then it's a lasting relationship. It's a lasting relationship. Once He takes you as His child, as His son, you are His child forever. Not because of what you have done. Not because of anything good in you, but because of what the will of his Father is. You remember in John chapter 6, Jesus said, those whom the Father gives me, I will take them and I will never cast them out. Jesus said, never cast them out. So you see, a living union, a loving union, and a lasting union. But there is something important here that I want us to consider. Because as Jesus speaks about the branches, he speaks about two categories of branches. So you have got branches that bear fruit. You have got branches that does not bear fruit. And let me start with those branches that does not bear fruit. Jesus said, they will be taken away. The Father will take them away. They will be gathered and be burned. It's Jesus' teaching that true believers can lose their salvation. Is that what Jesus is teaching here? If you find yourself in that dilemma, I want you to keep a couple of things in mind. First, every time you think one verse in the Bible is contradicting with another verse, look for the context. What is the context here? You see, in John 15, Jesus is not addressing his disciples about salvation. He's not teaching salvation. They are saved. They are his disciples. And they are true disciples, and he is instructing them, teaching them to bear fruit in the Christian life. John 15, 1 to 11, is about bearing fruit as a Christian. as a true Christian. So the context is important. And secondly, every time you encounter yourself with a verse that is not clear, take what is clear for the unclear. And we have many of them. Listen to Paul in Romans 8.1. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. John 8, 38-39. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depths, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our God. You see, this promise is from God for us. In John 10, 27 to 30, listen to Jesus, what he says about his own people, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." So Jesus here is not teaching about believers losing their salvation. So who are these branches that does not bear fruit? You see, these branches, you know, it all started in the upper room. Jesus told them, there is one among you who outwardly looks that he's attached to me, but he's a false branch, Judas. It started in the upper room. And there are branches like that in our world today. They are even in the church. They look, outwardly they look, they are being attached to the vine. They sing, they become members of the church, they make public profession of faith. So you have all those outward signs, but they are not true branches. They are near to Jesus, but they are not united with Jesus. These are the kind of branches that Jesus is talking about. Even John, in 1 John 2, 19, speaks about these kinds of branches where he says, they went out from us, but they were not of us. If they were of us, they would have remained with us. False branches. might look like they are branches, but they are not true branches. Now let me remind you this. You see, Jesus here is not discouraging obedience. Or as I preach this eternal security of believers in Christ Jesus forever, I'm not encouraging disobedience. Because remember, true saving faith obeys. Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. It's a statement, it's not a conditional statement. It's a statement, a statement of fact. True believers love Jesus and obey His commandments. Are they perfect? They're not perfect. Is there perfection in this life? There is no perfection in this life. That's why, you see, the branches need to be pruned by the Father, so that they would bear more fruit, much fruit. That's why they need the work of sanctification. So we must obey God. But beloved, obedience has never been the ground for justification, the ground for salvation. Obedience is part of the saving faith. Saving faith always obeys. Abraham believed in God, and when God commanded him to sacrifice his son, he obeyed. Faith obeyed. It was part of his faith. And that brings us to the role of the Father, the vine dresser, the vine dresser. Now, why do you think Jesus spoke of His Father as the vine dresser? Why not just verse 5, I am the vine, you are the branches? Why is the father in the picture? Well, the father in the picture, because he's the one who planted our salvation before the foundation of the world. It was the father who gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to come to the world and die for sinners. Not only that, Jesus over and over again tells us that he came to do the will of his father. The Father is the vine dresser. He's the one who tends the plant. And Jesus shows us how the Father tends the plant. Even in John 17, Jesus prayed, sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. This is about the work of sanctification in the life of Christians. So, what's the role of the father as a bind dresser? Well, he has two roles as the father, as the bind dresser. First, he destroys the unfruitful branches. They're good for nothing, so he takes them away. And they will be gathered and be burned, Jesus said. The father is the one who takes them away. So he judges, he destroys those who are not true believers, those who are not true branches. But when it comes to the branches that bears fruits, in chapter one, verse one, I am the vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes. Well, let me ask you this. They are bearing fruit. Why is he? Bruin in them. You and I always struggle with sin, don't we? We struggle with weaknesses, we struggle with sin, the temptation of sin. The Father has a knife. He's the vine dresser. Some of you, you work in your garden. You use a knife to prune your plant. Why do you do that? To cleanse your plant. To purify your plant. To cut off unnecessary stuff from your plant. So the work of pruning by the Father is the work of sanctification. And in sanctification, you and I must obey. Must obey. And when we disobey, then he uses his knife. You see, he sanctifies us by his word, his word is truth, but he uses trials. When we disobey, he uses trials and other means. in life to prune us, to sanctify us. I have met many, many believers in my pastoral ministry who from time to time tells me, I'm glad I was sick. I'm glad I was sick and I stayed home. I read my Bible. I saw my own weaknesses. I believe God had a purpose. When a believer tells you that, what would you say? Amen. Praise the Lord. The believer realizes that his sickness, God had a purpose in his sickness. So trials, persecution, God uses these means. To do what? To prune us, to sanctify us. James in chapter 1, verse 1 and 2 said, Beloved, when you experience trials in life, do not be surprised because your suffering will produce what? Patience, endurance. It will produce much, much fruit. And Peter, in 1 Peter 1, 6 and 7, listen to Peter. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary you have been grieved by various trials. so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." It's like what the psalmist said in Psalm 119, it is good that I have been afflicted. And Job understood this in Job 23, 10. He said, but he knows the way I take. When he has tried me, Job said, I shall come out as gold. When he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. Also, sometimes God uses church discipline to prune his branch. Church discipline is a means of grace. It's a means of love by God upon His children. He disciplines His children. You see, the Father here destroys, but He also cultivates. He destroys, He also sanctifies. Even through discipline sometimes. You know, if you engage our children privately and you ask them to tell you the benefit of discipline in their life, it's good. It's for good. It's pruning. You know, as parents, we prune our children. We discipline them. We cultivate them. so that they would live their life for the glory of God. So the vine dresser, the father, accomplishes this in his own branch, in your life as the branch. Jesus said, I'm the vine, you are the branches. Jesus said, without me you cannot do nothing. Now, I want to finish with pointing you all to the outcome. The outcome of this work of sanctification in the life of the branch, where Jesus said, listen to what Jesus said here, In verse 8, by this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full." First, Jesus said in this process, your prayers will be answered. That's the first blessing. And why is that? How is that? Because as the Father prunes us, sanctifies us, we're going to pray according to His will. We will learn to pray according to His will, and He will answer our prayers according to His will. We will experience answered prayers. But then, the fullness of joy, listen to Jesus, these things I have spoken to you, that my joy, you see, the first joy is my joy, Christ's joy, who who Jesus is for us, what he has done for us, what he's able to do for us are the ground of our joy. So these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full even beyond of your circumstances. So beloved, Rejoice, because you are the branches, and both the Father and the Son are at work in you. You are in these two hands, the Father's hand, the Son's hand. Jesus said, I and the Father are one. Will not let it go. I and the Father are one. You are in good hands. But the question is, are we bearing fruit for him? Are we obeying in our sanctification? Look at your own fruit. God wants you to bear fruit, not just fruit, not just more fruit, but much fruit by abiding in Him, by obeying His will, by obeying the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Amen. Let's pray. A gracious and heavenly Father, as our Savior prayed for us, we also pray. Sanctify us by Your Word. Your Word is truth. O Lord, help us now to treasure everything that we have heard in our hearts. so that no one of us might sin against You, but we would bear much fruit for the glory of Your name. In the name of Christ we pray, amen.