Over the last six episodes, I have been teaching on the seven “I AM” statements that Jesus makes in the Gospel of John. These statements fit in with the unique perspective of John which is to focus on the deity of Jesus Christ. Show More
The emphasis of these seven statements:
Jesus uses the “I AM” phrase, which identifies Himself as God! The significance of the words “I am” can be found in the book of Exodus when God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush encounter. The Lord gave Moses his assignment to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, and Moses protested at first because he looked at his own insignificance. It is then the Lord promised that he would be with Moses and that the Israelites would believe that God sent Moses. Exodus 3:14, “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” When the Lord said, “I Am,” He was saying, “I am” the ever-existent one, meaning the Lord has no beginning and no end. So, when Jesus used the “I AM” format, He was indicating that He was the Christ or Messiah. The Son of God!
“I AM the true Vine!”
The seventh “I AM” statement in the book of John is, “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5) In this statement by Jesus, He gives us clear instruction on how to live the Christian life successfully. Also, remember that in the previous chapter, John 14, Jesus speaks about the Helper or the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. We are to be led and directed by the Holy Spirit of God, and being led by the Holy Spirit means we must be in a relationship with Him. That is the sense of the word abide or abiding; it is a relational term as we will see in a moment.
Jesus begins His discourse by describing His relationship with the Father. This can sound confusing until we remember that the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a mystery we accept by faith, and the three are one!
John 15:
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Jesus clearly reveals His deity in this verse. We can also see that Jesus uses the metaphor of a vineyard and vineyard owner to illustrate the relationship that every Believer must have with the Lord.
2 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.” The fruit represents our words and deeds as we live our everyday lives representing our God. The Apostle Paul describes the fruit of Christian living in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” This is not just a good memory verse, but the actual working out of a Spirit-led Christian. Notice that the word Spirit in the verse is a capital “S” spirit. This means these traits and characteristics belong to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will always operate this way. So, when faced with a decision on how to react or respond to a situation in life, do it as the Holy Spirit would want you to, with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Here Jesus is speaking to His followers and their acceptance of who He is, the Savior, Messiah, or Christ. They believed His words and signs; we are blessed in that we have His words, and we have the witness of His Holy Spirit living in us. They had not received the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit would not be released until Jesus was resurrected and returned to heaven.
4 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.” Here, we see the importance of “abiding” or being in relationship with the Lord. We can’t be just Sunday morning Christians; we must act out our faith every day in all circumstances of life. We must be aware that we belong to Jesus and that we represent the Lord every moment of the day. The only way to be successful in Christ is to have these three elements as part of our lifestyle: prayer, fellowship with Believers, and of course, reading and meditating upon the Word of God, the Bible.
Prayer must be seen as a dialogue. A dialogue means having a conversation with the Lord. You speak, and He hears, then you wait to hear Him speak, and you listen. Too many simply pray to the Lord and never wait to hear what He has to say. Communication is the heart of relationship.
Fellowship means that your trusted friends are other proven Christians who will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. The Bible tells us that we are in the world, but we are not of the world. This means that our worldview must change from a humanistic mindset to a biblical mindset. It is essential to be in a Bible-believing, Christ-centered, Spirit-led church and involved in your local church. Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” All of this means that we must learn to choose our friends and not let our friends choose us. You may have to break unhealthy relationships with people in the world as well as with so called “Christians” who are truly wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15)! The Bible warns us about making friends with the world, 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”This verse is often used in the context of marriage, but actually applies to all kinds of relationships.
Bible study, reading, and meditation must become a way of life. The Word of God is essential to learning about the character and nature of our Lord. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible is God-breathed; what a powerful statement. Some have described the Bible as God’s Love letter to us! I encourage you to make the study of His Word a priority in your life. The object is not to become a theologian but a lover of Jesus! It is not about how much you know about the Bible but how much of the Bible you have applied to your life. Start in the New Testament, for that is our covenant; even 5 minutes a day is better than nothing.
Now back to our main scripture in John 15.
5 “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. The key idea is that we must stay connected to Jesus in order to fulfill His plans and purposes in our lives. Many Christians do things for the Lord when the Lord wants you to work with Him, not for Him. Many do good deeds of Christian work and ministry, which is a good thing as long as you don’t neglect the God deeds Jesus has called you to. The spiritual work God has called you to cannot be done apart from Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
6 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. Several years ago, I had several very tall trees on my property that were being strangled by heavy growths of vines. At first, I wondered how to get the vines that were near the top of the trees off. I didn’t have a ladder high enough. I am sure you have guessed what I did, to kill off the vines. I had to sever where they were attached on the ground. Once I cut the vines off at the root, the viny growth on the trees began to wither and die, and in short order, I got rid of the vine problem.
Now my trees are happy, and I’m happy! The point of the story is that if you cut the vines off from the source the vine withers and dies. The opposite is also true if the vines are connected to the source, the vines will live. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “I am the true vine.” We must be connected to the “True Vine,” Jesus, to live. When I use the term live in this sense, I don’t mean just to get by, but to thrive because we are spiritually empowered! (The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree – Mark 11:20)
7 If you abide in Me, and My words (rhema) abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” In this verse the phrase “My words” is from the Greek “My rhema” and a rhema word is the spoken word which is confirmed by the scriptures. This means that the Lord will speak to us through the Holy Spirit, and you will know its truthfulness because it is supported by scripture, again reinforcing the importance of knowing the Bible. Listen to what Jesus said in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
Jesus’ purpose was to honor the Father; therefore, if we are in Jesus, we only do those things that honor the Father. We enable His life to flow in and through us by attaching ourselves to Christ. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father.
Conclusion
The Lord only wants the best for you, but you must do things His way. Remember Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The meaning is clear; you cannot fool God; He is able to determine the motives of your heart. The writer Samuel Smiles wrote, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny!” The Lord has a destiny for you, but you must do it His way! He loves you and wants you to experience the fullness of His love.
