Joseph Prince — Let Go and Flow in the Vine Life
I'm very particular about the New Testament, the new covenant reality for the believer is that you don't live by the law, you live by grace. You live by resting in the power of the Holy Spirit who worketh in you, both giving you the willingness and the performance of his good pleasure.
God gives you the desires, all right, to do what he wants you to do, and then he gives you--even the performance doesn't come from you. He gives you the performance just like he gives you the desires. It is God who works in you. You work out your salvation, not work for salvation, work out.
Praise God. John 15, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser." Our Lord says, "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. I am the true vine."
Why did Jesus say, Now, remember that he was talking to his disciples. At this point in time, they were all Jewish disciples. Now, obviously it's the upper room discourse, which this is part of. The upper room discourse is for the church, amen.
The Sermon on the Mount strictly speaking is for the kingdom of God. They were suspended because they rejected the king, all right? But the discourse of the upper room, just before he was crucified, the night that he was to be crucified, right, the day after, he gave to the church what we call the upper room discourse. The entire thing is for the church. But do keep in mind that the Gospel of John, this is the Gospel of John, the Gospel of John has seven miracles or signs recorded in it.
The miracles are called signs. And these signs is for the nation of Israel. For example, the first sign-- now, the Bible says that John himself said by the spirit which if every one of them was written area of the things which he said and did, "I suppose," John says, "even the books in the world cannot contain all that was said and written." All right?
But the Holy Spirit chose seven For whom are these signs given to? The nation of Israel. The very first one, six water pots of water for the purifying of the Jews, amen? Six the water--six water pots, number of men. And Jesus turned the water into wine, amen. So, Judaism is like water, but Jesus' grace will turn the water into wine.
The first miracle of Jesus, turning water into wine. The first plague of Moses, who represents the law, was to turn water into blood, resulting in death. Jesus, the first miracle of grace is to turn water into wine, resulting in celebration and life. So, the law was given by a servant, Moses, but grace and truth came by our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen?
And Jesus said that the servant does not abide forever in the house, but the Son abides forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed, amen. So, the Lord says, "I am the true vine," why? Because in the Old Testament, Israel was a type of vine to supply the knowledge of God, all right, for all the nations round about. But they failed.
And in Psalms 80, we see that psalmist says to God, "You have brought a vine," that's Israel, "out of Egypt. You have cast out the nations, and planted this vine," Israel. But Israel failed.
The prophet Isaiah refers to Israel as a vine in many places in the book of Isaiah. You find him talking about Israel as a vine, but Israel failed. So, Jesus came. In John 15, Jesus says, "I am the true vine." John 15, "And my father is the vinedresser." Okay. In verse 5 now, "I am the vine, you are the branches." Verse 5, "I am the vine, you are the branches."
Now, as believers, we are all connected to the Lord Jesus. We are the branch of the living vine. The problem is that we are trying to be the vine. When the Lord has made us the branch, which part of the tree does the fruit grow on? The branch, all right?
Like the grapes, for example, these luscious grapes that you see up here. Can you see the branches? We are the branch. All of us are the branches of the true vine of our Lord Jesus.
The vine and the branches are one. In fact, the vine tree is a very interesting tree. It is not a tree like a trunk with branches, okay? It literally has no trunk. It is made of winding and clinging vine branches.
Jesus says, "I am the vine, I am the supplier. You are the fruit-bearing part. You are the part that bears the fruit. You are not to be the supplier, you are not to be the producer, you are not the one responsible. I am the one responsible. Your part is just bear it. Bear the fruit. Manifest the fruit."