I Am The True Vine

Jesus is the source of true spiritual life and only those abiding in him can produce the fruit that the Father seeks. Are you bearing the fruit the Father is seeking? How do you know? If not, how can you? These are the issues Jesus puts before us when he says, “I am the true vine."

Sermon Outline:

I. The Vine Gives Life to the Branches.

II. The Vinedresser Tends to the Branches.

III. The Branches Bear the Fruit.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever tended a vine or a garden? How does your experience with that inform your understanding of what Jesus teaches in this passage?

2. Pruning is a painful process for us typically. How do Jesus’ words about our Father being the vinedresser comfort us in those times when it feels like good things in our lives are being cut away?

3. What kinds of fruit are evidence of a life vitally connected to Jesus? What should we do if we do not see evidence of this fruit in our own lives (or others’ lives)?

4. What is the difference between obeying God’s commands to gain his love and obeying God’s commands to abide in his love? How is obedience essential to abiding in his love?

5. Read Isaiah 27:1-6. How does this prophecy ultimately find its fulfillment through the ministry of Jesus Christ and his church? (*hint: Leviathan and the dragon are identified with our adversary Satan) If verse 6 is being fulfilled through Jesus and the church.