Dear people, will you please open your Bibles to the Book of John, Chapter 15. And will you please follow along as I read the first 11 verses of John, Chapter 15. 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 bears fruit he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me and my word abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, I have also 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 so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. we come to the last of the seven I am statement of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is what we find in the first verse. I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. I am the true vine. Now up to this point, the very I am statements that the Lord Jesus Christ made, if you think back to them, they indicate something that he was doing. They say, he says, I am the light of the world. He says that he is the bread. He is truth. And it goes on. But now Jesus does something different in this one. He does say, I am the true vine. But there's more here. In the other I am statements, Jesus is telling what he is to his people. and how they grow. Remember, even in the one, I am the resurrection and the life, what he does, and he's the one who's given. But now this particular I am statement, Jesus now is indicating what happens, that he is something, but there is something that we are also doing. And the other ones, he's basically telling us who he is and what he does for us. But now he states what we will be doing. He says, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. In this section of John's gospel, he's focused upon the night when the Lord Jesus Christ took the Passover meal with his disciples, which began back in John chapter 13. And John doesn't give us anything about the Lord's Supper itself, the institution of the supper. He just tells us what goes on and took place at that time. John skips over the Lord's Supper and goes into Jesus and how he is intimately attached to his people and what he's doing there. There is a question of whether Jesus was focused upon the wine of the Passover meal when he brings the metaphor of the vine, which grapes is what come from the vine. Some of the commentators look at it, but some of them say clearly it is not clear that Jesus is doing this. But there are biblical reasons for the analogy of the vine, and they all see this. The vine is one of God's Old Testament pictures that he used to illustrate the nation of Israel. Therefore, it seems very clear that Jesus was teaching the disciples a truth of who they were and who their lives now rest upon, and who is the one who's going to take care of the New Testament saints. He says, I am the true vine. And my father is divine dresser. He comes again with that powerful statement, I am. It means that I am all that I am. It means the same thing what God told Moses to tell the people, I am sent you. And so Jesus says here, this I am focused upon Jesus' exhortation of communion with him and fruitfulness in the life of the believer. He goes back and saying that unattachment to me, you have nothing. Your fruitfulness is gonna come from being attached to me. The first thing we see here is a description of himself. He says, I am the true vine. There is the belief again of the seems to be appropriate that Jesus is not focused upon the fruit of the vine as indicate. But therefore, the question is, what is Jesus actually focusing upon when he brings up this analogy of the vine? Well, it seems to be pretty clear if we read through the text to the very scriptures. It is the belief that Jesus is looking back to Israel, God's chosen people, where the image of the vine is used as God's chosen people. I want you to turn with some texts with me. Turn, first of all, to Psalm 80. And here we will find that he comes up, God is, showing us as far as the word of concern is in this psalm. In Psalm 80, God implored to rescue his people from their calamities. They have gone into sins and gone so far down that God said he had to bring them back. And he says in verse 1, ho, give ear, shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your power and come to save us. Oh God, restore us and cause your face to shine upon us and we will be saved. And so here, the thought of the psalmist, but notice what he goes down and he says in verse eight and follow him. You removed a vine from Egypt, speaking about the nation, and drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground before it, and it took deep root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shadow, and all the cedars of God with its boughs or branches. It was sending out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the river. Why have you broken down its hedges, that is, what is around it to keep those from coming in, animals or whatever, so that all who pass through that way pick its fruit? A boar from the forest eats it away. and whatever moves in the field feeds on it. Oh God of hosts, turn again now. We beseech you, look down from heaven and see and take care of this vine, even the shoot which your right hand has planted and on the son whom you have strengthened for yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down. They perish at the rebuke of the continents. Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, upon the son of man whom you made strong for yourself. Then he shall not turn back from you. Revive us and we will look upon your name. O Lord God of hosts, restore us, cause your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved. Here the psalmist is saying Israel has gone into such a deep declension of sin that it is no longer a fruitful vine given to God and regarded said it ought to be giving. No, they didn't have anything and would not do anything for the truth of God. And again, Isaiah chapter five, and turn there with me, verses one to seven, we find here, the prophet is saying the same thing. I want to give you this and see where the whole idea, the imagery of the vine comes from. Because seeing that, we will understand what Jesus and what Jesus is saying. Isaiah chapter five, notice in verses one to seven. Let me sing now for my well beloved a song, I'm sorry, yeah, a song of love. A song of my beloved concerning his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard of a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, and planted it with the choice's vine. And he built a tower in the middle of it, and also hewned out a white vat in it. Then he expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones. Oh how, and how, and now, excuse me, oh habitation of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes, Did it produce worthless ones? So now, let me tell you what I'm going to do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed. I will break down its wall, and it will become trampled ground. I will lay its waste. It will not be pruned or hoed. but briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no more on it." And you see, in the Old Testament, Israel was God's vine. And what God is saying here, that it turned away from being the one who's following God, so he no longer is going to deal with them as a vine. But Jesus says, I am the true vine. So what do you think he's speaking of? He's speaking of the fact that Israel would not do anything that would show God who it was. So therefore, Jesus says that he is the one. He's the one now who will take the nation in view. He's the one that looks at Israel and say, Israel is now turned away from God, has nothing to do with them. The nation which God has chosen, his chosen people would display his holiness and his love and all to the world has sinned turned into wicked sin and turned away from God. So Jesus says. I am the true vine. Jesus is saying everything that God is and what he meant and what he was doing by sending his word into the world by his chosen people is now being changed. It's going to come now, not through Israel, but it's going to come through another way. And he said here, it's going to come through Jesus Christ. He says, I am the true vine. And why does he use the word true? Well, the real, the genuine, the one that now you look to. He is saying, I myself am the vine, the real vine, the genuine. He is saying that he is the one that points back to people, to God himself. He is the one that will take them to God. He is the special people. His chosen people will now find a route to God. The chosen people will be a fruitful vine for all the nations around them. They will see who he is. All the nations of the world would come to this vine. Jesus says, I am the one who is able to do and will do what God intends as the blessing of his chosen ones. Salvation and blessings are coming through Jesus, or he's saying it's coming through me. This is the plan of God. I am the only way of peace with God. Israel was not the real genuine vine. I am the true vine. All that the Father is going to do for the blessing of his people will be done through me. And so that's the first thing we find with Jesus says here, but the second thing we find with three things and I should have said, I'm only going to go down to verse three this morning, but we see another thing. We see there's a description of his father's work in the life of the Christian. Jesus describes his father's work. Look at verse two. Every branch in me, I'm sorry, first he said, my father is the vine dresser. Then he says, every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. And he says here, what his father is going to do. His father is the vine dresser. Jesus goes immediately to the Father's work in the life of his people. He is the vine dresser. That word we have here is really a farmer, is a husbandman, one who takes care till the ground and takes care of the soil and do all this necessary so the product would grow. And so he said his father is that he is the vine dresser. He is the one who's going to do the work in the vine itself. He indicates that the vine consists of himself and the branches. We can see that the spiritual relationship is very unique between Jesus and those he came to save. I am the true vine. My father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me. Jesus says this is the connection you have with true Christians. This is the reality of what a child of God is. He or she is not just wandering around speaking some spiritual stuff. or attend a church every now and then, or maybe attend a church and become there. Jesus says this is much deeper than that. This last I am, Jesus is saying who we are in Him and what is going and taking place spiritually in our lives. We can see that the spiritual relationship is very unique, and that they are also the father's concern, meaning the vine itself and what's going on. It was the father who gave the son, and he said the son would come. John 3.16, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. And that was for the purpose of bringing those to himself. It was the father who answered the son's request to send the Holy Spirit to even to the people. Over in John 14, you need not turn there. Verse 16, I will ask the father and he will give you another helper that he may be with you forever. and he calls him the Spirit of Truth. The picture is a keeper of a vineyard doing the necessary work to make sure there is a good harvest of fruit. Jesus says, I am the vine, the true vine, but my father is the vine dresser. Jesus is saying here the father's relation with of his very close and what he is doing. He's making sure actual fruit is being born from each one who's attached to Jesus Christ. Then he tells what the actual work of the father is in the Christians daily life. Notice what he says in verse two. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. The first thing we say, every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. The vine dresser will cut away the branches that have no fruit on them. Jesus saying that the Father rejects or gets rid of branches that are fruitless. We understand the metaphor is a picture of the physical fruit and the spiritual fruit. Here, God is saying, Christ is saying, as we look at you, God looks at each and every one of them. He sees spiritual fruit in us. He sees what we're doing and how we're living as men and women in faith. And he said, this is the very thing God looks at. Jesus is saying that the Father rejects confessing Christians who bear no spiritual fruit. or show, and I could say, some physical fruit. How do we act and react to one another? John the Baptist told the Pharisees and the Sadducees to bear fruit in keeping with repentance, Matthew 3 and 8. Note that Jesus says here, every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. He is saying, that it is God that deals with the fruitless, professing Christian. It is God that will take the one who claims he is attached to Jesus Christ, but is not, and he says he takes it away. And the life of an unconverted person is proven by no spiritual growth. He is removed from the vine. Jesus is saying here, one who thinks he or she is saved, and he or she may have joined a church. In other words, indicating, given a picture, attached some way to the vine. But nothing has happened in that person. And they wind up, there's no real life in them. So what happens? He says, God takes them away. And dear people, I can look back in my Christian life. And I can see many who have been in churches. And I can see many that they have been there, who have come along looking pretty good and working as good, solid Christian men. But then before long, you hear that they wound up leaving the church on drugs and dead somewhere. And that has been a fact. And so here Christ is showing this is very serious. He comes to this last I am, and he's showing that this is nothing to play around with. But those who bear fruit, they will remain. He said, those who does not bear fruit, he's going to deal with them. He's going to take them away. Then he says another thing, in every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. And here God is saying, Christ is saying, there is a wonderful work that goes on to those who truly believe and belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. The picture is pretty clear. The father looks at the vine, and seeing branches that have fruit on them, he cuts away what will be moving and taking away some of the nutrients that will come up to that particular vine, that branch, and give it nice succulent fruit. They're called, as we and those who work around the farmers, they're called, these little spurts that come up, they're called suckers. And what they do, they bring out the whole vitamin stuff that's going to go up to the fruit. So the father says, he comes and he cuts those away. these little growths that take away the life of the branch. The pruning work done by the Father aids spiritual growth and maturing in the Christian's life. Jesus is saying, here, you need to know I am and who I am. You need to know your connection to me and what is taking place. The fruit being spoken of are good motives, desires, spiritual virtues, works. and deeds that come from faith and love in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is for a heart that focuses upon God's love and humbly submits to his word and his law. This is speaking of the deeds and the words that Paul said were the main purpose of our salvation. And he indicates that in Ephesians 5 and 9, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth. This is the kind of fruit. The writer to the Hebrew speaks of fruit also. All disciples, all disciplines, excuse me, for the moment seems to be joyful. but sorrowful yet to those who have been trained by it. Afterwards, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." The Bible is not saying that we go through life and just kind of mosey along from one level of sanctification to another. God is working in us to produce sanctification. Hebrews 13 and 15, through him, then let us continue offering up sacrifices of praises to God that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name. It is the Father, he is the one. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. But it also says what the father does. He removes non-producing branches. He says that. He takes the very father, what he does, he takes them away. The description of the spiritual state of description of Christian are shown here. You are already clean because of the words which I have spoken to you. Here he says, there is fruit, and those fruit will be wonderfully made. Jesus says here, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. And this is what the Lord is going to do. Jesus tells us that even this is what takes place. And he tells 11 at this particular time is that, and he believed Judas is already gone at this point, that they received a blessing that they made them go good fruit, and that they will be fruitful from the Father's pruning work that'll take place in them. And this is the very thing we see and understand. You are already clean, he says then in the next verse. He's indicating to them that you already have the fruit Jesus is saying. Remember the situation at that time in the upper room. Jesus gets up, he takes a towel, and he says he's gonna wash their feet. And but what he does is that Peter, he comes over to Peter. Peter says, no, you're not gonna wash my feet. In other words, you're not gonna belittle yourself to washing my feet. And Jesus said, you know, if I don't wash your feet, you will not be clean. And so Peter says, well, not just my feet, my head and my hands too. In other words, wash me all then. And he said, you're already clean. indicating that the truth has come to you. The power of sanctification has already come to you. And so Jesus is indicating here that this is the very thing. Everything that needed to be done has been done. And he goes that in that last verse, abide in me, excuse me, you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Now Jesus said it was him who has given them what they needed. It was he was the one that has taught them. Sanctification, sins forgiven, blessedness, covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, all came through what Jesus himself had given to him. He said, all this comes to them by faith. One reason, we know that, because that's what we find in John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. So he says, you believe that word, you have faith in who I am, that I've come, so you have it then. But he says also, that word which came for he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, and you see me as that. You have given me your word, your understanding, your love has come to me, meaning God himself has raised you up. with who he's the one who come and he gives the spirit and you have the spirit, but also those who have have this sanctification. You are clean really meaning being sanctified. You're also justified. You have been justified by the word of God and by what Christ has done. It says in Romans 5 8 and 9. But God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. All these graces have been received by the Christian. The process of gradual cleansing, which is sanctification, will continue in the believer's life until he is taken home to glory. Your cleansing is because you have heard the word of truth, Jesus said. God opens your heart to the gospel and you are saved by the death of Jesus Christ. These first three verses, I am the vine, The true vine, he says, I am the only one. There's none like me. Yes, there was that vine back in Israel in that day. But no, that was not the true vine. Israel could have, as a nation, never have been divine. But I am the true vine. But he goes and he says, the father is the one who is taking care of the vine. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. And then he could say, you're already clean. And otherwise, you 11 who are here right now, you are clean. You are mine. You belong to me. But all of this points to something, as I say. Here, Jesus, now with this great I am, he is saying to us, there's something that is going to take place here, and we will see that. We get to more of it later on. But what is Jesus saying, even in these first three verses? Jesus, he says, he is divine. He is the one that gives life to the believer. And that very imagery, I can't help it keeps coming to my mind, even while I was doing this is a bunch of grapes, you know, and you see the grapes on there and basically. that sometimes you buy some grapes and you taste one. It tastes pretty good. And you're eating up. And you happen to get this other guy over here. You want to spit him out. He's worth nothing. Can't help but think about it. And that's what he's saying here. He got this picture here. And the picture is that there is a vine. And there are fruit on this vine. And God is the one who is caring for the vine. He is the one who's taking, doing what needs to be done to each of the branches that goes up. Each one has something. He makes it clear, a clear distinction that he is the true vine. There's no one else but him. He's the one now. Jesus Christ in us, he pitches himself as where we get our actual life from as a vine, as branch connected to the vine. That's where we get our life from. And we know he's talking about spiritual life. His life is supplied through us, come to us through Jesus Christ, who is the branch that we're connected to. He makes it clear that all that we have is gonna come from him, which is a true vine. He has been God's promised blessing from all eternity. It was never God's plan that Israel would be the salvation of his chosen people from every kindred, tongue, and tribe. It was going to be by him who was Jesus Christ. Remember, Paul tells us he had chosen us, God the Father, even before the foundation of the world. So Jesus knew what he was going to do. He knew what he would come and do. Jesus is teaching us that our spiritual growth comes from our attachment to him. Many people think and say, well, I go to church. Like that is all that takes to be a Christian. Some people are going to church and they're gonna find out that that is didn't get it. Going to church does not make a person a Christian. Just as Jesus is saying, being connected to Israel does not save. Going to church does not make one do the things that he or she think he ought to do. There are many thinking today that the place that they are and what they're doing, they're thinking that God is there with them, God is looking at them, God is helping them, but they are so far away from God. So they give false hope. And they're those who teach and preach and saying that this is the way to God, come this way, do this and do that way. But they're doing nothing but leading sinners into a false hope and into their souls into hell. Jesus says, I am the true vine. Meaning salvation is only through connection to him, the true vine. But then he goes on, he says, my father is the vine dresser. The work of cultivating is being done by God himself. He is the only one who is taking care of the vine. He is the one who's making sure all is there. He prunes us that we will bear more fruit. There is an ongoing work that is taking place in the life of a Christian. God is inspecting our lives and he is doing what needs to be done to make us more like his son, Jesus Christ. Dear people, we are not just living in this life. Jesus Christ came into the world and died for us took that horrible death for us and then gonna let us sort of float along through life and hope that we get there like some used to say in the old days, I'm gonna get to heaven anyhow. No, you're not. That's not going to be the thing. Jesus is telling us here that God is intricately in the work of our salvation. God has not given us. He is sitting on the throne doing nothing. Christ sings here. He is the one. He's doing what is necessary. God is in the business of a fruit inspector. How about you this morning? Is he looking at you? What does he see? That's what he's saying. God is here. He's a fruit inspector. He is looking at what fruit we have and evaluating it. and he is improving what needs to be improved. The spiritual growth comes from the work of God in the soul. So here we find what Jesus is saying, what God himself is doing, he's watching each and every one of us. He knows our lives, he knows all about us. He is the one who brought us into the world. He's the one who saved us and brought us to Christ. He knows. We are not doing something that the Father don't know. We don't have to come and tell the Father what we did. He knows before we even tell Him. When we go and confess our sins, He expected that. He says, He's the one. He evaluates the fruit. And he is the one improving what needs to be improved. Our spiritual growth comes from the Lord's work in our heart. Now that is a fact, dear people. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Doesn't matter what a person thinks about him or her being a Christian. Doesn't matter what they're doing in this life. If he is not in him, he takes it away. In other words, we won't know and we'll see when that may take place. That may take place as I indicated in this life. It may be all the way up to the end. Lord, Lord, haven't I? Depart from me. I don't even know you. And this is the truth of it. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." Dear people, that is a wonderful thing to know and understand, that here as we see ourselves, true, solid Christians, we're loving Christ and we're living for Christ Jesus, then what Christ says here, that God has not left us as somewhere on the vine there, and just trying to get along by ourselves, the Lord himself, God, he's looking at us, and we see, and he sees precious fruit, real fruit, and he's going to do all that needs to be done in order to bring us to more glory in him, and to produce even more fruit. And this is what our Lord is stating to us. This is what we say, every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. That should make you and I think about what kind of fruit is coming for me. It should make the Christian see and understand, what is there to be done? What do I need to do? How am I living to the glory of Christ? Well, one of the things we can say, if you want to talk about fruit, open your Bibles when you get a chance, through the course of a day. And I would even say every day. And look at Galatians 5.22, and see what Paul tells us there. These fall into that category of fruit, and there are other ones, you know, loving God's word, and so on and so forth. But he says there, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Dear people, we can look at ourselves and we can even say, am I showing the kindness of a Christian to my Christian brother or sister? Am I faithful to all that I'm doing? Am I one that I have self-control? Is there love and joy in my heart for who I am? We can look at those words and just see for ourselves who we are. And we can know in some cases whether God needs to do some pruning work here. We shouldn't fool ourselves. I'm talking about true Christians now. Yeah, sin is going to hold on to us, but what are we doing about it? Are we being satisfied? I remember Back in the church I was in the beginning, before I got saved, you know, and everyone talking about how they are and this and that. And if they did something wrong, you know, basically, man, he would argue all the time. Well, that's just the way I am. Well, you're going to hell the way you are, too. If you can't get along, dear people, you can't get along with brother and sister, because think about, look at the imagery again. We're all stuck together on the same line. We are attached to Jesus. There's no such way that we as brethren of one another can't have love and fellowship with one another. If this is true, what Christ is saying, anybody who says he's a member of a church and can't be united to the people, he has a problem. It's a problem. Jesus says it clearly here, all those who belong to him, And he say that he is the true vine. And those who are branches are attached to him. And those branches bring forth fruit. And the bearing of the fruit are those things which give quality to their lives and also gives glory to God and who he is. The spirit of love comes forth. Joy is in the heart of a Christian. Oh, sometimes we should be those when we hear something about Christ or even sometimes you're listening to the radio and some spiritual song, you're about to cry with joy because of the words that are being said. They touch you so deeply. You can't go through life and it is sad and you don't know anything about Christ and claim you are a Christian. He says, this is what we need. And Paul tells us, this is what we could see. We could look at those fruit and say, okay, that should be coming forth for me. And also God, the Father, looking at us. And he is saying, I see something there that needs to be cleaned away. And he'll do it. And if we have that thing still going on months, and sometimes years, and it's not getting cleaned away, we need to question ourselves. Are we truly connected to Christ? And we need to go to our knees and pleading God and asking him, Lord, let me know right now if I am. But I believe that there's some who are not that far away. They have a sense that they're just going through the motions and not really attaching love. But Jesus, he ends off this very chapter, this section I'm going, in verse 3. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Jesus is saying those who are his people those who he have chosen. They are clean. You're already clean clean here means the cleansing power of the gospel has taken hold of you and it's doing his work. The new life in Jesus Christ is the very thing that is seen by you. Those 11 in the upper room could know they could be the ones who would be with Christ. They didn't know all they were going to go through, but they knew who he was. They were truly saved in the kingdom of God, and they had the sense of that. Dear Christians, I say to you this morning, examine yourself. We ought to be doing that. We are told by Paul to do that in several places. Examine ourselves. Not just say, okay, I came to Christ on a certain day and I'm a Christian. How are we living? Has there been progress? Has there been fruit bearing? Have we grown? And this is what we ought to do, examine ourselves. You must be able to say from your heart, I know that I am saved because Christ died for me. You couldn't say that with some kind of hope onto it and hoping that that's not the case. I know the work of spiritual growth is taking place in me. Now, I must say, give a little note here, too. There are those who can be real Christians and can be stumbling along the way, but they need to have more faith in Christ, and they need to find themselves closer, and they're pleading more to Christ. And some of that is right. But that's, I believe, that's the one who would say that when Jesus look and he sees the fruit, he cuts away the stuff that gets in the way of spiritual progress so that they can grow more. Oh brethren, look at this. I am the true vine. My father is the vine dresser. And I only did the first three verses here. We're gonna go to verse 10. On this subject of Jesus' fame, he is the true vine and his father is the one who's the vine dresser. May God bless you. May he cause you to look at this and see and think about who you are. What is coming forth from you today? And I don't have a doubt that some will definitely say it is true fruit coming out me. I believe there are true fruit coming out many of you. And let us say to know that God, here I am with Jesus Christ. I'm attached to him. I'm saved by what he's done. And then maybe we do this. Dear Heavenly Father, come and prune even more to make me more like your son. Our blessed God in heaven, we look to this and we ask your mercy and your understanding. As we look to your word, Jesus, we see what you're telling us here. And we do have a sense of the truth of it. And we thank you, Lord, that you have done what is necessary to bring sinners to yourself and to have them that will be the trophies for your father even later in heaven. Father, we ask that what the passage says here, that that work will be done in our hearts and that we will be able to know truly that we are truly connected to divine, even Jesus Christ, our Savior.