Introduction: Matchless means peerless; no equal; unsurpassed. When we speak of God’s love for us, it is matchless. Our text is in the middle of what is called the Farewell Discourse of Jesus. The content stretches from John 13–15. It was the night of his betrayal. In an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem, Jesus met with his disciples, washed their feet, instituted the Lord’s Supper, predicted his betrayal and denial, and promised the Holy Spirit. The words are tender and drip with emotion. The genre follows the typical farewell address forms in the Bible and during Jesus’ time. The theme of the evening is love. In fact, love appears around 43 times from John 13–21.
Unsurpassed Productivity
John 15:1-8 KJV
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Out text begins with yet another “I am” claim from Jesus. Perhaps as they anticipated the walk to the Garden of Gethsemane from the Upper Room, the metaphor of the vine was generated. Jesus said, I am the true vine. The vine was a familiar image in the Jewish reservoir of understanding. They viewed themselves as God’s vine in the world (Isaiah 5:1-7). But nowhere inside or outside of the Bible can we find evidence of someone saying that they were the true vine. Jesus may well have been claiming that he is the New Israel. The details of the imagery are easily discerned: God is the gardener and the one who does the pruning. Jesus is the true vine, and disciples are the branches. Vines produce fruit. The best fruit in the Christian experience is love. Jesus marked out two keys to the production of matchless love. The first is to abide (remain). The word remain appears 11 times in our text with 8 of those times being in these first 8 verses. To love like Jesus we must receive the love of Jesus. This is done best by constantly abiding in him. We must remain in the vine. The second is to be pruned. In God’s vineyard it is not just the old worn-out branches that get cut out. The healthy branches he also cuts back (literally, lifts and separates). The goal in pruning is to make the branches even more productive. Jesus also marked out three results of this production of matchless love. First we learn that by abiding in Jesus we avoid judgment. While all people will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), those who stay connected to the vine get a free pass on judgment. Second, we have the prospect of answered prayer. This promise seems wide open: ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. No strings attached? But remember that if we are abiding in the vine, we most likely will not ask for anything that is not in line with the Father’s wishes. Third, we prove ourselves to be disciples of Jesus. Disciples stay connected to the vine to bear fruit (a phrase that occurs 8 times in this passage). This fruit of matchless love gives evidence of our discipleship.
Unsurpassed Sacrifice
John 15:9-17KJV
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Matchless love produces a bumper crop. But matchless love also shows up in tremendous sacrifice. Jesus got intimate in this section of our text. He spoke about the closeness he has with his Father, and he invites believers into that intimacy by being their friend. The Father loves the Son. The Son loves the disciples. The disciples love each other. Often this love takes the path of most resistance. It involves sacrifice, but that thought is not oppressive. When love is in high gear, sacrifice is actually a joy. Jesus wants our joy meter running high. Sacrifice is what creates intimacy. Is there a greater way to demonstrate love than through sacrifice? Jesus removed any awkward distance by calling those who love him and remain in him friends. There is a difference between a friend and a servant. Servants serve because they must. Friends serve because they want to serve. Jesus chose the disciples to be his friends. He bridged that gap with them by giving himself on the cross. Sacrifice also leads to greater productivity in prayer. As it is in John 15:7, so it is in v. 16. God answers our prayers because we are his kids—not because we always do everything he wants. Jesus loves us so much, it hurts.
