INTRODUCTION: It’s been said that “imitation is the best form of flattery” – that is to say, that which is esteemed is copied. And on a purely human level, we can and often do copy one another because we see something worthy in someone, something commendable, something we feel should get propagated.
Yet when it comes to the Christian life, while of all people who ever lived, none comes close to the life and heart of Christ Jesus, we cannot imitate Him by our own power or efforts! We need the Holy Spirit (hence one of the primary reasons for the necessity of spiritual rebirth) in order to imitate Christ. Apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to imitate his example as he himself imitated Christ’s own (1 COR 4:16; 11:1).
And it’s a joy to our LORD to see our petitions for Him to enable us in following Him! We need to be intentional in our cultivating the life of Christ in us with all that the LORD has provided us with, and this brings us to JOHN 15!
JOHN 15:1
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Notice that here Christ refers to Himself as “the true vine”, as opposed to a false one, or an unproductive one?
Who else is referred to as a vineyard in Scripture?
ISAIAH 5:1-4
1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst and also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. 3 "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
I believe this is GOD the Father speaking to His “Well-beloved” His only begotten Son, the LORD Jesus. We know that the vineyard referred to in this chapter is Israel (vs. 7), and it was because Israel was not upright in heart before the LORD, that the beginnings of apostasy had taken root that the LORD sent Isaiah the Prophet to them, and warn of coming judgment.
How long did GOD warn Israel and plead with them to turn back to Him? More than 150 years!
So then when the Son of Abraham, the Son of David (MATT 1:1), Y’shua Mashiach (Jesus Christ) came, He did always those things that pleased the Father and indeed brought forth an abundance of the very best of spiritual fruit – and He continues to do so today, through His body, the church!
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