Turn please to John 15 and verse 1.

We began last night on this passage talking about the fruitful branch.

The fruitful branch.

And our passage is John 15, beginning in verse 1. I am, Jesus said, I am, one of these great

I am statements. It harkens back to the burning bush when he said, who shall I say sent me? And he said, you tell them I am. And that's where he said who shall I say sent me and he said you tell them I am and

that's where he stopped you just tell him I am well he am what he am too much to say

in one verse and so you begin to see so, I am. And you see these statements all through

the Word of God, He is the resurrection. Hallelujah. He is the light. He's the life. On and on and on.

He's the Lord that heals you. He's the Lord your righteousness. But here's one of those. I am

the true vine. Other translations say

real. The real vine. And my father is the husbandman. My father is the gardener. We see more than one natural illustration that the Lord uses to teach us about how the church is and the body of Christ is spiritually and how we are in our relationship with Him.

And this is one of them.

Our relationship with Him is like a branch on a vine or a limb on a trunk.

And this is, it's a perfect illustration because the Holy Spirit through Jesus gave it to us.

It's not just have some similarities and some that's all, it's perfect

illustration.

This is how it is between us and him.

He is the true vine and the Father is the husbandman.

Verse 2, every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes away.

And every branch that bears fruit, he purges it or prunes or cleanses it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

We talked last night that the Lord expects a return on investment.

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