Join In The Mission Of Jesus Series

Where I grew up, our neighbors had a vineyard. I remember playing football in our backyard and stopping to eat so many grapes I would get a stomachache. Also, I have memories of throwing grapes at my sisters – they left great stains on their pretty dresses! For some reason the owner of these grapevines let us gorge on as many grapes as we wanted. When they were ripe, we’d pick pails of them and make grape juice, grape jelly, grape pies, grape brownies, grape fillets, grape lasagna and grape casseroles. We included grapes in everything! They became condiments or the main course, depending on how big the harvest was.

Over time, the owner of the grapevines became sick and was no longer able to take care of his vineyard. The vines became overgrown with weeds and the grapes were smaller. Each year the harvest dropped significantly, until only grape cadavers were available (that’s what raisins are, by the way).

Now, in contrast to our neighbor’s negligent vineyard, the largest grapevine in the world is over 250 years old, located in England, called simply the “Great Vine.”

This vine grows in a greenhouse, where a man and his wife, who serve as the vine keepers, have the responsibility of caring for this magnificent plant. This competent and caring couple do everything they can to keep the vine alive so it will produce fruit – amazingly, this one grapevine still yields between 500 and 700 pounds of grapes each year!

Our topic today is, “Join in the Mission of Jesus” from John 15. Here’s the main idea: If we faithfully follow Jesus, He will make us fruitful.

We’re wrapping up our Discipleship Matters series this weekend. By way of reminder, here’s a summary of what we’ve learned.

1. Discipleship Defined: A disciple is a believer who lovingly follows Jesus and intentionally helps others follow Him.

2. Live in Light of God’s Word: A disciple loves, learns and lives God’s Word.

3. Love Like Jesus Loves: A disciple is one who loves like Jesus loves.

4. Love Jesus Above All: A disciple loves Jesus more than anyone or anything else.

5. Deny Your Dark Side: A disciple must deny self before following the Savior.

6. Daily Embrace the Lord’s Will: A disciple must die to his own desires daily.

7. Follow Jesus by Obeying Him: A disciple is one who follows Jesus no matter what.

Let’s stand and read John 15:1-5, 8 together: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing…by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

By saying He was the vine, Jesus was employing an image very familiar to His followers. He often used elements from nature to illustrate His teaching – water, seeds, soil, wheat, fig trees, flowers and birds. Grapes have always been central to Israel’s agriculture and economy and were found everywhere. In fact, the grapevine was the emblem of Israel, much like the Bald Eagle is for us. Grapes appeared on coins during the period between Malachi and Matthew. At the time of Jesus, a golden vine hung over the entrance to the Temple.

In our culture, it would be as if Jesus were walking through a field of corn or soybeans and drawing life lessons from them. But the image of the vine and its fruit has far deeper spiritual symbolism. The grapevine represented Israel’s fruitfulness in doing God’s work on earth. Psalm 80:8: “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.”

Unfortunately, His people neglected to keep the vine nourished and, as a result, they ended up going wild and losing their fruit. We see this in Psalm 80:12-13: “Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.”

God’s Grape Expectations

God has always had “grape expectations” for His followers. Instead of producing sweet grapes, according to Jeremiah 2:21, His people had offered only sour substitutes: “Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?”