I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Introduction — “The Gospel According to Motown (and Ma Bell)”

Back in the day of homesteading, some of my relatives lived on a farm.

It was a big day when the telephone company finally strung wire out to the countryside, hooking up rural America to the world.

These early installations usually involved what they called a party line.

Several homes shared the same wire — so if you picked up the receiver and listened carefully, you could hear what was happening down the road before anyone else.

If you were discreet, you didn’t need CNN.

You just needed a quiet room, good ears, and a finger that didn’t jiggle the receiver.

It was the original social media.

Information traveled fast.

So did gossip.

And once something made it onto the party line, you could never pull it back.

That’s where Marvin Gaye’s old Motown hit comes to mind:

> “I heard it through the grapevine…”

But Jesus talked about another kind of grapevine — one that doesn’t spread rumor but life.

In John 15 He said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

In other words, there are false vines out there — lines of communication that look alive but carry nothing of heaven’s power.

So the question today isn’t whether you’re connected.

It’s what you’re connected to.

Because every one of us is plugged into some kind of grapevine.

Some of us are tuned to heaven’s frequency.

Some of us are still eavesdropping on the world’s party line.

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I. The Connection — “I Am the True Vine” (John 15 : 1–3)

The vine was one of Israel’s oldest national symbols. You can still find it carved into the stone lintels of ancient synagogues and woven into temple decorations. To the people of God, the vine represented their identity — their calling to be fruitful for the nations.

But here comes Jesus saying, “I am the true vine.”

Not the temple, not your heritage, not your system of religion — Me.

He’s saying: “Connection to Me is life. Everything else is imitation.”

We all have wires running into our souls.

Some connect us to things that drain us — news feeds, fear, comparison, old voices that tell us we’re not enough.

And some connect us to things that restore us — Scripture, prayer, worship, fellowship.

The branch doesn’t live by its effort; it lives by its connection.

You can tape a branch to a trellis and spray it green, but if it’s not attached to the vine, it’s already dying.

I remember visiting a friend who ran a small vineyard. He showed me a branch that had been accidentally cut during pruning. For days it still looked alive — the leaves stayed green, the fruit even stayed firm. But it was no longer connected. Within a week, it had withered, shriveled, and fallen to the ground.

That’s the picture Jesus paints.

Some people look connected because they’re close to church things, ministry things, religious things — but they’re not connected to Him.

Question: How long can a Christian look alive without being attached to Christ?

The truth is: not long.

Because the life doesn’t come from the branch; it flows through the branch from the vine.

You can’t f ake sap.

When Jesus says, “I am the true vine,” He’s not inviting us to perform; He’s inviting us to remain.

To keep our lives plugged into His love and His Word.

Faith isn’t a weekend visit — it’s a living connection.

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II. The Pruning — “Every Branch That Bears Fruit…” (John 15 : 2–3)

Now, the Father is the vinedresser — the One who cares, cuts, and cultivates.

And if that makes you nervous, remember this: He’s not cutting you off.

He’s cutting you back.

That’s an important difference.

Jesus says, “Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

That means the very evidence of growth in your life may be the reason God brings His pruning shears close.

Pruning feels like loss — like something’s being taken away.

But pruning is actually the mercy of God protecting you from the weight of too many leaves.

When you see a vineyard after pruning, it looks brutal. Branches are lying everywhere; the vine looks almost naked. But every cut has a purpose. The vinedresser knows where to snip and how deep to go. If he doesn’t cut, the vine will waste energy on growth that doesn’t bear fruit.

Maybe God’s been cutting back your plans, your pace, your pride.

Maybe He’s been trimming relationships, habits, or distractions that were sapping your strength.

He’s not punishing you — He’s preparing you.

Rumor-based faith says, “God’s cutting me off.”

Truth-based faith says, “He’s cutting me back so I can bear better fruit.”