You're Not The Vine
John 15:1-11
OKAY – today we are going to conclude our series, ‘Powerful Passages…’ NOW – we will no doubt pick this up again and have a few powerful passages sequels sometime in the future, because there are so many passages that I would have loved to for us to dive into and unpack…
SO – this morning we will wrap this series up by unpacking John 15:1-11… In a conversation I am calling, “Not The Vine!”
OKAY… let’s do this, “Not The Vine…”
AND – you may want to turn in your bible or fire up your bible app to John 15…
IT’S – Thursday night and Jesus is walking with His guys (minus one) to the garden.
IN – mere hours He will be arrested, beaten, mocked, tried and nailed to a wooden cross, where He would hang for 6 hours, from 9 am – 3 pm.
UNDERSTAND – Jesus has been with these guys for over 26,000 hours, and now He is down to the final handful.
WOW – it had to be a very emotional time for Him.
AFTER ALL – Jesus not only knows what is about to happen to Him, but also knows what is about to happen to them,
SO – I am sure that His mind is racing trying to determine what words He can say to both help and prepare them for days, weeks, months and years ahead.
YEAH – these are very powerful few hours without a doubt.
AND – check this out, the apostle John devotes about 1/3 of His entire Gospel to them…
OKAY – so here is how I see this thing going down….
JESUS – is leading His guys from the upper room to the garden, AND – as He does, He gives them (and us) a powerful illustration based on something that was very common in first century Palestine, Vineyards…
YOU SEE – Vineyards were one of their major cash crops.
THEREFORE – the lessons drawn from them would be both obvious and familar to the Eleven.
NOW – as we look at this illustration, as distant as we are, by time and culture, we need to focus on the key components. The vine, the branches and the gardener.
The job of the VINE is to provide the necessary “juice” to the branches so that they can produce fruit.
The job of the BRANCH is to stay connected to the vine so that it will just naturally produce fruit.
The job of the GARDENER is to cut off “fruitless” branches and to “prune” fruitful branches.
AND MGCC – within this passage is both a great promise and a warning…
A promise - about the power and fruitfulness of connecting, and
A stern warning that they (His guys, the 11) must be careful that neither they or their converts become “dead wood”
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that produces no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. – John 15:1,2
NOW - grapes only grow on new branches not on woody stocks. So every year the excess stock was cut off (by the gardener) SO THAT - the vine could spend its strength on growing fruit rather than use it up its resources on dead, unfruitful wood.
AND MGCC – the warning (that Jesus wants both the 11 and us to understand) is that like a good gardener, God refuses to allow “deadwood” in His Vineyard.
AND SO – here’s the deal…
THOSE - who may by external appearances look like Christians, but bear no fruit will be cut off.
AND UNDERSTAND – even those who do bear fruit, are subject to the painful but essential process of pruning.
NOW - sometimes pruning takes place through the trial and difficulties that we are forced to undergo…
QUESTION – have you ever been pruned by hardship?
Are you being pruned even now?
BUT UNDERSTAND B/S – in the very next verse we see that pruning is also is done through the words of Jesus.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. – John 15:3
QUESTION – have the words of Jesus, has the word of God ever pruned you?
Jesus continues…
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can produce fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you produce fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will produce much fruit; apart from me you can produce nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. – John 15:4-11
Prayer
NOW – this teaching of Jesus about the vine and the branches takes place within a particular context.
AND – as we have said many times at The Grove, when it comes to understanding the Scripture context is king. And remember, when it comes to understand Scripture and many other things in life, 'Context is King.'
For example...
A few weeks back, Laurie popped into my office and told me,
“Hey, I am going to run Ginger over.”
What did she mean?
Like was she mad at Ginger and wanted to take her out, just run her over?
Now, even as she said those words, I told her… (being a preacher) what a great example of context.
Now Ginger is her friend and a school bus driver.
She had parked her bus at our church
And she needed a ride over to a doctors appointment across the street.
SO – what’s the context of this teaching about the vine and the branches?
WELL - it takes place during the last few hours that Jesus will spend with His guys before He goes to the cross.
NOW – here is how I picture this ‘vine and branch thing’ going down…
AS – Jesus and His guys, are walking from the upper room to the garden, THEY - passed by a Vineyard probably more than one, and Jesus was like…
“Sweet, that’s perfect. I love it. Great thought.
Yeah I think my guys really need this teaching.
I mean, I already saw their heads start spinning around after what I have already told them…
AND – I know that what I am about to say and what is about to happen to them... we most definitely take their heads in a full circle…”
OKAY MGCC
HERE – is how I want to attack this teaching of the ‘vine and the branches.’
4 “Are You Kidding Me Snap Shots” (the reasons why we cannot do this Jesus thing disconnected from the vine)
1 All-Encompassing Connection (remaining in Him)
4 Acts Of Total Desperation (how we make that connection real)
I. 4 R U Kidding Me Snapshots
NOW – the first are you kidding me snapshot I am calling…
a) Do As I Have Done
Picture the scene
Jesus and the 12 are in the upper room, getting ready to observe the Passover Feast…
An annual feast that celebrated God delivering them from bondage (anyone in bondage right now) and the death angel ‘passing over’ them. AND - it looked something like this.
YEAH – no long rectangle table chairs and a blond hair blue eyes Jesus. (and too be honest that Jesus never seemed right or appealed to me at all)
It was just before the Passover Festival.
Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
YOU SEE – not one of the 12 had offered to wash any feet (not even Jesus’)…
WHY? - because they all were still too worried about which of them was the greatest, so there was no way they would dare to do such a demeaning and humbling task…
After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
B/S IMAGINE – for a moment, ‘God’ washing your feet…
I MEAN – that is the Holy God, the One who was, who is and who is to come, the Maker of Heaven earth kneeling down at your dirty feet.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.
“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
AND LISTEN – it is not so much about the act itself (washing feet) as it is about the attitude and the willingness to serve anyone and to serve even in the most demeaning of ways.
Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
I am your master and this is how I roll…
I am the one who is sending you, and this is the message I want sent.
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. – John 13:1-17
Do as I have done…
Serve anyone
Serve in anyway at anytime
Don’t serve for personally glory, but serve for me
Be great enough to do the lowly thing
Be humble enough for the towel and basin
Be strong enough to even be treated as a servant
Be secure enough to serve the one who has betrayed you or is about to betray you (are you kidding me Jesus? Wash the feet of my Judas, no, I’d rather pull out his toenails)
Do as I have done
Serve as I have served
Are you kidding snapshot #2,
b) Love As I Have Love
Okay Jesus, this is even crazier.
As soon as Judas left the room,
(Yeah, you’re right that meant that Jesus washed his feet too… Why because He loved Judas).
Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now (since I am going away… I want to make sure that you ‘get me’ and get what I am about) I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” - John 13:31-35
And just in case they missed it, Jesus says it again in John 15
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:12,13
Love as I have loved…
Love each other, ‘just as’ I have loved you…
R U kidding me!!!???
Seriously, think about that. Think about loving everyone in your life just as Jesus loves you.
I MEAN – Jesus loved… Unconditionally, Completely
Unfailingly, Unselfishly
He loved first, He loved everyone, even His enemies
UNDERSTAND – Jesus’ love was not some fleeting, sentimental fragile hallmark card kind of love…
Love as I have loved…
AND UNDERSTAND – Jesus’ love…
Is patient. Is kind. Does not envy or boast
Does not dishonor others by being rude
Is not self-seeking (is your love?)
Is not easily angered. Keeps no record of wrongs
Does not delight in evil. Rejoices with the truth
Always protects Always hopes Always trusts
Always perseveres Never fails
Love as I have loved….
And Are You Kidding Me Snapshot #3…
c) Produce As I Have Produced
He cuts off every branch in me that produces no fruit, while every branch that does produce fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… - John 15:2
This is to my Father’s glory, that you produce much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples… - John 15:8
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit… - John 15:16
QUESTION…
Did Jesus produce any fruit? Ab-sooo-stinking-lutely…
AND – what kind of fruit did He produce?
Now I think there are 2 major ‘fruit groups’ that Jesus produced…
The Fruit Of Christ-like Character
I MEAN – Jesus was the very embodiment of the fruit of the Spirit… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control…
UNDERSTAND – Jesus showed mankind the life that they could live… And what a life Jesus lived, I mean, 2000 years later and we are still talking about it.
SO – Jesus produced the fruit of Christ-like character, and…
The fruit of Converts
The fruit of being the way, the truth and the life…
That brought countless lost men and women back home to the Father.
Producing fruit that will last forever…
Jesus said to His guys and He says to us…
Produce what I produce
BE – the very embodiment of ME.
Showing the world how life (as the fruit of the Spirit explodes from our lives) can be lived “This is how you can live your life”… Bringing glory to the Father
AND HELP – lost men and women find their way back home, their way to salvation…
By being my witnesses and sharing my gospel. (P41)
Do what I have done
Love as I have loved
Produce as I have produced, and
d) Trust As I Have Trusted
UNDERSTAND – in a world that was and always would be full of trouble, Jesus wanted His guys (and us too btw) to TRUST as He had trusted.
QUESTION - did Jesus trust the Father… absolutely!
I MEAN – that is what enable Him after asking the Father if there was anyway that He could accomplish the mission and bring the Father glory without drinking the cup of God’s wrath over sin… TO SAY – “yet not my will be done Father, your will be done.”
Talk about trust.
I trust You Father, even though I know that the path You are taking me on is leading to a cross, and separation from You.
Trust as I have trusted…
AND LISTEN…
Jesus has said some stuff and things were about to happen
that would make anyone’s heart be troubled…
My body will soon be broken and my blood shed
One of you will betray me
I am leaving soon and will no longer be with you
The prince of this world is coming
All of you will abandon me
If the world hated me they are going to hate you
If they persecute me they will persecute you
They will put you out of the synagogue
They will kill you and will think they are offering a service to God
You will be filled with grief
And three times Jesus told them that in this world they WILL HAVE TROUBLE…
“GUYS – it is not going to be easy as long as you live on this planet… Storms will come. Difficulties will arise.
Opposition, persecution, anger, violence and hatred will come against your life.
Therefore – trust as I have trusted…”
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God; trust also in me. – John 14:1
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. - John 16:33
NOW – I don’t about you but when I look at and consider myself living out those 4 snapshots
Do as I have done… Love as I have loved
Produce as I have produced… Trust as I have trusted.
I am like…
AND LISTEN – I am convinced that those 4 R U kidding me snapshots and expectations that Jesus unveiled that Thursday night
Played a major part in Jesus driving home and driving hard the powerful truth about…
II. 1 All-Encompassing Connection
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will produce much fruit; apart from me you can produce nothing… - John 15:5
NOW - the word remain, by my count, shows up eleven times in John 15:1-11. “Remain in me, remain in me, remain in me…”
The literal language carries the idea of a constant dependence. Vine and branches…constant dependence.
The only hope for life is the connection that is taking place.
I MEAN – if you pick up a branch that broke off of an apple tree and you set it on your desk, it’s not going to start growing apples, right? It’s got to be connected.
And so Jesus says, “This is going to be true for you. That your only hope is to stay connected to me. I am the vine. Real life comes only through me.”
AND LISTEN - one of the things that we’ll see—and we all have seen it already… IS THAT - when trouble comes it reveals the kind of connection that people have to Jesus.
IN FACT – sometimes it’s pretty obvious that the fruit being produced by us: anger, hatred, bitterness, harsh words, slander…
Did not come from Jesus as the vine, right?
AGAIN – often times when trouble comes it reveals that maybe there really wasn’t a solid connection to Jesus…
LIKE - It was more of a duct tape connection.
(NOW – Duct is awesome for a lot of things, but not for connecting to Jesus).
MGCC – when storms come, and they will, they are a great connection indicator.
AND – in like matter if we are having a hard time
Doing as He did; Loving as He loved; Producing as He produced; trusting as He trusted
IT TOO – reveals a connection issue.
GET IT?
OKAY B/S… HERE’S – the bottom line…
WE (you and I) - will never live out those 4 R U kidding me snapshots without a real connection to Jesus.
SURE - you can fake it for a while….
BUT EVENTUALLY – your connection will find you out.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will produce much fruit; apart from me you can produce nothing… - John 15:5
UNDERSTAND – you are not the vine, you are simply a branch.
THIS – brings us to the final point in your notes…
III. 4 Acts Of Total Desperation
YOU SEE – these 4 R U kidding me snapshots
Do as I have done; Love as I have loved; Produce as I have produced; Trust as I have trusted
ARE – meant, are intended to drive us to the truth that we will never be able to live this way on own.
I MEAN – it’s just not happening, no way, not ever.
THAT IS WHY – we must become desperate about connecting to Jesus, so that we will produce much fruit, live well for Him and bring glory to the Father.
QUESTION – would what happen if we as a people actually became desperate for this connection to Jesus?
LIKE – what would that even look like…
MAYBE – it would help if I both defined and painted a picture of what desperation looks like.
Desperation (noun) – ‘the act of being desperate’
Desperate (adjective) 1. Having an urgent need or desire
2. extreme or excessive
3. making a final, ultimate effort; giving all
4. recklessly dangerous because of despair or urgency
NOW – for a picture of desperation…
QUESTION – have you ever watch the show Intervention.
I have seen several episodes.
And they are all very tragic and extremely sad.
I mean, you meet men and women who because of their drug habit have lost or are losing everything… -
Careers, families, relationships, their health, the person they were or could become,
and every dime they have as their drug habits can reach up to $1,000 a day.
The show is about their loved ones surrounding them for one probably last chance to intervene and get them help so they can be free. AND – that freedom does not come easily.
YOU SEE - the drug has become their god and each day they wake up desperate for it, because they believe that they simply cannot exist without it.
SO – they will do, give up and sacrifice anything and everything for it…
UNDERSTAND - these people understand what it means to be desperate. THEY – in fact, are a vivid picture of desperation.
A friend of mine has several recovering addicts in his church, men and women - who have found new life in Christ.
And he says that they have become easy to spot in church…
He said that, they are the ones; who are:
Caught up in worship.
Who listen intently and can’t turn the pages of their bible or move their pens fast enough.
Who laugh the loudest and cry the quickest
WHY? – because they are desperate.
One day my friend talked to a one of these recovering addicts after church. His name was Kenny. And he said,
“Hey Kenny there is something powerful going on inside of you guys – that is so different then I see in most people, BUT I just can’t put my finger on what it might be.”
HE SAID…
Kenny just kind of chuckled and said something that rocked his world, “The only difference between us and a lot of other believers is that we know we cannot make it another day without Jesus. We are desperate for Him.”
Wow, that’s it, isn’t it?
Yeah - that is the problem with the rest of us.
We think we are okay.
We think we can handle everything just fine.
We don’t really think that we NEED JESUS!
AND – we really don’t need Jesus if the main goal of our lives and our church is to make everything nice, safe, comfortable and easy…
THEN – we are able to go through the motions of following Jesus, BECAUSE - we are basically doing it all on our own strength.
BUT… - brothers and sisters that is not the kind of life that God intends for us to live.
One that is safe, comfortable, predictable, easy and risk free One – that we can live on our own strength.
INSTEAD - God’s desire is to give us life, true life, in Him.
A LIFE – that is alive in Him where we take on His characteristics and desires.
TRANSLATION – a life where we actually live out…
Do as He has done
Love as He has loved
Produce as He has produced
Trust as He has trusted
AND B/S – let me be clear, we will never live that kind of life on our own strength.
LIKE – even the 11 could not do it, because they to were ‘not the vine’ they were only branches.
NO - we need Jesus.
WE NEED - to be remaining, abiding and connected to Him!
GET IT?
SO B/S – examine your life.
DOES IT – match the life of Jesus?
DO YOU – want it to?
THEN – you know what you need to do?
GET – desperate for connecting to and with Jesus!
Which brings me those 4 acts of total desperation.
NOW – they are gonna come out us really fast, but we all know them… we just do not consistently live them out.
Which is why our connection is not as good as it could be
The first act of total desperation is dying to self
a) Dying To Self
UNDERSTAND – if we want to connect to Jesus we must with the desperation of a drug addict…
PUT - our former self to death,
SO THAT - we can give the life we found in Jesus to other people…
Jesus put it this way in Luke chapter 9
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. – Luke 9:23,24
UNDERSTAND – if we are serious about connecting to Jesus, we must wake up every morning, determined to die to self.
DIE TO – my needs, and my desires and making everything about me.
Making my home about me, my marriage about me my job about me, my church about me, making everything about me.
I cannot connect to Jesus when I am living for me.
And MGCC neither can you…
WHICH – reminds me of a song from the Christian rock band of the late 70’s and early 80’s called ‘Killing My Old Man” (Petra)
Killing my old man
You may not understand
He's a terrible man
Got to make a stand
And kill the old man
Every time that I think he's gone and I've finally won
He just keeps coming back, puts me on the run
(Shipyard windows down)
LISTEN
Death to self = Real life
AGAIN – every day we must die to living to please, promote and protect ourselves… BECAUSE – we cannot be living for our wants, pleasures and desires and still be connected to Jesus.
When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. - 1 Cor 15:36
We need to be desperate (like a drug addict) about
Dying to self, and
b) Diving Into The Word
B/S, IF – you want more than a duct tape connection
IF – you want a connection that will successfully weather all of this life’s storms and that will empower to
Do as Jesus did
Love as Jesus loved
Produce as Jesus produced
Trust as Jesus trusted
YOU – must we great, consistent and ongoing desperation read this book.
THIS BOOK – contains the very Words of God.
(FCFH)
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16,17
We need to be desperate (like a drug addict) about
Dying to self, Diving into the world, and
c) Deepening Our Prayer Life
Prayer is just this insane, mind-blowing thing where we get to talk to God, the Creator of the Universe.
Yeah it’s crazy, and yes it’s awkward… but the more you talk to Him the awkwardness starts to go away.
(first time calling Laurie)
A – adoration
C - confession
T - thanksgiving
S – supplication (kingdom, others, ourself)
We need to be desperate (like a drug addict) about
Dying to self, Diving into the word, Deepening our prayer life, and…
d) Depending On The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit will live with you and be in you. I will not leave you as orphans… - John 14:17,18
The Holy Spirit – teaches us, convicts us, guides us, refreshes us, molds, shapes us and intercedes for us.
UNDERSTAND – as Jesus followers we have this gift, this power in us that will help make us more and more like Jesus.
We are not alone.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will produce much fruit; apart from me you can produce nothing.
PLEASE – don’t miss the point I am trying to make today that because of our connection with Jesus we really can
Do as He did
Love ad He loved
Produce as He produced
Trust as He trusted
And so I would just challenge you to focus on this connection.
You know, we live in a world where we’re pretty obsessed with staying connected to what’s happening around the world and to the people around us. It’s not all bad.
I read some recent research that says that about eighty percent of people who have a smart phone…
The first thing they do in the morning is they check it…the first thing. The first thing they do is they check the news, or they check Facebook, or they look at comments made about a post that they put up before they went to bed, or they get on Instagram, or they check their Snapchats. They get online. The first thing they do is they connect themselves.
QUESTION - what would happen if we took as much time connecting to the vine as we spent connecting to the world or connecting to people on social media?
I MEAN - what would that look like if we fasted for a week…or even just two or three days…from connecting with other people online and we gave the attention we would normally give to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and we instead spent that amount of time in prayer and Scripture and worship and journaling…
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will produce much fruit; apart from me you can produce nothing. – John 15:5
