Staying connected
John 15:1-8
We live in a country and even world that is probably more connected than any one could have imagined 20 maybe even as little as 10 years ago. Having phones in every house seems to have been around for ever. Mom always told me to call if I was going to be late. There used to be pay phones everywhere. I remember the cost of 10 cents and when it went to a quarter.
When I was a teenager I used a phone for a connection to my Girlfriend. I still call her a lot. Teenagers today still use the home phones as a life line of sorts.
For over 20 years I had a pager, it was my leash. But, it has gone farther even farther I used to have a pager that just beeped or buzzed and I would all the office or home.
I really did not now who called unless I had a call me twice setup. Then a person could key in their phone number and I knew exactly who to call back, that was so great and useful. I could see the number and deicide to call back to ignore the page. Any body that knew my number could get me to call.
Then maybe 10 years ago, I got my first cell phone. It was a bag phone. I have had one every since.. But you know it has gone ever farther…All this old technology has moved on to email and sending pictures and movies… Instant messaging is everywhere. People are getting the news they want almost live weather it is sports and news or stock info.
Constant live information, the whole connection thing has really gotten out of control.
It seems like there is almost no place that you can go to get away from a phone any more.
Our scripture this morning is an in between story. Jesus washes the disciple’s feet and explains that he is going to die, he predicts peters denial. Then he says let’s go…
Headed out to the Garden of Gethsemane … It is a familure trip, if any one was worried about Judas, they would have known that he would catch up later.
Wine is s staple of Israel’s economy. Grape vines and olive groves are all over the place. It seems like Jesus has an object lesson on the way to their normal place of prayer.
It is like they are passing thought a vineyard. Jesus starts describing the relationship that they have.
Can you imagine that as this group of men head to the garden and pass by or through a vineyard and Jesus pauses and points to the base of the plant and Says "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
He thought like that didn’t he?
All through the NT He used real life examples to explain things. Looking at an example the disciples can see that all the foliage along the trellis for maybe 20 feet in each direction all comes through the base of the vine coming out of the ground.
It is obvious where the nutrients come from, where the water is absorbed. From the Earth, through the vine to the branches.
Their eyes cut back and forth between the example and his face. Wondering what he will say next.
In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was often compared to a vine.
In Psalm 80:8 the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is described in terms of a vine being transplanted from the soil of Egypt to that of Canaan.
In Isaiah 5 the nation Israel is likened to a vineyard that does not produce fruit.
Over and over again Israel was referred to as a vine. The vine had become a symbol of the nation Israel. It was found on Jewish coins. Over the entrance to the temple entrance was a huge representation carved in the stone entrance way.
The connection was that Israel was the grape vine bearing fruit because of their connection and faithfulness to God.
Jesus continues, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
Branches cut off…. branches pruned By the Gardner….The father – God. That doesn’t really sound too good. Cutting and pruning sound painful.
If we jump back to the real vine connection, the vine dresser or Gardner wanting a productive vineyard would have to tend the garden. He had to do the work because the vines would not tend themselves.
If a vine was left to grow on its own, some beaches would have lots of fruit while the rest of the plant was pretty much just wasting resources. The vines would get really good at producing foliage and not grapes.
When tended, the unproductive branches would be discarded and branches with potential would have extra leaves and shoots removed so that the small bunch of grapes could mature larger or even to have more fruit.
The most productive branch would loose almost nothing but the over all production of the vine could be greatly increased.
So what are the disciples thinking? Are they worried about pruning and fires?
I don’t detect that kind of fear; I think that they were looking for the lesson in what he was saying.
They are out for a walk after a big meal. Spending another simple evening with their teacher in the cool night air. Life is Good! Smell the night air. It would have been difficult to get something better than this. They are enjoying a little quality quiet time with their master.
They are headed toward the arrest and trial of Jesus they don’t seem to have a clue of how serious it is about to become for them.
Jesus continues, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
That was good right? Clean is good. In this can the word clean is the same as the one us dint he upper room related to Judas.. Unclean…
In speaking to the disciples he is talking about righteousness, salvation. Because of their growing relationship with Christ, the receiving of teaching. They were in a perfect relationship with God. He encourages them to remain in him, keep believing in him and he would keep them nourished and growing.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
So, a Real vine won’t make fruit without a connection so the vine is the same is to of the disciples of Jesus. There must be a connection to the living vine. Otherwise it is a complete waste of time.
In reality, it is much worse than that. A branch that is not connected is already dead and just waiting to be burned.
-- I prefer to give potted plants to people instead of cut flowers. Cut flowers are already dead and don’t know it. They are beautiful for the moment but in a day or two they will no longer hold much appeal.
But a flowering plant has an unlimited lifespan …unless you give it to me in which it will have a slow lingering death. But it will still live longer than a cut flower and ultimately give more enjoyment.
Jesus is telling the disciples that, if they stay connected, If they will acknowledge their dependence in Him, he will give them what they need. He will give them life which will result in plenty of growth which will yield fruit.
It will do what the gardener wants to see.
-- There is not a person a live that can on their own make any fruit that is acceptable to God.
Jesus reviews the basics, I am the vine --- Then he adds a little new information - You are the branches
Jesus now directly connects the disciples into the analogy he is using.
They are the branches that the gardener with cut off and trim for productivity.
What was Jesus describing? The loss of fingers and toes of the disciples, maybe even the death of some of the followers?
I think he is describing, the life of followers, it is not always going to be pleasant.
Sometimes growth is going to hurt. The modifications that Jesus described earlier were not judgment or punishment.
They were for growth and production of fruit. They were for the betterment of the plant. They were for good health and positive outcome.
Jesus is describing the relationship. This is the source of life and the gardener is the source of productivity. Healthy relationships change.
The we hit the Big IF - “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
“If” is the biggest little word I know:
If I had called, -- If I had know, -- If I has prayed, -- If I had listened, If I really believed…
-- Don’t most of the regrets in out life start with the word if?
If a man believes in Jesus then he will bear much fruit. But If not then no matter how hard he or she tries…Zip… nada…..Zero…none Not a chance!
Then Jesus hits us with another IF….
“If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
Not only no fruit, but cutting off.
No more wasting of resources. No access to the rich nutrients and moisture. dryness, withering, just waiting for the fire…..
This description sounds like judgment. The branch to disciple that really isn’t connected is a bunch of leaves that don’t know that they are dead yet.
Then we get the a third if ---
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
If you choose faith,…… If you choose to trust in the words and the person of Jesus, then you can ask for anything and it will be given to you!
Do you know how hard that is????
How can I expect to hold on to my faith when My prayers seem to be unanswered.
When I don’t get what I want?
When I have problems and steal all my hopes and dreams and attention?
Folks, we could so easily think that the word wish really meant what we wish and become so disappointed and jaded. Perhaps even just plain angry.
-- Please consider something, if you are attached to the vine, to Christ…
If you choose to live as he would have you live ….
then you are probably not going to have the same wishes as a person living with no connection to the vine.
Don’t misunderstand me, There are things that you will wish for that are not needed or really won’t benefit you. But the connection to Jesus will modify your deepest wishes to worrying about eternal things instead of earthly things.
The better Job, or car or big screen TV will give way to the things Christ would want. The feed the hungry…the really hungry, to visit the ones in prison or that are suffering personal loss. The needs of family and friends to have their own relationship, their own connection to the vine will become more important.
It is simple, If we are living a connected life, your priorities will be different.
Your needs and wants will be different.
The wants of the world will be pruned so that you can become fruitful in the Kingdom of God.
I have told you before that I don’t know much about grapes and vines. But I think that we can take the analogy to other things. Maybe you don’t relate to Grapes, maybe tomatoes, or beans or okra would speak to you better.
The story is the same. The Goal is the same to yield fruit.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Let me mention one thing that you need to receive this morning.
No matter what analogy you use, ultimately you must be connected to the source of life to survive.
That tomato plant will never produce figs, that rose bush will never produce coconuts or bananas. When you are connected to Jesus you will be producing the fruit that Jesus enables you to produce that ultimately God engineers and desires.
This scripture is about getting past the “IF” of a relationship and moving to an actual relationship. Something that cost you nothing except choosing to grow in your relationship with God.
Here is my point this morning to get us back to a modern understanding. We have to stay plugged in. The phone in my house gets power from the phone line, some get more power form the wall. If the power is disconnected it is not long before I loose the ability to communicate.
So I can use my Cell right? The cell needs a power source too.
It is only going to last for so long before the battery is DEAD!
We must stay connected to the source of Life! The POWER.
Folks, what kind of branches are we? Where do we get out energy? Are we…any of us producing fruit? Are we being pruned and shaped to be productive? Or are we a branch that is already severed and starting to notice the dry feeling, the loss of communication and starting to smell smoke?
Being connected will always produce some kind of fruit,
The last detail you need to understand this morning is that producing fruit is not going to be uncomfortable work for you!!! IT is the natural result of being connected and tended. The fruit is just a natural result of a health connection to the true vine.
What kind of branch are you?
All Glory be to God!
