The following is the meat of the sermon I preached Sunday night at Walnut Springs Baptist Church. To be honest, I'm not even sure where the church is, apart from being 30 or so miles away from Weatherford, Texas. I was just invited to preach there by my father-in-law, who is serving as the church's interim Pastor, and I was thankful for the opportunity to share with this nice, welcoming congregation.
***
This conversation Jesus had was given in the context of the Passover meal, on the verge of his betrayal, crucifixion, and burial. These were words that were given to comfort and to encourage, and were offered in the immediate context of having just washed the feet of his disciples as part of what may have been the greatest objection lesson in history.
In this passage, Jesus gives insight to the purpose of life, and instruction on how to have a life of meaning, of joy, and of fulfillment. In these five verses, Jesus offers a straightforward all-or-nothing proposition.
God wants you to understand your position available in Jesus. Though you might not believe it because of the way that the news is reported today, God is the God of order. From the smallest subatomic particle to the vast expanse of the universe, God is the architect of every detail of every detail. In fact, across the gamut of God’s order, only one class of creature rebels against and denies his order: humans.
Furthermore, Jesus himself speaks of order in this passage. In the calming context of a calamitous Passover, Jesus reassures his followers that God has prepared an orderly way for them to experience blessing. To help them understand this message, Jesus gave them an illustration that compared their situation to a vineyard, and identifies himself as the True Vine.
This imagery was well-known and often utilized by God. Isaiah 5:7 reminded Israel and the Jews: “For the Vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant plant.” You see, the Jewish people already thought of themselves as the vine of God, as children of promise who believed that if they lived by the laws of God they would be blessed.
However, Jesus came and redefined this terminology of “the vine.” He raised the stakes…and it isn’t the first time he did this. Israel remembered the blessing of manna that had fallen from heaven to provide for them in their long desert wandering; Jesus called himself the Bread of Life. Israel remembered the water that sprung forth from the rock to quench their thirst; Jesus identified himself as the Living Water who will lead you to never thirst again. Israel knew the priests who had shepherded them through centuries of religious sacrifice; Jesus confessed that he was the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. As the Jewish proverb declares, “coincidence” is not a kosher word! Jesus’ declaration of “I AM the vine,” is nothing less than a bold declaration that he is in fact God in the flesh!
So it is Jesus, not Israel, who is the true vine. In fact, Jesus is the only vine in God’s vineyard. Accordingly, the only connection to God is through Jesus, for Jews and Gentiles alike.
Jesus continues by saying that he is the vine, but God the father is the vinedresser, or gardener. God the father tends the vine, and he performs two responsibilities: he either cuts away from this vine, or he cuts back. We will look at this more closely in a bit, but the question you need to ask right now is “where do you fit in?”
Verses 2 and 5 give the answer : you are a branch. We are offshoots of this vine. The Bible declares that the Jewish people are branches of this vine by birthright; Gentiles are branches by adoption. The term used to explain this is found in Romans 11, and is “grafted on.” God, in his sovereign wisdom and divine grace ordained that some – many, in fact – would be united in the vine by faith in Jesus as Lord, through no ability or talent of their own.
The simple fact is, Jesus is the vine of God’s vineyard and we, Jew or Gentile, are the branches. The power for living is not found in the branches. It is found in the vine. Jesus is the resource for blessing and purpose and satisfaction. It will change your life if you quit wasting your time and energy trying to make it through life on your own. Draw on Christ’s power and grow with God’s pruning.
As you live within your position in Jesus, you are free to pursue your priorities in Jesus. In Matthew 11, Jesus says his yoke is easy and his burden is light. He proves it here in John 15 in revealing that you have only two priorities in your life.
Your first priority is to abide in Jesus. This is so important that Jesus says it 11 times in the first 11 verses of this chapter, and four times alone in verse 4. How important do you think it is that we do this?
The word “abide” means “to remain in.” It paints a picture of where you build your home, where you dwell. Jesus is saying, dwell in your faith in Jesus as Lord, and continually welcome Jesus into every detail of your life. As you do this, you will experience God in fresh ways because you will be experiencing your relationship with the father the same way the Son does.
In this, “abide” means three things: First, it means to seek the Father. Jesus constantly sought the Father. In John 5, Jesus says that he does only what the father is doing. In John 12, he says he speaks only what the Father speaks. Accordingly, to abide in Christ means to continually strive to do what God has told you to do through His word, and speak words that glorify God.
Second, it means to submit to the Father. This is reflected in the notion that Jesus willfully accepted the Father’s plan when in the Garden of Gethsemane he said, “not my will, but yours.” Likewise, we must submit our will and our ways to God’s will and God’s ways on an ongoing basis.
Finally, it means to shadow the Father. Jesus always preceded miraculous ministry with passionate prayer. He knew and understood that prayer was the real work, and ministry was the mere manifestation of what had already been promised in prayer. We need to quit getting that backward and keep praying for God to bless what we did earlier. We need to stop being so “busy” trying to do things “for God,” and simply spend more time with God.
Isn’t it funny, if you were to ask anyone here or even out in the world what their priorities in life are, most people would give you either no answer or a long list of answers. However, here in John 15, God has spelled it out for us and said, “you have a list of two priorities.” Your first priority is to abide, and your second priority is to “bear fruit.” And even more remarkable than the simplicity of this list is the reality that the second priority is completely dependent upon the first priority. The only way we can bear fruit is if you abide in Jesus and he abides in you.
So what does it mean to “bear fruit,” if the only way we can do it is by remaining in Jesus? Well here’s a few things that it is not:
If these are all “what fruit-bearing is not,” then what is it? Romans 8:28-31 reveals the answer. Fruit-bearing is “Christlikeness.” Simply understood, remaining in Christ means that by the grace of God, you are transformed more into the image of Christ…so that as you abide and seek the Father, submit to the Father and shadow the Father, you will evangelize, you will minister, you will teach, you will worship, and you will fellowship…and others will see Jesus in you and come to him by faith!
The only way that this fruit is borne is by abiding. You must be in him by faith!
As you pursue these twin priorities in Christ, you will experience unprecedented productivity in Christ.
We all want to be productive. We all want to be contributors. We all want to give, to make our mark. Thankfully, God reveals the expected, guaranteed, promised results from the only two categories of efforts.
First, he shows the promised productivity that results from self-oriented efforts. Verse 6 says that if you do it in self, expect it to be cut away. It does not matter what you do, it will be cut away. Romans 3 says everyone falls short of the glory of God. This means that no effort, no matter how noble or ambitious or virtuous, can ever approach the glory of God because it is tainted with the stain of human sin and pride. Everything that is done in self will accordingly be placed in judgment.
Accordingly, if you do anything in “self,” you should ultimately expect to be barren. Jesus clearly states, “apart from me, you can do nothing.” What a waste, what loss to expend any effort that will ultimately have no consequential benefit because none of us possesses any capability to accomplish anything apart from remaining in Jesus. Ephesians 1 declares people who are apart from Jesus to be dead. What have you ever see a dead person do, except decompose? If you are judged as “dead” by God, it doesn’t matter how alive you think you are, you’re dead! And a dead person can’t do anything, even if you are the last one to get the memo that you’re dead!
However, thankfully, Jesus also makes it clear that if you abide in Jesus, you will bear much fruit. You can count on being productive. Just as you could expect to be cut away and barren if you were apart from Jesus, here are two promises you can count on through abiding in Christ:
First, you can expect to be pruned. Remember, this is the faithful work of a loving God. Verse 2 says that God prunes you so that you can bear more fruit! As you abide in Christ, you will be pruned. Often, that pruning is painful, because God is snipping away at those things that have become ingrown in your life that are keeping you from growing more like Christ. The Holy Spirit will convict you, His Word will challenge and change you, and you will be pruned. Yet this pruning is never punitive or condemning, but loving and purposeful.
This is because as you abide in Christ, you can also to expect to bear MUCH fruit. Look at the progression in the Scripture…if you abide, you will bear fruit. You are pruned so that you provide more fruit, and then you provide much fruit. It is a promise and a guarantee.
If you are in Christ, you will accomplish your purpose in life. You will do great things in the eyes of God, even if they are seemingly insignificant in the eyes of men. Modern scholars have ridiculed Jesus because he never left his home region and only had an first-hand impact for 3 years. Yet, He redeemed the world. He saved the perishing. He is the Vine!
If you abide in him, and he in you, you will have a full, abundant life. I cannot fathom what my life would have been like if Jesus had not interceded and found me when I was 20 years old. My life has already born much fruit, yet I continue to be pruned. I have a family of faith. I am allowed to serve others. I am allowed to write about God’s love and God’s ways and tell others about him.
Is your joy full?
Are you bearing fruit because you abide in Christ?
May you be blessed as you abide in the will of God through faith in Jesus.
May 29, 2007 7:07 AM