Rooted Week 3

Rooted- Prune

Week 3: Prune

Big Idea: A natural part of an organic relationship with God is the process of pruning. Just as a plant is healthier after pruning and has revitalized growth, so a Christian experiences growth when unhealthy areas of their lives are trimmed or thinned. Though this process can be painful in the moment, the outcome is divine and beautiful. As a follower of Jesus we must see God’s work in our lives as something that has our best in mind and his glory at stake.

THINK: God is the divine gardener who has our spiritual growth as his ultimate goal. God will use anything in our lives to shape us into the people that he wants us to be. If there is something in our lives that is unhealthy for us, God will want to prune it. If there is something in our lives that is good but not the best, God will want to prune it.

FEEL: Jesus is the source of all life and every person must be careful to remain connected to him. To grow deep roots that will sustain us through anything we will face in life, we must receive acceptance, guidance and love as a branch receives from a vine.

DO: We must make a conscious decision to welcome God’s pruning in our lives. Join him in actively seeking out areas of our lives that he would like to effectively change.

Prayer: “Our deepest desire is to grow in our relationship with you, God. Please search our hearts and know our minds and remove those things that will cause us harm. May your divine work in our lives cause us to be faithful followers of Jesus. May our roots grow deep into your love and give us a solid foundation for our lives.”

Main Scriptural Text: John 15:1-5

Supplemental Scriptural Text: John 12:24, John 16:7, John 16:20, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 4:12, Colossians 3:5, Hebrews 12:5-6, 2 Corinthians 4:17

Introduction

(Illustration idea) Take the potted plant you’ve been using throughout the series, hopefully it’s still alive, and get a good pair of garden clippers/snips. To introduce the sermon, which is about pruning, cut off part of the plant. Talk through the process, try to bring the illustration to life by talking about how hard it might be for the plant to lose a part of itself. Highlight the point that as the gardener, you can see the bigger picture and you know that the part you cut off needed to go.

Last week we talked about growth and how it is God who brings growth and how we can all play a part in the process. This week we will be talking about another aspect of growth called pruning.

Pruning is defined as, “to trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth.”

Like many aspects of our faith journey, pruning isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary in order for healthy new growth to occur.

Main Teaching/Body

To frame our time today we will be drawing from Jesus’ words found in John 15:1-5

John 15:1–5 NKJV

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

God’s Got a Green Thumb - John 15:1

John 15:1 NKJV

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Two things are communicated in the first verse of chapter 15. First, Jesus makes it clear that he is the vine. He wants the listener to understand there is no life apart from him. Just as all the nutrients needed for a plant to grow travel through the roots to the limbs by the trunk/stem, so all we need for life, life to the full, comes by and through Jesus. Second, the one who is responsible for cultivating the growth in the lives of people is God. There is no other being who is more qualified to oversee the growth process than the one who is the author of life in the first place. God is a divine gardener and he is an expert at facilitating growth.

These two things are incredibly important to keep in mind as we talk about pruning. It’s crucial to remember who is behind it all and that God, the Diving Gardener, has the bigger picture in mind. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

The Gentle Art of Elimination and Cultivation

Think back to our definition of pruning, “to trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth.” One of the main jobs of a gardener is to remove dead, fruitless or broken limbs from a plant.

Often a plant will be hindered by a dead portion of it’s branches because that dead portion gets in the way. Sometimes a plant will waste energy and nutrients to help branches that don’t produce any fruit. In our lives we often have similar areas that are hindrances to us. It may be sin that needs to be removed, it may be discipline in our lives that we need to accept, it may even be something good in our lives that is distracting us from something great. The gardener will prune these things that we might have a better opportunity to grow.

If the earthly gardener is interested in fruitfulness and healthy growth just imagine how much more so the Divine Gardener and cultivator of the entire Cosmos is interested in the same thing.

When Talking About Pruning, Less Can Truly be More - Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

The pruning that God does in our lives is not because he is angry with us and wants to punish us. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. According to Hebrews there is a race that has been marked out for us that results in a heavenly prize. In order to run this race well we have to remove those things that will disqualify or hinder us from reaching the finish line.

This is not an easy and comfortable process, but in the end as the things are removed that aren’t healthy for us we find something more from life that could not have been found without the pruning.

(Illustration idea) This could be an excellent place to share testimonials of people in the congregation or from the leadership team who had to give up something or leave something behind in their pursuit of discipleship. Try to highlight a situation where less became more which will help the congregation connect with the positive outcomes of pruning.

A Healthy Connection to the Vine will Produce Good Fruit - John 15:4-5

John 15:4–5 NKJV

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

A Christian is someone whose strength comes by living in connection to Jesus Christ.

Think for a moment about the fruits. The only way these fruits are able to grow day to day in our lives is for us to remain connected to Jesus through full surrender and unwavering faithfulness. As we remain connected, the Divine Gardener prunes away the unhealthy and fruitless parts of our lives.

WE MAY NEED TO HAVE SOME AREAS PRUNED SUCH AS:

OUR THOUGHTS

OUR DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS

THE THINGS THAT KEEP US DISTRACTED

IDOLS IN OUR LIFE (WE ALL HAVE THEM)

THINGS THAT ARE CONSUMING OUR TIME AND ENERGIES AND THUS OUR WORSHIP

ETC…

Matthew 7:16–20 NKJV

16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

THE WORD SAYS WE WILL BE KNOWN BY OUR FRUITS- FRUITS THAT WILL BE VISIBLE, FRUITS THAT OR NOT HIDDEN OR OBSCURE, FRUTIS THAT CAN BE SEEN EVIDENT WITH US NOT SIMPLY SAYING WE CANT SEE WHAT GOD IS GOING TO END UP DOING—— THAT IS TRUE BUT GODS WORD SAYS WE WILL BEAR FRUITS AND WE WILL BE KNOWN BY THOSE FRUITS!

Remain in Him through adversity, through trial and hardships. Remain connected to the vine and remember, apart from Him you can do nothing.

Conclusion

Spiritual growth does not and cannot happen by accident.

The Christian life is a process that we enter into when the seed of the gospel is planted and we open up our lives to God. To grow in faith takes intentional effort, fierce determination, and the unquenchable grace of God. It is true that God loves us just as we are, but it is equally true that he doesn’t want us to stay that way.

What are some specific areas of your life that could use some pruning to allow for healthy growth to happen? What are some areas that need to be completely lopped off for the sake of future growth? Are there areas in the past that you now recognize God pruned away in order for healthy new growth to occur?

Trust that God knows what he is doing and even though the process of pruning can be painful, it will also be fruitful in the hands of the Divine Gardener.