Vine and Branches

Relationship and Responsibilities

Today we look at the 7th and final i AM statement from Jesus

The “I am” statements found in the Gospel of John are:

the bread of life (6:35),

the light of the world (8:12),

the door (10:7),

the good shepherd (10:11, 14),

the resurrection and the life (11:25),

the way the truth and the life (14:6)

and the true vine (15:1).

The message from each of these give us insight

to the Character of Christ

The model for who we are becoming

The Vine and the Branches is a symbol

of the Relationship that we must have with Jesus

Not a come visit and hang out

or call be weekly friendship

But a we must live life together in Relationship

Like all relationships

there must be a mutual responsibilities

There is likely a leader and followers

it appears to be that this is the way of our humanity

so the question is always who do you follow —0bey

But we have a problem

you see Jesus has been here since the beginning

Jesus has been ALWAYS

and He created the Heavens and the Earth

Jesus created in Six days the world

in which we live

Jesus has dominion over all things at all times

and in the Beginning He created a Garden

The problem is we think that we own the garden.

The Garden

So lets visit the beginning for a moment

God created man and breathed the His very breath of life into Man

Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Then God gave Man a purpose — a job

Genesis 2:15 (ESV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

and God loved Man and the Garden and was in relationship with Man

Genesis 3:8 (ESV)

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

We don’t own the garden

This is what our lesson today is rooted in ( sorry for the pun)

God created - We work

His Garden - His life

our purpose is to work HIS GARDEN

we had a relationship with God and that relationship had an order

HE > I

and in the very beginning we also have a Predicament

We were kicked out of the garden because of our DISOBEDIENCE

Genesis 3:23 (ESV)

23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

our relationship was severed

But God wants that relationship again

and He sent our Jesus to restore the relationship

through His sacrifice, death and resurrection

Jesus paid the price so that we could be connected

That is what our verses are rooted in today.

John 15:1 (ESV)

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

We don’t own the garden

but we are designed and desired to live in it with Christ

our scripture verses today verses 1-17

can be simplied to this

We need to be so connected to Jesus -- that we cannot live without Him

we must live to count on Him for everything for He is our Way, our Truth and Life

You must learn and know that Jesus is the Gardener who owns the Garden

Jesus is not a hired hand

we don’t hire him for a season or a reason

HE OWNS THE GARDEN

we are the workers

and there is our daily problem

We think we own the garden

we think that we decide where and when

we think that we decide the planting, the seeding,

we think that we are in control

but we are the workers, serving the GOD of ALL

Gardening

he is the vine and we are the branches

The world will tell you it is about YOU

that it is your life, and you can make it what you want

but God has always owned the Garden

we life our lives and seek control over it

yet we have seen people

planting banana trees in the arctic

or seeding for cucumbers in the middle of winter

Friends we must trust in the GARDENER

There is a time and a season for all things

and it is not by our design or desire

for He is all knowing and in charge

The purpose of our Christ life is to abide and live

like our very life depends on the Bread and the Water of life

Our reward is IN and Through Him alone

The world says BE YOU be the BEST YOU

Jesus says

YOU WILL BE GREAT THROUGH ME

and ME ALONE

John 15:1–5 (ESV)

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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

so we are told how Jesus is going to do this

we need pruning

Pruning

We rarely like to think that this is a positive verse or process

we like what we like

But He chose us, He shapes us and we are to obey His commands

Lets think for a moment about the Rose bush on the outside corner of the church

it didn’t plant itself

and left to its own devices we would have to walk around the right path to get to our messages weekly.

The other issues is that it has thorns and not exactly something you can disregard.

You see most of us can confess we don’t fully have an issue with pruning

“ we don’t want our leaves pruned, just our thorns; and oh my oh my we God touches one of our petals --- the things that we think make us beautiful”

God tells us we don’t produce fruit then we are cut off,

the best news if we just stay fully connected to the VINE of Jesus

we will produce fruit.

Frankly we can not help it --- we produce it because that is His command

Pruning is Jesus perfecting you, shaping you,

He will make you a beautiful creation that we were designed to be

remember this --- and it hasn’t changed

Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

We are created to be LIKE JESUS

Jesus will use two different storms in life to change you

Correcting Storms

Perfecting Storms

The correcting storms will pull you out and replant you

in a different place, profession, or maybe season in your life. - even loving a loved one

this correcting storms can hurt

it is like a grape vine

when left to its own device it will be a tangled mess

but the Vineyard Keeper, trains the vines, prunes the vine

a healthy vineyard is neat, organized, and

produce lots of fruit

used to make many things

But the vines need to be trained to follow the TRELLIS

the guide wires that keep it producing

the Lord through His Word and the Holy Spirit give us these guide wires

or guidelines and we are commanded to obey

John 14:15 (ESV)

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

A vineyard that is well kept is beautiful and attractive

and produces beautiful Fruit for the Owner of the Vineyard

Friends

We don’t own the Garden --- He does

Lets close today with HIS WORDS

John 15:7–17 (ESV)

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

These are the words of our Lord

We don’t own the Garden

be the blessing to others

LIve fully connected to Jesus

Jesus the Vine and we are the branches

Listen to Him, allow the pruning to know that it is for a TIME and a PURPOSE

and trust that you Will be with Him

love one another

for love is the way of a Christian

Amen