Vine and Branches
Notes
Transcript
Relationship and Responsibilities
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
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
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
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