The True Vine John 15:1-8

An interesting cartoon shows a fourth-grade boy standing toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose with his teacher. Behind them stares a blackboard covered with math problems the boy hasn't finished. With rare perception the boy says, "I'm not an underachiever, you're an overexpecter!"

Many of us are living as Christians but there’s no evidence that His power has been at work in us. Jesus is offering us real life that comes as we are connected to Him

-In Christ, we are able to live God-glorifying, fruitful lives

I. The Vineyard Purpose: God Intends for Your Life to Be Fruitful vv. 1-3

In our passage this morning, Jesus is giving HIs disciples some of His last words of instruction before the crucifixion and I think we need to hear them

He gives us a picture of Himself, His Father, and His people that is powerful. It is the story of the vineyard

It begins with the vineyard’s purpose: The Father has a vine and His desire is that the branches of the vine be fruitful

What kind of fruit does the Father want the branches to produce?

The Character of Christ: We must be like Him

The Competencies of Christ: We must do His work

How does He do this?

He lifts branches up out of the dirt and mud so that they can become fruitful

He prunes branches so that they can become more fruitful

As His people we must understand that we have been made clean by His Word and

Fruitfulness is possible

More than that, fruitfulness is His expectation!

-God has an expectation: He expects us to be fruitful!One of the top running backs in the nation and a Heisman Trophy favorite, [Ashton] Jeanty recently sat down with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to discuss the "ultimate transformation" he underwent and how he credits his faith for that change. ... "I like to say that I’m a Christian cleverly disguised as an All-American running back," Jeanty.

"I’ve learned that God has blessed me with amazing talents. I’ve just been able to do a lot of great things with it, but at the same time, not losing yourself in it and understanding that my identity is in Christ." ... "Once I decided to give my life to Him and change my ways, it’s been an ultimate transformation," Jeanty said.

"You don’t have to be perfect to come to God, but all you have to do is trust in Him and have faith in Him, and He will change your life. I feel that everything that I’m doing now is because of that. Obviously, I’ve been able to do some great things on the field, but beyond that, He’s changed my life. He’s changed my views, my personality. I felt that I wasn’t really a man before. I was just a boy. But now I feel as I’m a man and a man of God."

II. The Vineyard Principle: It is Impossible to Be Fruitful Without Abiding in Christ vv. 4-5

Jesus next gives us a command: Abide in me.

What does He mean by that? How do we abide in Christ?

We surrender to the will of Christ

We rest in the work of Christ

We trust in the wisdom of Christ

We serve in the power of Christ

We walk with Christ

Why does He insist on this?

When we abide in Christ, His power will be on display in us and will bear fruit

Conversely, apart from Him we are able to do nothing

We need to hear what Jesus is saying here:

There are good men and women who want to serve the Lord whose Christian lives are exceptionally fruitless

Trying to live for the Lord separated from the wisdom, will, and way of the Lord will not work!

In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson's astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.

III. The Vineyard Peril: Disconnection Yields Destruction v. 6

We need to be wary, because there is an even greater danger for the disconnected branch

If we are disconnected from Christ, living in a willful and wayward manner, we will be separated out from the rest of the branches

We will begin to wither, because we are cut off from the source and community of life

Ultimately, this leads to ruin and destruction

I want us to be careful about how we understand this:

First, I think we must know that the description here is not of eternal separation from God, but of a Christian life that has been wasted

1 Corinthians 3:12–15

[12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—[13] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. [14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (ESV)

b. Second, I think we must understand this as a natural consequence, not a punishment. This separation from the vine and the other branches is not primarily a punishment inflicted but a result of self-separation

1 Timothy 1:19–20

[19] holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, [20] among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (ESV)

IV. The Vineyard Promise: Jesus Promises Fruit for Those Who Abide in Him vv. 7-8

Finally, we see the positive side of this, a vineyard promise

Rather than living in fear of the consequences of not abiding, let’s look at the promise that comes when we do remain in Christ

He answers our prayers:

This can be a long struggle, but the reality of abiding is that it brings power in prayer

Why is this? It is not because God loves you more or cares more about what you have to say.

Instead, it is because you have been transformed so that your desires are increasingly aligned with His desires; when we pray according to His will we more readily see His work

The Father is glorified:

The life lived in Christ, by His power and in His way brings glory to God

I think we need to pay attention: God does not need you to serve Him your way, but He promises that your life will honor His if you do things His way

There is evidence of discipleship:

The last things Jesus tells us is that the fruit-filled life is the ultimate proof that we are His disciples

What does the evidence say about your discipleship?

Jesus will change your life, if you will remain in Him; it is abundant and eternal and it is yours, if you will have it.

One of the great tragedies I’ve ever experienced as a pastor was an invitation to do a secular funeral. I performed the ceremony for a man in my church. His widow insisted that I not preach, but just stand up there and say nice things about her husband. His friends who eulogized him told all of the stories about what he had accomplished. To top it all off, we closed out the service with his favorite song:

And now, the end is near And so I face the final curtain My friend, I'll say it clear I'll state my case, of which I'm certain I've lived a life that's full I traveled each and every highway And more, much more than this I did it my way

-Frank Sinatra

How much different might his life have looked if He lived it in Christ?