Healthy Branches and Broken Cisterns
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Intro
Intro
I had a dentsit appointment this past week. Do you ever have that experience where you are at the dentist and you have your mouth wide open with different dental tools crammed in your mouth and then the dentist or the dental hygenist starts asking you questions? It’s kind of impossible to answer. Happens to me all the time. But this week I had a unique experience, after my cleaning, i was scheduled to have sealents put on a couple of my teeth for cavity prevention. They put a clamp on my teeth and this rubber balloon this over the rest of my mouth so suffice to say i had zero ability to talk. As my dentist is working, he says,
“Pastor Ross (he is aware i am a seventh day adventist minister, and we have had a few church related discussions) Pastor Ross, I realize you can’t answer me right now with all this stuff in your mouth, but I have a couple questions for you after I finish. All I could do was nod my head. He finished up and says, Pastor I don’t know what is going on with my church, (Slightly uncomfortable, trying to keep things light I gave kind of a superficial laugh, acknowledging there are many who feel this way) He wasn’t laughing, he was serious.
I am seriously considering leaving my church...
Now out of privacy I can’t share all the details of our conversation, but as he said that, immediately I prayed in my head, Lord give me the words to say, or shut me up when I need to. Pastor I am considering leaving my church because my church is beginning to teach and support things I believe contrary to Christ’s teachings and the Bible’s teaching.
Immediately I discover two things about my dentist, he wants to follow the Bible and he wants to live out Christ’s example in loving people.
He asked me, “Am I wrong pastor, should I accept people who are living lives in sinful behaviors?…Pastor when I meet an alcholic, should I say, go on keep drinking your alcohol?
I said to him, “well that would kind of be like you telling me I have a cavity in my teeth and so keep on eating lots of candy and don’t floss or brush your teeth.”
As I spoke, God was giving me opportunities to relate and give a message.
I said, many have the wrong picture of Biblical acceptance, there are some who don’t practice acceptance at all, they judge and condemn anyone who is living in sin, or maybe they are just judging people who are just different than them....that is not Biblical acceptance. There is also another camp that is off where we see and meet people living a very sinful lifestyle and they give them affirmation in their sinful lifestyles believing that to be the model of acceptance God has given us. Jesus example: shows us not to cast stones and hurl at people in the midst of struggle, he loves them unconditionally. Each new follower of Christ that we find in the gospel, has their life turned upside down, some gradually and some immediately, but Jesus never left at the same point he met them. That is Biblical acceptance. I affirmed him on his conviction to follow the Bible and Christ’s example and made it known my willingness to talk more about it....
Then a hygenist made him aware there was another patient waiting on him… haha.
A friend of mine in ministry made the point recently, that I totally agreed and resonated with. When we keep scripture and Christ’s example in our hearts we won’t fall off to far to the left or right extremes.
If you look at the title of my sermon, you may be wondering what the connection is about branches and cisterns.
One is an OT reference of God’s people, and another is a description used to describe the God’s followers int he NT. Both are collectors of water. As I was listening to my dentist speaking he was sharing of his church and almost described what God tells to Jeremiah the prophet is a broken cistern, a device used to collect water but cannot recieve it naturally and when its broken cannot hold it in either.
As a church we want to a healthy branch, connected to and fed by the living vine. Today before we begin our communion service, we are going to talk about just that, before we go further, lets take some time to pray.
In academy, I was asked to preach a sermon while our gymnastics team was touring around. I was given only a few days notice and i had no idea what I was going to preach on. While on the bus I was reading the Bible looking for inspiration. I found some, as I read in what is now one of my favorite chapters of the Bible would like to direct you all their now. If you have your Bibles with you, please turn with me to verse 1.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 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. 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.
Jesus is speaking and sharing with the disciples. He is imparting wisdom to the soon leaders of his church.
He announces himself as the vine. His father the Vinedressor, and his disciples, representing his people, his church, as the branches.
Now all three components are important. The vine is the water and nutrient source. Without the vine, no branches can grow and produce fruit. Jesus makes the point that if we as a church would embrace, that we as individuals must embrace. Jesus declares apart from me, you can do nothing! I’ve met conservative christians and liberal christians a like be decieved into relying on their own efforts and agendas. Jesus says I am the vine you are the branches whoever abides in me and I in them will bear much fruit, for apart from you can do nothing.
The creator, the giver, and sustainer of life, Jesus is the vine, the giver of living water. Apart from me you can do nothing
Jesus calls His father the Vine dressor. The job of pruning is important. You may have flowers this year but if not dressed or pruned it will be a challenge for future years. Pruning is for the purpose of bringing forth more good fruit. Without pruning we have either no fruit or bad fruit.
Meggan and I were driving on vacation and we pulled out apples to eat. The apple I had was no good, I had 3 bites before tossing it out. No one wants bad fruit. Our God prunes us his people so we can bear much good fruit.
In this analogy, Jesus is the vine, His father is the vine dressor or pruner, and his disciples or his people or we are the what?? We are the branches.
Branches that do not bear fruit are taken away according to verse 2 and verse 6 tells us, that branches which are not connected to the vine are taken, thrown out and burned.
If we read that incorrectly, it almost sounds like a threat doesn’t. In fact Preachers for centuries have been saying just like that. Repent or be burned!
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If anyone does not abide in me....if any branch is disconnected from from the vine, the water source, it decays, withers and serves no purpose. This death is something that occurs naturally. Life comes from the vine, but disconnected from the vine leads to death. This is a fundamental scripture. Jesus is life and the life giver. Not only does he give life, but gives healthy abundant life. He doesn’t give us a sickly life.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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.
John 15:
It is Satan’s work to fill men’s hearts with doubt. He leads them to look upon God as a stern judge. He tempts them to sin, and then to regard themselves as too vile to approach their heavenly Father or to excite His pity. The Lord understands all this. Jesus assures His disciples of God’s sympathy for them in their needs and weaknesses. Not a sigh is breathed, not a pain felt, not a grief pierces the soul, but the throb vibrates to the Father’s heart.
It is Satan’s work to fill men’s hearts with doubt. He leads them to look upon God as a stern judge. He tempts them to sin, and then to regard themselves as too vile to approach their heavenly Father or to excite His pity. The Lord understands all this. Jesus assures His disciples of God’s sympathy for them in their needs and weaknesses. Not a sigh is breathed, not a pain felt, not a grief pierces the soul, but the throb vibrates to the Father’s heart.
He who would confess Christ must have Christ abiding in him. He cannot communicate that which he has not received. The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him. A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. And “whosoever shall deny Me before men,” He says, “him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.”
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
He who would confess Christ must have Christ abiding in him. He cannot communicate that which he has not received. The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him. A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. And “whosoever shall deny Me before men,” He says, “him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.”
White, E. G. (1898). The Desire of Ages (Vol. 3, p. 357). Pacific Press Publishing Association.
Knowing doctrinal truth is not living truth and does not alone connect us to the vine.
Now I hope you heard what I said, and not what I didn’t say. I did not say doctrinal truth is not important. I said, it alone is not what connects us to the vine and it alone does not make us a healthy branch.
Jesus says to abide in me and I in you and by this you will bear much fruit and my father be glorified. Keep my commandments and abide in my love. To bear fruit we must tap into the power of the Vine!
Back when I was in college, I would spend my summers working at camp. Often on fridays we would do different relay events with the kids. One week the challenge was to try and fill a bucket past a designated line from water we would collect in the lake. It sounds pretty easy right? Except the problem was each bucket that was being filled had a small hole in it and would be constantly leaking. The kids had to be fast to pour more and more water in and pour it in faster than it would leak out. These buckets were sure didn’t much use other than for this relay race because it could not hold water.
In the Old testament book Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah is tasked with an unpopular duty of expressing God’s judgment upon God’s people in the southern Kingdom of Judah and specifically in Jerusalem.
Those with your Bibles turn to verse 13
Jeremiah
Jeremiah speaking on God’s behalf.
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Broken cisterns. For those unfamilar with the word, cisterns are tanks for collecting water, intended to be a reservoir.
Jeremiah is telling a people whom have broken God’s covenant are about to be conquered by Babylon. They have forsaken God, worshipping pagan gods and have clearly lost connection to the vine, the fountain of living water.
We understand from other scripture such as what we read in John, and in other places, the purpose of receiving the living water was to bare fruit. God’s people were intended to be a light to the surrounding nations.
Psalms 36:9
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
but rather than be a beacon or light, they became just like the other nations.
but rather than be a beacon or light, they became just like the other nations.
They still considered themselves special they still believed they had collected God’s blessing. But Jeremiah expresses their supposed cisterns of blessings which apparently they believed was held for them alone was broken, leaked away, and was empty.
I’m reminded of Jesus words to the woman at the well,
And you know the way to where I am going.”
psalms
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Church family, it is my desire that you and I would be a healthy branch connected to the vine which bears fruit, bears good fruit. Sometimes I think we are, but sometimes its possible we could be better compared to a cistern that is broken.
God is the vital source of water eternally. Broken cisterns hold no water, and cisterns themselves that hold water to itself eventually turns stagnant and moldy, or as Revelation puts it lukewarm.
A branch is transparent, if it has no water, if it is not connected to the vine, it bears no fruit and withers away, its health is seen clearly and more clearly able to diagnose the problem.
A cistern can be painted nicely and can look and appear to display itself fine but the inside cannot be seen, it can have no water, or dirty muddied water and the outside would not know.
My friends let us not only be a branch, but a healthy branch, one that is connected to the vine! One that bears fruit!
How you may ask? How do we be a fruit bearing branch? I don’t want to make it to simple that you won’t believe me, but truly it means connect to the Vine! Connect to the loving creator Jesus! When we will come to him seek forgiveness and claim his grace, we ask him to cleanse us, grow us, water us! When we abide in Him and He in us, then by his power may we bear and see fruit.
I believe today on our communion sabbath is a great way for us to start. Through the oridinance of humility, through footwashing we can take on an attitude of Christ, and in communion we will remember together the purpose of which Christ placed us here as a church body, to be a healthy fruit bearing branch.
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
1 corinthians