Abide in His Love

Abide in His Love Jesus is the True Vine Sermon by Pastor Rich Miller 09/06/2019 Sermon Title Slide (switch slide) John 15:1-17 New Living Translation (NLT) Jesus, the True Vine 15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.  3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.  6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!  8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. 9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.  10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!  12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.  13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  14 You are my friends if you do what I command.  15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.  16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.  17 This is my command: Love each other. (switch slide) Jesus is the True Vine: In this passage of Scripture Jesus is teaching using a metaphor which is a figure of speech based on the comparison of two things which can be descriptive in terms of another idea, object or process. Jesus chooses to describe Himself as the grapevine and his followers as the branches. This is significant for a few reasons but first off is that in the Old Testament Yahweh called Israel His vineyard. This can be seen clearly if we reference in Isaiah 5:1-7 (switch slide and read scripture) This scripture is a song about the Lord’s vineyard in which Israel is referred to as the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Furthermore, the Lord tells Israel of how He prepared a pleasant garden for them and because of their sinful was they ruined it so therefore he will cast judgement on them, and the land will be desolate and taken over. Undoubtedly His followers would have been familiar with Isaiah’s writings so this refence was easily understood to many. Also, the vine is the source of life for the grapes in the vineyard just as Jesus is the source of eternal life, quality of life and the foundation of our faith. As Jesus often did, He is teaching his followers that He as the True Vine is replacing Israel as Yahweh’s plan of salvation for the world. That He and He alone can and will do what Israel failed to do time and time again because the Lord is fair yet still merciful to them. The Father is the Vinedresser Jesus refers to the Father as the vinedresser who will cut off or remove unfruitful branches. He will also prune the fruitful branches so that they may produce even more fruit. (next slide) The Father removes unfruitful branches In our modern culture many people do not like to talk about the judgement, but the truth is that because God is a holy and righteous God there is a judgement for those who sin or reject Him. Many people can understand the concept of sin being something that is against what God says is Holy. However, what many people never seem to grasp is two very important principles which are: 1) Sin is defined by what the Bible says is Sin not what each individual or culture feels is sin because the Bible is God’s infallible word and mankind’s opinions are biased based on personality, environment and culture. 2) By rejecting Jesus as you Lord and Savior one is thereby declaring themselves their own God and are essentially practicing idolatry. I realize that some will think my view a little extreme, but the Bible teaches us that lawlessness is each person doing what is right in their own eyes. By refusing to submit to God and creating their own realities and spending their lives investing in their own lifestyles instead of the ways of God they are therefore putting that individualistic lifestyle first and serving it instead of the creator. So if we can grasp the reality that we serve a loving God who is also a righteous and Holy God then it is much easier to understand what Jesus is explaining which is that those who reject God will in fact have to face the judgment and if they do not receive salvation in time will be cast to a devil’s hell that was never meant for them. Not because God sent them there but because they chose to go there by rejecting God and either living for themselves or serving false gods. (next slide) The Father Prunes every fruitful branch so it becomes more fruitful Grapes like many other plants actually flourish when pruned. The Father prunes us in our Christian walk as well so that we may flourish. The good news is that Jesus tells us that we have already been pruned by the words of His message and choosing to follow Him. But the pruning will be a continual lifelong process. Have you ever felt like you were being stretched too thin or that you have so much to do that there is a weight on your chest or that things that seemed easy are not more difficult even though you are trying your best? Or maybe a life circumstance seems to be more than you can handle. Most of the time we give the devil too much credit and say He is giving us trouble. While that is true sometimes, other times God is allowing us to experience trials and testing to prune us and make us more fruitful either in our current season or in the season to come. 2 James 1:2-4 New Living Translation (NLT) Faith and Endurance 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Other times there may be behavior that needs to be removed from your life. Maybe there is not obvious sin in your walk but there may be mindsets that need adjusting or even people or activities that take us away from the specific plan and purpose God has for our lives. I have been guilty many times of having too many logs in the fire. It is very important for us to never mistake activity for progress because they are two different things. Don’t be surprised when God may prune certain things from your life even if they are not bad things or sin so that you can produce more fruit in the specific calling He has placed on your life. For example, I am called to Pastor so while I could start a care ministry for example which is great it is not what I specifically am called to do and would actually dilute my called ministry and make me less effective overall. I would be better off helping to raise up a servant leader who does feel called to do that ministry because they will not only do it better, but it will also allow me more time to operate where the Lord has placed me. Christians are the branches Jesus gives us as His followers very specific instructions. Repeatedly He reminds us to remain in His love and He will remain in our love. This is like Him remaining in the Father’s love and the Father in His love. Said differently, Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit are one and cannot be separated. Jesus desires for us to have that same relationship with Him because He love us like the Father loves Him. Jesus promises us that when we stay in Him that not only will we be fruitful but be very fruitful. So, what is our fruitfulness? It is being His disciples and by being His disciples it brings glory to the Father. Jesus also promises us that when we remain in His love that we can ask The Father anything in Jesus name and it will be granted. So that raises the question of how exactly we can be sure to remain in His love. Jesus explains that we must obey His commandments just as He obeys the Father’s commandments. He has shared the good news with us so that we can have joy full and overflowing. What are the commandments which Jesus wants us to follow? It is simply to love one another as He loved us. Then the example of laying down one’s life for another is the greatest love ever shown. So, we can safely say that Jesus desires us to live our lives serving others and not just ourselves. While we may not be required to lay down our lives physically in most cases like He did, we do invest our time, resources and talents for the Kingdom and to serve others. You see if I am spending my life investing in others like Jesus did and tells us to do then I don’t have time to be inwardly focus on my own problem and experiences because I realize that life is bigger than my individual situation and more importantly it pleases and honors God. Throughout this passage while Jesus gives us joy by sharing all the good news He is completely forthcoming in warning us that if we do not have fruitful lives and love and serve others than we are not in alignment with God’s plan and purpose and therefore will be held accountable for that. Jesus ends the metaphor with wonderful news that He chose us to produce fruit for the Kingdom and that He calls us friends. Also, again He tells us that whatever we ask the Father for in Jesus name will be given to us. And lastly that the commandment of Christ is to love one another. So, if you haven’t done anything for God lately there is no better time than now to start. And if you haven’t shown genuine love for a brother and sister in Christ lately please do so today. You see these days are short and we want to remain in Christ’s love and receive all the blessing He has in store not only for us but for those we lead to him and encourage in Him. May God richly bless you all and have a great week. r you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. -- 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. -- 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. -- 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing n