John 15_1-17 The True Vine Pt 2

Secular:

Have you ever seen inside a Pro Sports team’s dressing room?

Besides… benches, lockers….
Massage tables, whirlpools, trainers, medial table

This is the highest level of competition!!
The Vince Lombardi Trophy… the Stanley Cup… the World Series… lots of competition for a bit of shiny silver…
It is about dollars… competition… prestige…. Lots at stake
Highly competitive for what…
If you ever see those biography moments…

Hours every day… in the gym, rink, on the field, in the weight room….

What truly is at stake for ALL OF THIS SACRIFICE?
"Spanning the world to give you the constant variety of sports. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, the human drama of athletic competition. This is ABC's Wide World of Sports."

Biblical:

John 15:1 "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 bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also 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 so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one 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 slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things 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 would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 "This I command you, that you love one another. 18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 "But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.' 26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Personal:

We sacrifice for things we love…
My kids gave up their Christmas gifts… to go on a special holiday…
I spent my summer evenings, weekends, days off…. Building rooms for my boys
Some of you have driven a million miles from rink to rink, ball field to ball field… gymnastics competitions, science fairs…
Some have had to choose to eat… or feed your kids…
We know we have to sacrifice for that which is valuable…

Bridge:

How about Jesus?
When was the last time you truly made sacrifice for your faith?
If you looked at your daytimer, PDA, examined Outlook on your computer… would it indicate a life of sacrifice?
Look at your passion…
We will all be called to suffer for our faith… we need to have a heart to sacrifice… so that when the opportunity comes t suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ… we respond send me Lord…. Take me Lord… Use me Lord….
Good crop?

Good stock… outcome becomes certain

In Christ our outcome is certain…

Body:

Fruit Bearing

The Symbols
The Son is the true vine… v.15:1a, 5a

Grapes good stock
Wild… wrong vine… bad product

The Father is the gardener 15:1b

Careful… attentive… loving… knowing….
Responsible for the outcome

The Believer is the branch 15:5b

From good stock comes good branches to bear good fruit
From bad stock weak branches... bad grapes

The Steps
Submitting to the Pruning of the Father 15:2-3

Father is going to grow us…
Nasty vine cut back… cast off… waste
Cut back… improve crop…. Improve quality
Hebrews 12:6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
What are his tools?

His Word
His Spirit
His People…

His Elders
The Caring Body

We must abide in the Son 15:4. 5c-6

Be attached… not blown away… not burnt up…

The Success
It results in bountiful fruit 15:7-8a

… but those grafted into Christ… true branches attached to the true vine….

It results in glorifying the Father 15:8b

True branches bear good fruit for the gardener…
Those who abide in Christ… live for Christ and through Christ… Bring Glory to God!!

So ferret out the dead wood…
Abide in Christ
And bear fruit to the Glory of God!
Good crop?

Good stock… outcome becomes certain

In Christ our outcome is certain…

Loving

The Priority

The Father loves the Son 9b-10b

"Just as the Father has loved Me”
A good genesis… stems from the triune God!
From a deep… holy… true wellspring!
Drawing a warm bath on a cold damp day…

All consuming…

Marriage like that…. Love at the core… best for the kids.

The Son loves us 15:9-10, 11

Flowing from the perfect love of the triune God… Father, Son and Spirit.
God chooses us…
We need to choose him…

The believer is to love the other believers 15:12

Remember Christ CHOSE to love… isn’t all emotional… it was a decision… despite how rotten we could be!
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We need to …love as Christ loved… and love one another in spite of who we are!
Cold you imagine if we were graded on a lovable scale by God…

The Proof 15:13-15

What Jesus will do for his disciples… 15:13

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
Willing to do the hardest…
Willing to sacrifice…
Willing to lay it down…
So…. Do we love as Christ loves…

What are we willing to lay down for each other?.... for others?

What Jesus now does for his disciples…15:14-15

"You are My friend… Called friends….
Not just duty…
Genuine…
Family you inherit…. Friends you choose!
More than lineage…
A choice in the heart of God

The Promises 15:16-17

Our branches will bear permanent fruit 15:16a

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain…”
Your transformation is in Christ…
Your ministry is in Christ…
Apart from Christ our service is hollow and temporary….

Our prayers will be answered 15:16b-17

God will realize his will in and through us…

Good crop?

Good stock… outcome becomes certain

In Christ our outcome is certain…

Suffering

18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 "But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.'

The Facts

Christians will be hated because Christ was hated 15:18-19

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”
Christ came changing the world’s priority…
Changing personal priorities…
What are we doing…

Do we stand out…
Call for change

Jesus following isn’t easy… it isn’t a popularity contest…
This is not an easy or popular message!

J _ O _ Y

No servant is greater than his master. 15:20-21

“Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”
You don’t get off easy…

If Jesus the perfect orator… communicator… perfect in Love… perfect in compassion… didn’t get an easy road…

If the boss takes the heat…

If the company suffers… the workers suffer

If Jesus is our Master and our Message
There will be those who respond unfavourably… even with hostility…
If they responded this way to him… the same message?

The reason for this hatred is Jesus’ fearless preaching against sin 15:22-24

"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”He who hates Me hates My Father also. "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.” * Jesus opens eyes…

Declares truth
Makes our sin obvious
Shows the breakdown in our relationship with God

Some folks hate truth…. Ever notice…

Someone sings bad
Plays bad
Does something stupid
Makes a bad choice…
And we tell’em

The Foretelling

All this is predicted in Psalms 35-15 and 69:4 – 15:25

“But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.”
Truth is a dumb reason to get mad!
But - Abortion

- Marriage

- Application of Scripture

- calling sin sin

God isn’t caught off guard… and he warns us…
Countries expel ambassadors cause they don’t like the message…
As ambassadors of Christ… we are citizen of heaven… and many times the message of love isn’t loved…

Good crop?

Good stock… outcome becomes certain In Christ our outcome is certain…*

Witnessing

26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

The Holy Spirit will soon witness to the discples concerning the Saviour 15:26

"When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,”
We have the Spirit
We have the Word
We have the Conviction
Believers know!

The disciples should then witness to the world concerning the Saviour 15:27

… and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
If there are grapes….
There is a vine
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.
Testify to the truth… borne out of love…

Good crop?

Good stock… outcome becomes certain

In Christ our outcome is certain…

Conclusion:

Fruit bearing…
Loving…
Suffering…
Witnessing…