I AM the Vine

As most of you know, I lived for nearly 20 years in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is known for several things: a dairy product that I love in the form of Cheddar or Colby, or a fine Mozzarella string cheese; a beverage that I detest, sports teams that I can take or leave, and long, severe Winters followed by short, mild Summers.

Knowing that the winters are so long and the ice gets so thick that men drive full-size trucks on the lakes and ponds to their fishing shanties, you may be surprised that scuba diving is unexpectedly popular. After certifying in the local High School Swimming Pool, my pastor friend Tim now takes regular trips to Mexican and Carribean waters to practice this hobby. My businessman friend David chose to move to Florida where he lives on a waterfront so that he can take his boat out on Scuba excursions.

I never dived with a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, but conversations with these men impressed upon me that survival is absolutely dependent upon breathing oxygen that comes from above. If their oxygen supply is cut off for any reason, so is their life. In the same way God’s people grow and serve on earth because of a living connection with Jesus who has now gone above and if that connection were to ever be severed, so would our fruitfulness and our very lives.

Transition: A major theme in John’s gospel is the connection between Father and Son. In today’s text we find that just as the Son was joined to the Father, so must we be joined to the Son.

Joyful Living equals Fruit Bearing (John 15:1-11)

John 15:1–11 ESV:2016

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. 6 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. 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.

While the rich and powerful go to some place called Martha’s Vineyard, 2 weeks ago I got the opportunity to visit Maci’s Vineyard.

I knew that the vineyard was aggressively pruned in the early years to focus on establishing a strong, deep root system. But I was surprised this year to see NO VINES on any of the guidewires stretched along the rows of plants.

It was then that I learned that EACH YEAR all branches of each vine are trimmed back to just a few inches above ground level.

There is more stress placed upon the roots if the nutrients have to work their way through older hardened branches before it can get to new growth that produces the fruit.

Some Branches are Fuel for Burning (v.2a, v.6)

1. This reminded me of many established saints who love testimony time at church! When asked to give a testimony their minds go back to a salvation experience 50 years ago.

2. Often a missionary comes to a local church and as people are visiting after service, many stories surface about the time I went on a mission trip back in High School or College.

3. Bonfires are a place where memories seem to come rushing back from camp experiences 10 or 20 years ago when God did something significant in a young person’s life.

4. I’m not discounting these experiences because I too remember my salvation moment over 50 years ago. I can tell you with great passion how my love for other people groups changed nearly 30 years ago in my first overseas mission trip. I can tell you in vivid detail of my first and only opportunity to preach to homeless men in Chicago’s Pacific Garden Mission, home of the radio program Unshackled, while a college student. I can tell you in terms that will make you think you are there of the Friday night cross services at Circle-C Ranch.

5. There is no problem with these old stories AS LONG AS there are also new stories of how God is as work as I abide in Christ. Am I as passionate about dealing with the idols of my life that I am finding through the COVID pandemic as I was in dealing with my sin problem in 1970? Am I as sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to deliver food to lonely widows this week as I was to give Bibles to students in Russia in 1993?

6. As long as Christ’s Living Water can flow through those stories and produce new fruit, the branches are connected to the Vine. But the moment those memories no longer produce fruit, they need to be pruned and discarded so that a heartfelt abiding can produce new growth!

Some Branches are Fruit Bearing (v.2b, vv.4-5)

1. If we are not bearing fruit, we are not fulfilling our purpose on earth, and this means our joy is not as full as it could be.

2. As with the tree in Psalm 1:3, the branches of the vine don’t produce fruit to feed themselves but to feed others; and it is in the feeding of others that we find our joy.

3. What is Fruit?

a. Fruit may represent people we help lead to Christ.

b. Fruit can also be the evidence that spiritual growth or formation is occurring. What Galatians 5 calls “The Fruit of the Spirit” – When people look at your life do the words peace, love, joy and kindness come to mind? If someone were to introduce you before a speech or award would they say, here is someone who is good, patient, faithful and gentle? If your child was sitting next to you as you were on hold for 2 hours waiting to apply for unemployment, would he or she use the word self-controlled to describe your demeanor?

c. While both contain seeds, don’t ask me to explain why a green been is a vegetable, but a tomato is a fruit. (That is a question for an agriculture specialist like Bruce Wells) I’m told that one quality that make a fruit a fruit is that it contains seed. And because it contains seed it has potential to reproduce. This ability to multiply is why Jesus says when we abide in Him it produces, fruit, more fruit and much fruit.

4. The harvest God gives us depends on the spiritual gifts He has given us and our faithfulness in developing them and using them as the Lord opens service opportunities for us.

Transition: Dead machines can be programmed to produce results, and so can spiritually dead religious people. But Fruit is alive, and it comes out of our living communion with Jesus as His power works in and through us.[i]

Fruit Bearing equals Abiding

Fruit Bearing starts with Union (v.3)

· Verse 3 clearly refers back to the foot-washing event earlier during the time in the Upper Room. Where Jesus told Peter, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” (Jn 13:8)

Fruit Bearing relies upon Continuity (v.4)

1. We are rooted in Christ (Col 2:7) and rooted in Love (Eph 3:17)

Last year about this time we began to get unusually heavy rains, which was a tragedy for many of our corn fields. Good seed was put into fertile soil that contained all the nutrients necessary for a healthy plant.

But the floods provided a barrier between the fertilized seed and the sun so that the life-giving energy of the sun was prevented from getting to the embryonic, but good seed. This cause the plants to starve out before they could ever produce fruit.

2. It is when we abide in Christ that the spiritual potential that was placed in us at salvation is given opportunity to mature so that we bear fruit as intended.

3. The primary sense of the word used in v.4 is “to remain, or stay”.

A few of you had opportunity to meet our dog Josie. When Josie was just a pup I went along with our son to some obedience training. In that training we were told the single most important command to train an animal is “stay”.

There will be times when they run head long into a dangerous situation and a good dog with know that when an owner says “stay!” it is to be obeyed without question or delay.

Regardless of distraction or enticement, a properly trained pet knows when to stay and when to proceed. Two of the 3 pet dogs I’ve buried has been because they did not stay, and followed their instinct as hunters.

4. A more nuanced sense of the word the apostle John uses is “an inward, enduring personal communion”[ii]

5. This use of abide is what we will celebrate at the end of this service. To commune comes to us from Latin through French and at its root mean common or to share.

6. As we permit Christ’s values to become our values we are communing or abiding in Him. Through the bread and the wine, we are “holding in common” with Him the seriousness of our sin and His commitment to love by giving himself for others, for us.

What Does Abiding look like During Pandemic?

1. Are we as concerned about spiritual life as we are physical health of our family, friends and neighbors?

2. In the opportunities we have to engage others (in our essential activities) do they see the fruit of God’s Spirit at work in us?

3. When we are alone with our thoughts are we marked by anxiety or peace?

4. What is the last attitude or behavior that you can honestly say was the Father pruning something dead out of your life?

Transition: Many like to quote the 2nd half of v.7 but ignore the first half of the verse.

Abiding Begins with Obeying Christ (vv.7, 10)

The Prospect of Wishes Granted is Enticing (v.7)

1. The “wishes” are shaped by being close to Christ and His powerful and convicting Words work in us.

2. The “If” that begins v.7 & v.10 is “to denote what is expected to occur, under certain circumstances”.[iii]

a. If we abide, our wishes will be His wishes

b. If we obey, we stay in the embrace of perfect love.

3. Aspirin and arsenic both start with the letter A, but they have different properties.[iv] If you follow the laws of chemistry, you can expect a certain outcome.

The “Just as” in v.10 is telling

1. The obedience and abiding of the Son toward the Father is the measuring standard for our abiding and obedience.

2. It is an absolute and constant obedience.

3. To attempt to live for Christ without walking with Christ in the Spirit is futile.[v]

Obedience flows from Relationship

1. Because we relate with Christ, we want what He wants.

2. As long as we abide in the love relationship, the keeping of commands is a joy.

I watched the interviews of a couple of the players chosen in the NFL Draft this week. Both of the players I saw connected their thankfulness of being on the Team with a commitment to work hard and cooperate with the coaches in order to perform well.

The day before the draft I ran across an opinion piece of the worst first-round draft choices. Most of the names on the list were from drugs or failure to work hard.

Even a casual fan of professional sports can point to examples of players who wasted opportunity and flamed out of the league by off-field misconduct, violation of team rules, contributing to locker room disharmony, or public disagreement with the coaches or owners of the team.

By contrast, think back to the mutual respect between Dayton Moore, Ned Yost and the 2015 Royals. Do you recall the genuine affection between ownership, players and Coach Reid of last year’s Chiefs?

3. When relationship is strong, hard work flourishes. The quickest way off a winning team is to become a Primadona and disregard the relationship that makes obedience and hard work a joy.

Transition: Admiration encourages obedience and obedience deepens relationship.

Abiding Results in Loving Christ Deeper (v.11)

Explanation

· As we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), we come to love Him more and more. In the difficult days of life as well as the delightful days, we find ourselves learning more about Him, worshipping Him, thanking Him, and obeying Him. [vi]

Illustration

For the last point I used a sports illustration. This time let me move into the family. During the “safe at home” orders, 2 truths have become increasingly clear. 1) in homes where broken relationships existed, domestic violence has tragically increased. But 2) in homes built on love, the increased opportunity to “abide together” has increased intimacy. On social media I’ve seen generations raising pigs and cows together; One family worked together with every member of the family doing construction projects on a home; I’ve watched playing in the yard, I’ve seen fish stringers and turkey photos, I’ve seen kitchens with science experiments and living rooms turned into dance studios.

Application

· It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Bui my observation is that abiding (where there is love) also makes the heart grow fonder.

Conclusion:

I introduced this series by highlighting the book Jesus in the Present Tense by Warren Wiersbe.

Allow me to conclude the series with another quote from this book, “the better we know Jesus, the more we will love Him. The more we love Him, the more we will obey Him, and the more we obey Him, the more we will abide in Him. The more we abide in Him, the more fruit we will bear; and the more fruit we bear, the more we will experience life overflowing. It’s somewhat of a spiritual chain reaction, and it begins with our decision to spend quality time with our Lord each day.”[vii]

In the middle of this chain reaction are the links of love, obey, and abide; and nothing increases our love for Christ more than abiding at the foot of the Cross as we reflect on His love for us that we celebrate in the Lord’s Supper.

Communion:

Song of Response ......... “How Deep the Father’s Love”

Benediction: Hebrews 13:20–21 (ESV) — Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

[i] Warren W. Wiersbe, Jesus in the Present Tense: The I Am Statements of Christ (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2011).

[ii] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 631.

[iii] Ibid., 267.

[iv] Wiersbe,.

[v] Ibid.

[vi] Ibid.

[vii] Ibid.