5-3-2020 I AM the Vine

Text: John 15.1-17 Title: “The True Vine” Topic: The Believer’s Union with Christ Series: “Self-Portraits of Jesus” Occasion: Sun AM, 5-3-2020, First FWB Church Duncanville Reading of Text: John 15.1-17 Introduction: It is possible that this self-portrait was inspired by the vineyards Jesus and his disciples passed as they travelled from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane. Vineyards are common in Palestine, and Christ often referred to them in his parables. The vine occurred on Jewish coins of the time, and was often carved on the door of the synagogue. From as early as the conquest of Canaan during the time of Joshua, the vine had been a symbol of the Promised Land and its abundance, and from the time of the prophets it had been a symbol of God’s people. According to the 1st Century Jewish historian, Josephus, the vine was the symbol carved into the great door of the Temple. Simply put the image of the vine was deeply interwoven into the life and thought of Jesus and his hearers. There is a two-fold concept in this self portrait of Christ: 1) Christ is the vine 2) We are the branches Taken together these two concepts indicate an intimate and vital relationship between Jesus and the believer. The branch draws its life from the vine, is intertwined with the vine, and partakes of the very nature of the vine. Over time the branch becomes nearly indistinguishable from the vine. Our souls are grafted into Christ, and so as Christians we confidently say, “My soul is united with Christ the Living Vine.” In his prayer in John 17 (known variously as the ‘True Lord’s Prayer’ or as ‘Christ’s High-Priestly Prayer’), Jesus prayed, “that all of them (i.e. believers) may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us that the world may know you have sent me.” This spiritual union with Christ is one of the wonders of the Christian life, indeed it is one of the miracles of our Christian lives. It was the magnificent obsession of Paul’s theology. No less than 164 times in his 13 epistles Paul used the phrase “in Christ” or its equivalent. We are united to Christ in his death, but also in his resurrection and life. As Paul so eloquently put it “I have been crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live, But Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2.20) Let’s now make some observations regarding this mystical union between Christ and the believer. 1. This Union with the True Vine is a Union of Wills Being united to Christ the vine involves a fusion of our will with God’s will. The conflict of life is basically a conflict of wills – man’s will in conflict with God’s will. Victory comes when man’s will is surrendered to God. Jesus prayed, Not my will, but thine be done, and he taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 2. This Union with the True Vine is a Union of Purpose There was an old man who once told his pastor, “Preacher I feel like there’s two dogs a battlin’ instead me all the time.” The preacher asked, “Which dog wins?” And the man answered “Whichever one I feed.” We often feel like there is a war aging inside us between our flesh and our spirit. But when we are united to Christ we find victory over that conflict. We are no longer divided between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the spirit. Rather we live to fulfill the Holy purpose of Christ for our life. 3. This Union with the True Vine is Conditional. Notice that Jesus said in John 15.7 “If you remain in me.” The word “if” always denotes a conditional statement. If remaining in Christ is a conditional clause, then it follows that it must be possible for us not to remain in Christ. It must be possible that our union with Christ can be severed. There are many things that would destroy the union between the vine and its branches. There are forces that would break the union and rob the branch of its life-giving power from the vine. The writer of Song of Songs said “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom” (Song 2.15) reminding us that often it is the little things which we permit in our lives that spoil the luster and richness of our spiritual lives. It is the little foxes of an uncontrolled temper, undisciplined desires, careless talk, etc. that often spoil the vineyard of our lives. You think about how delicate are the flowers on a grape vine in bloom, and it is no wonder that small foxes which are allowed to play among the vine and its branches cause such devastation. 4. This Union with the Ture Vine Involves Purging. Verse 2 states “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that bears fruit he prunes so that it will bear even more fruit.” When I first moved to Kansas City, Sheila and I tried to grow some tomato vines in my backyard. But they didn’t do too well. They looked magnificent! They were green, tall and full of foliage, but they did not produce very many tomatoes. And those they did produce were not very large. I shared by frustrations with one of the older men in our church who was a master gardener, and it didn’t take him very long to determine the problem, “Preacher you’ve got to pinch off them suckers if you want to have fruit.” Suckers he explained were little shoots that grow between the vine and the branch that will never produce fruit, but drain away the nutrients and moisture from the branch so it cannot produce good fruit. If you want a modern paraphrase of verses 2 and 6 “God picks off the suckers and burns them in the brush pile.” Too many Christians are content with spiritual mediocrity. If God is willing to cut off vines that do not produce fruit and throw them into the fire, then we ought to get serious about purifying our hearts and lives by getting rid of the suckers in our lives, i.e. those things that take our time and energies but do not contribute to the production of spiritual fruit. We need to pinch off all lesser loves, be cleansed from selfishness and self-centeredness, and be sanctified by His spirit. The grape vine was more extensively pruned than any other tree, often down to the very stump! But the more the dead branches were cut off and the greater the pruning or purging, the more vigorous and fruitful the growth. Conversely, vines that were left unpruned for extended periods of time could potentially die. When our lives are purged of dead things, then and only then will it manifest its most abundant life in Christ. 5. This Union with the True Vine Produces Fruit. The grapes produced from the vines around Jerusalem were prized throughout the ancient world for their rich taste and quality. There is a spiritual fertility that results from being united with Christ. A mature fruit-bearing tree. 1. There is the fruit of the Spirit that produces Christ-like character (Gal. 5.22-23). 2. There is the fruit of faithful service 3. There is the fruit of evangelism and outreach If our lives are not producing fruit then we need to ask ourselves a couple of questions 1. Am I truly united to Christ (i.e. have I truly been saved) 2. If I am saved, then are there some things that need to be pruned from my life to make it fruitful? Conclusion: As we conclude today, may our prayer be: Christ, the True Vine, I want to be united to you as the branch is to the vine. Purge my spirit and life of all things that would sap my spiritual life, vitality, and power, and make me fruitful for you.