The Vine and the Branches

Have Ryan remind to share or start a watch party....

Greetings and Announcements

Good morning and welcome to New Life:

Where we worship The Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

We are so glad that each one of you have joined us, both here at the church and online.

To our brothers and sisters that cannot be with us today, know that we love and miss you, and that you are in our thoughts and prayer.

We are a Bible teaching church that believes what Jesus said, “Sanctify them by your Truth, your Word is Truth!”

This means that the more of the Word we get inside of us, the more we do the Word, the more we will be like Jesus. Amen!

John 15:1–8 NKJV

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, 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, 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, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Intro:

Our present reality:

So many demands and so few outlets

Many of the things that give us a sense of joy

Many of the things that give us a daily escape from the challenge of life have been taken from us

We are socially distanced and spiritually drained

Exhausted, drained, and disconnected.

I came to preach to some of the real people, who don't mind being honest about things.

Our faith is challenged in ways that we have not been....

In times like these, you’ve got to know that you’ve got something deeper than a superficial relationship.

In times like these you need a Savior, In times like these you need an anchor; Be very sure, be very sure, Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes He's the One, This Rock is Jesus, the only One; Be very sure, be very sure, Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Hang in there!

Don’t give up on yourself, don’t give up on God, you are not forgotten!

While we may not be gathered in the same room,

We can be on the same page.....

Here is how Jesus put it.....

“I am the vine”

(Jesus had a way of saying “I AM”)

This is the last of the I AM sayings in John.

I Am the True Vine

There are some things that look like vines but are not true

Purposes, Plans, Powers -

They do not feed us they drain us

They do not help us they hurt us

Some weeds look just like vines

Connect to us, surround us, choke the life out of us.

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof is the

Pray for discernment....

Watch out for clandestine viruses, that if you click on them they start messing with the OS of our soul!

Some viruses have a way of getting into the operating system of our faint.

“I am the True Vine”

2. You Are The Branches

Life, flows to the branches from the vine.....

Health, flows to the branches from the vine.....

Strength, flows to the branches from the vine.....

Abide: to continue v. — to continue a certain state, condition, or activity. Not to depart, to remain as one, to be held, kept, continually. To dwell, to reside, to remain.

The verb “abide” (or, “remain”) is used:

12 times in John 15,

40 times in John’s Gospel, and

27 times in John’s epistles 

God has not forgotten about you!

You are branches, there is but one vine

We are the branches

If you’ve ever seen a true vine and it’s branches, it’s the vine that stands out.

Distinguishable from the branches

Hard to tell one branch from the other....

Stands in judgement against our elitism

All the branches are tied up together

No big I’s and little You’s

That’s why you need the church.

Because any branch that get’s disconnected from the vine is bound to wither and die.

Don’t let the devil cause you to take a detour!

But if you abide in me - you can survive the pandemic

If you abide in me you can live and not die

If you abide in me you can produce grow and flourish

Gifts and fruit of the Spirit

3. Roots deep in the soil

If you are going to survive the drought, you’ve got to have roots that go deep down into the soil.

Roots are wrapped around one another.

Survive Hurricanes!

4. Planted next to a River

There is a water basin that nourishes our roots even through a season of drought and dismay.

Plant yourself next to a river.

Dr. Howard Hendricks tells of a small town in Texas where 1 year the school burned to the ground with the loss of more than 200 lives, because they didn’t have a sprinkler system. They began to rebuild after the initial shock had passed and called in the foremost company in fire prevention equipment to install a sprinkler system. When the new school was opened for public inspection, guides pointed out the new sprinklers in each room, to alleviate fears of another disaster. The school operated without incident for a number of years, then they needed to add on to the existing structure. As work progressed, they made a startling discovery. The new fire extinguishing equipment had never been connected to the water supply! They had the latest in technology and equipment, yet it was entirely useless!

Psalm 46:4 NKJV

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

Cast out- ballo- to be thrown (state) v. — to be or become cast away or discarded. Jesus has stressed throughout this allegory that the disciples must be fruitful. The reason for these branches to be cast out is simply that the are not bearing fruit.

The wood from a vine/ branches is soft and good for nothing.

A tree might be cut down, sawed into planks, and then used to build a house.

But a branch is twisted, its brittle and nothing can be built from it.

Branches that do not produce fruit are cast away

They whither and are thrown into the fire and are burned.

William Barclay points out, in his commentary, that at certain times of the year it was stipulated by law that the people were to bring wood offerings to the temple to supply the fires for the sacrifices. But it was also laid down that the wood of the vine must not be brought, because it was useless for that purpose. It burned too quickly. The only thing that could be done with it, save letting it lie around, was to make a bonfire and destroy it quickly.

These verbs describe a progression for the one who doesn’t abide: cast out, withered, gathered, thrown, and burned.  Yet the progression described is a sober and significant warning of the danger of not abiding.