Jesus is the Vine, We Are the Branches

Intro: The Elder and The Communion Wine…

St. Paul Church - Inner communion cups were grape juice, the outer circle were red wine…

We had members that were award winning vintners who offer to give us all the wine we needed for communion…

AFTER DISCUSSING A CHANGE TO BETTER TASTING WINE AN ELDER SAID WE BETTER NOT CHANGE IT BECAUSE SOMEONE MIGHT GET ANGRY…

Some people believe to do church right you have too suffer…

Do we really have to suffer for the sake of suffering in the church?!

John 15:1–8 CSB

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

Point #1: My Father is Glorified by This: That You Produce Much Fruit!

Jesus gives us insight into God’s mission, then by extension, our mission as Christ Followers...

Jesus is the true vine!

He is the one that God the Father sent to live a perfect life. He is the one that God provided to be a perfect sacrifice on the cross. He is the one that redeems those who call upon His name for salvation...

Acts 4:12 “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

For those that belong to Jesus we are called to stay connected to him and bear fruit!

Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[a] my disciples.

John 15:9–11 CSB

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

Point #2: Remain in My Love!

Love is the answer...

1 John 4:7-16 “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 God’s love was revealed among us[b] in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.

10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice[c] for our sins.

11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in[d] us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

John 15:12–17 (CSB)

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.

13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

Point #3: This is My Command: Love One Another as I Have Loved You!

Loving sacrifice is where its at!

Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus says that we show love for others by laying our lives down for our friends...

Laying our life down doesn’t just mean dying for them, it mean living to serve and advance them! It means have their back.

Jesus then tells them that their relationship is not just being his servants by rather they are friends.

Jesus has revealed what he is doing, he is going to the cross!

In light of this He gives us a command: Love one another!

1700’s Preach in Europe: Love One Another

A new pastor came to the parish and preached his first sermon: Love one another and sat down…next week the same thing...

A member asked when are you going to preach something else?

I’ll preach something else when you start doing it!

John 15:18–25 CSB

18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they don’t know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.

Point #4: If the World Hates You, Understand That It Hated Me Before It Hated You!

Colossians 3:1-5 “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

Remember our adversaries as Christians

The Devil

Our Flesh

The World System

John 15:26–27 CSB

26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Point #5: Jesus Sends the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit Testifies About Jesus Being the Christ!

When we believe we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit testifies to our spirit about Jesus!