Jn 15:1-10 January 6, 2002

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

[5] "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. [8] This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

[9] "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. [10] If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

CCI: God's desire for us is one thing, that we bear fruit by remaining closely connected to Jesus Christ.

Intro: God's desire for us is one thing, that we bear much fruit by remaining intimately connected to Jesus Christ.

The picture of the vine and the vineyard has been closely associated with God's people for many years. Beginning with the Psalms Israel was called God's good vine. In Psalm 80:8 we read: You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.

That picture of God's vine became very important to the people. When the temple was remodeled by Herod, one of the most prominent features at the gate was a huge vine filled with bunches of gold grapes. Josephus in describing Herod's Temple in Jesus' day says, "under the crown--work was spread out a golden vine, with its branches hanging down form a great height, the largeness and the workmanship of which were an astonishing sight to the spectators" (Antiquities of the Jews, 5.5.4). Benefactors to the temple could make contributions to add grapes to the vine. People who wanted their lives to be remembered as fruitful would contribute large sums of money to make the vine fruitful.

The vine was important to the Jews. Even today it is an important part of Israel's economy. The grapes they grow are rich and sweet. The wine is coveted throughout the region. The vine is important.

I think that is why Jesus chose that picture to illustrate his relationship with the disciples.

I. I am the True Vine, My Father is the Vine Dresser

The vine that symbolized the nation, according to Jeremiah, had grown wild. It no longer bore good fruit. The vine of the temple was merely for show. Even those who gave gifts to produce fruit were simply showing off to the rest of the nation. And so Jesus said, "I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser."

The true vine. Not a reflection of what God wanted, not a symbol of what God desired, not an awesome work of art, but the true, authentic vine that God had planned for all along.

But notice that he calls his Heavenly Father the vinedresser. God the Father is the one who will care for and maintain the fruitfulness of the vine. How does that happen? Most state Deparments of Agriculture have a webpage dedicated to growing grapes at home. One of those pages says, "Grapes are vigorous plants that require the removal of 80-90 percent of the new wood after establishment to balance fruiting and vegetative growth." Did you hear that? In order to get the best fruit, 80-90% of the new wood must be removed. That is the job of the vinedresser, to cut away 80-90% of last year's growth. Now, I am not farmer and I do not raise grapes, so to tell you the truth, that does not sound like a good idea to me. However, another site reminds us "when pruning grapes, keep in mind that they produce fruit on the current season's growth from one-year-old spurs. The number of buds you leave will determine the fruiting potential of the vine during the next growing season." In other words, the only fruitful parts are those which are new.

Does that mean the wood that is being removed is unhealthy? No. Does it mean the wood that is being removed is weak? No. What it means is if you are going to have good fruit, all the energy and all the sap and all the growth, must go to the fruit. If you have ever seen a well trimmed grapevine in the spring, you know what I am talking about. It looks like there is nothing left, but what is there, is brimming with life. And the branches that remain will grow and be fruitful.

So what does that mean for us? It means that God's actions in our lives will sometimes seem very strange to us. Jesus said in verse eight, "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." He will do whatever cleansing is necessary to produce His kind of fruit. Our heavenly Father finds a branch that is beginning to bear fruit, beginning to produce the likeness of Christ, and He cuts it back, trims off shoots, so we will bear more fruit.

II. The Key to Fruitfulness

God's great desire is that we bear fruit, but not only bear fruit, but that we bear much fruit. But what is that fruit? It is Christlikeness. The fruit the Father longs for us to bear is the nature of Jesus. He wants us to be people of Grace, he wants us to be people of forgiveness, he wants us to be known as people of truth. He wants us to be people of joy. He longs for us to be people of peace. Our God desires that we be known as people of unity.

And that fruit can only be born when we remain intimately connected with the Father. John uses the word "abide." "Abide in Me" talks about the will. It speaks to the choices we make every day. Daily we must make a decision daily to abide in Christ. Perhaps you made a commitment a long time ago, but you also make it every day. Begin your day, "Lord abide in me." Pray that many times during the day. Decide to expose myself to Him, to His word, to fellowship of other believers in Christ and maintain that relationship of being yielded to Him. Choose to read His Word, to pray, to obey Him. Choose to make yourself available to Him daily. We abide in Him by allowing Him to abide in us. We have been placed into Christ by the Holy Spirit. Now we choose to maintain that relationship by the decisions we make. That is the Spirit-controlled person.

I have a line running into my computer. It gives me access to the internet anytime day or night. All I have to do is click on an icon, and I am off to Bible study, travel planning, game playing, shopping or even conversation with friends. However, if that line is broken, or if the modem connecting me to it crashes, all access to these wonderful opportunities is lost immediately. Oh, there are somethings I have saved and can do off line, but eventually I will realize I have been cut off.

The same is true with our relationship with Jesus. As long as we remain connected, there is life that flows from Him to us. As long as we remain connected there is strength to carry us through difficult times. As long as we remain connected we can bear the fruit God longs for.

And we remain connected to Jesus through several channels. First, God has revealed himself to his people throughout history. The record of that revelation is the Bible. In the scriptures we learn of God's dealings with people. In the scriptures we learn of the Word of God who became flesh. But even more, in some way, the scriptures themselves are living and active. The Father can use them to prune us and to feed us. As we study and apply the truth of the Bible in our lives, the channel of connection, the intimate relationship with Jesus that we need in our lives, is nourished and grows.

The second channel of connection is prayer. Scientific study of prayer and our brains have lead some scientist to suggest that we are "hard wired" to believe in God and to desire and long for a relationship with God. Prayer is not a time of sending out a divine wish-list. Nor is it simply sitting quietly and emptying our minds of all thought. Prayer is communicating with God. It grows as we grow in Him. It is listening to God speak and reflecting on God's actions. It is bringing our complaints and our joys. It is resting in God's grace in times of quiet and seeking His leading in every area of your life. Vital prayer is a certain channel of connection that will lead to our abiding in Christ.

A third channel, of whose value I have only recently become aware, is the relationship we can have with other believers who will act as our mentors. Philip Yancey, in the book Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church, tells his story through short biographies of men and women who have impacted his live for God. As we open our hearts to learn from those who have gone before us, God draws us into his loving arms. We can learn to abide in Christ when we see and experience that abiding in those around us. When I was in college I sang in a choir. I had a very difficult time reaching certain notes until at the suggestion of the director I leaned my head on the chest of a wonderful bass in the choir while he sang. When I was connected to this expert in that way, my own voice changed. I was able to reach the notes and my tone became better. Why? Because the life of my friend, was being projected through me. And that is what Jesus wants to do in our lives.

When we abide in him, his life flows through us. When the Father prunes that which is not Christ-like from us, the life of Christ causes the good stuff to grow and bear fruit.

Have you been going through the painful pruning process lately? He works at cutting out everything in our lives that is opposed to Christ-likeness. With precision He cuts out the resentments, bitterness, anger, selfishness, self-centeredness, arrogance, etc. Anything that is not of the Spirit He will cut out of our lives. If it is not Christ-likeness He will snip it out.

However, the Great Physician has never let His scalpel slip. He knows what is best and he will only prune what is needed. We are entering a new period of growth in our church, there may be much pruning, but the end result will be fruit. Are you willing to let God do His work in you? If so, this new year will be the most productive year of your life.

This morning we will be sharing in the Lord's Table. As we do, we will drink of the cup which is a symbol of Jesus' blood shed for us now flowing though us. We will eat of the bread, a symbol of Jesus' body, broken on the cross so that we might be one body in Him. As we share around the Lord's table, I invite you to place your self in the hands of the perfect vinedresser and let him change you.