Branches John 15:1-8 April 7, 2019

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1 Branches John 15:1-8 April 7, 2019 Thank you everyone for coming back out one more night for this series between our area churches. Tonight, we have run the gamete. We sang songs from Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent through to Palm Sunday. Now, we are exploring those hours that Jesus longed for: the time with His disciples in the Upper Room. 1 I m sure Jesus had thought long and hard about what He would say to the disciples on this final night, and boy did He have a lot to say. He said things like: You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 2 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. 3 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 4 And While they were eating, he said, I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me. 5 I can t imagine what they must have felt when He said that one. Shock, anger, disbelief, inquisition. So, I think, to force them to refocus on what was important, Jesus began to teach them more incredible truths. Tonight, I want to focus on a wonderful passage from John s Gospel. It is unique to John; the Synoptics do not mention this teaching at all. But John does, so let s hear what Jesus has to say to His disciples in the Upper Room and here in Germantown. I invite you to turn to the back of the bulletin and let s look at John 15: I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 6 1 See Luke 22: John 13:13-17 (NIV) 3 John 13:34-35 (NRSV) 4 John 14:6 (NRSV) 5 Matthew 26:21 (NLT2) 6 John 15:1-8 (NRSV) 1

2 On the way to Gethsemane, Christ used a grapevine to describe the need of a good relationship with Him if one is to be a disciple. The key to this lesson is the word abide. It speaks of fellowship with and devotion to Christ by the redeemed. The Greek word for abide is men -o. 7 It is used 120 times in the Bible to mean abide, continue, dwell, endure, remain, stand, and tarry. It is to stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy. 8 JULIE S BRANCHES So, branches, let s examine the Benefits of Abiding in Christ. I see five in this passage. First, a benefit of abiding in Christ is that We can bear fruit. Verse 4: Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 9 HOW MANY OF YOU LADIES LIKE TO GET FLOWERS FROM YOUR SPOUSE? FLOWERS FOR MYRA. DEAD FLOWERS. YOU DON T HAVE TO GET IT; YOU JUST HAVE TO GET THEM. The product of abiding is fruit. What is fruit? It is the grace of conduct, deportment, and attitude. It involves our behavior and service. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that some of this fruit involved: love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. 10 Hebrews 12:11 speaks of the fruit of righteousness which is good behavior. If a saint wants to live as a Christian ought to live, he or she will need to abide in Christ. What about our churches? Are we seeing fruit? Well, that s the next point. A benefit of abiding in Christ is that We don t work for nothing. Have you ever seen a video like this? FRUITLESS VACUUM CLEANER Verse 5-6: I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 11 Think about it. The branch is not asked whether it wants to be pruned. The gardener decides that. And how does He decide? Just by looking at it. Verse 2: He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 12 What can t the branch just stay connected and not be cut off? It might look pretty, but it s not producing fruit, and producing fruit is the purpose of the vine. Many of you know that I fly airplanes, single engine airplanes. There are four forces of flight: lift, weight (gravity), thrust and drag. Or, as we like to say in the hanger: dreams, reality, money and the FAA. 7 μένω 8 Strong s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary, John 15:4 (NRSV) 10 Galatians 5: John 15:5-6 (NRSV) 12 John 15:2 (NRSV) 2

3 The thrust of an airplane is produced in part by the engine, and that engine needs fuel. At the airport, there can be three types of fuel: mo-gas, which has a red tint; 100LL, which has a blue tint; and Jet-A (or jet fuel), which has a green tint. All three of these fuels work for the proper engine. And they will not work if put in an incompatible airplane. The branch must be connected to bear fruit the right fruit for the vine. We don t go to apple trees to get oranges, nor pear trees to get grapes. Jesus said in Luke 6: No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. 13 There are three ways in which we can be useless branches. We can refuse to listen to Jesus Christ at all. We can listen to Him, and then render Him a lip service unsupported by any deeds. Or we can accept Him as Master, and then, in face of the difficulties of the way or the desire to do as we like, abandon Him. One thing we must remember. Uselessness invites disaster. The fruitless branch is on the way to destruction. 14 Jesus is the vine, and there is a specific fruit that must come from that vine, and that is disciples of Jesus Christ. Anything else is not the kind of fruit that is needed or will be kept. And if we are not producing the right kind of fruit, then we are working for nothing. Nothing we do in our lives or in our churches is doing any eternal good. It doesn t matter how many bazaars we hold or church dinners or concerts we put on or Sunday School classes we hold or sermons we preach. Unless we are abiding in the vine, being connected to Jesus, and producing His kind of fruit, we will be lopped off because we are doing nothing. A third benefit of abiding in Christ is that Our prayers are answered. Verse 7: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 15 This is a wonderful and cherished verse. I remember this verse in song form: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what you wish, and it will be done unto you. I don t remember if there was any more to that song, but I think I got the most from it. I m sure every single one of us wants our prayers answered: We may be praying for someone with cancer; we want that prayer answered. We may be praying for a marriage; we want that prayer answered. We may be praying for a child who is struggling at school and with friends; we want that prayer answered. 13 Luke 6:43-45 (NRSV) 14 Barclay s Daily Study Bible, John 15: John 15:7 (NRSV) 3

4 We may be praying for a teenager who is dealing with anxiety and depression; we want that prayer answered. We may be praying for someone with addiction; we want that prayer answered. How is it answered, you may ask? If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what you wish, and it will be done unto you. It s that simple. Sometimes we wonder why our prayers are not answered. MARTY AND THE MOTORCYCLE. God took care of Marty, and may have answered a small prayer in my heart. Besides, motorcycles are too dangerous; they are too close to the ground. Flying is safer! When we abide in Christ, they will know the heart and plans of the Lord, and we will pray the right prayer, and it will be answered. A fourth benefit of abiding in Christ is that God will be glorified. The first part of verse 8 says: My Father is glorified by this 16 The purpose of the branch is not to look pretty, but to produce fruit. Why? That the Father be glorified. What does the Westminster Confession say is the chief end of man? To glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. It is the honor of the husbandman to have good, strong, vigorous vines, plentifully laden with fruit. An artist is proud of his or her creation. A mother is proud of her children. So, it is the honor of God to have strong, vigorous, holy children, entirely freed from sin, and perfectly filled with His love. God loves to grab an angel and say, Look there, see John, Amy, Charles, Lyla? See how awesome My child is? Don t believe me? That s exactly what we read in the first part of the Book of Job. When we fulfill our purpose, God is glorified. When we love like Jesus loves, God is glorified. When we respond to the needs and cries of the widow, the orphan, the needy, God is glorified. When we live as abiding, true, holy disciples of Jesus Christ, God is glorified. We glorify God when we are bearing fruit. This leads to one more benefit. A fifth benefit of abiding in Christ is that We prove that we are His disciples. Back to verse 8: My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become [or be] my disciples. 17 God wants us to be disciples of Jesus Christ. John Wesley said, To be a disciple of Christ is both the foundation and height of Christianity. 18 Unfortunately, I m afraid we are not doing a very good job of making disciples for Jesus Christ in our United Methodist Church. Right now, it seems that we are good at fighting, but the annual evidence of decline is overwhelming. Every week, the equivalent of a church this size is closing; every week. I m afraid we have become distracted, taken 16 John 15:8a (NRSV) 17 John 15:8 (NRSV) 18 Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, John 15:8 4

5 our eye off the ball, with all this debate about human sexuality. And I believe we are ignoring the real enemy. VIDEO: GAZELLE FIGHTING IN SPITE OF THE APPROACHING LION. My brothers and sisters, I believe we are ignoring the real enemy, and I m not going to argue today which side you are on. But I am going to tell you this: get back to making disciples for Jesus Christ! That is the fruit we are to bear. That is the way we avoid being barren branches that are cut off and thrown into the fire. That is the way we glorify God. Make disciples for Jesus Christ! The only way to go through the pruning process and to bear fruit is to maintain vital spiritual connection with Christ, the vine. Judas had left the room by this time; he had cut himself off from the branch. And Satan wants to sift us like wheat. 19 But that will not happen if we abide. A missionary in Africa lived in his central mission which had a small generator to supply current for his church and a small rectory. Some natives from an outlying mission came to visit the pastor. They noticed the electric light hanging from the ceiling of his living room. They watched wide-eyed as he turned the little switch and the light went on. One of the visitors asked if he could have one of the bulbs. The priest, thinking he wanted it for a sort of trinket, gave him one of the extra bulbs. On his next visit to the outlying mission, the priest stopped at the hut of the man who had asked for the bulb. Imagine his surprise when he saw the bulb hanging from an ordinary string. He had to explain that one needed to have electricity and a wire to bring the current to the bulb. We may share an understanding smile at the innocence of the African native, but we may not be much better. Jesus tells us about the importance of our connection to the vine, the true source of life, the true source of power. Just as the electricity provides the power necessary for the bulb to produce light, So the vine provides the life necessary for the branches to produce fruit Luke 22: From a sermon by J. Jeffrey Smead, It s Pruning Time, 5/4/2012 5