Fruitful Branches of the True Vine. John 15:1-17. Cadet Shannon Rogers

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1 1 Fruitful Branches of the True Vine John 15:1-17 Cadet Shannon Rogers 15 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[a] 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. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

2 2 Gardeners are very passionate people, and the gardening community is a very tight-knit group of people. When I was reading through some blogs on the internet I found one writer that told a beautiful analogy. She says, I get this picture in my mind of God gently bending down and tending us...his eyes smile down with joy on each new leaf or bud. His tender hands gently guide us to toward His light. His nail scarred hands firmly and patiently pluck the weeds out of our lives that so stubbornly insist on growing. He allows the rain, but just enough to keep us growing, not so much that we drown. Everything He does in His garden is for the good of the plants... Have you ever seen a truly AMAZING garden? Does it not just leave you in awe (with a wee bit of jealousy)? I love looking at and admiring beautiful gardens. When I do, one of the first thoughts that runs through my head is "Who is the gardener? He/she did an amazing job. Beautiful and fruitful gardens bring glory to the gardener!" When people look at our lives, do we represent a beautiful garden? Do we bring glory to the Gardener? Today we are going to take a look at how to be fruitful branches of the True Vine. In this passage Jesus tells the disciples to remain in Him so that they can bear fruit. He also commands them to love each other. Jesus was giving final instructions to the disciples before his death to remain in him, to bear fruit, and to love each other. Remaining in Jesus means being in a relationship with him, knowing who he is, and following his commands. If we remain in him, we will bear spiritual fruit. Jesus command is to love each other. In verses 1-4 we learn that we are to be drawn to Christ, to find our roots in Him. To remain in Christ means following His example as laid out in God s word. It s being in constant communication with Him through prayer. It s living a life where others can see the love of

3 3 Christ in us. We are drawn to Christ through spiritual disciplines: prayer, Bible study, service, Christian fellowship, seeking and listening to God, a holy lifestyle. Verse 4 tells us that, no branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. Jesus used this illustration of the vine and the branches on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane where He as about to be captured. Jesus told them that they were the branches, and He was the vine. Verse 4 says, No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. We need to be drawn to Christ, to find our roots in Him. This involves a relationship with him and diligence in living a Christ-like life. If the branches aren t producing fruit, God cuts them off, the others he prunes, which can be a painful process, so that they can produce even more fruit. As Christians, Christ, the Vine, is that source of strength. Everything we are flows out of our relationship with Him. As branches we need to have deep roots in the Vine. When we are drawn to Christ and find roots in the True Vine we are then able to grow in Christ, producing fruit. Verses 5-8 tell us about growth in Christ bearing fruit. How do we grow in Christ? By trying to be more like Him! We learn from His example and His life that we find in the Gospels. What happens if you aren t drawn to and growing in Christ? Verse 6 says, If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. We were told in verse 2 that God, cuts off every branch in me (Jesus) that bears no fruit. Stagnant Christians, those who aren t growing in their relationship with Christ are detrimental to the production of the vine. These withered branches are useless, only good for kindling for the fire. What are the benefits of being drawn to and growing in Christ? Verse 7 tells us, If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. That is quite a promise! This isn t a genie in a magic lamp

4 4 kind of wishing, but a promise from a God who loves His people and is faithful to fulfill His promises. Bearing fruit isn t so that we can look good, or so our corps can look good. It s to bring glory to the Father. The branches are connected to the vine, and as such are representatives of that vine. Through spiritual disciplines we can make sure that we are growing in Christ: by reading God s word, by speaking and listening to Him, by serving His people, by seeking His will, by trying to live a life that more closely resembles the life of Christ. Gary Gulbranson told this story: A while back on "The Merv Griffin Show," the guest was a body builder. During the interview, Merv asked "Why do you develop those particular muscles?" The body builder simply stepped forward and flexed a series of well-defined muscles from chest to calf. The audience applauded. "What do you use all those muscles for?" Merv asked. Again, the muscular specimen flexed, and biceps and triceps sprouted to impressive proportions. "But what do you USE those muscles for?" Merv persisted. The body builder was bewildered. He didn't have an answer other than to display his well-developed frame. I was reminded that our spiritual exercises--bible study, prayer, reading Christian books, listening to Christian radio and tapes--are also for a purpose. They're meant to strengthen our ability to build God's kingdom, not simply to improve our pose before an admiring audience (Gulbranson). When we are drawn to Christ with our roots, and growing in Christ by producing fruit, we can then share Christ as we spread the seeds that will draw others into the Vine. Verses 9-17 are encouragement to be sharing Christ spreading seeds of love. Verse 10 says, If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love Keeping the commands of Jesus

5 5 helps us to remain in Him. He goes on later to say in verse 12, My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Jesus demonstrated His love for the disciples in many ways: by calling each one of them personally, by putting up with them when they just didn t get it, by teaching them over His 3 year ministry, by giving them power from the Spirit, by eating with them and showing them the way to the Father, and by washing their feet in the Upper Room. The disciples saw first-hand how Jesus loved. They were about to see the ultimate example of that love in His death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and Jesus revealing Himself to them after His resurrection. Verses 16 and 17 say, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit fruit that will last and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. The branches that are on the Vine were chosen. Jesus appointed the disciples to go and bear fruit, lasting fruit, and like the disciples, this is our command too. Jesus loves us. He is the true Vine and we are the branches: being drawn to Christ, growing in Christ, and spreading the love of Christ. Verse 9 and verse 12 of this passage say, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Are you firmly connected to the Vine today? Or are you one snip away from being withered and thrown away? Does the Lord have some pruning to do in your life? The Scripture urges us to be drawn into Christ: to be firmly connected, to establish our roots in Him. Next, we are to grow in Christ: to produce good, lasting fruit. Lastly, the command Jesus gives is to love as He himself loved. Are you exhibiting that kind of love in your life? You were chosen and appointed by God to share Christ with others, to spread the seeds of His love, drawing others into the Vine.