1 Valley View Chapel March 24, 2013 Jesus Is. Part 6 The Vine John 15:1-6 Introduction This is the sixth and next-to-last sermon in the series leading up to Easter called Jesus Is. Jesus made seven statements about himself in the Gospel of John, each one beginning with the words I am. So far we have seen that Jesus said that he is the bread of life; the light of the world; the gate; the good shepherd; and the way. Next week we will look at John 11:25 where he proclaims himself to be the resurrection and the life. Today s passage John 15:1-6 actually contains the last of his I am statements chronologically. Please follow along as I read. "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. John 15:1-6 (NIV) Perhaps you have noticed that in each of the I am statements Jesus spoke in figurative language. When he said I am the bread of life ; I am the light of the world ; I am the gate ; I am the good shepherd ; I am the way ; and I am the vine, he did not want it taken literally. It would be ridiculous to do so. Rather, each designation was meant to point us to a deep spiritual truth regarding his ministry to his people, his care for his people, and his power on behalf of his people. Several weeks ago I mentioned in connection with Jesus role as the gate to the sheepfold that it was a difficult concept to teach and understand because we re not familiar with sheep and shepherds in this part of the world. Something that would have been plain as day to those living in first-century Israel is hard for us to imagine. We re presented with a similar challenge when we try to understand John 15:1-6. Most of us don t have grapevines growing in our backyards. We see grapes in the produce department of the super market but we don t see often see them before they re picked. Perhaps if we lived in the Napa Valley of California we d be personally acquainted with grapevines but most us don t see a grapevine on a regular basis. It s interesting to note in connection with this passage that the Old Testament referred to Israel as God s vineyard. Isaiah 5:7a The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel. (NIV) Jeremiah 2:21 I was the one who planted you, choosing a vine of the purest stock the very best. (NLT) Hosea 10:1 Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. (NIV)
2 The True Vine Jesus said that he is the true vine. The vine is that which supplies life, energy and growth to the plant. Jesus, speaking as the vine to the branches (his followers) said categorically in verse 5, apart from me you can do nothing. Once again we cannot interpret Jesus words on a strictly literal level. Those who are not Christ followers can do quite a lot of things, even what could be called good things. But apart from connection to Christ no one can do anything of eternal significance. Non-Christians do a tremendous amount of good in this world. But apart from Jesus Christ they can t do anything that will still have an impact a thousand years from now. The point Jesus makes throughout today s text is that the branches cannot risk separation from the vine. Connection to the vine is indispensable for the life, strength, vigor, beauty and fruitfulness of the branches. In the same way, connection to Christ is indispensable for a Christian s life, strength, vigor, beauty, and fruitfulness. Jesus said: I am the true vine. The fact that he included the word true suggests strongly that there were then and are now false vines in the world, vines that promise life, energy and growth but don t deliver on their claims. False Vines So what are some of the false vines today that compete with Christ for our connection and commitment? False vines can be classified in two categories: religious and non-religious. Religious false vines According to the web site adherents.com there are over 4,200 churches, denominations, religious bodies and faith groups in the world but they also estimate that in actuality the number is much higher. So there are over 4,200 potential vines to which people may become attached. These are alternate sources of spiritual truth to that presented by Jesus Christ in the Bible. At its most basic definition: A false vine is any spiritual system that denies that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man and the only way to forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and eternal life in heaven. Non-religious false vines There are probably more non-religious false vines than religious ones. I only have time to single-out three non-religious false vines. Hedonism The first non-religious false vine is hedonism or the love of pleasure. Hedonism says: Attach yourself to me and I ll show a good time. Stay connected to me and you ll never be bored. Abide in me and you ll have fun. The annual spring break for college students around the country has recently concluded. If you were in Panama City or Daytona Beach, Florida, South Padre Island, Texas, or Las Vegas, Nevada you would have seen thousands of college students connected to the vine of hedonism. C.S. Lewis spoke to the wide appeal of this false vine in his book The Problem of Pain: What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, What does it matter as long as they are [happy]? We want not so much a Father in heaven as a grandfather in heaven a benevolence who likes to see people enjoying themselves,
3 and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, A good time was had by all. Materialism The second false vine that cries out for our connectedness is materialism or the love of things. Materialism says: If you just had more stuff you d be satisfied. Just one more of this and two more of that and your hunger will be satisfied. Remain in me and I ll meet your every need. Abide in me and you ll look good, be respected and admired by people of taste and class. It s tempting bait that is swallowed by many. If you ve ever traveled about 30 miles south of Washington on I-95, you ve seen the sign for Potomac Mills. It was featured on the PBS documentary about consumerism called Affluenza. In one particular scene, a woman who is shopping is interviewed. She says, "You shop and spend money what else matters?" The program showed a Potomac Mills TV commercial. With a panoramic view of the cavernous shopping emporium, an announcer proclaims: "Shopping is therapy. Listen to that little voice in your head. Shop. Shop. Shop. Shop. You can buy happiness. You just don't have to pay retail for it." Jesus said that materialism is a false vine. It doesn t give life, it takes it. It doesn t strengthen those who worship at its altar, it weakens them. It doesn t add beauty or grow fruit. It makes people even more discontented and selfish. That s why he warned us in Matthew 6:19, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (NIV) Relativism The third false vine that tempts people for their loyalty and commitment is relativism (the love of options). This is the false vine that says: If you stay connected to me, you can make your own choices. You don t need anyone telling you what to do. Abide in me and you can believe whatever you want with no guilt. Remain in my world-view and decide for yourself what works and what doesn t. During the summer of 2008, Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith led a research team that conducted in-depth interviews with 230 young adults from across America. Smith and company asked about the young people s moral lives. The interviewers asked open-ended questions about right and wrong, moral dilemmas and the meaning of life. Not many of them have previously given much or any thought to many of the kinds of questions about morality that we asked, Smith and his co-authors write. When asked about wrong or evil, they could generally agree that rape and murder are wrong. But, aside from these extreme cases, moral thinking didn t enter the picture, even when considering things like drunken driving, cheating in school or cheating on a partner. I don t really deal with right and wrong that often, is how one interviewee put it.
4 The default position, which most of them came back to again and again, is that moral choices are just a matter of individual taste. It s personal, the respondents typically said. It s up to the individual. Who am I to say? Rejecting blind deference to authority, many of the young people have gone off to the other extreme: I would do what I thought made me happy or how I felt. I have no other way of knowing what to do but how I internally feel. Jesus said I am the true vine. That means that 4,199 of the 4,200 spiritual systems are not true. If Jesus is the true vine then hedonism, materialism, and relativism lead to dead ends that will result in spiritual death. The Branches Jesus said in verse 4 to all who profess to believe in him and follow him: No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. What did Jesus mean by bear fruit? Jesus said in Luke 6:44-45, Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.the good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart. (NIV) Fruit describes the results of a person s life. Fruit is the pay-off of following Jesus. It s the outcome of a life lived in harmony with Christ s words and his will. So what kind of fruit can we expect if we are devoted followers of Jesus Christ? The fruit of influence Paul said in Romans 1:13 that he wanted to come to Rome to have a harvest among them. There s something about a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ that can influence a workplace, a school, a neighborhood and a family for good and for God. back in 1976 my friend Ray Fredette was the first member of his family to come to Christ. Now, 35 years later there are well over fifty members of the Fredette extended family are Christ followers. The fruit of character When the Lord Jesus Christ is number one in our lives, it shows up at the core of our being. We re changed from the inside-out. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) The fruit of good works Paul prayed that the Colossian Christians would please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work. Colossians 1:10 (NIV) Christians connected to Christ think of others first, just like Jesus did. The fruit of praise The writer to the Hebrews exhorted his readers: Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15 (NIV) At the end of life s road, don t you want to be known as a person of influence, of character, of good works and of praise? It doesn t happen by accident. It happens because you make a conscious choice day-in and day-out to remain or abide in Christ the vine. How to Remain in the Vine
5 Depending on your translation, Jesus referred 11 times in John 15:1-11 to remain or abide in him. The Greek word meno means to continue, dwell or endure. Jesus was saying to the branches: Stay in close contact with, stay connected or attached to the vine. In human terms, we would say: Stay in close fellowship with Christ. Keep hold of Christ. Don t let go of Christ. Why not? Because a branch, when cut off from the vine, can t sustain life. It will dry up and die. The branch apart from the vine cannot generate its own life. So if I want to remain close to Christ, if I want to stay connected to Christ, if I want his life flowing through me so that I will be a person of influence, character, good works and praise, what do I have to do? First and foremost, you have to sense your need of him and keep that realization before you every moment of the day: Apart from me you can do nothing. Here s a little poem I learned that helps me to remember that I need Christ: Let not conscience make you linger, Nor of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness he requireth, Is to feel your need of him. Now I want you think of how you keep your marriage strong or how you keep a friendship strong over the decades. You know that a great marriage and a lifelong friendship don t just happen. Both parties have to put a lot of effort into it. The same principles apply to remaining close to Christ and being a fruit-bearing Christian. First: Time. No relationship that matters is enhanced without time. You need to stay connected to Christ every day by taking time for God in your life. You do this through private time alone with God; through small group interaction with other Christians; and in public worship. Second: Conversation. In every marriage and every friendship, there needs to be a line of communication established and maintained. Invest a few minutes every day in deepening your relationship with God. Let him talk to you through the Bible and you talk to him through prayer. Third: Service. No relationship that matters will deepen if it s just one-sided. Ask god what he wants you to do for him. What skill has he given you? What excites your passionate involvement? To what kind of people is he drawing you? My guess is that if you find yourself slipping off the vine, you ve neglected to spend time with God; or you ve marginalized conversation with God; or you ve been too selfish to serve. Conclusion In their book The Sacred Romance john Eldridge and Brent Curtis asked a searching question: If I m not abiding in Jesus, then where is it that I abide? We re all connected to someone or something. We look to someone or something for strength, energy, beauty, and fruitfulness.
Abide in Christ. Keep in close contact with Christ. Stay connected to Christ. He alone is the true vine, the source of life as it was always meant to be lived. 6