Sermon Central
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United With Christ As A Vine! Series
Contributed by Stephen Elmer on Jul 31, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: Your Union With Christ Is Like The Union Between A Vine And Its Branches!
“United We Stand!”
United With Christ As A Vine!
Introduction:
1. Exploring The Doctrine Of A Christian’s Union With Christ!
- IE: “Clue” - Searching Through The Mansion Of The Entire New Testament, Gathering From Room To Room Clues About The Mystery Of Our Union With Christ!
- Going Through The Mansion, We Come To A Room That Gives Several Key Figures / Illustrations That Reveal Certain Aspects Of Our Union!
- Answer: “What Is It Like To Be United With Christ?”
- Remember, They Are Figures Only! They Cannot & Do Not Reveal To Us Everything That Our Union Consists Of – It Is Still A Mystery!
2. First Figure: According To Ephesians 2:19-22:
- Your Union With Christ Is Like A Building!
- What Is It Like To Be United With Christ?
- You Are Part Of The “Household Of God!”
- You Are Built ON Jesus Christ!
- Because Jesus Christ Is Your “Cornerstone!”
- You Are Built IN Jesus Christ!
- To Join Closely Together - To Bond So Tightly As To Become One!
- You Are Built BY Jesus Christ!
- Very Personal Process!
3. According To John 15:1-8: Your Union With Christ Is Like The Union Between A Vine And Its Branches! (Read Passage)
4. IE: Throughout His Ministry, Jesus Christ Used Natural Objects To Illustrate Spiritual Truths - He Uses The Figure Of A Grape Vine To Illustrate The Union Between Jesus Christ & Christians!
- Jesus Christ Is The “True Vine” (v. 1)
- More Genuine Than Even Grape Vines In The Garden!
- All Other “Vines” Are Pictures – Object Lessons Of This “Union With Christ” God Has Ordained For His People!
- Christians (The True Church) Are The “Branches” (v. 5)
- The Term Used For This Union Is To “Abide!”
5. Are You Abiding In The True Vine?
- Look At The Answer To Two Questions:
- Why Should You Be United In The True Vine?
- How Can You Be United In The True Vine?
I. Why Should You Be United In The True Vine?
A. The Vine Uses The Branches!
- A Grape Vine Uses Its Branches To:
- Grow To Completion & Maturity
- Display Its Glory & Beauty - Leaves & Flowers
- Produce Abundant & Delicious Fruit
- Though God Could Have Raised Up Stones To Fulfill His Purpose In This World, He Has Chosen Christians To Do So!
- The True Vine Uses His Branches (Church) To:
- Grow To Completion & Maturity!
- Ephesians 5:26 - “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
- His Sanctifying & Cleansing Work Is Not Completed Until You Are Completed! And This Will Happen!
- Philippians 1:6 - “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ!”
* God Is Using Your Union In Christ To Complete You & His Church!
- Display His Glory & Beauty!
- Ephesians 5:27 - “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
* God Is Using Your Union In Christ To Display His Own Glory For All The World To See!
- Produce Abundant & Delicious Fruit!
- Philippians 1:9-11 - “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
- God Is Using Your Union In Christ To Bring Others Into Union With Him!
- Just Like Fruit Bears The Seed In Itself To Produce More Fruit!
- Recognize The Purpose God Has For You In Being United In Jesus Christ, The “True Vine!”
- But, In Order To Fulfill These Purposes, You Must Also Realize That:
B. The Branches Need The Vine!
- A Branch (Of A Grape Vine Or Any Plant) Needs & Uses Its Vine (Or Trunk) As Its Ultimate:
- Source Of Life - The Stem Or Vine Works “Like A Straw” - Transporting Water & Mineral Salts To The Branches In Its Sap
- Just As “The Life Of The Flesh Is In The Blood” (Leviticus 17:11), The Life Of The Plant Is In Its Sap!
- Source Of Strength
- Along With The Root System, Anchors The Plant & Its Branches!
- Source Of Growth
- Pushes The Plant & Its Branches Closer To The Sunlight - Another Important Source Of Energy & Nutrients!
- Christ’s Branches Need & Use The “True Vine” For Their:
