THE LIFE LINE
Text: John 15:1- 8
Just recently my daughter Lilly looked at the bushes of the parsonage that had been trimmed back. She expressed her concern that the bushes might not grow back. I assured her that that the pruning that had taken place was good for the bushes because there was dead wood that need to be removed on some of the those bushes. One morning when I was getting ready to drive Lilly to school, a month since her first observation, she commented on how the bushes are starting to come back.
John 15:1-8 is a scripture that illustrates how God prunes our lives. Jesus reminds us that He is the Vine, we are the branches and God is the Vine dresser. God wants to prune our lives (John 15:2) so that we might accomplish His will in the plans that He has for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11) because God has prepared things that He wanted to accomplish in us and through us (Ephesians 2:10). There are obstacles that have be addressed through the way that God prunes our lives before we can reach the planes God has for us. Sin is perhaps the biggest of the obstacles because it is connected with all of the other obstacles in our lives that hinder God’s will. Sin has many forms and formats that make deadwood in our lives, but sin has one purpose and that is our destruction.
THE VINE
Have you ever noticed how many times the vine analogy shows up in the Bible? The word vine shows up in scripture 58 times in 62 verses. Consider some of these verses from Psalm 80:7-9:
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved! You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the [heathen KJV] nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land (ESV).
Why is this passage of scripture important for today as it relates to John 15:1 - 8? Here’s the answer: We know from the Old Testament that Egypt was a place of captivity where God’s children were being held as slaves---like livestock. This rescue effort orchestrated by God on behalf of His chosen people came through the leadership of Moses whom God chose to lead them out of captivity and re-establish them as a chosen nation. God removed the bad actors---the heathen nations (KJV) and gave His chosen people a new start represented by clearing the ground (Isaiah 5:1- 7).
What is God’s goal for this Vine?
1) God’s goal: It is God’s goal that the vine be fruitful in being holy and multiplying through evangelism.
2) Sin: Sin aka rebellion becomes the obstacle that the enemy---Satan will configure into whatever format that would hinder God’s will and advance our destruction!
3) Pride: Pride is at the root of every sin. Pride caused Satan to stumble and fall (Isaiah 14:12 -15 cf. Luke 10:18) and he uses sin against God’s children to make them stumble and fall.
4) The satanic stamp: Paraphrasing John Wesley described it, “Are we not all guilty of pride that becomes guilty of idolatry because of how Satan has stamped his own image on our heart in self will”? (John Wesley. Wesley’s Works. Sermons Volume II. Sermon: “Original Sin.”Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p. 60). God’s goal is God-guided unadulterated growth---inward and outward growth, not growth that is based on anything man-made, pride and building our own version of Babylon (Genesis 11:1-9).
THE BRANCHES
Can any branches that are not attached survive? Can fish survive out of water? The answer to that question is of course not!
1) Detached: Jesus tells us that to be detached is to die---”Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus gives us life more abundantly compared to the enemy who only desires to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).
2) The doorway: Jesus also gives to us the gift of eternal life because He is the door (John 10:7, 9)---the path way to salvation.
3) Pioneer: Jesus also mentions that He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11, John 3:16) because He is both the pioneer---the author and perfecter of our faith of our salvation who endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).
4) The Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8): Jesus gives all who believe a new beginning to become new creatures in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17) and the guarantee of life eternal when we have finished the race that God carves out for us (Hebrews 12:1) in this life.
5) Abiding [KJV], {Remaining NIV]: How many times does that word appear in this scripture John 15:1- 8? Abiding in Jesus means that we are obedient to His teaching throughout scripture because “fruitful appears in obedience.” (Merril C. Tenney. John: the Gospel of Belief. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976, p. 228). Take notice of John 15:6: “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned” (ESV). In other words, fruitfulness and obedience are connected!
6) Biblical History : We reap what we sow! Disobedience is deadly! The story of the fall in the Garden of Eden is a testimony to that! The fact that there was prophet after prophet in the Old Testament illustrates how God used His prophets to prune His chosen nation. The Old Testament ends with the word “curse” (Malachi 4:5). Jesus came to break the curse, remove our sin and the sin of the whole world (John 3:16). The Greek word for prunes also means cleans. (Footnote from the Zondervan NIV Study Bible). That means obedience is involved in staying true to Jesus’s teaching! Jesus came to clean us with His word (John 15:3).
Do we practice denial? We can no more hide our sins from God than dirt can hide from a vacuum cleaner! There is the story from the 1960 era about a New England prep school student who found that keeping his room tidy was a big burden. “He sent an airmail letter to his parents, who lived in the Midwest. “Please send me a rug right away, I need something to sweep under”. (Walter L. Cook. Meeting the Test. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1960, p. 67). What are we trying to hide under our rugs?
What does our fruitfulness or its lack say about us? Either we are fruitful or we are not.
1) Categories of fruit: Take notice of John 15:2: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit … ” (ESV).
2) Pruning the deadwood: What part of the leaves of our branches need to be pruned in our lives? Do we have leaves off our branches that collect sap from the vine but produce no fruit? Do we have … Complacency? Immorality? Idolatry? Hatred? Addiction? Selfish-ambition? Thrifty devotion? Prejudice? Envy? Rage? Dissension? Obsessions? Factions? Losing your temper? Competitive opposition? Conflict? Selfishness? Group rivalry? Back-biting aka gossip or slander? Un-forgiveness? Indifference? Points of contention (like for us the church bus)? How many have I left out? Let go, let God prune and watch growth begin anew!
How many of these deadwood qualities do you think hurt unity in the Body of Christ?
1) Mutual peace: Consider what Paul says in Romans 12:18: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (ESV).
2) Mutual upbuilding: Consider also Romans in Romans 14:19: So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding (ESV).
3) Hindrance factors: How can we live peaceable and build each other up if we ignore all the things that hinder it?
4) Answering Jesus’ prayer for oneness: How can we be a living answer to Jesus’s prayer to be one with God---[abide in God] the Father as Jesus is one with God the Father (John 17:11) if we have behavior that prevents it?
5) Sanctification: Are we allowing God to sanctify us with His truth (John 17:17)? 6) Turnovers: We hear about turnovers in football when the other team gets the ball because of the mistakes of their opponents. How often do our spiritual turnovers give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 1:27) to advance his agenda and oppose the coming of God’s kingdom in the world?
How fruitful have we been in making disciples? How fruitful will we be unless we let God prune the deadwood in our hearts and lives? Again, Do we have leaves off our branches that collect sap from the vine but produce no fruit? How can we live out the words and teachings of Jesus Christ unless we are cleaned by His Word? How can we live out loud in practicing God’s Word in both truth and deed (I John 3:18) without obedience? Do you really want God’s kingdom to grow here at Indian Field?
Getting back to the parsonage bushes. When the bushes had been pruned back, I was able to see dead limbs that held back the growth. I removed those limbs and the pruned bushes are starting to grow again nicely. God wants to do that for us! Again, let go, obey God’s Word, and let God prune and watch growth begin anew! In the name of the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit. Amen.
