Nov. 2, 2003 John 15
“Ow! That hurts!” (pt. 2)
INTRODUCTION
Talk about the story in the Old Testament where the Israelite spies who had gone into Canaan brought back a single cluster of grapes that was so large that it had to be carried on a pole between two of the men (Numbers 13:23-25). It was an evidence of the fruitfulness of the land. It was what they brought back to the rest of the Israelites as the motivation to go in and take possession of the land. The fruitfulness of the land made it worth the risk of whatever it was going to take in order for them to take possession of the land.
REVIEW
- the participants in the fruit-growing process (Vine, Gardener, Branches)
- the nature of fruit (character / Christlikeness and good works)
- the four baskets (empty, some, more, much)
- the actions the Father takes to move us toward greater and greater fruit (punishment / discipline and pruning)
1. Pruning is cutting – letting go
2. Pruning is painful
3. Pruning is perplexing
4. Pruning is productive
5. Pruning is professionally done – not by me, not by you, but by the Father
This morning, we’re going to look at three more characteristics of pruning, and then we’re going to talk about two helps that God has given us to get us through the pruning process.
1. Pruning is universal.
Every branch will go through pruning.
Empty punishment
Some
More Pruning
Much
Job was in the category of one who was already producing fruit – and a lot of it. He was producing so much fruit that God held him up to Satan as an example of one who followed and obeyed God no matter what. And yet Job went through pruning – deep pruning.
Most people don’t like that idea because as we said last week, pruning involves pain.
“I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please.” - Wilbur Rees, from When I Relax I Feel Guilty by Tim Hansel
Every branch has stuff that needs to go.
We never get to the point on earth that there are not some impurities that are still in need of getting rid of. As a younger Christian, the things that need to go are obvious in a person’s life. They are the things that everyone can see. The pruning knife doesn’t have to cut very deeply to get rid of those things. They are on the surface. But the more mature that we get in Christ, the deeper His Word cuts into us to get rid of those things that are not quite so obvious – a judgmental spirit, self-confidence, a lack of love, pride, selfishness. Whether you’ve been a Christian for 5 minutes or 50 years, you are still under the pruning knife.
Every branch has the potential for more fruit.
God is never satisfied with the amount of fruit that you are producing at any particular point of your life. That might make God sound like an ogre who is always demanding more. But God desires more and more fruit in our lives because the joy that we experience in life is tied directly to the amount of fruit that we produce. (vs. 11) God is never satisfied with the amount of fruit we produce because He is never satisfied with the amount of joy that we are experiencing. He always wants more for us.
Regardless of what basket you are in right now – from empty to overflowing – there is always the potential for more fruit. As you draw your resources from the Vine and submit to the Gardener, more, better and juicier fruit will grow.
2. Pruning is unending.
The only advantage that punishment has over pruning is that punishment ends as soon as the sin that prompted it ends. Pruning on the other hand only ends when God has accomplished His purpose for our lives.
It’s purpose is eternal.
“...Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NLT)
God has two eternal purposes for the pruning process – to enable you to become like Jesus and to store up treasures in heaven. All this other stuff that you are holding onto with every ounce of strength that you have and that God is telling you to let go of is temporal. It is part of this world, and it will be destroyed one day.
It’s process is seasonal.
“...his delight is in the law of the Lord...He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.” Psalm 1:2-3 (NIV)
Though the process is unending, the actual application of the knife to our lives is seasonal. In the world of fruit-bearing plants, there is a season for producing fruit, and there is a season for enduring the pain of the pruner’s knife. The pain that you are going through right now will diminish. You will get to enjoy life again. You will see some fruit that comes as a result of your willingness to let go. Pruning is unending, but it is not constant.
3. Pruning is unattractive.
It subtracts at the beginning.
When I prune the bushes in front of my house, it decreases their attractiveness because I cut away much of the green that is present there. The more beauty I want out of the bushes in the spring, the deeper I have to cut now, and the more the ugly branches will be exposed.
When we are pruned, it removes things that once attracted people to us. Job became very unattractive to his wife, his friends and anyone that would normally have desired to be in his presence. [read Job 2:7-9] Real attractive picture, isn’t it.
One of the things that gets cut away is our masks. It cuts away all the show exposing us at the very base of who we are. We can’t put on a show anymore.
It exposes whether people really love us for who we are without all the extras. (ex. Prodigal son lost all his friends when he lost all his money.)
Jesus said things that are very unattractive about what it means to be His disciple.
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26 (NIV)
When Jesus said things like this, it made people who once followed Him to turn around and walk away. These were words that repulsed people. And the Christian life is still repulsive to the world. The life of a committed disciple of Jesus is repulsive to many Christians. That’s because they only have eyes to see what is taken away and don’t hang around long enough or look deep enough to see what happens after the cutting.
It adds at the conclusion.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68 (NIV)
There is a time-lag between the process of pruning and the production of fruit.
When you have been pruned by God and have yielded to His working in your life, it will make you attractive to people.
Example: Joni Earekson Tada.
1. Friends that...
will cry with you. “weep with those who weep” Romans 12:15 (KJV)
Job’s friends began well. They fully intentioned to have a positive impact upon the suffering that he was going through. Job 2:11-13
will counsel with you. “speaking the truth in love” Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)
You don’t need friends to condemn you when you are in pain. That’s what Job’s friends did. But you do need friends who will help you to take an honest look at your life so that you can get perspective on what is going on and assess what God might be trying to do in your life.
“...people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. ... A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:10,12 (NLT)
NOTE: As great as it is to have friends when you are suffering, friends are not enough. You’ve got to have faith.
Illus: Family that lost 5 month old baby this week. There is no one in the family that has faith in God. What rock do you stand on when your world is falling apart, and you don’t have faith in God?
2. Faith that...
who I am yielding to is worthy of my trust
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” Job 19:25-26 (NIV)
what I will gain is of greater value than what I will lose
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with Him.” Philippians 3:8-9a (NLT)
when God is done, I will be different
“...when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10 (NIV)
“...when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ...when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” James 1:3-4 (NLT)
while I am hurting, God is right beside me
“...I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NIV)
CONCLUSION
There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note.
The note read: "pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need". Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got a little scared but he kept going and water started coming out. So much water came out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find. Because he was willing to give up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he needed. Now the note also said: after you have finished, please refill the jug for the next traveler.” The man refilled the jug and added to the note: “ Please prime the pump, believe me it works”!
We have the same choice to make, do we hold on to what we have because we don’t believe there are better things in store for us, and settle for immediate satisfaction? Or do we trust God and give up all that we have to get what God has promised us? I think the choice is obvious. We need to pour in all the water, trust God with everything.
The Israelites chose not to take the risk of trusting God and chose rather to hold onto their own way of thinking. What happened? All the adults died wandering in the wilderness. They never got to taste the fruit of the land. They were dry until the day they died. Don’t let that happen to you.
