Pastor’s Message – August 31, 2014

Chapter 15

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he takes it away: and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto thee. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples. Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.    John 15:1-10

In the 40 days after Jesus resurrected from the dead he walked with His disciples so they could know Him and make Him known.  This period of time when Jesus spent with His disciples was a time of transformation into disciples full of the resurrection power.  Jesus accomplished this by just being with His disciples and letting them know Him.

As I shared last week, I think we, as a body, are in this 40 day period when Christ is transforming us into disciples full of the resurrection power. Let me say this! He is not interested in turning you into good church members, or responsible citizens.  He is interested in making you disciples, and how did he describe disciples.  Well he used several illustration, but I think the best is the illustration of the vine and the branches.

Recently, I heard a pastor tell of his experience in moving to the Napa Valley area.  Behind his house he noticed the next door neighbor had planted vine branches and they were in full bloom, with beautiful and lush fruit on them.  They were hung over with fruit.  He could not believe their fruit.  The part of the vine that hung over in his yard he would sample the fruit.

One day he came home from work and went to his lush green backyard.  The vines which had been so beautiful and hung on the fence behind his house were gone.  There was nothing left but stubs coming up out of the ground.  He was angered.  How could anyone be so senseless and heartless to destroy such beautiful plants.

Several weeks later he saw his neighbor out in the yard and they got in a conversation about the vines.  “Yeah, they are beautiful, but they must be cut down in the late fall so they can come back in an even more beautiful vine next year.  If I don’t cut them back they will not produce as much next year, and eventually will stop bearing at all.”  The pastor said, “Obviously I do not know much about the grape vine industry.”

So too, we are the branches and Jesus is the vine.  We can do nothing the scripture says without Him.  So to be in Him is to bear fruit, but to be outside him or more self-sufficient takes me away from the life and the fruit fades.

The fruit, mentioned in the Word of God, is two-fold as we read the scripture.  First, there is spiritual fruit which is found in Galatians 5:22.  The fruit is listed as: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith, Gentleness, Self-control.  We do not pray for these nor do we work on these.  We abide and we grow in these.  Those who are abiding more than others, are more fruitful.  Those who are abiding have more: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith, Gentleness, and Self-control.

Also, when we speak of fruitful in regards to discipleship we may be speaking of creating other disciples, much the same as God spoke to Noah and his family after the flood and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’.  Jesus said that his call for his disciples was to be ‘fishers of men’.

So if we ‘Abide in Him’ we will bear the fruit of men coming to Christ and men being moved to commit to Christ.

But here is an important point.  God is not satisfied with us being just disciples.  He wants us to be disciples filled with the Resurrection Power.  After the 40 days for which the disciples were being prepared came Pentecost.  Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit invaded the disciples and created the Church of the Resurrection Power.  In Acts chapter 2 the disciples were boldly empowered to reach the world for Christ.  This was their call. This was mission.  This is every disciple’s call: to be fruitful and multiply.

But God is the one who produces the fruit not us, as we abide in Him.  Sometimes we think we’re in charge of ‘Hanging the Fruit’ like an ornament at Christmas.  The fruit that we hang is artificial and fake.  The peace, joy, love that we try to produce is fake and has no ring to it, but a clanking banging sound.  The people we try to witness to or to lead to the Lord in our own efforts will be like hanging our own fruit.  It will not be fruitful.

God will produce the fruit, but it is in His way, by our abiding in Him.  There is a Christian singing group called, Casting Crowns.  They have a new album which is ‘Thrive’.  Their songs are pointed towards leading us to not just try to be a disciple but to Thrive or walk in Christ through the Power of His Resurrection- Thriving.

But as we read the scripture we realize the way we thrive, walk in the power of his resurrection, bear fruit is many times through pruning.  Cutting down the vine in the seemingly lush and bearing fruit moments is what God does.  Because after we have born fruit is the time for pruning.  This pruning process is not easy.  It is usually painful, but it is a time of dropping those things which are objects of hindrance to his mission for us.  It also revitalizes our connection to Him.  Just as a branch cannot continue to give all of it’s energy and vitality to extended branches to produce fruit, so too we begin to become to burdened and overwhelmed to be fruitful.

No one likes being pruned, especially when we are in the flower of our fruitfulness.  We go, ‘Why God?’  Wasn’t I serving you?  Wasn’t I being used by you?

He answers, yes and that’s the purpose in the pruning.  In Hebrews we read, “he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

But a warning: Those who do not bear fruit at all, he says He casts out.  Because a grape vine without the grapes is useless.

I have a Navel orange tree, brought back from Florida on one of my trips with the volleyball team.  It has never born fruit in 5 years.  It doesn’t even have the blossoms.  It is a tall large tree now, but of no good.  I have waited for 5 years for fruit.  I have fertilized it, changes soils, and even changed its location.  I am ready to throw it away.

That’s how God becomes with us.  We must be careful to let the Holy Spirit do His work and not to fight the Holy Spirit, so that we can bear fruit.

Where are you?  Are you a disciple of Jesus, or just a Christian?  Christian today has taken on a varied meaning.  Most Christians are not disciples.  Yet that is our call.

Are you a fruitful disciple?   Are you a disciple God is pruning?  Trust Him.

I love the Lyrics and the music to the song, Whom shall I fear? By Chris Tomlin.

Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies)”
You hear me when I call

You are my morning song

Though darkness fills the night

It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy

Underneath my feet

You are my sword and shield

Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side.

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

My strength is in Your name

For You alone can save

You will deliver me

Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

And nothing formed against me shall stand

You hold the whole world in Your hands

I’m holding on to Your promises

You are faithful

You are faithful

And nothing formed against me shall stand

You hold the whole world in Your hands

I’m holding on to Your promises

You are faithful

You are faithful

You are faithful

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side