The Vine Has Grape Expectations for Successful Living
Written by Jeff Dajani
Saturday, 10 August 2002 19:00
Good Morning and welcome again to Gateway Community Church. Ed and Diane and the boys are on a well-deserved vacation, ministering to the sand crabs at the Outer Banks. We pray that they will have a restful and safe vacation.
A couple of weeks ago, Ed asked me to deliver the message this morning since he was going to be out of town. We decided to have me share something that is very relevant my life and I think it will be in yours.
Has anyone been close to a love one, just before they died? I think we all dread that day.
Well, picture the conversation that might take place on just such an occasion. "Come Closer, I have something to tell you. I might not make it through the next sundown, so listen carefully. You might want to write this down. It is something that you are going to want to remember and share with your children and your children's children. It's about how to live a successful Christian Life."
I don't know about you, but I think I would be hanging on their every word.
Now picture that Jesus is the one whose about to die. Do you think what he was about to tell you might be of some significance? Two Thousand years ago, the disciples, those closest to Jesus, encountered this very situation. Today we're going to unpack what Jesus was trying to convey to his closest friends about how to live a successful Christian Life.
But First, Let's Stand and pass Christ Peace to one another (Explain)
John 15:1-8.
"(1) 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. (7) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (8) This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
How to be Successful?
Webster's defines Success as: the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors. 2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
Somehow I don't think Jesus agrees.
Let's not confuse fame with success: Brittany Spears is one and Mother Terasa is the other.
Living In northern VA can give you a pretty twisted perspective of a successful Life. Many of us drive by AOL and World Coms headquarters everyday.
Have you every been at the entrance to AOL off of Waxpool at 8:00 in the morning. I'm there several times a week in my Ford Explorer with 148,000 miles on it and here comes the luxury car parade. Mercedes, Lexus, BMW, Cadillac . ?.and there all convertibles! Does that mean they have arrived at a successful life. What's Ironic are all the $600,000 homes that are for sale after the Dot.com's started to fall. Is that what a successful life is all about? Maybe it's starting your own company? Two years ago I started my own Landscaping Business and let me tell you, the view from the Top is pretty lonely.
In this passage that Linda read this morning, Jesus gives us two prerequisites to be Successful.
Jesus gives God's definition of a successful life in the Parable of the Vine. He also gives us a hint at what real success is.
In order to understand fruit we have to have a quick Horticulture lesson. You know, when you ask a landscaper to preach, he's gotta talk about plants!
Picture a tree with fruit.
Fruit comes from stems which are connected to branches, which are connected,
To vines or the trunk in some cases, which are connected to the roots. You must have good soil, water, fertilizer and of course, Sun, in order to produce fruit.
Today we are going to talk mostly about what happens above ground. All these components work together for the sole purpose of producing fruit. In Jesus' illustration he chose a grape vine.
Growing up in a Christian Home I always thought that fruit meant " who you've shared Christ with and now they are a believer." That is the desired out come of fruit, but that is not the correct definition.
Ever Christian produces fruit. Some fruit is bitter, that comes from anger and pain. What kind of Fruit is God talking about here in Galations 5:20?
The desired fruit is from the fruit of the Spirit- Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.
These are the Gardeners Grape Expectations for being Successful. In Jesus' illustration, God the Father is the Vinedresser, Jesus is the Vine, and We are the branches. By the way, the Sap could be implied as the Holy Spirit. The Sap carries nutrients to produce fruit. It is the power and energy of the Holy Spirit which enables us to bear much fruit to the glory of God, as we abide in the Son.
This is actually supported earlier in John 14:16 and 17. "And I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him; nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
So, what is Jesus telling us here about How to live a successful life. The first requirement for successful living is Pruning.
Verse 15:2 says?..
Ok, Back to our Horticultural lesson. In order for a tree or vine to produce fruit, it must be pruned. When we teach our employees how to prune. First we give them the proper tools and Safety equipment for the job and they must be clean and sharp. Before they begin pruning each tree or shrub they apply the three D's.
Dead- Are any branches dead?
Diseased- Are any branches have disease or insect problems?
Damaged- Are any branches damaged by ice, or storms or if its my house Karate Kids.
I think Jesus had the same kind of Image in mind. There are things in our lives that are dead and diseased. I have a nephew who just discovered Girls. He started seeing one particular girl Who was having a bad influence on him. It was obvious that his behavior had changed and he even ran away from home for 45 minutes. My sister prayed that my nephew would realize that this girl was damaging his relationship with God.
My nephew went away and a mission trip and then to Basketball camp. When he returned after two weeks away, His little friend broke up with him. This hurt him deeply, but he realized later that she affected his connectedness to God in a negative way. God was getting rid of the disease in his life. It didn't feel good-it hurt, but it was right.
Ok back to the pruning lesson?We also look for three other things:
Are there any crossovers? Left alone, will cause problems and competion.
Are there any False leaders. Branches heading in the wrong direction.
Are there any suckers sprouting from the trunk or the base of the tree?
Which sap nutrients, minerals, water, and energy from the tree.
Ironically God prunes us in a very similar way. I always thought that pruning meant that God would take away anything in our life that was sin and I'm talking about the Four Syllable kind. "siiiiinnnnaa"
God does want to prune the Sin out of our life, yes. But sometimes its something that is rubbing us the wrong way that might cause us problems in the future, if it isn't dealt with now. Maybe it's that we're too busy, or have a hot temper. We might be chasing false leaders that make us sway to the left or right and that are sapping all our energy. Maybe your single and it's a relationship that is leading you in the wrong direction. Remember the first requirement for successful living is pruning. Maybe it is something that is dead in our life or damaged to the point that it's not allowing the Holy Spirit to flow through our branches. Are we getting enough of the Son? S-O-N, or are we hiding in darkness. Is there something going on in your life that you don't want the light to shine on? Maybe we've produce Fruit before, but our branches fall to the ground where it's dark and no light sustains us.
The word, "take away (airo) can also be translated, "take up or lift up." So, when we fall into sin, as children of God, the Father doesn't take us away, instead He lovingly lifts us up and cleans us off, so we can get back into the sunlight and become fruitful again. Just like the vinedresser lifts up a branch, dusts it off and places it where it can receive sunlight. How does God do this for us?He disciplines us.
Have you ever pruned a Cherry Tree? As soon as you cut the branch, the sap rushes to the wound to begin healing it. Are you like a Cherry tree with countless crossovers and False leaders? Allow God to Prune you for Fruitfulness and he will show you a whole new life.
As a new Christian, one of the first verses I memorized was
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have faded away, Behold new things have come."
When God starts chopping bad habits out of our life, He doesn't leave us empty. He fills us with something new.
Read Hebrews 12:5-11
(5) And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
(6) because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
(7) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? (8) If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. (9) Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! (10) Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. (11) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
So a successful life requires pruning. What is cut off is useless. In a vineyard, they burn it or make a wreath out of it?. When you follow Jesus you will be pruned. It is the only way for God to help you to be fruitful and successful in your life. God wants us to produce SOME fruit and then MORE fruit and finally MUCH fruit. Meanwhile he's constantly pruning us along the way.
Personally I've felt God's pruning. He gave me a pretty good chop two years ago when I was called into my previous employers office where I was told that my position was being eliminated. The tough part was I helped start the company and had been there for fourteen years. That happened on Friday, which is the worse day to let someone go because they may spend the weekend drinking. Fortunately I spent the weekend praying. I asked God if this was pruning or was I being disciplined. After some pretty heavy personal evaluation, God revealed to me that I was being pruned and to stay tuned to his voice. Do you think he got my attention? Do You think I listened a little bit closer? You Bet.
What I want to know is, when does he stop pruning?
That answer can be found in the following illustration.
"Women's Bible Study" - Refining Silver
God won't stop pruning us until we reflect his image in our life. And for someone like me, he might as well pull out the gas-powered shears, because otherwise he is going to be pruning for a while.
When God prunes us we can either complain, rebel, compromise or run away. Like my nephew did, Or? we can keep our eyes on the prize, not the pain and Shine?..Don't Whine like our youth showed us last week!
After we get pruned a couple times, we make the word of God Central in our lives. We spend time reading the Bible. We start making Prayer the central part of our lives. We actually start listening. We only produce fruit when we are connected to the source. Which brings me to my second point.
The second prerequisite for successful living is to be intimately connected to God.
Remember the first point was that Pruning is required for a successful life and now the second point is that we must be intimately connected to God.
In John 15, verse 4 says Remain in me?.. or some translations say abide in me.
Here is one author's acronym of Abide and how it can help us stay connected.
A- Always read and meditate o God's word. vs. 7
B- Bow before the Lord daily in prayer and worship. vs. 7 & 8
I- Imitate His love. vs. 9-12
D- Do what He says vs.10-14
E- Ever praise Him. vs.11
David said in Psalms119: 11, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
The second prerequisite for successful living is to be intimately connected to God.
I can't tell you how important that is!
I want you to hear how big God's promise is when we stay connected to him. I want you to hear the degree of success that God offers.
Let's read verses 7 & 8.
For a gal named Dawn Robinson, being connected to God was a matter of life and death. You see Dawn woke up on Tuesday morning September 11, 2001 and followed her usual morning Routine?.<Read story>
God speaks to us daily through prayer and Bible study. It might not be in such a dramatical way, but it is still critical.
I've actually had a couple of these types of experiences my self, but they are not as dramatic as the one about Sept. 11th.
Two years ago on July 4th a young couple with two small children, ages 3 and 5, headed home after a long day of boating?..
Sometimes he speaks to us with that compelling distinct voice that gives us opportunities to serve one another. Are you listening to his voice these days? Are you connected with Him enough to hear from Him. Do you spend any time with Him each day? God always wants to speak, most of the time we just don't listen.
Two questions are left in my mind.
1) What kind of fruit is God talking about in Galations 5:22
In the parable of the vine, God is not talking about grapes, figs, apples, oranges, and pears. He's not talking about our fancy cars or big houses, or having a lot of money. He speaks of the fruit of your life. (Remember?love, joy, peace, patience, etc.)
So let's recap. We got the whole fruit-growing thing down now and we are producing fruit, all the while, getting pruned.
This brings me to my second question, which has two parts. 2) Who eats the fruit and who gets the credit for all these luscious grapes?
Mathew 5:16 says. "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Let your big, juicy grapes shine so they can be seen by all men, so that others may glorify the Gardener, by coming to know Him as you do.
The purpose of fruit-bearing is not for our own benefit, but to touch the lives of others. Let your love, joy and peace overflow to people around you; treat your neighbors with patience, kindness and goodness; let your relationships be characterized by faithfulness, meekness and self-control. It is through our likeness to Christ, that others will be drawn to Him!
Let's not take credit for the Christ-Like qualities being cultivated in our life. Instead, let's point to the one who produced them- God, the Gardener.
After I lost my job two years ago, I started my own company. I chose to be part of a franchise, which means I had to come up with a corporate name to register as an S Corporation. Again this was during that major pruning time in my life. I wanted this company to be God's company not mine.
One morning I was reading in Psalms and the words in Psalm 1:1- 3 seem to jump right out of the page at me. So I kept reading it over and over. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree (firmly) planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever he does prospers." I was so impressed by that verse that I named my company, Firmly Planted Lawn and Landscaping, Inc. Whenever I give a presentation I include the corporate name and reference where it came from in Psalms.
Successful Living
God will prune you, Shine don't Whine
Abide in him, Stay connected daily
Let your life reflect Christ's image through the fruit of the spirit. You will produce fruit, more fruit and much fruit.
Give the Gardener credit for your fruitfulness. Let others know WHOSE you are, not so much WHO you are.
So where are you today. Are you connected? I know some of you have tasted the fruits of people in this room and now God is producing fruit in you, and that is exciting.
Some of us are like that branch that used to be connected, but your bent over and the Holy Spirit isn't flowing like he use to and that's ok. Just ask God to restore you and let him produce fruit in you once again.
I think a lot of us just need to let God do his work in us and stop resisting. Some of us need pruning and some of us need discipline. I want you to think?What needs to be dropped out of your life?or?what needs to change.
When you leave here today, my prayer is that you will never look and a fruit tree the same again. When you notice the sucker growth or crossovers, or the false leaders, that you will be reminded that God will prune you, for much fruit, when you abide in him and stay connected. This is God's definition of Successful living.