Shaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
In Jesus we abide. In Jesus we bear fruit. Outside of Jesus we are dead – utterly incapable of producing fruit, lost in sin and facing judgement.
“1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 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. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
— John 15:1-11
Sermon OutlineI. Recognising Real Fruit vv 1-2
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
— John 7:37
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
— John 8:12
“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.”
— Romans 1:13
“Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.”
— Isaiah 5:1-2
“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!”
— Isaiah 5:7
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
— Galatians 5:22-23
II. Pruning for Fruit vv 3-4
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.”
— Psalm 119:67
“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”
— Psalm 119:71
“2 Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, 3 for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.”
— James 1:2-4 (The Living Bible)
“I asked the Lord that I might grow In faith, and love, and every grace; Might more of His salvation know, And seek, more earnestly, His face.
‘Twas He who taught me thus to pray, And He, I trust, has answered prayer! But it has been in such a way, As almost drove me to despair.
I hoped that in some favored hour, At once He’d answer my request; And by His love’s constraining pow’r, Subdue my sins, and give me rest.
Instead of this, He made me feel The hidden evils of my heart; And let the angry pow’rs of hell Assault my soul in every part.
Yea more, with His own hand He seemed Intent to aggravate my woe; Crossed all the fair designs I schemed, Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.
Lord, why is this, I trembling cried, Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death? “‘Tis in this way, the Lord replied, I answer prayer for grace and faith.
These inward trials I employ, From self, and pride, to set thee free; And break thy schemes of earthly joy, That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”
— Hymn: "I asked the Lord That I Might Grow ", John Newton
III. Abiding for Fruit vv 4-11
“We are, by nature, barren and dry, except in so far as we have been ingrafted into Christ, and draw from him a power which is new, and which does not proceed from ourselves.”
— John Calvin
“Blessed is the manwho walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,and on his law he meditates day and night.”
— Psalm 1:1-2
Book Recommendation: THe Trellis and the Vine
One of the best books I have ever read on the Christian life and Christian ministry is The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. Trellis and Vine are metaphors used to explain to the our work and God’s work in bearing fruit.
A trellis, is a structure that is used to support, to hold up, a vine. In this metaphor the trellis refers to the administrative work within a church, those tasks that, though important, are not actually directly related to discipling people.
Vine work, is those tasks of working with the vine, drawing people into the kingdom through evangelism and then training them to grow in their knowledge of God and their obedience to him.
The problem, as you might image comes from the church focusing too much on the trellis and neglecting vine work. The authors write:
“Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that in many churches, maintaining and improving the trellis constantly takes over from tending the vine.”
The book calls for nothing less than reformation. A return to the basic aims and goals of ministry. After all, the authors state:
“structures don’t grow ministry any more than trellises grow vines, and that most churches need to make a conscious shift–away from erecting and maintaining structures, and towards growing people who are disciple-making disciples of Christ.”
Read this book. It will challenge you to get back to the heart of your salvation and purpose in Christ’s kingdom and help our local church, UCC, to bear fruit for the Kingdom.
What is with the Vine metaphor?
In the Old Testament, Israel is often referred to as God’s vine that He planted. It became a national symbol that was on some of their coins. There was a golden vine over the entrance to the temple. In Isaiah 5:1-7 the prophet paints a picture of the Lord planting a vineyard and expecting to find good grapes at the harvest, but it only produced worthless grapes. As a result, the Lord threatened to destroy the vineyard because it did not fulfill His intended purpose. Psalm 80 uses a similar analogy. God removed a vine from Egypt, planted it, and for a while it was prospering. But now the hedges that protected the vine are broken down and wild animals were ravaging the vineyard. So the psalmist cries out for God to turn again and take care of this vine that He planted so that it will again be fruitful.
The point is Israel was God’s vine that He planted with the intention that it would bear fruit. But, they were disobedient and unfruitful. This reference allows Jesus to show Himself to be the true vine which means that unlike faithless Israel, Jesus is the ideal realization of all that God intended for His people. He is the epitome of what God wanted His people to be. Jesus brought forth the fruit that Israel failed to produce.
What is Union With Christ?
In todays sermon we encounter the wonderful doctrine of Union with Christ. John Murray once called this doctrine “the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation.” John Owen regarded it with equal magnitude: “This is the cause of all other graces that we are made partakers of; they are all communicated unto us by virtue of our union with Christ. Hence is our adoption, our justification, our sanctification, our fruitfulness, our perseverance, our resurrection, our glory.” If these two ‘weighty’ theologians are right, and the doctrine of union with Christ is the central tenet of the Christian faith, the spring from which all else flows, then everything we believe depends on the fact and nature of the relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and believers.
So then, what is Union With Christ? John Calvin defined it as "the union by which we grow together with him (Jesus Christ) so that he revives us by his Spirit and transfers his power to us.” This means the doctrine of Union with Christ is beautifully pertinent to daily Christian experience and it incorporates and expresses all that God has planned from eternity past, through time, and into eternity future.
So, if you are critical of teaching you received as a child that “When you believe in Jesus and trust him for your sins, Jesus lives in your heart” and passing it over as simplistic - think again!
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