10.24.21 The Vine

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“The Great: I AM” – The Vine

John 14:5-17

10.24.21

In Jesus, disciples bear fruit, delight in God, and abide.

  1. In Jesus, disciples bear fruit.

Fruit is from God and made known in our lives.

  • Self-evaluate. What does your life look like compared to the fruit of the Spirit?
    (Galatians 5:22-23)
  • Fruit is not success. Fruit is growing in

Let’s Ask Ourselves

  • Do I delight in what God delights in – or am I motivated more by seeing my enemies “get what’s coming to them?”
  • Do I get fixated on people who wrong or offend me? Or do I hand it over to the Lord?
  • Has my attitude become gentler or harsher over the years?
  • Do I easily lose control?
  • “Fruit is the visible evidence of the fact the branch is part of the vine”
    – Lesslie Newbigin

    v.1-2; 5.

2. In Jesus, disciples delight in God.

We delight in God because the gardener prunes for growth and life, and not to harm us.

Pruning is for our growth.

A vineyard requires much more care than my cactus that I’ve kept alive for 20 years, mostly by accident!

Vines require more attention than other plants, but also exist in rocky soil.

There is both constant nourishment and challenge from God, in the Christian life.

Beth Moore’s own experience shows there’s difficulty growing grape!

But just because God uses rocks, doesn’t mean we should accept it when Christians “throw stones” and abuse.

The cutting of the vines, the pruning, is for our good – not to harm us. Sometimes growth in the Christian life may require cutting back. Cutting back how many things we do. Letting go of idols. Cutting back on our achieving and our busyness. And delighting in him.
Delighting in God means we can enjoy life in God with one another. This is abiding.

3. In Jesus, disciples abide.

v. 12-15

The vine is a picture of God’s promise, and care for his people – a promise which has not gone away.

This is throughout scripture. (Psalm 80:8; Hosea 10:1; Isaiah 5:7, and many more).

And it’s also in the symbolism of the Temple.

And note how Jesus chose his disciples. He didn’t choose who gets connected on the vine by who produces the most fruit, who is the most productive. Fruit-bearing is about openness to Christ, not efficiency.

Jesus says he is the vine. Life, good, true and beautiful life, is found in him.

The Christian life about living a life as connected to Jesus, as our biological life is connected to oxygen.

A Groundhog Day (1993) Example!?

What’s that about!?

What Jesus does in the Father, and for us, he wants us to do with him and one another.

Jesus gives us what we could never gain on our own: Friendship with God (v. 12- 15).

This is something we may only understand in glimpses, but which we can enjoy and learn more of day-by-day.

God never tires of showing us more of himself and his life.

In Jesus, disciples bear fruit, delight in God, and abide.