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What does it mean to be human? That's the question we've been asking since the beginning of February when we began this series on humanity. What is the nature of true personhood? How can we best fulfill God's desire for us his creatures, us his people? We've seen how God made men and women in his own image and put them in the garden of Eden, intending them to be a people with whom he could relate one to one. But that image was spoilt by their rebellion. Their sin made it impossible to relate to him the way they were meant to. Still, that didn't mean an end to his plan to create a people for himself. So what did he do? First he chose Abraham to begin a new nation, a nation that would show to the world how people were meant to live in relationship with him and with each other. Then when Israel failed to fulfil their destiny, he sent his own son, Jesus Christ, to replace Israel, or better, to fulfill all that Israel was meant to be. |
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That brings us to today's passage. Jesus begins this, the last of his so-called 'I am' sayings, with the statement: "I am the true vine." Now we might just think this is another of those parables that Jesus uses all the time. This time he wants to illustrate how his followers will gain their strength and growth from him. But in fact it's much more than that. The grapevine, or the vineyard, was one of the classic Old Testament pictures of Israel and its inhabitants. Our first reading today is one of those passages that refers to Israel as a vineyard, that foretells the vineyard being abandoned as a sign of God's judgement. |
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Well now the true vine has appeared. Jesus is the true Israel, the one true example of God's people. Finally God's plan has been fulfilled. Here is one who fulfils all of God's desires for his people. He's obedient to the father - see it there in v10. He abides or remains in God's love. There's no wavering or question over whether his obedience will continue, whether his attachment to the Father is permanent. No, here is the one who will do all that Adam and Eve were unable to do. |
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But God's plan goes further doesn't it? Not only has he sent Jesus to become the new Israel. He's also called out a new people to become Jesus' brothers and sisters. The disciples are the first of that new family of God. No longer are they his servants. From now on he calls them his friends. Why? Because those whom God has called, he has justified. Those whom God has justified he's also glorified. (that's what we read 2 weeks ago in Rom 8.) How has he glorified us? By giving us his Holy Spirit to live within us. So we're now enabled to gain true personhood, just like Jesus. Even if this glorification isn't yet complete, even if we have to wait until Christ returns to see our fallen bodies renewed, we now know that our humanity is no longer condemned to suffer from the flaws of the fall forever. So Jesus speaks to his disciples to encourage them and to inspire them to continue his calling as the new people of God. |
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Well, what can we discover about true personhood from this fairly well known passage in John 15? |
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True personhood |
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The first thing we discover is that true personhood involves 2 things. |
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connection with the one true Human Being
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The first is being connected with the one who is the fulfilment of God's plan for his creation. If Jesus is the True Israel, the true people of God then we need to stay connected with him, in the same way that he remains connected with the Father. The image he uses is of a vine with all its branches stretching out to catch the sun, but drawing its nutrients from the vine, in order to bear much fruit. |
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The picture is self explanatory isn't it? If you've ever seen a grapevine while it's being pruned you'll know just how quickly the leaves begin to shrivel up once the branch has been disconnected from the vine. |
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That raises an interesting question. It's amazing how many Christians think it's OK if they stop connecting with God's people; if they stop reading the Bible; if they're never mixing with others who can encourage them in their relationship with God. They'll say they can be a Christian without any of that. Yet if you think about this picture it seems ludicrous to even consider it. We'll see as we go through the passage, being part of the body of Christ (to change the metaphor a little) is part of abiding in Christ. |
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Now having said that, we need to be careful about how we think about this passage. It seems to me that we love this image of the vine and the branches. It seems so reassuring doesn't it? There's a comfortable feel about the thought of being connected with Christ in this intimate way. But we mustn't lose sight of the main point of being connected. God grafts us into the vine not just so we'll feel secure, not just so we'll be able to relate to him. No, there's a second thing that true personhood involves: |
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The task given to Israel was that they be a light to bring light to the nations. The task given to us as the new Israel is the same: to bear witness to the light; to bring the light of the gospel to those who live in darkness. The whole point of this passage in John 15 and 16 is to encourage the disciples to be mission minded. Why must we abide in Christ and him in us? v5: "Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit."
V27: "You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning." |
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But notice that being mission minded may involve cost. It's costly to be a vine. It can even be painful. The task of a vine is to be self-giving, to bear the cost of bearing much fruit. Think about what a vine does. It gives of its essence in order to produce fruit, then when it's job is done it's cut right back to the stem. You've all seen vineyards before and after pruning haven't you? Before, they've got branches going everywhere. If you see them in summer the leaves form a carpet over the top of the vineyard. But then the pruners come through and cut everything back. By the end of winter all you have is a meter or two of vine tied to the guide wires. |
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So the picture isn't quite so comfortable after all, is it? |
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If we're to bear fruit we may need to trim off some of the excess baggage we carry around - and I don't mean that spare tyre around your middle. What I mean is that we might need to trim back some of those things we put our energy and time into that aren't going to help us bear fruit. We might need to think about how much time and energy we give to our careers or our beautiful homes and gardens, or our leisure activities, all of which are fine in themselves, but may not in the end be very productive as far as the kingdom of God is concerned. |
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But having said that it's also fair to say that part of bearing fruit, and this too has to do with mission, is bearing the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Gal 5:22f). Why is that part of mission? Because as we demonstrate those particular fruits to the world, God is glorified, v8. Because as people see us living changed lives, lives that stand out as exhibiting that sort of godliness, they'll be attracted to the God we confess. |
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Well, let's think about some practical ways that we can be connected with Jesus Christ, and ways we can bear fruit so that God's mission to the world goes forward. |
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How can we be connected and bear fruit? |
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By experiencing the pruning of God v2 |
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This is one of those things that we mightn't want to ask for, but may be necessary. And even if we don't seek it, God will probably give it to us anyway because he wants us to be fruitful. "2Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit." So how might this pruning come about? |
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- Through the word spoken to them v3.
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God's word, the words of Christ are the thing that separates us from others. Think about these passages from John's gospel. Jn 6:60-66. Jesus has just finished teaching about feeding on him and it causes many to turn away: "60When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?' ... 66Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." |
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Again in 12:37-38 as his public ministry draws to an end people turn away despite his words and actions pointing clearly to who he is: "Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. 38This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 'Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?'" |
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So it may be that if we hold to God's word, some of our friends and even confidants may turn away from us: not because they don't like us any more, but because they don't like being exposed to the light that God's word shines on their life. |
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The second way god prunes us is through our experiences in life. Listen to what Heb 12 says about this: "7Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? ... 11Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Often we look back at painful experiences and realise that God has been using them to train us, to make us more godly. |
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By abiding in Christ v4 |
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We will be connected if we continue to abide in Christ. How will we do that? Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. John's gospel has a lot to say about how the Holy Spirit will be given to allow our connection with God to continue. So pray for his ongoing filling. Pray that God's Spirit would fill you, inspire you, strengthen you, empower you, help you to endure. |
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By remaining obedient v10 |
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Notice that abiding in Christ is not just a subjective spiritual, even mystical experience. That's how I think some people envisage it. Abiding carries a connotation of connected spirituality. But here in v10 we see that it has a much more practical, external aspect. It's the practical outworking of Christ's words living within us as we obey what he's told us. And the result of such obedience is joy v11.In fact complete joy. Obedience isn't some sort of ascetic duty or discipline aimed at taking all the fun out of life. In fact it's the opposite. When we're truly obedient, we're more truly human, because that's how God intended human beings to be. And if we're more truly human then we can expect to enjoy life more. |
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By praying, vs 7,16 |
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If we want to remain connected, if we want to bear much fruit, then what better way than to pray for it. God delights to give us good things and what better thing could we ask for than that we be people who bear fruit for his kingdom. |
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Do you pray regularly that you would be able to bear fruit for God? Do you pray that we as a church might bear fruit for God? If you look at our mission statement that's what it's all about isn't it? Do you remember what it is?
To: Know Jesus Christ as Lord;
to Make Christ known to others in the parish and beyond;
and to Nurture and Disciple people in a mature Christian faith
for the Glory of God.
That's all about bearing fruit, both in our personal lives and in the lives of those to whom we minister. That's why its called a mission statement I guess. |
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Pray that they mightn't just be words, but might in truth be the things we're aiming for as a Parish. |
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By loving one another vs 9-10; 12-17; 13:34-35 |
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If we're to bear fruit as a church, here's the one thing that'll be essential to our mission: we must love one another the way Christ loved us. And notice how costly such love is: "13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." Back in John 13 Jesus says the same thing, adding the reason for giving the commandment: "35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Our love for each other has a mission focus. It's to help us bear fruit, as people see that we're Jesus disciples and are attracted to the love we show one another. We love the idea of St Theo's as a loving community, but unless our love is aimed at those outside we've missed the point. Our love is to show the world the love of Christ. |
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By remembering who we are v16 |
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Finally, let's not forget who we are. We're Christ's chosen people: "16You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name." He actually uses two different words there. We've been chosen and we've been appointed, or set apart, to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. You see, our task is to make a difference - to bring about lasting change in people's lives through the life-changing preaching of the gospel. |
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Do you find that you hesitate to put your energy into things that you think will be a waste of time? If that's the case you're not alone. I know I do. But here's something that's worth every ounce of effort you give it. God wants us to bear fruit that will last. How will we do that?
By remaining connected with Christ - through reading his word and through active membership of his church;
by being pruned of the unfruitful parts of our lives;
by remaining obedient to God;
by praying that God would give us the fruit he desires;
by loving one another so others see the light of Christ in our lives together, and;
by living out who we are, God's chosen people called to bear much fruit, fruit that will last. |
