1.The True Vine 2.We abide 3.We are made fruitful

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  • Date: Sunday, May 3, 2015
  • Speaker:
  • Series: Worship Service
  • Scripture: John 15:1-8
1.The True Vine 2.We abide 3. We are made fruitful
John 15: 1-8

                                           “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

Theme: Jesus is the True Vine, in which we must ABIDE.

Goal: That by His grace and through His word, God enlighten us to stay in the True Vine by which we have life.

Other Text: Acts 8:26-40; 1 John 4:1-11

INTRODUCTION: Jesus uses imagery language;

**Church = Bride, Jesus = Groom.

**Church = His Body, Jesus = Head

**Jesus = Good Shepherd, Us = Sheep

We are sheep of His flock for whom He lays down his life. Today we hear of vineyard Jesus, of whom we are the branches. The message continues to be a beautiful grace filled one. Words are important and today we will begin with a focus on one word. “True”.

I. Our “true” vine and our "true" vinedresser (Sense of Trueness/What is real).

  • Water turned into wine. (John 2: 1-10)
  • We can’t help but be brought to a comparison of what the world / man offers and what God provides.
  • We are brought to consider the effects of both provisions when we consider it a little closer, (wine=spirit).

    a. In Jesus there is reality, “Truth”, uniqueness.

  • Origin/context of symbolism of a vine.
    Old Testament refers to Israel as a vine that God planted.
    (Psalm 80:8-9; Hosea 10:1; Isaiah 5:1; Jeremiah 2:21.)
    Jesus is True, the True Vine, this is something that Israel needed to recognize.
  • Jesus is not a cheap knock off/imitation.
  • In Jesus there is a real provision for a real need.

    b. Like a Branch we need

  • Nutrition /Life
    -we depend on the vine.
    -we depend on the vinedresser.
  • As a creation, we need forgiveness of sin which leads to death.
  • The beauty of our faith is the trueness/ reality of it, not only of our need but of what God provides.
    -The importance of the true-ness/reality of forgiveness in Confesion and Absolution.
    -The importance of trueness/reality in the words as we commune, this is True Body, This is  
    True Blood….
    -The importance of true-ness/reality of what Baptism offers. In baptism the importance is never what you can do but on what God promises and truly does for His children in and through His Baptismal Pact.

II. As a Branch we are called to Abide/Remain.

    a. Abiding/remaining is not so much an action as it is a condition.

  • Misunderstanding of ourselves as a Branch.
    -There is nothing we do/ nothing we can do.
    -We would rather be the vine.
    -We would rather be the vinedresser.
    -But at best we are only able to provide temporary cheap knock off imitations.

    b. The importance of truth.

  • His word is True / we cannot add/do nothing but approach it in submission.
  • In Confession and Absolution = There is true forgiveness = we can do nothing but in our connection, like a branch to a vine receive it.
  • In Baptism = there is salvation not because we have reached an age in which we can confess/ proclaim our faith, or receive or accept Jesus, or decide to be His disciples but, because there is through that water connected to the power of His word true cleansing, true forgiveness, true providence for true needs, ****like a branch you can do nothing but in your connection to the Christ receive that nourishment, that Life….
  • In Holy Supper, there is true body, true blood, true forgiveness…. There is a significance why we commune the way we do. You are invited, then you are given, as you receive you are forgiven. As branches we cannot take, make ours, or demand. All we can do is wait on our True Vine. Wait for that which God and only God can provide.

III. In dependence/ connection to our True vine / True Vinedresser

  • As His branches we bear true fruit.
    My Joy during our last servant event as I saw a good number of volunteers was certainly that I would not have to work alone, but even greater, I was blessed because through each one of them we could see the Faithfulness of God as they produced abundant fruit.
  • When that building is completed there will be a standing testament of Gods work in you.

May our heavenly Father (Vinedresser), Our Lord Jesus Christ (True Vine) and the power of the Holy Spirit sustain us fruitful to God’s Glory. Amen.