John 15:1-8 “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 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 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.

“I Am the True Vine” – Knowing God’s Power John 15:1-8 It’s hard when we think we are alone It’s easy to give up Today we are going to talk about the fact that we are never alone God is with us He is our source of spiritual power

Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure Into the Word Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure Chapters 14-17 “Farewell Discourse” Preparation for the disciples after his death He knows it will be easy for them to give up

He wants them to know the importance of staying connected to Him He gives them an illustration on how to tap into His spiritual power An illustration from Israel’s history The vine is symbolic of Israel

The OT refers to Israel as a vine that God planted: Psalm 80:8-9 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.

Hosea 10:1 Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel all use the image of Israel as the vine, but one that has turned wild.

John 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

Jesus refers to himself as the “true vine” In contrast to Israel, which became unfaithful and incurred God’s judgment, Jesus remains faithful and fulfills Israel’s calling to be the vine of God. (Jirair S. Tashijian)

Jesus said, “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1)

Jesus is like that strong vine. He is rooted in the true source of Israel’s strength – God the Father. Likewise, we are challenged to stay connected to God through Christ as the branches connect to the vine.

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in 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.

“Stay joined to me” (CEV) The vine is our source of nourishment. “Remain in me” (NIV) “Abide in me” (NKJV) “Stay joined to me” (CEV) The vine is our source of nourishment. We are only as strong and fruitful as our connection to the vine. “We stay connected to God’s power by staying connected to Christ.” (Rob Fuquay)

How do we stay connected? Personal devotional time Study, prayer and meditation Stay connected to other believers Seeing God around us Living to glorify God

We grow out from the vine. Christ is the vine… We are the branches. We grow out from the vine. Like the vine, the gardener (God) prunes and shapes us.

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.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches 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.

And doing it in my garden. But I’ve come to see the results: It’s taken me several years to get used to seeing pruning in the orchards… And doing it in my garden. But I’ve come to see the results: Stronger trees and plants WIth better fruit! Often we just want to skip to the fruit, but we short change ourselves.

When we are on the right track but things need some tweaking Pruning – When we are on the right track but things need some tweaking Cutting off – When we are not “abiding in” God and doing our own thing

What are some of the things in our lives that need pruning or cutting off? Negative thoughts Fear Worry Unforgiveness Resentment

Habits that pull us down Time wasters Good things that aren’t the best thing Spreading ourselves too thin Busy-ness that isn’t productive

Take an honest look at ourselves Follow God’s leading We can be proactive and be involved in the pruning Or we can be blind or stubborn and suffer more serious consequences Pruning and cutting off is critical

If we put our trust in the vine, we will bear fruit in due time. It is not our job to make the fruit! When we “remain in” Christ, He will be with us strengthening and encouraging. He will work through us to produce good fruit as his disciples – even in difficulties.

“Shepherd of My Soul”

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.

What does it mean to be the branches— And letting Him be the vine? On one end is the fruit – whatever it is that makes us feel productive, successful, secure. On the other end is the vine – our source of life. Which way do we look for strength?

When we feel isolated, we can remember that Jesus said, Litany When we feel isolated, we can remember that Jesus said, “I am the True Vine; abide in me.” When we feel powerless, we can find strength in remembering that Jesus said,

When we are tempted to try to go it alone, we can reach out to other believers, remembering that Jesus said, “I am the True Vine; abide in me.”

When life becomes so busy that time with God seems impossible to find, we can regain our focus by remembering that Jesus said, “I am the True Vine; abide in me.”

When we stress about the quality of the fruit we are or are not producing, we can relax and trust the source of our life and growth, the One who said, “I am the True Vine; abide in me.” Amen.

We are the Federated Church. Our Mission is to… Seek Christ, Serve Christ and Share Christ.