Morning Message Text: John 15: 1-5
The Vine and the Branches
1 “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.
4 Remain in me, as I also 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. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Morning Message:
Sometimes it is good for us as a congregation to take a few minutes and re-focus ourselves on who we have been called to be and how we can be effective in this common ministry that we have all been called to. Yes friends, we have all been called to this ministry. If you can hear my voice this morning and you call this church yours, then you are called to be ministers in this place. That goes for members and non-members alike. You can’t casually separate yourself from your responsibility to this ministry by choosing to be a non-member or just coming occasionally. Becoming a member is about your public commitment to this church, and I believe that it is a very important step for a follower of Jesus Christ to take.
Becoming a member officially qualifies you to hold an office in the church and gives you avenues to serve that may not be afforded otherwise, but there are plenty of ways to serve and minister without being a member and if you call Jesus “Lord,” you are obligated to do so. Let me say something that will get me in hot water with some. If you can hear my voice this morning and you do not feel compelled to do something in the ministry of Christ’s church, then you need to examine your faith because something is missing.
These five verses of scripture are the complete picture of how we can live a victorious Christian life. Now let me start by making this very clear this morning. The first verse and a half can be very confusing because if you read it wrong you may come away with the idea that you can lose your salvation. That is not what this is referring to. There are many who attach themselves to Jesus unfaithfully. That is not for us to judge, but we are told clearly in many places in scripture that this is true. Jesus says that you will know his followers by their fruit. He also says that everyone who says to him “Lord, Lord” will not see the kingdom of God; he says to them, “I never knew you.” I want you to hear this plainly today. Giving your life to Jesus is nothing to play with and do halfheartedly. As a matter of fact, this is an either/or proposition, you either fully come to Jesus or you don’t come at all.
We are going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper this morning. I want you to understand the importance of Holy Communion. This meal has taken place all over the world, and it has great meaning to the church of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, did you know that this celebration of communion was even held on the moon. Here is the story: On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 landed the Eagle on the moon. Out their window they were staggered not only by the moon craters, but by the overwhelming sight of a beautiful blue marble suspended in space called Earth. Buzz wanted to mark this moment right after landing and right before the first step on the lunar surface. How do you commemorate and celebrate such an extraordinary moment in history? Buzz thought the only way to mark the occasion was to express gratitude and hope by celebrating the Lord’s supper. He said, “I wanted to do something positive, so the spiritual aspect appealed greatly to me.” He pulled out some bread representing the body of Jesus that was broken and poured a thimble full of wine representing the blood of Jesus that was shed. He then read from a three-by-five card the words of Jesus from John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.” Buzz requested a moment of silence and invited the world to pause and contemplate the events of the day and give thanks. Astronaut Aldrin choose to celebrate the One who created the earth and the moon. He wanted the world to know that in the midst of pain and heartache, a Savior had intervened in human history. This Savior wanted everyone to be rescued out of sin and offered His life to be the source of our life. The life we long for is not something we invent or manufacture, but something we receive from connection to Jesus Christ.
When we belong to Jesus, God is constantly pruning us. The thought of something being removed from us sounds painful, and it sometimes is. God wants to remove things in our lives that hinder our growth and get in the way of our faithfulness. I don’t know what your experience has been, but God has taken things from my life that I thought at the time I really wanted and needed. I look back today and realize that those wants would have only gotten in the way.
“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” What is Jesus saying here? If you have received him and believed in him, you are clean and acceptable to God. But then he says something that we need to take a look at and consider. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. Wait a minute; didn’t we already establish that we can’t lose our salvation? Yes, but please pay attention here. You can be saved and belong to Jesus and at the same time be separated from him. Our un-confessed sins separate us from Jesus in a way that keeps us from bearing fruit. Jesus is illustrating how we can belong to him and still not be functioning as his followers. I am going to go out on a limb here and say to you that’s the case with the majority of Christians. I have preached this from this pulpit so many times in so many different ways, but I can’t make this point any better than Jesus does in these five verses. The only way to remain in Christ is through confession. Not just on Sunday when you are in church. Not just occasionally when you feel bad, but every day, sometimes more.
As we get ready to come to the Lord’s table this morning, let us pay special attention to these words that meant so much to Buzz Aldrin. I say them at almost every communion service. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” What kind of branch are you today? Are you a true branch? I’m sorry but that question always needs to be considered. Are you just hanging on for the eternal life that you have been promised? Are you struggling and wondering why you don’t have more strength for God’s work? Even if you feel as though you are a strong branch and fully involved, we all need confession in order to remain in
Christ.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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