Posted: 30 Aug 2011 10:24 AM PDT
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:1-6
Why did Jesus say, "I am the true vine?" He said that because there are false vines in the world. We need to pay attention to the true vine. The true vine produces the true church of God. How do we get into the vine? We are grafted into the vine. Where do we get our nourishment? We get our nourishment from the true vine.
In London, there is a grapevine known as The Great Vine. It is said to be 120 feet long, is over 230 years old, and yields crops that can weigh up to 705 lbs. Supposedly it is the oldest and largest vine in the world. The Church of God is bigger than that. It includes all of the people in heaven and on earth that are saved. We don’t know who all are in the body of Christ.
It is vitally important to bear fruit, if we are going to be in the vine. The main purpose of a Christian is to bear fruit. If the root is holy, then the branches are holy also. Jesus told us to "abide" in him. What does the word abide mean? It means, to live with, be a part of, stay put, to submit to and to be steadfast. To abide in Christ is to be connected to his body, the church of God. We cannot just connect to any other body and bear holy fruit. To abide, we must have a determination that we are going to stay with the true church of God. And we all have to get our nourishment from the root.
Bro Sam McConehea used to tell a story about when he was the pastor at Possum Road, Church of God. The congregation had a meeting because they wanted to do something different to the property. One board member was against the changes. All of the others agreed to make the changes, and a date was set for the work to be done. On that Saturday, the first person to show up to work was the board member that was against the changes. They asked him why he came to help. He said that he came to help because he was a part of the body of Christ. Whatever the body of Christ did, he wanted to support.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
We must be willing to be wrong for the benefit of the body. We must stay dead to our own desires. Was Jesus wrong any of the times when he was accused of being wrong? No, he wasn’t, but he didn’t rise up in his own defense. Sometimes we may be presented as wrong, but God knows if we are wrong or not. If we think that we must have our rights, we are not concerned about the body of Christ. The unity of the body must be more of utmost importance.
Someone I know has a dead tree in his backyard that is 20 feet tall. It died because his small dogs scraped all around the tree. They kept scraping at the bark of the tree and scraped to the cambium layer. What does it do when the bark is scraped away? It cuts off the nourishment. Now the whole tree is dead. You can have a flourishing plant today, but let little things come in that effect you getting the spiritual nourishment you need and your branch will die.
What are some of the things that harm a Christian’s branch? Discontent is one big thing. The scripture says; I have learned to be content. What does content mean? It means to be satisfied, no grumbling or complaining. If you start murmuring and picking, your nourishment will be cut off.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Philippians 2:14-15
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:11-13
How many things should we do without murmuring? We should do all things without murmuring. If we are getting nourishment from the root, we should not murmur. If you start murmuring and complaining, something is wrong in your heart. If you start complaining about another saint, you are causing division in the congregation.
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9
We can water or plant, but God gives the increase. Not one is more important than another. We can’t argue and complain and at the same time be working together in the body of Christ. We have got to be clothed with humility.
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. John 6:58
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 1 Pet 2:1-2
To abide in the true vine, we must develop a love for the word of God. Newborn babies eat every two hours and they will let you know they are hungry. We need to have that same hunger for the Word of God. If we don’t hunger after the Word of God, it will hinder us. If the word of God is not important to you, ask God to help you have a fresh love for the word.
All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Matthew 24:8-10
What else will hinder you from producing fruit in the vine of Christ? If your love for Christ waxes cold, you will not produce fruit. Have you ever been offended? Many people have left the church of God because of being offended. What does the Bible say about offences? It doesn’t say go around and complain to others about that person. It says to go to that person alone. A lot of people are not willing to do that. It will cause division if you don’t handle it the Bible way. It takes humility on your part, if you are the one that is offended. You must discuss the situation. It doesn’t say to yell or argue but to try to get united with the person, in the spirit of Christ. We must be willing to forgive when we have been offended or it will cause us to lose out with God.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
If you get a lot of ideas from the world and begin to incorporate them into your experience, you will not bear fruit. The Bible teaches that we should keep ourselves "unspotted from the world." We should not try and pattern ourselves after the world, but instead, set a Christ-like holy standard before the world. We should be a proper representative of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you don’t bear fruit, Jesus said you will be cut off the vine- it is that important. Every one of us needs to have a burden for the community. Everyone needs to have a burden and be a part of an outreach or be a prayer warrior. God wants every one of us in the work, building up the work of God in the unity of his Spirit.
