Sermon Tone Analysis

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Thank you for joining us this morning.

This is the second message in the Advent 2017 series and you can find last weeks message online if you missed it.

We have three more to go before Christmas so I encourage you to invite your friends and family next week!

Would you believe me if I told you today that I can show you the secret to true and lasting JOY!?

Does that sound like something you would want to hear?

I have good news and bad news for you then, (my wife hates it when I say that to her, so naturally I do it as often as I can, LOL).

Anyway, bad news first, I do not have the power to give you true and lasting JOY, so sorry… Good news, I can show you how to get it and who can give it to you! How’s that!

The thing is we often confuse happiness and joy don’t we… Our happiness can be effected so easily.

I will prove it right now!

Advent Calendars

Kids do you know what this is?

This is an advent calendar… Who can explain what that is?

An advent calendar is how some people mark off or count down the days until Christmas.

This particular advent calendar has chocolate inside of it for every day of December.

Would any of you kids like to have an advent calendar?

Would that make you happy?

If so all you have to do is stay here for the service today and you can have one.

What you can do is open one section every day and read the scripture inside and enjoy the chocolate it contains within, sound good!?

I just made these kids happy, for a little while at least but as soon as the candy has been eaten or the calendar is empty the happiness it contains has run out and it is gone.

Our happiness is so easily effected isn’t it…

Got errands to run and a slow driver ahead of me….. I’m not happy

Got a child who will not allow me some peace and quiet….. I’m not happy

Got a boss that knows exactly how to ruin my weekend….. I’m not happy

Got a teacher who decided a quiz is a good idea….. I’m not happy

Got a friend who bails on me….. I’m not happy

Got a spouse who just can’t seem to keep their socks off the living room floor no matter how many times they have been asked about it….. My wife’s not happy!

Seriously don’t you find that you can be having a really great day and it can be turned around pretty quickly.

Scripture does not promise us happiness, especially not in this life but it does tell us that we are able to have true and lasting JOY, even in the face of all the unhappy things in this life.

Would you like to hear about that today?

I really want to tell you!

Well before we go to God’s word lets pray

PRAY

TEXT

Context

Where we find ourselves today in God’s word is in the Gospel of John in the fifteenth chapter.

Now the surrounding context is that Jesus has been hanging with the Disciples for a while now and he is now preparing them for the reality of his coming death.

He has washed their feet, told them that one of them would betray him, told peter he would deny him, explained that he is the only way to God, and lastly he has promised that when he goes he will send the Holy spirit to be with them.

You can see then how the disciples and us have a lot in common.

Things were going really well for them and their buddy Jesus and then Jesus drops these bombs on them that he is going to be betrayed, abandoned, executed, and leave them… the disciples are not happy

this brings us to the text for us today!

DELIGHT IN THE PERSONS OF GOD

Jesus uses an analogy that they would all be very familiar with.

Farming.

In an agricultural community the idea of vineyards and field tending would have made a lot of sense to them and they would have a visual picture of what this looks like.

Notice however that he says He is the true vine.

There are many who would seek to beguile you beloved, many who would seek to draw you away.

Do not be deceived, out of all there is but one that is true, out of all there is but one that is alive!

Tis Jesus!

Many fake vines there may be but there is only one that is true…

Throughout Israels history “Israel” has been the vine and God the vine dresser.

This type of refocusing is consistent with what Jesus has been saying all along.

He is the middle man!

To get to God you have to go through Him.

Jesus not Israel is the true vine.

Unlike the disciples who have not yet been given the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit we have a deeper meaning to these things also.

Not only is God in the person of Jesus the vine but in the person of the Father he is the vine dresser as well.

The word geōrgos here translated as vinedresser was a more general word for farmer

What is the job of the vine dresser?

What do they do?

They tend the vine no doubt.

The goal of the vine dresser is the flourishing health of the vine is it not.

But to what end is the vine dresser to tend the vine?

Simply for a healthy vine?

No, the goal of every vine in any vineyard is to produce its fruit…

The success of any crop largely depends on the skill of the farmer but does it also not depend on the health of the vine?

Imagine with me if you can the imagery Jesus is using here.

You have the main body of the plant which is the vine, this vine carries its nutrients to each of its branches expecting for the branch to take its power and produce fruit from it.

Yet Jesus gives us the impression that not every branch does bear fruit…

You see there seem to be two options for these branches they either bear fruit or they do not.

Yet both will receive the Fathers attention wont they!?

Jesus assumes the same thing that we should assume and the same thing that the disciples would have assumed given their knowledge of horticulture [fancy word for gardening].

The point of a garden is a crop!

A Yield! Good Fruit is the point!

So what then would any good vinedresser do to keep the vine healthy, to keep it flourishing?

That which is bad for the vine must be removed and yet even that which is healthy must be pruned so that it can bear more!

The Book: The Trellis and The Vine

Some churches misunderstand this and think of numbers and appearances as everything!

It is very likely that in the Johannine churches there were a number of people who were identified as Christians but who were not bearing fruit.

The question of the meaning of fruitful and unfruitful is also important.

Today it is often understood primarily as how many “testimonies” can be made and how many commitment cards can be signed.

Gerald L. Borchert

“takes away” here is the word aireō which literally means to “cut off” and “prune” kathaireō means to “cleans” or “purify”.

If a branch connected to a healthy vine is not producing fruit what is the problem?

Dead wood is worse than fruitlessness, for dead wood can harbor disease and decay.

An untrimmed vine will develop long rambling branches that produce little fruit because most of the strength of the vine is given to growing wood.

The vine-grower is concerned that the vine be healthy and productive.

The caring process is a picture of the divine dealing with human life.

God removes the dead wood from his church and disciplines the life of the believer so that it is directed into fruitful activity.

Merrill C. Tenney

The shears of the LORD are not to be feared but welcomed for the good of the vine and it’s branches!

DELIGHT IN THE WORDS OF GOD

Verse 3 is a little odd especially if you don’t know the context.

Firstly this word “clean” here is the same greek word above in V2 for prunes, but more then that.

The way in which the Gardener prunes is through his word.

When we read and pray, when we gather together to hear Gods word it works in us.

It disciplines or soothes, nourish and guides.

So these that are listening have been listening and following for some time already and so Jesus is here affirming them.

Yet there is more to the context…

Judas just left to deceive…