Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction-growing up around orange groves, learned a lot about how fruit grows but never once heard a tree grunt.

I Am the True Vine

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

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

Abide in me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches.

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

Abide in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

(ESV)

I. What does it mean to abide in Christ?

A. Abiding is about remaining connected to Jesus.

1.

Because of His great sacrifice that we now stand in as we grow in our depth and understanding of what it means

a. to be loved by Jesus the way the Father loves him

b. to have an deepening appreciation of our union with Christ

c. J.C. Ryle said it this way:

To abide in Christ means to keep up a habit of constant close communion with Him, to be always leaning on Him, resting on Him, pouring out our hearts to Him, and using Him as our Fountain of life and strength, as our chief Companion and best Friend.

To have His words abiding in us, is to keep His sayings and precepts continually before our memories and minds, and to make them the guide of our actions, and the rule of our daily conduct and behavior.

Phillips, R. D. (2014).

John.

(R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (1st ed., Vol. 2, p. 292).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

B. We are to remain connected to Jesus as the true vine.

C. We cannot do this on our own.

Fruit does not attach itself to a tree.

We can do many things in this life but the things that God intends for His people: to love Him with all they are, to love their neighbor as themselves, to love and pray for their enemies and those that persecute you.

These are not things that come naturally or consistently to us without outside intervention.

D. This is why Jesus says that apart from Him we can do nothing.

It is not that we are physically incapable.

We are spiritually incapable of bearing fruit that glorifies God, assures us of our standing before Him, or brings deep and lasting joy.

We need the life giving work of Jesus in an ongoing basis.

Transtition-So what will motivate us to stay connected to Christ in an ongoing fashion?

The text gives us five good reasons to abide in Christ.

Let’s look at each of them individually and see what we can do with them.

II.

What are the results of abiding in Christ?

A. #1 Abiding in Christ delivers us from judgment.

Jesus uses very familiar imagery to the people of God when talking about vineyards.

In the Old Testament, God’s people were often referred to as His choice vine that He planted.

-He uses a negative example first to show what false believers or people with only a superficial, self-focused, or temporary relationship with Him.

-Fire is a normal picture of judgment and destruction for sin from throughout Scripture.

But there is a clear implication for all who would hear Jesus teaching here, that to not remain connected to Jesus, as the true vine and source for all of our spiritual life and growth, death would result.

For us that means in the here and now, a growing lack of spiritual vibrancy and joy.

For eternity, it definitely hints at judgement.

Bare minimum, it speaks to the uselessness of branches, or people that don’t stay connected to the true vine of Jesus.

But scholars agree that to not abide in Christ portends bad things and most likely judgement.

-so in contrast to the negative example, abiding in Christ leads to deliverance from God’s judgement.

But this may often involve pruning or cleaning of dead or weak branches or even for the long term strengthening of branches to bear more and better fruit.

This is not to be confused with judgment.

-this is what true saving faith looks like: coming to Christ and then remaining in Christ for all eternity; through all the difficulty of pruning and growing and waiting on fruit, we abide in Christ.

B. #2 Abiding in Christ leads to power in prayer.

If we abide or remain connected to Jesus, His Word will be in us, changing us and helping us pray rightly.

-for the right things-big, life changing things.

B. It is key for assuring who we are in Christ.

-with great zeal and patience

F. B. Meyer writes: “If you abide in Christ in daily fellowship, it will not be difficult to pray aright, for He has promised to abide in those who abide in Him; and the sap of the Holy Ghost securing for you fellowship with your unseen Lord, will produce in you, as fruit, desires and petitions similar to those which He unceasingly presents to His Father.”

-by remaining close and connected to Christ, our desires will be changed having been molded by His Word and the Spirit’s illumination.

-we might pray for safe travels but safety might not be what the Lord wants in all situations.

So by spending time with Jesus in His Word and asking for His help, we may come to realize that we should pray for God’s mercy over those traveling.

We know that God delights to be merciful even if it’s a hard mercy.

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C. #3 Abiding in Christ produces fruitful living.

-this is the purpose we are created for: to bear fruit for the glory of God.

Any branch that just hangs out on a tree is either immature, sick, or dead.

Healthy branches bear fruit in a healthy cycle.

Christ produces fruitful living.

The fruit that Jesus is hear speaking of can be seen as many things.

Professor and theologian Scott Kellum says it this way:

“My simple definition of fruit is as follows: anything beneficial that God produces in us and through us.

This may be the fruit of the Spirit (), converts (), or the fruit of righteousness () among other spiritual things.”

-so the fruit you bear may be growing in Christlikeness, or love for God and others, or sharing Christ with or leading others toward faith in Christ.

These are all things that God intends and delights in for His people.

-but what is also clear is that this is not speaking to some super class of Christian: this is for all who trust Christ!

This is God’s gracious expectation of those who truly love and follow Him.

-But even Jesus knew that some people would see different levels of fruitfulness even in different seasons for the same person.

Mark

-so it is not that we all should bear the same kinds or the same amount of fruit.

But God expects us to be fruitful.

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And we don’t bear fruit by trying harder.

We bear fruit that glorifies God by remaining connected to God-abide in Christ.

D. #4 Abiding in Christ glorifies the Father.

-Our dependence on and continuing in the Son honors the Father by demonstrating how we treasure and love the Son.

If you go to a great restaurant once and tell others about it but never go again, it doesn’t prove a high level of enjoyment and value you place on that spot.

When we love something or someone we spend time with them enjoying them.

In the same way as loving and continuing to go to a favorite restaurant, this fruit glorifies God in the proof of His transforming power to any who believe His Gospel and hold fast their confession.

-A healthy, growing Christian lives in this cycle: abide in Christ, bear fruit that glorifies God and brings them true and lasting joy.

-Fruit that glorifies God makes much of His work not ours.

It is not how good and fruitful we are, but how nourishing and satisfying God’s Word and the Holy Spirit are.

-it is a chance to point to Christ and His all satisfying love and powerful grace that not only changes at the beginning but continues to conform us to the image of Christ.

And this is what we are made for!

We are made to make much of Jesus and to spread the fame of God and His Son to cover the earth!

-This fruit glorifies God in the proof of His transforming power to any who believe His Gospel and hold fast their confession.

God glorifying fruit is what He produces through our dependence and connection to His Son.

This proves to the world and the disciple that they really are His.