Sermon Tone Analysis

*Secular:*

*   Have you ever seen inside a Pro Sports team’s dressing room?

* Besides… benches, lockers….

* Massage tables, whirlpools, trainers, medial table

* This is the highest level of competition!!

* The Vince Lombardi Trophy… the Stanley Cup… the World Series… lots of competition for a bit of shiny silver…

* It is about dollars… competition… prestige….

Lots at stake

*  Highly competitive for what…

* If you ever see those biography moments…

* Hours every day… in the gym, rink, on the field, in the weight room….

* What truly is at stake for  ALL OF THIS SACRIFICE?

* "Spanning the world to give you the constant variety of sports.

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, the human drama of athletic competition.

This is ABC's Wide World of Sports."

*Biblical:*

John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 "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.

11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15 "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

17 "This I command you, that you love one another.

18 "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.'

If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also.

24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

25 "But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.' 26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

*Personal: *

* We sacrifice for things we love…

* My kids gave up their Christmas gifts… to go on a special holiday…

*  I spent my summer evenings, weekends, days off….

Building rooms for my boys

* Some of you have driven a million miles from rink to rink, ball field to ball field… gymnastics competitions, science fairs…

* Some have had to choose to eat… or feed your kids…

* We know we have to sacrifice for that which is valuable…

*Bridge: *

* *How about Jesus?*

* When was the last time you truly made sacrifice for your faith?

*  If you looked at your daytimer, PDA, examined Outlook on your computer… would it indicate a life of sacrifice?

*  Look at your passion…

* We will all be called to suffer for our faith… we need to have a heart to sacrifice… so that when the opportunity comes t suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ… we respond send me Lord….

Take me Lord… Use me Lord….*

*

* *Good crop?

*

* *Good stock… outcome becomes certain *

* * In Christ our outcome is certain…*

* *

*Body:*

*Fruit Bearing*

* *The Symbols *

* */The Son /*is the true vine… v.15:1a, 5a

* Grapes good stock

* Wild… wrong vine… bad product

* /The Father /is the gardener 15:1b* *

* Careful… attentive… loving… knowing….

* Responsible for the outcome

* * */The Believer / is the branch 15:5b

* From good stock comes good branches to bear good fruit

* From bad stock weak branches... bad grapes

* * The Steps*

* * *Submitting to the Pruning of the Father 15:2-3

* Father is going to grow us…

* Nasty vine cut back… cast off… waste

* Cut back… improve crop….

Improve quality

* Hebrews 12:6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

* What are his tools?

* His Word

* His Spirit

* His People…

* His Elders

* The Caring Body

* * *We must abide in the Son 15:4.

5c-6

* Be attached… not blown away… not burnt up…

* * The Success*

* * *It results in bountiful fruit 15:7-8a

* … but those grafted into Christ… true branches attached to the true vine….

* * *It results in glorifying the Father 15:8b

* True branches bear good fruit for the gardener…

* Those who abide in Christ… live for Christ and through Christ…* *Bring Glory to God!!

* So ferret out the dead wood…

* Abide in Christ

* *And bear fruit to the Glory of God!*

* *Good crop?

*

* *Good stock… outcome becomes certain *

* * In Christ our outcome is certain…*

 

*Loving*

*The Priority*

* The  Father loves the Son 9b-10b