By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sermon Text: John 15:1-11
Sermon Theme
Jesus emphasizes the fact that his disciples are to bear fruit (John 15:8). By fruit he means evidence of the reality of Christ in us. Jesus makes it clear that we cannot bear this fruit on our own. We are to abide in him, that is, he must be the living center of our lives. Apart from him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Christ then must be the lord of our lives. We must surrender to him in everything. There is no neutral ground between being in Christ and not being in him. In Christ alone we have true life. More than this, in Him we are able to live in love. Jesus presents us here with nothing less than the pattern of life at its fullest (John 1:16). This leads to complete joy (John 15:11).
Sermon Outline
- Lord. One of Satan’s greatest deceptions is that life in Christ means that we have to give up the pleasures of the world. In reality the opposite is true. Jesus gives us complete joy both in this world and in the world to come. We are to make Jesus the Lord of everything in our lives. Jesus defines this for us by saying that he is the vine and we are the branches. He says in no uncertain terms that without him we can do nothing (John 15:5). The tragedy is that we try to do too much on our own. We easily fall into the trap of attempting to separate Jesus from the so-called ordinary parts of life. On the other hand we can reduce the life of discipleship to nothing more than an attempt to live out a debilitating list of spiritual requirements. This was the pattern of the Pharisees who turned the life of faith into a religious burden (Matthew 23:4). Jesus called them the children of the devil (John 8:44). Jesus is lord of all. This means he brings us into a life full of goodness, celebration and grace (I Timothy 4:4-5). It is no accident that before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead his first miracle had been to turn water into wine (and good wine at that) (John 2:9-11).
- Life. The example of wine and the vine are used throughout Scripture to describe the free and joyful life that can be found in God alone (Psalm 80:8-11, 104:14-15, Song of Solomon 7:8-9, Isaiah 27:2-3, Ezekiel 19:10, Hosea 14:7, Amos 9:13, Zechariah 10:7). This is why Paul reacts so strongly to the Galatians and Philippians who seek to take away this joy and replace it with obligations and the demands of the law (Galatians 1:6-7, Philippians 3:7-9). In the world of the New Testament the Stoics based life on duty, the Epicurians sought pleasure, and the Romans emphasized duty (Acts 17:18). The fruit that Jesus bears is none of these. It is the joyful reception of God’s love and the sharing of that love with those who who have been rejected and broken (John 4:28-29, 5:8-9, 6:11-14, 7:37-39, 8:11, 10:10).
- Love. To abide in Christ as the branches abide in the vine is to live in his love (John 15:10). The love of God assures us of his forgiveness. It is the guarantee that God is with us and watches over us in all things. It brings us freedom (John 8:36). The world’s promise of love and freedom is empty and false. Even in the midst of the struggles of this world we are confident, hopeful, and joyful. This is the fruit we are to bear. It is the best possible witness we can give to Jesus Christ. Those without love are fruitless branches in every sense of the word (Galatians 5:7-12). Our love is never perfect. We need to be pruned by the Lord of the vineyard. We need to abandon our own efforts to draw ourselves closer to God (John 6:44). He is the one who comes to abide in us. As we grasp the love that God has given us, we are enabled to show that love to others. This love is not sentimental emotion. It is the love that seeks the benefit and building up of other people whomever they might be. God is love (I John 4:16). Whatever we ask for in this love we will receive (John 15:7). All of this leads to joy which is the single most distinguishing mark of the disciple who is abiding in Jesus (John 15:11).
Questions for Us
- Why do you think it is difficult for us to see Jesus as the Lord of everything in our lives? How hard is it for us to accept the idea we can do nothing without him?
- Why don’t we often realize that the image of our being branches of Jesus’ vine is an expression of joy, freedom and hope? Why do you think Christians are often seen as having a negative attitude?
- How do you experience the love of God in your life? Why do you think this leads to complete joy (John 15:11)?
