God The Gardener
Sermon Review
23 July 2000
Reading - John 15:1-8
A man is honoured as town’s leading citizen: At a banquet in his honour, he was called to give a speech. "Friends, 30 years ago I walked into town on a dirt road, suit on my back and all my worldly possessions in a little brown paper bag. Today, I am chairman of the bank, own hotels, apartments, and companies with branches all over the world. Yes, I thank you. This town has been good to me." Later that night 1 person had the insight to ask him what he had in the bag? His answer – 1/2 million in cash and $900,000 in gov. bonds!
It was obvious that his success was not due to generous citizenry or rich opportunity, but resources that he had not mentioned! However, apart from that 1 person, no one seemed to recognize this fact.
It is similar for the Christian. Without knowing the whole story, people could be fooled into thinking that virtues like love, goodness, generosity etc. in the individual’s life were a product of staunch belief and determination rather than the Holy Spirit. However, nothing could be further from the truth cf. Gal.5:22. However, the Christian does contribute towards the emergence of such ‘fruit’. Such qualities do not automatically blossom by themselves cf. Phil.2:11,12. The process of transformation, although authored by God (2Cor.2:18), requires obedient action on our part. In John.15:1-8, Jesus addresses this issue, using a vineyard analogy.
The Vine & The Branches:
It is a general metaphor concerning the natural connection of branches to a grape vine.
- Jesus is the Vine
- The branches are the disciples v5.
- This was a familiar picture ie: Israel pictured as the vine or vineyard of God eg. Isa.5:1-7; A vine was pictured as a symbol of Israel on Jewish coins; The local rural landscape was littered with vineyards.
- Surprise 1. Jesus replaces Israel with Himself as the ‘real’ or ‘true’ vine v1. And puts himself forward as being the genuine reality to which the symbol pointed. He would prove to be reliable and dependable unlike Israel. Interestingly enough, the association between Israel & the vine are used in the context of degradation. Eg. To Isaiah, Israel is a vineyard run wild; Jer. Saw Israel as a degenerate & wild vine.
- Surprise 2. The disciples were being confronted with another perspective on their connection to himself – you are my branches! As well as being confronted with their own dependence on him for benefit from such a connection!
- Surprise 3. Unlike branches on a vine, they could choose to not remain vitally linked to the vine for strength and energy; in fact they were responsible for ensuring that the connection was vital and significant.
Summary:
So Jesus was saying that Israel is not the real vine – He was. And that if his disciples remain vitally linked to him, He would supply all that they needed to bear fruit for God. If they didn’t they would be unproductive branches, as good as dead in his eyes.
How much did they understand? Probably not a lot. However, from our vantage point, we should be able to understand quite clearly. We should know that the Holy Spirit inhabits the Christian, and empowers and transforms them in character, attitude, and action. We should also understand from this passage and in our experience, that if we cultivate our relationship with Christ the reality of the vine & the branches comes true; if we neglect it, we wane and slowly die. Our joy, peace, power under temptation, sensitivity to His guidance etc. slowly decays. Being in-Christ does not mean closeness to Christ in practise & experience. Without worship, prayer, fellowship, faith, Bible intake, & obedience etc. , our old nature takes over in greater and greater strength. Thankfully, God provides some help in the form of ‘pruning’ v2
Pruning:
Background: In Palestine the vine requires a great deal of attention if the best fruit is to be had. Careful preparation of soil; planted approximately 3 metres apart; not allowed to fruit for 3 years during which they are drastically pruned, and when mature, still pruned twice each year. It produces 2 kinds of branches – those that bear and those that do not. Those that do not are cut off, those that do are trimmed so as to produce more fruit next season.
- Pruning comes to the Christian, whether heavy due to no fruit bearing, or lightly for improvement, as a given cf. Heb.12:6. It doesn’t come as punishment, but as a means to deepen the life of God within, and stimulate more productive christian life and ministry without.
- Pruning comes from the love of God, not the anger of God. It is guided by wisdom and compassion, and operates according to his promises eg. 1Cor.10:13. This pruning is often associated with suffering, or difficulty, or pressure as pruning requires cutting which implies hurt eg. Jesus Heb.2:10. Like a good handyman, God uses the difficulties and pressures of life and puts them to good use eg. Joseph and the ill will of his brothers.
- However, this ‘pruning’ does not include God engineering ‘difficulties’ so as to produce pressure on us. In Heb.12 the ‘discipline’ that all God’s children undergo is none other than the struggle to put aside the ‘weights’ and ‘the sin’ which so easily entangles us, and ‘running the race with perseverance’. The hardship of obedience is to be viewed as discipline v7., not deliberate suffering as it is often interpreted. Suffering, whether sniffles or cancer, should not be seen as judgments from God today. Jesus receives the Christian’s punishment (Isa.53:5; 1Pet.2:24). And God does not deliberately ‘strike down’ those outside of Christ for their sin (Lk.13:1-5). The general message of suffering for the non-Christian is simply be ready to meet God! God can use suffering to reveal His grace & power (John.9:1-3), but not by always healing or removing it (2Cor.12:8,9 cf. Also 2Cor.4:7-11). Natural consequences are the general order of the day (Gal.6:6:7-10) rather than judgment! We are currently in the age of ‘Grace’.
- Further, pruning should not always be associated with difficulty. God also uses positive experiences and blessings to motivate us to obedience and determination to nurture our relationship with him eg. Phil.4:12. The whole Christian faith is predicated on God blessing His children with daily provision, release from anxieties, the giving of peace, prayer access and all sorts of good things, not mentioning forgiveness and eternal life!
Conclusion:
Have you been able to come to grips that God does not substitute Himself for responsible action? God expects us to cultivate our relationship with himself.
Have you been able to come to grips with the reality of pruning? Have you been able to accept its necessity in your life? That you need it? That without it your faith, Christian commitment, and Christian character would be shallow? Can you accept that God uses your problems, that He does not engineer them? Can you yet see that God uses positive enticements and encouragements as well?
Have you been able to come to grips with the fact that God loves you, His allowance of certain things in our lives is well intentioned, and that He is primarily concerned about you. Growth for growth’s sake is the ‘ideology’ of the cancer cell, and God is not cancerous. He is a surgeon bringing life, not death. This is why Jas. could say rejoice (Jas.5) and Paul could say ‘give thanks in all things’ (2Thess.5). Come to grips with these things & the fruitfulness which God desires for you will be sure to come!
Blessings