The true vine, and the true branches

John 15: 1-6

I Am the True Vine

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 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 

Whatever you do in Christian life, you're going to have bits chopped lopped off!

If you don't produce 'fruit' then you are removed from the 'true vine', that is Jesus. Your relationship with him is severed. It sounds pretty harsh, but for anyone who does gardening- you do the same. If something isn't producing fruit as it should, it gets removed. Why? To encourage the healthy growth of the rest of it. 

If you do produce fruit, you are pruned. You're cut back, which will hurt. It'll take time to repair, but long-term you will be stronger and more productive.

So it's worth considering; are you going to be pruned or lopped off? 

There's a lot of mention here about fruit and abiding so, what is the fruit we are meant to be producing? And what are we abiding in? 

'Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit'. 

Here it tells us we are to abide - live, dwell, take up permanent residence - in Jesus. How then are we meant to live in a person? It's more than living with someone. If you live someone, you are still a separate person, but to live IN someone, you are within one person. If you are a Christian, that is what you have chosen.  Your life is not your own. Yours and Jesus lives are intimately linked. You have chosen a permanent residence in Christ. 

That's a huge challenge. 

Everyday, it's not me/you that's walking around doing what we do, it's Jesus. How then, are we representing him? 

If he is me and I am him, then who others see is a reflection of Jesus within me - I'd better watch out how I live! 

The result in choosing to live for Jesus, in dwelling with him, is fruit. This fruit is a product of that intimate relationship, the dwelling within one another. So, what is it that living with Christ produces? What is the fruit? 

Well, one thing it must be, if we are going with this vine imagery is a deeper dependence on God. A branch becomes stronger when it's well fed/connected with the vine, without restriction. The fruit will then bear the characteristics of what it is fed by. So, what may be a better question is what fruit did Jesus bear? If we are connected with him, growing through him and living in him, then we will be bearing the same type of fruit as he did. 

Jesus depicted God's love throughout his time on Earth, so this MUST be demonstrated by those who follow him. 

This love though is not a warm cosy feeling, 'ooohh I love that person, they are so nice' it's not that. Jesus teaches of love that is demonstrated. It is not a feeling, and it is not easy. It is about putting others first. Even if it hurts. Do we choose to put others first? Do we show people we care when it's inconvenient? When we are; tired? Hungry? Lonely? Lacking finance? Sad? Busy?

A few challenges this week:

>are you being pruned or lopped off?

>how are you representing Jesus?

>do you love people even when it hurts?

V8 - By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Be like Peter

John 13: 36-38

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times. 

I like Peter.

Peter is not afraid to ask. He's not afraid to say what he thinks. Even to God. 

I think that maybe that's why he was one of the disciples. Maybe he was chosen as one of the twelve because he's outspoken, bold and he'd have a go. He was keen and he was devoted to Jesus. 

Peter is quite direct. We see that in scripture time and again. Although we often see it when Peter has not quite got it right, but then we know how the story goes. We have the benefit of hindsight. I think, if we were in the same situation as Peter, we would of probably had the same thoughts as he did (although we may not of expressed them), and we'd of probably made the same mistakes. 

Peter made mistakes like we do. He often 'put his foot in it', or got the wrong end of the stick, but he kept going. He was determined to follow Jesus. 

Peter is the one who sinks when Jesus is walking on the water, Jesus even says to him once, "get behind me satan". Yet, is Peter put off? No! He keeps following Jesus! Eventhough he is well aware that he's messed up. He doesn't hide in shame, run away or give up. 

Peter keeps following Jesus. 

He is committed, and he knows that his mistakes do not prevent him from having a relationship with Jesus. 

This is the same for you and I, our mistakes do not prevent us from having a relationship with Jesus. We can keep going, keep following like Peter did. Without being constantly surrounded by fear or shame. We can think, 'oops, got that wrong, ok let's keep going'. 

Jesus chose Peter to be his disciple, and he knew what he was like. 

Jesus never asked him to leave when Peter made mistakes. Jesus pointed out Peter's errors but didn't banish or punish him. 

Jesus is the same with us. 

The best place for us to learn is at Jesus side. He will point out when we've got it wrong, but that shouldn't estrange us from him, in fact it should deepen our relationship. We are permitted to be as bold and daring as Peter, we are allowed to get out of the boat at times, and we are allowed to be direct in telling our thoughts to God. He doesn't mind, he will hear us. Maybe he'll correct us, but isn't that what we do in close relationships?

Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends, and he was allowed to speak his mind and mess up - so there's hope for all of us! 

So, let's get out there; be bold, have a go, speak your mind to God!

Psalm 3:

Save Me, O My God

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

O LORD, how many are my foes!

Many are rising against me;

many are saying of my soul,

there is no salvation for him in God. 

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the LORD,

and he answered me from his holy hill. 

I lay down and slept;

I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.

I will not be afraid of many thousands of people

who have set themselves against me all around.

Many will of heard of King David, God's chosen King. He won battles, ruled the kingdom, and was referred to by God as, 'a man after my own heart' . 

So his life should be sweet right?

Well, it was, sometimes. 

David still made some mistakes, and he still came up against challenges. 

This psalm is written whilst David is running away from his kingdom, and his son. 

Why? Because his son wants the throne. David doesn't want to battle his son, but he still wants to be king. So, he flees. King David runs away. 

Then he starts to hear these mutterings, 'many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.'

Who said these things? 

My guess is that it's the people that are around him. How else would he hear these things? He's run away from his kingdom and his enemies. So presumably the ones who ran away with him, his companions, warriors, those who know David, are probably the ones saying these things. That's pretty hard, he's already in fear of his own life, then he starts hearing people saying, not only is his life, but his soul is in danger! 

Sometimes, it's the people that are closest to us that seem to hurt is the most. 

I know that when those closest to me say negative things about; me,

my actions, or character, it hurts the most. It's not nice when anyone says horrible things, but the pain is intensified when it's those we love and value. It's easy for those accusations and words to echo around our heads and remind us of the pain and our worthlessness. Sending us into a spiral of self-pity, regret and worthlessness. 

People's words can have a profound effect on us.

I am amazed by David's response. 

When hurtful words are said I replay them in my mind, relive the offence and feel bad either about myself, the other person or both! 

What does David do? 

David states who God is! 

Amazing! In the midst of the emotional and physical upheaval he is going through, David does not focus on the words spoken about him, but focuses on who God is. 

He reminds himself that God is, 'a shield about me', 'my glory' 'and the lifter of my head'. Wow! 

God is:

# a shield about me - a shield is a defensive and an offensive weapon, it protects us from what's coming at us, and can shove things out of the way. It is a weapon of war. God fiercely protects and fights for us. He doesn't stand still when we are being berated, he's there, he's ready, and he's battling for us. 

# my glory - my; splendour, magnificence, greatness, beauty, grandeur. 

God is what is good about us! There may be some truth about what others say about us, but if God is in you, then He is your 'glory' He is what is great, beautiful and even magnificent in you! Wow!

# the lifter of my head - if people are putting us down, there is no need for us to keep our heads down. Trouble is, with your head down you can't see where we are going.

We are not defined by the words or thoughts of others. We are children of the most high God. No matter what anyone else; thinks, says or does, this is who we are. You want proof? Start reading the Bible to discover who God is, and who He says you are. 

So, the next time you either:

A) have the opportunity to put someone down or say something that may hurt someone else - think twice - is it true? Is it necessary? would you say it in front of God?

B) hear someone speaking ill of yourself, remind yourself; who God is, who you are and lift up your head! 

Jesus - divine or human?

We know that Jesus is known as the son of God, we are probably used to this way of defining who Jesus is. He clearly demonstrates that he is God's son when we read the Bible; we see Jesus doing the right things, saying the right things and caring about people above and beyond what we do. 

Do we see Jesus as human too? 

We know he came in human form; he looked, talked and walked like us, but internally is he the same? As well as being known as the Son of God, Jesus is also referred to as 'the son of man'. It's important that we recognise Jesus as both, because if he is entirely God then he's somewhat out of reach- no wonder he's a goody-two-shoes! We are not as perfect, so, as people we could just dismiss the idea of who Jesus is because he can't help being perfect, he's God, therefore unreachable, and incomprehensible. If he is human, entirely, then we can relate to and understand something of who Jesus is.

So, how can we see Jesus' humanity when his divinity is so clearly displayed?

Well, in the Bible there are a few great passages that show the emotion of Jesus, he had thoughts, temptations and fears like the rest of us. He even had to do things he didn't want to do - did you know that?

I've been looking just at the following few verses which I think depict the humanity of Jesus. There are more, but today I'm focussing on these:

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” 

John 12:27-28

He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 

Mark 14:34

Both of the verses relate to Jesus speaking about his coming death. The first verses in John, were just after Jesus triumphant arrival at Jerusalem, complete with palm leaves and a donkey. The second, form Mark, was the night Jesus called his close disciples to pray with him in the garden of Gethsemane, just before he was arrested.

"Now is my soul troubled."

Jesus felt; anxiety, agitation and terror at what was to come. He realised the pain would be mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. There was great degradation dying in this way, the torture was going to be horrendous. His disciples who he'd lived for the last few years would disown and abandon him- in the moment he would need them most. Jesus knew what was coming, but he didn't know what it'd actually be like -he'd not experienced it before. The coming time was the most terrifying and painful time of his life, and it would end his life. No wonder he was troubled! 

Doesn't this show the humanity of Jesus? When we know we are facing something new, difficult, horrendous or painful don't we also feel 'troubled'? 

Jesus does understand what that is like. He is human too. 

He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 

Have you ever felt, "crushed with grief"? The overwhelming heartache and pain that makes you feel like you can't go on? Jesus has felt that same pain. Being crushed makes me think of being forcefully squashed. Unable to function as yourself, being forced into a situation that you can't get out of, but having to bear it. Not destroyed, but feeling close to it. 

Jesus grieved, did you know that? I think most people have experienced what that is like for themselves, the aching, screaming pain of loss. "to the point of death" feeling so distraught, so much pain, that it might as well all be over. Did Jesus feel that depth of sorrow, of grief and distress that he'd rather die than go through it? 

The recognition that Jesus also suffered as intense emotional distress as you and me should help us to understand that he too is human. He too pleaded with God for certain things to happen (or not). He felt misery, loneliness, and intense physical pain. Just like we all do. Jesus is human inside and out.

Jesus' divinity doesn't subdue his humanity.

Jesus' humanity exhibits his divinity. 

'Even now' faith

John 11:20 - 27

when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” 

V39-40

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odour, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? So they took the stone away” 

It is interesting how we can read these verses and think that perhaps Martha isn't really as devoted to Jesus as first she appears. 

She initially states that, "even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” This seems like Martha has complete, absolute trust in Jesus. She recognises that he has a special connection with God, and whatever Jesus asks from God, he gets. When Jesus speaks, it happens. 

Then, a while later, probably a few hours later (not a few days, weeks or months, but a few hours), Martha says, "Lord, by this time there will be an odour, for he has been dead four days". This seems to be in the opposite vein to her declared faith a few hours ago. She had declared that, 'even now' she knew Jesus could ask for whatever he wanted, and it would happen. 

I think what this 'even now' means, is that, eventhough her brother has died, Martha has not lost her faith in who Jesus is. 

She knew, if Jesus had been there, her brother, Lazarus, would of been healed. She knows that God hears Jesus, and answers his prayers, she knows that Jesus is the son of God, she knows that he is the Christ. Martha has no doubt about who Jesus is.

Yet...

When Jesus comes to the tomb, and asks for the stone to be rolled away, Martha doesn't quite know what's happening. She doesn't understand what Jesus is up to, so she questions and puts into practice good old logical thinking.

Don't we all do that? 

In a difficult or odd situation, don't we look at the logical, practical outcome? Because we don't understand that something different could happen? 

What Jesus was asking was odd, it's like someone suggesting, after someone had been dead and buried that we dig up their coffin and have a look. Most of us would question why and probably think it's disrespectful and unnecessary.

To be honest, I marvel at Martha's faith. She is completely confident in who Jesus is. Grief, trouble and potential hardship are not knocking her faith. Her faith is secure. She doesn't question - does God exist? Does He care? Why doesn't He do something? No, Martha in fact asserts that she KNOWS who Jesus is - That doesn't change. Here Martha doesn't question who He is, she just doesn't understand what He is up to.

Who Jesus is doesn't change when your circumstances do. 

He is the same yesterday, today and forever, just because your situation may change, doesn't mean He does. Our perspective of who He is might, and we might not understand what God is up to at times, but it doesn't mean He has disappeared. 

Martha didn't understand why Jesus wanted the tomb opened, He was up to something that no-one ever does. Martha was being practical, sensible and level-headed. Don't we do just the same? 

It's easy to trust in our own experiences and the 'norms' of life, rather than tread down the unknown path. Jesus was doing something a bit weird, and no-one knew why. Jesus didn't explain himself either, he just asked a question, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God". This question inspired trust in those standing by, and some people who were present rolled away the stone. Expecting to see death and decay. Instead Lazarus was alive! They experienced the unbelievable! 

Sometimes, we have to hold onto that complete confidence in Jesus like Martha did. Recognise that, yeah, this is tough, I don't know what God is doing, but He is doing something. Wait, like they did. Jesus didn't force the issue, it was up to the people there to do what he was saying. They went with it, they had no idea why Jesus wanted to enter a tomb with a rotting body in it, but what was the worst that could happen? 

We need the same faith. Martha knew. She knew Jesus, she knew who He was, she had heard and seen what He can do. So, when it came to Jesus wanting to do something quite odd, she didn't understand it, she did question it, not in a bad way, but she went with it. Then she experience something so wonderful. In the midst of painful grief, she saw God do the impossible! 

So, let's aim to have faith like Martha, that strives on when it's tough, and that has eyes that are open to see what God is about. Then we might just experience the impossible! 

Can you see where you are going?

Most of us don't start a journey by blindfolding ourselves because:

- it's scary

- you could fall over

- you might not end up going the right way

Not having light makes a journey more difficult. It doesn't mean it's impossible,  but it does put us at a disadvantage. 

The journey of life is the same. Without light, it's more scary, there are obstacles and you might end up going in the wrong direction.

So I want to ask you, can you see where you are going? 

Are you trying to walk through life with the lights on or off? 

This is what Jesus says;

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

So, if you're walking life your own way, without Jesus as a part of it, you're walking with the lights off. 

Jesus is the light. 

He can show you the way to go.

If you've not accepted Him as a part of your life, then you are walking in darkness. It's scarier, there's uncertainty about where your going or what obstacles there are, and it's more difficult. 

Why make life hard for yourself? 

Invite Jesus to be part of your life, and he will light the way. 

He will show you the way to go, he'll be with you on the journey and give you insight, you might even be able to avoid the discomfort of a few obstacles!

Jesus is, 'the light of the world'. He provides us with the ability to see more clearly what our lives are about. 

We all know that in a dark room things become clearer once we turn a light on, it makes a big difference. 

Having Jesus in your life makes a big difference. 

When you turn the light on, you see the obstacles to avoid, you no longer have to trip over them. You see the route you need to take. There is less fear. Following Jesus is like that. What you see changes. 

The purpose of where you are going and what you are doing is made clearer.

Do you want to see where you are going? 

Go, and from now on sin no more

John chapter 8

The first section you come to in this chapter is entitled, 'The woman caught in adultery'.

 Some of you may know this account. It's about a woman, brought in front of Jesus by the 'scribes and pharisees'. 

The scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders who have authority to teach and guide the people in the Jewish faith.

These leaders had authority, they were knowledgeable about scripture and aware of the intricacies of faith. 

So, if they were the responsible leaders, why did they bring this woman in front of Jesus? 

It was intended as a giant trap. 

They were pretty clever. 'This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him'.  They wanted to challenge Jesus. They wanted to catch him out. To test on whose authority he stood, and if he truly upheld the law. 

Here was a woman who had clearly done something wrong, she had broken the religious law by committing adultery. So, they wanted to know what Jesus was going to do about it.

The Pharisees and scribes knew the scriptures, they read and understood the practicalities, the rules, regulations and judgements within the religious law. They knew from scripture that this woman deserved punishment. By stoning no less.

Really, it's a pretty perfect trap. They bring forth a 'sinner', display their faults and wait to see what Jesus (who claims to be God) does about it. 

If he goes with the religious leaders and administers a punishment, then he is siding with them, but not showing love and grace. If he doesn't agree with their decision then he is clearly a 'law'-breaker. He will then lose credit as a teacher of the law, as he would clearly not be acknowledging or following it. 

So, in the midst of this dilemma, what does Jesus do? 

Well, it seems that for a bit he kind of ignores them. 

He wrote on the ground. I have no idea what he wrote. It doesn't really seem that he is overly interested in the accusations of this group of leaders though. They come to him with this 'problem' and Jesus doesn't seem to even really acknowledge them at first. So, they continue to question him. Then, Jesus eventually responds, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

Having looked into this, Jesus isn't actually implying that only people who have never done anything wrong can condemn (that would rule out everyone apart from him anyway). Jesus is actually referring to the law that the leaders were anxious to follow. The rule was that those who witness the crime have to start throwing stones first. Then others follow. However, the first person to throw a stone must have no part in the sin itself. They must be free from that particular deed. In their lives they must not of participated in the same act. 

So then, what happens? 

They all leave! 

The religious leaders that were wanting to condemn, judge and punish this woman were actually all guilty themselves, of the same sin! 

Jesus, cleverly, reminded them of what the law, the very same law, that they seem so keen to uphold, actually says and he challenged them with it. They seemed so keen to judge and punish this woman, but would they apply the same rules to themselves?

One of the things I want to bring to your attention out of this account is, that many people believe that God is a judge who calls forth punishment, restrictions, rules and regulations. However, if you look at this story, what does the Son of God actually do? 

He doesn't condemn, he doesn't punish. He turns round to the woman and says; "Go, and from now on sin no more". 

Jesus gives the woman freedom.

That's what you can have to. 

You are probably already aware of the mess of your own lives, and when you come in front of Jesus, he will not judge you. He will give you the opportunity to go free. You don't have to live feeling convicted and condemned for the rest of your life, you can have the opportunity to, "Go, and from now on sin no more". 

If you put your trust in Jesus, then you can walk, Scot-free from all your sin. He will give you the opportunity to walk away from it. Jesus encourages you to not do it again, but he won't force restrictions upon you. 

The next step is up to you.