I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Before we explore the nature of the True Vine I want us to explore the purpose of the parable: Was it to encourage production, performance, or perfection? Was it only to give a scathing indictment of wild and woody branches? Was it a lecture on sound horticultural practices?
I am going to go out on a limb and say No. And that is where Jesus begins. He doesn't begin the parable to explain how we can perform better or how we can produce more or how we can persist, heal, or overcome. He begins with the Source by which we may do all these things. Religion is useless, production is vain, work is wearisome, unless it be from and for the glory of Christ. As you read the first seventeen verses of the chapter note that they all go back to verse 1, specifically to this first phrase, "I am the true vine." The meaning, method, and message of every verse returns to one this one truth. The Greek phrase that John chooses here for "the true vine" is the "he alethinos ampelos," which is the straightforward mirror image in English. He simply means "the," and indicates uniqueness and exclusivity. There is no other true vine through which we receive life; not of works, not of religion, not of winning souls. Our life is merged with the life of Christ within us (Romans 6:3-4). Alethinos conveys the idea of being completely genuine to the name given to describe it, the complete opposite of anything fictitious or counterfeit. Not only is Jesus exclusively the source and the means of our reconciliation and rejuvenation, but He also exists as The Vine in its purest and most effective sense. The ampelos that Jesus refers to is the lifeblood of the branches. They live by no other life and produce through no other sap. Often times, as branches, we search for peace, comfort, retribution, or reward through every medium except for that which is true and genuine and nourishing. We try to alter our personalities, change our view of the world, or shift the mere circumstantial fabric of our lives. Christ's spirit does not pulse through our branches for convenience or luxury, but as the ultimate resource and help-meet: the living complement to our spiritual depravity. Perhaps instead of striving to be a good branch or a productive branch, we should start by asking ourselves, "Am I living in the True Vine through the blood of Jesus, or am I fabricating a spirituality based on my own wisdom and tradition?" Father, help us this day and everyday to realize that it is through submission to the vine that fruit is produced and that any fruit not produced of the vine is in vain. Please help us to rest and abide and seek comfort and nourishment in Christ Jesus through His Blood, His Word, and His Spirit. Bring us close to Him alone, the only cause for comfort, the only Truth, Light, and Hope for all man. Before we act, before we produce, before we wind about wildly, bind us up to simply commune with Him.
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As the New Year approaches, I want to consider three points of stewardship that my beautiful wife, Melissa, and I are exploring that will bring peace, physical health, and prosperity to our home in the next year. 2015 is almost upon us, and if you're like the majority of Americans, you may be over-leveraged, over-budget, and overweight. Contrary to the typical doom-and-gloom that you typically hear this time of year, I would like to posit some wise words regarding the faithful keeping of the calendar, the bank account, the mindset, and the physique.
Thanks to the Word and to the mindset and thought process of some very close people to my family, we have learned to protect these areas of responsibility because of their direct effect on our marriage, our fellowship, and our friendships. To be a blessing, we must channel effectively the blessings that we have been given by the Master of the house. A man once told his Bible class teacher, "I have no idea where to keep my car while I am on vacation" The wise instructor said, "Well, you can keep it in my garage." "Well that wouldn't be fair; I don't want to take up space you could use," replied the humble student. The professor considered the matter and concluded, "To be fair, it's God's garage, so I am sure He wouldn't mind." I heard that story From Bro. Bill Watkins on Sunday, and I am not sure I told it right, but you get the idea. The things that we have are being lent to us, to be returned to the Father upon our departure from this world: our time, our money, our bodies, our family, our minds, our souls - Everything Is His. Borrowed Time... James 4:14: Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. You've probably heard the old Yiddish proverb, "Man plans, God Laughs." There is a reason that he is the Almighty. For, "It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jer. 10:23) and "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25). There is but one way to ensure that our expectations are returned back to Him, and that is to let His will determine your plans, praying the promises of God over your household. Paul reminds the churches at Ephesus and Colossi that they should be "redeeming the time." There are two different immediate contexts, but to the same end. For the Ephesians, it is to expose the "unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph 5:11) through the light of Christ. And for the brethren at Colossi, to "walk in wisdom toward those who are outside," "that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ" (Col. 4:1-6). Eternal God and father in heaven, please grant us grace and patience for our wastefulness of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades that we have not passionately and patiently consumed and abided in your will. Please grant us a spirit of urgency that we might redeem the time that is before us to expose the unfruitful works of darkness and that we might proclaim and embody Your Light, Your Son, Your Might. Father please open our eyes to the days, which are an illusion, and enlighten us with your presence. God if it is your will, please let us dwell in you in 2015, if not eternally, ephemerally, that we might grow in you. In the name of your Son Jesus, the Christ. Amen On to what has become the focus of the holidays and what most likely plagues the spirit the most - Things. Borrowed Things... Luke 16:1-13 records the story of an Unfair Steward who has wasted his master's resources and, to save his behind, takes from those whose debts are not yet due in full. A Bible scholar could likely provide more historical context here, but look at verses ten and twelve: "One who is faithgul in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much...And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own." You probably know many, many people with a lot of money and very little time or, in contrast people with an exorbitant amount of time and barely enough or nary enough money to get by. The previous example is subject to a large corporation, and the latter is subject to the welfare system. The the first is an over-leveraged millionaire; the second is the homeless man on the street. There are many differences between them, yet, they are extremely similar. They are both enslaved to the dollar bill. They are both constantly thinking about money - how much or how little they have. So the solution is to be middle-class, right? Wrong, the solution is to be a good steward of your time and money so that it frees you to work for the glory of God, not for the dollar bill. When you go into work for His Glory, you reap His reward. When your Boss is the Creator, you take pleasure in the work of your hands because it is, in effect, His Hand working. If you're working to become more happy, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you're working happily, no one can steal your joy. When I think upon the provisions that God has given us, I think of course of Money, of Family, of Friends, of shelter and food and talent. It's All His. It is neither wrong to have a little or a lot of things as long as you work diligently with God as your master. Luke continues in verse 13, "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" Paul learned as a minister of Christ, no matter the situation, to be content, whether it was hunger or even abundance (Phil. 4:11). He writes to his son in the Faith "godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content...for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (I Tim. 6:6-8, 10). The wise apostle wouldn't condemn a Christian for being wealthy or for wanting to provide more for His family--to the glory of God. What is it that is being condemned? "Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' (Heb. 13:8)" Money does not bring you closer to God, neither does it force you away from Him. It is a neutral idea that the government uses to symbolize worth and production. It does not determine the worth of your soul or the value of your humanity. The word "content" here conveys the idea of being at peace, rather than complacent. Some very broke-minded people idolize money, so when you talk about wanting more for your family (speaking of more choices, more blessings, more peace), an average person may assume that you mean "I want more money." They take the opposite stance: the hatred of money. I have spoken the words "I hate money" with the impression that money caused all of the fights between my parents, my father's unhappiness at various jobs, his depression, his adultery, the divorce, etc. I was greatly mistaken. It was the attitude toward money -- perhaps even the love of it -- and the failure to surrender to God was what caused all these things. Heed the words of the savior, "one who is dishonest in very little is dishonest in much." Our heavenly Provider, please give us a spirit of humility and a mind for your surrender. Grant us a heart of gratefulness and appreciation and rid us of greed and desire. God we know that in your presence and your blessedness, the man of God may see wealth and riches, that his righteousness endures forever, and that he gives freely to the poor, returning the gift to the Source. Father please give us peace from on high and faithful use of our funds and our family that we might prolong the call of the gospel to those who are not yet yours. Open our hearts to your coming kingdom that we might give our all to the work of the Glory of God, in the name of your most Majestic and Priceless Son, the Messiah. Borrowed Lives... Finally, we read Romans 12 and see that this life, these bodies, these souls, are not our own but the Lord's. They'll return to him one day for reconstitution, redemption, or restitution because our lives rest solidly in His hands. With everything that is in me, I pray that in the coming year, we heed the words of the apostle that I'll include here to close this post. Romans 12: 1-21: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”[b] 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. As we explore in the next couple of weeks, I would recommend reading this excerpt from John's gospel account.
John 15 - 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 bears fruit He prunes, 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, 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, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have 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, that My joy may remain in you, and thatyour joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I 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 should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.17 These things I command you, that you love one another. 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant 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 Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no 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 have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. New King James Version (NKJV)Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Alright, before you gasp and cover your children's ears, give me a paragraph to explain!
This Sunday, I had the opportunity to catch up with a Christian brother of mine who was experiencing some anxiety and some doubt, and as I listened I could almost complete each sentence. I probably could have told him exactly what he was thinking to the very detail; how it affected him; the guilt, the shame, the restlessness he was experiencing; the sleepless nights and never-ending days. I knew it well because I had done what he was doing--and sometimes I still do. I had told myself so many times, "All I want to be is a fruit-bearing Christian! I want to be effective and productive. I want to be efficient and reliable." Sometimes I cannot sleep at night for all the dreams that run across my closed eyelids that I have yet to see in real time. It is a stressful cycle to do and to do and to do. You get into a rut very quickly, and you stay there, digging deeper and deeper into your own misery and self-doubt, and you accomplish nothing--at least visibly. The faithful, spirit-led Christian often results to the following self-talk: "Persistence! Persistence! Persistence!" There is value to persistence, but slow the mechanism for a sec...What I am thinking about here is the "Do-Do Disorder," so named for it's effect on the spirit when ones attempts at-length to do it all and for it's potential to make life really stink sometimes. I debated on changing the name, but maybe it'll help you remember the conundrum. So what do you do when you don't know what to do? Have you ever tried doing NOTHING? Think about Abraham (Genesis 20), Jacob (27), Judah (38)--not to mention their women! What if in their weak moments they could have relied a little more on God? I know one thing. None of them prayed before taking action in their weak moments. None of them took some alone time and had communion with Jehovah God. Discipline is good. Self-discipline is essential. In all the success books, you'll read, "If it's to be, it's up to me," which is helpful when you have direction. The revision--"If it's to be, it's up to He"--has become a new favorite aphorism of late. If you can look past the obvious grammatical error, it may prove helpful to you too. I have relied on me a whole lot in the past, and to be quite honest, I often found myself knee-deep. Great Matt, so do nothing! Okay, here I am doing nothing. Whew this is nice...haven't NOT done a thing in a while...Alright, this is getting a little weird. Maybe I need to go for a walk...or go running! Or-hey-I'll visit that family from church, or maybe I'll memorize some verses. I'll pray for a whole hour! That would be great. I bet no one else in my church did that today. I'll be the MOST prayerful!...ad nauseum. Doing nothing can be the start. It may last 30 seconds or a minute. It may be for an hour. It may result in a nap. Your back deck would probably work, but so would your car, your recliner, or the bathroom (yeah, I said it). But then what? ("How Do You Process?") When you are at rest, relying on God, you'll be prepared to receive communion and counsel from Him. My friend and I got to this point in the conversation when he had recounted all the things he had tried to do to fix this feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach that he just could not do it all. Part of me agreed that no you cannot do it all and you shouldn't hold yourself accountable to doing it all. If you could do it all, then Jesus would never have had to come here, suffer, be rejected, ultimately murdered, resurrected, or ascended. I asked, "Have you ever just tried sitting there?" "Well, no" he smiled. "You should try it sometime, He's pretty great, even when you're doing nothing." When God's children are at rest and when they rely on Him, He allows them to tune into some spiritual activities beyond prayer and meditation that can make a huge difference: visualization, verbalization, realization, and actualization. They aren't just "works" or activities. They, through the power of the Holy Spirit through his Word can connect you to the Son and His spiritual provision. Some application... 1. Visualization is a skill that we can develop that is based in the very spirit of the inner man. It gives us the ability to see where it is that God can empower us to go. He does not give us a dream or vision that we could never possibly realize. What does Satan do when he leads us astray? He gives us an image of what it would look like to choose him. Observe the tempter's method as he Jesus is tried in the wilderness... Matthew 4:1-1 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. When you encounter a negative, satanic attack, you counter it, not with a positive thought, but with the Everlasting, Lifegiving, WORD OF GOD!! 2. Verbalization is largely misused, misunderstood, and misappropriated in the denominational world as a "name it and claim it" theology closely tied to the "prosperity gospel" that prevails among televangelists worldwide. It's important to understand God's time frame and the activity of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament versus today's world, but God has given us the ability to give life to our visions through the tongue, the smallest and most excellent rudder ever created. If you don't believe this in the positive, try it in the negative. Tell the receptionist at your office today, "Wow, are you feeling okay?" and just watch her reaction. Get a few others to join in, and you'll have her in the hospital by 5. 3. Realization is the act of drawing a mind picture of what it will take--for God and for man--to see in the physical realm the reflection of what is going on inside the heart of a man. 4. Actualization is the spiritual and practical activity that builds the bridge from the unseen to the seen. Satan's methodology 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e] 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. 2. Verbalization is largely misused, misunderstood, and misappropriated in the denominational world as a "name it and claim it" theology closely tied to the "prosperity gospel" that prevails among televangelists worldwide. It's important to understand God's time frame and the activity of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament versus today's world, but God has given us the ability to give life to our visions through the tongue, the smallest and most excellent rudder ever created. If you don't believe this in the positive, try it in the negative. Tell Miss Alice at the office today, "Wow, are you feeling okay?" and just watch her reaction. Get a few others to join in, and you'll have her in the hospital by 5. 3. Realization is the act of drawing a mind picture of what it will take--for God and for man--to see in the physical realm the reflection of what is going on inside the heart of a man. 4. Actualization is the spiritual and practical activity that builds the bridge from the unseen to the seen. |
Faith & LoveAs iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. — Proverbs 27:17 NKJV Archives
April 2016
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