Now What? - Week 2
November 16, 2008
Walk In The Dark
John 15:1 - 8

Darkness. There something scary about it. Most kids hate being in the dark. And while we grow past that, for most of us being in the dark just feels uneasy. We can’t see where we are going. We don’t know what lies ahead. We feel vulnerable. Unprotected. Uneasy.

I’ll never forget a few years ago agreeing to God turkey hunting with a friend of mine who was an avid outdoorsman. We drove several miles outside of town to a section of land where he had exclusive rights to hunt. We bunked in a small house on the property, excitedly preparing for the next day. And around 4am we woke up, gathered our gear and set off to find the roost tree where the turkeys were spending the night. We knew that at day break they would come out of the tree and make their way to the grain fields and we wanted to be in place ready for them. We drove silently on small dirt trails over rugged terrain. The car came to a stop and my friends said mater of factly, "Were here". After gathering a few items from the trunk he said, "Now Craig, stay close to me and don’t make any noise." He had parked right next to a small gorge filled with high grass and trees. I couldn’t really make out what was in front of me. It was pitch black. Only the moon was our light. And as we moved into the valley, I got scared. I thought, "There could be all kinds of animals down in here! Coyotes, boar, deer, snakes. I couldn’t see a thing. And the more we walked the more nervous I got. But I didn’t dare say a word, I just had to act manly. So I did the one thing that I could do. I stayed as close as I could to my friend. I never got more than an arms length for his side!

Chances are good that most of us in this room have been in the dark at some point in your life. Many of you are in that dark moment right now. You are uncertain about the future. Questioning which way to go. Disappointed with how life has turned out for you. You have felt the internal swirl of questions and doubts. You have those conversations with yourself, wondering if God really does care about you. In those moments, Jesus wants you stay close to him.

Midnight walks

Now on the night Jesus was crucified he met with his men in an upper room. He washed their feet and shared a meal with them. He knew these would be their final moments together. And Jesus began to talk to them about peace- and how to experience his peace in unsettled times. Then Jesus light a lamp and walked out into the cool Spring night and eleven dejected men followed behind him. They walked down the streets of Jerusalem, avoiding the busy temple area, outside the city gates, path led them along the edge of the Kindron Valley toward their destination, a garden called Gethsemane. Most likely their walk took them through the ancient vineyards just outside the city walls. It was there, Jesus stopped and huddled his men around the glow of his lamp. And in the vineyard, Jesus had a lesson for them. Probably the most important lesson they would ever learn. These men were going to accomplish great things, set in motion a movement that would sweep around the world. But they were also about the face the most difficult time of the their life. Uncertainty, insecurity, fear, unrest, doubt would soon swirl around them and they would need something to hold them fast, hold them steady. And so Jesus shared with them a simple picture that night, one they would never forget. And it’s this same picture that Jesus wants you and I need to see right now.

Lessons from the vine

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15.1-8

Why was Jesus standing in the vineyard, talking about vines and fruit? Jesus loved to teach great truths through simple earthy, common examples. And on this night before his death, he wanted his disciples – and you and me – to realize that he has left on this earth for one compelling reason. And it has everything to do with fruit. The vineyard became for Jesus a perfect word picture.

Jesus is the vine.

For most of us that don’t have a background in horticulture, we tend to think of grapevines as long tiny sprawling vines attached to a trellis. But that’s not actually true. The vine is the thick trunk of the plant that extends up from the ground about 4 feet and extends down under the surface through its roots to its water supply.

The Father is the gardener

– The gardener’s job is to oversee the entire vineyard– constantly protecting, tending, pruning and nurturing the branches so that they produce the maximum yield of fruit.

You and I are the branches

– The branches extend from the trunk of the vine and are often secured to a trellis so that they are kept out of the dirt, where they can get maximum sunlight and oxygen, so they can be protected and cared for. And all of this is for one purpose, that they vine and branches will produce fruit.

All of this was for one purpose –to produce a great harvest of fruit. Now let me stop here and ask a question. "Is your fruitful?" A lot has gone into bring real, lasting fruit from your life. But are you living a fruitful life?

For years, I read this story and I thought that the fruit Jesus was talking about was leading people to Christ. And that certainly is a part of it. When we lead people to Christ we are bearing fruit for God. But the fruit Jesus is speaking about here is not just limited to evangelism. Living a fruitful life for God is broader than that. If you look through the bible there are different kinds of fruit mentioned. In Phil 1.11 Paul talks about the fruit of our conduct – our right behavior, our good works that become a mirror reflecting God’s love to the people around us. That’s fruit. Gal 5.22-23 talks about the fruit of godly character – love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, etc. When our lives become mirrors that reflect God’s love, that’s fruit. When we invest in people and show them how to walk with God, that’s bearing lasting fruit. As Jesus looked into the lamp lit faces of those bewildered men, he was reminded that they were the fruit of his ministry. In short – a fruitful life is a life that glorifies God. A fruitful life leaves behind it a trail of lives that are changed. When lead a neighbor to Christ your being fruitful. When you are demonstrating God’s love to someone in a nursing home, you are being fruitful. When you are handing out toys to the needy, you are being fruitful. When you demonstrate love and patience to people, you are being fruitful. When you meet with a new believer and teach them how to read their Bible, you are being fruitful. When you visit a sick neighbor, pray for the discouraged friend, paint the house of a widow, take a kid out to lunch…any time you are bringing glory to God, you are living a fruitful life. And this is what Jesus has called you and I to do – bear fruit for him. Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last." (John 15.16) On another occasion Jesus said "I came that they might have life and have it abundantly." (John 10.10) I used to read that statement and think it meant that Jesus came to give me the life I always dreamed of. But when you read it in light of the vineyard principle, Jesus was saying that he came to give us a life that he has always dreamed of – a life that was characterized by abundant, larger than life, eternal fruit! So let me ask you again, "Are you living a fruitful life?" Is your life characterized by the abundance of fruit? Is your life leaving behind a wake of people that are glorifying God? And if it’s not, why not?

This is important to talk about because, when we live in uncertain times, when things are discouraging, when life isn’t working out the way we had hoped or planned, we can loose sight of why we are here in the first place. God didn’t leave you on this earth to chase your dreams. He didn’t leave you on this earth to be comfortable. He left you on this earth for one reason – to bear fruit! And when times are hard, then it’s time to go back to our roots, go back to our purpose for being here – and that is live a life that glorifies God.

EMPTY BASKETS

Now, Jesus mentions some reasons here why our lives don’t bear fruit. And don’t have time to look at all of them today in detail but I do want to briefly mention them to you. Look at verse 2 again: "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

Barren in the dirt

Some branches don’t bear any fruit at all. This person isn’t living under God’s vineyard principle. They are living for themselves with little thought to God’s purpose for their life. They are barren. The NIV and others use the term "cuts off" to translate the Greek word (airo). But literally that word means to "lift up" or "take up". It is never translated to "cut off". Here is the picture. This branch is in the mud, it’s trampled. It’s on the ground so it’s not getting the sunlight and air it needs and so it’s unproductive. And so what does the Father do? He lifts it up, it cleans it off, he reattaches it to the trellis. This is the believer who is not walking with God. Their life is in the mud. They’ve got areas of disobedience in their life, secret sin, and quiet rebellion. And as a result, they can’t bear any lasting fruit for God, they are barren. And the work of the Father in your life is to bring you to a place of repentance. To wash you, restore you, lift you out of that muddy life and get the light of heaven back on your face so you can start to bear fruit for God again! That was me years ago. I had grown up in a godly home. I had been walking with God, but then I drifted away. I started following the wrong crowd, going my own way, dabbling in sin and I was miserable. I was in the mud and I wasn’t being fruitful at all. And I remember God speaking to me in college, "Craig, choose you today who you will serve!" It was a wake up call for me! I cried out to God and he put me in a small church with godly people and I started to grow and produce fruit again! Now listen, that may be your today. You’ve not been walking with God. Your life is in the mud. And what you desperately need is to be clean, forgiven and restored back to fruitfulness.

Bushy, but not productive

Other branches Jesus points out have some fruit, but the Father prunes them so they will produce even more fruit. This is the life that is living for God but their life is so busy with other demands, they have little time for God. This person is constantly on the move, shuffling themselves and their families from place to place, event to event, activity to activity, job to job while the things of God are low on the priority list. This is the person that spends so much time at work that the things of God for themselves and their family become optional, not a priority. Sure, this person produces some fruit. They encourage others, they participate in events at the church, but it’s not near the fruit they are capable of producing. And so what does the Father do? He begins to prune. Have you even pruned a tree. It’s brutal looking! Sawing off branches, limbs piling up around the base of the tree. From the tree’s perspective it looks painful! But the gardener knows that unless some things are pruned off the branch, it will never channel its energy into producing fruit. It will grow bushy and large, but there will be little fruit. Is your life like that? Are you so busy with work, school, community functions, sports that your life is busy, but there is little real lasting fruit? Parents, let me ask you an even deeper question. Are you sending the message to your kids that the things are God are really not as important as the things they are involved in at school? Remember, the only reason we are here is to have offer Jesus fruit that will last for eternity! If that is you, then God may be taking you through a time of pruning. A time of reassessing what is most important and cutting some things out of your life so you can make room for the most important things.

But there is one more reason why we don’t produce the harvest of fruit we are capable of producing. And this I believe is the reason why so many people that are Christians are not living the abundant life Jesus talked about. Most of us have never really learned to walk in a deep intimate relationship with Jesus.

Staying Close to Jesus

I can imagine Jesus running his hand long the rough branches, tracing it down to it’s source, right where the thin branch meets the large trunk of the vine. Right there! Jesus looked at his men and said, "Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain I the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." (John 15.4) He studied their faces to see if they were understanding what he was saying. Then he rephrased it again for them. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15.5)

He used the word "remain" eight times, two more times it’s implied, so a total of ten times Jesus talks about remaining in him. But what does it mean? To remain in Jesus means to stay connected to Jesus. Just like a branch has to stay connected to the vine for it to live and produce fruit, you and I must stay connected to Jesus if our lives are going to produce the abundance that God desires To remain in Jesus means to walk closely with Jesus, to be joined to him, to live in him, to make you home with him. It means to cultivate a real abiding friendship with Jesus. And. Now, for most of us, that is a foreign concept. It certainly was for me. But as I went through my Christian life I began to notice that those that God has used in powerful ways – for those whose lives have seemed to bear immeasurable fruit – they have learned this secret Jesus shared that night in the vineyard. King David wrote in Psalm 42.1 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." The Apostle Paul wrote: "For my determined purpose is that I might know (Christ), that I might progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with him, perceiving, recognizing and understanding the wonders of his person more strongly and more clearly…" (Phil 3.10 amp). To remain in Jesus means to walk with Jesus – just like I did with my friend – especially when you are going through dark valleys and you can’t see where the trail is taking you and life is uncertain and disappointing. Jesus said, "Remain in me".

What Jesus does NOT mean is get busier. We tend to feel guilty at times and say, "I’ve got to get my priorities rearranged, I’ve got to get my act together, so I’m now going to add to my already overloaded schedule lots of activities at the church. I’m just going to do more religious activities and that will solve my problem." But that is a sure plan for burnout and failure. Jesus isn’t asking you to do more for him, he is asking you to be more with him. And being with Jesus is the key to bearing lasting fruit in your life.

This week I was on a business trip. I made my way through airport security and stood in long slows lines till I finally found my seat on the plane. I plopped down and settle myself for the one hour trip to Houston, and pulled a book out of my bag to read. It was a biography of a man named Dawson Trottman, who founded a Christian ministry called the Navigators. Dawson was a rough kid that didn’t grow up in a Christian home, but later came to Christ at the age of twenty and was lit on fire my Christ. He had an incredible passion for God’s Word, for telling people about Jesus and growing people up in their faith. I was convicted by the pattern of his life. He would seek God in prayer for hours at a time. One quote jumped off the page. He said, "I don’t think God has anything big for you if you can’t take (30 minutes) of your day to be alone with your Almighty God and Father. I rather doubt whether He is going to do very much for you."

The reason why we don’t see God doing big things in our lives, is because we are not spending time to be with Jesus! It’s a choice you and I make. People will ask me, "so what will it take? How can I cultivate a deep closeness with Christ?" Well, you do it the same way you cultivate any relationship in your life. TIME. You spend times with Jesus in a quiet place, with an open Bible and a pen and paper. And two things are vital: You have to Take In some things. Just like a branch takes in the nourishment from the vine, you take in God’s Word, his promises. You spend time not studying for facts, but hearing God’s voice. You spend time meditating on God’s promises, making them personal and praying them back as your personal prayer to God. This isn’t study time. This isn’t time to read a book about Jesus. This isn’t time to read a devotional piece. This is time when you say, "Lord, I’m here to meet with you. Speak to me from your word. I’m listening" and you meditate on the things he says to you! You also have to Release some things. It’s here that you release your cares, toxins that run through your soul like doubt, frustration and bitterness. It’s time on your face. It’s time crying out to God. It’s time drawing close to Jesus. And when you draw close to him – he will draw close to you.

That night, Jesus wanted his disciple to know that although he was not going to be physically with them, they could still remain in him! And so can you! How long has it been since you can drawn close to Jesus like that? Jesus said when we neglect him – when we cut ourselves off from him – we wither spiritually. Like a dry branch, we are incapable for bearing any fruit. We become hard, brittle, of little use to him. Maybe that is where you are this morning. Hard. Brittle. Dry. No passion. No desire. No fruit. It could be cause of sin in your life that you have let go on far too long. Or, priorities that don’t put Jesus and his kingdom first in your life. Or it could be that you have not spent time with Jesus. You have been trying harder – becoming more and more discouraged – but you are not drawing closer to him. You can change that today!

Jesus said when we draw close to him. When we living vitally connected to Jesus day by day, moment by moment then your life will bear fruit, lasting fruit, fruit that remains, fruit that stretches into eternity! Not only that, but Jesus says that your prayer life will become powerful and dynamic. But most of all, you will bring your Father glory and you will show the world that you are truly and follower of Jesus!