Knowing and Growing

John 15:1-8

May 10, 2009 – ©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes

Introduction

Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to say thanks to our mothers, to remember all they have done for us. Every mother remembers the first time she saw her newborn baby. It is truly a special moment. Then reality sets in with non-stop care, feeding, changing of diapers, and all the other things that mothers of babies have to do.

Babies are wonderful, but, fortunately, they grow up. They learn how to feed themselves, put on their own clothes, go to the bathroom, walk, and talk. Mothers celebrate all these accomplishments because it shows that their little baby is growing up.

We expect babies to grow up, to become less dependent on their parents, to become responsible. Babies are supposed to grow up.

Growing Plants

In John 15:1-8 Jesus described growth with a picture of a plant. He said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” [Jn15:1]. In verse 5 he said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”

The gardener is in charge of the garden. He makes decisions about how to help the plants grow into mature, fruit-bearing plants. He cuts off branches that are not producing and prunes branches that are so they will produce even more.

The vine or plant is a living thing. The branches on the vine are alive because they are connected to the vine. If they become detached, they will die. Plants also need to be pruned, cut back, to make them more productive.

Plants are expected to grow and produce flowers, or fruit, or vegetables. If a plant doesn’t mature and produce the expected fruit, the gardener will pull it up and throw it away.

Growing Disciples

Jesus used this vine image to teach his disciples what was expected of them if they were to mature as disciples.

According to John’s Gospel, this was the night before Jesus was arrested and put to death. He had already told them that he was “going away.” Yet he also promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to them to help them, to teach them, to give them peace even in the midst of chaos.

Then he gave them this lesson on plant growth. First, they needed to remember that God the Father is the gardener, the one in charge. God knows what is best for them and will do what is best for them. They needed to remember who was in charge.

Second, they needed to remember that he, Jesus, is the vine. They are only the branches on the vine. The vine is the source of life for the branches. The vine provides everything needed for growth. Jesus was the source of true life.

If they wanted their relationship with Jesus to stay alive, they needed to stay connected to Jesus. If they were to bear fruit for the kingdom of God, they needed to stay connected to the source of life. Jesus told them that unless they remained attached to the vine, to him, they couldn’t bear fruit.

In verse 5 Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Separated from Jesus, they would also be separated from the source of nourishment and life.

If they were to bear fruit for the kingdom of God, they would also need to allow God, the Gardener, to prune them as needed. Even though they had been with Jesus for about three years, they were not mature in their faith. They were not fully grown disciples. God still needed to prune them, remove the characteristics or attitudes that kept them from being all they could be for the work ahead.

The disciples still had lessons to learn. They needed to remain attached to Jesus.

Growing Christians

What Jesus told his disciples is also essential for each of us to hear and respond to. When we put our trust in Jesus and become followers of him, we begin the process of growing up in him. It doesn’t happen in one day. Growing up in Christ is a process. But, we are expected to grow up. The Father wants us to grow up and become mature.

Paul wrote that we should all “come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.” [Eph 4:13].

As Christians we need to know our place in God’s garden. We aren’t the gardener; we are merely branches. We are not in charge; God is. We also are not the vine. Jesus is the vine. Jesus is the source of life for us. Unless we stay connected to Jesus we will not mature or grow up spiritually.

There is a medical diagnosis for this. The initials FFT are sometimes found on the medical chart of an infant, who for unknown reasons is unable to gain weight or grow. FFT means failure to thrive. Some Christians fail to thrive. Their Christian walk and witness are not consistent. They don’t grow spiritually. They stay babies in their faith. That’s not what Jesus intended. Our growth as Christians should be visible.

One 7-year-old girl told her 3-year-old sister that she had found Jesus and that she had hidden him in her heart. The 3-year-old later told her mother she also had found Jesus and that she hid him under the bed. [PreachingToday.com, “Jesus: In our Hearts or Under our Beds?” (Bill Knievel]. Maybe you found Jesus, but are hiding him under the bed, rather than in your heart. Some people want to be a Christian, but don’t want to grow up.

Growing up is work. It involves some risks. It means we make an effort to remain connected to Jesus. So how do we do that? I suspect that we all know the answer to that.

First, if you want to stay connected to a friend, you email or text them – lots. You schedule time to be with them. The more time you spend with your friend, the closer the relationship is. You feel connected. The same is true for husbands and wives. Time spent together helps couples stay together.

Spending time with Jesus means we must talk with him. Prayer is an essential to develop a close relationship with Jesus. Prayer needs to be as natural as breathing. When we stop breathing, we stop living. When we stop praying, we stop living spiritually. Our spiritual life fails to thrive.

Second, we also stay connected by reading the Bible. Read something from one of the gospels every day. What was Jesus telling you in that passage that helps you live today? The Bible is God’s directions for his people.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2,

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

God wants what is best for us. The Bible helps us know what God’s will is, so we can please God. If we want to live, want to stay connected to Jesus, we need to read the Bible.

Jesus said in John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” When we read the Bible and know what God wants for us, then what we ask of him will be according to his will.

There’s a third way to stay connected to the source of life. Stay connected to God’s people. When we stay away from the Body of Christ, the church, we actually cut ourselves off from God. Together we can help each other grow in our relationship to him.

Jesus said that we not only need to stay connected to him, but that we can expect to be pruned. God does what is needed for the health of each branch, for each one of us. If God is in charge, what areas of our lives does God want to prune to help us be more effective for him? What makes us less fruitful for God’s purposes? What attitudes or habits does God want to prune?

Have you stopped being a productive Christian? Have you said yes to Jesus, but no to being pruned?

Conclusion

Every one of us came into this world as a baby. We were loved and cared for even though we couldn’t do anything for ourselves. But gradually we grew up.

As much as mothers may not want to see their little babies grow up, they still celebrate each new sign of growth. Mothers would not be very happy if their babies grew but never learned to talk, walk, feed themselves, or take care of their needs. A mom wouldn’t want her baby to remain totally dependent upon them for their whole life.

As a child grows up and becomes responsible, mothers and fathers are proud of them. They are happy to see signs of maturity.

Spiritual grow is no different. There was a moment of spiritual birth for each of us. People rejoiced because we were “born again.” As newborn Christians we needed to be fed the Word of God. We needed to be taught how to live for Jesus. We were encouraged to grow up in our faith.

But have we grown up spiritually? Or are we still baby Christians?

As a mother, I had dreams for my sons. I could see the potential in them and wanted them to become all they could be. God also has dreams for each of us. He wants us to do great things for the kingdom.

John 15:8 says: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Being a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, is not just knowing Jesus, but growing like Jesus. God wants us to be growing Christians. He wants us to be people help others have new life in Christ.

Being a Christian is about what God can do in the world through us. He wants us to bear fruit for the kingdom. You and I have a great heritage. We have been born into the family of God. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to disappoint my Father. I want to keep growing into the person God created me to be. I want to do all that I can to show others that having life in Christ is the only way to live.

Today we celebrate Mother’s Day and remember that our mothers gave us life and love and helped us to grow up.

Let us also celebrate that our Father, God, has given us new life, eternal life through Christ his Son.

God wants us to keep growing and become what we were created to be for God’s glory! Amen.

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This sermon is copyright ©2009 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes, Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago, Illinois.