The True Vine, Part 9
Thrown Away
John 15v5-6
22nd November 2014
In His teaching on the True Vine, Jesus said:
John 15v6
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.
Our eighth question from John chapter 15 is "Do I really believe that if anyone does not remain in Christ, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned?
That may seem a bit harsh but Jesus's point is that a branch that has been disconnected from a vine is useless. It cannot bear fruit by itself. A branch that is not connected to the vine will wither. And any farmer or winegrower knows that such a branch might as well be picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Last time, we looked at Jesus's previous statement, that "apart from me you can do nothing". If we truly believe that Jesus is the True Vine and we are the branches, then we will understand that the most important thing we ever do is invest in our relationship with Jesus.
This is an important test for us to see how we are living as Christians. So many other things in our lives can seem more important than prayer, Bible study and meeting with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but they're really not. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said:
Matthew 13v22
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of
this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
It's so easy to fall out of the prayer habit. It's so easy to neglect our daily Bible study. It's so easy to find a reason why we can't be at the prayer meeting. And then it can hard to get back into these habits.
We must guard against the danger that worry, the pursuit of money, or the pursuit of fun - the desire for clothes, possessions, sport, movies, holidays and other things that are good in themselves - might cause us to neglect our relationship with the One who gives us life and makes us fruitful.
I like fun. I enjoy football, and golf, and meals in good restaurants, and wine, and holidays, and lots of other things. But I pray that God will help me to keep them in perspective, and so not to run after such things to the point where they damage my prayer life, my church life or my personal righteousness.
May I never forget that my relationship with Jesus Christ is my most precious possession.
Philippians 1v21a
For to me, to live is Christ.