Just a reminder for the kids, we do have clipboards at the back if you're looking for something to keep busy with.
And there's some coloring pages and things there, activity sheets for you guys.
So feel free to grab those if you'd like.
And we're continuing on again this morning with our journey through the Gospel of John.
And today, we come to a bit of a shift in the story.
Up until now, Jesus has been with his disciples in the upper room.
They ate the Passover meal there.
They've been talking with Jesus.
Well, mostly Jesus has been talking to them.
But now as the evening progresses, Jesus and his disciples leave that place.
We see this in John 14, verse 31.
Jesus says, come now, let us leave.
Probably our first question is, where are they going?
Interestingly, John doesn't tell us.
And if we just kind of skim through the next two chapters,
it looks like the conversation between Jesus and his disciples just keeps on going.
And again, it is mostly Jesus doing the talking.
And then we get to chapter 17, and Jesus begins a lengthy prayer.
And then finally, we come to the first verse of chapter 18, and it says this.
When Jesus had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.
On the other side, there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
And if you keep reading, that's the Garden of Gethsemane.
So there's been a lot of speculation and debate about where Jesus goes with his disciples after leaving the upper room.
Some have suggested that perhaps they got up and were intending to go,
but like sometimes some of you have experienced, the conversation just keeps on going and going and going.
And before you know it, chapter 17 is over, and then they leave.
Others suggest that they actually do leave the house,
and that chapters 15 and 16 are the words of Jesus with his disciples
as they walk through the city streets of Jerusalem.
Some have suggested that maybe they end up at the temple,
and that Jesus does the high priestly prayer of chapter 17 at the temple.
And finally, some suggest that John is just telling the story a little out of order,
that he's trying to bring together all the things that night that were related and of the same theme,
and bring them together.
And so a few parts of the conversation are out of order.
I tend to think that Jesus and his disciples really did leave the upper room
when Jesus said,
Come now, let us leave, at the end of chapter 14.
And wherever the words of chapters 15 to 17 were said,
chapter 18 seems to make it clear that they must have been said
before they crossed the Kidron Valley and went to the garden.
Now, I'll admit, it does seem a little unlikely
that Jesus could be walking through the narrow streets of Jerusalem
with 11 men and having the kind of conversation
and teaching that we see in 15 and 16 at the same time.
Perhaps there was another spot where they stopped and lingered on the way.
Maybe the place that this conversation happens,
we don't know for sure,
but maybe it was a vineyard on the outskirts of the city.
Jesus often taught using metaphors and analogies
that were based off of the stuff that was right there in front of them.
And this next chapter, chapter 15,
is an extended teaching analogy borrowed from the vineyard.
So let's read what Jesus says here in John chapter 15.
He says,
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 as I also 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 you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit.
Apart from me,
you can do nothing.
If you do not remain in me,
you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers.
Such branches are picked up,
thrown into the fire,
and burned.
And Jesus goes on,
but we're going to stop and linger over these first few verses today.
I find it difficult even to know where to start with these words of Jesus.
The whole chapter is one of the most pregnant and precious portions of Scripture in the Bible.
Many Christians have memorized the first eight verses of this chapter in an effort to meditate on all that's here.
And we go to all this effort because we recognize that there's something here that's just so critical,
so foundational,
so profound,
so powerful,
that if we can get these words of Jesus deep into our hearts,
we just know that it'll change the rest of our lives.
So we don't want to rush past this.
I'm planning to spend a few weeks on these verses.
Today is just going to be part one of several.
We want to really take time to think about what Jesus is saying here.
Jesus begins by setting up the analogy,
the metaphor.
He says,
I am the true vine,
and my father is the gardener.
So picture in your mind a garden.
If you've been to a vineyard,
you can picture that,
but many of us may not have.
So in that case,
just picture a garden,
maybe with a cherry tomato plant growing in it.
There's some similarities.
They're not identical, I know,
but similar enough.
See that plant growing there in your mind.
It's got the main shoot coming out of the ground,
the vine,
and then off of the main shoot,
it has branches.
Some of those branches have grapes
or tomatoes hanging on them,
and others do not.
Jesus tells the men there with him,
verse 5,
I am the vine,
the main shoot,
you are the branches,
those secondary shoots coming off.
And he says,
my father is the gardener.
And the gardener, notice,
is not absent like in another parable
where a man buys a vineyard
and then kind of leaves it to some tenants.
No, Jesus tells us here
that the gardener is present.
He's active.
Verse 2.
What is he doing?
He is tending to the vine
that he has planted
in his vineyard.
He's seeing that some of the branches
are not producing fruit,
and he's cutting them off.
And then he's seeing that there's some
that are producing fruit,
but maybe not as much as they could be.
And so he is pruning them.
Those branches are putting energy
into other shoots and leaves
that are not necessary.
And so he prunes those unnecessary shoots
and leaves from that particular branch
so that all of the plant's resources
go into the formation of fruit
so that it produces
not just a little bit of fruit,
but a lot of fruit.
Now, I've really just started
to get into gardening myself
this past year.
And Jen and I,
we learned a few things this year.
We found this variety of tomato plant
called Sweet Millions.
And, you know, when I was growing up,
we had a variety called Sweet 100s.
Maybe you've heard of that one.
We had that planted in our garden back home.
And it was a big plant
that grew huge amounts
of these delicious little cherry tomatoes.
And we loved that as kids.
So when Jen and I ran across
this award-winning variety
called Sweet Millions,
we thought, oh, yeah.
We were so excited.
That's exactly what we want.
We don't want just hundreds
of cherry tomatoes.
We want millions of them.
We'll be able to snack on them
all summer long.
We could put them in salads.
We can give all the extras away.
There's only one problem.
We didn't start the seeds indoors early enough
to get the full harvest
that we had hoped for.
But we learned this one thing for sure.
Every gardener desires
as much fruit as possible.
That's why we plant the plant
in the first place.
And then we go to all that work
and time to check on that plant
and water it
and make sure it's healthy
and doing well.
We go to all that work
and we spend all that time
and put in all that effort
because we want a return
for our investment.
How disappointing to go to all that work
and find next to nothing
at harvest time.
That's how it felt
for our parsnips.
The picture on the seed package
showed these huge fat parsnips
and we planted quite a number of them.
It took forever for them to sprout
and after all that work
of watering them
we ended up with about a dozen
gangly little white carrot things
to show for it.
I share this to highlight
the reason that the gardener plants
and does all that work
is for the fruit.
It's for the fruit.
Think of that juicy tomato
being sliced
on your kitchen cutting board
or that cucumber.
Think of that fresh garden carrot
and the smile that it puts
on your face
when you crunch into it.
That sweet, earthy flavor
in your mouth.
eating fruit
is one of the delights
of life here on earth.
There's so much variety
there's so many different
ways to serve
and prepare them.
Jams and spreads
sliced fresh
on a sandwich
or in a veggie platter
sauces and sautés
medleys and salads
pies and desserts
fruit is so good.
It's a delight
in this world.
And so we must come
to terms
with the mindset
of the gardener.
It's good.
It's right
for the gardener
to tend that plant
in a way
that causes it
to produce
lots of fruit.
It's good
and it's right
for the gardener
to try to
maximize
the delight
and enjoyment
and benefit
that's going
to come
from each branch
of that plant.
We have to come
to terms
with the heart
and the mindset
of the gardener
and the gardener
says Jesus
is God
my father.
He's the one
working to bring
maximum fruit
maximum good
maximum benefit
maximum delight
and enjoyment
from each
branch
of the plant.
And the plant
the vine
is Jesus
and we
who believe
in Jesus
and belong
to him
are the branches.
As we consider
the mindset
of God
the gardener
we really have
to go back
a little bit
and think about
how things
have been going
between God
and his people
up until this
point in the story.
In fact
this isn't
the first time
that God
has spoken
in terms
of gardening
and even vineyards
about his
relationship
with the people.
Consider the words
of Psalm 80.
It's kind of a prayer.
Restore us
God almighty
make your face
shine on us
that we may be saved.
You transplanted
a vine from Egypt.
You drove out
the nations
and planted it.
You cleared
the ground
for it
and it took root
and filled the land.
The mountains
were covered
with its shade
the mighty cedars
with its branches
its branches
reached as far
as the sea
its shoots
as far as the river.
Why have you
broken down
its walls
so that all
who pass by
pick its grapes?
Boars
from the forest
ravage it
and insects
from the fields
feed on it.
Return to us
God almighty
look down
from heaven
and see
watch over
this vine
the root
your right hand
has planted
the son
you have raised
up for yourself
your vine
is cut down
it is burned
with fire
at your rebuke
your people perish
let your hand
rest on the man
at your right hand
the son of man
you have raised
up for yourself
then we will not
turn away from you
revive us
and we will call
on your name
restore us
Lord God almighty
make your face
shine on us
that we may be saved
in this psalm
Israel is likened
to a vine
that God planted
a vine that grew
tall and strong
and was very fruitful
but then
as the story goes
God turned against
this vine
in judgment
cutting it down
breaking down
the wall
of the vineyard
so that the
surrounding nations
could plunder
its fruit
consider also
the words of
Isaiah
from chapter 5
I will sing
for the one I love
a song about
his vineyard
my loved one
had a vineyard
on a fertile
hillside
he dug it up
and cleared it
of stones
and planted it
with the choicest
of vines
he built a watchtower
in it
and cut out
a wine press
as well
then
he looked
for a crop
of good grapes
but it yielded
only bad fruit
now you dwellers
in Jerusalem
and people
of Judah
judge between
me and my
vineyard
what more
could I have
could have been
done for my
vineyard
than I have
done for it
when I look
for good grapes
why did it
yield
only bad
now I will
tell you
what I'm going
to do
to my vineyard
I will take
away its hedge
and it will
be destroyed
I will break
down its wall
and it will
be trampled
I will make
it a wasteland
neither pruned
nor cultivated
and briars
and thorns
will grow there
I will command
the clouds
not to rain
on it
the vineyard
of the Lord
Almighty
is the nation
of Israel
and the people
of Judah
are the vines
he delighted
in
and he looked
for justice
but saw
bloodshed
for righteousness
but heard
cries
of distress
in this song
of the prophet
Isaiah
he invites
the people
of Israel
to consider
how God
feels
about them
God is the one
who has worked
to create
this vineyard
the nation
of Israel
he's the one
who's planted
and tended
to these
vines
in the vineyard
the people
of Judah
and God
describes
how he's
gone to
great lengths
for his vineyard
he prepared
the soil
he cleared
the stones
he planted
it with the
best of the
best
built a
watchtower
in it
cut a
winepress
out
and this
song
is like
an allegory
think of it
how did
Israel get
its start
God
started
with Abraham
the man
of great
faith
and Isaac
his son
and Jacob
the choicest
of vines
they were
all men
of faith
and God
planted them
in the land
and he purified
them
and grew
them
and increased
they increased
in number
when they went
down to Egypt
and God
purified them
some more
and taught
them
and led
them
as they
were in
the wilderness
and then he
transplanted them
into the land
of Israel
before that
it had been
a land
full of
wickedness
God
cleared the
stones
he cleaned
house
in the land
of Canaan
and he brought
his chosen
vines
and planted
them there
giving them
everything they
needed to grow
strong and
healthy and
produce all
kinds of
good fruit
they were to
be a nation
characterized
by righteousness
and justice
a light to
the whole
world
displaying
the glory
of their
God
then God
looked for
a crop
of good
grapes
he waited
patiently
like a
gardener
waits
for the
flowers
and then
the fruit
and what
was the
result
century
after
century
after
century
bad
fruit
bloodshed
greed
oppression
idolatry
covetousness
sexual
impurity
and
unfaithfulness
deceitfulness
theft
disloyalty
faithlessness
lies
slander
and on
it went
until finally
the Lord
did what
needed to
be done
and destroyed
his vineyard
if you know
the story
from the
scriptures
he brought
the Assyrians
and the
Babylonians
against Israel
and laid
waste
his land
the survivors
went into
exile
and were
scattered
through these
empires
and no
longer was
Israel a
nation
like it
had been
but because
God
is merciful
that was
not the
end of
Israel's
story
God
spoke
again
through
Isaiah
long
ago
about
a
time
when
Israel
would
be
a
fruitful
vineyard
Isaiah
chapter
27
verse
2
in
that
day
sing
about
a
fruitful
vineyard
I
the
Lord
watch
over
it
I
water
it
continually
I
guard
it
day
and
night
so
that
no
one
may
harm
it
and
I
am
not
angry
if
only
there
were
briars
and
thorns
confronting
me
I
would
march
against
them
in
battle
I
would
set
them
all
on
fire
or
else
let
them
come
to
me
for
refuge
let
them
make
peace
with
me
yes
let
them
make
peace
with
me
in
days
to
come
Jacob
will
take
root
Israel
will
bud
and
blossom
and
fill
all
the
world
with
fruit
because
God is
merciful
and
gracious
he
promised
to bring
about
what he
was
looking
for
a
fruitful
vineyard
a
people
budding
and
blossoming
and filling
the whole
world
with fruit
how
can
this
be
how
will
this
happen
well
this
brings
us
to
John
15
God
will
bring
this
about
by
planting
the
true
vine
in
his
vineyard
I
am
the
true
vine
says
Jesus
think
about
those
words
the
vines
planted
long
ago
by
God
into
his
vineyard
were
the
best
of
the
best
men
of
great
faith
yet
they
were
still
sinners
and
so
were
their
offspring
this
is
where
all
the
bad
fruit
that
we
see
in
the
story
of
Israel
came
from
try
as
they
may
they
were
all
sinful
men
and
sinful
women
with
hearts
bent
on
turning
away
from
God
a
world
full
of
good
fruit
will
not
come
from
that
vine
something
needed
to be
done
by
God
by
the
gardener
to
make
Israel
a
fruitful
vineyard
full
of
that
good
fruit
which
will
fill
the
whole
world
and
so
God
planted
his
son
Jesus
the
true
vine
into
his
vineyard
the
very
source
of
life
and
all
that
is
good
he
had
to
come
and
be
planted
right
there
in
the
land
of
Israel
and
so
by
the
time
we
come
to
John
chapter
15
we
see
that
God
the
gardener
is
again
at
work
and
this
time
it's
not
a
message
of
judgment
it's
not
a
rebuke
for
wickedness
this
time
the
working
of
God
will
result
in
a
fruitful
vineyard
in
much
blessing
for
the
world
and
much
glory
for
God
because
at
the
center
of
this
garden
this
vineyard
is
the
true
vine
Jesus
with
Jesus
and
through
Jesus
all
that
God
longs
for
as
gardener
will
come
to
pass
an
abundance
of
good
fruit
kindness
love
faithfulness
generosity
justice
compassion
honesty
holiness
joy
reconciliation
peace
honor
steadfastness
and much
more
there's a
massive
contrast
here
think about
this
the
difference
in the
fruit
where does
it come
from
how come
it's not
going to
be a
repeat
of what
happened
in the
past
when God
looked
and there
was only
bad
fruit
because it's
the true
vine
that has
been planted
now
in the
vineyard
fruit
and this
vine
Jesus
makes
all
the
difference
in the
fruit
all of
these
good
things
come
not
because
we're
such
good
branches
but
because
we are
branches
enjoined
to
the
true
vine
Jesus
so
this
sets
the stage
here
for us
there
is a
good
and
wonderful
gardener
God
and he
has now
planted
in his
garden
the
true
vine
Jesus
and you
says
Jesus
to the
eleven
men
with him
you
are
the
branches
think
about
this
what
is
a
branch
it's
a
secondary
shoot
that's
coming
off
the
main
shoot
that's
how
Jesus
describes
these
eleven
men
his
followers
you
are
secondary
shoots
coming
off
of
me
the
main
shoot
the
true
vine
now
there's
a big
difference
between
secondary
shoots
and
main
shoots
isn't
there
you
can't
just
cut
off
one
of
those
secondary
shoots
on
your
tomato
plant
and
pop
it
in
some
soil
and
start
watering
it
and
expect
that
it's
going
to
grow
that
lots
of
good
fruit
is
going
to
come
from
it
doesn't
work
like
that
you'll
come
back
in
a few
days
and
you'll
find
that
branch
is
wilted
into
mush
and
is
deader
than
a
doornail
the
main
shoot
of the
plant
is
the
source
of
life
for
all
the
branches
for
all
those
secondary
shoots
without
the
main
shoot
the
branches
are
dead
think
about
that
nice
tree
in
your
yard
if
you
have
one
do
you
care
if
a
branch
or
two
gets
broken
off
here
and
there
not
really
except
that
but
a
few
branches
here
and
there
no
big
deal
they
grow
back
with
time
but
if
the
whole
tree
trunk
starts
to
look
diseased
and
begins
rotting
well
that's
a
problem
and
every
branch
will
be
affected
the
main
shoot
is
primary
it's
the
source
of
life
and
the
branches
they're
secondary
they're
dependent
on
the
main
shoot
you
know
as I
was
thinking
about
this
week
I
just
started
wondering
do we
sometimes
just
get this
backwards
do we
see
ourselves
as the
main
shoot
and
Jesus
as
a
secondary
branch
in our
life
maybe a
really
important
one
on which
a lot
hangs
but
I'm
the
main
shoot
and
he's
just
a
branch
in my
life
I
want
to
challenge
you
to
ask
yourself
this
question
is
that
how
I've
been
living
does
it
all
center
really
around
me
and
yeah
Jesus
is
a
part
of
my
life
and
if
so
is
it
possible
that
that's
why
maybe
things
aren't
going
well
or
maybe
aren't
working
because
I've
got
this
backwards
I'm
seeing
myself
and
my
life
as
the
main
thing
and
Jesus
is
kind
of
the
secondary
thing
something
to
think
about
Jesus
really
drives
this
home
in
verses
four
to
six
just
how
dependent
we
are
on
him
he
says
remain
in
me
as
I
also
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
you
remain
in
me
and
I
in
you
will
bear
much
fruit
apart
from
me
you
can
do
nothing
if
you
do
not
remain
in
me
you're
like
a
branch
that
is
thrown
away
and
withers
such
branches
are
picked
up
thrown
into
the
fire
and
burned
so
God
the
gardener
is
looking
for
good
fruit
but
says
Jesus
unless
you
stay
connected
to
the
main
shoot
to
Jesus
you
won't
be
bearing
any
fruit
for
God
all
of
that
good
stuff
that
I
mentioned
earlier
that
God
wants
to
see
come
from
our
lives
it's
not
going
to
come
in
your
life
unless
you
remain
in
Jesus
unless
you
stay
connected
to
him
in
close
relationship
with
him
Jesus
says
it
again
in
verse
5
and
he
states
it
very
strongly
here
he
says
apart
from
me
you
can
do
nothing
let
those
words
sink
in
all
the
good
fruit
it
will
not
come
apart
from
Jesus
try
as
we
may
because
he
is
the
source
of
all
life
and
of
everything
that
is
good
without
him
you'll
be
left
to
repeat
the
story
of
Israel
back
in
the
Old
Testament
to
try
and
be
your
own
vine
and
what
is
going
to
come
bad
fruit
bad
fruit
bad
fruit
this
is so
critical
that
Jesus
even
says
it
again
a
third
time
in
verse
six
he
says
if
you
do
not
remain
in
me
you're
like
a
branch
that
is
thrown
away
and
withers
your
very
life
depends
on
staying
closely
connected
to
Jesus
the
true
vine
your
relationship
with
Jesus
is
critical
it's
of the
utmost
importance
if
you
go
away
from
him
you'll
be
as
a
dead
branch
lying
there
on
the
ground
by
itself
you'll
wither
such
branches
says
Jesus
aren't
good
for
anything
except
kindling
a
fire
says
Jesus
and
so
Jesus
urges
his
disciples
and
us
again
and
again
and
again
here
with
this
simple
word
remain
in
me
remain
in
me
stay
in
me
stay
connected
to
me
stay
in
relationship
with
me
I
am
the
vine
don't
think
that
you
can
do
this
on
your
own
you
can't
I
am
the
vine
says
Jesus
you're
just
a
branch
remain
in
me
abide
in
me
and
there's
a
promise
if
you
do
if
you
do
you
will
bear
much
fruit
it's
a
certain
thing
so
I'm
going to
just
recap
a
little
and
then
leave
you
with
a
question
to
think
about
this
morning
first
God
the
father
is
the
gardener
we
need
to
come
to
terms
with
his
mindset
and
his
purpose
he
is
at
work
tending
and
pruning
to
bring
forth
the
people
whose
lives
will
be
full
of
good
fruit
so
much
that
it
fills
the
whole
world
second
God
could
not
bring
this
about
through
even
the
best
of
fallen
mankind
and
so
God
planted
the
true
vine
Jesus
into
his
vineyard
and
through
Jesus
all
the
good
things
that
God
desires
from
his
people
will
come
to
fruition
and
third
those
good
things
will
come
to
pass
in
us
only
if
we
remain
in
him
if
we
stay
closely
connected
to
Jesus
walking
closely
in
relationship
with
him
and
so
my
simple
question
I want
to leave
you with
this
morning
is
this
and
I'm
asking
this
to
myself
too
I've
been
meditating
on
this
week
have
you
been
remaining
in
Jesus
are
you
staying
closely
connected
to
him
have
you
been
much
in
prayer
with
him
have
you
spent
much
time
listening
to
what
he
has
said
the
words
that
we
have
of
his
have
you
been
remaining
in
him
or
have
you
been
trying
to
do
it
on
your
own
let's
pray
Lord
Jesus
we
say
thank
you
to
you
for
coming
into
our
world
we
ask
for
your
forgiveness
for
all
the
times
that
we
have
tried
to
take
credit
for
the
many
good
things
that
you
have
done
and
brought
in
our
lives
and
through
us
you
are
the
true
vine
and
everything
good
that
we
have
and
are
comes
from
you
I
pray
I
pray
that
you
would
make
us
a
church
full
of
fruit
not
just
for
our
sakes
but
for
your
name
and
for
the
blessing
of
this
whole
community
and
surrounding
area
if
pruning
needs
to
be
done
Lord
we
invite
that
we
need
that
so
come
and
work
in
us
draw
us
close
each
one
of
us
may
we
find
the
joy
that
comes
from
remaining
in
you
we
ask
in
your
name
amen