PRUNE ME “I don’t want to be fruitless, useless or dead!” Foundation Scripture: John 15:1-6 JESUS is the true vine, the FATHER is the vinedresser and WE are the branches. *The vine lives solely to provide the “sap” Sap: the juice of plants which flows chiefly between the wood and the bark. Sap transports water and nutrients throughout the plant. Jesus is the true vine. You must be connected to, nourished by Him to produce good fruit. John 10:10 The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. But God says that He has come that we might have and enjoy LIFE and that more ABUNDANTLY (to the full, till it overflows) *You give out of your overflow. So you must stay connected to the vine so you have something to give Christ as the true vine brings forth “good” fruit. The tree is known by its fruit. A good tree bears good fruit. A bad tree bears bad fruit. Vinedresser Has Three Purposes: *Cultivates: to advance the growth of, to refine and improve by correction of faults and enlargement of powers or good qualities. *Prunes: to cut off or remove or living parts or branches of a plant to improve shape or growth; to remove what is superfluous [that which is useless or unnecessary] or undesirable. *must prune every year* *Cares for the fruit: charge or oversight implying concern for safety and prosperity. A vinedresser must have wisdom and knowledge about what it is cultivating. The Father is also called a husbandman. A husbandman is one whose business it is to cultivate the ground and one who is the master of the family. In order for your family to prosper you must be what you are called to be. God is watching: Our Abiding in the vine Our growth Our fruit bearing He will see to us [the branches] being what we are supposed to be; what we are appointed to be. The vinedresser does all the work. A branch of itself is: WEAK and USELESS TENDER and FLEXIBLE BEARING or BURNING Branches cannot produce its own life. Its sole purpose is to receive the sap and bear the fruit. With no sap...there is no fruit The branches are to SERVE the vine in order that the VINE may do its work. Branch is simply a growth of the vine; an extension. It is produced by the vine and appointed to bear its [the vine’s] fruit G.rowth P.roduce A.ppointed G.P.A what’s your G.P.A? It is our communion with Christ that makes possible the bearing of good fruit. *Communion: (koinos) Partnership, a fellowship, recognized and enjoyed. The branch that desires to bear fruit in Christ must trust God and yield/submit to divine pruning! (Cleansing) OUCH! Prune me, I don’t want to be useless, I don’t want to be fruitless and I don’t want to be dead. How are we pruned? The pruning knife is the Word of God. No Word; No pruning. Through the word, God cuts away all the self-confidence and self-effort of the flesh, all confidence in the world system and prepares us for the “sap” or life that comes through the indwelling of the HOLY SPIRIT. WE CANNOT PRUNE OURSELVES NOR CAN WE PRUNE ANYONE ELSE! II Timothy 3:16 Do you need the word of God? Do you need to spend time in the word of God? There is a difference between pruning and cutting a vine. The purpose of pruning is so that the vine will become more fruitful which implies that there is some fruitfulness and the goal is that more fruit will be produced. Pruning does not simply mean spiritual surgery that removes that which is bad. It can also mean cutting away the GOOD and the BETTER so that we can enjoy the BEST It is a lifelong experience. Progressively grow into His best for us. If you are the same as you were last year YOU are not letting the vinedresser prune. USDA States Pruning is for: Safety: removing branches that could fall and cause injury or damage, trimming branches that can interfere with the line of sight. *God has to prune the things in your life that may harm you and remove things that hinder you from seeing His will HEALTH: removes diseased and insect infested wood, to increase the airflow, remove crossing and rubbing, best used to encourage trees to develop a strong structure and reduce the likelihood of damage during severe weather. *God needs to prune the things that hinder the Spirit from flowing; stuff that is crossing and rubbing you the wrong way; to develop a strong foundation in Him AESTHETICS: enhancing the natural form and character of the trees *God needs to prune to enhance your character in Him Abide: (meno) remain, continue, dwell You can’t jump out of Jesus and do what you want to do and then go back to Him. To abide means to REMAIN, DWELL Psalm 91:1-2 To abide in Christ means to live a life of absolute and unlimited devotion to Christ’s service. Remember, the purpose or aim of the branch is to serve the vine. It means to live a life, heart, soul and mind, of implicit obedience to God. You are not your own. Are you really really saved? Living a life of IMPLICIT obedience. What Fruit? The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the kind of Christian character that glorifies God and makes Christ real to others. Galatians 5:22-23 *if you’re really God’s you HAVE to die DAILY As we grow in holiness and obedience we are bearing fruit. Romans 6:1-3 The praise that comes from hearts and lips is fruit to the glory of God. Hebrews 13:15 Our good works and our service grow out of our abiding life in Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:10 Need to get our priorities in order so we can properly serve the vine. An unfruitful branch is useless. To be fruitful spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally is in my opinion a much better definition of a “prosperous” life. “The fruitful person is healthy, creative, emotionally strong and spiritually alive and sensitive. The fruitful person meets the needs of others and produces high quality beneficial work. The fruitful person loves others and trains up the next generation in things that are noble, good and lasting. The fruitful person leaves a rich legacy of character and influence.”-Paula White FATHER GOD PRUNE US We don’t want to be fruitless, We don’t want to be useless or DEAD!