Trey H. Little

Sermon Text:  John 15:1-8

May 15, 2011

Albany, Texas

“Prunes are good for you”

This morning I will begin a seven week look into Jesus’ “I Am” statements.  The claims of Jesus are as bold as they are comforting. 

I invite you to turn with me to John 15: 1-8 as we get a horticultural lesson from the Savior—one that will surely gives us what we need to know for a “fruitful” spring.

Listen now to the word of God.

            Prunes are good for you!

            I have heard this all of my life and so I thought I would do a little research to determine if there was any validity to this statement. Much to my disgust—prunes are, in fact, good for you.  They contain antioxidants that may help play a role in disease prevention and may help slow the aging process.  They contain potassium that may help prevent hypertension and stroke.  Certainly, most are aware of the fiber found in prunes and the benefits associated.  And according to my research, prunes contain more antioxidants, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin B6 than—get this—apricots, apples, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupes, mangos, oranges, pears, peaches, and pineapples (per 100 gram servings; www.sunsweet.com).

            Prunes are good for you!

            I suppose that is a true statement—however, that doesn’t mean I have to like them! 

            What is interesting to me is—in our sermon text for this morning, Jesus affirms that “prunes are good for you.”

First of all, let’s consider the context—Jesus—as only Jesus could do, captivated the attention of His disciples with an illustration. He taught them deep spiritual truths that He knew would be good for them—but He did so in a language He knew they could understand. In this particular instance He is talking agriculture.  He used something that was central to Israel’s agriculture and economy—growing and caring for grapes. 

Jesus knew His disciples would recognize what a prolific plant the grapevine was.  He knew they would comprehend that a single vine could bear many grapes.  But He also knew they would understand that it is a plant that needs a great deal of attention if the BEST fruit is to be visible.  Finally, He knew they would be able to picture a large vine with many branches—and He knew they would remember that some of those branches would be good branches—branches that would bear fruit—but there would also be branches  that, although one might think there should be visible fruit—there simply was none to be seen.

Jesus uses this common and understandable illustration to articulate the spiritual truth that:  His disciples are a lot like the two kinds of branches.  Some of them are lovely, fruit-bearing branches and others are useless because they bear no fruit.  He said, “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” (John 15: 1-2).

Now—you may, like me, hear the words of Jesus and wonder—“Which branch am I?”  After all, He did say that “He is the vine and we are the branches.”  Are we going to be cut off or pruned?  Which begs the question—are we bearing any fruit?

Are we living our lives in such a way that Jesus and the world around us are witnessing the fruit of the Spirit within us?  Do others see our love for Him and them or do they only see us loving ourselves?  Is there a contagious joy in our lives?  What about the peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-respect?

Are others seeing the beautiful fruit of the Spirit in your life?  What is Christ doing in your life that makes you irresistible?  Better yet, how is the fruit in your life making Christ irresistible in others lives?

Jesus says, “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit…”

Friends, if Christ’s life and love do not flow in us—we will be spiritually unproductive.  We need proper nourishment—like a fruit tree needs a good supply of water and nutrients—we need to be tapped into the Living Water of Christ.  Jesus said, “abide in me.”  In the Greek—this word for “abide” is not a suggestion—it is a command.  It also has an ongoing emphasis—that is, the command to “abide” is not fulfilled in a single act.  It is not just attending a Sunday morning worship—it is a state of ongoing worship.  It is not just going through a confirmation class—it is confirming that Jesus is Lord every day of your life.  It is not just participating in a mission day—it is participating in the mission of Christ every day.  It is not just going to a Bible study—it is studying the word of God with hopeful passion for what He will reveal to you about Himself and your life.  Abiding in Christ means to make consistent—constant —moment by moment decisions to follow Jesus Christ.

How close to Jesus are you?  Are you attached to the Vine or are have you fallen away and are just lying underneath?  Perhaps today is the day for you to get re-connected to Jesus—a day when you will receive the nourishment and life Christ offers.    

Ok, so back to the fact that “prunes are good for you.”  I am not a horticulturist—but I am pretty sure that the purpose of pruning a branch is to foster new growth; to remove dead or diseased areas, and to stimulate the formation.  I wonder, could that be why Jesus said, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful”?

Friends, spiritual growth may involve pruning.  But remember, PRUNES ARE GOOD FOR YOU—we don’t have to like them—but they are good for you.  So are the prunes in our spiritual lives—those times and situations that have a way of “cutting us back.”    The pruning may come during a difficult situation in a relationship.  It may through difficult health issues.  It may come from a person or people who let you down—people you thought you could trust and yet they turn their backs on you.  People you thought you could look up to and yet they stumble and fall and you find yourself hurt by their actions.  It may come in the midst of unsettling news or circumstances.  The pruning may come through a trying time financially—times when you struggle to make ends meet and you wonder how in the world this could be part of the life of a Christian. 

Yet—a wise Gardener knows what to remove in order to bring about fruitfulness.  Do you trust the Father to be your Gardener? Will you trust Him to “cut back” and shape where needed?  Will you embrace the truth that “prunes are good for you”  in order that you may be even more fruitful for the glory of Christ?   

Romans 5 says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Where or who are the prunes in your life today?  Will you persevere?  How will you allow them to nourish your character?  Will others see the hope in you?

Let me close with this:  I can remember a mission trip I once took down to a Texas border town—right in the heart of some of the States best produce orchards.  In fact, there was an orchard at the Baptist Retreat where we were staying.  I walked through the orchard—all of the trees laden with ripe juicy oranges.  The branches tilted down toward the earth from the weight of the fruit.  But what I will never forget is this—one of the youth asked me what kind of orchard it was.  I thought to myself, “Really—is it not obvious?”  What I didn’t realize at the time of his question was the fact that he was looking off in a different direction—he was looking at a tree that was bearing no fruit and very few leaves. 

Friends, may we bear so much fruit that we will not have to tell people what kind of “orchard” we are.  Imagine—just imagine if we were filled with so much fruit there was no need to say anything—imagine if the fruit made it obvious that we were abiding in Him.

Jesus is the vine—we are the branches—apart from Him we can do nothing.

AMEN.