Choosing Your Vine

A message preached by Dr. Peter James Flamming
Pastor, First Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia
Sunday, September 9, 2001

Scripture reference - John 15

In my Parthenon of wonderful people and what I would call my own personal saints is a woman named Gertrude. I've known of her for a long, long time. She's now with the Lord because, you see, when I was in the university I was in an athletes class and she used to bake cookies for that class and there's just no quicker way into the heart of an athlete than have a whole pile of cookies to consume on Sunday morning.

Later when I returned to pastor in that city she was part of the flock and the commitment and the love that she had for me and for the pastor deepened through the years. When she was 70, then stooped a bit because of the osteoporosis she was diagnosed also as having leukemia. She lived for 7 years and during that 7 years she would witness to me later "I have grown more to know of my Lord and of myself in the last 7 years than I have in the previous 70." She added a little bit to say since you're a preacher mention that that's true for all of the older people.

You don't quit learning, and she didn't. Her body was deteriorating but her mind seemed to get quicker. Every week the public library would bring by four books, pick up four, leave four. She'd pick the two she wanted, she'd read them that week. Once when she was in the hospital she knew she would not make the next Spring and I knew she would not make the next Spring unless God in some wonderful intervened and yet she was there reading a book on iris because that was her great love, raising iris. Not only did she raise them, she created new kinds. And one day she called me up and she said come on over here I want to show you something. And I did. She had her walker and that was the only way she could get around then. And with a good deal of pain but never a complaint she took her walker and we went through her iris garden until we got to the flower that she wanted to show me and she called it Damascus Road. And it was a brilliant orange, just brilliant. She named it of course after the Apostle Paul who was converted on the Damascus Road when the sun shown so brightly and he heard the voice from Heaven saying Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me. I called you for a purpose. I said to Gertrude, how do you do this? This is an iris that hasn't been before as far as you know, that's right. I said, how do you do that? And she said, oh it's not that hard. You just have to know what you're doing and how to do it.

As Jesus comes to his disciples in John 15, right ahead of him is Gethsemane. Right ahead, after that, the trials, then the cross, but his preoccupation is getting the disciples ready. He's going to turn it over to them and as he turns it over to them he wants them to know how they're going to stay alive, vibrant, full, full of faith, full of joy, full of love. And as he talks about that he uses predicates, I am. Begins in Chapter 6, I am the bread of life. Chapter 8, I am the light of the world. Chapter 10 has two of them, I am the door and I am the good Shepherd. Chapter 11 where Lazarus is raised from the dead, I am the resurrection and the life. In John 14 words we have heard so often, I am the way, the truth and the life. But the last of them and maybe the one that's the umbrella over all of them, I am the true vine. Why vine? Well part of the reason was that by the time Jesus got there Israel had chosen the vine as being its national symbol. In that short little period of time that Israel had its freedom about 100 years and better before Christ got here they put on their coins a picture of a vine, a grape vine.

Jesus is saying I am the one that you need to tie your life to, you're a branch, I'm the vine, because it isn't the nation, it isn't your religion, it isn't where you live, it isn't how you look, it isn't your IQ, it isn't your bank account, it isn't your status, it isn't your career, it is whether you're attached to the source and the core of all life and faith and God. And he uses the vine as his great teaching mechanism of how all of that works.

I need to draw a contrast here. When I was on my way to England this summer for my time at Oxford University, on the way over as we were crossing the Atlantic I was fascinated with the fact that the new technology in the airlines has a little television on the back seat in front of you. All of the seats, even in the cheap seats like mine. And the channels you can turn to, one of them is a kind of a location channel and if you tune to that you're going to get a graphic that shows where you left, which was New York City, where you're going, London, and where you are in the process. And there's the plane, you know, somewhere along that passage. It even has a printed graphic about how far, how long it is yet to get there, how many miles. I guess the day will come when in your car, on the back seat will be a little television so that when, when Johnny asks Daddy, how long before we get there, Dad punches a button and there it comes up where you've been, where you're going, here's the car. Location, location, location.

In the Old Testament the location is almost always in a place. May be the Holy City, may be the Holy Land, may be the Holy Temple, may be Mt. Zion. But it is almost always a place. The law, the scrolls of the law were placed in the temple in the Holy of Holies, a place.

When Jesus got here he turned all of that upside down and he changed it from a location to a person. From a place to a person. From law to a person. Didn't destroy anything that had been done but, but you see it makes all kinds of difference. For example, when Jesus was here it was for all of those very, very devout men. They were to go to Jerusalem three times a year for one of the three feasts. Everything was centered in Jerusalem. Where can you celebrate Christmas? Anywhere. You see, when you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior your faith goes where you go and the Lord Jesus goes where you go. The location is now in Him and He is saying make me the true vine of your life.

Why does he use vine? It's a wonderful time of the year to kind of massage that a bit because so many things wrap themselves around our lives this time of year, schedules, new responsibilities. Sometimes the children are in school for the first time, they have new teachers, sometimes young people have left home for the first time, for the first year in college it's wrap around time. And what Jesus is saying in the midst of all of the vines that wrap themselves around your schedule, your life, your soul don't forget I am the true vine.

I want you to make three leaps this morning. Somewhere in every swimming pool, probably in this whole region of Central Virginia this summer was a two or three or four-year-old on the side of the swimming pool. And right in front was dad saying jump. Now lets just suppose it's a three-year-old. And dad says jump, I've got you, you can trust me. Now that three-year-old has a life long choice every time any of us face a new challenge we've got the same identical choice. We can give in to our fears or we can trust.

Did you know that the Bible has more to say about fear than any other common human experience except love? As you look at your own fear and that three-year-old and the tugs and the pulls, notice the consequences. If that three-year-old finally jumps confidence is born. Why? Because dad is there and dad catches him. And the next thing you know that three-year-old is on the side of the pool again going whoop and before too many years up on the diving board and then the high board and it all happens because it starts with trust.

Do you know the true vine? Do you know the Lord Jesus? Are you personally related, are you a branch to that vine? If I ask you personally are you his, is he yours, what's your answer?

This last week I received a phone call from one of my wonderful friends. Got a daughter now in UVA and just wanted me to check on her a little. He lives in another state. I said how's your dad? He said I'm so glad you asked. See, his dad has never become a follower, never become a Christian. All of these years fought it, fought it, fought it. Been like the three-year-old still on the side of the pool. Said he's closer than ever, closer than ever but he just won't say yes. And he's getting up in years. You know what's happened to that guy, and I love him, I e-mail him? He's letting the vine of Christian weakness, because he's always saying oh those Christian so and so and so and so back then and then and then and then. He's letting that vine rule his life. And Jesus says I am the true vine don't sell your soul to a false vineyard.

First leap, if you don't know the Lord Jesus as your personal savior take the leap. Second leap, you're already a Christian. Did you notice the number of times it says remain? Four times in verse four. Remain in me and I in you. It's a word that means to stand fast. It's a word that means to remain, to abide, to make your home, to stick with it. It's not an emotional word, a frothy word. It's a dedicated let's remain together. How do you do that? My friend Gertrude says it's easy if only you know what you're doing and how to do it. Well let me tell you what you need to do. You've heard it, you've heard it and you've heard it from me. Why don't you take the leap and schedule a time every day to meet God. Appointment with God. The books are everywhere around the building now, go on through January. Gives you a Scripture for every day. Gives you some hints and exercises for the week. See, you can't develop a life giving flow with the vine if the branch isn't anywhere around and the vine is left out there. You've always thought, hey, one of these days I'm going to set a time early in the morning, late at night, whenever. I'm going to have a daily time with God. I ask you to take the leap. What a better time than September.

Many of you are already doing that. I ask you to take a leap also. Got it from Henry Nouwen in Clowning in Rome, when he talks about having a life long conversation with the Lord. Whatever happens to you you're always processing it with the Lord. See, there's some of us who are processors and we do it quietly. Now some of you process everything verbally, you know. You're going to tell everybody what you think whether they want to know about it or not. But the others of us, we're so quiet, stone faced. Wife asks a question, husband says I'll think about it and two weeks later he's processed it every way he can, he says yes. She's forgotten what she asked. Processing can, can be a very stifling thing in your soul unless you learn how to do it so that it creates communication. You can do that with your wife, your husband. You can do that with your family, your associate. You can do that with a friend but you can also do that with God. And if you do it with God you're doing it with somebody that already knows anyway. What you're doing when you're communicating with God is clarifying things. You're getting his wisdom shown on what you're dealing with. Why don't you take the leap and start taking the experiences of everyday as they happen and just process them with God. Henry Nouwen says that's how you may be able to fulfill the biblical requirement, pray without ceasing.

Oh my friend, Gertrude, bless you. It's not so hard but you have to know what you're doing and how to do it. Before you leave this place this morning take a leap and do it and make a difference in this school year.