Jesus the True Vine - Remain in Him and Bear Fruit

Love one another. Abide in the Lord. Abide in his word.

Allow the Lord to cut you in order to make you. Without cutting there is no healing. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.

The gospel of today is taken John 15 1 to 25. The Lord Jesus in this gospel is saying some very profound words, the depth theology. I'll just want to share with you a couple of these words.

Chapter 15 begins with these words. The Lord says about himself, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser and you are the branches. I am the true vine.

My father is the vine dresser, the one who prunes the vine tree and you are the branches. It's incredible how the Lord Jesus talks. Simple words, yet so deep.

Very simple language, yet so immense in its richness, the treasure that is hidden. You know what? The only thing that makes things simple is wisdom. The only thing that makes things very simple is wisdom.

It takes wisdom to make a complicated matter very simple. Some people might look and say, well Saint Paul, the way he writes, is kind of difficult to understand. The Lord Jesus speaks in a more simple term.

Well, the simpler you are, the more complex you are and the more wise you are. The Lord Jesus is God. Obviously, the Lord Jesus gave the wisdom to his disciples, to his apostles, to write through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

But the Lord himself, when he spoke, he spoke in a very simple language, simple words, nothing eloquent, nothing complicated. He wanted people to understand. They thought they understood, but they understood absolutely nothing until the Holy Spirit began revealing to them what the Lord said in simple terms.

It took a very long time to fathom what the Lord was saying. I am the true vine. My father is the vine dresser and you are the branches.

When we read in the book of Genesis, which is the beginning of the Holy Bible, Old Testament, in the book of Genesis, the days of creations, when God creates the trees, you will see the Holy Bible mentions that the seed was in the tree, not in the fruit. Example, an apple tree. When the apple tree gives those apples and they become ripe, we pluck them of that tree.

You take that apple down, the tree gives another apple. You take it again, it gives you another one. You plug it and it gives you another one and it keeps on giving you.

The more you plug, the more it gives apples. Why? Because the seed is in the tree, not in the fruit. And as long as the seed is in the tree, the tree will always be fruitful.

The Lord in today's gospel, he resembles himself by this vine tree and it's a special vine tree. It's a very unique one where the branches of this vine tree cannot stand on their own. They need to be carried by something carrying them from beneath.

Otherwise the branches will collapse on the ground. And if these branches collapse on the ground, they can never give fruit. This is the kind of a vine tree the Lord is referring to in John 15.

And how do they carry those branches? By putting two pieces of wood, one straight and one lying down this way, the cross. The cross carries the branch. Without the cross, the branch collapses on the ground, cannot be fruitful anymore.

This particular vine tree doesn't give fruit the moment the branch is in contact with the ground. It has to be in the air. And the only way for it to remain in the air, the cross must carry it.

I am the true vine. Out of all trees, this vine tree, the seed is in the fruit, not in the tree. It's the other way around.

All trees, the seed is in the tree, not in the fruit. This vine tree, the seed is in the fruit, not in the tree. So the moment this tree gives those clusters of grapes, the moment you plug those clusters, the seed goes with the fruit.

And since the seed goes with the fruit, the tree cannot give fruit anymore. Because it requires a seed in it in order to get to be fruitful. Since the seed is in the fruit, once it's plugged, the seed goes with the fruit.

Then how can this tree give fruit again, since the seed is gone with the fruit? The Lord didn't say about us that we are the grapes. He said, you are the branches. Incredible.

Imagine if the Lord had said, I am the true vine, my father is the vine dresser, and you are the grapes. The moment we get plugged, we are totally separated from Christ. There is no comeback.

The seed is gone. He said, you're the branches. Remain in me in order for you to be fruitful.

So now we come. How does this vine tree give fruit when the seed is in the fruit, not in the tree? Only one way and one way only, by being cut, it bears fruit. Who cuts this vine tree? The Father.

Who is the vine tree? The Son. Who cut the sun on the cross? The Father. No one else.

They thought it was Augustus Caesar. They thought it was Caiaphas. They thought it was King Herod.

They thought it was the Sanhedrin. No, it was the Father's plan from the very beginning in order to save the human race. And so God loved the whole world, that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Who sacrificed the Son? The Father. That's why the Lord says, my Father is the vinedresser. And what does the vinedresser do? He comes and starts cutting into this tree.

He has a small, very sharp little knife in his hand, and he comes to the branch, prunes it, and then starts cutting into this branch. When the cut is made in the branch, that juice, that water, that liquid that runs in that vine tree starts coming out of that wound. When that juice comes out of the wound, it evolves around that wound and becomes like a knot.

It becomes like a knot and then turns into a flower, and then it turns into a cluster of grapes. Out of the wound, the fruit comes. That's the only, only way for this vine tree to be fruitful.

It must be cut. God the Father says, I have one Son, one beloved begotten Son of mine, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, but I want many sons. And in order for my Son to be fruitful and bring many, many more sons to me, my Son, I need to cut.

He was nailed on the cross. And out of the wound of the Lord, the church was born. There is another study of the Holy Bible called typology.

Typology is, this is one type and this is another type. It's like, it's likened on the other one, typology. So Saint Paul uses the language of typology, where he says the former Adam, he talks about our father Adam, the one what God created in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden.

He calls him the former Adam, and then he says there is the latter Adam. That is the language of typology. The former Adam is the one that's created by God, who broke God's word.

The latter Adam is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the one who fulfilled all of God's word. Out of the former Adam, Eve was created. You see, Adam was created out of the clay, the mud.

Eve was not created out of another clay, otherwise she would have been a totally different person to him. God created Adam out of the mud, but created Eve out of Adam, not out of another mud. So the two are one, but it's definitely Adam and Eve, yes? Please, don't upset the Lord.

Eve, the mother of all life, came out of the side of Adam. The mother of all life came out of the side of Adam, and Jesus Christ, the latter Adam, his side was pierced by that centurion spear, and out of that side came out the mother of all life, the church. And when the church was born, children were born to be the children of God, out of the baptismal font.

My daughters, all the girls who are my daughters, a woman has a womb, and the church has a womb, where bears children and gives birth to those children out of that womb. That womb of the mother church is the baptismal font. So when the church and Christ, the men, get united, they give birth to spiritual children from the spiritual womb, the baptismal font, one of the seven sacraments of the true church of Christ.

So from the side of the Lord came the church, and the church started giving birth, giving life to those who were dead in the world. Baptism brought the people from the kingdom of the world into the kingdom of heaven under the rulership of Jesus Christ, the king of all kings and the Lord of all lords. The Lord says, I was cut by my father in order for me to bring many souls that were lost and dead to my dad, and if you love me, because today's gospel is all about if you love me, then this is my commandment, I live with you, love one another the way I have loved you.

If you love me, then let my word abide in you. Abide in me and abide in my word, and what is your word? Your word is love, but in this love there is law, because the word is law, but this word is love, meaning the law fulfilled based on love, because you will never ever be able to fulfill any law unless there is love. You can never listen and respect someone you don't love.

You can never listen to what they say and do what they say unless you love them. You'll only listen to those you love and you will only do what they say to you. The Lord says, if you love me, abide in me and abide in my word, and what is your word, Lord? I am the true vine.

See, my dad is the vinedresser, the one who cuts. He cut me to make you, and if you love me, you are the branch now, and the branch cannot be fruitful unless it abides in the vine tree, because if the branch is dry, my dad will cut it off, and any branch my dad cuts, it is dead. It must be thrown into fire.

You're gonna end up going to hell, eternal death, but abide in me by listening to what I say, because if you listen to what I say, you are proving to yourself that you love me, because you will never listen to someone you do not love, and what do you say, Lord? The Lord says, my dad cut me to bring you to him, and now you are the branches in this true vine. Just like the way I was cut for your sake, are you willing to be cut for my sake? Are you willing to be cut for my sake? Because this vine tree can never give fruit unless the branch is cut. Allow my dad to bleed you the way he bled his beloved son.

Are you willing to sacrifice for me? In other words, are you willing to live for me? In other words, are you willing to give up on worldly pleasures for my sake? Are you willing to walk away from satan for my sake? Are you willing to step on the poison of the snake, step on worldly pleasures? Are you willing to change going to that club and coming to the church? Are you willing to stop swearing and start praising? Are you willing to stop walking in darkness and start walking in the light? Are you willing to live for your messiah and stop living for this world with satan rules? Are you willing? Are you willing to be cut by my father? Are you willing to give up on the things you want? And do the things your Christ wants? Are you willing? You can never say to someone I love you yet you don't listen and obey them. What kind of a love is this? It's a lie. If you love that person you will do what they say to you.

Otherwise, how will you prove that you love them if you are disrespectful, disobedient to them? There is no love. Words are easier said than done. The Lord doesn't want eloquent preachers.

Now this is to every preacher. Open your ears. Don't make the Lord's way easy.

You will have to answer for it. Some of these preachers they make it so easy. Oh the Lord is wonderful.

The Lord is not just a little kid you know playing in the street. The Lord doesn't want eloquent preachers. The Lord wants souls that are willing to live for him.

The Lord says it was nice talking about me to the world but I'm still waiting for you to live for me. You're just talking. When are you going to live for me? And until you live for me my word hasn't found a place in your heart.

I can say I'm a Christian. The Lord will say prove it. I can say I'm a believer.

The Lord will say show it. I can say I go to church. The Lord will say when and where.

I was looking for that heart. I didn't have a place in it. Who do you come for? Who do you look for? Who do you seek? Millions may watch but who are you watching? The millions or the Lord? Who gets your attention? Well you see my beloved, the one who gets your attention naturally is your sweetheart.

Isn't it? There's a hundred girls talking and your Rosella talks. The moment your Rosella talks you don't hear any other sound beside your Rosella. You don't see anyone else's face beside your Rosella.

Why? Because the one you love is the one you're focused on. The one you love is the one you see. The one you love is the one you hear.

The one you love is the very reason for you being there. The Lord says do you love me? Then I need to be your focus, your center of attention. When you come to church I don't want you to see people.

I don't want you to see this good-looking bishop. Oh that's a nice statement from the Lord. I don't want you to see this good-looking bishop.

I want you to see me. I want you to hear me. The bishop is a vessel I'm using for my glory.

One day he's going to be here, tomorrow he is not. But I Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I am here forever. Are you focused on me? I am the true vine and unless you become that branch attached to me, you can never be fruitful.

But it takes my father's slashing you in order for you to be fruitful. Are you willing to go that extra mile for your Jesus? And obviously the Lord knows every single one of us, how much we can handle, how much we cannot. He's not going to put a load we can never tolerate.

He won't. But he wants you to carry a load even if it's 100 whatever grams. Maybe someone will carry 100 kilos.

I can only manage one kilo. That's okay. It's okay.

It's not about how much I can carry. It's about am I willing to carry. So to someone maybe a sacrifice is giving up on chocolate.

And they gave me the other day Swiss chocolate. Oh stunning man. Oh it's beautiful.

Maybe to someone is a struggle to give up on chocolate. They see it and that is a huge sacrifice. Lord you know what? I gave up on chocolate for your sake because I chose not to take what I want.

I want to choose what you choose for me. That's good. It's a start.

But to someone, to someone gave up on everything and lived in the crevices of the mountains and in the wilderness of this world in total isolation. When someone says there is no monks, this is Jesus didn't talk about. Please, please how much are you willing to love the Lord my dear friend? Don't talk like a kid.

There are monks and there are hermits and there are people living in crevices of the mountains as we speak now. They are still alive on the face of this earth and I can assure you they are mighty saints because the Lord chose them because the Lord knew they were going to go that extra mile for him. You know it's like someone who is in year one trying to prove that year 12 person doesn't understand nothing.

I know everything. The year one knows everything. This is how some Christians speak like little kids.

You need to grow up in spirituality my dear friend. Before you talk, you are walking in the path of someone who is the infinite God. Do you think there is a limit to what level the Lord can take you to? If you are not in this level you can never understand when this person talks.

Can never. That year one kid needs to reach year 12 in order to understand what that year 12 person was saying all along. Abide in me and abide in my word and then the Lord says my word is love, love, love.

I'm love. I'm love. My law is fulfilled based on love and my love is seen perfect through law.

Law without love is a sharp sword that chops heads but law based on love is a disciplinary action to get your attention to the wrong things you're doing which your heavenly father is not pleased with. He's trying to get you fixed and come back and do the right thing. Love one another.

Very scary statement the Lord says here. Love one another the way I have loved you and Lord please take it easy on me. Relax.

I'm a kindergarten boy. Love one another the way you loved us. How can I love my neighbor the way you have loved me Lord? Man I can't even handle one word from my neighbor.

You tell me a nasty word I'll chop your head. You give me those kind of not so very nice looks. I'll give you a hundred million back.

You tell me off once I'll tell you off a hundred times. When will I love my brother, my sister the way the Lord loved me? It's a lesson. We try our hardest in any subject when we go to school.

Sometimes in some subjects we get a 90 out of 100 but in some 30. We tried very hard. Couldn't get it through my head but the other one was flowing kind of easily.

Man I got 95 but in the other one I failed miserably. I like geography. I can't stand history.

I like chemistry. I can't stand biology or physics. I like mathematics but I don't like advanced English.

I don't know. I want to say grammatical Can I put that on the paper teacher? Here you go mate. Let's put the prawns on the barbie.

Would you like a meat pie? From Bondi. Oh that rhymes. Meat pie from Bondi.

It's a lesson. The more I allow the Lord to work in my life, the more I resemble him obviously by his grace but to a very minute level the Lord is God. But the Lord is encouraging us come love one another the way I have loved you.

How do you love me Lord? He says listen no matter what you do my love will not change but one thing will change my action. You see when parents discipline the kids that doesn't mean there is a lack of love. No it's quite the contrary because of the greatness of that love the parents discipline their children when they do something wrong.

The children on the other hand they say mom doesn't love me. Dad doesn't love me because he's too harsh on me. You know what my friend is the best.

He loves me more than my dad because my friend says to me it's okay you can do whatever you can say whatever you can go wherever but my dad doesn't let me so my friend loves me more than that. That's where we misunderstand true love. We need to learn.

It's a lesson. Love one another the way I have loved you. Are you able to love the one who hurt you? It's a lesson.

The Lord is willing to teach but are you willing to learn? That's the question must be answered. The Lord is always willing. There is no capacity there is no limit to what he can do and what he can teach but we are the limited ones but it depends my limit to someone else is very minute.

The other one's limit is much bigger than mine. My limit is one percent. The other one is 10.

The other one is 50. The other one is 80 and that's why you see some saints and some still struggling in sin. How much are we willing to learn? Somebody came and took this eye.

Can you love that person? Yes Lord. I'm standing on this holy place. I can't lie and if I lie I'll cop it.

From the bottom of my heart I love that person. I will always love that person and I will have nothing but love for that person. I call them my son.

He'll always be my son. You know why? Because there is somebody called Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the crown of this head. The crown of glory.

That's why. Everything is the Lord. Nothing is us.

It is the Lord my beloved. Love one another no matter what. I always say this to people that work in the church.

I say listen for as long as we are in the flesh there will always be misunderstanding. There will always be friction. There will always be things not going the way you wish them to go.

This is a given for as long as we are in the flesh we will always have shortfalls. There is one thing. Things can go wrong.

That's fine. We're humans. We learn.

Somebody said something to me they shouldn't have. It's okay. It's not the end of the world but you see what is the most important and crucial thing ever when you are hurt by your friend, by your brother, by your sister in Christ.

When you're hurt by them try and ask and beg the Lord Jesus to give you this grace, this gift. Don't ever let that love be affected. What I mean by that when somebody says to me a nasty word.

I'm the bishop and somebody works in the church and comes and tells me off. That's okay. Will I get upset? Maybe yes.

Will I get hurt? Maybe yes but will my love for that person decrease? Never. I won't let that to affect the love of Christ that he gave all of us. I won't let that decrease.

I love you but I'm upset with you. I love you but I'm hurt by you. I love you.

I'm angry at you but I love you and since the love is not affected the matter can be fixed very easily. You know why things ex-escalate and become extremely complex because we allow for the love to change. That's why we struggle.

That's why we struggle. Because they hurt me I don't love them as much. You know next time when I look I'm gonna turn the other way.

I don't want to see them. No. Love one another the way I love you.

You know how many times do we hurt the Lord Jesus? You go to him he's always going to say hello my son how I love you have you become here. He's not going to say hey I don't love you anymore get out of here. Hey what are you doing here? Go to the club.

What are you doing in the church? That's where you belong. No the Lord embraces you but does that mean he is not upset with you? Yeah he is. Does that mean he's not hurt? He is.

Does that mean he's not angry at you? He is but he is all love and this love nothing changes it. Nothing. No matter how many times we sin.

No matter how many times we walk away from the Lord. His love is the never changing love. He will love me always the same way.

But his reaction to my action is all dependent on how I behaved. So when he comes and smacks me he smacks me with love not with anger not with hatred. He smacks me with love.

You know when when a father when I talk about a genuine earthly father when that father who is love for his son for his daughter when one day out of frustration trying to get to his son's head to say son enough stop hurting your dad. Dad loves you he's not your enemy but he loses it at some stage he loses it and then he smacks the son across the head or the face. The son gets hurt gets upset gets angry maybe he cries and he walks away doesn't talk to dad for a week for a month for two months then after a little while the son forgets but as long as the father lives he never forgets that he smacked his son why because the greater the love the memory will always be there and every time the father remembers he smacked his son he gets very upset with himself because love never wishes to smack nobody but sometimes love is left with no option but to smack in order to save.

Love one another so next time if I come and I smack you across the head remember I love you what a great excuse this is man I feel good now all right get ready baby from now on I'm gonna be smacking you left right and center and if you're whinging complacent but but I love you I love you so much did you get that one okay go. Love one another abide in the lord abide in his word allow the lord to cut you in order to make you without cutting there is no healing without cutting there is no fruit the surgeon's knife is a very awesome sight to witness it's kind of frightening when I see that surgeon holding that knife the very knife that is going to cut me open but that knife that cut me open is the very knife that healed me without cutting there is no healing without cutting there is no fruits there is no life so accept the father's pruning that tree accepted my beloved let's bow our heads my beloveds and ask the lord jesus for mercy for forgiveness to make us worthy to come forth and receive him in the true body and the true blood of christ in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit one god amen our good god and full of mercy our good god and full of mercy whose grace and mercy is poured upon all for my lord the compassion of the delightfulness of your love upon your servants and again transform them in the hope of renewal to the life of repentance renew in them your holy spirit by whom they are sealed for the day of salvation purify them by your compassion from all flesh and spiritual blemishes and assure the hope of their faith by the aid of your grace and instill the walks of their behavior and the paths of righteousness please them along with the saints in your kingdom by the assurance of the hope of their faith and the adoption as your children and in the joy of your absolving mysteries empower them by the aid of your mercies to observe your commandments and fulfill your will to confess worship and praise your holy name the lord of all father and son and holy spirit forever amen