The Vine and the Branch - Lesson #2

Lesson #2  Loving Us To LIFE!

Our Lessons are taken from John Chapter 15 where Jesus is using the Vine and the Branches analogy to show the importance of our connection to Him and the Father.  

John 15:2 “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit”

As shown in lesson #1, we are too valuable to God for Him to just “cut us off” if we are not fruitful. He will go to extremes to work in us to make us fruitful, because He loves us. You've heard people say that they “love you to death”? Well, since we know that it's important what words we speak, ...with God, we say He loves us to LIFE. :) Abundant Life!

Read through Hebrews 12:1-11

As I mentioned before, God knows the causes of our unfruitfulness and is willing to go to extremes to help us become fruitful. In Hebrews 12:5,6 it mentions three different degrees in which God works to get us there.

Hebrews 12:5,6 “.... My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”

These degrees of intervention in which God works is not necessarily joyful but can be painful, but He knows exactly what each of us needs to discipline us.

Vs. 11 “No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Also in Proverbs 3:11,12 it says, “my son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves, He corrects”

God disciplines us for our good – out of love. He loves us to LIFE! He knows the reasons why we are not fruitful and through the work of the Holy Spirit, He wants to show us what needs to be done to change whatever needs to be changed so our lives can become fruitful. God's will for our life is that we live that abundant life because it brings glory to Him!

An unfruitful Christian is usually one who may have anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, a major sin problem – an unconfronted behavior or attitude that is blighting their life.... stuff like that, which eventually gets revealed through the work of the Holy Spirit. We are lifted and cleansed through His Word.

Read Hebrews 12:5-6

Rebuke: vs. 5 - A rebuke from the Lord is like a verbal warning for some poor choices in our life, or some hurtful wounds we are carrying around that is the cause of wrongful behavior or attitudes, etc. His rebuke is to spare us from further pain. His rebukes can come in different ways such as a prick of the conscience, a timely word from another person, a Scripture, preaching of His Word or conviction by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

If we harden our heart and close our ears to God's rebuke, we force our Father to intensify the correction.

Chasten: vs. 5 - Discipline or chastening happens when our loving Father steps in to lift us away from our own destructive and unfruitful pursuits. (Deut. 8:5)

With chastening, you find yourself nagged by the subtle feeling of defeat, disappointment and frustration. This crushing cycle of powerlessness that is hated continues. You begin to feel emotional anxiety, frustration or distress. What used to bring you joy, now doesn't. Pressures increase at work, at home or in your health and finances, unfulfilled at church, critical to friends, and “on the outs” with God. If you have any of these symptoms, the answer is not to go to church more, read your Bible more or any of that. You need to look for ongoing sin or something that seems to be cutting you off from God's best for your life, like anger, bitterness, unforgiveness...etc. If you don't respond, love will compel your Father to take more drastic measures.

Scourge: vs. 6 – To whip, to inflict punishment. Pain, everyone hates it, but it sure gets our attention, doesn't it? C.S. Lewis says, “God whispers through pleasure but shouts through pain.” Sometimes our Father has to shout! Sometimes our sins bring judgment to us. As Paul said in I Cor 11:30 “This is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died” We will suffer dire consequences for our wrong doings and attitudes we carry that are not fruitful for God.

I have been able to see now how all of these interventions have been used on me when it comes to my eating. I was rebuked and warned of my eating habits. I believe God even led me to knowledge of how to eat, and when I didn't listen, chastisement came and my life became full of frustration, depression, not happy with self, and then when I still did not heed to His Word, the scourging came. My 'sin' brought judgment, consequences like painful health issues.

What stops good people from cleaning up their act? Many are held captive for years from misguided beliefs. I don't know about you but I don''t want to wander around on a fruitless path unable to enter into the abundant life God has for me!

There are those who do lead a bit of a fruitful life but are in need of some pruning. I will share in lesson #3 about pruning.

It is so important for us to be listening for and responding to the attentions of the Spirit in order for us to produce fruit. God does not bring bad into our lives. He does all He can to keep things good. But there are times that we are not listening and end up making choices that bring hardships into our life and we end up having to serve the consequences of those decisions. God doesn't want us to just live a dry dead life, and He'll use the bad and turn it around for the good. He wants us to be fruitful and will do what He can to Love us to LIFE! That Abundant Life! 

Connie Schmoll