So last weekend uh some of you in this very room actually helped me out and helped out Mission Grove as we love to be for the community. And we served at a local school carnival um up at horseshoe trails, elementary school. And that was so much fun handing out water um you know, running carnival games. And so thank you so much for all who came out. But uh the reason I bring up that carnival was because I gave both my sons raffle tickets for a chance to win a basket. And and my one son Jackson said, oh I got a strategy for this. And so he waited until the you're laughing because some of, you know, Jackson. And so that's totally him. And he said I'm gonna wait till the last minute and I'm gonna see which basket has the least amount of tickets in. And I'm gonna put all my tickets in that basket. And so um so I have a higher chance of winning. And so he did that and lo and behold he actually won. And so um it had a basketball in it and some other stuff, but then he had some random tickets that he was like, I don't even know what this is. So here you go dad. And so one of those things he won in the school raffle was actually tickets to the Desert Botanical Garden. And so if you've ever been to the botanical garden Here in Phoenix, it's just this beautiful place that actually spans over 140 acres and it's actually developed about 40 acres of it. And actually on this piece of land where they've the botanical gardens actually existed for the past 80 years. They have over 50,000 plant displays From over 4300 species of plants. And it's actually worked by. You can actually see some pictures of some of the flowers that they have all throughout this massive garden that you can walk through that. And volunteers actually gave over 66,000 volunteer hours so that this place can stay up and running. And that actually it is attended by over 450,000 people every single year. And so what's amazing about this garden is that I believe people come because there's something to be said about the beauty found in a garden, whether you go to a shopping center or a resort, chances are you're gonna find in the entrance, you're gonna find some type of plant display or garden or something alive or something just very inviting because there's something inviting to a garden. In fact actually the very first time that we come onto the scene into world history and into human existence. The context for which God placed mankind was actually in a garden. It was before Sin entered the world. And so this perfect picture of beauty in in life and diversity is found in a garden. So this morning, as we talk through the last, I am statement of jesus And found in John Chapter 15, it's actually focused in this picture Of a garden or or growth or growth. And so I think there's true beauty found in this imagery. And so we're gonna dive into that this morning. If you have your bibles open up to John Chapter 15 we are in our series that this is your first time with us the past couple of weeks, we've been walking through the I am statements of jesus, jesus is the most talked about figure in all of history. In fact, today, palm sunday marks what's called Passion Week and you're gonna hear stories throughout the week and opportunities to connect to really where the christian faith originated, where Jesus christ dies on the cross and then rises again on the third day and what we celebrate and as known as Eastern. And so um while Jesus, the most talked about figure in all of history, the question is what has Jesus actually said about himself. And so far we've talked through different imagery that Jesus has described of himself. We talked about how jesus is the light of the world, about how darkness leads to shame and guilt, but how light leads to grace and salvation. We talked about how he is the bread of life that ultimately jesus satisfies the hunger for our soul. We talked about how he is the door meaning that he is the entryway to both eternal life, but then also abundant life and we talked about how he is the good shepherd, how really we find our security and our significance in jesus. We talked about from John Chapter 14 about how Jesus is the way the truth and the life. Now, next Sunday, we're gonna actually talk about a story out of John 11 where Jesus refers to himself as a resurrection in the life, But of all the statements, the last one recorded comes in John 15 where Jesus actually claims to be the true vine. So let's dive into this and let's see what it says and what it means here for us together. So in john chapter 15, starting in verse one, we have the verses up here on the screen also want to encourage you if you don't have a physical bible, we actually have some on our welcome table here and that can be our gift to you this morning, so feel free to take that so that you can have for weeks moving forward, John chapter 15: verse one I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. I want to pause there for just a moment. Why do you think Jesus says I am the true vine? Well, if he calls himself the true vine, that must mean that there are fake or false vines also and isn't it interesting that if we're gonna see here in just a moment that were called branches that if we try to connect our life our livelihood, our sustenance, our existence to any other vine that this world has to offer, it will not lead to life. The fact that jesus calls himself the true vine means that everything else that this world has to offer is fake, meaning that if you attach your life, your purpose, your soul to that of money, to that of power, to that of celebrity, to that of even health or or anything even good, even good things, it will not lead to life because good things placed in the God spot makes for bad idols. Let me say that again. Good things placed in the God spot. The spot reserved only for him. Do not make good good idols. For example, it's great to love your spouse, husband and wives and it's great to love your Children, but your spouse and your child make a horrible god, right? If you bend the knee, if you bend your schedule, if you do everything you can and you idolize your kids, What happens is anything that you idolize, ultimately you're gonna end up demonizing because you're gonna put false expectations on your spouse or on your kids that they cannot meet, You're gonna give them expectations and expect something back from them that they cannot give to you. And if once you idolize something and it does not come back and meet your expectations. You ultimately end up demonizing them and then now there's a separation in your relationship. So good things placed in the God spot. Make for bad idols, and so you have to reserve the true vine the attachment of your life to what is greatest which is jesus himself. Let's keep reading Verse two. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you abide in me and I, and you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you, unless you abide in me. This idea of abiding the word abide, and other translations you might see remain, but also has this concept of dwell. So like when you think of dwell, you think of dwelling in a home. The same concept is here, when he says abide in me, it says make your home with me abide remain cling to the cross, cling to who God is clinging to what he's done. Make your home that of jesus christ believe fully put the full weight of your life in him and make your home by abiding and remaining and staying steadfast in your love for God. And for jesus verse five, I am the vine and you are the branches whoever abides in me or dwells in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing for if anyone does not abide in me, he has thrown away like a branch and withers and the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you by this. My father is glorified that you may bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples verse nine as the father has loved me. So um I have loved you abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things, I have spoken to you that your joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you would love one another as I have loved you. So we have this picture where jesus is divine, God, the father is the vine dresser or the gardener and they were called to be branches, but it has this picture that's kind of scary that if you're not producing fruit that could be cut off and and thrown away. But then it also says, but if you are producing fruit that you will even then you'll be pruned, john piper puts it this way, he says, God cuts away the lifeless and cultivates the living. Earlier this year, we walked through the book of James And in James Chapter two, he writes that faith without works is dead or useless in the same way, if you have a branch that's not producing fruit, it comes across as useless. It's not helpful. But if it is producing fruit and if you have a plant that produces fruit, even those times, even those branches get pruned so that they can produce even more. So, the question we have to ask ourselves are am I not producing because I'm not connected? Or am I going through a difficult situation because I'm actually being pruned, Am I being cut away or am I being pruned so that I can grow more the time I find it interesting that the times that I have grown most in my faith are also the most difficult trials that I've ever walked through a lot of times. They go hand in hand. And so if you're walking through a difficult situation right now, I want to encourage you to think maybe I'm not being cut away, but maybe I'm getting pruned that through ever store whatever storm or valley that I am walking through when I come through the other side, I will be stronger for it. And so this idea of jesus being the vine and that were called the bear fruit. Well, what does the fruit actually look like? We're actually told that that's found in in Galatians chapter five verse 22 and 23. And it's not on the screen. But let me read it to you, paul, Wright says, he says, But the fruit of the spirit is love. Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. So, if you want to ask yourself, am I bearing fruit? You can go to this verse and ask yourself, am I in my life, do I see that I have more love, more joy, more peace, more patience, kindness, Goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Now, I believe God put this, I am the vine statement at the end of his list of I am statements because we already have the preface before that God is the great shepherd. He is the good shepherd that he gives us security and significance. He we understand he understands that we are going to make mistakes that ultimately it's not about our performance, but it's about our proximity to him and that while we fall short time and time again, there's an opportunity and the ability to continue to grow. And so if you want a measuring stick of like, how am I doing in my faith, you can actually look at Galatians five and say, am I growing Am I making progress? Am I wrestling with one of these issues? Because I don't think there's anybody in here. Even if you don't claim to be a christian if you take this list, I don't think anyone's gonna fight that. Like if you said, would you like to have more joy, Peace and love in your life, like it actually ends versus there's no law against that, because here's how, you know, these are important because you would want these things for your kids. Alright, If someone described your child as someone with self control and patience and kindness and purpose and love, like, yeah, no one looks at that list and goes, well, I don't want that. See we all long for this is the fruit and its singular, this is the fruit of the spirit, meaning that when you believe it's, you already have this ability to walk through these things the moment you trust jesus as Lord and savior, and then as you grow, you're gonna start seeing this fruit. Now, the problem I've seen is that growing up in a christian home and I went to a public school, but I went to a christian college and then I got my seminary degree is that um I found myself just constantly focusing on performance and fruit, I have to do this, do this, do this, or I found myself comparing fruit, like in other words, I was like, well I'm not this person, but at least I'm not clark lund, right, am I right? Am I right? And so we find it like you always have that person, right, that you compare and I always say I'm joking with clark, but um but you have that person, at least I'm not that person and you've seen this with your kids too, if your kid gets in trouble, their first response might be, well I'm not charlie over here, I'm not steve, he did this right. We love to point the blame. Well I'm not as bad as that person and so we start comparing fruit or we start focusing and it's like, it's about performance. I have to work so hard, I have to work so hard, but it does not work because at the end of the day when you read this passage, the fact that jesus is the vine and the true vine, it means this. If you, if you're taking notes, write this down because jesus is divine. Be a branch, not a stick, be a branch, not a stick, do me a favor, turn to your neighbor and just say, hey, be a branch, not a stick. Some of you are just waking up and not sure what we're doing. So it's okay, I'll give you another shot. You can turn to the other side, go ahead and turn to your other neighbor and say be a branch, not a stick. Now some of you like what in the world do you mean? Who is he okay from my backyard here I pulled out a stick from a tree that our dog. Sophie have been chewing up and I notice here that well it's fun to the hole and maybe I can throw it if I gave it to my boys, they'd probably hit each other with it, but I can tell you what this stick really is at the end of the day is it's lifeless, it's alone, it's dead stagnant and this will never as no matter how much I wanted to, this will never produce fruit. We can stare at were like come on and I'm guessing that if you had to be described by someone, hopefully you would not want to be described as lifeless alone, stagnant and never producing fruit right now, don't nudge your neighbor and say that's you, that's not very kind, okay, but here's the thing, okay, here's what we do. This is and the honest to goodness truth. Some of us in here spiritually are completely removed from God. See the difference between a branch and a stick is that unlike a stick, a branch is connected. And what's interesting not only is a branch connected to the trunk or the vine, but by being connected to the vine branches are actually connected to each other. I've been in mission trips, in other countries, in other languages and it's been so cool that I can walk into an environment that's halfway across the world where I don't know the language, but I feel a connection because we're worshiping the same god and that's why it's so cool when we gather as a church body that we don't gather as a bunch of sticks in a pile, but as branches connected to the vine, so that when we worship there is unity and there is connection and something special happens when we collectively experience jesus together and the branch grows, it might be pruned? But it grows and it starts producing, whereas the sticks got no hope. We can't just sit there like, come on, I can't water this, Okay, can't fertilize a stick, It doesn't doesn't do anything. So here's what we do though, Here's what we do. We find ourselves in that situation where we're acting like a stick. Like we said, okay, God, I don't know. Um ha, fruit homegrown at Albertsons right next door. Okay, see, look, look, I'm producing fruit. Uh huh. See I'm producing fruit, right? Like, okay, well that's not really it's not really working. Okay, so am I going to attach it? Um Okay, so we think I got this. So when no one's looking at home, we find ourselves, let's kinda Mhm. And we're like fruit. I used clear tape over here in the back. You never know. You might think, oh look, so here's what happens though, right? We're not connected to the source, but living in the culture and community that we do, we need to keep up with our image, so we fake it. We go when we tape fruit on and we walk into the service and someone asked us, hey, how are you doing this morning? Good, fine, so you look like fruit, I'm good, But this looks ridiculous, right? But here's the thing, if we're being honest with ourselves, how many of us in this room right now are like this, we're trying to live our life separated from God, separated from church, separated from other believers. And we wonder why we feel alone. We wonder why we struggle and we wonder why we're not producing. And what hit me is the reality that my job is actually not to produce fruit, just like this stick cannot produce fruit ever. The only way that this produces fruit is that if it's connected to the vine and I know a tomato doesn't go on a plant like this. Okay, so I don't want emails on it, it's just for a visual visualization. Okay, our only job is to be connected to jesus, That's it. We missed that. If you're taking notes, you can write this down that I believe there are three things that keep us three things that ultimately keep us from abiding or remaining or dwelling in him. First of all, we experience suffering from the outside. It can be difficult to abide in jesus when we're walking through a difficult circumstance, maybe that's financial, maybe that's health, maybe that's job related. Maybe it's relationship related, I don't know, but if you're suffering, it can be difficult, right? Because you focus on the suffering, not the savior, secondly what keeps us from abiding in jesus is shame from the inside. You know, we walked through situations and we're like God, how could you? But then there are other times where we've made mistakes and we say I'm not good enough God, I you would never produce fruit through a branch like me, I've messed up, I have fallen short, I have cursed your name. I've got, if you only knew, if you've ever heard someone say this before, oh if I walked through the doors of the church, go up in flames, okay, if any person walked through the church would go up in flames because it says in romans 3 23 that all have fallen short, Jesus is giving this passage. This story, this picture of being a vine to his 12 disciples, whom he walked with day in day out for over three years and out of 12, 1 betrayed him, one denied him and one doubted him face to face. And so if the disciples keep falling short, why do we think we're going to be much better? But what I'm here to encourage you with is that it's not about feeling shame from the inside, it's not about feeling suffering from the outside, but that it's about remaining abiding and connecting to jesus, who forgives you. The third thing that keeps us from abiding in him is actually success in the world, and I should have put success in quotes because really it's relative, right? Think about it for a second, they're like, you know, if you get the new house or the new car or the new boat like yeah, I'm hot stuff, okay, how does that compare to the person that spoke Galaxies into existence, right? Because that new car is gonna break down or get a flat tire or someone's gonna get a bigger house or bigger things that require bigger fixes and expenses and expectations and promotions comes with extra pressure and things there. And so what's hard is when we think, man, I am successful. Like if we are a brand that's supposedly producing fruit and like, hey, look at us and there's fruit all around us were like, hey, this is pretty awesome. But if we are not connected to the source, then we've missed it. The idea of money and power, Those are fake vines that cannot answer their promises to you. If you put your value and your worth into what you have or what you do and not whose you are. I promise you there will come a point where you're gonna feel empty. What happens in these cases, the people who are experiencing worldly success is one of two things happens number one, you experience success and at the end of it, you think is that it, you work so hard for a goal and you get there like, oh, I thought that would be more on the flip side. The second thing that could happen is you put all your identity in something and then a situation happens and you lose it all and you're like, wait a second, my identity was in this and in my job and I just lost my job. So who in the world am I? But the beauty is with jesus being, the vine is that our identity is not wrapped up in what we do, but whose we are, and that our only job is to be connected to him, not to produce fake fruit. So what happens when we abide, if you're taking notes, it's really 66 things, number one, it says that in verse five, that you will bear fruit if you are connected with jesus, If you live and believe in the power of the spirit working through you, you will produce fruit, it's not about health, it's not about money, it's not about power, but it's about purpose and love and joy and about who you are and your relationships that you have with the people around you secondly, it says in there that if you are connected to the vine that ask whatever you wish, and it will be done, But here's the thing that an apple tree, a branch of an apple tree connected at the core is going to produce what apples right in the same way, if you are truly connected to jesus, then your prayers are going to reflect the heart of jesus. And if you're reflecting the heart of jesus, prepare to be blown away and see answers to prayer like you've never seen before, because what you're doing is you're tapping into the very power of the God who created the universe and said, hey, get ready for this. Those that have been with us from the beginning of the church have seen this firsthand last year at this time, it was an idea. It was a bible study, it was a group of people saying, hey, I think God's going to do something, but I have no idea what, But when you abide in the vine, if you make your home and who God is there gonna see answers to prayer, 3rd God is glorified worship is not just singing songs, but giving everything you have to whom you value most and so by giving that to God by giving your life and your thoughts and your words and your actions to him, God receives glory. The next thing is that if you abide and remain in jesus, if you're connected to him, if you're a branch, not a stick, it says in here that you will show the world true Christianity, I truly believe that the world will change, not when we argue more, but when we love jesus more and people see that when people see the unity in the church, the love for each other, the love for God, that's beyond explanation. That's when revival breaks out. Not when we argue, I've never had an argument with someone who then said, wow, because of that argument, I'm now going to completely change my world view and follow. No, like there's a thing called apologetics where you defend what you believe and it's important, it's not a completely blind faith, like there's reasons why we believe what we believe. But 10 times out of 10, when you hear stories of people giving their life, trusting in God, it's because they saw a love or a joy or purpose that could not be explained, they saw fruit that could not be explained because I thought I was a stick, but it was connected and because you were connected, you produce something that is beyond explanation. And you see the world's like, wow, whatever that is, I want that next. If you abide and you remain in jesus, It says in verse 11 that you will experience joy, that your joy may be full and then last, it says you will experience love. So if you're feeling spiritually stuck this morning, if you're feeling like man, I just feel alone. If I feel I'm not conquering the sin, I'm not I'm not seeing the results that I want. I'm not, my relationships are hurting, I'm hurting in this situation, I'm questioning, I'm depressed, I'm down there are definitely steps you can take. But the first one just ask yourself, are you abiding and jesus Because I think the two big idols in this desert ridge in Cave Creek Scottsdale community and this is opinion, but I just what I see the two idols, I see over and over again its image and our kids while we try to keep up, you know, if I leave this here after a couple of days, this is going to start to rot and so then what do you have to do? We'll have to get another one, tape it up, I have to get more, have to fix it and you have to continually go back and manufacture something. But in a culture that values image, don't fall into the trap of faking fruit, be authentic, be real about where you are in the situation and whatever, maybe you're being pruned right now, maybe you're going through a difficulty, but the first step two experiencing love and joy and fruit and answers and prayer and making a difference in this life is ultimately connecting to jesus as the band comes back on stage, I just want to end with this is that if you're feeling alone right now, abide in God, if you're feeling stressed right now abide in jesus. If you're feeling overwhelmed by a circumstance or situation that is out of your control, abide in jesus, if you're struggling with an addiction or a repeated sin pattern that you can not solve like God, I cannot do this abide in him. Whatever situation you're going through, understand the good things placed in the God spot, make awful idols and that will not produce fruit in your life, so let's stop being sticks producing fake fruit and let's start up hiding in jesus so that he can build your life, Let's pray dear Heavenly father, thank you for being the true vine. Let us attach to the only person that will bring us purpose and love and joy in this life may be attached to you. God help us to be a branch, not a stick, help us not to be isolated, but in community. Help us not to be afraid, but to be brave and courageous, not because of our power, but because of yours. May God we ask that you would build our lives, may answer our prayers, make our joy complete. May we experience your love mean, we find purpose in this life. I mean we not focus on the results but focus on our connection and when we draw close to you today, because God, no matter how far away we get from you, you are never far from us to whoever is in this room right now. I pray that they will turn to you. I pray that they will connect to you. May we find forgiveness by believing in your son, jesus. God, may we lift up the names of our neighbors and friends that we wish to invite to this easter week coming up, May you give us boldness to proclaim your truth in a way that is beyond explanation so that people can see your power and come to know you God. We think of other churches in the valley like desert city, our our neighbor and others around us. God who are gathering. We pray that you would be lifted up and glorified in their spaces as well. We give this morning this community this week, up to you God. And as we sing this song, help us to not be distracted but to just be connected to you. And when we're connected with you God, we become connected and unified together. God help us not to be a stick or may we be branches connected to you? The true, fine, fine and the source of life. We love you God. It's in your son's name. We pray. Amen.