Bearing Much Fruit
As branches connected to the true vine,
Jesus Christ, we should allow
the vineyard keeper, God, to transform
our lives and make us productive.
Here's Gene:
If you go to your Bibles and look at chapter 19.
Basically, the title that is used there is a
lament for Israel's princes.
And that refers, as you will see,
to the kings of Israel
or the kings of Judah.
And once again Ezekiel uses a parable.
And as you look at this parable,
you'll see that the mother no doubt
referred to Israel.
Israel is the mother in this parable.
And her cubs refer to the kings.
Now notice the initial parable.
To get the stage set for the specific teaching
that God is giving to the
children of Israel through Ezekiel:
Now lament for the princes of Israel...
Now again the princes of Israel were the kings.
Particularly, the kings of Judah.
You'll notice that Ezekiel, many times,
will use the word Israel.
But he's more specifically referring to Judah--
the ones who were taken into captivity.
Or were a part of what these people were--
these 10,000 were a part of
that second deportation.
But you see the northern tribes
have already been taken into captivity
by the Assyrians.
So he's speaking generally to Israel.
But more specifically to Judah.
And here the mother refers to Judah:
...What was your mother?
A lioness!
She lay down among the lions;
she reared her cubs among the young lions.
And again, the young cubs are going
now to be specific kings.
And so we read on that the first cub
who becomes a king is Jehoahaz.
Now Jehoahaz ruled in Judah
for only three months.
But he was a very evil king.
He accomplished a lot in three months
in terms of evil. So we read about it:
She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a young lion.
[And] after he learned to tear prey,
he devoured people.
When the nations heard about him,
he was caught in their pit.
[And] then they led him away
with hooks to the land of Egypt.
Now we know that's Jehoahaz.
Because if you go back to 2nd Kings,
he was taken captive with hooks
and led to the land of Egypt.
So that was one of the cubs that grew
into this very evil, evil young lion.
He goes on to refer to another king.
But just to help you get continuity,
the next king was Jehoiakim.
And he reigned for 11 years.
And he's not in this parable.
He too was a very, very wicked king.
Remember, he was the guy that when
Jeremiah's scroll was brought to him
he took his knife and cut it
and threw it in the fire.
Eventually he died a horrible death
after 11 years reigning.
But in this parable, the Holy Spirit
moves from Jehoahaz to Jehoiachin.
Now again, he reigned only for three months.
It's interesting. I don't know
why the Lord chose these two.
And perhaps it was because they
only reigned for three months
and look how evil they were.
Both of them.
Jehoiachin was the one
who was taken into captivity
when Ezekiel was taken into captivity--
along with those 10,000.
So when you read this you see it's Jehoiachin:
When she saw that she waited in vain...
That is the mother
who is Israel or Judah:
...that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
and made him a young lion. ...
Now from the context we know it's Jehoiachin:
. . . He devastated their strongholds
and destroyed their cities.
The land and everything in it shuddered
at the sound of his roaring.
[And] then the nations from the
surrounding provinces set out against him.
They spread their net over him;
he was caught in their pit.
They put a wooden yoke on him
with hooks and led him away
to the king of Babylon.
And if you go to 2nd Kings that is Jehoiachin.
Even though he's not named, he's described.
Now the rest of the chapter
really describes the time of Zedekiah.
And he was the final king.
And again, he reigned for a number of years.
He's the one that had that--he was a vassal king.
And he made that--broke a covenant
with Nebuchadnezzar.
Made a covenant with Egypt.
And eventually got himself into horrible trouble.
And also was led away into Babylon.
And so we read here:
Your mother [that is Israel, Judah]
was like a vine in your vineyard...
Now here, he shifts the metaphor.
Or describes it differently.
No longer talking about a lioness and cubs.
Talking about a vine.
...Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard,
planted by the water;
it was fruitful [and] full of branches
because of plentiful waters.
It had strong branches...
There again referring to the kings:
...fit for the scepters of rulers;
it's height towered among the clouds.
...So it was conspicuous for its height
as well as its many branches. ...
Referring to what God did there
with Judah and in Jerusalem.
...But it was uprooted in fury,
thrown to the ground,
and the east wind dried up its fruit.
Its strong branches were torn off [and] dried up;
fire consumed them.
Now it is planted in the wilderness,
in a dry and thirsty land. ...
There he's projecting ahead
to what's going to happen
when there's the third deportation
and Jerusalem is destroyed:
...Fire has gone out from its main branch
and has devoured its fruit,
so that it no longer has a strong branch,
a scepter for ruling.
And the interesting thing is that
Zedekiah was the last king that
ever ruled in the land of Israel.
There will be no other king
until the King of kings.
The Lord of lords.
The Lord Jesus Christ
who will rule from the throne of David.
We're in that in-between period,
waiting for that great event to take place.
Now again this takes us to Jesus' parable.
And let me just share this with you. Jesus said:
I am the true vine, and My Father
is the vineyard keeper. ...
Now this is relating to us.
...Every branch in Me
that does not produce fruit He removes,
and He prunes every branch that
produces fruit so that will produce more fruit. ...
He's talking to the disciples.
Who is the branch that was dead?
Was always dead? Judas.
Judas is gone.
And he's talking to these 11 men:
Remain in Me:
...You are already clean because the
word I have spoken to you. ...
You're a part of the true vine--you men.
Judas is gone.
He never was a part of us:
...Remain in Me, and I in you.
Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit
by itself unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in Me. ...
He's talking to these disciples:
...I am the vine;
you are the branches.
The one who remains in Me and I in him
produces much fruit, because
you can do nothing without Me.
And you notice the development there
in the sequence.
Fruit, more fruit, much fruit.
This is what God wants in all of our lives today.
Now there's an interesting correlation here.
Because if you go to John 15:8--
right there in this parable he says:
My Father is glorified by this:
that you produce much fruit
and prove to be My disciples.
He's talking to these 11 men.
And to really understand the continuity here,
we've got to go back to the upper room.
Following the foot-washing experience.
Where Jesus said this in John chapter 13:
I give you a new command: ...
Remember now, He's washed their feet.
He's humbled Himself before them:
...Love one another.
Just as I have loved you,
you must also love one another.
By this all people...
Now get this--this is a very important correlation.
...By this all people
will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.
Now you're going to see that the fruit is love.
We'll notice that in a moment.
Going back to John 15--
where we read, following the metaphor.
Or the parable of the vine
and the branches, He says:
As the Father has loved Me,
I have also loved you. ...
No question he's talking about love
as being the fruit.
...Remain in My love.
If you keep My commands
you will remain in My love...
Jesus had talked about that in the upper room--
the new commandment.
...just as I have kept My Father's
commands and remain in His love. ...
He goes on to say:
...I have spoken these things to you
so that My joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.
This is My command:
Love one another as I have loved you.
In other words, when you look at the parable
of the vine and the branches,
and He talks about the fruit,
He's talking about love.
The greatest of these:
Faith, hope, and love.
But love is the greatest of these.
So I raise this question:
In what ways does God, the vineyard keeper,
wish to prune each one of us
so we'll together produce much fruit?
And then a second question.
How does this process impact
the way God hears and answers prayer?
Well the first thing I would like to say is
that God prunes us through loving discipline.
And as I think about that, I think of
the letter to the Hebrews in chapter 12.
Where the author said--and he's
speaking to believers here:
And you have forgotten the exhortation
that addresses you as sons.
And then he quotes from
the Old Testament:
My son, do not take the Lord's discipline lightly
or faint when you are reproved by Him,
for the Lord disciplines the one He loves.
and punishes every son whom He receives.
Endure His discipline:
God is dealing with you as sons.
For what son is there whom a father
does not discipline?
Interesting metaphor, isn't it?
But if you are without discipline--
which all receive--
then you are illegitimate children
and not sons.
And I'm encouraged by that.
And the reason I'm encouraged by that is,
as I look back over my life,
God has had to discipline me.
Which proves I'm a son.
I often say:
If you're without discipline when
you're walking out of the will of God,
you may not be a son.
I didn't say that.
This passage says that.
You might be illegitimate.
That's an interesting metaphor too, isn't it?
Very graphic.
Furthermore, we had natural
father's discipline us,
[and] we respected them.
Shouldn't we submit even more
to the Father of spirits and live?
For they disciplined us for a short time
based on what seemed good to them,
but He does it for our benefit,
so that we can share in His holiness.
And what is the greatest
manifestation of holiness?
Our love for God
and our love for one another.
Which is a really the essence
of what Jesus is saying in this parable.
Now at that point, look at what we read.
I call this God's loving discipline--
continuing on in verses 11 and 14:
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time...
Anybody agree with that?
That's true, isn't it?
...No discipline seems enjoyable at the time,
but painful. Later on, however, it yields the
fruit of peace and righteousness...
There you see the correlation.
...the fruit of peace and righteousness
to those who have been trained by it.
. . . Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness--
without it no one will see the Lord.
Now the second part of the question
for application is:
How does this relate to prayer?
And let me just simply share what
Jesus said in that parable
in John 15:7 and 8:
If you remain in Me
and My words remain in you,
ask whatever you want
and it will be done for you. ...
A very direct correlation
between love and unity.
Where two or three meet
in answered prayer.
God responds to that.
And then he says--and here you see the correlation:
...My father is glorified by this:
that you produce much fruit
and prove to be My disciples.
Which is a direct correlation
with what he said in the upper room.
By this all men will know you're My disciples,
If you have love for one another.
So here is the Principle Live By:
As branches connected to the true vine,
Jesus Christ, we should allow
the vineyard keeper, God, to transform
our lives and make us productive.