Known by the Vinedresser
Mercy Culture Church | Pastor Dehavilland Ford
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Cards
John 15:1-11
BSB
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.
2 He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.
9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
11 I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
2 He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.
9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
11 I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
BSB
Luke 10:38-42
BSB
38 As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
BSB
Being known by the Vinedresser comes from abiding.
Question: Why would Jesus talk in such detail about growing grapes when He’s in His darkest hour?
Abide in me. Remain in me. Apart from me, you can do nothing.
Yashab: abide – Dwell, remain, sit
Shakhan: divine presence/ shekinah glory
Abide: Ménō– To remain, stay in a continued place or condition, and state of being in relationship.
Shakhan: divine presence/ shekinah glory
Abide: Ménō– To remain, stay in a continued place or condition, and state of being in relationship.
Isaiah 5:1-7
BSB
1 I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!
3 “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?
5 Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
2 He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!
3 “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?
5 Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
BSB
Jeremiah 2:21
BSB
21 I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?
BSB
Premature fruit without deep roots won’t last.
Pruning process:
Trims
Shapes grapevines
Removes unnecessary growth
Focuses on bearing fruit
Trims
Shapes grapevines
Removes unnecessary growth
Focuses on bearing fruit
What is pruned in your dormant season is birthed in harvest season.
Let Him prune you now —so He doesn’t have to cut you later.
The vinedresser determines the optimal time to harvest grapes and factors in sweetness and ripeness.
God is the one who determines your time of harvest!
God is the one who determines your time of harvest!
Caution: Don’t focus on production, focus on abiding!
Warning: When you spend more time focusing on the production of fruit you will become cynical of your process and jealous of others' progress.
Luke 10:38-42
BSB
38 As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
BSB
She’s placing presence over performance.
Kalos: something is made well and looks good. Kalos can even include inner beauty or virtue.
Agathos: usefulness or benefit, “good works”
When you’re known by the Vinedresser and He is known by you, you’ll place His presence over your performance.
Known is not works, known is intimacy.
John 15:7
BSB
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
BSB
Romans 1:25
BSB
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.
BSB
Caution: Don’t allow the success of the world to be your barometer for abiding and producing fruit.
The difference between abiding and striving
Abiding
You rest in the finish work of the cross
You don’t walk in the fear of man and others’ opinions
You don’t judge other people’s process or progress, and you empower others around you
You connect with God daily
Striving
You can’t accept that you’re already known and loved by yourFather, so you strive to prove yourself to God and others
You make it hard for others to experience God and judge their process
You treat your intimacy with God like a chore rather than an encounter
You don’t Sabbath and think by working harder you can earn God’s love
Abiding
You rest in the finish work of the cross
You don’t walk in the fear of man and others’ opinions
You don’t judge other people’s process or progress, and you empower others around you
You connect with God daily
Striving
You can’t accept that you’re already known and loved by yourFather, so you strive to prove yourself to God and others
You make it hard for others to experience God and judge their process
You treat your intimacy with God like a chore rather than an encounter
You don’t Sabbath and think by working harder you can earn God’s love
Practical Advice: Being known comes from spending time with the One you love the most.
Caution: You can do a whole a lot apart from Jesus and bring Him a grape thinking it’s a vineyard.
Song of Solomon 4:9
BSB
9 You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.
BSB
leb: heart
labab: “ravished my heart,” “captured my heart” or “made my heart beat faster.”
labab: “ravished my heart,” “captured my heart” or “made my heart beat faster.”
Practical Advice: You gaze by spending time in praise and worship, as you open your heart to God.
What you behold is what you become.
John 15:9-10
BSB
9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
BSB
