Speaker 1: 0:07

Hello, friends, and welcome to the Rooted and Grounded podcast. Thanks for being with us, matt and Wayne.

Speaker 2: 0:12

How are you Good? How about you Good?

Speaker 1: 0:14

All right. So, guys, a very simple question to get us started today, but one that should be common knowledge for us, at least by the end of the answer. What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable? Oh man, really Do we know?

Speaker 3: 0:32

Well, when this question gets asked to me, it reminds me of this one Is it potato or butt-ato? Because I've heard kids say butt-ato. I'm not good at determining what's vegetable or what's fruit.

Speaker 2: 0:50

Yeah, me either. And I'll say that I really like either one of them. He's a meat-only guy.

Speaker 1: 0:58

Dessert.

Speaker 2: 1:02

I think the practical answer is would you put it in?

Speaker 3: 1:04

a fruit salad.

Speaker 1: 1:04

I think that's a practical answer.

Speaker 3: 1:05

I like that. I like that.

Speaker 1: 1:08

Man, that's good, but the real answer is that fruit contains the seed and the veggies are the structural parts of the plant. So vegetables are the roots, stem and leaves, but the fruits are how the plants spread their seed.

Speaker 2: 1:24

Love it, the fruit is Spread their seed. Love it. The fruit is spread their seeds.

Speaker 1: 1:27

Yes, and so, with that thought in mind, that takes us to John 15.

Speaker 3: 1:32

And a little foreshadow. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:35

And Jesus saying that he is the vine, and a big part of what we are going to look at today is the command that Jesus has for us to produce much fruit is the command that Jesus has for us to produce much fruit, and so, if you think back almost a year ago, one of the first two or three episodes that we did was on John 15, and I am divine. Now go back and listen to it if you want to, but I guarantee you that this will be a better episode than what we did when we first started, not that it

Speaker 2: 2:04

was bad, but this one will probably be a little better.

Speaker 1: 2:08

And it'll be different for sure. Yes, I didn't go back and look at notes. I didn't re-listen to it, so this is a fresh take on John 15.

Speaker 3: 2:14

Some freestyle baby, yes, all right, so let's.

Speaker 2: 2:18

On the cruise of life.

Speaker 1: 2:21

Let's read the first eight verses of John 15. Jesus says you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burns. 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 bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Speaker 1: 3:23

So there's two overarching themes, I think, from this passage and this teaching, and those are number one, to abide in the vine, and then number two, like we said, to produce much fruit. And so I want us to develop both of these themes. So, Matt, walk us through what it means when Jesus tells us to abide in the vine. How does someone do that? What do those two things?

Speaker 3: 3:43

mean. So I think the abiding in the vine means to be connected to it. Right, it's the connection to that vine for your source of life. He's saying here we go again.

Speaker 3: 3:59

It's just so ironic that we always have to talk about life. When we talk about Jesus, right, it's not about death, it's always about life with him. He's always a life guy, he's the life provider. And so you think about, I think, just the very simple meaning for abiding is abiding in the vine means to be connected to it. But what it produces is something incredible, because now, all of a sudden, that branch, it starts producing things, it starts producing leaves and it starts producing fruit.

Speaker 3: 4:38

One of the verses that came to my mind and me and Wayne had talked about this before was Proverbs 35. Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him. So, all of the sudden, if I'm connected to that vine, I'm not connected to anything else. So what's coming out of that vine is we talked about it last time the way, the truth and the life and all of those things. Now I can break down and start figuring out what is the way. Okay, is this the right way, or is that the right way? Is that the truth, or is this the truth? Is this going to lead me to life abundantly here, or is it going to draw me into some type of trap? Right, and am I living my life for the one who's going to crown me one day for being a well, uh, a good, and and doing well, well, well done, my good and faithful servant right. Um, I think that really abiding in the vine is a life of obedience, yeah.

Speaker 2: 5:48

Because when you're connected to that vine, you talk about what it means. That's the life-giving source of it. Yeah, because you look at a healthy vine, what it's doing is continue to produce, and you look at the leaves, you look at the fruit of it. It's also healthy. And because it's the life-giving source, it's the life-giving means to be able to sustain that life and that healthiness. And the same thing is true for us spiritually. If we're going to be spiritually healthy, okay, then as a vine, you don't need, you must stay connected, because you know if you disconnect from the vine, what happens, and we've seen it pruning trees yeah you prune trees, you prune a shrub.

Speaker 2: 6:30

What happens as soon as you disconnect it? Within a matter of moments, or an hour or so, whatever, you go back out and you go and that thing was green and vibrant, had health, and now, what is it?

Speaker 3: 6:41

yeah it's dried up, there's no substance to it, there's no life in it yeah, the we got weeds everywhere in the fields and I spray those weeds and you know, uh, they die off for just a little bit but then they come back and I think about I can't remember the exact name of this weed right now, but when I look at it, I mean it is, the stalk is just thick, and I mean those branches that come off of it, I mean they are just so alive and I mean the leaves just keep. And I've thought about that as I've drove through the field and looked at that weed and I think if I just cut that stalk off, I don't even have to pull one of those branches out. It just is, it'll just die.

Speaker 3: 7:29

And I think about, you know, the power of the vine and the power and of of that source of life that comes from it, when I stay attached to it and I can tell in my life if I'm not, if I'm have moved kind of, you know, away from the lord, a little bit distant from him, or haven't prayed to him, or like I had been, or you know you, you find your moments where you're not like what am I doing? Like if I'm aware of that, I can see and sense this, you know, feeling of, I don't feel as well, but when I'm attached to him now, all of a sudden I'm, I'm back to where I need to be, because I'm dealing with my problems. You know a lot better than if I'm just barely hanging on.

Speaker 2: 8:15

You know I can remember talking about that life source. I must have been four or five years old, so you like 40 years ago.

Speaker 3: 8:25

Wow, yeah man, just a little bit of time ago.

Speaker 2: 8:28

My dad told me to go out in the garden and we was going to hoe the Johnson grass out of the, you know, get the weeds out of the corn. Well, I didn't know the difference in corn and Johnson grass because it was pretty small corn. Well, he just said I'll be out there in a minute. You go ahead and start hoeing. Well, I'll just tell you this if you cut the live source off of corn, it'll die too.

Speaker 3: 8:54

And I thought I was going to die as a result of it. I thought my life story would be taken away because I think I did some johnson grass.

Speaker 2: 9:01

I'm going to tell you guys, I did a lot of corn and the results were the same you cut it off from the live source, it's gone. Yep, it's gone, that's right.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Well, and I think about abiding is kind of the difference between being at your house versus either visiting someone else or going on vacation.

Speaker 3: 9:19

It's just different.

Speaker 1: 9:20

That's right. You can have a good time at someone's house.

Speaker 3: 9:22

It can be nice.

Speaker 1: 9:23

You can be comfortable, but you are not at home at someone else's house, and when you're at home you are comfortable. You feel safe, you feel at someone else's house, and when you're at home, you are comfortable, you feel safe, you feel peace, you feel love, you feel all those things, and I think that's a big part of abiding in the vine is the difference between going to someone's house. Like I said it's nice, but you don't live there, and I think a lot of people want to visit Jesus's house.

Speaker 1: 9:48

They want a little Jesus. Oh, it's nice, it was good to see you but they don't want Jesus to live in them. They don't want to live in him. And so I think for us a big challenge and a big thought is how comfortable are we in Christ? Are we truly abiding in the vine, or are we just there for an afternoon?

Speaker 3: 10:09

Yeah, I think that's a I mean great point. Yeah, am I just visiting, or hey, this is where I live. You know, I'm excited to live here you need to come and live here too take up residence.

Speaker 2: 10:21

Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna take up residence. Take up residence in christ, that's right. You know, yeah all right, so.

Speaker 1: 10:28

So that's the abiding in the vine part Now. Wayne talk to us about the producing fruit aspect. I mean obviously abiding in Christ. The results are very evident. But also not abiding in Christ has very pronounced produce as well.

Speaker 2: 10:43

Yeah, that's exactly right, you know. Look again with me to verse 8, guys, by this my Father is glorified. You know we have talked about this so many times in the seven I am statements of jesus. His whole life ministry was trying to bring and bringing glory to the father in heaven. And he starts out here with this I am saying by this my father is glorified.

Speaker 2: 11:05

Well, how is that christ talking to his disciples, talking to us as followers of Jesus, talking to us as the branches? Because we've already established who the vine is. We want to take up residence there, we want to abide there. So when we do that, not only is God, the Father, glorified, but that you bear much fruit and so prove I don't want us to miss that and so prove that you are my disciples. So when you look at verse 8, god is telling us, if we're going to be a follower of god, if we're going to stay connected when we are connected to to the vine of life, then there's going to be some things that happen. Number one is that you're going to have a proof here. That's right. It's going to be evident. You know, when you, when you're home, it's evidence that you're by your comfort. A proof here. That's right, it's going to be evident. You know, when you're home. It's evidence that you're by your comfort and the peace that you were talking about a few moments ago. So Jesus says it is proof of something. What does it prove? I'm connected to the vine, I'm a follower of Christ.

Speaker 2: 12:04

But he also goes ahead and says back in verse 6, he kindly establishes a contrast. As I said In verse 6, he kindly establishes a contrast. As I said In verse 6, if anyone does not abide, you don't take up residence. It's not your home. Okay, maybe you're just visiting. Okay. In verse 6, he said if you're just visiting me and you're not abiding in me, guess what? Thrown away and like a and it withers, and the end result are the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and the result is not good. They're burned, just like that thing I was telling you a few moments ago, chopping down the corn and the Johnson grass. You know what happened to them both and we gathered them up after I, after a few other actions after a timeout after a timeout and I could barely walk, but limping along.

Speaker 2: 13:00

I helped pull those out of the garden and guess what we did with them? We set them on fire.

Speaker 2: 13:07

After I was set on fire okay, and so we say that laughing. But there's a serious side of that, guys, because he says if you don't bear that fruit, then it's evidence that you're not abiding in me, that you haven't taken up residence and and you know there's such a contrast. Uh, matt and I were talking earlier about the galatians 5. Yeah, the the fruit of the spirit. You know, a lot of times we hear people say the fruits of the Spirit, no, singular, it's exactly right, matt, it's singular, it is a fruit. Then what happens to that is that fruit is the Lord's way, and the Lord's way is it is going to continue to bear fruit. In other words you said it earlier that's how the seed is spread, right. Isn't that what you said earlier? That's how the seed is spread, right? You know what you said. The seed is spread. Well, there's all kind of seed to be spread. I mean seed is the word of god. Luke 8, 11. Yeah, so we want to sow that seed in in hearts and lives. Um, that will produce more fruit. Yeah, you know, it's like what's second emphathy 2, 2, you, you plant the word of god and faithful people, and they'll plant it again and other faithful people.

Speaker 2: 14:12

So there's an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is we share, we evangelize, we share the Word of God because of what it means to us, of how it's produced in our life, what it produces, that fruit of the Spirit is that joy and that love and that meekness, et cetera, that we read about in Galatians, chapter 5. Meekness, et cetera, that we read about in Galatians 5. So we have the blessing of dwelling in and taking up residence and living in Christ and then we get to share that and pass that along to others because of the result. It's the Lord's way and when we've looked at the seven I am statements, we've just seen over and over what that means to followers of Christ, people abiding in the vine, where there's life and vitality and happiness and joyful living and healthy, not only life here but then a healthy spiritual life that results in a beautiful place called heaven. But you got to stay connected.

Speaker 3: 15:13

So the last lesson that we did in 2024 was on the last we did a two-parter. It was on Psalm 22. And it was talking about that. You know the struggles that David had, for sure. But then it talked about this idea of you know the, the prophesied messiah, and the struggle that he would have on the cross. Well, I think that there's a big component in here that you know is worthy of our understanding too. In verse two, he every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit.

Speaker 3: 15:58

And the reason why I bring up Psalm 22 is because Wayne said it my father is glorified when you bear much fruit. Well, the way that I'm going to bear that fruit is sometimes having to consider it all. Joy when I face various trials, knowing what's going to be produced in me, patience so that when I talk to somebody else, the fruit that I give them is going to be something very different. And I think you know a lot of times people, I mean think about Paul, 2 Corinthians 12,. Paul says I asked three times for this thorn of flesh to be removed and Jesus said back to him my grace is good enough.

Speaker 3: 16:43

Okay, so if I'm going to be able to bear fruit correctly, I'm going to have to boast in my affliction. I'm going to have to boast in my affliction. I'm going to have to boast in my persecution. So that pruning process hurts in the moment because it's cutting away something that we don't need. But what it's doing is what we don't understand maybe in the moment is it's allowing us to grow something that's going to produce a fruit that is full of seeds, man.

Speaker 2: 17:13

Exactly why we prune our trees, yes, and our shrubs. I mean, you know, you cut those rose bushes down so that it'll grow and it'll be even more beautiful. You do it so it'll be thick. What do you say? It's thicker and it's.

Speaker 3: 17:26

You know. Looks, the bush is more full. Let me trim over here because I know next year it'll come back. And the bush is more full. Let me trim over here because I know next year it'll come back. And that's how it always does, isn't it just crazy? It may just be a coincidence that Jesus always uses illustrations that you could see and that you know.

Speaker 2: 17:44

Oh well, man that actually is true. They're not abstract. Yeah, it's not like a crazy illustration, it's not something you've never seen or never done yeah, but when you look at the fruit of the Spirit, it's not like a crazy illustration or never done. Yeah, but when you look at the fruit of the Spirit, it doesn't say it could be, it might be. It's just like we were talking in the last episode when he says the way the truth. He says the fruit of the Spirit is Is it is. It's absolute. Yeah, it's absolute.

Speaker 2: 18:05

This is what it should be producing in life.

Speaker 1: 18:07

Yeah. So I want us to talk a little bit more about how to produce that fruit. So let me read verses 9 through 11 of John 15. As the Father has loved me, so have I 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 my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. And so, guys, while Jesus loves all, there are certain conditions that we have to uphold to truly know and abide in the love of God, and one of those, jesus says, is that we have to keep his commandments. And so what does Jesus have in mind when he says keep my commandments.

Speaker 3: 18:54

I mean, I think that you know. The one thing that we talked about was 1 John. I want to just read this 1 John, chapter 5. I just love this idea. This is a great setup. It says verse three, for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome, whatever it is. Forgive, have a heart that mourns, be a peacemaker. We talked about this before. Consider it joy. When you're persecuted for my namesake, go the extra mile, turn the other cheek. We can go on and on about you know forgive, love your neighbor like I love you. You know all of the commandments that Jesus gave and tried to promote and push.

Speaker 3: 19:57

Some of those commandments are hard to do because we get in the way and when we allow ourselves. I mean that is the call for the Christian. If anybody desires to follow me, they must first deny their self. And if I can deny myself, then I look at those commandments as not rules. I look at those commandments as what I do. Where I reside, where I live at, I live on the vine, and when I live on that vine, what comes out is just what he says. That's why Paul and all them boys would say you know Paul, slave of Jesus Christ or bond servant of Jesus Christ, I'm willing to do whatever he says and I'm okay. Even if I don't want to do it, I'm doing it anyway, right.

Speaker 2: 20:53

Yeah, and then even following up on verse 3, you know, so many people look at the Word of God as being so restrictive and taking away our joy and we can't enjoy life. Listen, the best life to enjoy is life in Christ. That's right. Okay, Because of what it gives, the fruit that it produces. But look at verse 4. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. That doesn't sound burdensome to me. Okay.

Speaker 3: 21:15

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 21:15

And this is the victory that doesn't sound burdensome. That doesn't sound burdensome to me. I mean this victory that has overcome the world. What is it? Our faith? It's our faith, man, our following, our trust, staying connected. You know, back in verse uh, john 15 and verse 10, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. And then he says just as I've kept my father's we've all said it before, guys jesus has never asked us to do something he wasn't willing to do himself. He kept the commandments and he asked us to do the same thing. Just again, back to our last step. He's the way. He didn't just speak of the way, he showed the way. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 21:53

The law of Moses, remember. He says I didn't come to destroy it, I came to fulfill it. So in his mind, in his mind this is kind of taking it into another thought really but in his mind, keeping those commandments were not a burden to him. Keeping those commandments, I mean, what was the reason for the law? It was to elevate the sin, no doubt. So he knew that, because I mean for lack of a better term he's the one who created those right. But he knows exactly what the law was going to do. It was going to elevate, to keep you away from sinning. And he kept that thing not as a burden but as a victory, because he knew if he did them they would be, he would be victorious in his life.

Speaker 3: 22:39

Man, that's incredible to me, because now the law of liberty is a very blessed thing, because I don't receive that stoning when I sin. But I say you know what? The reason why I don't receive that stoning when I sin is because Jesus' grace is sufficient and I need to respect that man. That kind of gets me in, just kind of in awe of what you said just a second ago. Jesus was never asking us to do something that he wasn't willing to do himself and he did it with all effort. And sometimes I find myself like man, I don't really want to do that.

Speaker 2: 23:23

But you know, we've said it so many times in our various episodes Jesus talked the talk, walked the walk. Guys, he talked the talk. He told us what we needed to do for our benefit. Commandments are not personal. But then he went right along and he did it himself. He kept the commandments of the Father. He came to do his will, not his own. And if I can just learn to walk in those steps, not only be a blessing in my life, it'll produce so much fruit well, he says in verse 14 you are my friends if you do whatever I command you.

Speaker 3: 23:57

No longer do I call you servants, for servant doesn't know what his master's doing, but I call you friends For all things that I heard from my father. I'm making known to you. Like what king is going to give all the things out, like I'm going to withhold some information. I'll just tell you what I need to do, and the reason why is because there's selfish motivation in it. Well, jesus was selfless and he wants you to elevate as much as you can. And he's saying the only way that that's happening is if you abide in the vine.

Speaker 1: 24:30

Well, and I think too, it's important to remember that this is the last time Jesus is going to be with his apostles before the cross, and so this is part of the four chapters or so parting message that he is giving and he's saying abide in me even though. I'm not going to be here. Abide in me and throughout these kind of teen chapters of John Jesus talks a lot about the Holy Spirit as being the helper as being the gift as the.

Speaker 1: 24:57

I'm not leaving you alone, I'm giving you a helper and when we look at verse 11, kind of with that Holy Spirit mindset of I am not leaving you alone. Jesus says I have spoken these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. Even though I'm not going to be here physically. I've given you my joy, and I want your joy to be full too. So, as Jesus imparts his joy to us and as we wrap up this series on the I am, I want us to think about the difference between joy and happiness in kind of a biblical spiritual context, because Jesus promises that we will have his joy and that it will be full, but that joy doesn't necessarily equate to happiness.

Speaker 1: 25:44

So, guys, what is Jesus getting at and what's the takeaway for us from verse 11?

Speaker 2: 25:52

Oh man, how many hours do we have?

Speaker 1: 25:57

We've got four minutes left.

Speaker 3: 26:04

Look, there is no way I'll just say it like this there is no way that Jesus Christ was happy when they smacked them nails in his hand. There is no way that he was happy when he got those nails just pierced through his feet, but there was joy. Well, we've said it, there was joy, man. You know we preached through the last two months of the year. Well, we've said it, there was joy, man.

Speaker 2: 26:24

You know we preached through the last two months of the year. We preached on the Beatitudes and one of the things we kept stressing happiness comes and goes, joy abides, yep. And joy that God gives us through his son, jesus, by his commandments, us abiding in him is something never leaves us because, as Jesus by his commandments, us abiding in him is something that never leaves us. Because, as we've said more than once, joy is untouchable. It's not dependent on the changes of life.

Speaker 1: 26:53

Happiness is Well, and I think about how James starts. He doesn't say count it all happiness.

Speaker 3: 26:58

That's right.

Speaker 1: 26:59

Count it. All joy, that's right. Whenever those trials?

Speaker 3: 27:02

come.

Speaker 1: 27:02

All right guys. So, as we bring this episode and this series on the IM statements, to a close. I think it's been a really strong series, especially as we did this to kick off 2025. But what else do we need to conclude with on the IMs and this can either be your make it real or just kind of closing thoughts on this episode in this series.

Speaker 3: 27:30

I think that there it was no coincidence that Jesus used the phrase I am. It takes us all the way back to the burning bush. And you think about what God told Moses when he said what do I tell those elders of Israel? And he said you tell them, I am since you, I am that, I am, I'm all things to you. I'm the resurrection, I'm your truth, I'm your bread. I mean, name them, I am all these things for you.

Speaker 3: 28:07

And I did want to just say real quick you think about this joy and happiness. Happiness will always say you know, and end with I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do, don't know what I'm going to do, I don't know what I'm going to do. But joy always ends with but God, every time I got this struggle and I got this thing. But God, happiness is, I just didn't get my way and I just don't know what's going to happen. But for me, thinking about these I am's, it just draws me closer to Jesus and it makes me love him so much more and I'm so thankful that I get to be a part of his family. I mean really.

Speaker 2: 28:52

I'll just say the commandments of Jesus. Going back for this episode, the commandments of Jesus are not burdensome, they're joy giving.

Speaker 3: 29:00

Verse 11.

Speaker 1: 29:01

Yep, they're joy giving. Yep, they're joy given verse 11.

Speaker 2: 29:02

Yep, they're joy given, yep.

Speaker 1: 29:05

And I want to read John 15, 15. It says no longer do I call you servants for the servant does not know what his master is doing but, I, have called you friends. For all that I have heard from my father I have made known to you. And I think Jesus has given us all of himself and all that we need for this life and the life to come. There are a lot of competing voices and vices for what life should be, but the ultimate answer is always the great I am.

Speaker 2: 29:31

Amen, I love that, guys. Well said bro.

Speaker 1: 29:35

Great series. It really enjoyed this with you and I think I think after this we're going to kind of transition into the church We've established Jesus as the I am and to kind of transition into the church. We've established Jesus as the I Am and now, after Christ is gone, he has his church to carry out his work and his mission. So I think we'll spend a few episodes on that in the coming episodes and look forward to that.

Speaker 1: 29:55

If you all continue to join us. Feel free to share this episode with people you come across as we continue to spread the word of God. Thank you so much. See you.