This Sunday will be my first official Sunday in the pulpit of Desert Springs. I guess I was technically their pastor after my examination. But now we have moved and are in the process of settling in.
In May I will begin a series called Foundations of Faith from Genesis. But I had 1 Sunday lost in the shuffle there. So I figured that of the recent sermons I preached in Vero Beach, the one of John 15 would be the most appropriate as we begin our life together.
Why so important? Jesus is the true vine, and we can do NOTHING without Him. I am merely one of the branches. We must remember to seek our life in and from Him. Jesus is the one essential component of a vibrant church.
Not only that but we must recognize the roll of fruitfulness as an inevitability of union with Christ the vine. If we are really connected to Him by faith through the Spirit, we will be fruitful.
Third, the Father will prune all who are to be even more fruitful. We are not to plateau, but to continue to increase in fruitfulness.
I’m thankful to read the pertinent portions of D.A. Carson’s commentary on the Gospel According to John in the Pillar New Testament Commentary series due to the gift of a friend. I’m also relying on Leon Morris’ volume in the NICNT series. He’s one of my favorite commentators.
Next time I spend time in John, I may want to look for Dick Lucas and William Philip’s Teaching John. Lucas is someone Tim Keller often mentions as a thoughtful exegete and preacher of the Word.
Cavman Considers 
Leave a Reply