“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land” (Exodus 3:7-8a)

I have observed…

I have heard…

I have come down…

I have come down to deliver them…

I have come down to deliver them to bring them to a good and broad land…

Forget about the Deistic view of the “Unmoved Mover.”

Forget about the about the Aristotelian “First Mover.”

Forget about the grandpa figure sitting up on cloud nine.

The God that the Bible describes is a God who sees, hears, intrudes in order to deliver. And thank God for that! That’s the God I need!

Our God is a God who sends his Son to die for our sins in order that we could live in God’s glory and love forever.

No wonder the responses appropriate to such a God is love, adoration, gratitude, and worship.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower” – John 15:1

John chapters 13-17 contain Jesus’ last discourse with his disciples that occurred the night of his arrest. These are the last words of Jesus to prepare his disciples for the days ahead. He could have told them so many things but of all the things Jesus could have shown them, Jesus brings his disciples into a vineyard to teach them about vines, branches, and fruit.

What’s the deal with vines, branches, and fruit?

Every vineyard exists for one purpose: to bear as much fruit as possible. The vine-grower provides everything that the vine needs to produce fruit: water, sunshine, shade, fertilizer, pest control, etc. As long as the branches remain in the vine, fruit is the result.

Jesus highlights four types of branches:

• No fruit – the vine-grower removes (v.2)
• Some fruit – the vine-grower prunes to make it bear more fruit (v.2b)
• More fruit – these are the branches that have been pruned by the vine-grower (v.2b)
• Much fruit – these are branches that abide in Jesus (v.4)

So, what’s the deal with vines, branches, and fruit?

No matter what kind of a world we find ourselves in – whether we live in a world with a crazy emperor who is set on killing and murdering Christians, a world that is decimated by the plague, a world that is at war – if we abide in Christ and he in us, he gives us the capacity to bear much fruit. In fact, the Father expects as much.

This is good news. Jesus is the key to living a life that bears much fruit.

I encourage you to spend some time today dwelling on what it means to abide in Christ and he in us. For that is the key to bearing much fruit. Yes, even in the midst of a world-wide pandemic, we are called to bear much fruit.

In closing, I’d like to give you a hint about abiding in Christ. It is not so much about effort as it is about being, dwelling, presencing.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” – John 14:6

“Are you sure about the definite article?”

That was the question I was asked during my ordination examination. In my statement of faith, I quoted John 14:6, and the problem one of the examiners had regarding my statement of faith was the definite article.

“Are you sure you don’t want to change it to an indefinite article ‘a’?”

At which point I wanted to blurt out, “You do know this is a direct quotation of Jesus in the Scriptures?” but I decided to be cordial and just replied, “Absolutely, unequivocally certain that the definite article stays.”

“The.”

Who knew such a tiny word to cause such a stir. But this definite article makes all the difference in the world. And that’s the problem so many people have with Jesus.

Few people have problems with Jesus who is a way, truth, and life. Few people will argue with the historical impact for good that Jesus has made in our world.

The issue is with that tiny word – THE.

THE changes everything.

No matter what we are facing in the world, Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world precisely because Jesus is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No one comes to the Father except through him.

There is no other pathway to salvation and eternal life. This is the Jesus our world needs more than ever!