The Vine at its Best
Ezekiel 15:1-8
Our text is another vision from the prophet Ezekiel.
God has used some vivid imagry to illustrate the truths and the lessons that He had for the people of Israel.
Today we will look at a short chapter in Ezekiel that gives us yet another picture to illustrate the consequences of having an unfruitful relationship with God.
The picture that we are given here is that of a vine that has ceased to bear fruit.
Since the chapter is a short one I want to take the opportunity this morning to contrast the vine at its worst with a New Testament passage that shows the vine at its best.
Let us read our text:
Ezekiel 15:1 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?
6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.
8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.
PRAY
Our text, like many before it from Ezekiel is a negative one.
However, it need not have a negative impact on us this morning.
ILL - cliff sign with person falling is a negative warning with a positive impact as it keeps people away from the edge and enjoying their life.
So this negative warning to Israel, a warning of judgement to the unfruitful vine should serve as a warning to us and keep us from becoming unfruitful and spiritually useless.
The Lord historically used four different botanical illustrations to picture the Nation of Israel.
1.) The Olive Tree - picturing the covenant relationship that God had with Israel
2.) The Fig Tree - picturing the nation of Israel as a people in the world, the Jews
3.) The Bramble Bush - picturing the cuttoff nation that has rejected its God and is of no service to the world around it.
4.) The Vine - picturing the spiritual relationship that God has with his people and the results of that fruitful relationship.
In our text this morning, it is the Vine, the symbol of God's spiritually relationship with His people that we see used and this helps us to interpret the deeper meaning of the passage.
The clear imperative to the nation of Israel and to us this morning is this:
Every person must bear fruit.
Let us look to our text for some clear motivation to obey this command and then we will look at a parallell passage in the New Testament that tells us how we can bear fruit.
Every person must bear fruit because:
1.) We were created for this purpose alone. v2-5
2.) We will bring judgment into our lives if we do not bear fruit. v6-8
3.) We will have fullness of Joy if we are bearing fruit for Him. John 15:11
Now we will transistion to John chapter 15 and see the great parallell passage and one in a more positive light.
Joh 15:1 ¶ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 ¶ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
So we have been given ample motivation to bear fruit we only need to know how.
Every person must bear fruit by:
Abiding in the vine.
This is the overall instruction and has its own several steps toward completion.
1.) By being grafted into the vine. Verse 1
No one is born naturally into the vine, we must be grafted in by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
2.) By abiding in His Word. Verse 7
This is where our nourishment comes.
1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
If you are not in the Word daily you are shriveling up for lack of nourishment.
3.) By obeying His commandments Verse 10-12
The one commandment that He reminds us of that is especially important for fruit bearing is the commandment to love each other.
Nothing will rob you of your fruit faster than a lack of love for your fellow brother and sister in Christ.
What kind of vine will you be?
Will you be the vine at its worst portrayed in Ezekiel 15 or the Vine at its best portrayed in John 15?
Ezekiel 15:1-8
Our text is another vision from the prophet Ezekiel.
God has used some vivid imagry to illustrate the truths and the lessons that He had for the people of Israel.
Today we will look at a short chapter in Ezekiel that gives us yet another picture to illustrate the consequences of having an unfruitful relationship with God.
The picture that we are given here is that of a vine that has ceased to bear fruit.
Since the chapter is a short one I want to take the opportunity this morning to contrast the vine at its worst with a New Testament passage that shows the vine at its best.
Let us read our text:
Ezekiel 15:1 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?
6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.
8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.
PRAY
Our text, like many before it from Ezekiel is a negative one.
However, it need not have a negative impact on us this morning.
ILL - cliff sign with person falling is a negative warning with a positive impact as it keeps people away from the edge and enjoying their life.
So this negative warning to Israel, a warning of judgement to the unfruitful vine should serve as a warning to us and keep us from becoming unfruitful and spiritually useless.
The Lord historically used four different botanical illustrations to picture the Nation of Israel.
1.) The Olive Tree - picturing the covenant relationship that God had with Israel
2.) The Fig Tree - picturing the nation of Israel as a people in the world, the Jews
3.) The Bramble Bush - picturing the cuttoff nation that has rejected its God and is of no service to the world around it.
4.) The Vine - picturing the spiritual relationship that God has with his people and the results of that fruitful relationship.
In our text this morning, it is the Vine, the symbol of God's spiritually relationship with His people that we see used and this helps us to interpret the deeper meaning of the passage.
The clear imperative to the nation of Israel and to us this morning is this:
Every person must bear fruit.
Let us look to our text for some clear motivation to obey this command and then we will look at a parallell passage in the New Testament that tells us how we can bear fruit.
Every person must bear fruit because:
1.) We were created for this purpose alone. v2-5
2.) We will bring judgment into our lives if we do not bear fruit. v6-8
3.) We will have fullness of Joy if we are bearing fruit for Him. John 15:11
Now we will transistion to John chapter 15 and see the great parallell passage and one in a more positive light.
Joh 15:1 ¶ I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 ¶ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
So we have been given ample motivation to bear fruit we only need to know how.
Every person must bear fruit by:
Abiding in the vine.
This is the overall instruction and has its own several steps toward completion.
1.) By being grafted into the vine. Verse 1
No one is born naturally into the vine, we must be grafted in by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
2.) By abiding in His Word. Verse 7
This is where our nourishment comes.
1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
If you are not in the Word daily you are shriveling up for lack of nourishment.
3.) By obeying His commandments Verse 10-12
The one commandment that He reminds us of that is especially important for fruit bearing is the commandment to love each other.
Nothing will rob you of your fruit faster than a lack of love for your fellow brother and sister in Christ.
What kind of vine will you be?
Will you be the vine at its worst portrayed in Ezekiel 15 or the Vine at its best portrayed in John 15?
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