Connecting to the Jesus Network - Biltmore Baptist Church

Scripture: John 15:1-8 (NIV)

Introduction

If you were here last week, pretty much everything that could go wrong went wrong
I actually picked the offertory hymn myself: Nearer My God to Me
It reminded me how much I felt like I was on the deck of the Titanic last week
At the root of the problem last week was a failure to communicate
This is a 93-year old building that is so solid, a category 5 hurricane couldn’t scratch it
The concrete walls are literally a foot thick
Our modern wireless communications are failing because they can’t get through the walls
That’s what happened last week: the computer in the loft couldn’t talk to the network
So what do you do when wireless won’t work? Go back to using wires
I’ve spent the last week stringing wire all over this place
One way to get through the foot-thick concrete wall is with a drill
Big thanks to Andy for coming up with the ideal plan and for stringing the first 60 feet
I used to do this for a living almost 30 years ago, but I forgot how hard it is
Clearly, this has been on my mind all week so it’s a small stretch to find a sermon in it
Actually, it’s a pretty easy topic to explain Biblically
You see, Jesus knew all about networking even back in 33 AD
There are three things that Jesus is teaching us today about networking:

There is a main branch in a network
There are branches that form the network
A good network bears fruit

1. There is a main branch in a network

The main branch here in our DATA network is the Verizon FIOS connection in my office
Everything from the internet goes in and out through this main branch
The main branch here in our SPIRITUAL network is Jesus Christ
Everything SPIRITUAL goes in and out through HIM because we are CONNECTED to the Jesus NETWORK
Jesus said: “I am the true vine” A VINE is a living NETWORK that brings nutrients to a plant
Jesus is the connection to the Father – the only connection we will ever know
In His own words from John 14:6:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

We have upgraded to a high-speed internet DATA connection
We also have high-speed JesusNet here – we have the Holy Spirit BOOSTER
If our DATA network goes down, there are no words on the screen, no connection to our friends at home; just emptiness
Our Jesus network is a very important connection because without it, we are lost
In our DATA network, there are built in protections to keep our network as safe as possible
Jesus provides the same kind of protection to keep us safe. He says in verse 3:

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

The Jesus network has built-in virus protection for our souls
One of the biggest things we did with our network is quadruple the speed
When you are making a network connection, speed is very important isn’t it?
Jesus understood this requirement.
One of the ways we get network speed is to get rid of all the garbage that slows it down
Jesus tells us that the Father is actively managing the network efficiency

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

If the Father finds something is slowing down the efficiency and speed, what does He do?
He gets rid of it. What does He do with it? He throws it into the fire and burns it
It takes a lot of work to manage a network. It doesn’t just manage itself
I think it is important to note here that Jesus is telling us that the Father does it personally
What does this mean for us?
Does this mean that the moment we drop our connection, God cancels our subscription?
Are we going to be thrown into the fire and burn the first time we mess up?
Well that wouldn’t work because we are all going to mess up – it’s a given
Devout Christians don’t magically stop sinning
I believe what Jesus is addressing here is those who act like they’re Christian, but are not
Oh, they may come to church and go through the motions, but they aren’t connected
They aren’t plugged into the Jesus Network that He is telling us needs to happen
Just as the fruit of a grape vine is the grape, there is fruit in a connected Christian

2. There are branches that form the network

The branches of the Jesus Network, then, are what? Us – Christians
Now getting a person connected to the Jesus Network is a process – just like connecting a data network
People find Christ through other Christians or visiting a church or by birth in a family
Most of the time, it takes work to make that connection strong and viable
God understands this and knows it takes work
That is why He is constantly working His vines and pruning them

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

It’s just as tedious making good connections in our data network
It starts by stringing wire in the walls
Think about that person that visits sitting in the pew kind of just dangling there – not connected
Sure, we are a friendly bunch and we make people feel at home, but folks have to plug in
The good news is that we have plenty of opportunities here to plug in
If you were here yesterday, you saw the virtual army of folks volunteering to help
That’s how you plug in here and get connected – we put you to work.
I don’t mean serving on committees and talking about things we might do
I mean roll up your sleeves and show people in our community Christian love
It’s kind of the same with our data network – you gotta make connections
You use a special tool to crimp these plastic ends on to the wires and hook them up
Once everything is hooked up properly, the network can get stuff done – BEAR FRUIT

3. A good network bears fruit

How do people know we are Christians? By the fruit we bear
What is the fruit of a Christian ? Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Matthew Henry comments on this whole idea of bearing fruit:

We must be fruitful. From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we look for Christianity; this is the fruit, a Christian temper and disposition, a Christian life and conversation, Christian devotions and Christian designs. We must honor God, and do good, and exemplify the purity and power of the religion we profess; and this is bearing fruit.

If I want to see if my data network is bearing fruit, I test it with this handy dandy tester
What I am looking for is a success message showing that I have a good connection
And so it is with our connection to Jesus Christ.
When we find ourselves in times of unconnection, there is a fault in our test
God sees this and looks for ways to turn us back
Jesus said: ”If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “
Father I pray that our connection to you will grow stronger every day and not fail
I know there are times when there will be a fault in our connection
I know that we will stumble and fall and forget to turn to Jesus
But when we remember to turn to Jesus and make that connection, we will bear fruit
Jesus said that “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
We need to continuously upgrade and strengthen our Jesus Network connection
Just like we upgrade and strengthen our DATA connections
Things will just continue to grow and there will be more and more fruitful days like yesterday at Biltmore Baptist Church.