I Am The True Vine | Pastor Keion Henderson

I want to take you to the book of John chapter 15 I'm gonna read verse 1 and a few of the following and we'll get right into the Word of God John chapter 15 beginning at verse number 1 and here's what the word says I am The True Vine and my father is the husbandman and every branch in me that beareth NOT fruit he taketh away in every branch that beareth fruit he prunes it now that when I read that I was like okay well if if I if I don't bear fruit you take me away and if I do then you cut me it doesn't that seem strange it seems like if you bear fruit you ought to be left alone he says if if if you bear fruit then he proves it oh that it may bring forth more fruit now you are cleaning through the word which I have spoken to you 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 I'm gonna talk about the purpose of pruning every one of us will experience some cuts in the next three moments I'm going to talk to you about why give your neighborhood a high-five on your way to the seat and say the purpose of pruning you may be seated in the presence of the Lord contrary to popular belief I am NOT one that subscribes to the mindset that people are connected through pleasurable experiences typically when we're looking for relationships our friends we connect around what we have in common if you like this and they like that then there is a place for friendship and if you'd like to do this and they'd like to do that then you find yourselves hanging out going to the same places like the same people like the same music the same movies but I really believe that people are not connected holistically and eternally because of pleasure I think what really connects people is pain if you're gonna have anything solid in the realm of love whether it be storge agape it's built on the connectivity of pain Mothers Against Drunk Driving a group of mothers who would have never known each other would have probably never come in contact with one another but they are now inextricably connected because either their son or daughter has died in a car accident as a result of a drunk driver and now these people know each other for life they don't all have the same economic status they don't all live in the same neighborhoods but they're connected for life because of a tragedy some people find their best friends in a a meetings because perhaps alcohol has ripped the very fiber in fabric of their family away and they get in a room and they discuss their miseries and their sorrows and they are connected by their pain that there there is this if you've been paying attention over the last few years as it seems that the african-american male has been overly exposed to murder at the hands of officers or whether it's the same or whether there's much exposure to it if you watch TV you see the mothers of all of these young african-american men sitting on stages together talking about violence and police brutality they would not have known each other otherwise they wouldn't have known each other whether it be the mother from Minnesota or the mother from Florida or the mother from California they would have never met they don't have anything in common they didn't go to school together they didn't graduate together they didn't come from the same fraternity and sorority they are inextricably connected because they have lost something that only another person who has lost stet will understand because pain typically brings us together more than pleasure that's why the Bible says after you have suffered a while then God will establish you you see the establishment comes after the suffering God does not establish a thing that hasn't suffered what you are going through right now is the payment for the establishment that before God will ever lift you to the levels of hopes the level of a process the level of dream God says first thing I got to do is to let you suffer and it's not gonna be forever listen to what I said I said after you've suffered a while it may last a while but it won't last forever touch somebody say it's gonna last awhile but but it won't last forever at some point in all of our lives everybody in here has been hurt everybody in here has been betrayed everybody in here has been taken advantage of that's the suffering everybody say suffering but John 15 describes the moment when your suffering is no longer the birth child of your relationships John introduces us to a new dimension what do you do when God initiates the suffering I I could understand suffering when I've made the bad choice because I am aware of consequences I can understand running out of gas and having to walk home because I knew I should have filled the tank up I can understand the heartburn of eating food that I shouldn't eat at the wrong hour I can understand are you with me so far that there's some consequences that you understand because while you're doing that you're praying that the consequences don't happen Oh y'all y'all go you're not gonna say man you you know good and well you don't have no business eating that hot food and while you're eating it you're like okay Lord just not today right R or R you start taking medicine before you eat that's how you know you ain't got no business even when you start eating something to take care of what you're about to eat when you start swallowing pills and getting ready time out I'm gonna go out and I may eat this and I'm gonna get ready because you don't have no but but but if it doesn't work you understand that there are consequences I understand those consequences the ones I don't understand is when I am bearing fruit and God takes a knife to my situation I god I can understand you cut me if I wasn't bearing fruit and I can understand you cutting me if I wasn't praying and I can understand suffering if I wasn't in church at nine o'clock and I could understand suffering if I didn't pray and I can understand suffering if I cussed everybody out they got on my nerve I could understand suffering if I wasn't tithe and I could understand it but what I can't not wrap my mind around is why am i suffering when I'm letting people off of the hook I don't understand why am i suffering when I'm given ten percent why am i suffering what do you do when God initiates the suffering that's where we are I am The True Vine and my daddy what is really saying is he's the dude that does the cutting you got to understand that there's disability up bad cop' happening here where the daddy comes with the scissors and the son stands in between the cut he says I am the vine you better accept me because if you don't accept me you gonna have to deal with the vine dresser or y'all not here with me today so you'll see what what has to happen is you've got to come to an understanding that there are consequences for seeing and all of us have been born in the sin and shapen in iniquity there is not a person in this room including me stand in this pulpit who is without sin that's why the story says that he who is without sin should cast the first stone so since we can wipe off of the plate that all of us are perfect what we need to do is be thanking God that we have a son a vine a Jesus who has stood in between us and the divine dresser y'all not here with me today he says I am The True Vine but but my daddy he is he's divine dressing he's the he's the husband man and in the book of John God lets us know seven times that he is he says I am the bread of life if you eat of me you'll never be hungry again I am The Good Shepherd he says I I make sure that I take care of my sheep and perhaps you're looking for safe passage to the next level don't worry about it I am the door yeah yeah did y'all reach our Bible this here such a them say pastors tell the truth he's telling the truth he said and just in case it just in case you are you're having difficulty finding illumination that you might be able to see the new prospectus that I have for your experience I am the light of the world I am the way I am the truth and I am the light and no one goes to the Father oh I love the word except by me in a conversation with with Lazarus's sister of Mary and Martha they said to him if you had been here our brother would not have died he says they say so so so witness witness all of this stuff going to happen and he says winners are gonna grow they're gonna get up they said oh yeah we know that he's going to get up yeah but it's going to be in the last day at the resurrection they say Jesus says Mary I got it you know what I'm called but you don't know why I'm calling he says you know who I am but you don't know it through experience you're talking about him getting up at the resurrection and you don't understand I am the resurrection touch somebody to say whatever you are looking for God is I don't know who that is for in this place but whatever you are looking for God is not he will be not he shall be not he can be but no matter if it is past present or future god always am Oh y'all missed that he is a very present help in the time of a storm somebody shout God is there is never time that God was he is the fairest of 10,000 he is the one that he is and was and is to come wherever timeframe you're in God is if you had a teleporter to take you back to the past God is if you had safe passage into the future when you got to the future God will still be in he never becomes began before the beginning began and God always is somebody say God is God is money God is help God is present God is tranquility God is whatever you need sometimes you miss God looking for God in other people you will never find God's resume in somebody else I implore you I beseech you my brothers by the very mercies of God to understand that whatever you need God is you need money he owns the silver and the gold you need a healin he's a doctor there's never lost a patient you got legal trouble he's a lawyer that's never lost a case your friends tripping on you he'll stick closer then any brother touch them sell as long as I got Jesus I don't need nobody else I can stop preaching right there because I just gave you your answer you've been looking for the right thing in the wrong place but my god not that God not that person but my God shall supply all of my needs according to his riches in glory I wish I had about 100 people who would stand on the promises of God and recognize that if God said it you can count on it you might not have it right now but if God said it you can count on it God is he's a very present help in the time of a storm but what you must understand is that pruning must always be done with a purpose and the only two purposes God would ever prune a person is either to change him or to train him there is no other purpose for cut he is not cutting you because he's mad God ain't petty like you you know you ever met somebody so petty they just just got to say something just to get at you just just can't let it go have y'all ever anybody met any petty people just look at you they say are you petty I ain't got time for it I don't have time for it God ain't petty goddamn mad at you because you made mistakes listen this is - I know that people don't really know God because while in the world with Jesus Christ died on the cross and still have attitude he already died on the cross he already know you crazy pits you crazy he shapes you crazy knowing that you were safe in this in this touch of them said God I already know who you are so you can get your little Holy Ghost self together why are you up here in church trying to act all good and and not you know not subscribe to sin no I I can handle anything you might barely have anything but you and also did everything and if there's anybody in here that just want to stop for a few seconds and thank God that soul neighbor don't even know who you are they'll even have a clue what you've done that's why he hides us in the secret somebody shot God thank you for hiding me is there anybody there glad that God ain't in the exposure business that's why I'd like to fool with folk because if they ever find out who you really are [Applause] say you look at you look at this look at this text you see that he only does it for to read he's trying to either train you or change you it's the only reason either you need a training or changing he's either trying to train you or he's trying to change those are the only two purposes because he never cuts anything that doesn't have potential see your husband and your wife your children they don't need to be worried when you yell at them they need to be worried where you say you know what don't worry about it don't don't don't worry about it don't worry about it don't worry about no look that that's that's what you need to be scared as long as she time out you get on my leg I can't stare you why are you acting like that that means she's trying to get you to act right whenever she say okay it don't even matter you need to get down on your knees and you need to start praying and praising and asking God to restore your faith because once a woman stops talking you're done [Music] see the same don't go for me because mere will talk no way but when a woman says don't worry about it you better you better worry about it because she's either trying to change you or trying you jolly fellows it is what it is she's trying to change you I'll try you and she tell her girls almost got him girl he better come around girl you ain't there yeah but I'm still working on him about five more meals if I cook for him three more times I'm gonna have him right where I want him he only cuts to Train let's change the first purpose of pruning is God is trying to get you to pay attention to your attachments it's the first reason you're being pruned right now he's trying to get you to pay attention to what you're connected to everybody say attachments every branch in me that does not bear fruit I take it away every branch god says every unproductive person in my ecosystem no matter how much I love them if they are not fruitful I disconnect in the world of horticultural ISM it is called crown cleaning the removal of dead dying and diseased wrenches how many of you in here know that you're connected to dead dying diseased attachments crown cleaning whenever your attachments are dead dying in diseased you're putting your crown at risk sometimes he prunes because your life is crowded with dead dying and diseased attachments he's not trying to cut you but you feel it because of how long you've been connected have you ever put a gauze of something on a wound and left it on too long there was no way to remove it without hurting the womb because the dressing has connected with the pain when the Bible talks about separating the wheat from the tear it is actually a ancient grass called denarii which from a distance looks exactly like grass as a matter of fact when you drive up on this property that green stuff you see that ain't no grass those are weeds but from a distance it looks like a lawn and I got to cut it like grass because from a distance it passes inspection we spend $5,000 a month cutting weeds because we just pretend to be grass they have the same color they grow but upon closer inspection you find out that it is not what it pretends to be and I'm wondering how many plastic relationships and how many weed eaters are in your life using your soil to continue to pretend to be productive and now that the father has come to separate the wheat from the tear he cannot get the terror without tearing you because you and the tear have been so intimate that when he rips it you feel the pain and see to think about weeds they can grow anywhere grass has to be in soil so what do we says take me out I'll grow on the freeway I'll grow in the crack I'll grow anywhere because I don't need productive soda to grow all I need is a host all I need is somebody to feed upon I'm wondering if you are tired and broke and frustrated and angry I'm wondering is that your situation or is that your attachment I'm wondering are you spending money on people that you shouldn't be spending money on I'm wondering are you spending psychological capital on people who do nothing but drain you I'm wondering are you spending every day trying to convince somebody that they need to love you when you don't even love them or yourself I'm wondering are you trying to force yourself into a relationship that should have been over years ago I'm wondering are you trying to save face and god says whatever you have unproductive attachments cut it out yeah he looked good but is he a weed yes she fine yes she fine but if she had dandelion not a rose I'm trying to figure out which one I'll let your boy not come on give you a name high five say it's a weed I know it is I know it is first Corinthians 15 says do not be deceived bad company ruins goods intentions bad company ruins good intentions you can have good intentions but when you are around bad company that's why you say I'm gonna stop gossiping but your friends do so whenever you get around them you ain't gonna get better when you hang it around folks who don't whenever you get around bad people your good intentions will go right out the door before you know it you'll be talking about folks that you ain't got no business talking about angry with somebody you don't got no business being mad at bad company messes up good intentions that's the book John said beloved do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God all attachments must be tested one day I called Comcast I told him I said man y'all need to come out here cuz my internet ain't working y'all come out here I'm so tired of calling them people don't know what to do it's always something and I called him I said y'all need to come and fix this thing and they said well what we're gonna troubleshoot I said all right well I done tried everything but we can troubleshoot they said reset the box said it did that they said do this I said it did that y'all sent somebody out so they sent somebody out man got all the way out there to find out doggone cable wasn't even connected in the back of the TV and he looked at me and said something that I thought I'd share to you you're never gonna get a signal if you don't have a connection I [Applause] don't care how many times you reset the box I don't care how many times you take them out to occur I don't care how many restaurants you go to I don't care how many steaks you buy I don't care how many shoes you buy I don't care how many purses you buy I don't care how many trips you take together y'all ain't gonna get nowhere if there's no real connection your attachments are prohibiting your signal God can't even speak to you because of the attachment he he can't even send a signal he can't even answer your prayer because he's so disconnected from him and too connected to them are you allowing people to use God's access point do you have people plugged in where God's should be and are you taking their advice over his authority I wouldn't do that if I was you but you ain't me that's what I'm gonna do it anyway and you think the most important part of that statement is I wouldn't do that if I know the most important part it is you ain't me not that you wouldn't do it your attachments are you connected to who what are you weeds and what debt dying in disease connections are prohibiting you from going to the next level the second thing that God prunes for it's not only to assert our attachments also that he might get us in a position to receive more light watch this when the vine gets too crowded and there's too much growth in a specific area light can't get through to the root you see sometimes too much growth is a problem it gets crowded in the light can it can't get through so the first one is called crown cleaning the second one's called crown thinning when you're being proved sometimes God has to thin things out now let me let me tell you something my mother will tell you my sisters will tell you it doesn't matter where I live I always at some point in time like to get in my own yard it's just my thing I'd like to get out there and pick weeds every time I come in the front door I've been down in get a few of them see that's how you that's how you keep it clean so I found out that most people that's why most people can't keep their house clean they just wait and take it's a mess and then try to you got to spend all day doing it if you just cleaned up a little bit every once in a while wash the fork when you get done with the church I'm helping somebody through mayor's councillor right now wash it under way at least twice a week I mean stop waiting until you ain't got none and got to use basketball shorts as a as an alternative come on fellas you got to do better you ain't got no business with no Kobe Bryant shorts on to no soup I got look at the wife so that's what I'm saying rap telling let's clean up every once in a while when people say it'd take me all day to clean my house that's cuz you ain't cleaned it all year all week you don't take all day to clean nothing unless take too long to wash these clothes let's cuz you let them towel all up wash every day that's good advice whether you like it or not so I like the pigweeds I pick wheezing huh when I tell her the other day and I saw some grass planted me some new grass and got my shears and I started and I never knew this I started trimming my bushes and I got about four trees in the back I start trimming them and the Lord spoke to me the reason why you've got to be in a position for God to speak to you that makes sense I got out there in the yard put my headphones on listen to Frankie Beverly amazed what you thought all I listeners cur Frankie you crazy I know all them songs I gots an Earth Wind and Fire up in there something y'all to save while y'all looking at me like that okay you listen to gospel you still ain't better than me so why why what what's the difference you still sin so are you holy not because you listen to gospel music all day gospel music ain't helping you don't be holy I'm holy cuz you listen to Kim Burrell in them so what Mississippi mask then the crowd shut up I'd be crying when I listen to Luther - same thing you doing without their listened to neither bacon I was out there about four hours I can't tell you I was listening to everything listening new Sam Smith I was listening all that stuff I'm out there jamming you know I can't really work that rap get on my nerves now the guy old I used to like it I like jay-z but the rest of them I just wait what is you saying and what who are you talking to and why are you yelling at me and why do you sound like the last dude that's how you know you even got old I'm still listening to - Park enjoying it mr. Rauh Nagato I got my sisters and my shoes and I start cutting that branch and I was cutting it and revelation the branches that were alive I could cut but for some reason the ones that were dead I could not I would have thought that the easiest wants to cut would be the dead ones but the reason why you can't cut a dead branch is because everything inside of it is dried up when I tried to cut the dead branch I recognized live branches you can cut dead branches you must break the way God deals with you is determined by which state you're in if God is pruning you that's because there is life in you but if you always gone through breakdowns and breakups it is perhaps a result of what is inside how God deals with you is determined by what state you're in it has nothing to do with what he chooses it has to do with whether this is a live person or a dead dying diseased person and if you have no life in you unfortunately you cannot be pruned you have to be broken to hell and some of you on the situation right now and we if it ain't one thing it's another that's because you're diseased or worse already dead God says every one of those dead designed disease disease to people I wish I could prune them I wish I could cut them I gotta break them down some of y'all are under the relentless attack of life one thing after another Scott's way of breaking you so he can use again because the Bible says that he will redress the vine that means no person who had a understanding of Mediterranean culture would ever assume that when God cuts something away he throws it away no he redresses it in other words whenever he cuts a dying diseased vine he actually prunes it and then replace it because he gives it another chance to become what it always could have been but he knows that it cannot listen to this he cannot leave it connected to a progressive thing because what the dead branch does is kills a whole vibe so he removes the thing that is dying gives it an opportunity to regrow in an isolated area and then leaves the productive thing over here to go on some of you all have been isolated he is not throwing you away he is getting you away because sometimes you could be so toxic that you could kill everything you're connected to which one are you are you the living branch that can be cut or are you the dead branch it has to be broken when I got out there and I started pruning those branches and I recognized I can't reach the top of that tree and anybody who will tell you you never prune a tree from the top she always prune it from the bottom so I got down low and I began to do the third thing after attachments and light I start cutting low start cutting low when the Bible says that he prunes and that he cuts it is actually a mistranslation of the original greek terminology when the Bible says he prunes in John 15 it doesn't actually mean he cuts it actually mean he lifts what he does is he goes down to the vine because the branches have began to grow into the dirt thereby not being able to receive light so he understands that it is not the branches problem because it is not growing he understands that it is its surroundings that is prohibiting its potential so he comes and he lifts the vine out of the ground perhaps you're in your lifting season many of us like the vine have planted our faces in the dirt to pretend like nothing is going on continuing to pretend like you're not hurting continuing to pretend like what they did is not bothering you and you're going around saying oh I don't matter I'm good I'm good no you're good your your you're in the dirt you're in the sand you are frustrated you are anger you am mad you want revenge and until you can admit that you have reached a low place God can never lift you to a high place you're gonna have to admit that you were angry you're gonna have to admit that you're upset you're gonna have to admit that you felt crowded you're gonna have to admit that you feel like you gave your all and they gave nothing in return you're gonna have to admit that you almost hate to love because you love so hard that when you're not loved back it destroys you I wish I had some real people in here let me just let me just talk about me so so most people don't have to feel insecure about it I almost hate to love because I love so hard then when I am NOT loved back it de billet eights me it it breaks me so what I would rather do is not do it because if I ever invest myself into a situation that does not invest back in me I don't care how strong I am I don't care how tall I am I don't care how much influence I have I will be on the side of the bear crying over what I had in mind every one of us if we will admit we found ourselves in the low place unable to admit that you are still angry about what you had in mind it wasn't what happened it was what you expected do I have I'm not gonna hope for Halle are y'all listen to me today this is the best you gonna get today so if you waiting on something else you might as well go ahead and clap have you ever been in a situation where you expected something it wasn't not what you did it was what I expected based on your promise now I'm in the low place I'm let down and every time the wind blows more dirt covers my faculties and sensibilities and before you know it I am so deep that I cannot find my way out and before you know it we are so distant yet we are so close and before you know it I am screaming for help and no one hears me my heart is broken my mind is confused but because we're so connected I cannot figure out how to do life without something I know that is not fruitful I would move if I could afford to pay the rent on my own I would I would file for divorce if I thought it wouldn't destroy my career if I thought it wouldn't destroy my children if if I thought that I could stay where I was I would I would let my husband go I would let my wife go I know you can't say men because they're in here with you and you don't want them to know but I'm just talking to everybody at the same time if I could give these kids up for adoption and not feel bad I would do it some of y'all almost there if I could walk away from this house because every time I come in this house it reminds me of a pain when you get hurt bad enough you'll walk away from everything [Music] when you go far enough into the dirt you'll leave the furniture you'll leave the ring you'll leave the car you'll leave the house I'm only talking to people who've been in the dirt when you have been hurt bad enough nothing matters the only thing that matters is that you can get lifted somebody say get lifted and I come to tell you and to announce to you today that the vine dresser is on the scene and he told me to tell you to get lifted slap somebody say get lifted God is about to pour you out of the muck and the mire clay of your life you are getting ready to go into another dimension and season not without a cut not without a pruning but it will happen I got it I got it what does God get ready to do I got it attachments light low attachments lights low gods getting ready to deal with my attachments my light and my lowness in this next season God is about to take care of all other things that you've been going through I want somebody to shout it's all good come on say it again it's all good over the next 23 seconds I want you to know you're getting ready to walk into a divine season and all things that get ready to work together for the good of them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose that's why you were cut that's why you were thin that's why you were tramped that's why you were pricked because God was trying to touch you in all areas so he can heal you in all places I declare and decree that all your money is about to get right all of your mind is about to get regulated all of your heart is about to get fixed all of your relationships are getting ready to get regulated if I can get a hundred people in here that begin to give God a shout and say God take care of it all I'm getting ready to recover it all I'm getting ready to get back everything that God has for me somebody shout all in this place Jesus I surrender whatever it is in my life I am believing God for it Oh the purpose of pruning is so he can fix it all that's the only way he can do it you still got potential in the midst of your pain I know it hurts nobody likes to see themself bleed let me tell you something our blood he proves your life because when the blood stops flowing so far this is a fruiting season and I for one can't explain to you if I could take my jacket off and show you the wounds if I could if I could just fill it off and just show you cuts because I'm dressed up right now does anybody will be honest under here I've learned I've learned like some some addicts I've learned how to function in my dysfunction I've learned how to say hallelujah when I'm hurting I've learned how to say when somebody says how are you I learn how to fake it a long time ago say everything is well when everything is hell I am not doing good I am NOT well this is somebody's testimony I am NOT happy I am not whole I've been married 25 years but I am NOT happy I got five bedrooms in my house and I don't want to go home [Music] my car starts up every time I put the key in it sometimes I imagine driving it right off of the freeway I can go to any grocery store I want to but I don't have an appetite

Channel: The Lighthouse Church of Houston

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Keywords: I Am The True Vine, True Vine, Keion Henderson, Houston, Keion, Henderson, Bishop, Jakes, power of success, Pastor, Christian Church, church, faith, senior pastor, Latest Sermons, Lighthouse, jesus, God, Waking Faith, power of passion, elevation church, imagination, determination, grace, success, forgiveness, sermon, god, pastor keion henderson, lighthouse sermon, lighthouse worship, best worship, bishop, message, opportunity, holi, bethel, christian music, honor, Strategies for Stress, i am, true, pray

Id: FJNhfZvr_5g

Length: 47min 9sec (2829 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 12 2017