NEW WINE!

‘Grapes’ by Maja Petric on Unsplash.

Jesus wants to make you into a fine wine, fit for a King.  He begins talking about this in John 15.

Jesus said, ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  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.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  John 15:1-6.

Jesus is the true vine and we are the branches.  God is the gardener who prunes the vine.  He cuts away dead or overgrown branches or stems.  Why?  Because He has your best interests and that of the kingdom of God in mind.  He wants to increase your fruitfulness and growth.  And if you remain in Him, like a healthy vine, ‘you will bear much fruit.’  What is ‘the fruit of the vine’?

According to Apologetic Press, the Greek word in the New Testament translated ‘vine’ is a grapevine.          

We can continue His metaphoric use of the vine by talking about grapes that are ‘the fruit of the vine’.  Grapes have been in existence for 65 million years!  They have been cultivated for the last 8000 years!  There are more than 10,000 varieties of grapes grown in vineyards that cover 18 million acres worldwide.  They are grown to eat or to make wine.  According to The Wine Institute, France produced 1.2 BILLION gallons of wine in 2014.  Why so much wine?

An article in Newsweek claims that wine is beneficial to your health!  ‘From reducing the risk of cancer to promoting longevity, drinking red wine has been attributed to positive health benefits as long as you drink moderately.’  

The scriptures seem to agree.  The apostle Paul wrote in the book of 1Timothy, ‘Stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.’  1 timothy 5:23.  

The water in those days and in some places in the world today is unclean.  The natural fermentation of wine miraculously killed the germs in the water that could cause disease.  Wine could also be stored for long periods of time without refrigeration!  

Wine also became a part of the Jewish culture.  A man and woman couldn’t marry without wine!  They were required to say a prayer over the wine and taste it.  They considered wine one of God’s greatest miracles and a gift to mankind.  

Even today, the first prayer recited at nearly every Jewish wedding is the bracha or blessing over the wine: ‘Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, Creator of the fruit of the vine.’ boulderwine.com.

Jesus first recorded miracle was turning water into wine at the marriage at Cana in the New Testament!  John 2:1-11.  These are the origins of the use of wine during celebrations all over the world.

It is also interesting to note the metaphoric comparison of the art of winemaking and the process of bearing fruit and becoming mature as a disciple of Christ.

THE ART OF WINEMAKING and THE ART OF MAKING FRUIT BEARING DESIPLES! 

HARVESTING – Picking and gathering grapes.  God ‘harvested’ us!  Jesus said, ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.’  
John 15:16.

‘For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.’   Ephesians 1:4.

PRESSING – or crushing the grapes.   God ‘presses’ us too because He loves us!  ‘My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.’ Proverbs 3:11-12.  

FERMENTATION – Adding yeast to convert the sugar in grapes to alcohol.  ‘It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.’  Philippians 2:13.  
The Holy Spirit is added to our lives and helps us to ‘put off our old self and put on the new!’   ‘You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’  Ephesians 4:22-24.

He helps us; ‘make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 1 Peter 1:3-11.

CLARIFICATION – Removing unwanted sediment from the wine.  We can be confident that God by the Holy Spirit will continue to help us to ‘throw off everything that hinders us and the sin (the sediment) that so easily entangles’.  ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.’  Hebrews 12:1-2. 

MATURATION – Putting the wine in oak or stainless-steel barrels over time to let the wine mature.  God by His Spirit is very patient and over time will continue to mature us as Christians. ‘We can be ‘confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 1:6.

BOTTLING – Preparing the wine for distribution.   God has prepared us (bottled us) to distribute also!  Jesus said, ‘go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’  Matthew 28:19-20.

LEARN A POWERFUL LESSON FROM A SIMPLE GRAPE AND
LET THE HOLY SPIRIT PREPARE YOU TO GO!