Curry's Chapel Church
20260329 Palm Sunday
  • SLIDE: Scripture Isaiah 27:2-3
    Isaiah 27:2–3 NLT
    2 “In that day, sing about the fruitful vineyard. 3 I, the Lord, will watch over it, watering it carefully. Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it.
    SLIDE: Open Your Bibles John 15:1-19
    Open bibles to John 15:1-19
    SLIDE: Introduction

    Introduction — “Wi‑Fi, Batteries, and Branches”

    We live in a world where everything depends on connection. Lose Wi‑Fi (or Internet), and suddenly no one remembers how to function. Your phone can have all the latest features — but if the battery’s dead? It’s just a very expensive paperweight.
    Jesus uses a much older, earthier image for the same reality: branches and a vine.
    John 15:5 “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.”
    The big idea today is simple and uncomfortable: We were never designed to live independently. We were designed to live connected.
    Today we’ll talk about what it means to be a branch — not the hero, not the source, not the center — just a branch that stays connected to Jesus and, because of that connection, becomes surprisingly fruitful.
    SLIDE: Message - Title

    Main Teaching — 7 - Branches: Staying Connected to the Life of Jesus

    SLIDE: Point 1

    1. Branches Don’t Impress Anyone — The Vine Does

    I remember going to the National Arboretum in Washington DC with a girlfriend in the mid-1970s. It is the largest and most beautiful arboretum I have ever been to. They have a collection of Bonsai trees there is second to none outside of Asia. But what we were most impressed with was the enormous grape vine that arched over a wide sideway and ran down the walk for about 50 feet. It was in bloom that day and it was awesome to behold. The entirely of the vine was impressive. In walking through the arch we noticed the beauty of the vine, not the branches.
    It was not the branches that were impressive, it was the vine.
    John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.”
    Jesus doesn’t say, “You are the vine.” He reserves that title for Himself. We are branches — dependent, attached, receivers of life.
    Joke: Nobody walks through a vineyard and says, “Wow, look at those branches!” They talk about the grapes, the wine, the beauty of the vineyard. Branches are only impressive because of what they’re connected to.
    Illustration: Think of a lamp. It can be stylish, modern, perfectly placed — but if it’s not plugged in, it doesn’t matter. The plug is not glamorous, but it’s essential. Our connection to Jesus is like that plug.
    Application: I ask you to consider these questions:
    Where have you been trying to be the vine instead of the branch?
    Where are you trying to be the source instead of the receiver?
    SLIDE: Point 2

    2. Remaining, Not Performing

    Let’s think back to the vine at the arboretum again: What if the gardener had cut-off all the branches? There would just be a bare vine and branches in a pile. The result? — No fruit would be possible.
    John 15:4 “Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.”
    Jesus doesn’t say, “Try harder for Me.” He says, “Remain in Me.”
    The Christian life is not primarily about performance; it’s about connection.
    Joke: Some of us treat spiritual life like a New Year’s resolution: “This year I will read Numbers with joy!” And by chapter 3, we’re just confused.
    Illustration: Think of a cell phone constantly switching between networks — Wi‑Fi, data, airplane mode, back again. The battery drains faster because it’s always searching. Many of us live spiritually like that — constantly disconnecting and reconnecting, and wondering why we’re exhausted.
    Application: Remaining looks like small, daily, ordinary practices:
    Opening Scripture even when you don’t “feel it.”
    Whispering honest prayers throughout the day.
    Choosing obedience in small decisions.
    Staying rooted in community even when it’s messy.
    Remaining is not dramatic; it’s consistent.
    SLIDE: Point 3

    3. Pruning: When God Cuts So You Can Grow

    Let’s go back to the arboretum again:
    This time we see the gardener carefully trimming some branches and cutting off some branches and dead wood. We ask the gardener what he is doing. The gardener replies: “I’m removing the branches that won't bear fruit and pruning the one that will bear fruit so the branches and vine will have a more bountiful harvest.
    John 15:2 “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.”
    Pruning feels like loss, but it’s actually love. God removes what is good so He can make room for what is better.
    Illustration: A gardener doesn’t prune because they hate the plant. They prune because they see potential. They see what could be if the plant wasn’t wasting energy on what won’t last.
    Joke: If branches could talk, they’d probably say, “Hey! That was my favorite part of me!” And the gardener would say, “Trust me. You’ll thank me later.”
    Application: Where might God be pruning you right now?
    A relationship that changed
    A plan that fell apart
    A door that closed
    A comfort that disappeared
    Instead of only asking, “Why did this happen?” try asking, “What might God be making room for?”
    SLIDE: Point 4

    4. Fruit Is the Result, Not the Goal

    Think about the arboretum again:
    After the gardener has finished pruning; what will happen? The branches as a matter of their lifecycle will produce grapes (bear fruit).
    John 15:8 “This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.”
    Fruit is not something you tape onto your life; it’s something that grows from your life. Branches don’t strain and groan to produce grapes. They simply stay connected, and fruit happens.
    Illustration: Imagine walking by a tree and hearing it grunting: “I’m trying so hard to grow an apple!” You’d call someone. Trees don’t strain; they receive.
    Application: What does fruit in your life look like? It shows up like this:
    Character: love, joy, peace, patience (Galatians 5:22–23)
    Witness: people seeing Jesus through you
    Impact: your life blessing others in ways you couldn’t orchestrate
    Your job is not to obsess over fruit. Your job is to stay connected to the Vine.
    SLIDE: Point 5

    5. Apart From Him, We Can Do Nothing

    Back in the arboretum:
    The branches that were cut off have now withered and died because they are no longer connected to their source of life — the vine.
    John 15:5b “…apart from Me you can do nothing.”
    We can do many things without Jesus — busy things, impressive things, religious things. But we can do nothing of eternal value without Him.
    Illustration: Hold up a Palm This palm might still look alive for a while yet. It’s green, it’s flexible, it still has it’s leaves. But it’s already dying. Disconnection doesn’t always look dramatic at first.
    Application:
    I ask you to think on these questions:
    Where have you been running on spiritual autopilot?
    Where have you been relying on talent, personality, or habit instead of the Holy Spirit?
    This isn’t condemnation; it’s invitation. Jesus is saying, “Come back. Plug back in. Remain in Me.”
    SLIDE: Conclusion

    Conclusion — “Just a Branch, Deeply Connected”

    The good news of this passage is also the humbling news: You are not the vine. You are not the gardener. You are not the hero.
    You are a branch.
    But in Jesus’ kingdom, being a branch is not a downgrade — it’s freedom. You don’t have to be the source. You don’t have to hold everything together. You just have to stay connected to the One who does.
    John 15:9 “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love.”
    That’s the invitation to:
    Remain in His love.
    Remain in His presence.
    Remain in His Word.
    Remain in His body, the Church.
    And as you remain, fruit will come — slowly, quietly, steadily.
    SLIDE: Closing Prayer

    Closing Prayer

    Jesus, You are the Vine, and we are the branches. Forgive us for the times we’ve tried to live as if we were the source. Where we are disconnected, draw us back. Where we are being pruned, help us trust Your hand. Where we are tired, let Your life flow through us again. Teach us to remain — day by day, moment by moment — in Your love. May our lives bear fruit that points to You, not to us. We surrender our plans, our pace, and our pride, and we choose again to stay connected to You. In Your name, Jesus, Amen.

    🌿 Palm Sunday Benediction

    May the God who comes to us in humility also lead us forward in hope. May the One who rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed colt ride now into the open places of your life with peace, courage, and transforming grace.
    As you go into this Holy Week, may Christ steady your steps, soften your heart, and awaken your expectation for the resurrection life that is already breaking in.
    Go in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
    — Amen.

      • Isaiah 27:2–3NKJV

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