ABIDE

John 15:1-11

ME

You think your phone is charging, but it isn’t. Pick it up in the morning… and it is DEAD.

While you thought it was charging and getting power- it was actually dying.

WE

We must stay connected to God. We must live in connection with Him.

If not, we die. If we remain in anything other than Him, we die.

Rather than using His iPhone, Jesus uses imagery of farming to teach and illustrate this truth.

GOD

VERSE 1

true - worthy of the name

vine - a plant that produces

vinedresser - man who operates the farm. The man in charge!

VERSE 2

branch - branch/twig of a plant, especially off a vine

doesn’t bear fruit? It gets cut and tossed!

does bear fruit? He prunes. Cultivate, tend. Cut back the growth of a plan in order for it to grow healthier or to produce more fruit. So that it can bear more.

VERSE 3

What does He mean by clean?

clean - free of guilt and sin

By Christ’s very Word, He forgives us and gives us right standing with the Father.

VERSE 4

Abide - continue in a certain state, condition, or activity. Wait. Remain.

Branch on the ground is branch on the ground.

To produce fruit, it must remain connected to the vine.

VERSE 5

Connection. United. Us to Jesus, Jesus to us. Not preposition “to” but preposition “in”

Bring forth fruit

Favorite fruit?

What does He mean by fruit?

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Good success. Happiness. Well-being. Rest.

Without Him, you’re a twig on the ground.

VERSE 6

The twigs just don’t get thrown out- they get burned up.

VERSE 7

Now, His Words are said to be abiding in His disciples. In you.

“Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Psalm 37:4 CSB

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

VERSE 8

Remain in Him. Produce fruit. Give glory to God.

VERSE 9

Abide in His love. Remain in it.

How do you abide in Him? Abide in His love.

VERSE 10

How do you abide in His love? Keep His commandments.

Where do you find His commandments? Here in this Book.

VERSE 11

HIS joy in you. And you’ll be FULL of joy.

YOU

What/who are you abiding in? What is your life producing?

Few decades ago- Plant dumping hazardous waste in river in College Station, Texas. Wildlife dying, people getting extremely ill, kids growing three arms (JK). They were essentially drinking poison.

Are you drinking poison? What stream are you drinking from? What are you abiding in?

Consuming death leads to death.

Abide in Him- you’ll have life. Anything else than Him- you’ll have death.

Consume the Living Water.

What you are consuming is what you are becoming. What you are becoming is what you’ll be.

Watermelon soaking up carbon and hazardous, toxic water will be a BAD watermelon. Young watermelon not a vine will shrivel and cease to be a watermelon.

make no mistake- Christ turns the tide But what are you becoming now? Turd doesn’t make a diamond. Carbon under high pressure and temp makes a diamond. May take a month, may take a thousand years. But they are formed in a process.

What’s your trajectory? Are you abiding? Is there fruit showing up in your life? Why/why not?

WE

It all begins drinking in Christ & His Word. Then, abide in HIM. Stay in Him.