The True Vine
Notes
Transcript
Handout
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
“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.
To have eternal life, you have to be CONNECTED to JESUS.
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.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
To have eternal life, you have to be CONNECTED to OTHERS.
“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.
To have eternal life, your life has to be FOCUSED on GROWING.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
To have eternal life, you have to GIVE LIFE away to OTHERS.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 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. This is my command: Love each other.
To have eternal life, you have to BUY into the MISSION.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
When you BUY in, God will give you what you need in order to GROW.
The Way of Eternal Life
The Way of Eternal Life
Eternal life is not something we can POSSESS—we constantly depend on Jesus to SHARE IT with us.
Eternal live is not something you can HOARD—it must be turned into fruit IN OTHERS.
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
We do not grow the fruit—GOD grows the fruit THROUGH US.