Abiding In The Vine
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“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
“You are My friends if you do what I command you.
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
“This I command you, that you love one another.
Abiding Definition
“A steady faithful connection to God.” Pastor Mike 9-6-08
Thayers - “to remain, tarry, no to depart, to continue to be, not to perish, to last, to endure, not to become another or different...also means to wait for”
(Share dream)
Abiding Takes Time
Quality vs. Quantity - It takes both!
Abiding Can Be Painful
Vs. 2 We are either cut on or cut off!
Abiding Is Absolutely Necessary
Vs. 4 Vs. 6
Abiding Requires Obedience (and Obedience Requires Abiding)
The Beautiful Circle of Abiding and Obedience
As we abide in Him, He abides in us! (vs. 4)
As we abide in Him, He will give us commandments. We must obey! (vs. 10
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
Abiding Produces Much Fruit
Vs 5 Vs. 8
What Is the Fruit?
The answer is in [Philippians]: "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God..." Here Paul helps explain the passage in John - God is looking for righteousness in His people! Holiness is the fruit that glorifies the Father! How different from our concept of fruitfulness! We have been led to believe that fruit is success, results, more converts, bigger churches, and ever-expanding finances and non-ending prosperity.
Actually, bearing fruit has to with what we are becoming, rather than simply what we are doing. The Bible makes it very clear that many, many will have great results - successfully casting out devils, healing the sick, doing great works in His name. But God sees it as barrenness, fruitlessness, when sin and pride reign in the heart.
I an bearing fruit when there is nothing hindering the flow of the life of Christ into me! That's what Jesus meant when He said, "Now are ye clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). He is saying, "Because you believed my word, trembled over it, letting it reveal every hidden secret, bringing to light every dark thing, allowing the Word of God to purge you - the hindrances are all gone!
David Wilkerson
having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Abiding Results in Answered Prayer
Vs 7
Abiding Produces Joy
Vs. 11
Abiding Will Produce Love for One Another
The New Commandment - Love One Another (vs. 12)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.
The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Being indifferent is the same as hating
Abiding Is Done Separately...And Together!
We can’t receive the fulness of abiding by ourselves
We can’t produce the fruit that our Father is looking for on our own. We need one another!
Praying together is abiding...and loving one another
Eating together, sharing together...is abiding and loving one another
Studying God’s word together is abiding and loving one another
Helping one another...
Our closest friendships should be in the body of Christ!
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
