Continue In My Love

John 15:1-15

Veteran’s Day.......No matter what is said about any war that the United States fought, that makes no difference in the sacrifice by many. It makes no difference to this grateful citizen. What is important to me, is that there people, like some of you, that were willing to go! Whether you were called into harm’s way or you signed up for that, you went and was willing just the same.

When I look around the world, I see some countries benefiting from your faithful service! When I wake up in the mornings and I am able to come and go as I please, that makes me realize that our liberty was won, kept, and protected by faithful, willing, men and women.

No amount of gifts, words, or days of recognition can ever sufficiently repay every one of you for your faithful service! May God Bless you and May God Bless America!

John 15:1-15.............Let’s set the scene......The disciples and Jesus have left the upper room possibly walking towards the Garden of Gethsemane (maybe they are in the garden by the way Jesus speaks of the vine and branches. Judas has gone to betray Jesus, Jesus will also be on a cross in less than 24 hours. Jesus takes this time to teach the remaining 11. Times will be very difficult for them after Jesus is killed and buried and even after Jesus ascends. With that in my mind, we look in to Christ’s words.......

1. John 15:1-8.........As we read these verse could you picture Jesus walking through the Garden and touching the vines and branches as He was teaching them. These scenes in my mind are so vivid and powerful.

Jesus speaks of Himself as the vine, this means He is the source of all the branches........

John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

The Father (God) is the husbandmen....which carries the meaning the “gardener”, which would mean in the vineyard, the vinedresser. The vinedresser is the one the prunes or cuts off the bad branches and burns them.

The vinedresser will also cut at the good branches, to cause it to bear greater fruit.

If it is a true believer, God will cut away at the hindrances that keep you from bearing more fruit.

The disciples were being pruned by the sharp Words of Jesus Christ. They have been pruned by the Truth and Reality of Jesus Christ! His life and His teaching, was so opposite of the world, they had to be pruned and so do we!

Now Jesus, tells them to stay there or remain in that source and amongst this pruning! The reason is simple the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless we abide in Jesus! He is the Source!

This is the essence of the message today abiding in Jesus, trusting that Jesus is our source and that what He has given us is right, we remain no matter what! It is true, that we, as well as the disciples will be pulled in all sorts of directions by our own flesh, by the scenery the devil has presented, maybe by our family or friends. The pulling will be great at times, but we must remain in our only source, Jesus Christ!

Side note*********I must say this thought came to my heart in mind when I was thinking about our veterans and the wars that have been fought, if those that have served had not stuck to or remained in their duty, where would we be?

Now, back to Jesus! He knows it is going to be difficult for His disciples, He is telling them where their Source is and to stay with that Source!

Jesus tells that them that without Him they can do nothing! I have thought about this verse a lot, over my life and 2 questions always come to mind: 1.) What are we are we doing?....Bearing fruit! 2.) What is the fruit?

In those ancient times, there was a struggle to have enough food and fruit was a source of life!

You here some folks say that “water is life”, without you will die, well in the same sense you will die if you do not eat.

Seeing the vines fulls meant life for those folks.

Fruit would of been the source of wine and food, that was helpful to them and kept them alive and thriving!

What is the fruit that Jesus is speaking of us bearing?

The same knowledge that He was giving them, that Jesus is the source! We depend on Jesus!

We bear that fruit when Jesus through His Spirit does good in the world, through us!

We bear fruit when we are ready to give an answer for the joy that is within us.

We bear fruit when we trust in the Truth of Jesus Christ, when things are not going good in our lives!

Mainly, we bear fruit by abiding in Jesus, there He will abide in us and produce great fruit, some fruit that you might not even know you are producing!

Producing fruit is simply, producing Jesus to the world! Light into darkness!

You know it seems that our conversation is all about our struggles or successes!

What about our source of life? If we make our conversation about all our ups and downs then who is glorified?

Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Everyone evil or not goes through the same ups and downs.......

How is God glorified....1 Peter 3:14-15 “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

We are happy because of our Source, Jesus Christ!

There is an old hymn titled, I Love To Tell The Story pg 297 in the big hymnal.....

I love to tell the story   Of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory,   Of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story,   Because I know ’tis true; It satisfies my longings   As nothing else can do. 

Chorus: I love to tell the story, ’Twill be my theme in glory To tell the old, old story   of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story;   More wonderful it seems Than all the golden fancies   Of all my golden dreams, I love to tell the story,   It did so much for me; And that is just the reason   I tell it now to thee.

I love to tell the story;   ’Tis pleasant to repeat What seems each time I tell it,   More wonderfully sweet. I love to tell the story;   For some have never heard The message of salvation   From God’s own holy Word.

I love to tell the story;   For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting   To hear it like the rest. And when, in scenes of glory,   I sing the new, new song, ’Twill be the old, old story,   That I have loved so long.

****Verses 9-11......Jesus continues to talk about abiding......Continue here means to remain or abide.

****If.....means this is abiding is conditional.......keeping His commandments........

****Continue in My Love, Remain in My Love..... If you allow verse 9 and 10 to flow together....you will see that Jesus is not calling us into an emotional or mystical love, it is a love that is defined in verse 10 as obedience. Jesus set the model by His perfect obedience to the Father, which we are to us as our pattern for our obedience to Him!

****Just as Jesus maintained that His obedience to the Father was the basis of His joy, so also the believers who are obedient to His commandments will experience the same joy!

****We trust in the source, Jesus Christ! John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus is the Source!

The Way to Go

The Truth to Believe

The Life to Live

****In the source of Jesus Christ, everything about Him, will produce much fruit.....JOY......which will be sustenance to those around us if they so choose!