OBJECT LESSON: A BRANCH ON A TREE OR A STICK IN THE MUD?
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Theme: Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing
Object: Two branches that has been broken from a tree -- one with leaves withering, the other without any leaves at all.
Scripture: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV)
Recently I found this branch underneath a tree. I guess it had been broken off by the wind. As you can see, the leaves have all started to wither and die. I also found this branch nearby. As you can see, there are no leaves at all. It is completely dead. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it a branch, I would call it a stick.
Do you think that if I took these branches out into the yard and planted them in the ground and watered them they would come back to life? No, that wouldn’t work, because the branches get the nutrients that they need to live from the tree. Branches cannot live or grow without the tree. Without the tree, there will never be leaves on the branches. If the branch comes from a fruit tree, there will never be fruit on the branch if it is separated from the tree. If I take this dead branch and plant it in the ground and water it, it won’t come back to life, it will just be an old stick in the mud.
That same thing is true about our life with Jesus. Listen to what Jesus said, "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man
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