I Am The Vine

Is pruning fun? No. Is it worth it? You bet it is. But here’s the thing… it’s all up to you. Unlike literal branches on a vine, you have a choice as to whether or not you’re going to bear fruit and whether or not you’re going to submit to God’s pruning. Let’s commit to allowing God to do what’s necessary for us to bear fruit like He wants us to.

III. The Branch’s Connection With The Vine

And lastly this evening, we see the branch’s connection with the vine. This is what everything else hinges on. How is a branch to bear fruit if it isn’t connected with the vine? It can’t. What’s the point of lifting up or pruning a branch that isn’t even connected with the vine? There is no point to it.

Jesus says in verse 4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” You see, it is impossible for us to bear any fruit if we are not first connected with Jesus Christ, the Vine. Like we talked about last week, He is the Source of our life. Without the vine the branch cannot bear fruit. Without the vine the branch does not exist.

Can I say something that may sound like it contradicts what I’ve said tonight? Wilkinson writes, “God does not want you to do more for Him. He wants you to do more with Him.” What am I saying? I’m saying that the important thing is not, “Am I bearing a lot of fruit?” The important thing is, “Am I abiding in the Vine? Is my relationship with Jesus really what it should be?” If you abide in Christ, it is only natural for an abundance of fruit to follow. But if you aren’t abiding in Christ, your branch is going to wither and die.

Many times, as I talked about last week, we can get so busy doing what we’re supposed to be doing, doing good things, but in all the busyness we forget all about the abiding. And in the midst of trying to do something big for God we forget about the importance of being with God. We neglect our relationship with Him. We neglect our time with Him. And as a result all of our busyness nets no fruit. Our labor becomes empty because we’ve stopped abiding in the Vine. It’s not about the work, it’s about loving and desiring Jesus. It’s not about knowing about Jesus, it’s about knowing Jesus and having a relationship with Him.

I know I’ve talked a lot about this lately, so I don’t want to prolong it. But let me read you something that Mr. Wilkinson wrote. “In our western-style rush to do and perform for God, we often falter at the task of simply enjoying His company. Yet we were created to be dissatisfied and incomplete with less.” If we would only stop and make our highest priority to love Jesus, to know Jesus, and to be with Jesus, we would find that our fruitfulness would increase and become what God wants it to be.

If you look at a grapevine and notice the place where the vine and the branch connects you will find that the branches with the largest, least obstructed connection to the vine is the branch that produces the most and the best fruit. And the same is true spiritually. You will find that the men and women whose relationship, whose connection with Jesus is vibrant and abundant are the ones whose abundance of fruit is plenteous and most appealing. I want to be one of those people who abide in Christ, don’t you?