“Remain in Me
April 10, 2011
John 15:1-17
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
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. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their 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.
I have been wrestling with this Scripture for quite awhile. First one thing struck me about it and then another. I prayed over it a lot – that God would reveal His Truth that is hidden in it. This Scripture was on my computer Wednesday night when we went to the Truth Project and Dr. Del Tackett used it and brought out some real cool stuff in it. By the way, if you are not going to the Truth Project – you are missing some really deep teaching. I really like it.
The thing that first caught my attention about this Scripture, Del didn’t even mention. He did say, though, that if God says something – you better listen. If he says it twice you better sit up and pay attention. If God says something three times – you better write it down and learn it and do it. That’s not exactly how Del said it – but something like that. Well, in this Scripture, Jesus says something 11 times – ELEVEN TIMES. We better check that out. And we will in a little while.
This morning I want to talk to you about 1. God’s Desire; 2. God’s Provision; and 3. Our responsibility. We will conclude with the result of our search.
First of all, God’s Desire. What is it that God desires more than anything? Well, one thing He desires is that we bear much fruit. Did you get that?
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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.”
8 “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last”
Jesus makes it very clear that God’s desire for us is to go and bear fruit. THREE times He says it. There is a warning. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit. He works with us to produce more fruit. he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. It glorifies God when we are fruitful. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit It show we are Christians. showing yourselves to be my disciples. It is a mandate from God that we produce this eternal fruit. I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.
Do you kind of get the idea that producing fruit is important? It is one of the two litmus tests that show we are Christians. It is obviously God’s desire that we bear fruit – much fruit. But it is not God’s greatest desire.
How about ‘joy’? God desires that we be full of joy. Jesus says,
“11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
A father wants to see his children happy. He wants to see a smile on their faces and hear laughter from their mouths. We got that from God. God wants us to experience joy – and everything He tells us to do or not to do is with that end in mind. The Christian way is a happy way – it is a JOYFUL way. God desires that you might know complete joy. But that is not His greatest desire for us.
How about love? He desires that we be full of love. It is the second litmus test of the Christian. He says,
“12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
“3By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
God wants us to love and be loved. He doesn’t want you to feel alone and unloved. He desires that we love one another and that we feel and receive HIS love. But that is not His greatest desire. What is His greatest desire for us? Del Tackett said it so eloquently in the Truth Project. His greatest desire is to be ONE with us. Can you wrap your brain around that? GOD wants to be ONE with us! Jesus prays:
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” John 17:20-23
Are you getting this? Just as the Father and Son are one – They want to be ONE with us! God’s desire is that we be one with Him and that we be one with each other. Oneness in Christ. The Bible speaks a lot about it. Understand this truth – God’s greatest desire is to be ONE with you.
But How can that happen? We are fallen and sinful. Our natural tendency is to rebel against God. We have a sin nature and we are inclined toward evil CONTINUALLY! That’s why the thought that God wants to be one with us is so unbelievable. But it is true. As the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one – so does He want us to be one with Him. How is that possible? Well, God has made provision.
2. God’s provision. There is no way we can be one with God the way we come into this world. It’s like the ice cream vendor who used the same scoop for both the chocolate and the vanilla ice cream. Pretty soon you couldn’t tell one from the other. God is holy – and he can’t compromise His holiness. So what could He do to realize His hearts desire of becoming one with us? It wasn’t easy. He had to give Himself. God’s provision for oneness is three fold. First, of course is the cross. God left the Godhead and took on fleshly form to pay the price for our sins. The Bible says,
“19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
God came down in the person of Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin – so we could be one with God – for all eternity.
But there’s MORE! The whole Godhead is involved in this. Jesus said,
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
God comes in the person of the Holy Spirit to make us one with Him. There is no way we can be one with God in our own strength or goodness. We need the Holy Spirit to empower us and cleanse us and lead us into righteousness. He is involved in our prayers and enables us to be in oneness with God in prayer. He is involved in our worship and brings us into oneness in worship. He empowers us to do and say the right things instead of the wrong things. And when we do the wrong things He leads us to repent and turn back to Him.
Are you getting this? God desires oneness with us and He has made it possible through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the Holy Word. Ultimately we will be a part of the trinity. That’s His plan all along. Listen to Jesus’ great prayer.
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23
God has great plans for you. He desires oneness with you and has made provision through the cross and through the Holy Spirit, and through the Holy Bible - so it is possible to be one with Him.
But, 3. we have a responsibility in this mystical union. God has provided the way – we need to accept it and stay in it. God has provided the power – we need to use it. God has united us in Christ – we need to remain in that relationship.
I mentioned earlier that there was a word in our Scripture used eleven times in just seventeen verses. It is the world ‘remain’. Over and over again Jesus urges us to remain in fellowship with Him. Let me repeat a couple.
“4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you.”
5 “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. 6 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.”
We have a responsibility to remain in relationship with God. We have the power and ability to do that – because He provided it through the Holy Spirit. He reveals His will through the Word, as the Holy Spirit leads us.
But a relationship takes two. If one party does not want to remain in relationship no matter how badly the other individual wants to – the relationship is severed. We have all experienced that truth at one time or another. Sometimes we left the relationship; other times someone else left the relationship. We know about broken relationships. Whether they are broken by divorce, death, or desertion.
We have a responsibility to remain in relationship with God and we have a responsibility to remain in relationship with each other. God will never leave us or forsake us. God will always remain in relationship as long as we want it. But He has given us the power of free will and with a free will we can choose to not remain in relationship with Him. It is a danger. That is why He cautions us over and over again in His Word to make the right choices and so remain in oneness.
You need to determine for yourself how to keep in oneness. Reading the Bible daily, praying often, walking in obedience – these things help us remain in that love relationship with God.
When you turn to pot for comfort instead of the Holy Spirit; when you turn to alcohol for joy or comfort; when you turn to any of the substitute Christ’s and substitute Holy Spirit’s - you lose oneness with God. Does He leave? Certainly not! But often we leave Him outside our heart’s door – waiting to be invited back in.
Earlier I quoted this Scripture in Colossians, chapter one:
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation”
But the passage continues. In fact, in my Bible is there a hyphen after verse twenty two. It reads, “...without blemish and free from accusation - 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.”
We have a responsibility to remain in oneness with Christ. We have a responsibility to continue in the faith. We have a responsibility to not move from the hope of the gospel. It is our choice and our responsibility.
The result of oneness is love and joy and power. Jesus said, “Ask me for ANYTHING – and I will do it. There is power in oneness. There is joy in oneness – joy that will never fade. There is love is oneness with God. How wonderful to be one with God. Why aren’t we? Because of self. We want to do our own thing. Jesus longs for oneness with you. Do you want oneness with Him? If so -you need lay your will down – and invite Him to be Lord of your life. Get off the throne – and invite Jesus to get on it and be in control of your will. It seems painful to give up our will – but, Oh, what wonderful things result.
We are going to sing a chorus we haven’t sung in a while called “Make US One”. As we do – if you would like to pray for oneness with God -here at the alter of prayer – feel free to come.
MAKE US ONE
