Our Lord uses the analogy of the vine and the branches to speak to us about how our lives are designed to be fruitful, filled with purpose and significance. Jesus is the vine, God the Father is the vine grower, and believers are the branches.
God looks for fruit in the lives of His people. In Isaiah 5;1-7, we are told of God’s disappointment at the fruitlessness of His people.
“When I looked for it to bring forth grapes,why did it yield wild grapes?” - Isaiah 5:4 (Amplified)
What kind of fruit is God looking for?
A. The fruit of the Spirit - Character of Christ.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” - Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
B. The fruit of our lips - Confession of Christ.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name.” - Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)
C. The fruit of our lives - Conversions to Christ.
“I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles.” - Romans 1:13b (NLT)
When the Father looks to your life to find fruit, does He find what the Bible says He is looking for?
Since fruitfulness is so important, the question I need to ask is, “How can I live the fruitful, purposeful life of significance that God has saved me to live?” The answer? Through maintaining my connection to Christ, the true Vine.
The key word in this passage is the word “remain” or “abide.” It is the Greek word, “Meno,” which means “enduring communion.” It’s the idea of not just living somewhere, but being “at home.” From this, we learn four principles to help us remain meaningfully connected to the True Vine and live fruitful, purposeful lives of significance . . .
1. We must be “at home” in Christ - v. 4a - sufficiency
As verse 3 makes clear, our Lord is addressing those who have, by faith in Him, already been grafted into the vine. What they now need to do is continue to look to the vine for strength. What our Lord is telling us is that we need to continue to rest in Him, to rely on Him, to trust in Him. That is partly why the NIV translates “Meno” as “remain.” It is the idea of continued action. Paul put it this way:
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.” - Colossians 2:6 (NLT)
If we are going to live fruitful, purposeful lives of significance, we must trust Christ, not just with our eternal destiny, but with our daily life. As Paul put it, “For me to live, is Christ!” (Philippians 1:21a).
“Think about what ‘home’ means to us: home is where your heart is; it is where you want to be (especially during holidays); home is the place to which you return, the place to which you are eager to get back to (e.g., when you’ve been on vacation); home is where you feel comfortable, and can really be yourself; home is a place of safety and security; home is where you bring your friends when you wish to have fellowship with them; home is our base of operations; it is at the center of what we do; home is where you find your strength for life; it is where you eat and sleep; home is where the people and the things we love the most are found.” - Bob Deffinbaugh
Isn’t this what Jesus Christ should be for the Christian? Shouldn’t He be where our heart is?
“As Christians, we find complete sufficiency in Christ and His provisions for our needs. There’s no such thing as an incomplete or deficient Christian. Our Savior’s divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Human wisdom offers nothing to augment that. Every Christian receives all he and she needs at the moment of salvation. Each one must grow and mature, but no necessary resource is missing. There’s no need to search for something more.” - John MacArthur
2. Christ must be “at home” in us - v. 4b - purity
Interestingly enough, if I look to Christ as my sufficiency, then I will be motivated to live before Him in purity. Have you ever been made to feel uncomfortable in your own home? That’s the point here.
What would make Christ uncomfortable in his home (our lives)? Impurity.
Impure thoughts, words, practices. But purity relates not only to what I shouldn’t do, but to what I am willing to do. That is, if my motives and commitment to Christ is pure, He will be allowed free reign in my life.
A sign at the entrance to an English castle open to the public reads, “It is the duty of the host to make his guests feel at home.”
Christ, however, does not come into our hearts as a guest, but as the rightful owner. He bought us with His blood. When He comes to dwell in us, He is taking possession of what is rightfully His. As the owner, He needs to be given free reign to do with us what He will.
For years, we lived in a parsonage. The first home we ever owned was in Kerrville, Texas. When we moved there from Ft. Stockton, Texas, and the ladies of our church learned that we would be owning our own home, they gave my wife, Donna, a special gift. It was a large nail, about 1/4 of an inch in diameter and about 8 inches long. They told her, now that you will own your own home, you can drive a nail anywhere in any wall of the house you want to!
Likewise, Christ, our owner, must be allowed to be “at home” in us!
3. His Word must be “at home” in us - v. 7 - maturity
If we are going to live fruitful, purposeful lives of significance, then we need to let God’s Word be “at home” in us.
“Let the Word of Christ - the Message - have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.” - Colossians 3:16 (The Message)
Love for God is revealed by obedience. By our willingness to order our lives according to God’s Word, Christ is made “at home” in us.
“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.” - John 14:23 (NASB)
“Surely we only have to be realistic and honest with ourselves to know how regularly we need to turn to the Bible. How often do we face problems, temptation, and pressure? Every day! Then how often do we need instruction, guidance and greater encouragement? Every day! To catch all these felt needs up into an even greater issue, how often do we need to see God’s face, hear his voice, feel his touch, know his power? The answer to all these questions is the same: every day!” - John Blanchard
4. We must be “at home” in Christ’s love - v. 9 - security
The Apostle Paul lived a fruitful, purposeful life of significance because he was at home in the love of Christ. Because he was secure in the love of Christ, he could take risks or make sacrifices as needed for the sake of following Christ. As he, himself put it:
“For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us . . .” - 2 Corinthians 5:14a (Amplified)
A preacher stopped to visit with a farmer from his church. As they talked, the preacher noticed a weather vane that was spinning around in the wind. On the weather vane the words “God is love” was engraved. The preacher said, “Are you saying that God’s love changes depending on the way the wind blows?” “No,” said the farmer. “The Weather Vane is saying, ‘No matter which way the wind blows, God is Love.’”
Conclusion:
“How can I live a fruitful, purposeful life of significance?”
By applying the principles of abiding in the True Vine.
1. I must be “at home” in Christ - the principle of sufficiency.
2. Christ must be “at home” in me - the principle of purity.
3. His word must be “at home” in me - the principle of maturity.
4. I must be “at home” in Christ’s love - the principle of security.
