Imagine this: You’re walking through a vineyard early in the morning. The air is crisp, the sunlight filters through the vines, and clusters of grapes hang heavy, waiting to be harvested. But as you walk, you notice something —a branch has been broken off from the vine. The leaves are shriveled, the grapes are shrunk, and it’s lifeless. No matter how good that branch looked yesterday, apart from the vine, it’s done.
A vineyard paints a picture of the words of Jesus found in John 15:4-5: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
Today, let's look at what it means to abide in Jesus, the true Vine, and how our connection to him transforms our lives.
I. We are Called to Abide
The word "abide" means to remain, dwell, or stay connected. Jesus uses the imagery of the vine and branches to emphasize the importance of intimacy with Him. Abiding is not about a short-term connection, abiding is about a constant, life-giving relationship.
Think about it like a power cord plugged into an outlet. As long as it’s connected, the device plugged in functions perfectly. Unplug it, and everything stops. Basically, abiding in Christ simply means staying "plugged in" to the source of our spiritual strength.
So why is abiding important? Abiding leads to life, it leads to growth, and abiding leads to fruitfulness. If we are not abiding in Jesus, we are disconnected from the source of our strength and purpose.
We must ask ourselves am I abiding in Jesus? What does our connection to Him look like on a daily basis… Abiding happens through consistent prayer, scripture reading, worship, and obedience. We should work diligently to develop daily rhythms of abiding.
II. The Fruit of Abiding
"Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit."
Jesus assures us that whoever abides in Him will bear much fruit. This fruit is the evidence of our spiritual well-being and includes both an inner transformation of the heart and the outward impact of a life lived for God.
What is the fruit?
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that...The fruit we bear when we abide in Jesus is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Abiding in Jesus would also produce in us actions that glorify God and compel us to serve others, pointing them to Jesus.
When you see a thriving apple tree in the fall, loaded down with bright red apples. It’s a beautiful sight, and the fruit is a testament to its health and purpose. But a barren tree... A barren tree fails to fulfill its design. The same thing is true for us when we’re disconnected from Jesus, when we are disconnected from Jesus we fail to fulfill our purpose.
I urge you to look at your life, where is God producing fruit? Ask yourself am I struggling to bear fruit in certain areas of my life? But remember, fruitfulness takes time and we must realize that sometimes to produce more and better fruit it’s going to involve pruning. We just have to trust God’s pruning process, and let Him help us grow.
III. The Warning of Disconnection
Jesus says "Apart from me, you can do nothing."
Jesus doesn’t hold back … He saying when a branch is separated from the vine is useless and it cannot bear fruit ... It can't even survive… We cannot make it on our own… We need Jesus.
Your phone without a charger might work for a little while, but eventually, it will die. That’s how it is when we try to live disconnected from Christ. We might be able to function for a little while, but without the sustaining power of Jesus, we will eventually wither and fade.
What kind of distractions or sins pull you away from abiding in Christ? It could be things like busyness, worry, or maybe just misplaced priorities… All of these can keep us from abiding with Jesus. Whatever it is, I urge you lay it before God today and ask Him to help you reconnect to the Vine. Ask Him to Graft you back into Jesus…
IV. The Promise of Much Fruit
Abiding in Jesus leads to an abundant, fruitful life for those who remain in Him. When you’re connected to the Vine, when you remain connected to Jesus you experience a life that glorifies God and your life will overflow with the abundance of His blessings.
God wants us to have a life filled with purpose and filled with joy, and I believe He also wants our life to have impact. But this only happens if we stay rooted in Christ… It only happens if we stay connected to the vine.
Church, It’s time to be intentional about abiding in Christ. It’s time to be intentional about making time for prayer, It’s time to be intentional about making time for worship, and it’s time to get intentional about getting into God’s Word. It’s time to surround yourself with a Christ-centered church and community that encourages your spiritual growth.
Here’s a question for your consideration... Where are you today… Are you abiding in the Vine, or have you become disconnected? Jesus says that apart from Him, we can do nothing... Apart from Him we dry up and die and are thrown on the burn pile... Now let me tell you the Good News… Jesus invites us to reconnect, He invites us to remain in Him, and to bear much fruit.
I urge you to recommit to stay connected to the True Vine and trusting in Him in order to produce much fruit in your life that glorifies Him and blesses others.
Abiding is a daily choice. The more we remain in Jesus, the more we experience His love in our life, and His power flowing through us… Stay connected, and watch what God will do in you… Stay connected and watch what God will do through you.
Let’s pray: Lord, we thank You for being the true Vine, We thank you for being our source of life and strength. Help us to abide in You daily, to remain connected, and to trust You to produce the fruit in our lives. Forgive us for the times we’ve tried to live apart from You and Draw us closer to You, and use us for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
