The True Vine: Adorenament No. 3
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
Have you ever cut off a branch for a Christmas tree? What happened? It died, right? When a branch is cut off from a tree, it stops growing because it’s not receiving the water and nutrients it needs. The same is true with the grape vine. Unless a branch abides or stays connected and gets the food it needs, it won’t produce grapes. The branch is good for nothing.
In today’s verse, Jesus is announcing to His disciples as well as the religious elite and other onlookers in the crowd, that He is the vine and His disciples are the branches. He says, if they choose to abide (stay connected) to Him they will flourish and bear not only fruit, but much fruit for the Kingdom of God, but if they choose not to stay connected to him they, will be fruitless to the Kingdom.
How does a Christian maintain the healthy relationship the Father (the Vinedresser) desires for all His children in Christ? One way in which Christians abide is by obeying God’s Word, the Bible. As we study, memorize, and hear the Word, we learn how to live as Christians. When we ask the Holy Spirit (likened to the sap in a grapevine/branch relationship), He’ll help us understand and obey God’s Word.
Another way we stay connected is to spend time with other Christian believers in fellowship during worship, ministry, and other activities, as well as sharing the truth of the Gospel: that Jesus saves, with others. This Christmas, let’s live the True Vine life! (See Galatians 5:22-23). Pastor Louie