John 15:1-4 “I am
the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that
does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears
fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean
because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
This last Sunday, Pastor
Kyle continued in on Sunday Sermon series through the Gospel of John with the
beloved chapter 15 allegoric passage about the Lord Jesus being the vine and
Believers being the branches. As long as we are connected to the Lord, our God,
we are safe. When we wonder and get separated is when we get in trouble. He is
close to you; stay close to God. We tend to think of ourselves as the vine or
the trunk that is solidly rooted and grounded, but in reality, we are the
branches that bear fruit and grow from the true vine (Jesus Christ) and is the
connection to life. Creator Father God is the Landlord, the Farmer that planted
the Vineyard and tends to the Creation, the vinedresser. Because Jesus is the
vine, we have a relationship with the vinedresser, our heavenly Father.
The most important word for
you from Jesus’ vine and the branches teaching is “abide” (μένω) Greek – menō,
meaning to stay in a given state, relation or expectancy. Abide in this passage
is used of “remain in place” literally and metaphorically of “In Christ”. Our
home is said to be our “humble abode”, our dwelling place, the place that we abide,
a safe place to grow; we live there. Jesus uses the term “abide eleven times in
these eleven verses, so it is a vitally important that we make room and live in
Christ. With all of the modern electronics and applications in this digital
world today (texting, Facebook posts, Tweeter, Instagram, etc.), so many are
connected without really having a connection to anyone, creating shallow
relationships. Studies show that because of this non-relational communication
where interpersonal bonds are becoming just an association where people seldom
talk and are having a harder time carrying on a meaningful face-to-face
conversation. What is an abiding friend any more?
1 John 2:24-25 says,
“Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what
you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son
and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised
us—eternal life.”
What our Savior Jesus was
saying is abiding in the Lord means to leave all else, follow and dwell, live
and rest in Him, as a disciple, student, follower and brother or sister in the
kingdom of God. Jesus is our primary home. The modern concept of “the third
space” has been used as a socio-cultural term to designate communal space, as
distinct from the home (first space) or work (second space) where the
individual can experience a transformative sense of self, identity and relation
to others. Create communal space to abide in Christ. Christianity is not what
you do, but who you are because of whose you are. We are a child of God; a
citizen of Heaven. This world and earthly existence is not our home; Heaven is
the Christian’s home. 2 John 9 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of
Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the
Father and the Son.” Abide in the Son and in the Father.
In Christ, Brian
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