Our Relationship With Jesus #3 Jesus said in John 15:1-5, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 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. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” These passages of scripture speak of our vital relationship with Jesus Christ. He is referred to as “the true vine” and we are “the branches” that abide in Him. This illustration would be familiar to the Jews who knew very well about vine dressing and it teaches us some valuable lessons even today. (1) We must remain in Him. Each and every individual Christian is a branch that is connected to the life source— the True Vine. Just like the branches of a vine must stay connected in order to be nourished and survive, we must stay in Jesus to have spiritual life within us. The forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13) as well as all spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3). That’s why we should never desire to be anywhere else! (John 6:68). (2) We must bear fruit. It is obvious from these scriptures that Jesus expects us to grow and bear fruit. Living the Christian life is all about bearing fruit for our Lord (John 15:8; Phil. 4:17). This requires life, active faith in service, good works, and obedience to Christ. Jesus will cut off those who do not bear fruit for Him (verse 2). We know very well what happens to the branches that are cut off or severed from the vine, they cease growing and die. Let us never be severed from our Lord. For without Christ, we are nothing! Brian Meade
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:22:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015