Joh 15:4 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.
Joh 15:5 “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.
Joh 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Did you know that one of the most important things we can do in our relationship with Christ is to abide in him? Why? Because he is the source of life, blessing and strength! The LORD gives us the revelation of this in a vine that has fruit connected to it.
In other words, as long as the branch stays connected to the vine, it will bear fruit. When the branch is not connected to the vine, it cannot bear fruit. Listen to his words!
Joh 15:4 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.
Joh 15:5 “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.
Jesus said that I am the vine, you are the branches, and when you stay connected to me you will bear fruit. When I think of this, I am reminded of a grape vine with branches that has grapes on it. And of course, we know that as long as the grapes stay connected to the vine, they stay plump, fresh and juicy.
In verse 6, he goes a little deeper. He says that if we don’t abide in him, we wither. And anything that withers is not good for anything but to be thrown out.
Why? Because it isn’t bearing any fruit. Of course, we know that through the grace of God, he will not throw us away, and he will never leave us nor forsake us. But the issue is not God leaving us. It is us not abiding in him.
The word abide means to dwell, continue, stay, or remain. In other words, are you staying connected to God, remaining in God, staying strong in God and dwelling in him?
The Apostle Paul said in Act 17:28, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Paul understood that without him, I am nothing. Because in him, I live, I move, and I have my being!
In the Old Testament, King David had a revelation of abiding in the LORD and in the house of God. Why? Because he understood that God’s presence was in that dwelling place called the Tabernacle!
Listen to his words in the beloved Psalms!
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psa 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Although we are a New Covenant church, do we understand the importance of abiding and dwelling in the LORD despite the direction of the world, and what they say about the church?
In Joh 15:7, Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
This scripture appears to be twofold. You abiding in the LORD, and his words abiding in you. In other words, you having a relationship with him, and his words abiding or staying in you.
This is powerful because the LORD is literally saying that we are so connected to him, that whatever we ask, it shall be done. This is true relationship in Christ!
This is why we can’t just say we know him, and his words not abide in us. We can’t just have the word, and not abide in him. It is a twofold process, of staying strong in the LORD, and his word staying strong in us!
This is what David meant when we said in Psalm 91:1-2, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
So, the question is? Are you dwelling in the LORD? Are you staying strong in the LORD? Are you abiding in him? I want to encourage you to never stop abiding in the LORD, his church, his word and with other believers! Stay connected to the vine, love him with all your heart, and always abide in him!
God Bless,
Pastor Quinn