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Going deeper into God
There are several metaphors or pictures in the New Testament which help us to understand better the relationship God wants to have with us through Jesus. One such is the vine and branches. |
This thread (Going deeper into God):
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"Remain in me"Read John 15:1-17. The picture is of a plant with many branches, and it is the parent plant with stem and roots which is the living entity. The branches only have life while they remain attached to the vine.A similar, but less 'alive', picture for today would be a television set which only has any life in it, and can only show pictures, when it is plugged into the electricity supply. Reread verse 4. The Vine is clearly Jesus and we as His followers are like the branches. So Jesus tells us to 'remain' in Him. Stay attached, and integrated into Him.
His nourishmentA clear implication of the picture, (see again verse 5), is that the vine is the source of nourishment for the branches. Think for a few moments, or if you are with someone else then discuss together, in what ways we are fed by Jesus as Christians.Jesus described Himself elsewhere (John 6:34) as the Bread of Life. Through His words, through what He gave us on the cross, and through His Spirit living within us, we have Jesus' life. His feeding gives us the spiritual resources to do and be what He wants, so bearing fruit for Him.
His powerIn verses 7 & 8 Jesus links the following together:
In other words, Jesus makes His power available for those who remain in Him. It is not power to please ourselves. To ask whatever we wish as a result of remaining in Jesus, means we will want what He wants. Then we will have the ability to bear fruit for Him.
His loveJesus offers us His love and calls for us to love Him in return. See verses 9-12. That love is only really apparent when we are willing to do what is right and good, which is what He wants (obeying His commands).
His friendsDeepening the relationship with Jesus is about becoming a more and more reliable friend to Him. See verses 13-15. Jesus does not want us to remain as servants or as distant acquaintances. The friendship He desires, and which is for us a marvellous privilege, is based on His being able to trust us, as we learn to do things His way. As friends we are entitled to know all that God is saying to us.
His chosenThe love of Jesus is such that He chose us long before we ever thought of choosing Him (verse 16) . In the picture of the vine and branches, the vine exists before the branches, and it is the vine that creates its branches in the first place. As we humbly acknowledge Jesus as Lord, our lives are enriched, and they blossom and fruit.
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Bible referencesJohn 15:1-171"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
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