Abiding In The Vine Vi Series

ABIDING IN THE VINE VI

Series on John 15 pt. 15

John 15:5

4/22/07

Those of you who attend Pastor Baker’s SS class are familiar with the following information. We learn;

10% of What We Read

20% of What We Hear

30% of What We See

50% of What We See & Hear

70% of What is Discussed w/Others

80% of What We Experience Personally

95% of What We Teach to Someone Else

That information was gleaned from the Police Field training officer course. Spiritually speaking it demonstrates for us that we ought to be first reading the Bible. We ought to be listening to the Word of God preached. We ought to see it demonstrated in our own lives as well as others. (This is also a reason why I use the PPT because some of us our visual). We ought to see Christ in our lives. We ought to discuss spiritual things with one another. We ought to experience Christ personally in our lives, abide in Him and He in us. We ought to witness to others, we ought to share our faith. Teaching others about Christ.

So we see that these principals that are used in the secular world they are very relevant in our walk with Christ.

It is also stated that if not reviewed we tend to forget

40% After 20 Minutes

55% After 60 Minutes

65% After 24 Hours

85% After 6 Days

99% After 1 Month

This is one reason I believe that the Bible is continually repeating itself. Because God knows that we need to be constantly reminded of the truths that He desires for us to know and understand. We see many of these principals in the passage the we have been studying, that is John 15.

We see there Jesus preaching His word. He used illustrations that a person might “see” the truth He is trying to communicate, thus He uses a type of visualization. Jesus also commands that we discuss these things with others, that we teach others. The past verse in John 15 states vs. 27 "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Of course throughout John 15 Jesus is telling His disciples, He is telling us, to experience Him, dwell with Him, have the personal relationship with Him, abide in Him. As we are told no less then fives times to “Abide”. We are to abide in Him as He abides in us.

Also as we see Jesus reiterates this abiding in Him and He in us over and over again.

I point that out to you because as we get back to our study on John 15 today, we once more are confronted with this concept of abiding in Christ. Of the results of abiding in Christ, and of Christ abiding in us.

Please turn with me to our passage this morning. It is going to be John 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.”

Notice the first part of the verse, “I am the vine, you are branches”. Christ repeats what He states in verse one, when He states; “I am the true vine…” He stresses the fact that He is the true vine, He is the source of life, He is were we get our spiritual nourishment that enables us to grow. He is the source of life.

He goes on to say that “you” are the branches. Looking at the context I believe we can answer the question “who is you?”. We see in verse 3 that the “you” Christ is speaking to is “clean”. They have justified, regenerated. The “you” the Christ is referring to here are true Christians. We can also see from verse 4, that the you that is being referred to here are those who are abiding in Christ, and have Christ abiding them.

So the first part of verse 5 repeats what is said in verse 1, and it also reinforces and clarifies what our Lord stated in verse 4 regarding the branches abiding in the life giving vine.

In the next sentence Christ opens up to us a little more understanding about what the results of this abiding are; “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;”

Notice again the connecting of us abiding in Christ and Christ abiding in us. These two “abidings” are inseparable. It is clear from this passage that this abiding WILL bear fruit. It is a statement of fact. It is a resounding, emphatic, statement. When one abides in Christ, and Christ abides in them, there will be fruit in their lives. It can be no other way.

Listen to this quote from John MacArthur, He states, “You don’t bear fruit by trying, you bear it by abiding.” That is what we are told in John 15. My friends it does not do any good for you to try to produce good fruit in your lives. If you are not abiding in Christ, and Christ is not abiding in you, guess what? No Fruit! It is that simple.