Abide in Me

1. Date: 3/12/23

2. Sermon Title: Abide in Me

3. Context: John 15:1-11

(John 15:1) I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

(John 15:2) Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

(John 15:3) "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

(John 15:4) "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

(John 15:5) "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

(John 15:6) "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

(John 15:7) "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

(John 15:8) "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

(John 15:9) "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

(John 15:10) "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

(John 15:11) "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

4. Preaching Note 

1) Vine

Today's parable that Jesus told is a request to us before he was captured by his loved ones, suffered hardships, and died on the cross. In the text, Jesus compares himself to a vine. And it is said that God cuts off the branches that do not bear fruit and trims the branches that do bear fruit so that they may bear more fruit. Just reading this verse makes me feel the importance of bearing much fruit. However, in the next verse, regardless of the fruit, Jesus has already cleansed us through the blood of future death. And then, from verses 4 to 10, He emphasizes the word to stay in me by mentioning it every time. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. It is faith and faith to stay in Jesus and to be attached to the tree of Jesus like branches through the Word.

Q.1 What kinds of fruit do you like?

2) Abide in Me

If you don't stay in Jesus, you become a branch that doesn't receive nourishment from the tree and withers and falls to the ground. On the contrary, if you stay in Jesus, become a branch receiving nourishment from the tree, and seek in the bosom of the Lord, everything will come true. The fruit that is achieved here is not the amount of material things, but the love of Jesus. The reason Jesus' disciples bear a lot of fruit is that they share and convey the love of Jesus to people like fruit. It's like giving fruit to your loved ones on holiday. Just as God the Father loved Jesus, what Jesus wants to convey to us is that we become branches and remain in the love of Jesus. It is not a bad thing to bear much fruit, but it is not the duty of a branch to be attached to.

If you don't take care of yourself and rush to bear a lot of fruit, the branch will break under the weight. If you focus only on the fruit and feel burdened in your life of faith attached to Jesus, you will not be able to truly adhere to the words of Jesus and fall to the ground, that is, to sin. Sin in the Bible means a distance from our relationship with Jesus. This is because light and small fruits bear many on one branch, and heavy and large fruits bear few on one branch. Jesus doesn't want us to fall into sin because we're broken or withered. He just wants us to stay inside and be attached to him so that we can fully feel the love he gives us.         

Q.2 As a Christian, have you ever been to feel burden?

3) The Joy of Resurrection

After finishing these parables, He was captured by people and suffered hardships according to the will of God the Father and suffered death by being hung on a cross. But this death did not separate our relationship with Jesus. He resurrected three days later and freed us from the sins that prevented us from remaining in Jesus. The joy that Jesus spoke of in the last verse 11 is the word that had already predicted the joy of this resurrection.

Q.3 What is your most joyful thing?