Notes
Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."
John 15:1-8
Jesus paints a picture of our connection with Him using a vineyard. He is the true vine, the Father is the gardener, and we are the branches. Like any relationship, our connection to God comes with responsibility. When we remain in Him, we become fruitful.
Salvation is free, but it's not cheap. It cost Jesus His life. And He didn't come just to pay our debt, but to reform our thinking--to change how we live and walk every day.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17
God invites us into a relationship with Him with open arms. And when that relationship is nurtured, He feeds into our lives so we can do the work He set out for us to do, and begins to prune what needs to get out of our lives. Pruning is preparation for greater growth. Ask yourself: What needs to be cut away so I can bear more fruit? We're put in the world to change it, but if the world is changing you, something needs to go.
"So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
Matthew 6:31-33
We all have the same 24 hours in a day--what we prioritize reveals our true source. When God is first, everything else starts to align. Spiritual disciplines--prayer, Scripture, community, worship--are not about earning God's favor; they're about deepening our relationship with our Creator. We work because of our salvation, not for it. Consistency is key.
Our mission is to produce fruit. The vine has multiple branches, because only one branch can't produce much fruit by itself. God designed the Church with many branches--different people with different gifts, working together to reflect the goodness of God to the world. One branch can't do it alone, but together, we produce lasting fruit.
"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other."
John 15:9-17
For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, "When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people." Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
Ephesians 4:4-10
The Church is not about uniformity but unity--unity in Christ, unity in mission, unity in love. We each bring different gifts, but we are called to one purpose. God is using His Church to fill the world with His presence. That happens when we stay connected to the vine and allow Him to work through us.
Group Questions
- What does it mean to "remain in Jesus," and how do you personally stay connected to Him?
- What are some areas of your life God may be trying to prune right now?
- How do spiritual disciplines help deepen your relationship with God?
- What "fruit" is being produced in your life that others can see?
Prayer
Thank you for being the vine, the source of our lives, strength, and purpose. Teach us to remain in you daily and to be consistent in nurturing our relationship with you. Prune what needs to go, and help us to bear fruit.