Fruitful Branches -6/18/2023

Our Salvation is not just one simple act of saying yes. It is much more than just a prayer of faith. It is a relationship with Jesus. We don't just say a prayer to get a ticket to heaven. We meet our Savior (Jesus) and walk with Him for the rest of our lives. John 1:4 says, "In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the Light of men." That means all life comes to us from the Father through the Son. Jesus, like the Father, is a source of life according to the gospel of John. This indicates that Jesus may have been the divine Person who breathed life into Adam. To be in relationship with Jesus is to be connected to the source of life. That means the opposite is also true. To be detached from Him is to die. His very presence transforms whatever it touches.  Jesus came to make possible a restored relationship, a reconnection to the Source of life.

As the disciples walked with Jesus that night, Jesus was preparing them for what lay ahead, beginning with a warning. Jesus would no longer be with them physically to guide, teach, correct, and comfort them. No longer would they be able to stand beside Him as He performed miracles. They would have to learn to minister in God's power for themselves. Their sinful nature and many outside forces were waiting to pull their hearts away from Him, but they must not let that happen.  He would soon return in spirit to be with them and do His part to protect that relationship, but they must also do their part. Using an illustration of a grapevine, He would explain the importance of this to them. He told them that just like the branches of the vine, they must stay attached to Him, or they would die. They genuinely needed to do their part, and with the time they had left together, He told them how. We need to give our attention to this passage because Jesus is also teaching you and me how to stay attached to Him. Productive fruitfulness can only happen if we abide in the True Vine, Jesus Christ.