We are recreated with the life of God. God’s life is imparted to us. It is the Zo? life of God - all the life God has to give! The same God who spoke “let there be light” and the universe was created and is still expanding. The same God who said “let us make man in our own image” and created man out of the dust. The same God who reached down into the pit of hell and raised Jesus from the dead! That is the same God, His life, His creative force, His power that dwells in You! Sometimes I think we don’t really know what it is we have inside us.

John 15:1-7: “ 1."I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.2. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3.You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 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. 6.If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7.If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”

John 15:1-2: God is the vinedresser or the gardener. As Pastor Tony said in his sermon a few weeks ago, the term “takes away” really means “takes up”. In a vineyard, when a branch is not bearing fruit the gardener picks it up, props it up, supports it . He cleans it, waters it and positions it so that it can get the full sunlight and become able to bear fruit again. He does this in our lives when we as Christians have reached a place of barrenness.

Jeremiah 31:3: “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”

Romans 2:4: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

When you are not in the place you should be, It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentence. God is good and His mercy is everlasting! We need to get this into our spirits. “God will never put you so far down, you have no where but up to look.” We do this to ourselves, when we are out of fellowship with the Father, we open the door for Satan to attack us. But because He loves us so much, God lovingly positions us back into to the light of His glory and power so that we can be in the correct position to abide in the vine and bear fruit. John 15:2-3:

He also prunes us, to bear more fruit. If a grape vine is leafing out too much it won’t bloom and develop grapes. If you don’t deadhead roses they will stop blooming. The same with us, we bear more fruit if the unnecessary fluff and foliage or the dead wood is cut away from our lives The interesting thing about this verse, is that Jesus is talking to His disciples. He is telling them that they are already pruned or cleaned by what He has already taught them by His Words. This is true, but it is an ongoing process. John 15:4-5:

Abide - means to dwell in, remain in, to settle in for the long term! When you are reading these scriptures for yourself substitute “dwell in” for “abide in”. They may make more sense to you. A branch that is severed from the vine withers and dies. It may be lying right next to the vine, but it is not obtaining vital life from the vine, because it is not attached. If you are not born again, you are not attached to the vine of Jesus Christ and you will wither and die. It is a spiritual fact. When we are born again God’s spirit come in and abides in us. This is what Jesus means when He says, “He abides in us.”

We are recreated with the life of God. God’s life is imparted to us. It is the Zo? life of God - all the life God has to give! The same God who spoke “let there be light” and the universe was created and is still expanding. The same God who said “let us make man in our own image” and created man out of the dust. The same God who reached down into the pit of hell and raised Jesus from the dead! That is the same God, His life, His creative force, His power that dwells in You! Sometimes I think we don’t really know what it is we have inside us.

John 15:1-2: God is the vinedresser or the gardener. As Pastor Tony said in his sermon a few weeks ago, the term “takes away” really means “takes up”. In a vineyard, when a branch is not bearing fruit the gardener picks it up, props it up, supports it . He cleans it, waters it and positions it so that it can get the full sunlight and become able to bear fruit again. He does this in our lives when we as Christians have reached a place of barrenness.

Jeremiah 31:3: “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”

Romans 2:4: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

When you are not in the place you should be, It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentence. God is good and His mercy is everlasting! We need to get this into our spirits. “God will never put you so far down, you have no where but up to look.” We do this to ourselves, when we are out of fellowship with the Father, we open the door for Satan to attack us. But because He loves us so much, God lovingly positions us back into to the light of His glory and power so that we can be in the correct position to abide in the vine and bear fruit. John 15:2-3:

He also prunes us, to bear more fruit. If a grape vine is leafing out too much it won’t bloom and develop grapes. If you don’t deadhead roses they will stop blooming. The same with us, we bear more fruit if the unnecessary fluff and foliage or the dead wood is cut away from our lives The interesting thing about this verse, is that Jesus is talking to His disciples. He is telling them that they are already pruned or cleaned by what He has already taught them by His Words. This is true, but it is an ongoing process. John 15:4-5:

Abide - means to dwell in, remain in, to settle in for the long term! When you are reading these scriptures for yourself substitute “dwell in” for “abide in”. They may make more sense to you. A branch that is severed from the vine withers and dies. It may be lying right next to the vine, but it is not obtaining vital life from the vine, because it is not attached. If you are not born again, you are not attached to the vine of Jesus Christ and you will wither and die. It is a spiritual fact. When we are born again God’s spirit come in and abides in us. This is what Jesus means when He says, “He abides in us.”

We are recreated with the life of God. God’s life is imparted to us. It is the Zo? life of God - all the life God has to give! The same God who spoke “let there be light” and the universe was created and is still expanding. The same God who said “let us make man in our own image” and created man out of the dust. The same God who reached down into the pit of hell and raised Jesus from the dead! That is the same God, His life, His creative force, His power that dwells in You! Sometimes I think we don’t really know what it is we have inside us.

Romans 2:4: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

When you are not in the place you should be, It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentence. God is good and His mercy is everlasting! We need to get this into our spirits. “God will never put you so far down, you have no where but up to look.” We do this to ourselves, when we are out of fellowship with the Father, we open the door for Satan to attack us. But because He loves us so much, God lovingly positions us back into to the light of His glory and power so that we can be in the correct position to abide in the vine and bear fruit. John 15:2-3:

He also prunes us, to bear more fruit. If a grape vine is leafing out too much it won’t bloom and develop grapes. If you don’t deadhead roses they will stop blooming. The same with us, we bear more fruit if the unnecessary fluff and foliage or the dead wood is cut away from our lives The interesting thing about this verse, is that Jesus is talking to His disciples. He is telling them that they are already pruned or cleaned by what He has already taught them by His Words. This is true, but it is an ongoing process. John 15:4-5:

Abide - means to dwell in, remain in, to settle in for the long term! When you are reading these scriptures for yourself substitute “dwell in” for “abide in”. They may make more sense to you. A branch that is severed from the vine withers and dies. It may be lying right next to the vine, but it is not obtaining vital life from the vine, because it is not attached. If you are not born again, you are not attached to the vine of Jesus Christ and you will wither and die. It is a spiritual fact. When we are born again God’s spirit come in and abides in us. This is what Jesus means when He says, “He abides in us.”

We are recreated with the life of God. God’s life is imparted to us. It is the Zo? life of God - all the life God has to give! The same God who spoke “let there be light” and the universe was created and is still expanding. The same God who said “let us make man in our own image” and created man out of the dust. The same God who reached down into the pit of hell and raised Jesus from the dead! That is the same God, His life, His creative force, His power that dwells in You! Sometimes I think we don’t really know what it is we have inside us.

Abide - means to dwell in, remain in, to settle in for the long term! When you are reading these scriptures for yourself substitute “dwell in” for “abide in”. They may make more sense to you. A branch that is severed from the vine withers and dies. It may be lying right next to the vine, but it is not obtaining vital life from the vine, because it is not attached. If you are not born again, you are not attached to the vine of Jesus Christ and you will wither and die. It is a spiritual fact. When we are born again God’s spirit come in and abides in us. This is what Jesus means when He says, “He abides in us.”

We are recreated with the life of God. God’s life is imparted to us. It is the Zo? life of God - all the life God has to give! The same God who spoke “let there be light” and the universe was created and is still expanding. The same God who said “let us make man in our own image” and created man out of the dust. The same God who reached down into the pit of hell and raised Jesus from the dead! That is the same God, His life, His creative force, His power that dwells in You! Sometimes I think we don’t really know what it is we have inside us.

We are recreated with the life of God. God’s life is imparted to us. It is the Zo? life of God - all the life God has to give! The same God who spoke “let there be light” and the universe was created and is still expanding. The same God who said “let us make man in our own image” and created man out of the dust. The same God who reached down into the pit of hell and raised Jesus from the dead! That is the same God, His life, His creative force, His power that dwells in You! Sometimes I think we don’t really know what it is we have inside us. So, how do you abide in the vine?

Joshua 1:8 “"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Psalms 119:97 “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalms 119:147-148: “I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word. My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.” Romans 12:1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

You abide in the vine by spending time, quality time with God. You study His Word, meditate on it, until it sinks into your spirit and becomes real to you. It is planted on the good soil of you heart and yields a good harvest. This is where pruning comes back into the picture: Anything you put before God becomes an idol, a false God and severs you from the vine. It interferes with your time with God.

Luke 14:25-33: “25. And great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26."If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27.And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28.For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it 29.lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all who see it begin to mock him, 30.saying, `This man began to build and was not able to finish. 31. Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

32.Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

33.So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

We are to forsake everything and take up our cross and follow Him, The cross is not a burden to bear, but a tool, to be used to crucify the dead flesh. But you have to consider the cost as the builder did and the King going to war. If you are not willing to give it your all, give God all of you, you will fail, and be mocked by the world. Your desire to abide in the vine must come before you Husband, your children, your job, your home, your family, your hobbies, everything!

Romans 9:13: “As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.''

Hate meaning the rightful aversion of wrong doing or iniquity. God hates sin and cannot look upon it. He loved Jacob because he chose God rather than the world, He made the correct sacrifice, while Esau chose the flesh. He sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, then did not make the correct sacrifice. He chose the easy world’s way, not God’s way, and so therefore was severed from the vine. Abiding in the vine is walking in obedience. I think this is why many Christians fail i