It Takes Dependence!

Turn if you would to John chapter 15. John chapter 15. We start a series a few weeks ago entitled It Takes Effort. A matter of fact, couple weeks before that, couple weeks before that, we started in Ephesians two eight, nine, and ten. It's not up here at the moment.

That's that's second Peter, okay? It says, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of not of work, it's not of yourselves, not of works, it's a gift of God, not of works. Me try that again. I keep getting that not of works phrase in the wrong place. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works, lest any man should boast.

Okay. We're saved by God's grace. Okay. That's by God giving to us, doing for us that which we cannot earn, okay? And that which we do not deserve and that which we cannot accomplish without him.

Our salvation is not something we can earn. It's not something we can produce. It's not something we deserve. It's not something that we can accomplish. It was accomplished by our savior on the cross of Calvary when he died for our sins and rose again and we receive salvation only by his grace through faith in his son and not by what?

And not by works. By grace through faith. Period. We go on in verse 10, however, it says, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. As God's children saved by his grace through faith in his son, Jesus Christ, we now have responsibilities.

My children in my home have responsibilities. We call them chores. Maybe we ought to choose a better word. So, chores doesn't sound so much like chores but they have responsibilities. In the household of God, we who know Christ also have responsibilities.

To produce fruit and to do good works to bring glory to our father which is in heaven. Now, we're not saved by those good works. We're saved by the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary's Cross that we receive by faith but as God's children, God saved us not only to take us to heaven so that he might glorify himself on earth through us as he produces good works in our life. In order to produce good works, it takes effort. The word work means work.

It means labor. It means effort. In order to produce those things in our life, by God's grace, it does take effort on our part as well. We can't just sit back and relax and say, okay, God, Hey, I'm at it. We actually have to obey.

And do as we are instructed. In order for him to be glorified in our lives. It takes effort. Up here in this verse on the screen, it says, beside this, giving all diligence. That means making every effort.

Add to your faith virtue and the virtue knowledge. Yes, those things come from God by his grace but God says, we also need to put effort into it as well. It takes, we looked at this verse a couple weeks ago. It takes dedication, our three d's. Dedication, thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No man that worth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who have chosen him to be a soldier. We must be dedicated, dedicated to Jesus Christ, our savior, and dedicated to his mission. That he has given to us. To bring glory to his name, To be holy in all manner of conduct or conversation. To win the lost to Jesus.

We need to be dedicated to him and to his purpose for us as his children or we will not produce much fruit. As I'm sure, as a child of God, you wish to produce. Not only do we need to be dedicated, we also need to be disciplined. Matthew sixteen twenty four then said, Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. We must exercise self control, discipline.

God has empowered us by his spirit to do so. We need to exercise that power in our lives. Paul liked the illustration of an athlete. First Corinthians nine twenty five and every man that striveth for the mastery or to win at athletics is temperate, self controlled in all things. Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible crown but we, an incorruptible.

The Bible says, lay not lay not up treasures on earth but lay up treasures where? In heaven. Lay up treasures in hell. How do we do that? We do that by bringing glory to our God, by producing fruit and good works in our life to his glory.

Therefore, we produce much fruit. It takes discipline, however, because the flesh, the Bible, remember Jesus said to his disciples, in the Garden Of Gethsemane, he went away. He was going to go off a space and pray and he asked them to pray while he went over there to pray and he came back and they were what? Sleeping. They were sleeping and he said to them, the spirit is willing.

In other words, you desire to do right but the flesh is weak. The flesh is not just weak, it is downright contrary to the things God wants us to do and so we must by his grace exercise self control and discipline in our life like an athlete does in order to become the best for our Lord and savior. So, it takes dedication, takes discipline in this morning, it takes dependence. That's the picture of a grapevine, by the way, and we'll get back to that in just a second. We'll read in just a moment from John chapter 15.

It takes dedication. It takes discipline. It takes dependence. It takes effort. Now, at the at first, the concept of dependence doesn't seem to fit well with discipline and dedication.

You think we think of dependence and we often think of weakness. In western society, dependence dependence is looked down upon as it should be in some cases. God did not create us or save us to be a lazy drain on everybody else and when we think of dependence, that's often what we think of. Someone who is dependent on everybody else, who isn't willing to get up and to do the hard work and needs to be done, they're just dependent on others and so, we have come to have a negative connotation with the concept of dependence. Let's look at what God says here about this.

First Timothy five eight, but if any provide not for his own house and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. So, God says, if you can, you need, you must provide for your own home. Ephesians four twenty eight, let him that steal, stole no, stole, steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing which is good that he may give it to him that need us. So, than being dependent upon others working to provide for us, it'd be good for us if we can to work to help provide for them, okay? Galatians six four and five, but let every man prove his own work and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another.

For every man shall bear his own burden. Now, that doesn't sound too much like dependence, does it? That sounds like independence, that sounds like self dependence. So you see, God does value hard work and expect us to carry our own weight while at the same time throughout his word, making allowances for widows, orphans, and others who due to unfortunate circumstances need help along the way. The key here in our study, however, is as the type of dependence we're talking about.

We're not talking in this passage about physical dependence or financial dependence. We are speaking primarily of dependence of a spiritual nature. Spiritual dependence and the object of that dependence is not a government, is not a neighbor, is not a friend, it is a savior. The Lord Jesus Christ. And it is key in the Christian life that we learn to depend upon our savior.

For the spiritual needs in particular, that we have. You you see, we can work and earn money. We can make a name for ourselves and even provide handsomely for ourselves and others without depending or in God on God or at least without acknowledging him. As many do that. For material things.

However, when it comes to producing spiritual fruit, when it comes to achieving good works to the glory of God, when it comes to laying up treasures in heaven, It cannot be done alone. It cannot be done by the might of the flesh. Producing spiritual fruit can only be done through the power of God. As we learn to depend upon him. In John chapter 15 verse one, Jesus said to his disciples, I am the true vine and my father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now, ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches.

He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my father glorified that you bear much fruit.

So shall you be my disciples. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, we thank you for your word this morning. For this passage, that challenges us as you did your disciples today to abide in you. For we so desperately need to abide in our savior who came for his great love where with he loved us and died on the cross to give us life, rose again from the dead.

Intercedes for us the right hand of the father, has given to us your holy spirit that we might produce much fruit. Lord, help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus today. Help our minds to stay open to your word as we look into it. That you might conform us into the image of your son. In Jesus name, we pray.

Amen. In this passage, John chapter fifteen, first of all, I want us to see the purpose. The purpose for this sermon or this illustration that Jesus is giving is that of encouragement, is that of encouragement. You see, Christ's disciples needed encouragement and these few chapters of John express his encouragement to them just prior to his death. They were confused and soon would be even more so and very discouraged.

Christ knew what was about to happen and so he brought words of encouragement. Well, what was about to happen? Well, Jesus was going to go back to Jerusalem and Jesus was going to be arrested and Jesus was going to be tried and Jesus was going to be falsely accused, nailed to a cross, hung on a road in Jerusalem for every passerby to see. The humiliation of the son of God on that cross as he died for us. He was about to be executed for our crimes.

Though the crowd gathered that day thought it was for his crimes. And his disciples would be scattered. Because this is not as they had imagined it. They had imagined Jesus taking his rightful place as king and it just hadn't sunk in quite yet. That Jesus Christ before he could come to rule his kingdom, first, had to gain his kingdom.

Through dying on the cross. That we might become once again the subjects of his kingdom through the redemption that he purchased for us on Calvary's Cross. And so, they were discouraged and so he sought to encourage them and to challenge them. In this particular passage, he challenged them to abide in him, To abide in him. Not in themselves or others.

Times were about to get very difficult for them. He wanted them to keep abiding in him. And not in themselves. Abiding means to have communion or fellowship with. It comes from the root word which means to dwell in, to dwell in, or dwelling.

It means to remain, to trust, or to depend. Jesus challenged his disciples here to abide, remain, rest, depend, have communion with, to dwell in and upon him, to abide in him. It is necessary for Christian growth and fruitfulness, success, and fulfillment that our relationship with Christ be based on such a connected dependent, and growing relationship. It must be a connected relationship. It must be a dependent relationship and it must be a growing relationship if we are to produce much fruit.

And so he chose to use the illustration here, let's see, where are we? He chose to use the illustration of the vine, which we have some more pictures of in a minute. So we have the purpose, encouragement, and second of all, we have the picture he used, the vineyard and the vine. Now, this isn't the first time God's used the illustration of the vineyard or the vine. This is from obviously the old testament, Isaiah five seven.

There it says, for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah, his pleasant plant, and he looked for judgment but behold oppression, for righteousness but behold a cry. In this passage, God uses the vine as an illustration of the nation of Israel. In this particular passage, the the vine and the vineyard was unhealthy. The nation of Israel was not what it should have been. In Hosea chapter 10 and verse one, he says, Israel is an empty vine.

He bringeth forth fruit unto himself according to the multitude of his fruit. He hath increased the altars according to the goodness of his land. They have made goodly images. He says, it is an empty vine because it has brought forth fruit that is Israel unto whom? Unto themselves and not unto God, okay?

So, in both cases, God used the vine, the grapevine here to illustrate the failing of Israel. It should have been a healthy vine. It should have been producing much fruit but it wasn't bringing glory to its God because of its selfishness and not because of its trust in the Lord. So, we see it used here in the Old Testament of Israel. When we look, when we think about the vine and the vineyard, the first thing we want to look at this morning is from chapter 15 and verse one again.

Jesus said, I am the vine and my father is the husbandman, okay? Who what is a husbandman? Well, a husbandman is a vinedresser, he is the keeper of the vineyard. He daily keeps watch over the vines. A very meticulous job, which involves checking on each vines condition, taking the necessary measures to keep it healthy, growing, and fruitful in both quantity and quality.

It is a very important job to take care of the vineyard and the vines. It involves cutting away any dead, damaged, or diseased parts that would affect negatively on the health of the vine. Keeping it clean from any infestation. Pruning away living and undamaged branches which in overabundance would take too much life from the vine, making it fruit, making its fruit of lesser quality. And so, the vine dresser, the husbandman, daily he walks through his vineyard and he takes care of his vines.

Second of all, we have the vine, okay? The husbandman and then the vine. The vine here speaks of the roots and the main trunk of of the of the vine. Let me, Imma run ahead. I'll be right back.

Here we go. Okay. That is what we're talking about right here when it talks to me. Jesus said, I am the vine, okay? That's the trunk.

That's the main part that brings life and nutrition out to the branches which we begin to see which we see there, okay? Or more hopefully, as we go along, we see there, okay? So, we have the vine. Jesus said, I am the vine. The vine itself does not bear visible fruit.

Doesn't produce fruit, but the new branches or shoots do. However, the vine brings a nutrition and stability required for the branches to grow and produce fruit. A good, strong, and healthy vine is absolutely necessary to produce good fruit. Some vines are very weak and unhealthy making them unproductive. The vine is important.

If a branch should go, should in any way become detached or hindered from receiving the life giving nutrition of the vine, then it would become unfruitful and eventually die. It must stay connected. It must abide in the vine to produce fruit. If I go back here and I and I turn these off, okay, what do I do? Well, I just unplug these two lights up here.

Now, switches make it easy. You don't have to actually unplug a wire. But, I open the circuit and then the lights quit shining because they come what? Unplugged. Okay.

The branch is obviously the same way. So, we have the husband and we have the vine, which is vital, and therefore we also have, let me show this, we also have the branches. Now, these are the old branches, we'll get back to them in a minute. The branches that we're talking about here are, let me get to this, the new branches. These were new shoots, tender and easily broken at first, which would in time grow and produce fruit.

There are a number of things to note in this passage concerning the vine and its outcome. If a branch did not produce fruit, then it was considered an unnecessary burden on the rest of the vine and it was cut off. We see here in the passage that Christ references that. A part of the vine that was not connected, was hindered in some way, which did not produce fruit was was cast off, cast away. In the Old Testament, the vine was representative of the nation of Israel, and Israel disobeyed God.

Israel as a people refused to acknowledge him, refused to glorify him, and so God began to cut off pieces of branches that were not producing fruit. The Pharisees of Jesus' day thought they were the best part of the vine. Boy, they were beautiful but they produce no what? No fruit because in reality, they weren't abiding in the vine and so they were to be cut off and cast away. If a branch was connected and abiding, receiving freely the life giving nutrition of the vine, it would produce fruit.

If a branch was producing some fruit, the vine dresser would take very good care to keep it clean, cut away any dead wood, and prune away unnecessary or unhealthy growth from it, so it would produce more fruit and better fruit. If a branch continue to abide in the vine, it would receive everything it needed and required to be strong, healthy, and fruitful. If for any reason, it ceased to abide in the vine, the things above would not result. It would become useless and ineffective. Everything in relation to the health and growth and productiveness of each branch was dependent upon its abiding in the what?

In the in the vine, in the trunk part right there to produce fruit. So is the Christian life. So also is spiritual health and happiness. So is our growth and maturity as a Christian. So is our productiveness and service for Christ dependent upon us abiding what?

Or where? In the vine. Not in ourselves. Not in our past accomplishments. Paul said, those things which are in the past, put behind me.

I'm pressing what? Forward. To the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Not abiding in our circumstances. You're abiding in your circumstances.

Your life is going to be a what? It's going to be a roller coaster. Now, we need to learn to abide and depend on the vine. We must at all cost abide in Christ. First of all, so we see the the purpose, encouragement.

We see the picture, the vine, and we see the principle. That's what we're going to finish with this morning. The principle that Christ is teaching. God the father is the keeper and the owner of the vineyard. Verse one again, I am the true vine and my father is the husband.

God the father is the keeper of the vineyard. The vine here being inclusive when it of of the branches also his children. He is our keeper. As many as received him that is Jesus to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. We are part of the vine as children of God through faith in Jesus Christ his son.

Our keeper is who? Our keeper is God the father. We don't keep ourselves. He keeps us. We are kept by the power of God.

Our father is ever watching over us and working in our life through the son, the word, and his spirit. He is personally involved in your life for your good and his glory. You know, as the the husbandman, the vine dresser, was cared greatly for the vines of the vineyard. Daily came out to work with them. God cares about you.

He cares about you. He keeps you. He works in your life every day. He is personally, intimately involved. There's a song that was popular when I was in high school.

It was entitled, God is Watching Us from a Distance. Person who wrote that song is wrong. For God is not watching us from a distance. God is here. And he's a personal God and he's a god that cares about you and if you are a child of God through faith in his son, he is working in your life every day.

For his glory Large scope for all Christians and a smaller scope for the individual church, family, and every Christian. For your good and his glory. How does he do this? How does he work in our lives? By his grace.

By his grace toward us. Not as we earn it, not as we deserve it. But as his love compels him and as his power enables him. He works in our life by his grace. He cleanses us from all sin as we confess those sins to him.

Wanna back up just a little here. There we go. First John one nine, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He is constantly cleansing our heart from sin. Making us more like him, giving us victory over those sins in our lives.

Because he cares about us. Like the vine dresser cares for the vine. He he cuts away the dead and diseased parts out of our life and thinking which would hinder us and our servants for Christ, the old life. Our old selfish habits, addictions, we talked about in Sunday school. Our old way of thinking, deceived by the world.

Old consuming desires, the lust of the flesh, and the eyes, and the pride of life which are not of the father but are of the world. Old affections and loyalties, the friends, and other things that need not take it his place in our life. He cuts away those old things out of our life. The Bible says in Ephesians to put off the old man and to put on the the new man. Put off the old way of thinking and doing things according to the world and flesh and the devil and put on the new man of Jesus Christ in God's way.

He says, to not fashion ourselves in first Peter, after the old ways before we were saved but to be holy now as his children in his way. And so he cuts away those old things, those old branches out of our life. See, those are the old branches. They've already seen their day and so the vine dresser comes through and he cuts off the old to make way for the what? To make way for the new.

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. He even prunes away new growth which is not in line with his purposes for us that would hinder and weigh us down and that would lead us in another direction that he would have us go. He purges those things, those old things, those sinful things, those those new weights and distractions away from our life so that we will be productive, so that we will be successful, so that we will bring glory to our father, so that we will be fulfilled and happy.

God says, delight also in me and in my word and I will give you the desires of your heart. God says, he will do that but sometimes that pruning process isn't always pleasant. For God begins to prune away things that we hold dear. God asked to have things that we think we need in the flesh. But we need to let go.

And that process can be painful. There are new things that crop up into our life. Sometimes that we won't deal with and so God has to and he chastens us. Hebrews twelve eleven, now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

God cares enough for us to discipline us like we do our own children. And so he chastens us when there are things in our life that don't belong. And he prunes it away. In James one two to four, it says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have a perfect work that you may be perfect or complete and entire wanting or lacking nothing. God says, don't be scared off.

Don't don't don't get depressed. Don't give up because you're going through a trial. Don't panic. I'm still here. And the husbandman, the vinedresser, he knows what he's doing in our life.

And as a Christian, who belongs to his family, when God allows things in our life, difficult circumstances, trials, they have a purpose. They have a purpose. Don't give up. Trust in him. He knows what he's doing.

So, we see the husbandman and then, we see the vine, the vine. Now, again, the vine was that main trunk part and who was the vine? The vine is Jesus Christ. Over and over again, he says in this passage, I am the vine. Verse one, verse five, I am the vine, ye are the branches, I, Jesus said, I'm the vine.

There are many other vines that vie for our communion, for our trust, for our dependence, which would lead to our demise. Materialism, vies for our trust, for our communion, the government. Now, government's good and necessary, but some people worship government almost like a god. Government isn't the solution to all of our problems. It doesn't matter who the next president is or who our senator is or what decisions congress makes.

Government is not our savior. Jesus is. Materialism, government, self righteousness, rationalism, religion apart from Jesus, church, hedonism, nationalism, these are counterfeit. These are the broad way which leadeth to destruction and the Bible say, there are many that go in, there at. There are many that join that path.

That never veer off on to Jesus Christ. There are many different paths on the Broadway that leads to destruction. Many different vines to which you can attach yourself. Which will not lead to your salvation nor to the production of fruit to the glory of God. But only bring destruction.

It is only through faith in Christ that we can be grafted into the vine and be united with him. John one twelve, but as many as received him, that is Jesus, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Okay? As many as received Jesus, to them gave he power to become the sons of the children of God. God says, you can become my child, you can join my family, you can be grafted into my vine, but only through Jesus Christ.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Christ is the only vine which brings true eternal life to the human soul. John fourteen six, Jesus say it unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh under the father but by me. There are many other religions out there and there are many other people that say, hey, trust in me, hey, listen to me, hey, go my way, do my thing, I will give you peace, I will give you success, I will give you life.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and life. No man comes to the father, but by me. Only one way to the father. And that's through faith in Jesus Christ alone. And that's it.

Philippians four nineteen, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. We have many needs. Our first need is to be saved. We have other needs in life, spiritual needs and physical needs and all kinds of needs. God says to us, Paul said to the Philippians who had given so graciously to his need, that God would take care of them through whom?

Through Christ Jesus. And God will take care of those who are what? Connected. Connected to him. He says in verse seven, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.

Going through a hard time you have a hard decision to make abide in Christ ask him. He'll be there. He already is there. He will help you through. Says in James chapter one, that if you lack wisdom, ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and abrade it not, doesn't hold back and it shall be given him.

Everything we need for spiritual success and eternal life and producing much fruit It's found in Jesus Christ. He gives us what we need to grow in his word and he gives us what we need to produce fruit in his spirit. Truly without him, that is his love, his life, his forgiveness. We can produce nothing of eternal merit. But with him, all things are possible.

He is the vine. He is the one who provides us with the spiritual life that produces fruit. And then we have the branches, the branches. Who are the branches? Well, if you know Christ, that's you.

You're the branch. Connected to the vine. If we become connected in union with Christ by faith, we will be, we will be given his life which will produce eternal life, health, growth, and fruits in our life. John twenty thirty one, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. So, as we trust in him, we're united with him by faith.

We are connected to the vine. He gives us spiritual life, eternal life. But when Jesus says to his disciples here, over and over again in this passage that they must abide in him. Verse verse four, abide in me and I in you. Verse verse five, I am the vine your branches.

He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. Verse six, if a man abide not in me, okay? There's a problem. Verse seven, if you abide in me and my words abide in you. So, abide, abide, abide.

What does he mean? Well, abide doesn't just mean to be connected. Abide means to dwell in. Abide means to commune with, to actively commune trust, depend on Jesus Christ. As children of God, we might be connected.

But it doesn't mean that we're always abiding. You see, as a child in a family, you are connected to your parents. You're part of a family but often children don't abide in their parents. They abide in their TV. They abide in their friends.

They abide in many other things. Especially as they get to be teenagers. And they don't abide in their parents. They're, you know, as you get to be a teenager, your parents grow dumber and dumber. And then, when you get to be an adult and you get older, your parents grow smarter and smarter again.

See, sometimes we get the big head and we think, hey, this looks good. I'm going go do that. I know God says not to but hey, I know better. Are you abiding in the vine? Are you walking in the spirit?

Are you going to produce much fruit? Probably not. Not only do we need to be connected through faith in him but we need to learn to abide, to rest in him, to trust in him, to depend on him. We must be dedicated. We must be disciplined and we must learn to be dependent upon our savior and upon his word.

If we abide in his love, remain dependent upon his will, strength and provision every day, then we will produce much fruit as God tends to our life. Fruits are those things which bring glory to God. The fruits of the spirit, think I have them up here. Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance. These are fruits that are produced in us by the spirit.

Good works which demonstrate his goodness to us. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. Fruit in the salvation of other lost souls to whom you witness and tell the saving grace of God. Amen. Those fruits are produced in our life as we learn to abide in him.

By trusting in his word and obeying his will. Trusting his provision and guidance. Remembering and resting in his love, seeking his help in prayer, surrendering to his will each day. As we dwell in the presence of our savior. As we learn to commit our way unto him and surrender to his will and to his word, we abide in him and then we will produce what?

Much fruit. If we cease to abide fully in the vine, we become less effective in his service and to run the risk of becoming like salt that has lost its savor. There is much promise that much potential that God has given to us as his children. How sad that so often Christians squander so much of that. Because we refuse to abide.

In the vine and just let God do his work Trust in his work. Obey his commands. We must keep our sin account short. Our daily walk with Christ consistent. Our knowledge of his will growing.

Our spirit yielded to his will. If so, we will be successful, happy, fulfilled, and productive, and produce much fruit. As we close this morning, I'd like to ask two questions. That is this, a, are you connected to the vine? Are you a little branch off to yourself trying to produce fruit when you have no strength and no power?

If you're not connected to him through faith, then you're not saved and what's does the Bible tell us here happens to those branches? They're gathered and they're tossed into the fire. Well, it's obviously the point, what point Jesus is making. We must be saved. We can only be saved through faith in him.

Not of ourselves. It is the gift of God not of works, lest any man should boast. Have you surrendered to him? Put your faith in him? As on your only savior in order.

Are you still trying to earn your way to heaven? You can be saved today. And second of all, if you're here today and you know Christ as savior, how is your abiding in Christ doing? How is our communion? Does it need an overhaul?

Is there something we need to talk to him about today? Would you do that? Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord for your word. Thank you Lord for what you did for us, for the opportunity we have been given to know you and to be connected with you and receive your life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Lord, I pray if there's one here that's never trusted in you as savior that today they would come. We can show them from God's word how they might be saved and we pray Lord also for your children that are here. If there's something between our soul and our savior. Lord, if we have not been listening to your word, if we have not been trusting and abiding in you, Lord, that we would confess that sin today. Lord, that we would allow you to change our heart again to to draw us close to you.

To give us the strength that we need to produce the fruit in our life. That you created us to produce. In Jesus name, we pray.