In this series about the Holy Spirit, we have learned that according to Romans 8:11a (NLT) “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” In week one we learned how to empty ourselves and then in week two, we learned to align ourselves with the Holy Spirit. This week we are going to take a look at three powerful words that Jesus speaks that are so important in living a Spirit-led life. We read in John 15:4 (NLT) “Remain in Me…”
Let’s read John 15:4-5, “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. 5) “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.
Jesus is telling us how to live and move and have our being with the same Spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead. This week we are going to learn what it really means to remain. We will look at the symbolism of Jesus being the vine and us the branches. We will see the benefits of remaining connected to the vine. May we have open hearts to read and study and then learn how to “Remain in Me…” John 15:4
Monday:
Let’s start by looking at the significance of Jesus using the vine/branch analogy. The grapevine was symbolic of life for the Israelites. Grapes were a very common crop, so the analogy was one that people could easily understand. Jesus states in John 15:5 “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.” This is a beautiful image of what living a Spirit-filled life looks like. We all understand the basics of how a vine grows. The roots are in the soil, and the vine is the main pathway by which nutrients go from the roots to the branches. The branches must be connected to the vine in order to produce any fruit.
Reflection/Action:
John 15:5 “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.” Read this verse and picture a vine and its branches, maybe even look up a photo. Think about how this works from a physical aspect. Then consider this spiritually. Take some time to reflect on how “connected” you are to the vine. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you and lead you this week as we dig deeper into remaining in Christ.
Tuesday:
Let’s define the word ‘remain’. In this text, it means to stay, abide, dwell, live, and establish permanent residence. God tells us we have one job, to stay connected. We do tend to over-complicate things at times. Staying connected is, at times, easier said than done. However, when we are trying to control every area of our life things go south fast. There is only so much we can control (Galatians 5:22-23 self-control) and therefore when we are trying to control all the things we are disconnecting and not remaining. We are not allowing the same power to dwell in us and work through us.
Reflection/Action:
Start off today by saying the following (John 15:4a) and emphasizing the all bold word.
“REMAIN in Me”
“Remain IN Me”
“Remain in ME”
Reread the definition above about remaining. Think about how you can stay, abide, dwell, live, and establish permanent residence, allowing the Spirit to move through you today.
Wednesday:
If a branch is connected to a vine then it will produce fruit. In Pastor Adam’s sermon, he shared that a single vine can produce over 1,000 clusters of grapes in its life span. That is mind-blowing! Let’s take a look at that spiritually speaking… Galatians 5:22-23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Every branch bears the image of the vine, so too every person bears the image of God. The person who is connected and committed to living a life full of the Holy Spirit produces fruit.
Reflection/Action:
Today take some time to consider your connectedness to the vine. Is the Fruit of the Spirit being produced in you and through you? Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you today, and speak to the areas where you need to connect so that you are fruitful.
Thursday:
Pastor Adam reminded us of the importance of living a life connected to the vine and to “Keep the remain thing the main thing.” (No, that is not a typo). The key to living a life full of the Holy Spirit is to remain in Christ. Our problem is not our inability, rather our independence. Since the beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, our actions speak of “I can do this without You God.” If we remove a branch off the vine, what happens to the branch? It dies. What happens when we spiritually remove ourselves from The Vine? There is spiritual death. It does not have to be this way.
Reflection/Action:
“Keep the remain thing the main thing.” Consider the “why” behind your struggle to stay connected to the vine. Bring this to the Lord. Ask Him to help you remain.
Friday:
When we remain, we are giving access to the Holy Spirit to flow through us. (Think of sap flowing through a tree) Pastor Adam shared a three-letter acronym to help us really understand the power of remaining: SAP
S=Security~Staying connected helps us know who we are in Christ. He establishes truth in us.
A=Awareness~Knowing that whatever we face, God is with us. We have awareness of His presence with us. Awareness of the same power, God within me.
P=Power~God within us brings power. Power to live a connected life.
Reflection/Action:
As you think about SAP here are some verses to read:
S=Security
Psalm 1:2-3 “But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
Colossians 2:7 “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
A=Awareness
Colossians 1:27 “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)”
P-Power
Ephesians 1:19-20 ” I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Romans 8:9-11 “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10)And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life[a] because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
Saturday:
Theologian Robert Mullholland said, “as Christians we try to live for God in the world, when we ought to live in God for the world.” We often think in terms of doing. We think we need to be doing something and He wants us to be - to be connected to Him so that the Spirit may do His work in and through us, so we can bear fruit for the world. “When you are connected to the vine, who you are becoming outweighs what you are doing.”
Reflection/Action:
Are you connected? Are you remaining? Are you producing fruit? If you find that you have “removed” yourself from the vine, simply repent. Ask God to forgive you and to help you remain in Him. Read and be encouraged by John 15: 4-5 “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.” And remember “Keep the remain thing the main thing!”