Abide in Me | A Sermon on John 15:1-11

Introduction
I am so ready for Spring to be here.  I’m ready to get my garden going.  I want to try out my luck with this red Georgia clay in Jackson, Georgia. 

Jesus told many parables about farming and gardening.  He also had a fondness for spending time in gardens.  The Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives was one place he frequenting for quiet reflection and prayer.  And it was a contrast to another garden from the beginning of the Bible, The Garden of Eden.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything they needed, but they chose to disobey God's one command not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Jesus also had a choice in the Garden.  He didn't want to die the painful death on the cross, and He prayer, "Lord if it is possible for this cup of suffering to pass for me, let it.  But not my will, but Thine be done..."  Jesus chose His Father's will over His own.

I want to share a gardening story Jesus told.  

John 15:1-11
¹ “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² 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. ³ You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴ 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. ⁶ 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. ⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

⁹ “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

A Simple Lesson, Hard to Live
You don’t have to be a master gardener to understand what Jesus is saying.  If you cut a branch off a plant, it won’t bear fruit.  It will die.  

Jesus is saying if you don’t stay connected to Him, you cannot bear worthwhile fruit.  Just like those branches, you will dry up and die.  

For me, that is simple to understand, but hard to live because I often feel pressure to perform. And there’s often this nagging anxiety in the back of my mind:   “Am I doing enough?  Am I successful?”  And I often feel like I have to prove myself to others.  Do you ever feel like that? 

That’s often the way you feel when you are doing things in your own strength.  You feel the heavy burden because whether you succeed or fail is all up to you.

But that has never been God’s plan–not from the beginning of the Bible until the end.

Scripture has always been about trusting God to make it happen while we are faithful to Him.

What did Adam and Eve do to survive in the Garden of Eden?  Nothing.  Everything was provided.  They just had to be faithful to God.

How did the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt?  Was it by their own might?  No.  It was by the mighty hand of God who brought 10 plagues on the Egyptians.

How did the walls of Jericho fall down?  Was it a great battle plan?  No!  It was a ludicrous battle plan. (Walk around the walls of the city a bunch opf times and then blow trumpets.)  God is the one who did the fighting.

How did Israel survive as a kingdom?  Was it because they had a mighty army? No!  They were an insignificant, tiny kingdom surrounded by superpowers.  But they thrived when they were faithful to God and suffered when they weren't.

Psalm 33:16-17 - “The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.  Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—for all its strength, it cannot save you.  But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love."

Zechariah 4:6 - “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Are you Abiding?
What about you?  Are you abiding in Jesus or trying to do everything on your own power?

When we try to do things in our own power:

• There is pressure to perform
• A subtle anxiety about outcomes
• A need to prove fruitfulness
• An inward heaviness, even while doing “good” things

But when we Abide in Jesus:

• There is peace beneath the activity
• Freedom from comparison
• Openness to interruption
• A quiet confidence that Jesus is at work

Jesus wants us to grow spiritually and be fruitful for His Kingdom.  But we cannot grow or really be fruitful by our own effort apart from Christ.  We must abide in Him.

Jesus said in John 15:5 - “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

How Do You Abide in Jesus?
So how do we stay connected to Jesus?  There are a number of Holy H.A.B.I.T.S. that can help us stay connected (to abide) in Jesus.         

Hang Time with God - We need to spend time with God and prayer & Scripture are 2 essential ways we spend time with Him.

Accountability with Other Christians - We need other people to keep us in check.

Bible Study - Scripture is the most reliable and unchanging revelation of who God is.  We need to study  Scripture to really know God. 

Involvement in the Church - A true relationship with God requires relationships with other people.

Tithing - Tithing is the spiritual practice of financial giving God gave us to strengthen our trust in Him.

Service - Jesus said He came not to be served, but to serve and that we should follow His example.

Back to the Garden
Imagine you are in a garden working.  You have just planted some seeds.  You hope these seeds will grow to become a healthy patch of sunflowers 5-6 feet tall with beautiful broad yellow flowers and a dark brown center.

See the dark garden soil at your feet where you just planted the seeds.  Can you make those seeds grow?  Suppose you concentrate really hard, can you make flowers grow just by gritting your teeth and willing them to grow?

Of course not.  We can’t.  Only God can make flowers grow and bloom.  We can plant the seeds, but only God can make them grow.  However, there are things you can do in your garden that will create an environment where growth is more likely to happen.  

What can you do?  You can water your garden.  You can fertilize the soil.  You can tend the garden every day and pull out any weeds.  You can protect the young flowers from bugs and pests and disease. But it is God who makes a garden grow.

It is the same with your spiritual life.  You cannot make yourself grow spiritually–even if you grit your teeth and try real hard.  Only God can make you grow.  However, you can create an environment in your life where growth is more possible.  You can pray.  You can read the Bible.  You can worship and spend time with other Christians, and tithe, and volunteer.  These things help you abide in Christ.  And then Christ can make you grow.