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I am the vine, you are the branches
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Bible verse : John
15:5 (NIV)
"I
am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him,
he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
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What kind of relationship did
Jesus say he has with us who believe in him?
Jesus spoke to us through several examples.
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4
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In
John 10:11, he said:
¡°I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¡±
Jesus became our good shepherd and said that our relationship is one of love,
even to the point of giving up his life for us, the sheep.
Jesus and we are like a shepherd and a sheep.
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5
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In John 15:5,
he spoke about another relationship.
¡°I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he
will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.¡±
In this passage, the relationship between Jesus and us is described as the
vine and the branches.
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6
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This
is the story of the vineyard that Jesus told. There was a diligent farmer who
took care of his vineyard beautifully. The farmer planted some good vine
seedlings in his vineyard. He took care of the tree so that it could grow
well.
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7
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After
some time, grapes began to grow on the vine branches.
The branches that were attached to the vine well and absorbed the tree's
nutrients were full of delicious grape fruits.
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8
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But although they were on the
same tree, some branches produced poor grapes. Also, some branches did not
bear grape fruit at all.
These branches could not bear good fruit because they were not properly
attached to the vine and could not absorb nutrients properly.
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9
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The farmer cut off all the
branches that did not bear grape fruit properly.
If left as is, these branches would prevent healthy branches from absorbing
nutrients.
The branches that the farmer cut off were no longer useful.
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10
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The farmer neatly trimmed the
surrounding area so that the branches bearing abundant fruit could bear more
grapes. The farmer took care of the branches that were well attached to the
vine so that they could absorb more nutrients.
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After Jesus told this
story, he personally explained the story.
He said that the farmer working in the vineyard refers to God.
He also explained that the vine is Jesus himself, and the branches that are
attached to the vine and bear fruit are the people who follow Jesus.
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After Jesus finished explaining the story, he said something
important to his disciples. ¡°Remain in me. Then I too will remain in you.
Just as the branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains attached to
the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.¡±
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He
said that if a person does not abide in Jesus and lives apart from Jesus
according to his own will, it will be as if a branch that did not bear fruit
was cut off.
That person will not bear good fruit. He also said that the branches cut off
from the vine would become useless and be thrown into the fire, just as they
are burned.
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14
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Jesus told us how to
become branches that stick well to Jesus, the vine. It is said that just as
Jesus kept the commandments of God and did them, if we do the same, we will
abide in God. So what are the commandments we must keep?
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15
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Here is a new commandment given by Jesus. Please read it out loud
together.
¡°This is my commandment: ¡°Love one another just as I have loved you.¡±
The new commandment given by Jesus is to keep the command to love our friends
as Jesus loves us.
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While on this earth, Jesus showed us what true love is. He said
that practicing the commandment of love that Jesus did is to abide in Jesus
like a branch clings to a vine. He showed evidence that Jesus loved us
sinners by dying on the cross.
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We who have received the great love of Jesus must deeply realize
and be thankful for the love Jesus has shown for us. A friend who practices
the new commandment given by Jesus is a person who abides in Jesus.
That friend will become a branch attached to Jesus, the true vine, and bear
much good fruit.
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(This
is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the
conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)
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