Abide in Me: Vine, Branches, and New Life

``Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. Life does not begin with us. Life does not grow from us. Life does not depend on us. Everything comes from him, through him. And the question today is not how much you know, not how much you can do, not how well you have or you can manage your Christian life. The question is whether or not we are actually abiding in Jesus Christ. [01:05:15] (38 seconds)  #AbideInJesus

God claims his people. God places his people in Christ. God gives that which we cannot produce. God establishes that which we cannot secure. And so now we come to the baptism day of Sean Cornelius Collister, beautifully carrying the middle name of his great grandfather. We're not watching a ceremony about human intention. We will witness on this stage as we did down there the promise of God. A promise that a child is not left to himself. A promise that that God is able to give life. [01:07:31] (55 seconds)  #GodsPromiseInBaptism

We saw Christ claim his own, not because of of what was brought to him, but because of what he gives. We saw a picture in baptism of life produced by god, not and then received by Elizabeth. Received by us as we remember our baptisms. And now in just a moment, we're gonna see it again because what Jesus has been teaching us in his word, he now sets before us again in a visible way. In the baptism of Sean Collister, God will declare that life does not begin with us. It begins with a promise. [01:06:41] (49 seconds)  #BaptismShowsGodsLife

Even the shaping of that life, the the refinement that comes in our life, the pruning. It's not something that we control. It's the work of the father. It's the work of the word. It's the work of the spirit. And so before Jesus even tells us what to do in this text, he's telling us where life comes from. Life comes from the true vine who is Jesus Christ. [00:51:25] (34 seconds)  #LifeFromTheTrueVine

And and over time, that becomes visible. It's always visible to the lord. And those branches wither. But Jesus says that his father is glorified that the connected abiding branch bears much fruit and in doing so proves to be disciples of Christ. So fruit is not what what makes you a disciple. Fruit is the evidence that we are. It's the visible evidence of a living connection to Jesus Christ. [00:59:51] (39 seconds)  #FruitAsDiscipleshipProof

And and notice there where the emphasis falls. You don't see anything in this passage about striving or exertion of effort by the branch. But the emphasis falls on whether or not it remains connected. Because where that connection is and where that that connection is found, fruit will follow. Is it going to be perfect? Absolutely not. Is it is it going to be instant? Absolutely not. That's this life calls for patience. [01:00:30] (43 seconds)  #ConnectionNotPerformance

That's what makes the language so serious. A branch that does not remain is cast out. It dries up. It it's gathered and and it's burned. That's not about just like a loss of usefulness. It's a there's a picture in there. This is serious. There's a picture in there of judgment. And so this text in some ways is a warning against those kind of connections that are only outward. [00:58:40] (34 seconds)  #SeriousWarningStayConnected

That's the warning that happened a couple of weeks ago in John five, and it and it continues here. And so, yeah, there is a a warning against a guarding against presumption, but there also is a reason not to be anxious. Without raising your hands, how many of you guys are anxious about the spiritual life of somebody that you know and that you love? The call to produce fruit is not a call by force. [01:01:56] (45 seconds)  #ProduceFruitByAbiding