When Jesus called his disciples, he first called them to simply be with him. Mark 3:13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. Be with Jesus! Luke 6:43 “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. A tree is identified by its fruit. We can tell if you’ve been hanging out with Jesus or not. The fruit of your life is not a mistake. Your heart is a treasury. It is a place of storage. Your heart is storing up information. It is storing up experiences. It is processing life. Your heart is listening to something or someone who is shaping you and forming you into the person you are. And then whatever is in your heart flows out. Change what is in your heart! John 15:5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Underline the four major themes in this verse. Vine. Branch. Remain or abide. And fruit. I am the vine. This is where it starts. The vine is Jesus. John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine… John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. …16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. What flows freely from Jesus to you is the same thing that flowed freely from Jesus to the people who were near to him. What comes from Jesus is a constant on interrupted flow from heaven. The same Spirit that moved in Jesus wants to find a home in your heart. Let’s look at your role – The Branch. John 15:5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Your job is to be a branch. You are to receive the life of the vine. How do you become a branch? John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. You are a branch office of the kingdom of God. You are a branch office of Jesus. Another big word in this verse is FRUIT. John 15:5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Fruit is the endgame. What exactly is fruit? It is the outcomes of what’s going on inside of us. It is the outcomes of our life that bless and nourish others. It is the outcomes of our life that result in other people coming to life in Jesus. Galatians 5:22 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! There is one more crucial word…ABIDE. John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Abide. Be with Jesus. Jesus is inviting you to abide in him. The fact is you are abiding in something. You are connected to something that is giving you meaning. You are listening to someone. You must intentionally go to Jesus and receive life from him. Let’s see what GOD can do! Pastor Brian Harrell