The way, the truth, and the life. The true vine!
(John 15:1–17, MEV)
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that bears no fruit, He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean through the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. For without Me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not remain in Me, he is thrown out as a branch and withers. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have spoken these things to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I have heard from My Father have I made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that the Father may give you whatever you ask Him in My name. 17 This I command you: that you love one another.
(Luke 9:23, MEV) Then He said to them all, “If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Everything the Christ follower has, and does will be sourced from the true vine Jesus Christ. “Without me you can do nothing”.
The Father, “the vine dresser”.
The Father is the divine Vine Dresser. He sanctifies us by lovingly tending the vine with wisdom and care. When He sanctifies us, He washes us clean and sets us apart as holy. He watches over every branch, pruning what hinders growth and nurturing what produces fruit, always working for life, health, and abundance. His discipline is not harsh but purposeful, shaping His children so they may bear lasting fruit and reflect His goodness. We are sanctified by the father because he sent Jesus Christ and we are sanctified by Christ because He sent the Holy Spirit.
Life long journey in the vine.
Our lifelong journey in the vine is a journey of sanctification. This is the lifelong journey God takes us on, patiently shaping our hearts and lives to look more like Jesus. Little by little, He transforms our character, our desires, and the way we live. As we grow together, we learn to turn away from sin and walk in greater holiness and obedience—not by our own strength, but through His faithful work within us.
Living for God:
Jesus came to give us rest from living a life of works; actions, deeds, or efforts by trying to earn our salvation to life of living.
“and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God on the basis of faith,” (Philippians 3:9, MEV)
Jesus took our debt on the cross. We are now justified by faith in Christ and Him crucified. In simple terms justified means that when God looks at us, he sees the price that Jesus paid on the cross. We are free to live out our salvation. No longer indebted to a life of works; actions, deeds, or efforts. We now live a new life of submission and living out God’s word.
(Romans 6:15–19, MEV) 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! 16 Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves to obey, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, for you were slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for just as you have yielded your members as slaves to impurity and iniquity leading to more iniquity, even so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness.
Prayer
Every follower of Jesus should learn to pray:
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7–8, MEV)
And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22, MEV)
O people in Zion, inhabitants in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When He hears it, He will answer you. (Isaiah 30:19, MEV)
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. Jeremiah 29:12
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23-24
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Luke 11:9
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6
Call upon me, and I will answer him:… Psalm 91:15
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am….Isaiah 58:9
The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. Proverb 15:29
O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Psalm 65:2
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:11
The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will 1 pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. Psalm 55:17
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. Psalm 145:18-19
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, the Lord is my God. Zechariah 13:9
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Matthew 6:8
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 1John 3:22
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
Cross Commission Ministries 