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Lent Devotions
Lent Week Three – for Catch up.
Lent Week Four started March 5, 2018, March 23, 2019, and Feb 22, 2023

Lent Day Twenty
The True Vine

Music

You are the Vine – True Vine Music

Scripture Passage

John 15:1-19

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. ² Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

Devotion

Actually, we are going to discuss John 15:1-19.

• 1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.
• ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches.
  •  Jesus is speaking, so HE is the true vine.
• ² Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.
• ⁸ My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be^[a] My disciples.
  • Branches are to produce fruit
• ⁴ Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
• ⁵ …The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.
  • Branches need to remain in the Vine
• ² Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes,
•  ⁶ If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 
  • Not remaining in Him is disastrous.
• ⁴ Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
•  ⁷ If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 
  • There are benefits to remaining in the Vine

How do we ‘get into’ the vine?

Romans 11: ¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[b] of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Romans 11: ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Romans 11:²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Yes, the Romans passages are talking about an olive tree, and the John passage is talking about a Vine, but I believe they are talking about the same concept.

• There were those that were part of the Vine/Tree.
• The disobeyed/unbelief
• The vinedresser, husbandman found other healthy branches
• They were grafted in

Now – just as in the John passage, if you don’t remain in the Vine you will be cut out, there is the warning to these branches that if they, the grafts, were to fall into unbelief, they would not be spared the outcome of the natural branches.

Once we are engrafted into the Vine or tree, it is our responsibility to remain in the vine/tree.  IT IS OUR CHOICE!

How do we remain in the Vine?

In yesterday’s Lent, Day 19, we looked at how believing was a condition for receiving the Spirit of Truth.

Romans 11:²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith.

In The Itty Bitty Bible Study Ephesians 2, I talk about how

Ephesians 2⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

This bears repeating:

Romans 11: ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

We are IN the Vine/Tree because of God’s grace!

We love because HE first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Lent Day 19 talks about how we show our love to God  – John 14 ¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands.

And then, we produce much fruit.  John 15⁸ My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be^[a] My disciples.

Matthew 13²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We have been given the opportunity to be engrafted into the Vine, by grace through faith so that we can do good works and produce much fruit.  It’s up to us to stay there – to remain – to abide.

There’s one more point – but I don’t know how to make it fit into this devotion. I do want to point it out.  Jesus says:

John 15 ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

YOU ARE ALREADY CLEAN because of the word I have spoken to you!

Ephesians 5:²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word,²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

This says that husbands should follow Christ’s example, loving the church, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.  If there’s no earthly husband, we have the heavenly Bridegroom that will still wash us, as we go to Him in prayer and study.

Let’s stay engrafted!

Let’s stay clean!

Worship

I am the Vine – ILP Music

Remain in Me, I am the Vine – Steve Angrisano

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Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

• Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
• Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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