1 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M.

2 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M. What do we think is our great concern in life? Most of us think about what others think of us, how they are abusing us, what others have that we need and how we can arrange to give what they want so we can get what we need. Do we realize that it is critical for us to live dependently upon the Lord, even in matters we believe we can handle, and that we need to cling to Him always and draw all our supply from Him?

3 I have to say that I have caused more damage in my relationships in things I thought I could handle. So how do we really determine when we go to the Lord for direction and when it is not necessary? The secret to the Christian life is not EVER leaning on your own understanding. Why not just bring Jesus into everything you do and everything you say so you don’t have to worry about it? What are some of the more subtle ways you think you might be inclined to lean on your own understanding without realizing you are doing it?

4 Probably one of the most serious comes with its own warning. Never make an independent decision on matters that you know you are experiencing a great deal of emotional stress like relationship problems, things that attack your personal value, or things of serious need. Things that run the risk of drawing from desperation or high emotional levels might very easily become very serious fleshly explosions you can’t afford.

5 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M.

6 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M. We are all Christians here. We all know the grace message. Are we abiding in Jesus really? How can we tell if we are truly abiding in Jesus? Because being able to teach exchanged life principles does not mean you are abiding. If you really want to know your spiritual measure of abiding, look at your thoughts and choices in your hardest moments, not in your easiest. What you do when you feel out of control of your circumstances, when you feel the most abused by others, that, is the time to measure your determination to abide in the Vine, not when all is unfolding in comfortable circumstances.

7 I know of many Christians right now who pastor churches, proclaim the exchanged life every Sunday; others teach Sunday school classes, evangelize and do good works, even great works, who tell themselves that they are abiding in the Vine because of their service – who experience little more than self. They go home and decimate their mates and their families with their manipulation and then go back to their “ministries” and reassure themselves that they are abiding in the Vine because they think they serve God. Are they abiding in the Vine?

8 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M. Notice that he says that after we come to Christ, it is our responsibility to choose to ABIDE in Him. So many come to Jesus and then sit down in their flesh and slowly waste away. Notice also the underlying fact that after we choose to come to Christ, He DOES always abide in us whether we abide in Him or not! Notice also that while abiding is a choice, indicated by the imperative mood of the word “abide”, it is also done exclusively by the power of the Holy Spirit. All else is fleshly discipline. And while fleshly discipline has the appearance of righteousness, it always ultimately fails.

9 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M. Lastly, look at how it is the words of Jesus that set our lives in life, rather than our own independent evaluations and understanding. Have you noticed while you were in difficult circumstances that it is more likely to be your flesh that you hear and not the Lord?

10 Again, experience decries our illusions. While so many Christians today comfort themselves with the suggestion that because they understand the principles of abiding in the Vine, they so often find themselves absolutely falling apart in unbelief and resorting to the rash decisions of their flesh to deliver them from unpleasant and contemptible circumstances in a clutch. The old saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link applies to our circumstances as well. The true measure of my faith in the Vine, His love for me, His faithfulness to me and my ability to trust safely in Him can only be measured at my weakest and most vulnerable moments, not my best.

11 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M.

12 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M. How do you see people getting this one wrong?Does it bother you when people say things about you, your intentions or your performance that are inaccurate or even malicious? Do you realize that people who worry about how others see them, who are concerned that they might be misunderstood, have a problem because they are standing in their own merit! The merit of the life of Christ never needs any defense or clarity. It just loves and sacrifices itself for the sake of others no matter what they do or say.

13 “In order to our fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must keep up our union with him by faith, and do all we do in religion in the virtue of that union. Here is, (1.) The duty enjoined (v. 4): Abide in me, and I in you. Note, It is the great concern of all Christ’s disciples constantly to keep up a dependence upon Christ and communion with him, habitually to adhere to him, and actually to derive supplies from him. Those that are come to Christ must abide in him: "Abide in me, by faith; and I in you, by my Spirit; abide in me, and then fear not but I will abide in you;’’ for the communion between Christ and believers never fails on his side. We must abide in Christ’s word by a regard to it, and it in us as a light to our feet. We must abide in Christ’s merit as our righteousness and plea, and it in us as our support and comfort. The knot of the branch abides in the vine, and the sap of the vine abides in the branch, and so there is a constant communication between them.” Henry, M. Jesus never stopped healing or feeding the masses even though He knew they were only using Him. He loved them and blessed them only because He loved them, not because He was looking for something like appreciation from them.