Matthew 11:28–30 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
John 15:4–7 – 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. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
· Vine – In the Old Testament, Israel was often referred to as the vine (Ps. 8:8-19; Is. 5:1-7; Jer. 2:21; Ez. 19:10-14). They saw themselves as those chosen and sent into Canaan to flourish and produce fruit that represented God’s kingdom well. But instead of remaining connected to the source of the One true God, Yahweh, it allowed itself to draw from other sources in the earth (false gods) and ultimately it led to it producing wild fruit of immorality, injustice, and oppression. Jesus comes along and says, I have been chosen and sent by God to be planted in earth, so that all who remain in Him will produce flourishing fruit that represent the Kingdom Come rightly.
· The Branches – The branches are people. And Jesus makes clear that the life and usefulness of a branch is directly connected to one’s ability to abide in the proper vine.
Abide – to dwell with; to remain in -> This word is used 11 times in John 15
Warren Wiersbe –“It means to keep in fellowship with Christ so that His life can work in and through us to produce fruit.”
a. Designate a time and place to be with Him -> Recover sacred spaces
b. Eliminate the noise -> Digital noise being the #1 distraction
Cal Newport –“The digital world is a noisy world, and noise is the enemy of depth.”
c. Acknowledge the reality of His presence
Acts 4:13 – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.