Lessons fromThe Vine

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Daily Bible Study- Week 1

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DAY 1- COME TO ME

Memory Verse: 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. John 15:5

Read: Matthew 11:28-30, John 15:1-5

“Come to me and I will give you rest”, said Jesus. Doesn’t rest sound nice? I sit here, even as I type this, feeling the weight of the busyness of life. Jesus has invited you to come to Himself and live life with and through Him. Jesus also invites you and I to “Abide in Him” (John 15:4). These invitations have been asked of you and I. If we have come to Christ and abide in Him, we have great promises to hold to.

If I am completely honest, I could not describe my Christian walk with such words in the verses above, like: “Rest” or “Easy” or “Light”. Do you feel the same at times? Think about when you gave your life to Christ. Did you have an excitement and joy that was unspeakable? Did you experience a boldness and willingness to share about this decision to follow Jesus, yet to see that boldness fade? Has your love and joy of 1st meeting your savior, instead of deepening, become faint and weak? Do you feel like you are just going through the motions when you know that He has called you to so much more?

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Maybe, you have wondered why you have not experienced the continued closeness of the Lord.

The answer is simple. You have wandered from Him. The blessings of God are connected to the “Come to me and stay with me”. He has planned before the foundations of the world that you live your life in close fellowship with Himself, who is able to do immeasurably more than you can possibly fathom or imagine. God has planned for you to abide IN Himself and experience His presence in every moment of every day.

Jesus’ call to come is such a great moment in life. To realize the need of a savior and to somewhat begin to feel the love of Jesus, is lie-changing. It is good to come to Jesus, but rest is found as you and I abide in Him.

In very truth, there is nothing that moved you to come, that does not plead with thousand fold greater force: “Abide in Him.” You did well to come; you do better to abide. Who would, after seeking the King’s palace, be content to stand in the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King’s presence, and share with Him in all the glory of His royal life? Oh, let us enter in and Abide, and enjoy to the full all the rich supply His wondrous love hath prepared for us! – Andrew Murray 1888

Will you join me as we are reminded daily of the call to Abide in Christ? We will meditate on the truths and promises found in Abiding. Come, let us sit at the feet of Christ and await to hear His voice and allow Him to bear fruit in our lives.

1. Write briefly about when you gave your life to Christ.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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2. What would you like to see happen in your relationship with Christ?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Describe your daily time with the Lord. Is it consistent? Is it intimate?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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DAY 2- COME TO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST

Memory Verse: 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. John 15:5

READ: Matthew 11:28-30;

Jesus gave an invitation that was cast to all who would hear but would only cause a response by those who found themselves burdened by their spiritual bankruptcy and the weight of trying to save themselves by keeping the law. “Come to me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.” Jesus is inviting them to be His scholars, yield themselves to his training, submit in all things to my will, let your whole life be one with mine, - in other words, Abide in me. He promises “I will give you rest” (v28) and “you will find rest for your soul” (v29).

This rest is found in Christ alone. It can not be found apart from Abiding in Him. I have witnessed several times, in over 15 years of ministry, so many who have given their lives to Christ only to find this rest so quickly fades. Maybe they were not taught or just did not understand that Jesus desires to rule and reign over the whole heart and life of the believer. The smallest and least of moments of this life

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should be surrendered to the Lord to bring Him glory in all that we do.

Others believe that they just cannot live up to the life that Jesus has called us all to. They realize that holiness is expected but do not think that they can pull it off. To them, the yoke of Christ was more burdensome than the enslavement of sin. Where was the “easy yoke” or the “light” burden? The promise of this call is that when we follow after Christ, abide in Him, and obey His truth, the Lord Himself will give us the strength and joy to do it. When we obey His truth, we then trust Him to do what He says that he will do. He is faithful.

Some wander into sin because they have not yet realize that Jesus wants to rule over every aspect of life. Others find it almost impossible to overcome sin because they have not yet realized that Jesus will take charge of your life and empower you to conquer it. Let us come to learn this day that there is a place where safety, victory, peace and rest, are always sure, and that that place is open to us all – the heart of Jesus.

Let us immediately obey the command of Christ and Abide in Him. We know and believe that apart from Him we can do nothing. Let each moment of failure remind us and bring urgency to seek the presence and power of God to hear his voice invite us, “Child, Abide in me”.

1. In what areas of your life have you not fully surrendered to the Lord?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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2. Spend some time with the Lord talking to him about the areas of your life that you need Him to empower you to overcome.

DAY 3- ABIDE IN MEMemory Verse:

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. John 15:5

READ: John 15:4-5

What does it look like to be a Faithful follower of Jesus?

This is a question that will bring several different answers. Many times, this question will bring 2 different thoughts: The first looks at what a person does or what he or she doesn’t do. This thought is based on the pattern of behavior in a person’s life or their morality. It askes “Am I doing all of the right things and making sure that I am not doing the wrong things?” We will look at peole and ask does he or she read their Bible, tithe, attend church regularly, serve others, help, are they kind, and just an all-around good person. Many times, this person will feel like they never measure up or that they are not doing enough. They will become frustrated, discouraged, and feel like a failure.

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The second thought looks at what a person Knows. If you hold to this belief, you will seek to make sure that everyone can learn the same information and answer the questions in the same ways. The focus will be upon information and knowledge of doctrines. Knowledge is needed and very helpful. THESE ARE BOTH GOOD but in and of themselves fall short of what Jesus has called us to.

On the night that Jesus was to be betrayed, he gathered the disciples in the upper room. He modeled what a servant looked like and taught them many things to prepare them for the events that would follow. After supper, he took them on about a 1 mile walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. Somewhere on this journey, Jesus stopped and taught the disciples about the relationship that He desired for them and for those whom they would reach (extending to you and I). In this time of teaching, Jesus mentions “bear fruit” 6 times. He is obviously saying that it is His plan that His followers bear fruit. What is the fruit that we are to bear? There has been no shortage of possibilities mentioned over the years. To name a few: lead someone to the Lord, disciple someone who disciples, doing ministry, serving in the church, fruit of the spirit, etc.

When I think about the apple tree in my mom’s back yard, I can’t help but see that the trunk (the vine in the parable) pushes nutrients up through the branches that push out an apple. So, we could conclude that fruit is the life of the vine pushed out of the branches. If this is the case, then fruit is the life of Jesus (the Vine) being lived out through the branches (the Follower of Christ). The command is NOT to bear fruit but to Abide in the vine.

DEFINITION OF FRUIT: The Life of Jesus being Lived in and through me

1. In what ways would you like to see Jesus’ life lived out through you?

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2. You are on day #2 now. What are some struggles that you may encounter as you seek to spend time in God’s Word each day?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How can you rely on His power to overcome these potential struggles?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. As you seek to Abide in Christ throughout the day, how can you acknowledge His presence moment by moment?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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DAY 4- QUALITY TIME

Memory Verse: 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. John 15:5

READ: John 15:1-5; James 4:6-8

God has made a way that we can KNOW him and walk with Him in the life. Until Jesus’ final sacrifice, there was a continual separation between God and man. We could see this separation in our own lives before giving our lives to Christ as well as just looking at the world around us.

Examples of the separation.

1. Moses was told not to let the Israelites touch the mountain. 2. No one could go into the holy of holies except for the high

priest once a year.3. Man’s sin has caused God to turn His face from us

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Jesus paid the price due for our sin! He paid it in full. When on the cross Jesus cried out, “IT IS FINISHED!” The veil separating you and I from the presence of God was torn. We no longer are completely reliant upon men like Moses or a high priest, we can go up the mountain or into the holy of holies, to be in the presence of God and have a relationship with Him ourselves.

You and I now have one goal in life: KNOW God.

The only way to get to know anyone is to spend time with them. Our daily goal is to spend time with God, abiding in Him and allowing Him to transform us. There is no quick fix or substitution.

HOW TO HAVE QUALITY TIME WITH GOD (This is a method that has helped me)

Prepare your Heart-

We must realize who it is that we are spending time with. God- who has all authority, forgave you of your sin, made a way of salvation, is most high, Holy God, who desires to make Himself known and who wants to involve you in what He is doing.

1. Prayer

Before we begin to read, we must humbly ask God to speak to us through His Word if He wants to. We are not demanding Him to speak, but requesting. We must not worry if He so chooses not to speak. Remember, our daily goal is to spend time with Him. Ask God which book of the Bible He would have you read through. (I highly recommend reading through a book of the Bible together with God)

2. Faith

We have asked God to speak, now we must have faith that He will if He chooses. We often ask God for something without believing that He will give it. We must approach our time with God with an expectancy, believing that God can and will communicate with us.

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We must also believe that His ways are higher and that He desires the very best for us, even through the toughest of times.

3. Patience

We must put aside the urgent demands of the day and guard this time as essential and sacred. We are waiting before a Holy God. We have the audience of the King of Kings, and so should not be in a hurry to rush away from this time or allow our thoughts to go to the list of things to do.

Pray through Scripture

In the same way as we prepared to enter the presence of the Lord we can also read through scripture with prayer, faith, and patience.

1. Prayer

As we read, we must talk to God about what we are reading, asking questions, claiming promises, obeying commands, praising Him for His mighty works, thanking him for what He has done, and confessing sins that may come to light. We should also be listening, ready to hear what God may want to say to us through His word.

2. Faith

We must have faith that God is PRESENT. Feelings come and go and cannot be trusted to affirm or deny the presence of God. With faith we trust His word and His promises that He will never leave us and that He is with to the end of the age. We also must have faith that God will do what He says that He will do. When He speaks through His word, have faith and trust what He says simply because He said it.

3. Patience

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We must never be in a hurry to finish a verse or a chapter. Our goal is to know Him by spending time with Him. When God is speaking to us through a single word, a phrase, or a passage camp out and talk to God about what He is showing you. Be patient. When your time is up, stop, even if in the middle of a sentence or chapter. Pick up where you left off the next day.

Tomorrow, we will discuss how to incorporate praying for others and how to pray according to the will and plan of God.

1. What method have you mostly used in your time with God__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Could you see yourself using the method above? If so, when will you begin?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Which area (prayer, faith, or patience) has been the hardest for you in your time with God? Why?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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DAY 5- PRAYER TIME

Memory Verse: 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. John 15:5

READ: John 14:12-14; John 15:5-8; 1 John 5:14-15

There are many approaches to Prayer in our time with God. Writing down your prayers in a notebook will help keep you focused and direct. This is also such an encouraging way to look back over your prayers and worship God for His answered prayers and seeing His plan in the unanswered ones as well.

Our prayer time should include certain elements, such as confession of sin, praise, thanksgiving, personal requests, and intersession (praying for others). The order is not necessarily important but we should allow God to lead us in it. Remember that we are getting to know God and talk with the King of Kings, who can do all things.

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WHY DO WE PRAY?

To approach God in Prayer is a clear sign to Him and yourself of your essential need of Him. If we believe that apart from Him we can do NOTHING, we must also see how vital it is to spend time praying and learning from Him.

I want to encourage you with the truth that we have God’s attention. He hears us. Another encouragement to know is that He Knows all things. You are not informing Him of anything. He knows what you need even before you ask it. When praying, you are spending time with God and this is yet another way that He deepens your relationship with Him. He will use your prayer time to transform you to become more like Him. As you and I stay connected to Him through prayer, He will push the life of the vine (Jesus) through us.

Prayer is not manipulating God into doing what we want or to bring Him around to our way of thinking. God cannot be used for our own personal purposes. Prayer is not some magic wand or bag of fairy dust sprinkled to ensure that we get what we want. Prayer should always start with a truth from scripture to stand on or a burden from the Lord.

God includes us in what He is doing by burdening our hearts to pray. When God does what He has planned to do, we feel apart and involved having had prayed to do just that. This is such an honor because God has allowed us to experience Him in answering our Prayers. God is a good Father who likes to give good gifts. He knows just what we need.

We are instructed in Scripture to pray in Jesus’ name (John 14:12-14). This means that we are to pray according to His interests, His will, and according to His wants, not what we want. What a great responsibility. So we can ask God how He would want us to pray and trust Him to do what is according to His plan and will. 1 John 5:14-15 speaks to this so clearly.

1. How can you make your time in Prayer more intentional?

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2. Do you believe that God can do anything? Do your prayers reflect that?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How can you begin to pray according to the will and plan of God, instead just praying for your own plans?____________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you do not normally write out your prayers, take a moment and write out a pray to the Lord. You can use the space provided or to so in your own notebook

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DAY 6- WORSHIP- Stir your affections toward HimMemory Verse:

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. John 15:5

READ: John 15:7-11; Hebrews 12:28-29

We are made to worship. Worship is a humble preoccupation with God. We must seek to fix our hearts on God each day in our times with Him. We must continually stir our affections for Him. We do this by reminding ourselves of who God is and all of the mighty things that he has done.

Our quiet times with God would not mean very much to us if our affections have not been stirred by the one with whom we are seeking. Lindsey and I often have date nights when just the 2 of us go and spend quality time together. It is as simple as looking into her eyes or holding a hand that stirs my heart. All of the time spent and experiences shared together fuel the affections of the heart.

I wish that I could say that with God everyday this is as easy. Some days seem to be so natural and easy while others my heart seems

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cold or hard. It is in these times that we must deliberately call to Him to remind us of our first love. He will flood you with grace to recall the wretch that you were and the love that He has lavished on you.

If we do not fix our hearts on God, they will fix on the next thing that comes along. We will fix our hearts on success, material possessions, popularity, or just worry about what others think of us. We will allow circumstances to point us away from God instead of to Him. If we go to God at all we will be going to ask for permission instead of guidance.

Today put into practice the last few days’ worth of suggestions. PRAY through scripture, having FAITH that God wants to speak, and PATIENTLY waiting to hear from Him. PRAY for others, while seeking to pray the WILL OF GOD. Be reminded of who God is and what He has done stirring your AFFECTIONS OF THE HEART.

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