I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me,

and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

- If we are maintaining a close fellowship with Him, then the result will be fruit in and through our lives.

- We will not need to manufacture "results" in our own strength. The Holy Spirit will produce fruit, and this fruit will remain.

- This means that God will use us to touch the lives of others and help win them to Christ.

- You may have to wait until you see the Lord in Heaven before you will know what fruit has been produced in your life.

- If you are growing in holy living, and experiencing victory over temptation, then you are abiding in Christ. The absence of temptation is not a proof of abiding; the

presence of temptation and testing is the proof.

- Bearing "fruit unto holiness" (Romans 6:22) is a daily process, not a finished matter. As we grow in Christ, we conquer new areas in our lives; and the beautiful "fruit of the Spirit" is more and more evident.

- If you find yourself growing in "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance," then you know you are abiding in Christ.

- As you abide in Christ, you will find many ways to work for Him.

* You will not have to be threatened or bribed. Working for Christ, will be the natural result of walking with Christ and abiding in Him.

* You will discover and develop your gifts and go to work in the church as He leads you.

* You will find yourself praising the Lord as you abide in Him. You will praise Him for His blessings, and you will praise Him for the burdens of life as well. You will praise Him when the way is bright and clear, and you will praise Him when the way is dark and perplexing.

- The Christian, who does not abide in Christ, gives thanks occasionally for some things, but the abiding Christian gives thanks always for all things.

- Through Christ, you will "...offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." (Hebrews 13:15)

* No matter how little fruit you may be producing, it is still evidence that you are abiding in Christ.

- The Father sees that fruit and rejoices in it. He then does all He can to help you produce "more fruit and much fruit"

- The last thing the Father wants to do is take away your opportunity for glorifying Him in fruitbearing. But a fruitless branch is a disgrace to the Vinedresser. Certainly, the fruitless believer ought to confess his sins and have his fellowship restored; then, he can bear fruit for God's glory.

2. A second evidence is pruning

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:2

- What is this pruning process? It is the Father's cutting out of our lives the things that hinder us from being more fruitful. This explains why abiding Christians are often suffering Christians. They experience the Father's pruning, and it hurts. What does the Father cut away from our lives? Anything that keeps the life of the Vine from producing more fruit and much fruit.

- If the life goes to leaf, he cuts away the excess leaves. Of themselves, leaves are not bad; but if they rob us of fruit, they are sinful.

- When you first start abiding in Christ, you find the sinful things of your life falling away as His life takes control. But as you grow in grace, you start to experience the pruning

process, and God starts to cut away things that you think are good. "Why, Lord?" is the prayer often on your lips. His answer is clear, "I want you to bear more fruit."

- The secret of living is fruitbearing, and the more fruit you bear, the more you will live.

- The abiding Christian does not choose between the good and the bad; an unsaved person can do that. The abiding Christian chooses between the better and the best. He is not discouraged when the Father prunes his life and cuts away something that he considers dear, because he

knows he will receive something far more precious in return.

- Expect to be pruned if you are abiding in Christ. This is the only way to bear more fruit and glorify the Father.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

- The Father often has to remind us that we are branches and not the Vine Itself. He permits us to go through circumstances that bring out our weakness and His strength.

- He repeatedly teaches us, "Without me, ye can do nothing." This is one reason for the testings that we experience in life.

* Have you ever noticed that God often tests us in our our strongest points?

* Satan tempts us in our weakest points to bring out the worst in us, but God tests us in our strongest points to bring out the best in us.

* If we fail in our strong points, think of how much greater we would fail in our weak points. Abraham's strongest point was his faith, and that is exactly where the Lord tested him. God permitted a famine to come to the land, and Abraham went down to Egypt to save himself. He failed the test. Moses' strongest point was his meekness; yet he lost his temper one day and failed to glorify God. Peter's greatest strength was his courage; yet he became a coward when confronted by a little maid who asked him about Jesus. Peter had boasted that he would even die with the Lord Jesus. He found out how weak he was and that, apart from Christ, he could do nothing.

- After you have been abiding in Christ for a long time, you may be tempted to feel stronger than you really are. You may feel capable of handling life in your own wisdom and strength.

- Beware! You are heading for certain failure and shame. Jesus said, "Without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5) Nothing. Of yourself, you are a weak branch, good for nothing but the fire. But in Christ, you have all the strength you need to bear fruit and glorify God. Your weakness is your strength. God will see to it that you are reminded of your weakness, even if He has to bring you very low to do it.

...for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

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

- Prayer is not only a cause but also a result of abiding. As we pray, we abide; as we abide, we pray more, and more deeply.

- You should not separate prayer from the Word of God.

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

- As we read the Word of God, we discover God's will, what He wants to give us. As we further meditate on His Word, our hearts are gradually changed, and we start to desire what He desires.

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4

- Prayer is both a thermometer and a thermostat in the Christian life. It helps to regulate our "spiritual temperature," but it also reveals the devotion of our hearts.

- What a joy it is to have God answer prayer! What confidence it gives you to know that you can take "everything to God in prayer," and He will hear and answer!

- He does not always give us what we ask, but He does give us what we need, when we need it. This is one evidence of abiding.

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love...This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:9, 12

- God is love, and if we are sharing His life, we must experience His love. And if we experience His love, we must express that love to others.

* There is a danger that our abiding life may become self-centered and isolated. We get so wrapped up in a relationship with God that we neglect or ignore the people around us. But this kind of "abiding" is false. The closer we grow to the Lord, the more of His love we will want to share with others.

* Christian love is simply treating others the way God has treated us.

* The test of this love is sacrifice, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) The kind of love our Lord is talking about, agape love, is love that gives, that sacrifices, that willingly pays the price that others might be helped.

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:11

- Christian joy is not the absence of trial or trouble; it is a deep peace and confidence in the midst of trial and trouble.

- The very hour in which Jesus spoke those words was one of tremendous pressure and challenge for Him.

* Judas would betray Him.

* Peter would deny Him.

* His own followers would forsake Him and flee.

* He would be arrested, falsely accused, humiliated, beaten, and then crucified.

* He would even be forsaken by His Father. Yet Jesus was able to give His joy to His disciples. It was a joy in the midst of sorrow, a confidence in the midst of man's failure and sin.

- Spiritual joy is the result of abiding in Christ; loss of that joy is an evidence that we are not abiding in Christ. The only way to restore that communion, and the resulting joy, is through confession,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Conclusion: Here, then, are some of the evidences, that we are abiding in Christ:

- We bear fruit for God's glory.

- We experience the Father's pruning that we might bear more fruit.

- We have a sense of weakness and know that we are only the branches; Christ is the Vine.

- We have our prayers answered.

- We love the brethren and are hated by the world.

- We experience a deep joy in spite of circumstances.

To be sure, not every abiding believer will have all of these blessings in the same degree at the same time. But they will be present in some measure, and they will be strong enough to be evident. Others may see these blessings in us better than we do. It is good for us, as branches, to examine ourselves regularly to see if we are abiding in Christ. We want to bear fruit, and the key to fruitbearing is abiding.