In the Shadow of the Cross

What is important? How do you know that it is important? Would it be important to someone other than you? Why not?
Is having a personal relationship with Jesus important? I want you to think about that for several minutes. Don’t read on until you have really given that some thought.

Why is this relationship with our Lord important? Let’s presume that you have already confessed your sins and that you acknowledge and believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, and have turned your life to Him. If you have not done that, then this question has no relevance and it simply rhetorical. But if you have taken this life altering decision to turn your life to Christ it is quite profound and meaningful. In fact, Jesus has many sentences to say about this subject, and a few are found in John.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (3) You are already clean because of the work which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (6) If anyone does not abide in Me, his is thrown away as a branch and dries up; they gather them, and cast them in the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (8) My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (11)These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full”
(John 15; 1-11 NASB)

I am not an agricultural guru, but it appears to me that Jesus is our true vine, God is our vinedresser. God is the gardener, symbolically speaking. He says that branches can be fruit bearing or non-fruit bearing. The branches symbolize the people who profess Jesus as their Lord. The non-fruit bearing branches represent those people who say they believe, but their lives are empty and lack any genuine salvation. Many churches are full of these ‘branches’. They practice church or religion. They have the ritual memorized, but they lack the relationship with the ‘True Vine’ (Jesus). They practice “ritual-osity”, they have no life from the vine. What does the vinedresser do with these branches that bear no fruit? Jesus answers this question in verse 6, above. Jesus is explaining the relationship He has with His Father and the description of the fruit bearing branches and the relationship they have with Him. He is using the symbolism of the vine to illustrate the point.

Jesus indicated by the word ‘abide’ (which means to stay with or stay by or remain with), that the fruit bearing branches are in the salvation status. This can be deducted from the statement that …”you are already clean.” In other words, since Jesus says, “Abide in Me, and I in you” this makes it clear that we are to ‘remain’ with Him, continue to serve Him, obey Him, love Him. Abide and remain, presupposes that we were with Him in the first place. So how are we with Him? By the relationship!!

You know how relationships work. One is married to another, or one is a brother or sister to another person, etc.. What transpires between these two people is evidenced by how they communicate with each other, how one treats the other, how they do things together, how they interact and relate. How they ‘abide’ in one another ….you get the picture.

Remember a few minutes ago, when I asked you to contemplate your relationship with our Lord Jesus? What was your conclusion or evaluation? Keep in mind that this relationship is not like a human relationship, where it often is centered in emotion or obligation or convenience, or even some mysterious set of circumstances. – No, this relationship with Jesus is based on obedience. “…If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love….”, keeping the commandments of our Lord is obedience.

It is not obligatory obedience, but rather with the knowledge that the death He suffered was horrific, brutal and humanly unjust. But Jesus took the punishment meant for us knowingly, willfully, and lovingly. It is obedience to the Father for the great Divine plan of salvation from which Jesus is central and key. This obedience comes from the assurance of our salvation and the knowledge of our God being long-suffering and patient. God is the source of all compassion and mercy, His love is limitless.
God is patiently waiting all He called to come to Him, before His full glory is shown in the new heaven and new earth.
This obedience is the central to our relationship with Jesus. What are we to obey? We are to obey His commandments. Where are these commandments? The Bible is loaded with these. In John 15, he is seeking obedience in the area of fruit bearing.

And we obey, because Jesus said, ‘…these things I have spoken to you that My Joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full” I have no idea what the joy of Jesus is –fully. I don’t believe anyone does on this side of heaven. But I can only imagine that is something incredibly wonderful. See for yourself. He says, “My joy”. What is this joy? It is beyond my comprehension, but Jesus wants this for us. He says so in verse 11.

Our Lord will give His joy when we obey Him, just as He obeyed in the Father. Obtaining this joy will not come from futile ritualistic exercises or practicing ‘church-ology’, or seeking academic status, but rather by an obedient and contrite heart and deep intimate relationship with the “True Vine”.

So I’ll ask you again; is having a personal relationship with Jesus important?

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Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used