Abide in Jesus, the True Vine

Rev. Dr. Scott Murray, pastor at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study John 15:1-11. When Jesus calls Himself the true vine, He picks up Old Testament imagery from the prophet Isaiah. Where Israel was unfaithful, Jesus is entirely faithful. The Father prunes believers for the sake of keeping us connected to Jesus and making us more fruitful. Only as we remain in Jesus and He remains in us can we bear any fruit. As branches, we must remain connected to Christ the Vine in His Word, lest we die eternally. Jesus loves us as the Father has loved Him; in His Word, He makes our joy full. “The Word Made Flesh” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. John. The disciple whom Jesus loved wrote his Gospel account as an eyewitness to Jesus’ life and ministry. As we read the Word of God recorded by St. John, the Holy Spirit works in us so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so have life by faith in His name.