Have you ever noticed how many times the word remain appears in John 15?
4“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:4-8 Emphasis added).
What does it mean to remain? (The English King James Version uses the word "abide").
The thought is of the life-sap of Jesus Christ flowing through your life by allowing the Word of God to be the pruning shears of the Holy Spirit. The disciples had the person of Christ with them for three years, speaking the very words of God to them. That's why He said they were already clean because of the words He had spoken to them (John 15:3). Further, He promised them that if they continued to maintain a connection with Himself (the Head) and that His Word remained in them, they would ask “whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (v. 7). Our desire should be for the Word of God to take root in the soil of our character. The Pharisees of the day had the Word of God, the Old Testament, but they had no desire for the change in character that the Word of God can bring.
37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John 5:37-40).
The religious Jews had meditated on the Holy Scriptures all their lives, but the Word of God had not found a home in them. We must move the furniture around and make room for His Word. Any junk in the place of our hearts has to go to the junkyard, and the throne room has to have Christ and His Word entirely at home and taking root. The Lord said something similar a little later to the religious Jews:
I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word (John 8:37).
The life and power of God flow smoothly through a man or woman living in faith and obedience toward God and making room in their heart for the Word of God. We often underestimate the power of the Word of God, but Jesus said this about His Word:
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life (John 6:63).
True discipleship is living fully for Christ and being spiritually connected to Him, Who is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). When we allow His life to flow through us, the Lord produces results that defy natural explanation—powerfully effective prayers, God-honoring blessings, unbounded love, and inexplicable joy. All these things come when God's Word finds a home in our hearts, and we are rooted and grounded in the love and power of Christ (Ephesians 3:17). The life-giving sap of this organic connection to the Lord Jesus Christ will bring considerable fruit to your life. Keith Thomas
This shortened study is found in the Gospel of John series, study 30, Jesus the True Vine.
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