John 15  As Jesus and His disciples leave the upper room and walk towards the garden of Gethsemane they probably sang Psalm 118, giving thanks to the Lord for His goodness and lovingkindness.  They would have sung the verses about trusting in the Lord and rejoicing in His marvelous works. They would have sang about the stone rejected by the builders but chosen by the Lord.  They would have exalted the Lord and praised His holy Name.

Jesus had more to say to His disciples as the hour of His death drew near.
" I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser."  He proclaimed.
 Psalm 80, Isaiah 5, and Ezekiel 19  all refer to Israel as God's vine, once planted and fruitful, but now plucked out, burned down, overgrown with brambles and thorns.
Jesus is the vine.. the only vine now.  The Father has raised Him up to be the root of all His people. Everyone who believes in and abides in the root.. in Jesus.. is a branch on God's vine.

Branches have one purpose - to be the place where fruit grows.  The fruit cannot grow unless the branch is connected to the Root.  Life flows from the root into the branch.  A healthy branch, firmly attached to the Vine, will produce the fruit of the Vine.

To bear fruit, to be a healthy branch abiding in the Vine.. that is in Jesus.. requires the work of the Vinedresser.  Jesus tells us a few things about that:
1.  The Vinedresser prunes the Vine.  He takes away dead branches.  He shapes up the ones who are still alive, cutting off the parts that cause harm to the branch.
2.  Dead branches will end up in the fire. Cut off, thrown away, dried up, and burned.
3. Abiding branches bear fruit as the life of the Vine flows through them.
4. Abiding in Jesus is only accomplished when we abide in His Word. 
5. Abiding in Jesus and bearing fruit does 2 things.. it glorifies the Father and it proves our relationship with Jesus.

Abiding means to stay.. endure.. be present in relationship.  It is unbroken connection with Jesus.

The most important and vital fruit that flows from our lives as we are abiding in Jesus- is love. 
 ( v9)
Love started with the Father.. poured out on the Son.  It flowed from the Son into those who are His..
From the Vinedresser into the Vine.. from the Vine into the branches.
Stay connected, Jesus tells us again and again! Stay connected by being in the Word and keeping it.
Keeping His commandments means loving one another.
Love like Jesus loves us.

Father in Heaven,  the Holy Vinedresser, Who has placed us in the True Vine, Jesus Christ, how we praise and thank You.  You have given us life.  You have made us vessels of Your love.  Cleanse us with Your Word, prune us so that we might bear more fruit to glorify You and to show that we belong to Jesus.  Help us to abide in Him today, to keep the commandments, to love one another as You have loved us.  We ask this as You have told us.. "ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.."  We ask that You will give us fruit that will remain.. in Jesus' name we pray. amen.