I love walking through a garden to see how things are growing. I take time to look at the flowers or the progress of the zucchini plants, and even marvel at the way that the apple tree has grown. But I am discouraged when I see parts that aren’t growing, especially when I see why… my dog trampled some plants. They must stay connected to the vine for life. Just like the plants in the garden, our lives must stay connected to the Vine (Jesus) for us to have true life. Follow along for an easy object lesson to teach children these valuable truths.
“I 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.”
John 15:5
My Goal of These Object Lessons:
I designed these lessons to give you quick material to teach when you are in need of something but don’t have time for a lot of planning. Church leadership has asked me at times on Saturday night to teach Sunday School the next morning. Having these simple object lessons will help you be more prepared when you need to teach on the spur of the moment — whether in your own home, church, or ministry.
Materials:
- A healthy tree branch
- A dead tree branch with brown leaves or no leaves
The Main Idea:
Jesus gives us true life.
The Lesson Introduction:
What do you observe about these two branches? Allow them to discuss about what they see in the leaves and the bark and the size… anything they notice about the two branches. (Make a list on the board if you are feeling like a schoolteacher.)
Why do you think they look this way? What do we know about them?
You are right. Someone cut or something disconnect this dead one from the vine a long time ago. It separated from its source of life…. it wasn’t getting the water and the food or nutrients that it needed to stay alive.
But THIS one looks healthy. I removed it from the tree just before I came here. The branch received the water and nutrients that it needed to stay alive.
But what is going to happen to this branch in a few days? That’s right. We are going to start to see the leaves getting brown and shriveling up, and then in a few more days it is going to become all brown and then the leaves might actually start falling off. Why? The leaves aren’t getting the water and food that it needs to stay alive.
The Main Lesson:
This reminds me of my life as a Christian. You see, each of us looks like one of these two branches. John 15 tells us that Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches. Let’s read that together. Read John 15:1-8.
When we abide in Him — that means staying connected to the Vine (Jesus) — we will be a healthy branch that will bear fruit. When we stay connected to Jesus, we confess our sin to Him, read His Word (the Bible), obey what the Bible says, and pray to Him. This is the spiritual food that we need to stay alive… and it spells CROP — Confess, Read, Obey, and Pray! In order for this crop (branch, plant, vine, us, etc.) to grow, it must stay connected to Jesus. CROP is an easy way for us to remember how we need to stay connected to Jesus.
Psalm 1:2-3 says,
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
Jesus says in other places that He is the Living Water (John 7:37-38) and the Bread of Life (John 6:35) — two things that we need to live! When we stay close to Him we get the spiritual water and bread (food) that we need to live. We will look like the healthy tree branch.
But if we are not staying connected to Jesus, we are like this branch. We are dead… or dying. We aren’t getting the good food/nutrients that we need to be able to live, confessing our sin — or even recognizing when we sin, or reading the Bible to learn more about God or obeying what it says. And we definitely aren’t praying… talking to God more than just before mealtimes. We are spiritually dying.
The Conclusion
How do we become connected to Jesus? CROP: Confess our sins to Him, Read the Bible, Obey what the Bible says, and Pray. When we do those things, we connect back to Jesus and start really living. Our leaves will begin to get green from the water and food that it needs to flourish. We want to be people who are really living — living for God and being connected to Him.
What step or steps will you take to get reconnected to Jesus? Do you have sin to confess? Will you start reading your Bible every day? You can read one chapter in Psalms or Proverbs. Has God been telling you to obey in a way that you haven’t been? Will you begin and end each day in prayer?
Let’s pray together as we close our time.
“I 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.”
John 15:5
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