Where do you find life?

Pastor Jadner Lugo

Main Scripture: John 15:1-11

Sermon Summary: We’re all dependent on something.  For some of us we’re dependent on the false vines of our careers, health, marriage, intelligence, or reputation.  We must allow God to prune away anything that distracts us from the True Vine so we can make an eternal impact.  Because fruit is never just for the branch.  Your fruit or lack of fruit impacts everyone around you.  So, what are you dependent on?  Jesus is asking, “Is it me?”

Don’t stop here, keep the conversation going on The Breakdown. Each week, we take this message further, talk through real-life applications, and wrestle with the questions you’re already asking. Just search “Journey Church with James Hilton” wherever you listen to podcasts or on YouTube.

  1. If you had to describe your life right now as a plant, what kind of plant would it be and why? (A cactus surviving on little water? A sunflower reaching toward the light? A houseplant that’s been neglected a little too long?)
  2. Pastor Jadner points out that none of us are truly independent — we all depend on something. What are some of the most common things people attach their lives to for security, identity, or purpose?
  3. In John 15:1, Jesus says, “I am the true vine.” The word true is significant here. What do you think Jesus is communicating by calling Himself the true vine rather than simply a vine? What does that imply about every other vine we might attach ourselves to?
  4. John 15:2 says, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” In your own words, what is the difference between being cut off and being pruned? Why is that distinction important?
  5. Jesus repeats the word “remain” (or “abide”) throughout this passage. Read John 15:4-5 together. Based on this passage, what is the branch’s one job? What does it mean practically to “remain” in Jesus?
  6. In John 15:10-11, Jesus connects obedience to joy. How does obedience lead to joy rather than just obligation? How does that reframe the way we think about following Jesus’s commands?
  7. The sermon points out that fruit isn’t just for the branch — it always benefits someone else. How does this change the way you think about your own spiritual growth? Who might be affected by the fruit (or lack of fruit) in your life?
  8. The sermon asks three diagnostic questions to help identify what vine you’ve actually been drawing life from:
    1. What are you most afraid of losing?
    2. What determines whether today is a good day or a bad day?
    3. What does your mind constantly run back to?

Take a moment to honestly answer those questions. What do your answers reveal about where you’ve been looking for life?

  1. Pastor Jadner shares that he personally hit a breaking point, realizing that the “withering he felt from his soul” was due to relying on himself rather than remaining in Jesus. Have you ever experienced a season of spiritual withering? Looking back, what do you think was the root cause?
  2. Pruning is described in the sermon as “loving cultivation” — not punishment. Has there been a season in your life when something good was removed, only for something better to grow in its place? What did that process feel like in the moment versus looking back?

Prayer:

Father, I’ll be honest — I’ve spent a lot of time and energy trying to draw life from things that were never designed to give it. I’ve looked to my career, my relationships, my reputation, and even myself to carry a weight only You were built to hold. Forgive me for that.

I want to remain in You — not just as a title or a habit, but as a real, living connection. I want Your words to shape what I want, what I pray for, and how I live. And where You’re pruning right now, even if it hurts, help me to trust Your hand. Help me to believe that every cut has purpose and that You are not trying to crush me — You’re cultivating me.

Produce in me the kind of fruit that blesses the people around me and brings glory to Your name. Not because I performed well enough, but because I stayed connected to You — the only True Vine.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.