Pr-The spirit of this ageII.
John 15:1-27
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
n (is it possible to be in Christ and not bear fruit? Apparently from this passage it is!)
and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me - ye can do nothing.
n (he has to be involved with the whole process)
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
n Three positions
1. withering, removing, burning stage
2. fruit bearing, purging stage
3. fruit bearing much fruit stage
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
n Abide in Me
How do we do that?
Matt 22:37-40
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matt 10:37-39
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life(soul) shall lose it: and he that loseth his life(soul) for my sake shall find it.
n with all your heart(undivided, total)
Prov 4:23
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
What happens with your heart will determine what you do with your life. Whoever has your heart has you! It´s the seat of your desires! It´s your Character, It´s who you are! the hidden man of the heart!(1 Pet.3:4) It´s the seat of Faith, Worship, Love, Hope, Communion with God, the spiritual realm.
Matt 15:8
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. We have all had this experience before! Where we did the action with our bodies but our inner man was far away!
n with all your soul (these are the avenues of expressions for your spirit man)
Your mind your will and your emotions(but Jesus lists the mind seperate! Yes he does and I will explain that in a moment. placing all your choices, emotions, feelings, fire, excitement, energy into loving him. ie.. Matt 15:8 backwards.. inner man no body involvement.
n with all your mind
The mind is so important to loving God, because he wants your thought life also.
Prov 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Zech 7:9-12
9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. 11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. 12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
Acts 7:57
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
2 Cor 10:5
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. 26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
1. Jesus the TRUE vine.
2. Fruit of the Spirit is the goal!
3. Not abiding brings no fruit
4. It´s possible to abide and not bring fruit if the full condition is not met (him in us).