"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
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.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.
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.If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.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.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.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." - John 15:1-15(KJV)
The Parable of the Vine
------------------------
We close our study of the parables with this weeks text. We hope you have enjoyed them - if you need to access the studies again, they are to be found at http://tabernacleoftheholyspirit.org/…/bible-study-the-par…/, along with our other studies on the Law, the Book of Revelation, and other topics.
The metaphor of the vine is one that is part of the gospel writer John's record of His words at that last pre-Passover supper, and contains rich advice for practical discipleship, from the lips of our Lord Himself.
These are among His last words as a fellow human to His disciples and the KEY MESSAGE is unmistakable, and brings our series to a fitting close:
KEY MESSAGE: ABIDE IN ME. These 3 words hold the key to living a joy filled, blessed, existence on earth! They promise us the benefits of all the work HE has done on OUR behalf, for practical living now, and in the life to come.
In the weeks ahead, we will be looking to study to answer a very simple question :
Let's say I plan to live my life according to the Bible. Is that practical today?
How will that bump me against prevailing culture, politics, sacred cows, and just the day to day grind of earning a living and getting along with friends, family and co-workers?
A lot of our readers will be surprised to find their views on deeply held topics challenged, not by us, but by the unchanging and eternal Word of God. Before all that excitement,though, lets ground ourselves in a few fundamentals...we must ABIDE in HIM above all else. If that is done, everything else follows. This week we will outline the reasons and benefits for abiding in Christ, and in the weeks succeeding (God willing) will try to do what we have just outlined.
ABIDE: Gk (men-o) A primary verb (this is something we are to DO) - stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy; continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry(for).
IN: Within, inside, with.
ME: The Word/Triune God
In a sense, we ALL, live and move, and have our being in the Creation of the Almighty, and since He is everywhere present in His Creation - yes we are all abiding in Him - but asking us to do this would not need to be a command ... its a fact. So, there is something else in view here. Abiding in Him is a command to start, and continue to be, in a state and relationship that He initiates.
Emmanuel means "God with Us", Christ tells us ("I am with you always"), but this "being with", is a relationship that goes back to the Old Testament. It indicates the Favor and Grace of our God. "And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. ... and his master saw that the LORD was with him." - (about Joseph: Genesis 39:1-5).
A blessing enjoyed by the patriarchs is now within the reach of every believer - having God indwell and BE WITH YOU! And this is all possible because of Christ's work on the cross! What a blessing!
1. Being able to Abide in Him is a gift of God.
It is a gift given to every human (life), but saying He is now IN us, is only possible by His action! And this action is vitally important, because the FIRST PRACTICAL REASON TO ABIDE IN HIM is to AVOID BEING DESTROYED.
"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." (from our text this week).
Pretty clear right? We run and hide our lives in the Rock that shields us from the righteous wrath of God. This is where it starts .... we must be born again - confess our faith before witnesses, be baptized in water, and of the Spirit. The good news of the gospel is only good news because the bad news is truly terrible. What Christ is offering is protection. Stretching out His wings like a hen for us chickens!
2. The second reason is to GLORIFY GOD.
All things were created for the glory and praise of the One who created them, including Man AND the CHURCH. We would like "to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the -manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church- to -the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." Ephesians 3:10,11. (Our Plan of God post pinned to the top of this Page).
How do we glorify God? Answer is in the text itself : "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."
God is glorified through the fruits He bears through the work of the church/disciples. The bearing of the fruit is NOT something we can do. "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.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.".
In the agricultural parables of the sower/soils, seeds growing secretly in the ground or to a big size, harvest etc. we see that MAN is never the originator of fruit. The SEED brings the FRUIT, we are the SOIL. In the Vine metaphor, we are the BRANCHES, but HE is the TREE. The branch channels the energy/life of the tree to the fruit, and locally presents it, but that fruit comes from the TREE!
How foolish we are to think that anything other than the SPIRIT & WORD of God can make a difference in this world. Not our charity, not our eloquence, not our industry, not even our blood! ( 1 Corinthians 13 chapter, and if you substitute the word God for the word Love and read it - you will understand why we said what we did.) It HAS to START from HIM and flow out, NOT we start pumping and then He gets involved. AND He has shown us the way...
What are the Christian Superpowers? Humility, Love, gentleness, forgiveness, self control, patience..... ask for the Spirit to flow through you with these qualities in your every day life, and WATCH GOD WORK!!!! Hallelujah!!! Not grand ideas of missions, or hundred thousand people crusades, just ordinary people making a difference one life at a time - through an encouraging word, through forgiveness, through charity etc. Without trips, without guilt, without ANYTHING ELSE being asked of us... how freeing!
3. The third and last reason is THAT OUR JOY MAY BE FULL.
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."
If our mind and intent are completely aligned with the Fathers will and intent, do you know what ?
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
How can the LORD make such an EXTRAVAGANT promise - "What you will?" --really? Mega-millions? Fame? Political Power?
Aha... now you see why that IF is important. That's the negative view. ON the PLUS side, consider Jesus Himself. That is the poster example for constant abiding - and what did Jesus say? Anything I can do, you can do, and you will do BIGGER things than I will do!
Peter walked on water, the disciples cast out demons and healed the sick, and in Jesus name forgave sins. In Jesus Name, we have ALL power on Heaven and Earth. If He agrees with us, there is NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE for Him or Us to do!
And you know why?
"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.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." [ quoted out of sequence to illustrate the point ].
Friends of God, that know everything He is doing and is about to do. Sound familiar?
In Genesis 18:17 (regarding the Destruction of Sodom) " And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?" The LORD does not hide ANYTHING from His Friends. Through Christ, and through His WORD (the same..) He has given us access and understanding of ALL THINGS! Do you see it? The business of simply living a human life pales in comparison with the wisdom and information revealed in the Bible! AND HE IS STILL OUR FRIEND!
This is the highest wisdom and the reason for our coming into being. To KNOW, appreciate, take a hold of, appropriate Him as personal, and then walk WITH HIM for the rest of Eternity, listening to Him, watching Him work and getting to know the way He does things... mmmmmmmmmm.........awesome!!!! And it can start TODAY!!! One tool (Bible), and regular assembly (Once a week or daily devotions) with Him is all that is required!
If you are alarmed at the prospect of being "purged" or "burned" don't be. Purging means cleansing. Christ says, that "NOW" we are CLEAN through the WORD He has spoken to us (if we heard it). We have no fear of being burned, and thank God for constantly pruning us for our benefit and fruitfulness, that we may glorify Him forever!
Hallelujah!