"Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 9 December 2011"
Today's Blog Title: "We Must Remain In Jesus"
Today's Scripture Reading: John 15:1-27
Today's Key Verse: John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you abide in me."
Jesus in this chapter continues His last night teachings. He compares His future relationship with the disciples to that of a vine to the branches. He is the source of spiritual vitality and fruitfulness. His disciples must thus remain"in" Him, intimately connected by responsive obedience to Jesus commands. The world of lost mankind will hate us a Christians even as it has hated Christ. Yet the Spirit, resident in the the believer, will testify about Him to the world, even as we His children must testify of Him.
This chapter identifies and defines three relationships that are part of every believers experience: (1) our relationship with Jesus (verses 1-11), our relationship with other believers (verses 12-17), (3) our relationship with the indifferent and hostile world of nonbelievers (verses 18-27).
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS
Jesus in verse 1 in calling the Father the "Gardener" offers us real hope. Who but the Father would have a greater skill in nurturing our growth? The pruning of a vine in verse 2,6 involves cutting back live wood to improve its fruitfulness and the removal of dead wood that might spread decay. Pruning DOES NOT threaten the salvation of believers. The branch of the grapevine has no use but to bear fruit. The stringy wood cannot be carved or used to make buildings. It then is thrown out and burned. Jesus is telling us here that the person who does not abide in Him, is as useless as the branch that is thrown away. We as Christians are called to bear fruit. God prunes the true believer so he or she will.
We as believers and as His children "must remain" in Jesus by responding obediently to Him (verse 10). This places us where we are sensitive to His leading and praying in His Will. Such prayers our Heavenly Father STILL ANSWERS.
We as Christians glorify God by doing that which brings Him praise. Here Jesus says that this means bearing fruit. Living a life in Christ glorifies God because we could never do it without an intimate, dependent relationship with Jesus.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
In verses 12-17, Jesus tells us that the key to an abiding relationship with Christ is obedience." The key to relationship with other believers is "love". The initiative in salvation always belongs to God. He loved us before we knew Him. He sent Christ to redeem us while we were in sins. He reached out with the Good News, and His Spirit wooed us before we expressed any inclination to respond to Him. What a marvel, that the chain of choices brought us to Jesus and bonds us eternally to Him.
Jesus is our model for love (verse 13). Intimacy with Him is the motive for loving as He loves. If believers obey His command to love, they enjoy the intimacy of His friendship. Friendship, unlike sonship, is not a once for all gift, but develops as the result of obeying the command of Jesus to "LOVE." Until this point, Jesus had called His disciples servants (12:26; 13:13-16), A servant does what He is told and sees what his master does, but does not necessarily know the meaning or purpose of it. A friend knows what is happening because friends develop deep fellowship by communicating with one another.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOSTILE WORLD OF UNBELIVERS
Starting in verse 18, Jesus tell His disciples that they will be hated by the world just as it had hated him. Here, as in other passages, the "world" to John is the whole of human society as it exists without God. This world was hostile to Jesus, and we can expect it will be hostile to the followers of Jesus. The world's hostility is rooted in a failure to know God (verse 21), but more specifically in a fierce anger that flared when Jesus did reveal God to them (verse 24).
How are we to respond? As Jesus did, by testifying about God (verse 26). Never mind the hate of the world against you. God is still choosing believers out of the world whenever the Free Gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ is heard.
Today's Christmas Hymn: "Angels From The Realm Of Glory"
Angels from the realms of glory, Wing your flight over all the earth,
Ye, who sang creations story, Now proclaim Messiah's birth
Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ the newborn King
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, as we live our life's for You prune us the branches so that we can bear much fruit for you. May we abide in You always Lord, and may we lovingly obey the Word of God and diligently seek You through Your Word and through Prayer. Help us to bring the Good News of Salvation of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit's conviction of unbelievers and bring them to the saving Grace of Jesus Christ.
Amen
Today's Biblical Truth: "The Holy Spirit is not given to the world, but to believers."
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with gladness.
"The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." Psalm 118:14
Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi
Today's Blog Title: "We Must Remain In Jesus"
Today's Scripture Reading: John 15:1-27
Today's Key Verse: John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you abide in me."
Jesus in this chapter continues His last night teachings. He compares His future relationship with the disciples to that of a vine to the branches. He is the source of spiritual vitality and fruitfulness. His disciples must thus remain"in" Him, intimately connected by responsive obedience to Jesus commands. The world of lost mankind will hate us a Christians even as it has hated Christ. Yet the Spirit, resident in the the believer, will testify about Him to the world, even as we His children must testify of Him.
This chapter identifies and defines three relationships that are part of every believers experience: (1) our relationship with Jesus (verses 1-11), our relationship with other believers (verses 12-17), (3) our relationship with the indifferent and hostile world of nonbelievers (verses 18-27).
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS
Jesus in verse 1 in calling the Father the "Gardener" offers us real hope. Who but the Father would have a greater skill in nurturing our growth? The pruning of a vine in verse 2,6 involves cutting back live wood to improve its fruitfulness and the removal of dead wood that might spread decay. Pruning DOES NOT threaten the salvation of believers. The branch of the grapevine has no use but to bear fruit. The stringy wood cannot be carved or used to make buildings. It then is thrown out and burned. Jesus is telling us here that the person who does not abide in Him, is as useless as the branch that is thrown away. We as Christians are called to bear fruit. God prunes the true believer so he or she will.
We as believers and as His children "must remain" in Jesus by responding obediently to Him (verse 10). This places us where we are sensitive to His leading and praying in His Will. Such prayers our Heavenly Father STILL ANSWERS.
We as Christians glorify God by doing that which brings Him praise. Here Jesus says that this means bearing fruit. Living a life in Christ glorifies God because we could never do it without an intimate, dependent relationship with Jesus.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
In verses 12-17, Jesus tells us that the key to an abiding relationship with Christ is obedience." The key to relationship with other believers is "love". The initiative in salvation always belongs to God. He loved us before we knew Him. He sent Christ to redeem us while we were in sins. He reached out with the Good News, and His Spirit wooed us before we expressed any inclination to respond to Him. What a marvel, that the chain of choices brought us to Jesus and bonds us eternally to Him.
Jesus is our model for love (verse 13). Intimacy with Him is the motive for loving as He loves. If believers obey His command to love, they enjoy the intimacy of His friendship. Friendship, unlike sonship, is not a once for all gift, but develops as the result of obeying the command of Jesus to "LOVE." Until this point, Jesus had called His disciples servants (12:26; 13:13-16), A servant does what He is told and sees what his master does, but does not necessarily know the meaning or purpose of it. A friend knows what is happening because friends develop deep fellowship by communicating with one another.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOSTILE WORLD OF UNBELIVERS
Starting in verse 18, Jesus tell His disciples that they will be hated by the world just as it had hated him. Here, as in other passages, the "world" to John is the whole of human society as it exists without God. This world was hostile to Jesus, and we can expect it will be hostile to the followers of Jesus. The world's hostility is rooted in a failure to know God (verse 21), but more specifically in a fierce anger that flared when Jesus did reveal God to them (verse 24).
How are we to respond? As Jesus did, by testifying about God (verse 26). Never mind the hate of the world against you. God is still choosing believers out of the world whenever the Free Gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ is heard.
Today's Christmas Hymn: "Angels From The Realm Of Glory"
Angels from the realms of glory, Wing your flight over all the earth,
Ye, who sang creations story, Now proclaim Messiah's birth
Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ the newborn King
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, as we live our life's for You prune us the branches so that we can bear much fruit for you. May we abide in You always Lord, and may we lovingly obey the Word of God and diligently seek You through Your Word and through Prayer. Help us to bring the Good News of Salvation of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit's conviction of unbelievers and bring them to the saving Grace of Jesus Christ.
Amen
Today's Biblical Truth: "The Holy Spirit is not given to the world, but to believers."
Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with gladness.
"The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." Psalm 118:14
Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi
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