Abiding in Christ Jesus.
Part three from
verse 3-4
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.
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.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much
fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
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
Let us continue from verse five.
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.
Jesus continue the importance of abiding in him, here we see again a repetition by our Lord. Why repetition? It shows the value of this doctrine, the importance. Jesus did not say he is the vine and we the grass, but the vine and the branches have the same nature. Repetition is to show the close union we have in Christ. As the vine and the branches are related intimately. The intimate fellowship we have in Christ. Spurgeon said the following.
Now look at 'yourself'- a worm that has rebelled against
its
Creator, loathsome with sin, through and through defiled.
When I see a beggar and a prince stand together I see a
distance, but ah! It is but an inch, a span, compared with
the infinite leagues of distance in character and nature
between God and the fallen man.
We were that worm rebelled against the Creator, we were that beggar in our fallen nature, there is no close union between the prince and the beggar but Christ gave us a new nature we dont like beggars anymore but clothed in the righteousness of Christ as his righteousness is imputed to us we are called the children of God, he calls us his friend.
The importance of bearing fruit and he is the connection to bear fruit. Last week we saw our old man was crucified and we have become new in Christ Jesus. God brought us from darkness and given us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Our nature is changed by the Holy Spirit and we become a new person in Christ. The result is bearing fruit. The same bringeth forth much fruit.
The true Christian is in Christ, abiding in him. The word in Christ, is has an important meaning. You do not hear Moslems say they are in Mohammed or the Buddhists say they are in Buddha. But there are many scriptures to say that the true Christians are in Christ. The word in means to be in union with Christ. It is an act of joining two or more into one, oneness in unity.
Now if we have union with Christ, a sweet fellowship a living fellowship, a relationship as Christ is alive. That is why no one can say they are in Mohammed or Buddha as you cannot have a fellowship with Mohammed or Buddha as they are dead.
2Co
It is not a worldly fellowship anymore as we are being separated unto Christ, this is called sanctification. This sanctification included the fruit of the spirit.
Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
We are to be fruitful. Man was not created as in independent being for himself. Man was created to serve and glorify his Creator, God.
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Man was created to live for his Creator, God, to be profitable and fruitful if not the Lord will throw the unfruitful branch into the fire.
When you are in union with Christ as you abide in him and he in us there is a love relationship, we become like him
There is a true love that is not in selfish motives to get something, without bad motive but true genuine love. We think about the other person more than ourselves. There is the joy of our salvation. There is peace, while everyone else in these days hostile, angry we as Christians are calm. We can endure suffering, Christians are under control. Now all these good virtues come not from us but from the vine that is in us, Christ in us.
For without me ye can do nothing.
Nothing is zero. Which means we as the branches totally depended upon the vine. We are totally depended upon the Lord. When the children of Israel came to the red sea, they saw the enemy behind, they were totally helpless. For without me you cannot do nothing, under any circumstances they would have been slaughtered by the Egyptians, until God intervened. Without me you can do nothing.
When the children of Israel came into the wilderness, they did not have a map or a compass, did not have a directions, totally lost. The word of God said, without me you can do nothing. Until God intervened and he guided them in the daytime as the pillar of cloud and in nighttime as the pillar of light.
When they were hungry and thirsty in the middle of the dessert, under any condition they would have died without food or water. Jesus said, without me you can do nothing. Until God intervened and gave them food from heaven and water from the rock.
When king Nebuchadnezzar commanded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be cast into the burning fiery furnace, there was nothing they could do to save from the fire of death. Without me you can do nothing. Until the Lord himself were with them in the midst of the fire, not a hair of them were burnt neither there was the smell of fire.
When Daniel was put into the den of lions to be eaten alive, yes, without God there is nothing you can do. But God intervened the hungry wild lions became obedient to the will of God.
When Jonah was thrown in to the fury raging sea, there was nothing Jonah could do but to await for death. Gods word say, without me you can do nothing. Again we see the power of God being shown when God made a whale and Jonah was safe in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights.
When the disciples encountered a great storm they thought all of them would die in drowning, they woke up the Lord who was fast asleep and said, Master, Master we are perishing. Yes, without Jesus you can do nothing. The Lord spoke the word and even nature was obedient to him.
We see the power of God, without Gods grace we cannot take our next breath, without the power of God we cannot move as apostle Paul said, Ac 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being.
When it comes to salvation does God has the power?
In the same way does God has the power to save whom he wants or God does not have the power to save whom he wants? Let us look at a very important scripture that is been misrepresented even by many preachers and pastors.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The majority of the Christian churches today believe that God is not willing anyone to perish but all to come to repentance, not willing that anyone to perish. However but many perish and go to hell. We see a God here looking on all the people and say, my will is all to come to repentance but I cannot save all. We see a God pleading and begging to come to him and yet the power of man says no and we see a God who is frustrated and crying.
We have a God here who is powerless to save; as he is willing that none should perish yet he cannot perform his will as many are going to hell. I have news for you, this is not my God. This kind of teaching came not from the protestant reformation but from Roman Catholicism, the reformers not did the puritans believe in this kind of teachings but the church today has gone back to its false teachings.
When my God says, not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance, not one will perish and all will come to repentance, this is the power of God. Jesus said:
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath
sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Salvation is of God not of man. We need to be like the Bereans not just agreeing what ever comes from the pulpit or just because someone is a famous authority in the Bible, do not just believe read and study the scriptures to say if they are telling the truth, do not just believe me as humans make mistakes, do not trust in man but trust in Gods word. Do not trust in feelings or emotions, you may not understand all but trust in God by faith what the scriptures say.
Now let us expose 2 Peter 3:9.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Always remember the context. Peter did not divide scriptures or any other apostles, originally they were letters. Read and study the scriptures like a letter, this is what it meant originally then you will see the true context.
See to who is this letter address to.
1Pe 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Some of your Bibles may say to the strangers. Strangers are foreigners in located outside of Israel, not the Jewish Christians but the gentile Christians outside of Israel, then you will see they were scattered in throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. There was a great persecution on the church and Christians were scattered. Peter is writing to the believers in Christ Jesus to the elect.
If you look at 2 Peter 1:1 the audience is the same as written to the true believers.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter uses the word beloved eight times, two times in his first epistle and six times in his second epistle.
Is beloved means all the people no. You do not call another woman beloved but only your wife, children and ones that are intimately related to you, in the same way beloved are only the elect, the children of God. Christians who are reconciled to God by the power of his gospel.
Ro 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The elect are the beloved.
Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
Also read the scripture before 2 Pet 3:9, which is verse 8
2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Now read as a letter verse nine.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
If we see this scripture in context we see that God is patiently waiting until all the elect are brought to repentance that none of them may perish.
Jesus said, For without me ye can do nothing. Even salvation is of God. We cannot earn salvation; it is only by the power of God for the glory of God. Our God is a powerful God.
We need to preach the gospel as if all were elect as we do not know who is elect and who is not, the elect will hear and respond to the gospel. The ones who believes and trust are the elect.