Jn. 15:1-17
As I read this passage this morning, I am moved in my heart. I must make it my own; memorize and meditate on it. Write about it. I must echo the words of Jeremiah, Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words become to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. I must devour more of God's word and bury it deep in my heart. Only then will it change and transform me. There is always the possibility that when I read Scripture and want to obey, that I will change within my own will and power. Even though my motive is good, the end result is not. It must be all of Him. As Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
So on to John 15. Initially I must recognize the characters in this passage and their respective positions: Jesus, the Father, and John [speaking for all believers].
- Jesus- He is the vine who cleanses me through His words. provides life and sustenance to the branches, and gives me a place ot abide [a home] .
- The Father is the vinedresser with the responsibility of pruning and then gathering of unfruitful branches to be burned.
- John and all believers are branches, branches that must be clean, bear fruit, and be constantly abiding in the vine.
Pruning: The Father prunes not to cause pain or to be cruel, but to make the branches more fruitful. I am not sure how the branches on the vine feel when they are pruned. Do they feel pain since they are a living being? Regardless, as a branch, the pruning would cause intense pain, but pain that has a wonderful purpose. God calls us to endure hardship, to fight the good fight, and to bear the burden. None of these speak of ease.
Cleansing: Eph. 5:26 says that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. and Titus 3:5 says he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Jesus stated simply that He washed us with His words. How could His words have so much power? He is the logos the living word. When God speaks, words become life! The power of His words was twofold; one a cleansing that washed away our sin, and secondly, a giving of new life. He did not cleanse us to leave a vacuum, but to graft in His being, to make us partakers of the divine nature. 2 Pet. 1:3-4 says, His divine power has granted to us all things pertaining to life and godliness by which He has granted to us His precious and very promises so that we may become partakers of the divine nature having escaped from the corruption that is in the world. Wow! What a glorious gift!
Abiding: He cleansed us to give us new life, this new life is dependent on abiding. Just like a branch dies apart from the vine, so we would die apart from Jesus. Abiding is essential. It is our power source. If we try and live for Jesus apart from abiding, it will only end in failure. But abiding in Jesus produces much fruit, much power, and much closeness. Jesus states it plainly. Apart from Him we can do nothing!
Fruitbearing: Once we are cleansed, pruned, and are abiding, then we become productive. Fruit will abound. If we circumvent the divine plan, we will become a withered branch ready to be gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. Who would chose that? No one in their right mind. The Father is glorified by our fruitbearing. Not only that but it proves we are His disciples. It is a mark of our status. It identifies us as a child of God.
Praying: When we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done. Whoa! We have a direct line to the Father. Our words will be answered. But what is the catch? We will be abiding and His words will be in us. Therefore His words will be our words. We will be praying the words of the Son to the Father. Of course, they will be answered. Our abiding in Him and His words abiding in us will unite us with the will of the Father. We will see life as the Father does and His will will become our will.
Glorifying: By this the Father is glorified. The 'this' includes our cleasing, abiding, fruitbearing,and praying. We glorify the Father when our life is in line with the Son and the Father. When His words abide in us and We abide in Him. We are filled completely by Him and our will has become His will.
Loving: The Father loved Jesus and Jesus has loved us and then we abide in His love. The love originates with the Father and comes down His divinely ordained channel right into our hearts. His love has transformed us into His disciples. As the Son has loved the Father so we must love the Father.
Obeying: Keeping Jesus' commandments is vitally connected to abiding in His love. Jesus obeyed the Father's commandments and so we must obey His. Of course, this is just a greater explanation of what it means to abide. Abiding gives us the power and the desire to obey. Without abiding obeying becomes a duty, a duty that is often too hard to do or to maintain. But if we are abiding, we have the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It enables us to obey as Jesus obeyed His Father.
Joyful: (Rats! I couldn't make joyful end in 'ing') The end result of pruning, cleansing, abiding, praying, glorifying, loving, obeying is all joy! Jesus wants us to be joyful! So He has spoken His words, those words of divine power into our lives so that His joy would be in us and our joy would be full! Wow! What a gift!
Father,
Thank You so very much for this great gift! I have been cleansed and have felt your pruning. Give me Your grace and strength so that I may abide in Jesus, obey His commands, love You and others, and glorify You. Thank You for the joy that will be mine.
In the power of the Spoken Word,
Amen
Cleansing: Eph. 5:26 says that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. and Titus 3:5 says he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Jesus stated simply that He washed us with His words. How could His words have so much power? He is the logos the living word. When God speaks, words become life! The power of His words was twofold; one a cleansing that washed away our sin, and secondly, a giving of new life. He did not cleanse us to leave a vacuum, but to graft in His being, to make us partakers of the divine nature. 2 Pet. 1:3-4 says, His divine power has granted to us all things pertaining to life and godliness by which He has granted to us His precious and very promises so that we may become partakers of the divine nature having escaped from the corruption that is in the world. Wow! What a glorious gift!
Abiding: He cleansed us to give us new life, this new life is dependent on abiding. Just like a branch dies apart from the vine, so we would die apart from Jesus. Abiding is essential. It is our power source. If we try and live for Jesus apart from abiding, it will only end in failure. But abiding in Jesus produces much fruit, much power, and much closeness. Jesus states it plainly. Apart from Him we can do nothing!
Fruitbearing: Once we are cleansed, pruned, and are abiding, then we become productive. Fruit will abound. If we circumvent the divine plan, we will become a withered branch ready to be gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. Who would chose that? No one in their right mind. The Father is glorified by our fruitbearing. Not only that but it proves we are His disciples. It is a mark of our status. It identifies us as a child of God.
Praying: When we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done. Whoa! We have a direct line to the Father. Our words will be answered. But what is the catch? We will be abiding and His words will be in us. Therefore His words will be our words. We will be praying the words of the Son to the Father. Of course, they will be answered. Our abiding in Him and His words abiding in us will unite us with the will of the Father. We will see life as the Father does and His will will become our will.
Glorifying: By this the Father is glorified. The 'this' includes our cleasing, abiding, fruitbearing,and praying. We glorify the Father when our life is in line with the Son and the Father. When His words abide in us and We abide in Him. We are filled completely by Him and our will has become His will.
Loving: The Father loved Jesus and Jesus has loved us and then we abide in His love. The love originates with the Father and comes down His divinely ordained channel right into our hearts. His love has transformed us into His disciples. As the Son has loved the Father so we must love the Father.
Obeying: Keeping Jesus' commandments is vitally connected to abiding in His love. Jesus obeyed the Father's commandments and so we must obey His. Of course, this is just a greater explanation of what it means to abide. Abiding gives us the power and the desire to obey. Without abiding obeying becomes a duty, a duty that is often too hard to do or to maintain. But if we are abiding, we have the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It enables us to obey as Jesus obeyed His Father.
Joyful: (Rats! I couldn't make joyful end in 'ing') The end result of pruning, cleansing, abiding, praying, glorifying, loving, obeying is all joy! Jesus wants us to be joyful! So He has spoken His words, those words of divine power into our lives so that His joy would be in us and our joy would be full! Wow! What a gift!
Father,
Thank You so very much for this great gift! I have been cleansed and have felt your pruning. Give me Your grace and strength so that I may abide in Jesus, obey His commands, love You and others, and glorify You. Thank You for the joy that will be mine.
In the power of the Spoken Word,
Amen
