https://youtube/watch?v=BkrqVxSfCeM This message of Grace might ROCK YOUR WORLD! Also, its OFFENSIVE to the religious mindset. For more awesome Grace nuggets go to basrijksen Enjoy the freedom that comes from knowing the truth. In this video we discuss how to know youre not a branch thats cast out, withered, and thrown into the fire! I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:5-6). There are two possibilities presented by Jesus: 1. Youre abiding in Him, and youll bear much fruit. 2. Youre not abiding in Him, and youre cast out, you wither and get thrown into the fire. Legalistic glasses I used to read these words of Jesus through legalistic glasses thinking, if I fail to abide, I will be cast out and burned. But if I do abide, I will bear much fruit, so Id better start bearing fruit. A legalist thinks in terms of conditions. IF I do this and that, THEN God will reward me with this or that. If I do my part, God must do His part. If I stick in enough prayer, Bible reading, fasting and church attendance into the Divine Slot Machine, then God must come over the bridge and give me what I ask or what I need. God doesnt reward your fleshly sweating and striving. Hes already rewarded you by giving you Jesus! Jesus is your everything. To read the words abide and bear fruit or dont abide and be burned with legalistic glasses will become law for you. You either need to produce fruit or youll perish. Wow, thats pretty scary! If I dont keep doing my utmost best to be a good Christian and bear fruit I run the risk of being cast out and burned! Thats what it sounds like, right? If you dont abide youre cast out. That sounds as if Jesus is putting conditions on us. You have to do something otherwise youre thrown way and burned. But what is the something we must do? Pray? Read the Bible? Tithe? Attend church? Confess our sins? Witness? Obviously, theres nothing wrong with all of these activities in and of themself, but does your abiding or remaining in the Vine depend on doing these things? I hope not! God expects perfection: be perfect as I am perfect (Mt. 5:48). And in the weakness of my flesh I constantly fall short of His perfect standard. If abiding depends on me doing good and avoiding evil then theres not one moment Im abiding. Bad news indeed! Let me ask you a question: how much good works, like praying and Bible reading did you do to get saved, to get ingrafted into the Vine? None! Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) In other words, you arent saved -- ingrafted in the Vine -- by your good works but by grace through faith. All you did to start to abiding in the Vine was to positively respond to what God already had provided in Jesus. Just as youve done nothing to start to abide in the Vine - except to receive Jesus with thanksgiving - so you cant do anything to abide in the Vine. Jesus abiding = your abiding Well, what does it mean to abide in the Vine? The answer to this question will help you understand how you can know youre not a branch thats thrown into the fire. Heres the answer to what it means to abide in the Vine: Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God (1 John 4:15). Have you confessed that Jesus is the Son of God? Then God abides in you and you in Him. You are abiding in the Vine because you have confessed Him as Lord. To abide in Jesus talks about your new birth, not your behaviour. Are you born again? Then youre abiding. How much can you add or subtract from the finished work of Jesus and your born again state? Nothing. Just as a branch doesnt try to abide in the vine but simply is part of the vine, so you dont try to abide in the Vine because you are already abiding in the Vine due to your divine nature. Furthermore, in Greek the word abide means not to depart and to remain as one. He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). You are one with Christ. Therefore, you do not depart from Him and youll always remain one with Him. Because youre identical to Him in spirit you have the same standing before the Father as Jesus. Jesus abiding has become your abiding. For you not to abide in the vine is for Jesus to stop abiding in His relationship with the Father. Because that will never happen, there is no danger for you of not abiding! Nothing depends on you and your effort. Its all about Jesus and His finished work! The abiding issue is settled from His side.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 23:11:30 +0000
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