WEBVTT 00:00:01.969 --> 00:00:05.589 We'll begin three services here in this auditorium. 00:00:05.589 --> 00:00:09.150 We're moving back to an 8 .30 service, so that 00:00:09.150 --> 00:00:11.289 will give relief to some of you who are sitting 00:00:11.289 --> 00:00:15.390 on the harder chairs instead of those soft benches. 00:00:17.309 --> 00:00:19.550 Keep that in mind, please, and if you can, join 00:00:19.550 --> 00:00:22.210 us at 8 .30 on Easter Sunday morning for that 00:00:22.210 --> 00:00:25.469 worship service. And then Easter Sunday night, 00:00:25.690 --> 00:00:30.379 the Worthy is the Lamb. presentation by our choir 00:00:30.379 --> 00:00:34.340 and orchestra is going to be an exciting time. 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:37.579 I would like to make it very clear that you do 00:00:37.579 --> 00:00:40.700 not have to have a ticket to come, okay? The 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:43.820 tickets are printed as a means of promoting it 00:00:43.820 --> 00:00:46.439 to remind people that we invited the place and 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:49.100 the time and the occasion. And we want you to 00:00:49.100 --> 00:00:51.759 use those tickets, but the tickets don't guarantee 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:54.799 seats, and nor do you have to have one to get 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:58.450 in. Okay, is that clear? If it's not, please 00:00:58.450 --> 00:01:00.969 see somebody afterward. Don't see me about it. 00:01:00.969 --> 00:01:02.750 Just ask your neighbor next to you. Maybe he 00:01:02.750 --> 00:01:05.209 can explain it. I think that's got it, though. 00:01:06.310 --> 00:01:11.829 Romans chapter 7, please. Romans chapter 7. We're 00:01:11.829 --> 00:01:13.969 going to look today at the three verses that 00:01:13.969 --> 00:01:18.370 we have examined in some detail the last time 00:01:18.370 --> 00:01:24.689 we met together. I'm going to pick out a thought 00:01:24.689 --> 00:01:27.189 that I'd like for us to focus on a little more 00:01:27.189 --> 00:01:35.310 deeply. In Romans 7, beginning in verse 4, it 00:01:35.310 --> 00:01:39.189 reads, Therefore, my brethren, you also were 00:01:39.189 --> 00:01:42.530 made to die to the law through the body of Christ, 00:01:42.810 --> 00:01:47.390 that you might be joined to another, to him who 00:01:47.390 --> 00:01:50.349 was raised from the dead, that we might bear 00:01:50.349 --> 00:01:54.920 fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, 00:01:55.260 --> 00:01:59.620 the sinful passions which were aroused by the 00:01:59.620 --> 00:02:03.140 law were at work in the members of our body to 00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:07.079 bear fruit for death. But now we have been released 00:02:07.079 --> 00:02:10.879 from the law, having died to that by which we 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:14.400 were bound, so that we serve in newness of the 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:19.430 Spirit, not in oldness of the letter. The particular 00:02:19.430 --> 00:02:22.490 phrase I'm interested in is the last few words 00:02:22.490 --> 00:02:26.889 of verse 4 where it says, that we might bear 00:02:26.889 --> 00:02:32.469 fruit for God. We have been freed from the law, 00:02:32.830 --> 00:02:37.150 its demands and its condemnation, so that we 00:02:37.150 --> 00:02:41.370 might bear fruit for God. We are free to be fruitful. 00:02:43.210 --> 00:02:46.550 This past week, one of Minnesota's most notorious 00:02:46.550 --> 00:02:50.740 criminals, was released from prison, T. Eugene 00:02:50.740 --> 00:02:55.639 Thompson. Mr. Thompson was condemned by the law, 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:58.759 and according to the laws of this state, paid 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:03.219 the price that was demanded. And after paying 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:07.479 that price of the state, he was released from 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:12.800 incarceration in the state penitentiary. You 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:17.539 and I We're at one time lawbreakers. We were 00:03:17.539 --> 00:03:20.879 criminals in God's universe. We were sinners. 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:26.879 We did not meet the standards, the righteous 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:31.259 standards of God's law. Therefore, the law condemned 00:03:31.259 --> 00:03:35.080 us, and our condemnation was death. The Bible 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:39.400 says the soul that sins, it shall what? It shall 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:44.550 die. The wages of sin is death. And it goes on 00:03:44.550 --> 00:03:48.110 to say, for all have sinned and come short of 00:03:48.110 --> 00:03:52.250 the glory of God. Every one of us were criminals 00:03:52.250 --> 00:03:56.110 in God's universe. The law condemned us to death, 00:03:56.289 --> 00:04:00.069 not just physical death, but eternal death, which 00:04:00.069 --> 00:04:03.830 is separation from God for all of eternity in 00:04:03.830 --> 00:04:08.129 the fire of hell. That was our just due for our 00:04:08.129 --> 00:04:13.379 sin, our crime against God's holiness. But those 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:15.659 of us who have been saved one day heard about 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:21.660 Jesus Christ. And we understood that the Lord 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:27.019 Jesus Christ took upon himself at the cross the 00:04:27.019 --> 00:04:32.800 penalty for our sin. He suffered our hell for 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:37.500 us. He took our place on the cross of Calvary. 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:41.529 So that as Paul says in Galatians 3 .13, Christ 00:04:41.529 --> 00:04:45.430 has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having 00:04:45.430 --> 00:04:50.250 become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed 00:04:50.250 --> 00:04:54.850 is everyone that hangs on a tree. The curse, 00:04:55.029 --> 00:04:57.949 the condemnation of the law was placed upon Jesus 00:04:57.949 --> 00:05:01.829 Christ so that he paid for your sin and for mine. 00:05:02.610 --> 00:05:07.699 And then he was raised from the dead. alive forevermore 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:10.759 to enforce the salvation and the victory that 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:14.920 he had died to purchase. When you and I came 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.500 to that point of trusting the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:24.399 we at that moment were identified or united with 00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:28.220 Christ. As we saw earlier in our study in Romans 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:32.959 7, before we were married, as it were, to the 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:37.389 law which condemned us. But when we trusted Christ, 00:05:37.550 --> 00:05:41.790 we died to that old mate, and we were resurrected 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:45.370 that we might be joined in a new union with Jesus 00:05:45.370 --> 00:05:49.509 Christ. And the reason that we have been freed 00:05:49.509 --> 00:05:54.310 from the law, therefore, is that we might now 00:05:54.310 --> 00:05:59.970 bear fruit for God. That we might serve God in 00:05:59.970 --> 00:06:02.750 the new way of the Spirit, not in the old way 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:08.329 of the law with its minute rituals and its commandments. 00:06:09.449 --> 00:06:12.509 Now we serve God in the new way of the Spirit, 00:06:12.629 --> 00:06:17.589 he says in verse 6. We have been freed that we 00:06:17.589 --> 00:06:21.569 might bear fruit. And today I'd like for us to 00:06:21.569 --> 00:06:24.709 consider this matter of fruit bearing. And to 00:06:24.709 --> 00:06:26.810 do that, would you turn in your Bible to what 00:06:26.810 --> 00:06:30.129 I think is the key passage in the Bible regarding 00:06:30.129 --> 00:06:35.300 this subject, John chapter 15. We're going to 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:38.240 spend the rest of our time today in the 15th 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:49.100 chapter of John. Our Lord speaks to his disciples 00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:54.660 and to us, and he says, I am the true vine, and 00:06:54.660 --> 00:06:59.240 my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:02.740 me that does not bear fruit he takes away. And 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:06.259 every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it, 00:07:06.379 --> 00:07:10.439 that it may bear more fruit. You are already 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:13.120 clean because of the word which I have spoken 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:18.019 to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch 00:07:18.019 --> 00:07:21.360 cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:24.839 in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:31.600 in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:35.540 who abides in me and I in him, he bears much 00:07:35.540 --> 00:07:38.800 fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:42.019 If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown 00:07:42.019 --> 00:07:45.259 away as a branch and dries up, and they gather 00:07:45.259 --> 00:07:47.240 them and cast them into the fire, and they are 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:50.500 burned. If you abide in me and my words abide 00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:52.819 in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be 00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:56.639 done for you. By this my Father is glorified, 00:07:56.740 --> 00:08:01.250 that you bear much fruit. and so proved to be 00:08:01.250 --> 00:08:05.790 my disciples. I'd like for you to think with 00:08:05.790 --> 00:08:08.050 me regarding the background of this matter of 00:08:08.050 --> 00:08:12.290 fruit bearing. Viticulture was quite common in 00:08:12.290 --> 00:08:15.930 Palestine, still is today to some extent. The 00:08:15.930 --> 00:08:19.449 climate there is particularly suitable for the 00:08:19.449 --> 00:08:22.970 growing of grapes, with its abundance of warm 00:08:22.970 --> 00:08:27.709 sunshine and its cool late summer nights producing 00:08:27.709 --> 00:08:33.139 heavy dew. When Joshua led the children of Israel 00:08:33.139 --> 00:08:36.659 into the land of Canaan, vineyards were already 00:08:36.659 --> 00:08:40.860 well established there. Those vineyards through 00:08:40.860 --> 00:08:44.759 the centuries have been grown on the gently sloping 00:08:44.759 --> 00:08:49.080 hillsides of Palestine as well as in the valleys. 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:54.120 Viticulture was a part of the way of life of 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:58.759 the people of Israel. Partly for that reason, 00:08:59.909 --> 00:09:04.450 God had the Old Testament prophets use vineyards 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:08.909 as a symbol of Israel on a number of occasions. 00:09:10.029 --> 00:09:14.450 For example, Isaiah, in the fifth chapter of 00:09:14.450 --> 00:09:19.730 his book, says, speaking for God, that God had 00:09:19.730 --> 00:09:25.070 planted a vineyard and had dug well around it. 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:29.940 He had expected that his vineyard would bring 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:34.980 forth good produce, good grapes. But instead, 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:39.200 the grapes were bitter. They were bad grapes. 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:45.200 In verse 7 of Isaiah 5, he says, Israel is my 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:48.519 vine. In other words, he was giving a picture 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:50.860 of what had happened to Israel. God had established 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:53.279 them in the land expecting that they would bring 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:57.539 forth fruit, but they didn't. The psalmist in 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:00.639 Psalm 80 uses the same picture. Jeremiah repeats 00:10:00.639 --> 00:10:05.559 it. And even our Lord Jesus used this picture 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:09.840 of the vineyard in his teaching. For example, 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:12.759 in Matthew chapter 21, he gives what is called 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:15.080 the parable of the vineyard. And there again, 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:18.860 the vineyard is a picture, a metaphor of the 00:10:18.860 --> 00:10:26.370 nation of Israel in his day. This discourse that 00:10:26.370 --> 00:10:29.730 we are reading in John 15 about the vineyard, 00:10:29.789 --> 00:10:35.230 the vine, the branches, the vine dresser, was 00:10:35.230 --> 00:10:39.269 given as the Lord Jesus walked with the eleven 00:10:39.269 --> 00:10:42.110 disciples, remember Judas had already gone out, 00:10:42.330 --> 00:10:46.730 as they walked together to the Mount of Olives, 00:10:46.730 --> 00:10:48.929 to the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed. 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.120 They had been in the upper room where they observed 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:54.720 the Passover feast and now were on their way 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:59.399 to that place of prayer and waiting. As they 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:02.519 walked, they perhaps passed through the temple 00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:06.860 area, perhaps going through the outer gates of 00:11:06.860 --> 00:11:12.159 the temple. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:14.919 us that the outer gates to the temple in those 00:11:14.919 --> 00:11:23.059 days had a vine of gold. on them. And on that 00:11:23.059 --> 00:11:27.820 vine of gold were large clusters of grapes made 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:32.100 out of gold, those clusters perhaps as tall as 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:35.419 a man. In the Passover season, those gates were 00:11:35.419 --> 00:11:38.100 left open all night long so the people could 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:41.539 come into the temple area and pray. And it may 00:11:41.539 --> 00:11:44.460 be that Jesus chose that pathway as he went to 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:47.299 the mountain to pray, and as they went through 00:11:47.299 --> 00:11:51.730 the gates, pointed up and He said, I am the vine, 00:11:51.870 --> 00:11:57.149 the true, and you are the branches. Or it may 00:11:57.149 --> 00:11:59.850 be that as he walked down the gentle, sloping 00:11:59.850 --> 00:12:03.169 hillside to the brook of Kidron to pass over 00:12:03.169 --> 00:12:06.450 it on up into the Mount of Olives, that he passed 00:12:06.450 --> 00:12:09.450 by one of the many vineyards that were located 00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:13.049 on that hillside. And he reached out and touched 00:12:13.049 --> 00:12:17.210 one of the vines and said, I am the vine, the 00:12:17.210 --> 00:12:24.139 true. and you are the branches. The Lord Jesus 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:29.059 is giving here a significant teaching about fruit 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:33.840 bearing. What is the significance of this discourse? 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:37.919 What does he mean when he says, I am the vine, 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:41.399 you are the branches? Well, think with me about 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:46.080 that picture for a moment. The purpose of a branch, 00:12:46.830 --> 00:12:51.009 is to extend the life of the vine, is it not? 00:12:52.090 --> 00:12:56.549 A vine grows its branches so that it can extend 00:12:56.549 --> 00:13:02.070 itself and thus produce its fruit. That's what 00:13:02.070 --> 00:13:06.070 a vine and branches are all about. In the previous 00:13:06.070 --> 00:13:10.289 two chapters in John, Jesus has been saying to 00:13:10.289 --> 00:13:16.149 his disciples, I am going away. He said that 00:13:16.149 --> 00:13:18.409 while he was away, he was going to keep them 00:13:18.409 --> 00:13:22.250 in communion with himself, John 13. He was going 00:13:22.250 --> 00:13:25.009 to prepare a place for them that they would have 00:13:25.009 --> 00:13:32.549 a home in the Father's mansions. He said that 00:13:32.549 --> 00:13:34.889 he was going to send the Comforter, the Holy 00:13:34.889 --> 00:13:37.750 Spirit, and through the Holy Spirit, he would 00:13:37.750 --> 00:13:40.389 be with them to meet their needs. So that's what 00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:44.960 he was going to be doing while he was away. But 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:47.559 what were they going to be doing while he was 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:51.480 away? The answer to that is found in John 15, 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:55.879 where he says, Now I am the vine, but you are 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:59.299 the branches. In other words, very shortly, the 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:06.360 vine is going to disappear. The vine, me, is 00:14:06.360 --> 00:14:10.019 going to become invisible to the world. But you, 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:13.980 the branches, will still be in the world. And 00:14:13.980 --> 00:14:17.559 I will evidence my life. I will extend myself 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:22.500 through you, the branches. That's what he is 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:25.340 saying here. That is the significance of this 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:29.799 teaching. The purpose of branches is to bear 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:35.759 fruit, not just leaves. What is the fruit that 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:41.840 Jesus is talking about? I think we could summarize 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:47.779 it by saying this very simply. The fruit of the 00:14:47.779 --> 00:14:54.220 branch is supernatural life. That's what it is. 00:14:55.460 --> 00:14:58.879 Whatever else it may mean by way of application, 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:03.919 what Jesus is referring to here is his own life. 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:10.340 You are the branches. You have been chosen to 00:15:10.340 --> 00:15:13.940 bear fruit, and that fruit is the evidence of 00:15:13.940 --> 00:15:17.860 his own life. In other words, Jesus is saying 00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:21.620 that those of us who are Christians should have 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:25.139 evidence in our lives that we are at one with 00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:29.279 God. There should be proof in our lives that 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:37.879 we have supernatural life. Now specifically, 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:42.559 what is that supernatural life? How does it manifest 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:46.200 itself? How can we tie this down to tangible 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:51.659 terms? Well, I believe that there are six evidences 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:56.500 of supernatural life that Jesus gives to us in 00:15:56.500 --> 00:16:00.659 this chapter. And that is, by way of application, 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:04.779 the fruit that he's talking about. Are you a 00:16:04.779 --> 00:16:10.830 fruitful Christian? Let's take a look today and 00:16:10.830 --> 00:16:12.990 see what the fruit is that the Lord expects to 00:16:12.990 --> 00:16:18.309 see in our lives. The first evidence of supernatural 00:16:18.309 --> 00:16:25.450 life is prayer that is answered. Look at verse 00:16:25.450 --> 00:16:30.850 7. If you abide in me, and my words abide in 00:16:30.850 --> 00:16:35.129 you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done 00:16:35.129 --> 00:16:41.679 for you. Look again at verse 16. You did not 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.220 choose me, but I chose you and appointed you 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:48.700 that you should go and bear fruit and that your 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:52.340 fruit should remain that whatever you ask of 00:16:52.340 --> 00:16:55.940 the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 00:16:57.559 --> 00:17:01.419 The first evidence of supernatural life is prayer 00:17:01.419 --> 00:17:06.099 that is answered. The language that our Lord 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:09.420 chooses to use here is very strong. G. Campbell 00:17:09.420 --> 00:17:12.480 Morgan, an expositor of the last generation, 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:19.099 put it this way. Demand as you do whatever you 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:25.980 are inclined to. That seems rather broad, doesn't 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:28.400 it? It's not quite as broad as it seems there. 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.339 The Lord is not saying that he will grant our 00:17:31.339 --> 00:17:37.150 every whim. Thank God he doesn't. But what does 00:17:37.150 --> 00:17:39.750 it mean when he says, whatever you ask in my 00:17:39.750 --> 00:17:44.549 name, that will be done? I believe what he's 00:17:44.549 --> 00:17:49.769 saying is this. When you pray, if you're going 00:17:49.769 --> 00:17:53.690 to pray in my name, ask the Father what I, the 00:17:53.690 --> 00:17:58.450 Son, would ask for. To pray in Jesus' name does 00:17:58.450 --> 00:18:01.490 not mean to rattle off your prayer request and 00:18:01.490 --> 00:18:04.930 then say, in Jesus' name, amen. I'm not opposed 00:18:04.930 --> 00:18:10.470 to that, but it means far more than that. To 00:18:10.470 --> 00:18:13.869 pray in Jesus' name means that I am putting myself 00:18:13.869 --> 00:18:19.710 in the position of Jesus Christ in prayer. And 00:18:19.710 --> 00:18:24.099 I am asking of the Father. What Jesus Christ 00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:28.940 the Son would ask for himself. And so as you 00:18:28.940 --> 00:18:32.779 go to prayer, and you pray for somebody, or you 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:36.019 lift up a petition of need in your own life, 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:43.619 as you ask the Father, ask the Father for what 00:18:43.619 --> 00:18:47.700 Jesus would want. You say, but wait a minute. 00:18:48.619 --> 00:18:52.829 How do I know what Jesus would want? There's 00:18:52.829 --> 00:18:56.289 only one answer to that question, and here it 00:18:56.289 --> 00:19:03.369 is. You find out in the Bible how you ought to 00:19:03.369 --> 00:19:06.269 pray, so that you pray and ask for what Jesus 00:19:06.269 --> 00:19:10.869 would want. That's why Bible study and prayer 00:19:10.869 --> 00:19:14.690 have to go together. Because if I'm going to 00:19:14.690 --> 00:19:17.470 have an effective prayer life, I need to pray 00:19:17.470 --> 00:19:19.869 and ask the Father for those things that Jesus 00:19:19.869 --> 00:19:24.450 would want. And the way I find out how Jesus 00:19:24.450 --> 00:19:28.089 would pray, what Jesus would want in a given 00:19:28.089 --> 00:19:31.369 situation, is to read the word and get to know 00:19:31.369 --> 00:19:35.009 him, see what he's like. Are you doing that? 00:19:36.910 --> 00:19:39.309 When was the last time you had a prayer answered? 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:44.730 Sometimes I think that we talk too much in our 00:19:44.730 --> 00:19:49.609 prayers. You know what I mean? We have our prayer 00:19:49.609 --> 00:19:53.390 lists all made out. And we rattle those things 00:19:53.390 --> 00:19:58.029 off like an evangelical rosary. And somehow we 00:19:58.029 --> 00:20:01.390 think that that's praying. My friend, that's 00:20:01.390 --> 00:20:13.049 saying prayers. I had a pastor friend who is 00:20:13.049 --> 00:20:15.029 now with the Lord, was considerably older than 00:20:15.029 --> 00:20:18.329 I when I knew him, told me about a prayer meeting 00:20:18.329 --> 00:20:23.019 he was in one time with a prayer giant. And I 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:24.819 have forgotten, unfortunately, the name of the 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:29.059 man that he was praying with. But he said that 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:33.440 that man of God said two words during a whole 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:37.980 45 minutes of prayer. You know what those two 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:47.599 words were? Oh, God. That's all he said. Every 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:50.380 few minutes, those two words would be uttered. 00:20:52.019 --> 00:20:55.900 There was some kind of a powerful, deep intercession 00:20:55.900 --> 00:21:00.440 going on there that was beyond verbal words. 00:21:02.380 --> 00:21:04.640 It would do a lot of us good just to wait on 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:07.779 God in prayer to see what he wants to say with 00:21:07.779 --> 00:21:10.019 an open Bible before us as we're on our knees. 00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:18.960 Do you know how to pray? Or is your prayer life 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:21.079 consumed with asking for what you would like 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:25.140 and what you want? Isn't that the way we're so 00:21:25.140 --> 00:21:28.579 often caught up in our praying? When in fact 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:31.079 what I should be concerned about is maybe covering 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:34.880 less things every day, slowing up the pace a 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:36.980 little bit, spending some time in the Word and 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:40.019 finding out how I should ask God for that particular 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:46.289 need so that I can pray in Jesus' name. Jesus 00:21:46.289 --> 00:21:51.150 said that one of the proofs of supernatural life 00:21:51.150 --> 00:21:57.549 in the branch is prayer that's answered. There's 00:21:57.549 --> 00:21:59.490 a second evidence that he points out. That's 00:21:59.490 --> 00:22:04.529 in verse 11. It's joy that is full. He says, 00:22:04.569 --> 00:22:07.049 these things I have spoken to you that my joy 00:22:07.049 --> 00:22:10.849 may be in you and that your joy may be full. 00:22:11.109 --> 00:22:13.490 In other words, our joy is his joy that he's 00:22:13.490 --> 00:22:17.259 given to us. And I remind you that he talks about 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:20.900 his joy here at the time when he was facing his 00:22:20.900 --> 00:22:26.700 greatest sorrow, humanly speaking. The garden 00:22:26.700 --> 00:22:29.200 of Gethsemane was right up there before them. 00:22:30.220 --> 00:22:33.440 The time when he would cry out to God and would 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:39.180 sweat, as it were, drops of blood. And yet he 00:22:39.180 --> 00:22:42.640 speaks about his joy. It ties together with what 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:44.339 the writer of Hebrews says, doesn't it, when 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:47.940 it says, who for the joy that was set before 00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:52.920 him endured the cross. And he says to his disciples, 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:56.980 I'm giving you my joy, and I want your joy then 00:22:56.980 --> 00:23:03.880 to be fulfilled. The way some people live their 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:06.480 Christian lives, it's no wonder people around 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:08.539 them say, if that's what a Christian is, forget 00:23:08.539 --> 00:23:14.430 it. They're depressing to be around. Do you ever 00:23:14.430 --> 00:23:20.470 find yourself avoiding some Christians? I mean, 00:23:20.470 --> 00:23:27.809 we're speaking honestly now. I like what Merrill 00:23:27.809 --> 00:23:31.890 Tenney said. Jesus intended that the disciples' 00:23:32.210 --> 00:23:36.940 lives should be both spontaneous and happy. rather 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:43.000 than burdensome and boring. Where does your life 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:47.900 fit into that? What is your joy today? Do you 00:23:47.900 --> 00:23:51.920 have a fullness of joy that surpasses circumstances? 00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:58.180 Jesus' joy did that that night. It still does 00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:01.640 today. One of the evidences of supernatural living, 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:06.279 my friend, is that there is a joy about you Not 00:24:06.279 --> 00:24:12.359 a frivolity, but there is a joy about you that 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:14.940 shines through when the going's tough. And the 00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:17.079 people in the office, at the factory, in the 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:23.759 neighborhood, they see that. That's fruit. The 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:25.980 third evidence of supernatural living is found 00:24:25.980 --> 00:24:30.359 in verses 12 and 13, again in verse 17. It's 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:34.789 love that is sacrificial. He says, this is my 00:24:34.789 --> 00:24:37.970 commandment, that you love one another just as 00:24:37.970 --> 00:24:41.369 I have loved you. Greater love has no one than 00:24:41.369 --> 00:24:45.009 this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 00:24:45.109 --> 00:24:48.730 And, of course, he did that. You say, but I don't 00:24:48.730 --> 00:24:50.529 have very many people to lay down my life for. 00:24:51.349 --> 00:24:54.009 In fact, I don't have anybody right now where 00:24:54.009 --> 00:24:57.109 my life is required. How can I show love? Well, 00:24:57.150 --> 00:25:01.559 let's talk about some other ways then. When was 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:03.839 the last time you gave up some luxury or some 00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:07.779 comfort that someone else's need could be met? 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:11.759 You know, it's not enough to say, God bless you, 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:13.880 or I love you in the Lord, and I'll be praying 00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:18.220 for you, and to go away when we have the capacity 00:25:18.220 --> 00:25:20.259 to meet the need in the life of that person, 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:26.079 even at our own sacrifice. John said, let's not 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:30.720 love in word, but in deed and in truth. When's 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:34.180 the last time you sacrificed something for somebody 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:38.660 else? For your wife, your husband? One of the 00:25:38.660 --> 00:25:41.740 reasons there's tension in homes is the fact 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:45.539 that husbands and wives are trying to guard their 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:49.039 borders rather than opening the gates and sacrifice 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:55.299 for the other. Have you sacrificed time to listen 00:25:55.299 --> 00:26:02.700 to somebody else without sermonizing back? Love 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:06.839 produces unity, not rivalry, submission, not 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:11.519 self -assertion. One of the evidences of love 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:15.339 in your life, or fruit in your life, rather, 00:26:15.380 --> 00:26:20.480 is love that sacrifices. How many people in your 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:26.700 office know that kind of love? Can you think 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:29.599 of anybody in your office that really sacrifices 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:36.480 for other people? What about you? Will you bear 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:41.400 that fruit this week? A fourth evidence of supernatural 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:45.880 living, verses 14 and 15, understanding that 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:50.720 is intimate. You're my friends, says Jesus, if 00:26:50.720 --> 00:26:53.380 you do what I command you. No longer do I call 00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:56.720 you slaves, for the slave does not know what 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:59.740 his master is doing. But I have called you friends 00:26:59.740 --> 00:27:02.400 for all things that I have known, have heard, 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:07.339 for my Father I have made known to you. Do you 00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:12.740 realize that as you spend time in the Word, and 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:16.680 as you bear fruit as a branch, that you will 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:20.720 gain insights into people and circumstances and 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:26.259 world situations that will be an intimate kind 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:29.940 of insight, a special insight? The people around 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:32.380 you will say, how in the world does she know 00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:35.920 that? But he is so young. How could he have that 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:40.480 kind of wisdom? The answer is very simple. If 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:42.920 you're bearing fruit as a branch, you will have 00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:46.119 understanding that the Lord will give you that 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:48.480 will be very intimate. The kind of understanding 00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:52.119 and insight that a friend shares with a friend. 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:55.380 We gain that insight through the word in our 00:27:55.380 --> 00:27:58.359 fellowship with the Lord. We're going to know 00:27:58.359 --> 00:28:02.279 what God is up to in this age. And instead of 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:05.420 being scared and panicky and anxious about some 00:28:05.420 --> 00:28:09.319 of the things in the world seen, we can rejoice 00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:14.039 that our God is in control. And we can help others 00:28:14.039 --> 00:28:18.880 see the way things are heading. Show them their 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:21.539 need for Jesus Christ to be delivered from the 00:28:21.539 --> 00:28:24.000 world system that's literally going to hell. 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:30.960 A fifth evidence of supernatural living is persecution 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:35.740 that's unjustified. Verses 18 to 25 talks about 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:39.380 that. We'll just read verses 18 and 19. Jesus 00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:42.140 says, If the world hates you, you know that it 00:28:42.140 --> 00:28:45.440 has hated me before it hated you. If you were 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:47.640 of the world, the world would love its own, but 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:50.559 because you are not of the world, but I chose 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:52.819 you out of the world, therefore the world hates 00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:58.000 you. Some people have the mistaken idea that 00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:01.980 if you're a nice guy as a Christian, if you really 00:29:01.980 --> 00:29:05.259 live the spirit -filled life before people, that 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:07.359 they're going to applaud when you come into the 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:10.119 room. As you walk down the hall, they're going 00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:13.400 to hail you as one highly favored. My friend, 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:17.579 that's a mistake to think that way. If you live 00:29:17.579 --> 00:29:19.640 the kind of life that we're talking about here, 00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:23.190 the world system is going to hate you. And Jesus 00:29:23.190 --> 00:29:25.569 tells us why here. It's because that that kind 00:29:25.569 --> 00:29:28.069 of living exposes the world system for what it 00:29:28.069 --> 00:29:35.029 is. It doesn't like to be exposed. It likes to 00:29:35.029 --> 00:29:39.769 remain secret in darkness to do its evil. But 00:29:39.769 --> 00:29:41.950 a Christian who's bearing fruit will throw light 00:29:41.950 --> 00:29:45.470 on the world and thereby create an enmity toward 00:29:45.470 --> 00:29:49.069 himself. Jesus said, if any man will come after 00:29:49.069 --> 00:29:54.940 me, let him what? Deny himself. Take up his cross 00:29:54.940 --> 00:30:00.000 daily and follow me. That runs counter to the 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:03.460 world's advice because the world says that we 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:07.019 should be concerned about self -esteem and self 00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:10.559 -fulfillment and self -realization and self -assertion. 00:30:10.940 --> 00:30:13.359 Jesus said, if you're going to follow me, deny 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:17.839 yourself. That's extremist to the world. That's 00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:21.220 radical Christianity. No, the world doesn't mind 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:25.779 Christianity that's moderate. Christianity that 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:29.819 makes them comfortable. But the world despises 00:30:29.819 --> 00:30:35.180 Christianity that exposes its wickedness. A sixth 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:38.240 evidence of supernatural living is witness that 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:43.279 is empowered. Spirit empowered. Verses 26 and 00:30:43.279 --> 00:30:46.900 27. When the Helper comes, whom I will send to 00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:49.509 you from the Father, that is, the Spirit of truth 00:30:49.509 --> 00:30:52.069 who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness 00:30:52.069 --> 00:30:56.049 of me, and you will bear witness also, because 00:30:56.049 --> 00:30:58.829 you have been with me from the beginning. And 00:30:58.829 --> 00:31:01.490 so the sixth evidence of supernatural living 00:31:01.490 --> 00:31:04.809 is the fact that we have a witness that is Spirit 00:31:04.809 --> 00:31:07.890 -empowered. Even in the face of rejection and 00:31:07.890 --> 00:31:12.690 hatred, that witness will be effective. Question. 00:31:13.809 --> 00:31:17.980 Are you a fruit -bearing branch? There are several 00:31:17.980 --> 00:31:20.180 stages of fruit bearing. Let me just review them. 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:25.359 In verse 2, there's the stage of no fruit. Oh, 00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:27.859 you see, that person's not a Christian. My friend, 00:31:27.940 --> 00:31:30.640 John 15 has nothing to do with the doctrine of 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:34.059 salvation. Well, people have gotten all messed 00:31:34.059 --> 00:31:36.160 up in their theology because they try to read 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:40.019 in salvation, John 15. Jesus is nowhere talking 00:31:40.019 --> 00:31:43.079 here about salvation. He's talking about fellowship 00:31:43.079 --> 00:31:48.470 and fruit bearing. He says, every branch in me 00:31:48.470 --> 00:31:53.009 that does not bear fruit, the Father, the vine 00:31:53.009 --> 00:31:58.730 dresser, takes away. It's possible for a Christian 00:31:58.730 --> 00:32:01.049 to have no fruit in his life. He can't go that 00:32:01.049 --> 00:32:05.390 way indefinitely. But he can know periods of 00:32:05.390 --> 00:32:09.269 no fruit. And the vine dresser, the Father in 00:32:09.269 --> 00:32:11.329 heaven, is very concerned about that. So what 00:32:11.329 --> 00:32:15.880 does he do? He says he removes that branch. That 00:32:15.880 --> 00:32:18.619 word remove there can mean take away, and it's 00:32:18.619 --> 00:32:21.099 possible that the Father can take away a person 00:32:21.099 --> 00:32:25.019 by an early death, 1 Corinthians 11 .30. But 00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:28.039 the word also means to lift up, and I think personally 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:31.259 that's the emphasis here. The vine dresser reaches 00:32:31.259 --> 00:32:33.720 down to that branch that is bearing no fruit, 00:32:33.819 --> 00:32:36.759 and he lifts it up, trying to get it into the 00:32:36.759 --> 00:32:40.880 sunlight so that it will bear fruit. He works 00:32:40.880 --> 00:32:45.329 with that branch, in other words. He goes on 00:32:45.329 --> 00:32:47.549 to say, and every branch that bears fruit. So 00:32:47.549 --> 00:32:50.069 that's the second stage. Bearing some fruit, 00:32:50.250 --> 00:32:53.470 some answered prayer, some witness that is Spirit 00:32:53.470 --> 00:32:57.970 -empowered, some understanding, and so on. Then 00:32:57.970 --> 00:33:00.130 he says that those who bear fruit, the Father 00:33:00.130 --> 00:33:04.529 prunes. That is, he clips, he snips, he cleanses. 00:33:05.069 --> 00:33:07.289 So that it might bear more fruit. That's the 00:33:07.289 --> 00:33:10.789 third stage, but that's not the end. In verse 00:33:10.789 --> 00:33:15.109 8 he says, By this is my Father glorified that 00:33:15.109 --> 00:33:19.289 you bear much fruit. That's the stage that God 00:33:19.289 --> 00:33:22.470 wants us to get to. How do we get there? Verse 00:33:22.470 --> 00:33:26.170 5 says, I am the vine, you are the branches. 00:33:26.230 --> 00:33:30.329 He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much 00:33:30.329 --> 00:33:35.650 fruit. What does it mean to abide? 1 John 3 .24 00:33:35.650 --> 00:33:43.259 tells us that to abide is to obey. To obey him. 00:33:44.059 --> 00:33:49.940 Are you obeying the Lord? The state of Minnesota 00:33:49.940 --> 00:33:52.160 demands that I take care of my kids. Can you 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:53.599 imagine anything more unreasonable than that? 00:33:55.779 --> 00:33:58.039 The state of Minnesota says, if I don't take 00:33:58.039 --> 00:34:01.920 care of my kids, they will try me for child abuse 00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:06.700 or child neglect and punish me. And therefore, 00:34:06.940 --> 00:34:13.449 I take care of my kids. Right? No. I don't take 00:34:13.449 --> 00:34:16.730 care of my kids because of the law. I take care 00:34:16.730 --> 00:34:21.530 of my kids because I love them. Why should you 00:34:21.530 --> 00:34:26.670 obey Jesus Christ? You say, because if I don't, 00:34:26.670 --> 00:34:30.469 he'll clobber me. You don't know him very well, 00:34:30.530 --> 00:34:32.369 my friend, if that's the way you look at him. 00:34:33.769 --> 00:34:36.650 The reason that we obey Jesus Christ and abide 00:34:36.650 --> 00:34:40.090 in him and fellowship is because we love him. 00:34:41.360 --> 00:34:45.659 The secret to abiding is obeying. The secret 00:34:45.659 --> 00:34:50.840 to obeying is loving. And the secret to loving 00:34:50.840 --> 00:34:56.380 is knowing. If we know Him, we'll love Him. And 00:34:56.380 --> 00:34:58.900 if we love Him, we'll obey Him. If we obey, we'll 00:34:58.900 --> 00:35:02.360 abide. And if we abide, we'll bear fruit. How 00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:06.420 are you doing? Is there the evidence of the supernatural 00:35:06.420 --> 00:35:14.340 in your life? Heavenly Father, I pray that you 00:35:14.340 --> 00:35:16.400 will search out the heart of every one of us. 00:35:16.940 --> 00:35:22.400 Surely you've spoken this morning. Where in there 00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:24.699 are attitudes that need to be repented of or 00:35:24.699 --> 00:35:28.300 actions that have to be confessed so that we 00:35:28.300 --> 00:35:31.119 can get into that place of obedience? I pray 00:35:31.119 --> 00:35:34.559 that we'll have the courage to do it. In this 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:38.380 invitation time, deal with us. I pray that we'll 00:35:38.380 --> 00:35:42.809 not be fruitless. And face the prospect of standing 00:35:42.809 --> 00:35:45.429 before you empty -handed, only to have our lives 00:35:45.429 --> 00:35:49.010 go up in smoke with nothing to present to you 00:35:49.010 --> 00:35:54.550 at the judgment. In Jesus' name, amen.