I was just thinking on this Sunday Morning, January 15, 2012

John 15:1-9 KJV,

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

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.

LIVING FOR GOD MUST BE INTENTIONAL

I thought this to be a fitting story, doctor, an architect, and a lawyer were arguing over which one of them was in the oldest profession. The doctor said, "Well the first operation ever recorded was performed on Adam, so the medical profession is the oldest."

"No," said the architect, "Architectural planning and design was needed to create the earth and the universe out of chaos, so I represent the oldest profession."

"Where do you think the chaos came from?" asked the lawyer.
One of the most difficult things in life is prioritizing everything involved in our life or “MAKING SENSE OF ALL THE CHAOS” that surrounds us daily. This is a fact we must be distinguishing the difference between WHAT IS IMPORTANT and that, which is UNIMPORTANT. It is possible to spend much of our time “MAJORING IN MINOR ISSUES AND MINORING IN THE MAJOR ISSUES”.

The experts say, “People who suffer from stress spend 80% of their time worrying about things that will never happen to them.”

One of the things that the Bible reveals about God is that he does everything with an intention and for a purpose. Creation was not just a cosmic accident or just a big bang, as many would have you to believe. It was just what the Bible called it, “THE CREATION,

Gen 1:31 – 2:2

1:31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

2:1 And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

2 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.

God made a covenant with mankind intentionally. And YES, God intentionally robed Himself in flesh as the man, Christ Jesus.

Jesus Christ intentionally gave His life on the cruel cross of Calvary for the sins of the entire world, Past, Present and Future.

After His death on Calvary, Jesus Christ arose and went into the Heavens and He intentionally sent His promise, the Holy Ghost, so that even we today could have a new Covenant experience and be filled with His sweet Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost). He intentionally called you and me, He chose us to be part of His church.

Today, God still intends for we who are connected to Him, who is the vine, to bear much good fruit:

John 15:1-2 New Living Translation ®,

1 "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.

2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

In John 15, (Our Text), the Lord gave instructions concerning how His disciples could maintain fellowship and fruitfulness in the difficult days which lay before them. The nature of that relationship between Jesus Christ and His followers is still present with us today. Yes that fellowship has been changed from a physical one to that which is spiritual, and the means of sustaining this kind of relationship is described for us here in the Word of the Lord.

When Jesus spoke of the vine it was a very striking illustration because the area where the Jews dwelt was right among many vineyards. He was showing the contrast that He was the fruitful vine which Israel had been a part. But because Israel had been so unfruitful they had actually been cut off.

Isaiah 5:2 Paraphrased,

2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

Isaiah 5:7 New Living Translation ®,

7 The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven's Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence.

Jesus is saying to the disciples in this text, “That whereas He is the vine of which Israel was connected and was even shown as being connected to in the Old Testament. Jesus is pointing to the fact that He is the fullest realization of Israel’s hope, of their expectations, of what God intended for her as He is Israel’s Messiah. Israel, as being the one which was connected to the vine, was an utter failure; Israel has never achieved her purpose.

Our Lord Jesus Christ who came, as the True Vine is the One who is accomplishing through the Church all that Israel failed to accomplish in the Old Testament.
The Interesting thing about Israel is that God was looking out for them the whole time. His eye was upon them; Israel was His chosen people out of all the nations. God watched over His vineyard to see that it prospered. But Israel was unfaithful and therefore unfruitful.

This is the reason that God allowed disaster to come upon Judah and later on all of Israel. It was because they did not produce good fruit of righteousness.

Amos spoke to Judah. You will be the first to go into captivity.

Amos 6:12 New Living Translation ®,

12 Can horses gallop over boulders? Can oxen be used to plow them? But that's how foolish you are when you turn justice into poison and the sweet fruit of righteousness into bitterness.

We must realize by reading of Israel’s past that it is possible for something that God intended to be fruitful to end up being totally unproductive.

Jesus Christ is the True Vine or the true source of LIFE. AND GOD PRUNES EVERY BRANCH THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT.

John 15:3 New Living Translation ®,

3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.

Today we have so many Pastors preachers and church members who have TRIED to play the Gardener or the one that does the pruning. Maybe we do not think that God is capable to do the work in the lives of people, so we take the responsibility of the Gardner or pruner to expose faults and failures of others!!!!
God is the Gardener, YES, He prunes (cleans) away branches, saplings that stunt the growth of the vine and are producing bad fruit.

These branches give the appearance of much Growth, but nothing is really happening there is no good fruit being produced in their life at all. We have all seen people who act so spiritual. Yes these kinds of people are so suave in their ways, trying to pose as though they are really bearing good fruit for the kingdom.

Jesus said to the Pharisees “You are like whited sepulchers or whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything about you is unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

WE WHO ARE SAINTS OF GOD HAVE MADE AN INTENTIONAL DECISSION TO LIVE FOR THE LORD.

When I married MY WIFE (SANDY) – “It was a conscious decision that we both made.” Yes our decisions were made intentionally and deliberately.

In fact it was a series of deliberate actions. It started by taking the courage to introduce myself to her, then to try to bump into her in the hall at school as frequently as possible, to date her and finally to ask her to marry me. We did not land up on the altar on our wedding day simply by accident.
We cannot live for Jesus Christ unless we deliberately take steps to do it. We who live for God live for God intentionally.

For you and I who are saints of God it means that we must continually re-arrange our life, re-arranging our life to take time for prayer, slowing down daily to be silent and study and read the Word, attending church on a regular bases, we do all of this in such a way that we come in contact with Jesus Christ and feel His Spirit often.

One thing that amazes me is that we never forget to feed ourselves when we are hungry, yet how easy it is to neglect our spiritual man when he is starving.

John 15:5 New Living Translation ®,

5 "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
1 John 4:4 NIV,

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

PRAYER IS ANSWERED BECAUSE YOU PRAY IN ACCORDANCE TO THE WILL OF GOD BECAUSE HE IS IN YOU!

Jesus made the same promise to His disciples,

John 15:7 New Living Translation ®,

7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

John 14:13-14 New Living Translation ®,

13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

This promise is made to those who remain in Him. But we must remember His Spirit must remain as a permanent residence in the life of all who are His saints if we are to reap this promise of Jesus.

Eternal life and resurrection power are always available to the individual whose trust and faith is in Jesus Christ.

John 15:8 KJV,

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

When you are bearing spiritual fruit you will be glorifying God who is in heaven and you will demonstrate a Christ–likeness to those who see you every day.

We must realize is not just activity that we participate in that glorifies God, but it is also our Christ-like character that glorifies Him before others daily. In your Christ-like living you really are demonstrating true discipleship. This is all that the Lord asks from one of us who are abiding in Him. If you and I abide in Him; He will produce His character in and thru us daily. The world will see Jesus thru our daily living as we continue to bear spiritual fruit. Saints of God, we must "keep on bearing" much fruit even in this dark hour.

WE ARE TO REMAIN IN THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST and as we remain in His love we will have a growing experience of Jesus Christ abiding in us.

John 15:9-10 KJV,

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.

What is your response to God’s love? There must always be a response if love is to grow. When love is responded too, it grows deeper and richer. If you are not feeling the depths of God’s love you are not responding to Him as you should. In other words you are not loving Him in return. You have to feed any relationship to make it grow. Relationships do not grow automatically. Love has to be responded to.
Our love for Jesus Christ is the result of His sacrificial love for us. Are you growing deeper and deeper in God’s love?

Abiding in Jesus Christ is an intimate walk with Him. We are enriched with the Love of Jesus Christ.

John 15:11 KJV,

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Yes, your joy will be so full that it will overflow to other people!
This is the real joy of the Lord it is creative joy. It is the joy of a completed and finished work. Jesus calls us into His joy. We can have Christ’s permanent absolute joy in our lives. This is the fruit of His life in us and thru us.

Where is God at work in your life at this moment?
Are you in the middle of a pruning process? What is God doing to cleanse your life? Is the sharp knife of circumstances being used to sanctify you thru the preaching of His Word? Are you going through changes that are causing you to rely wholly on Him? Is He working on some old habits, behaviors or attitudes that have to go? Do not resist the Vinedresser’s knife. Yield to Him, and allow Him to do His deep work in your life.

What kind of fruit are you producing? Are you beginning to look and act more like Jesus? Is there a cluster of rich beautiful spiritual fruit that you are producing that is looking more and more like Jesus Christ? Are your lost friends and family beginning to see the love of God demonstrated more than ever before thru you? Do you bear a resemblance to your Savior Jesus Christ?

How are you abiding? Did you notice that abiding in Christ is a matter of trust and obedience? Yes abiding, is simply trusting in our Lord and obeying His word. There are no special techniques or spiritual formulas. It is an intimate walk with Jesus Christ moment by moment and day by day. Most of us are so preoccupied with performance; all the while God’s will is for us to be preoccupied with loving Him more every day.

SAINTS OF GOD…In our living for the Lord in this wicked day, we have to do it because we want to…because we love Him…Yes living for Him is Intentional…SIMPY BECAUSE WE WANT TO, WE HAVE A DESIRE AND WE ARE COMMITTED.