Presents
Pamphlet #4502
My highlighted verses: John 15:7 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.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have
loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth
not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things
that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should
remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give
it you.
17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18 ķIf the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it
hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but
because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute
you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake,
because they know not him that sent me.
What will a person who is attached to the Vine and filled with the Holy Spirit, the words which have flowed from the Vine, even the wisdom of Almighty God, ask for? A new BMW? Hardly! They will seek more wisdom and understanding and that which is necessary to bring forth MORE FRUIT! Why? Because you see, the more nutrients you receive from the Vine, the more you become like Him and the more His will becomes your will, for He is "in you". Shall we say, "Like Father, like son", or "daughter" too![John 15:7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
And the more fruit you bear, the more the Father is glorified, and so the more He showers His love and blessings on you. Do you not do the same for your children when they love you and do good things to please you? And you know how good it feels to give them a new toy or reward and watch the smile on their little faces, as they look up and put their arms around your neck and squeeze you and hug you and say "thank you mommy", or "thank you daddy". It doesn't get any better than that! Our Father loves His children and He loves to bless them too!
So understand, you won't have to ask for a BMW, because He will add "things" unto you, after you have first sought the kingdom of God (Mat. 6:33).
If you are a branch filled with the words from the Vine, then you are one of His disciples, for you are disciplined in His Word.John 15:8
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
The Father gave His only begotten Son His commandments, His plan, His instructions, His Word, and Jesus fulfilled every last one of them, even unto His death and crucifixion on the cross. Now that is Love![9] As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
We show our love, not by whooping and hollering and saying "I love you Lord Jesus", but by KEEPING HIS WORD, staying attached to the True Vine, being filled with His words, and thereby PRODUCING FRUIT for Him.[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.
How comforting it is to know that as long as you stay attached to the Vine He'll see that you have everything you need to be happy and content and joyful. PLUS, you know that you have pleased your Father.[11] These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Remember He gave this same commandment after He washed their feet. Just remember that when one of us gets pruned real good!John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
And Jesus is about to display greater love than any man has ever had! For He will lay down His life even for those who hate Him and persecute Him, lest at any time they come to Him and receive His forgiveness and inherit eternal life.[13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
You might be plugged into a real nice church, and even have a license plate that reads "Friend of Jesus", but if you're not plugged into the Vine then you don't even know what His commands are. How then could you be His friend?John 15:14
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
The word "servant" means "slave", and slaves are always just given orders to carry out without knowing the master's plan or any of the reasons behind the commands. By the way, that is how the serpent, Satan, operates. And it is true, if you don't "DO" the Word of God, then you are indeed a slave to this world, even of the false messiah who has you captive. For it was Satan who pulled 1/3 (Rev. 12:4) of the branches away from the true Vine in the world that then was (II Pet. 3:6-7). Of course Satan thinks he's a good vine, but you ought to see the "fruits" he produces! Stay away from his fruits.[15] Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
But there are NO SECRETS kept in our Family, the Family of God. We are not "slaves" of some "unknown god" or "force". Our Father has made known His entire plan to us through Jesus Christ, the Light, the True Vine, the Word of God. Even from the beginning of the creation of the 1st earth age to the ushering in of the 3rd and final earth age, He has made known His Plan and declared His Love for His children.
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Do you believe that the plan of God has been, and is, unfolding "on the fly" or that our Father has had His plan of salvation well thought out and well planned, including a timeline with specific events to occur at specific times and specific people chosen to carry them out according to that plan? Perhaps this will help you determine the answer: Did you know that the entire overall plan of God is "written in the stars", in the heavens, and is contained in the uncorrupted, pure Zodiac, including the Virgin Birth (Virgo) and His Coming? Did you know His entire plan is written in detail in His Word. Well then, do you think you were born on __/__/__ by accident or has it occurred to you that you could be part of His plan? Do you recall that Jeremiah was "named" and "ordained" before he entered his mother's womb? Here's your Father talking to Jeremiah:
This is just one example, but know this: Jeremiah was part of God's plan from the beginning and if you are one of His disciples, then so are you!Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Sound a little bit like what He said to Jeremiah?John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Most people when they read this verse understand that Jesus is talking to His disciples at the Last Supper, and He was, but not to them alone. This verse actually documents that Jesus is talking to His elect, both Then and Now. You see, we already read way back in the first chapters of this book how His disciples came unto Him, even without an altar call. That's because they were chosen and ordained long, long, before Jesus came to dwell in the flesh.
So just when were His disciples chosen?
All of God's elect, including His disciples, and including you if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, were chosen in the "world that then was" (II Pet. 3), before God knocked this earth off its true axis and out of its true orbit, destroying every living thing including all the cities, dinosaurs, etc. (Jer. 4), at which time this planet became "tohu va bohu", an Hebrew expression meaning totally void and without form, and the earth was completely covered with water and darkness. You were chosen before all that occurred!
Paul documents it for us in Eph. 1:4 where he is speaking to God's elect about their being chosen by Jesus. He writes:
Note: If you have a Companion Bible refer to appendix #146 titled "the foundation of the world".Ephes. 1:4
According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
The phrase "before the foundation of the world" actually means before the "overthrow", or "casting down", of Satan at his rebellion, where he drew a third of God's children into his camp, to be "with him" (Rev. 12:4). You see, God's elect stood against Satan at that time and earned the right to be used (chosen) by Him in this flesh age to fulfill His plan. In other words they stayed "with God" from the beginning and stood against Satan and his cronies. So they were "chosen" and given a "destiny", a part in the plan. Here it is:
Do you remember back in chapter 9 when Jesus was asked whose sin caused the blind man to be born without the ability to see? The answer was that he was born that way so that the "works of God" might be made manifest. In other words, he was chosen and predestined, according to the good pleasure of His will, as part of the plan, just as we read in verse 5? So it would not be a stretch at all to imagine that he might have even volunteered for the job![5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Now let's re-read John 15:16.
His disciples, His elect, were chosen and ordained (even predestined) that they should bring forth fruit. That's His PLAN! That is the "good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:5). So have you ever wondered why you were born? You just read it! You have been chosen and ordained to produce fruit according to the good pleasure of His will, His plan. And whatever you need to get your job done, just ask!John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
VERY IMPORTANT: Do not overlook
the fact that the fruit you are to produce is to "REMAIN". For how long?
(I thought you would never ask!) FOREVER. You see the fruit you are to
produce is to help bring others to Him that they might be reconciled to
God and receive Eternal Life. (Do you "see" that His disciples, you, are
part of the Plan of Salvation, which was "laid out" and "determined" from
the beginning, IN DETAIL, even with what children, who remained with Him
at the rebellion, would have what part? The blind man got that particular
job. What's your destiny, your predetermined destination?)
His disciples, His elect, were
chosen and ordained (even predestined) that they should bring forth fruit.
That's His PLAN! That is the "good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:5). So
have you ever wondered why you were born? You just read it! You have been
chosen and ordained to produce fruit according to the good pleasure of
His will, His plan. And whatever you need to get your job done, just ask!
VERY IMPORTANT: Do not overlook the fact that the fruit you are to produce is to "REMAIN". For how long? (I thought you would never ask!) FOREVER. You see the fruit you are to produce is to help bring others to Him that they might be reconciled to God and receive Eternal Life. (Do you "see" that His disciples, you, are part of the Plan of Salvation, which was "laid out" and "determined" from the beginning, IN DETAIL, even with what children, who remained with Him at the rebellion, would have what part? The blind man got that particular job. What's your destiny, your predetermined destination?)
Be patient, loving and kind to each other as you fulfill your destiny! Washing some stinky feet is nothing when compared to the awesome honor of being one of His children and working together to get the job done.[17] These things I command you, that ye love one another.
You can expect the world to hate you and persecute you. Otherwise, why would need the gospel armor on and in place (Eph. 6)?[18] If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Just mention God and Christ to the "liberal left" and they get crazy and start throwing fiery darts. They seek to erase God and His commandments from every aspect of society including school rooms, court rooms, probably even bathrooms. They would very much like to remove Christians too![19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
If you have understood the concept of the True Vine, then this verse is easy. The branches are fed by the Vine, His words, which fill the branches up and abide in them. So if we are plugged into the Vine, then we all speak the same thing as Jesus spoke, His words, for it is His voice we speak with. In other words, when Jesus' disciples speak people hear Him, His words, and either reject Him or keep His sayings.John 15:20
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
They are hanging on a different vine that they think has life in it, but it's roots extend into the bottomless pit where there is no life.[21] But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
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