Close and Clean with Jesus
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Close and Clean with Jesus
John 15: 1-8
Remain/abide – to maintain unbroken fellowship with another
Unbroken – nothing interferes with the believer and his/her Savior
The TRUE Vine
- Jesus embodies and fulfills God’s intentions for BLESSING
- Jesus is pointing out that He is replacing Israel as the focus of God’s plan of REDEMPTION
- His implication is twofold:
- No longer is the sacrificial system NECESSARY
- FAITH in Him becomes the decisive characteristic for membership in God’s family
The VINEDRESSER
- Actions of the vineyard keeper: To watch over and care for the vine
- PRUNES THE BRANCHES
- REMOVES THE BRANCHES THAT DO NOT PRODUCE FRUIT
- It is possible for a believer in Jesus Christ to be FRUITLESS and useless to the cause of Christ – 2 Peter 1: 5-8
- Consequences of a believer who fails to abide in Christ:
- The person is set ASIDE – loss of intimacy, fellowship, and communion
- The person WITHERS– loss of vitality, loss of spiritual energy, and loss of passion
- The person suffers the loss of REWARD– 1 Corinthians 3: 11-15
The BRANCHES
- How do we remain close to Christ so that we produce spiritual fruit:
- The study of His WORD
- CONFESSION and repentance of sin
- OBEDIENCE to his word
- PRAYER
- Results of remaining close to Christ
- Spiritual FRUIT
- Spiritual DISCIPLINE
- ANSWERED prayer
- Deepening LOVE for Christ and others
- Experiences great JOY