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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part XXXVI, John 15:7,8 - Lesson 144
Read Verses John 15:6 for review: If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
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.
This is very logical and reasonable.
Abiding in Christ brings the same mind as Christ.
Paul admonishes in Phil 2:5: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Peter tells us in 1st Peter: arm yourselves likewise with the same mind:
Won't the mind of Christ ask according to the will of the Father?
Cannot one who is armed with the same mind as Christ ask what he will.
You see, his will is the same as God's will if he has the mind of Christ!
Whatever he asks shall be done because he will only ask what the mind of Christ would ask.
He asks right, he asks true, he asks the same as Christ asks because he abides in Christ.
His heart is occupied with Christ.
His life is regulated by the Words of Christ.
It is him living on the daily bread of the word of God!
It is him bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5)
You see how important it is to your prayer life to abide in Christ!
You can understand how Christ can say in:
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Self made fruit does not glorify the Father.
Only fruit from the vine glorifies the Father.
Only Christ produced fruit in you glorifies the Father.
Glorifying the Father was ever present in Christ.
That is what he was always about and one who abides in the vine will also glorify the Father because in him Christ will produce much fruit.
The Father is glorified when his children bear much fruit because the fruit reveals conformance to the image of his Son.
And that is what the Father has predestined for his children.
If you want to know where you are headed as a Christian you look at Christ.
The love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance is the same fruit revealed in his son and all of the Father's sons and daughters are to be alike in this fruit.
If their be any love, it is Christ's love.
If their be any joy, it is Christ's joy.
If their be any peace, it is Christ's peace.
If their be any longsuffering,it is Christ's longsuffering.
If their be gentleness, it is Christ's gentleness.
If their be any goodness, it is Christ's goodness.
If their be any faith, it is Christ's faith.
If their be any meekness, it is Christ's meekness.
If their be any temperance, it is Christ's temperance.
For me to live is Christ.
I do not live apart from Christ.
Phil 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Conversely I can do nothing without Christ for everything I do apart from Christ he counts as nothing!
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. |