I am the Vine

The Response of Praise

We cannot always or even often control events, but we can control how we respond to them. When things happen which dismay or appall, we ought to look to God for His meaning, remembering that He is not taken by surprise, nor can His purposes be thwarted (prevented from accomplishing a purpose.) in the end.

What God looks for is those who will worship Him in the midst of every circumstance. Who will keep going and not quit, stay in the race. This is our first responsibility: to glorify God. In the face of life's worst reversals and tragedies, the response of a faithful Christian is praise and give thanks - not for the wrong itself, certainly, but for who God is and for the ultimate assurance that there is a pattern being worked out for those who love Him. Give thanks in all you do and for all you have unto God. Giving “Thanks” is the one worded way to stop Satan in his tracks, just thank God.

John 15 (New International Version)
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

[In John 14 Jesus tells His disciples what He would be doing for them and in John 15 He tells them what they would be doing for Him. 15: 1 – 9 – Jesus explains the divine-human relationship by the analogy of a grapevine. Jesus is the main vine. The disciples are the branches. The Father tends to the braches like a gardener. At that time of the year branches of grapevines would be budding in Jerusalem.]

[15:2 – Taketh away: Jesus here is not dealing with the loss of salvation but with the bearing of fruit. (Gal. 5:22 – 26)]

[15:5 – tells us two things – 1 – we need to fellowship with Christ, let him be a part of our lives. 2 – apart from Christ we can do nothing – we need to grab a hold of this and surrender all things to Christ and call on him to help us in all areas of our lives. A part from Christ we are dead.]

[15:6 – This refers to the judgment of believers at the judgment seat of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:10)]

[15: 10 – 17 – Several results of obedience are indicated (1) – Abiding in His love, (2) – full joy, (3) – love for one another, (4) – friends not servants, (5) – fruit remains and (6) – answered prayers.]

[15:16 – I have chosen you; By Christ’s appointment not by their choice, they were taken out of the world and sent out to bear fruit.]

[15:5 – The uniqueness of the Christian experience results from the union of Christ and the believer. This is expressed in Scripture – Christ being in the believer and the believer in Christ.]

“This is a basic fundamental foundation of being and living as a Christian. We cannot entertain our youth or any baby Christian into being a born again Christians. Only Christ saves lives from eternal death and hell. The Church today feels a need to “entertain” and turn the truth into Christ and heaven as this grand vacation where everything is peaches and cream. When in fact the Scriptures teach use that everything is not peaches and cream and it is a far way from entertainment. We are at war with SATAN, the ruler of this world and he will kill you, dead as a door knob. Run from sin and seek shelter in Jesus. Arm yourselves with God’s armor and pray at all times. Otherwise Satan will eat you alive. Just ask the man stricken with cancer, straight from hell, is everything peaches and cream.”

26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

[John 15:26 – The action of the word translated “proceedeth” is “in the process” – “continually proceeds.” The eternal procession of the Spirit means that He continually proceeds from beside, not out of, the Father. If the Holy Spirit came out of God, He would be less than God. To be more specific, the Holy Spirit not only proceeds from the Father, but also from the Son. This means the Father and the Son continually send the Holy Spirit.

Omnipresence - present everywhere at the same time:
Omnipotent almighty or infinite in power, unlimited power at the same time. As God himself is. He can answer all prayers at the same time in space and here on earth.
Omniscient having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things.

This in no way suggests the Spirit is less in deity than are the Father or Son. Instead it explains the relationship among the three eternal persons of the Trinity. Yes, that’s right the persons of the Trinity. Not some mystical entity that is floating around in space in need of a makeover – a makeover that makes Christ more appealing to our youth, because the “old” Christ is boring and needs our help to break through in these days. – Just as Jesus came to do the will of His Father, so the Holy Spirit is sent to speak not of Himself, but of Christ (16:13). In this sense the Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father who has been given to every Christian (Acts 1:4, 2:39)]