SBS Sermon Notes Note 08/10
INTRODUCTION
How many times we Christians fail to achieve the results we long
for. We strive, struggle and strain to further the Gospel cause,
only to fail time and again. It is a common experience of millions
of believers around the world. Do you know why? Have you ever
stopped to analyse your failures and tried to find out what went
wrong and why you so often miss your target? Are you willing
to humble yourself and take a few lessons which if applied will
transform your life? Do you want to learn how to work with the
Almighty rather than against Him? Do you long to understand His
methods for achieving meaningful results in your own life and
in the Vineyard of Salvation? Of course you do. All sincere
Christians do. I do.
To begin with let me suggest that you study the Creator's Book
of Nature. There you will find tens of thousands of practical
lessons being portrayed before your very eyes; all created
by the Almighty for the express purpose of teaching us
humans specific spiritual lessons. In today's sermon we shall
consider a few major lessons from the parable of the True
Vine.
1. THE HUSBANDMAN
Yahweh is a husbandman, a shepherd, a gardener, a vine-dresser
and a producer of flowers and fruit. He is the owner and keeper
of heaven's spiritual vineyard. His stock of plants
are of the finest quality and His horticultural knowledge is
beyond compare. The quality of His produce is astonishing to
say the least. That is the first fact you must grasp; that Yahweh
is a Shepherd, a Gardener and a Husbandman.
2. THE TRUE VINE
In the Vineyard of Salvation there is one extra special
plant, a vine of surpassing beauty and worth. It is the Almighty's
prize possession; a plant on which His attention is continually
focused and from which He produces the best grapes and
the choicest wine. This plant is a seedling from Himself.
It is His Son.
| Deut. 32: 32: | For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of
the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: 33: Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
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Everyone knows that trees cannot produce fruit without branches.
This verse puts that spiritual lesson, which is seen in every
orchard of the world, into perspective. It means that every true
believer, even the very smallest, is potentially a fruit-bearing
branch.
4. THE FRUIT
We all know that the main objective in keeping a vineyard is
to produce grapes and wine to gladden the heart. In the Vineyard
of Salvation the whole purpose of producing fruit is to gladden
the heart of the Vine-dresser (God) by bringing others to salvation.
This brings the Most High great happiness. One needs little
imagination to grasp this fact. The sacred fruit which
the Most High produces in the lives of His people are mentioned
in this verse:
| Galatians 5:22 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23: Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
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Pruning
| John 15:2 | 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. |
| John 15:6 | 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.
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Abiding in Yeshua the Vine
| John 15:4 | 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.
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Objectives
| John 15:8 | Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much
fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
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5. SECRETS OF SUCCESS
In John 15 two spiritual secrets of success are mentioned.
They are obedience and prayer. All who apply this
twin formula in the garden of their lives will never fail to produce
'fruit, fruit that lasts.' Let us now consider these
two secrets.
Obedience is Abiding in God
| John 15:5 | He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
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| John 15:10 | 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.
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Prayer
The second secret is based on the first. Indeed it will not
work unless that first step - obedience - has been
taken. The second secret concerns some of the most astonishing
promises in all Scripture, promises about prayer. Here
are a few texts which contain invaluable information concerning
this vital secret.
| 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. |
| 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. |
| John 16:23 | And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father
in my name, he will give it you. 24: Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. |
| John 14:13 | And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that
will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14: If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
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Ask the Father for anything yes - anything - in Yeshua's name and you will have it.
Also carefully note the words: that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Millions of Christians (including myself) often deceive themselves into thinking that what we are asking for is for the Father's glory; when all the while, quite unbeknown to ourselves, we are seeking our own glory. Such prayers, I have learned by bitter experience, accomplish nothing. If anything, they are a waste of breath and time. My sincere advice to you is: Make every effort to understand and meet those two parameters:
The Most High is patiently waiting for believers to avail themselves of these amazing offers. He has promised virtually everything of real value to the obedient, unselfish and humble petitioner. It is now up to us to avail ourselves of these staggering promises. Are you big enough to believe them, to meet those mandatory conditions and to ask? For more detail see Promises About Prayer
6. PERSECUTION
Strange as it may seem there are some who are extremely jealous
of Yahweh's success. They hate everything He stands for and they
detest His commandments. They are unable to personally attack
the Most High, so they vandalise His property and vent their
anger on His vineyard. They seek to demolish His work and break
the branches off the true vine.
| Jer. 12:10 | Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have
trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion
a desolate wilderness.
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| John 15:26 | But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father, he shall testify of me.
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| Zech. 10:1 | Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter
rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers
of rain, to every one grass in the field.
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SBS Sermon Notes More Sermons on the Parables