“With or Without”
(Total Surrender / Total Dependence)
John 15 – With Or Without “Life Insurance”
No such thing as One Being Spiritually “Self-Insured”
1″I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
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.
Jesus words, “Apart from me…” speaks of separation that should not exist in the Christian.
“Apart from me” speaks about a separation & removal of what once was a vibrant relationship with God, where OVER TIME, that closeness was allowed to unravel.
If we stop clinging to the Lord and start clinging to other things to satisfy our earthly desires, we will find ourselves most miserable, “withering,” and eventually removed from the Life of Jesus Christ!
We are all Dependant upon Something and Separated from Something else!
2Corinthians 6
14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and BelialWhat does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
17″Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
18″I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 7
1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
The Christian should want to be separated from the World! A Christian that does not want to be separated from the World, will live according to their flesh rather than operate and live under the subjection and control of the Holy Spirit!
THESE DAYS…A Life of Separation is feared even among Christians -
They think we would be weird, strange, out-of-touch, brain-washed…
But, everyone is dependant upon something and separated from something else.
The Two Greatest Questions:
1) What are you depending on?
…The goodness of God to get you to heaven?
Millions will miss heaven because they did not repent.
…The righteousness of your parents or the prayers of someone else…
Some think that God works on a points system – that when you do good, you rack up points with God and if the good outweighs the bad, then surely, because He is a loving God, He will let you into Heaven.
Some think that they rack up points with God if they go to church, pay tithe, love people, all the things that Christians are supposed to do…
I don’t do these things to get to Heaven! I do these things to please my Father. I must be Born Again – Born of the Spirit before I can make it to Heaven! “That which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of Spirit, is Spirit.” I do spiritual things because I am walking in newness of life! “If any man be in Christ, HE is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.” It’s not about racking up points with God!
Besides, Jesus didn’t die for points! He died for People! And, Our “Points” are insufficient!
Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Jesus didn’t die for a Spiritual Lotto, where no one knows who makes it to Heaven
until you get there! 1 John 5:13 & Matthew 25:46 “Then they (wicked) will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
1) What and Who are you Depending on?
Titus 3:5-7
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
2) What or Who are you separated from?
1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” Worldliness = Carnality / Fleshly
Romans 8 5 “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.”
Matthew 19 The Rich Young Ruler
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17″Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
18″Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus replied, ” ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,’and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’
20″All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
TO EXTREMES:
“Apart From Me, you can do nothing!” ”WITH GOD, all things are possible!”
“What must We Do?” Answer: Total Surrender to God – Staying Connected!!!
SINCE THIS WORLD CAN’T STAND MUCH MORE TIME WITHOUT DIVINE INTERVENTION,
OUR CONNECTION WITH JESUS MUST ENDURE EVERY TEST & OUTLAST EVERY TRIAL IN OUR LIFE! Remain Connect with The Way, The Truth, The Life!