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Copyright © 2012 J. Neely. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26 - True Vine
John 15:6-8
6 If [ean me] a man [tis] abide [meno] not [ean me] in [en] me [emoi] , he is cast [ballo] forth [exo] as [hos] a branch [klema] , and [kai] is withered [xeraino] ; and [kai] men gather [sunago] them [autos] , and [kai] cast [ballo] them into [eis] the fire [pur] , and [kai] they are burned [kaio] .
7 If [ean] ye abide [meno] in [en] me [emoi] , and [kai] my [mou] words [rhema] abide [meno] in [en] you [humin] , ye shall ask [aiteo] what [hos] [ean] ye will [thelo] , and [kai] it shall be done [ginomai] unto you [humin] .
8 Herein [en] [touto] is [doxazo] my [mou] Father [pater] glorified [doxazo] , that [hina] ye bear [phero] much [polus] fruit [karpos] ; so [kai] shall ye be [ginomai] my [emos] disciples [mathetes] . KJV-Interlinear
6 'If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 'If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. 8 'By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. NASB
We have already seen that there are two basic categories of people. Those who believe in Christ and those who do not.
Of those who believe, then we can divide them into three sub-categories. First those who ignore God altogether and just do not grow up in their spiritual lives. Second, those who have some interest in God, but their compromises and excuses in life prevent them from advancing to spiritual maturity. This second group has some spiritual growth.
Then we have those who have a genuine desire to advance as far as they possibly can in their spiritual life. This last group advances to maturity. To them will go the greater blessings both in time (now in this life) and in eternity.
Of these last three groups of believers, we have a policy from God.
Well first we can deal with the unbelievers. They rejected God, therefore God in response will reject them. God did not initiate this rejection process. God in effect is respecting their wishes and eventually grants them their desire to live apart from Him. God warns all people that there is a huge price to pay for rejecting the only person who holds all of life together. And without the glue that holds all things together, then one has to figure out just how he is going to hold his own life together after death, not to mention the entire universe around him.. And, of course, no created being has that kind of power. So off to the Lake of Fire they go. Thus God allows all unbelievers to have their final wish.
Now back to the believers. We have those who are positive to God and those who are not. The 'not' group includes those who are marginally positive.
God provides for those who are positive. God has a dinner table. On that table He places all sorts of goodies, which we call blessings and such. Anyone who is positive toward Him, anyone who is in fellowship more often than not, is in effect in attendance at Gods table. You can only have access to the table when you are present at the table. If you are not present (out of fellowship), then you do not have access to the blessings on that table.
Now the vine. Those who do not produce are discarded. In other words God rejects them. They are taken away and fire (judgment or discipline) is applied to them.
Unbelievers are burned forever and permanently. Negative believers receive the fires of discipline for the duration of their negativeness.
Whatever a negative person asks of God, is rejected. God does not interact with those who reject Him. In contrast, those who are positive toward God, then in them doctrine resides. That doctrine influences their thinking, and that thinking responds to God with those thoughts which are compatible with Gods plan. Thus they receive whatever they ask.
The key here is 'Christ in you.' That is to say, Bible doctrine in residence inside the soul of the positive believer who is likewise in residence in fellowship, active in their pursuit for learning more and more of Gods Word, and who will not give up in their Bible studies regardless of what the world throws at them.
Thus the classic, right verses wrong contest, comes out with right being the winner, and God gets all of the credit, for it is He who does all of the work. We simply believe, and learn, and grow up in faith.
As for our asking or making requests of God, then by knowing doctrine (Christ in you), then you know that your prayers must come from the sphere of fellowship otherwise they are not even heard. Second, your prayers must be compatible with Gods plan for human history (can't ask for the Rapture today if it is not scheduled for another hundred years). And third, your prayer has to be compatible with Gods plan for your individual life. You might want one thing in life (or think you want something), but God might have something entirely different designed for you. Something far better and perhaps it is related to bringing someone else to Himself in some way or for you to accomplish some objective within the scope of His plan.
While we do not know exactly where the winds of history will take us, we do know that our primary objective in life is to grow up spiritually. Once you have become prepared through spiritual growth, then God will use you in some phenomenal way. A way in which you will accomplish more through God than you could ever accomplish on your own in several lifetimes.
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Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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