John 15:1-5

Jesus Christ is the True Giver of the Living Life

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. —John 15:1-3

The only true living life is a “branch” of Christ’s life.

The church is the true Israel because of its relationship to Jesus Christ, the true vine.

True Living Life Grows in fruitfulness

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. —John 15:4-5 

Fruit bearing is the evidence of regenerated life.

Suffering enlarges fruit bearing, exposes hypocrisy, and keeps us dependent on God.

The ultimate purpose of suffering in the believer’s life is to develop Christlikeness.

The living life caused by true salvation is both an initial and a continuous response. 

Our daily lifestyle is a revelation of the power source of our lives.

John 17:6-26

Jesus uttered His most peculiar promulgation

• Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. —v 6
• For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. —v 8

Jesus uttered His Most peculiar petition

• I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. —v 9
• Holy Father keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. —v 11
• I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one—v 15
• Sanctify themin the truth; your word is truth. —v 17
• that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. —v 21

Jesus uttered His most peculiar passion

• Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. —v 24
• I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them—v 26

Malachi 1:2

[The bible strongly asserts that in spite of how bad situation going on around us God’s love to us remains truthful, tenacious, and triumphant.]

God Loves You Truthfully

• And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;—Deuteronomy 4:37Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.—Deuteronomy 10:15“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.—John 6:44

God Loves You Tenaciously

• The LORD appeared to him from afar: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.—Jeremiah 31:3I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them.—Hosea 11:4In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.—Isaiah 63:9But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.—Romans 5:8

God Loves You Triumphantly 

• Therefore, tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.—Ezekiel 36:22Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee…—Deuteronomy 9: 4, 5but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.—Deuteronomy 7:8neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:39For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16

Malachi 3:2

[The messiah that the Father said will come is a purifier whose work would be: to divulge to us evil, deliver us from evil, and disinfect us from evil.]

 The Purifier will Divulge to Us Evil

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? — Malachi 3:2

“Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken and will act. —Ezekiel 22:14

The Purifier will Deliver Us from Evil

For He is like a refiner’s fire . . . 3“He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, . . . —Malachi 3:2c, 3

“And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.  They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”—Zechariah 13:9

The Purifier will Disinfect Us from Evil

. . . like fullers’ soap. 3. . . He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. —Malachi 3:2c, 3

“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7“You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. —Malachi 1:6, 7

Matthew 25:1-11

 [Jesus said that waiting for the coming of the bridegroom is a painstaking experience because it:  involves pure pursuit of the Bridegroom, invokes the working power of grace, and impels fitness to see the glorious groom.]

Involves Pure Pursuit of the Bridegroom

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.—Matt. 25:1

“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.—Matt. 25:5-7

Invokes the Working Power of Grace

“Five of them were wise and five were foolish.” —Matt. 25:2

“For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.—Matt. 25:3, 4

“The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9“But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’—Matt. 25:8, 9

Impels Fitness to See the Glorious Groom 

“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11“Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12“But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’—Matt. 25:1012