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 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  [John 15: 5-7]

“I am the true vine...”

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  [John 15: 5-7] 



 “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 does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." [John 15:1-2] 





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“ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit...” 

AThe Lord Jesus now presented Himself as the true vine, the perfect fulfillment of all the other types and shadows. God the Father is the vinedresser.  Our role is to stay connected to and dependent upon Jesus. We are helpless without him, even though at times we may think we can oversee our own lives capably by ourselves.

The branch that does not bear fruit is the one who gets away from the Lord and becomes interested in the things of this world. He fails to manifest the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

The truth is, we get a bit scraggly when we attempt to live apart from God. Most of us dislike the process of God’s trimming back areas of dead growth in our attitudes and actions. We initially cringe at giving up something that seemed just fine with us. But as we press in closer to God, we find a fresh vibrancy springing from within. And our outward lives start to “produce much fruit”.

The branch that bears fruit is the Christian who is growing more like the Lord Jesus. Even such vines need to be pruned or cleansed. Just as a real vine must be cleansed from insects, mildew, and fungus, so a Christian must be cleansed from worldly things that cling to him.
”


    "  ... 'Cause the Fruit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,

Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,

Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.  "  

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 “My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”  And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”  [Genesis 39:9-10] 

“One day he (Joseph) went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside.  She (Potiphar's wife)  caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house." [Genesis:39 :11-12]   

All things work together for good to them that love God 

The story now returns to Egypt, where Joseph was appointed overseer in the house of Potiphar, captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s palace.The Lord was with him and he became a successful man.

Potiphar’s wife tried repeatedly to seduce Joseph, but he steadfastly refused. He would not betray his master’s confidence or sin against his God. One day she caught him by his garment. He squirmed out of it and fled, leaving her holding it. He lost his coat but saved his character and eventually gained a crown. She  used the coat as “evidence” that Joseph had attempted to rape her.

Believers are taught to flee fornication, idolatry, and youthful lusts. Better to flee than to fall. Without proper investigation, Joseph’s master ordered him to prison; but even there Joseph was blessed by the Lord and was given a position of responsibility.

The fact that Joseph was not executed may indicate that Potiphar did not entirely believe his wife; he couldn’t help knowing her true character. The truth of Romans 8:28 is wonderfully displayed in this chapter. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  God was working behind the scenes for Joseph.

 “Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"
Jesus answered, "Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together." ”  [Matthew 19:3-6] 

 "The two will become one flesh..."

 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.... Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." [Genesis:2:23, Mark 10:9] 

What God has joined together, let man not separate 

The Pharisees soon found Jesus. They were moving in for the kill, like a pack of wolves. In an effort to trap Him, they asked Him if divorce was lawful.

Jesus referred them back to the Pentateuch. What did Moses command? They avoided His question by stating what Moses permitted. He permitted a man to divorce his wife, provided he gave her a written certificate of divorce. But that was not God’s ideal; it was permitted only because of the harness of the people’s hearts.

The divine plan joined a man and woman in marriage as long as they live. This goes back to God’s creation of the sexes. A man is to leave his parents and be so united in marriage that he and his wife are one flesh. Thus joined by God, they should not be separated by human decree.

When the disciples questioned the Lord further, He said pointedly that remarriage after divorce was adultery, whether the man or the woman got the divorce. But in Matt. 19:9, He made an exception. Where one partner has been guilty of immorality, the other is permitted to get a divorce and is presumably free to remarry. 

Then the Lord stated with absolute authority that the past leniency on divorce was henceforth discontinued. Hereafter there would be only one valid ground for divorce—unchastity.  If a person was divorced for any other reason and remarried, he was guilty of adultery.

“How can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  [Matthew 12:34-37]

"Good Tree... Bad Tree..."

 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” [Matthew 12:33] 



 

A Tree is Known by Its Fruit 

Even the Pharisees should have admitted that the Lord had done good by casting out demons. Yet they accused Him of being evil.  Here He exposes their inconsistency and says, in effect, “Make up your minds. If a tree is good, its fruit is good and vice versa.” Fruit reflects the quality of the tree that produced it. The fruit of His ministry had been good. He had healed the sick, the blind, the deaf, and the dumb, had cast out demons and raised the dead. Could a corrupt tree have produced such good fruit? Utterly impossible! Why then did they so stubbornly refuse to acknowledge Him?

The reason was that they were a brood of vipers. Their malice against the Son of Man, evidenced by their venomous words, was the outflow of their evil hearts. A heart filled with goodness will be evidenced by words of grace and righteousness. A wicked heart expresses itself in blasphemy, bitterness, and abuse.

Jesus solemnly warned them (and us) that people will give account for every idle word they utter. Because the words people have spoken are an accurate gauge of their lives, they will form a suitable basis for condemnation or acquittal.  How great will be the condemnation of the Pharisees for the vile and contemptuous words which they spoke against God’s Holy Son!

“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” In case of believers, the penalty for careless speech has been paid through the death of Christ; however, our careless speech, unconfessed and unforgiven, will result in loss of reward at Christ’s Judgment Seat.


"Where is he that is born King of the Jews?"

 “And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. ” [Matthew: 2:10-12]  

 
 

The Wise Men

When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men  from the east came to Jerusalem and said, "Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east  and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.

Herod the Great was a descendant of Esau and, therefore, a traditional enemy of the Jews. He was a convert to Judaism, but his conversion was perhaps politically motivated. It was toward the close of his reign that wise men from the East came in search of the King of the Jews.
The city that should have received the news with joy was disturbed by anything that might upset its status quo or risk the displeasure of the hated Roman rulers.
It was the star in the East that somehow made them aware of the birth of a King, whom they came to worship. Possibly they were familiar with Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah’s arrival.
Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?"They told him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote, 'Bethlehem in the land of Judea,  you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town  will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.' "

Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. He told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too."

The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They were thrilled and excited to see the star.

When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh  and gave them to him. Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road. 


 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  [ Luke 2:8-12]

Today...a Savior has been born to you...

An angel of the Lord came to the shepherds at night, and a bright, glorious light shone all around them. As they recoiled in terror, the angel comforted them and broke the good news. It was good tidings of great joy for all the people. That very day, in nearby Bethlehem, a Bay had been born. This Baby was a Savior, who is Christ the Lord! First, He is a Savior, which is expressed in His name, Jesus. Then He is Christ, the Anointed of God, the Messiah of Israel. Finally, He is the Lord, God manifest in the flesh.

How would the shepherds recognize Him? The angels gave them a twofold sign. First the Baby would be wrapped in swaddling clothes. The second part of the sign was that He would be lying in a manger. It is doubtful that the shepherds had ever seen a baby in such an unlikely place. This dignity was reserved for the Lord of life and glory when He came into our world. It makes our minds dizzy to think of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe entering human history not as a conquering military hero, but as a little Babe. Yet this is the truth of the Incarnation. 

Suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host appeared, praising God.  As soon as the angels departed, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and Jesus lying in a manger. They gave a complete report of the angel’s visit, causing considerable surprise among those who had gathered in the stable.

But Mary had a deeper understanding of what was going on; she treasured all these things, and knowingly pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned to their flocks, overjoyed at all they had heard and seen, and overflowing in their worship of God.


“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. ” Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  [John 1: 1-2,14, 14:6]

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."

In the beginning was the Word.  He did not have a beginning Himself, but existed from all eternity. As far as the human mind can go back, the Lord Jesus was there. He never was created.

The Word was with God.  The Word was with God. He had a separate and distinct personality. He was not just an idea, a thought, but a real Person who lived with God. The Word was God. He not only dwelt with God, but He Himself was God. The Bible teaches that there is one God and that there are three Persons in the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three of these Persons are God.

To become a child in a physical sense, one must be born. So, also, to become a child of God, one must have a second birth, or conversion, or being saved. 

The Word became flesh when Jesus was born as a Baby in the manger at Bethlehem. He had always existed as the Son of God with the Father in heaven, but now chose to come into the world in a human body. He dwelt among us. It was not just a short appearance, about which there might be some mistake or misunderstanding. God actually came to this earth and lived here as a Man among men.  His body was the tent in which He lived among men for thirty-three years.


"The virgin will conceive..."

 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. [Isaiah 7:14]  [Written 700 years before Jesus was born].

 Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ”  [Matthew 1:18-23]

   

"Immanuel — God with us"

As Matthew recorded these events, he realized that a new era had dawned in the history of God’s dealings with the human race. The words of a messianic prophecy, long dormant, had now sprung to life.

Isaiah’s cryptic prophecy was now fulfilled in Mary’s Child:  “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.” Matthew claims divine inspiration for the words of Isaiah—the Lord had spoken by the prophet at least 700 years before Christ.

The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 included the foretelling of a unique birth (“Behold, the virgin shall conceive”), the sex of the Child (“and bear a Son”), and the name of the Child (“and shall call His name Immanuel”).  Immanuel means God with us.

As a result of the angel’s intervention, Joseph abandoned his plan to divorce Mary. He continued to recognize their betrothal until Jesus’ birth, after which he married her.  In taking Mary as his wife, Joseph also took her Child as his adopted Son. This is how Jesus became legal heir to the throne of David. 

Thus the Messiah-King was born. The Eternal One entered time. The Omnipotent became a tiny Infant. The Lord of glory veiled that glory in a human body, and “in Him dwells all the fullness of Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).

 "  Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the favored one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godheadd see;
hail the incarnate Diety
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel
Hark the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King"" 

"You didn't lie to people. You lied to God!"

When God is working in power, Satan is on hand to counterfeit, corrupt, and contend. But where there is real spiritual power, deceit and hypocrisy will be readily exposed. Ananias and Sapphira were apparently moved by the generosity of Barnabas and others. Perhaps they desired to receive the praise of men for some similar act of kindness.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold a piece of property. But they agreed to cheat and keep some of the money for themselves.
No one had asked them to sell the property. After it was sold, they were not obligated to give all. But they pretended a total dedication, while actually they held some back.

   So when Ananias took the rest of the money to the apostles, Peter said, "Why has Satan made you keep back some of the money from the sale of the property? Why have you lied to the Holy Spirit? The property was yours before you sold it, and even after you sold it, the money was still yours. What made you do such a thing? You didn't lie to people. You lied to God!"

Peter charged Ananias with lying to the Holy Spirit and not just to men. In lying to the Holy Spirit, he lied to God. As soon as Ananias heard this, he dropped dead, and everyone who heard about it was frightened. Some young men came in and wrapped up his body. Then they took it out and buried it.

Three hours later Sapphira came in, but she did not know what had happened to her husband. Peter asked her, "Tell me, did you sell the property for this amount?"

 "Yes," she answered, "that's the amount."

Then Peter said, "Why did the two of you agree to test the Lord's Spirit? The men who buried Ananias are by the door, and they will carry you out!" At once she fell at Peter's feet and died.

When the young men came back in, they found Sapphira lying there dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. The church members were afraid, and so was everyone else who heard what had happened.

"Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?"

 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”  When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.  Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.    [Acts 5:3-6]

 Ananias fell down and died

   

"  Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood." 

"JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS"

On FaceBook

“My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing. I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is:  Christ died for our sins,   as the Scriptures say.  He was buried, and three days later    he was raised to life,    as the Scriptures say.  Christ appeared to Peter,  then to the twelve. After this, he appeared  to more than five hundred other followers.
   Most of them are still alive,  but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time. I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle...”  [1 Corinthians 15: 1-8]

"Jesus Christ died for our sins"

Paul reminds them of the good news which he had preached. This was not a new doctrine for the Corinthians, but it was necessary that they should be reminded of it at this critical time. It was this gospel by which the Corinthians had been saved. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don’t, your faith was all for nothing.

To Paul, the resurrection was fundamental. Without it there was not Christianity.  Paul had delivered to the Corinthians the message which he had also received by divine revelation.

The first cardinal doctrine of that message was that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He died for our sins. He died to pay the penalty that our sins deserved.

Dear friend, do you believe with all your heart that Christ Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose again on the third day?  Confess your sins to Him and accept Him as your personal Savior and you will be saved. 

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"

 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices that they had prepared. When they found the stone rolled away from the entrance, they went in. But they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus, and they did not know what to think. Suddenly two men in shining white clothes stood beside them. The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, "Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? Jesus isn't here! He has been raised from death....But Peter ran to the tomb. And when he stooped down and looked in, he saw only the burial clothes.   [Luke 24:1-12]

  

"  Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
    waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

    Up from the grave he arose;
    with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
    he arose a victor from the dark domain,
    and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
    He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!" 

Paul's "Profit and Loss Statement"

"Profit and Loss Statement"

The apostle Paul gives us his “Profit and Loss Statement.” On one side he lists the things that had been gain to him. On the other side he writes the single word Christ. They all amount to nothing when compared with the treasure which he had found in Christ. He counted them loss for Christ.  As long as he trusted in the things of this world he could never have been saved. 

Once he was saved, they no longer meant anything to him because he had seen the glory of the Lord, and all other glories seemed like nothing in comparison.

In coming to Christ for salvation, Paul had renounced all things and counted them worthless when compared to the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, his Lord.

The excellence of the knowledge is a Hebrew way of saying “the excellent knowledge” or “the surpassing worth of knowledge.”
Ancestry, nationality, culture, prestige, education, class, caste, religion, personal attainments—all these the apostle abandoned as grounds for boasting.

Indeed, he counted them as dung or rubbish in order that he might gain Christ. And so he did! He completely severed his ties with Judaism as a hope of salvation. In doing so, he was disinherited by his relatives, disowned by his former friends, and persecuted by his fellow countrymen. He literally suffered the loss of all things when he became Christian.

If we want the best, we need to let go of the clutter that keeps us from the best. What matters is that we know Christ. When we stop focusing on our list of good deeds and instead focus on Jesus, the unimportant things fade away and the thing that really matters remains. When knowing Christ becomes more important  than knowing anything else, our priorities are clear. 

"I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize.."

 But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.   [Phil. 3: 13-14]