Now, if you will open your Bibles
with me to the 15th chapter of John, the text begins with I AM. Note the capital letters, I AM,
A-M, I AM, the true vine. Now, there's a temptation announced
that I'll be speaking this morning on the vine. on the branches
and on the tree. But there's a temptation to just
camp right here. I am. I am. And I will for just a moment.
You'll open your Bibles to Exodus 3. You see, Moses met God. Moses met God on the mountain. And God spake to him. told him
that he wanted him to, would send him down into Egypt to deliver
his people out of Egypt. And of course Moses objected,
who am I? I can't speak, I have no qualifications
for this monumental task. And God said in verse 12 of Exodus
3, he said, certainly I'll be with thee. and this shall be
a token unto thee that I have sent thee. When thou hast brought
forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this
mountain. And Moses said unto God," now
listen to this, "'Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel,
and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers, of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, hath sent me unto and they shall say to me,
What is his name? What is his name? Who is this
God? What shall I say unto them? And
God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I am that sent thee. If there's any scripture or any
evidence and proof in the New Testament of the deity and character
and glory of Jesus of Nazareth, it is when he so often uses this
same word, I am, I am. Our Lord said in John 8, 58,
Before Abraham was, I am, I am. Again, he said If you believe
not that I am, you'll die in your sin. If you believe not
that I am. What am I saying, and what's
he saying? Jesus, born of Mary, who walked this earth in human
flesh, who was crucified on Calvary's cross, who was buried in is the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, who appeared to Moses and spoke to him on the mountain.
And every appearance of God, every appearance of God, in every
communication, are you listening? Every communication of the eternal,
creating God, the almighty, sovereign, three-in-one God, in the scriptures,
is Jesus Christ. That's what I'm saying. You see,
it's not enough to believe that Jesus of Nazareth is a great
prophet. It's not enough to respect him
as a great preacher or healer. It's not enough even to believe
that he has some lesser position in the kingdom of God. He is
a wonderful counselor. He is the mighty God, John, the
everlasting Father. I and my Father are one. He is
the Prince of Peace. That's what I'm saying. Are you
hearing what I'm saying? And this is what our Lord is
saying. If you believe not, if you cannot enter into that, lay
hold upon it, rest in it, and believe it, you're going to die
in your sin. On a television program, someone
told me about it. I didn't see it. But on a television program this
week, Donahue or one of them, I believe that's the one, the
issue was brought up, is Jesus Christ the only way of salvation
and the only way to heaven? Is Jesus Christ the only way
to heaven? Can a person go to heaven without
believing in, knowing, and loving, and resting in, receiving Jesus
Christ? And a man made that statement.
And the entire audience rose up in arms in objection. And it may be that there are
those here that entertain reservations concerning this fact, but I'm
going one step beyond that. I'm not only saying there'll
be no one in glory, no one in heaven, no one in the Father's
presence who does not know, love, and believe and receive Christ.
But I'm saying He is the presence in which we shall be. That's
what I'm saying. I'm saying He's God. See that? That's what I'm saying. How can you deny God and live
with God? You say, I'm not denying God,
I'm denying Christ. Christ is God. That's what I'm
saying. Is that clear, John? Now that's it. That's what I'm
preaching. That's what the Bible teaches.
Throw the Bible away. That's what the Bible teaches.
Jesus Christ is saying yesterday, today, and forever. He is the
express image. He is the exact likeness. He
is the brightness of the Father's glory. That's what the Word says.
Thy throne, O God, is forever. You see why I said there's a
temptation to camp here? If you don't believe I am, don't
go a step further. You're not a branch or a fruit
or anything else. You're fit for the burning. Just
forget it. I am. I and my Father are one. You
neither know me nor my Father," he said. If you don't know me,
you don't know the Father. No man knoweth the Father. The
Son hath declared him. Not only revealed him, but literally
declared him. He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. I'm the way, the truth. I'm the truth. We look
on Christ only as a way. He is the truth. There's no truth
apart from Christ. There's no life or love apart
from Christ. He is the life of God. He is
God. And he uses this so frequently
in the New Testament. He says, I am the door. I am the breaker. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the
life. made Martha said, I believe in
the resurrection. I believe in life after death.
Christ pointed to himself and said, I'm the resurrection. I'm
life. Apart from Christ, there's no
life after death. There's nothing but death. Christ
is the life. He that believeth not the son
is dead. He doesn't live. I am he. All right, let's move on. I am. Let's just circle that. Kemp there. Lay hold of that. I am. I am. The true vine. Now, we're going
to look at three things. We're going to look at the vine.
We're going to look at the branches. We're going to look at the fruit. I
am the true vine, as opposed to any false vine. As the heart
panics, that's the Waterbrook so pennished my soul after the
true God." Not a God, the true God. This is eternal life that
they might know thee, the true God. I'm the true vine. They
are imposters, they're counterfeits, they're those who claim to be
the vines or not. I am the true vine, and that
true vine is of divine origin. Look at the next line. My father
is the husbandman. I can't explain the Trinity.
You say, there you go, you're talking about the Father. Now,
the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, yet they're one. Yet they're
one. I can't explain the Trinity,
but because I can't explain it, I'm not going to deny it. I'm
not going to be a fool. All I need is a God I can comprehend. Now,
wouldn't that be something? Wouldn't it be something to have
a God you could explain? That's what this world has. They
have a God they can explain. Let me show you something. Turn
to 2 Samuel a minute. I'll give you one to explain.
2 Samuel 24. I just prepared a Sunday school
lesson on this. 2 Samuel 24. You know, David
numbered Israel. Remember that, Jim? He numbered
Israel, and he's seeing them. He's seeing and numbering Israel.
And God punished him. God gave him three choices. He
said, I'll turn you over into the enemy, I'll send pestilence,
or I'll do such three choices. And David, God killed 70,000
men because David numbered Israel. 70,000 men, and he had to stop
the angel. He was going to destroy Jerusalem.
Why'd he number Israel? Read verse 1 of 2 Samuel 24.
And again, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. and
he moved David against them to say, Go number Israel and Judah." Whose anger was kindled? God
was. Who moved David? Well, he said, it says in the
marginal reference, Satan moved him. Satan can't move anybody
without God's permission. Now, there's one to work on.
If you want to explain God, explain that. Explain that. Explain this one. Pharaoh hardened
his heart. That's what the Bible says. The
Bible also says God hardened his heart. God told Moses, before
he ever went down there, Pharaoh wouldn't let him go. That's right. Why'd he send him to it? That's
God's business. See, what I'm simply saying is
that, I'm saying that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
are one. And I can't explain it, I believe it. But I know
that the Father is the planter of the vine. The Father is the
one who sent the Son. The Father is the one who, in
the covenant of grace, decreed to have a people make Christ
the surety, and sent the Son into the world. The Father is
the planter. The Father is the husband. It's
His vine, and it's His vineyard. You see that? It's His vineyard. Our Father is the husband. And there's but one bond. There's
but one bond. I am the true bond, the only
bond. And everything the Father has is in that bond, that true
bond. Now, let's look up a few scriptures. John 3, verse 34. Now, I want you to look these
up and underscore them in your Bible. John 3, verse 34. Now,
listen to this. Everything I'm saying that the
Father The Father is the husband, and it's his vine, it's his vineyard.
And all spiritual blessings and all things are in this vine.
John 3.34, For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God. For God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto him. The Father loves the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. Do you understand that?
In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead body. I'm saying
that all things are in Christ. I'm saying that all spiritual
blessings are in Christ by the Father's decree, by the Father's
design. He has put this vine into the
world, his Son. Just one vine, all right. In
that vine there's life, and apart from that vine there's only death.
Christ said, without me you can do nothing. Verse six, "'If a
man is not in me,' when he says, "'Abide in me,' that's to be
in me, to continue in me, to be in a union with me. He's cast
forth as a branch, and withered men gather them, cast them into
the fire, and they are burned. Let this issue be settled once
for all." Jesus Christ is God, eternal Creator, God Incarnate. Secondly, everything is in Him. Everything of the Father, everything
of the Son, everything of the Spirit, everything of life, everything
of glory, everything having to do with God, is vested in, is
contained in Jesus Christ. That's where every... He is the
fount of every blessing. God has blessed us with all spiritual
blessing in heavenly places in Christ. If a person's in Christ, he has
life. If he's not in Christ, Let me show you that in 1 John,
chapter 5. 1 John, chapter 5. Turn over there with me. 1 John, chapter 5. And we can
play church, we can play religion, we can play righteousness, we
can play humanitarian, we can play religion, we can play whatever
we want to, we can talk about he's a good man, she's a good
woman, certainly God will take note. Jesus Christ is God. and by the
will of the divine Trinity, everything's in Christ. And out of Christ,
there's no good, there's evil. Out of Christ, there's no life,
there's death. Out of Christ, there's no acceptance,
there's rejection. Out of Christ, there's no justification,
there's condemnation. Totally. That's so. Look at 1
John 5. This is the record, verse 11,
that God has given to us eternal life Eternal life is not how
long it lasts. Eternal life is the quality of
it. Eternal life is the principle
of it. Eternal life is the truth of
it. It's eternal because it's the life of God. It's eternal
because it's spiritual. It's eternal because God can't
die. It's life. And God has given us. It's not
we don't work for it or earn it. It's a gift of God, and this
life is in His Son. Is that clear? In His Son. But
I'm in the church. Didn't say it's in the church,
it's in His Son. But I've tried to do right all my life. He's
not in doing right. It's in His Son. That's what
the Word says. It's in His Son. Well, I just don't believe. I
just don't believe people that are going to hell. I don't believe
people are going to be separated from God in the condemnation,
eternal judgment. who've never heard of Christ,
eternalize any son. Now, you can bring forth all
the objections and the human wisdom and logic you want to,
but eternalize any son. That's where it is. He's the
fountain of life. Watch it now, and he that hath the son, he
that hath the son, that is, He has him as his justifier, and
as his surety, and as his redeemer, and as his savior, and as his
prophet, and as his priest, and as his king, and as his life,
and as his forgiveness, and as his part. He has the Son. If
he has the Son, and he has a union with the Son, and a knowledge
of the Son, he has life from the Son. And he that has not
the Son of God, whatever else he has, He has not life. That's what this book says. And John, he said, my whole book,
when he came to the close of his whole book, in John 20, he
said, these things are writ that you might believe on the name
of the Son of God, believing you might have life. I want to
make that as clear as I can. Divine is of divine origin. God
could have passed us by like he did the angels that fell.
The scripture tells us about the angels whose fall preceded
Adam's fall, and they were reserved in everlasting
chains of darkness until the day of judgment. We don't waste
any penny on angels, do we? I haven't heard anybody, nobody
picket in the church saying God's unfair to the angels. God's unfair
to the angels. God has no savior to the angels.
It's not right to condemn the angels. I don't see anybody out
there. He took not on him the nature
of angels. Satan is Satan. He always has
been, always will be. There's no restoration, no objection. Adam, the human race, seeing
the same way the angels did, they said, we're not going to
have God be God. We're going to exalt our throne
above. I'll be like God. But when man fell, when men fell,
when Adam fell, God, who took not on himself the nature of
angels, was pleased to take on him the seed of Abraham. And
he said, out of Adam's race, I'll have a people. I'm not going
to have every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation, but I'm going
to have a people out of every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation.
I'll call out a people for my nation. And Almighty God, in
decreeing that and designing that and purposing that, has
to still be God. He's got to be just. If He overlooked
Adam's transgression, He owes an apology to the angels. But
He didn't overlook Adam's transgression. He didn't overlook your transgressions
and sins. He sent us a Savior. He sent
the man, Christ Jesus, into this world in our flesh, bone of our
bone, flesh of our flesh. to do toward God what we didn't,
and couldn't, and wouldn't do. He loved God, he obeyed God,
he honored God, he satisfied God, he extolled and exalted
God, he was faithful to God in every jot and tittle and respect
to the law, as a man representing some man. And the thing about
it is, is that that Christ That representative is not only from
God, but is God. As a man, he could satisfy, or
rather, he could suffer as God, he could satisfy. As a man, he
could meet the law, and engage the law, and obey the law, and
suffer under the justice of God, but as God in human flesh, he
could fully satisfy. is what one binds. And that's where redemption is. I need redeeming. Christ redeemed
me. I need a righteousness. He perfected that righteousness.
And while these spiritual blessings are in Christ, they become mine
by union with him. I am the vine. You're the branches. See, that
brings us to the branches. Now, let's look at verse 5. I am the vine. You are the branches. You're the branches. Now then, vine and branches are one. When I look at a grapevine, I
don't say there's a vine and branches, I say there's a grapevine.
There's a grapevine. You see the vine and branches
are one. What you say of the vine, you say of the branches.
What you say of the branches, you say of the vine. They're
one. The branches get life from the vine, nourishment from the
vine, food from the vine. There's one vine, there are many
branches. One God, one vine, one Savior,
one Lord, but many branches are supplied by him, a number which
no man can number. And the branches are in the vine. Look at how many times he says
this. Look at verse 2. Every branch in me that bears
not fruit, he taketh away. Verse 4, "'Abide in me, and I
in you.' The branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide
in the vine." And the vine, verse 5, "'You're the branches, he
that abideth in me, and I in him.'" Christ and the believer
are one. You see, Christ and the believer
became one in eternity when God chose us in Christ. Is that clear
what I'm saying? God chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world. and blessed us in Christ with
all spiritual blessings. And when God looks at Christ,
He looks at us. When God loves Christ, He loves
us. When God receives Christ, He receives us. When Christ was
born of Nabu, when they took that little infant out of the
womb, He wasn't an independent person, He was a representative
person. When they took that infant out
of Nabu's womb, and He became on this earth subject to every
of God, and commandment of God, and law of God. That was a race
of people in him. Everyone in his Lord by God was
regarded in him, considered in him, that's right, loved in him. And when he walked this earth,
it wasn't an independent, single, solitary person walking this
earth, showing off in front of people. It was the man Christ
Jesus, yet it was a All that the Father has given Him were
in Him. He's the vine, we're the branches.
And when He loved God, I loved God. And when He obeyed the law,
I obeyed the law. And you did. Everyone in Him. And He satisfied Him. When He
went to that cross and God's wrath was laid on Him and God's
judgment, God's wrath and judgment was laid on me. And God can't
do it again and be gone. That's right. I live because
I died. I'm righteous because I obeyed
the law. You say, you didn't do it. Yes,
I did. In Christ, I did. And when God raised him to the
dead, he raised me. I've already been raised. And
when God seated him at his right hand, he seated us in Christ,
in the heaven that we've already entered in and sat down. I'm
just a bite in the time. instrument of God here to do
what he wants to do with me, and he calls me home, because
I'm already home. That's right. Every believer
is in Christ. And that's what this book says.
I am divine, you're the branches, you abide in me. In me. Now listen to me. Listen to me
good right here. I always hear people talk about
coming to faith in Christ. Coming to faith in Christ. There
ain't no such thing. We come to Christ in faith. You better not come to faith.
Faith can't save you. You see, John, you know what
I'm saying. It's not coming to faith in Christ. You're not saved
by coming to a position. You're redeemed by being in a
person. It's not coming to faith in Christ.
It's coming to Christ in faith. You just have to play on words.
You'll think play on words. salvation is not coming to a
position. So I thought, I came to the doctrines
of grace too bad. That's a sorry refuge. I came
to Christ. Old Bonar said, I heard the voice
of Jesus say, come to me, and read. Lay down, you weary one,
lay down your head on my breast. I came to Jesus. I came to Jesus. I came to Jesus. Woman with issue
of blood came to Jesus and took ahold of Him. Old blind Bartimaeus
came to Jesus. I'm going through the words.
These people came to Him. I came to Jesus as I was, weary,
worn, and sad. I found in Him my resting place. Too many people have come to
the front, and they're resting on that experience, back down
to when they came to the front. You can come to the front and
not come to Christ. They came to a position, they came to a
principle, they came to a church, they came to a profession, they
came to faith. Salvation is coming to Christ,
knowing Christ. I know whom I have believed.
Now, I'm flattered. It's a union. A heart is one
bind. There are many branches, and
those branches are in that bind. They're in that vine, and God's
mercy is on that vine and on the branches because they're
in the vine. See, Christ is the heir. We join
heirs with Christ. Everything I have is the result
of God's love for Him, God's mercy to Him, God's grace to
Him. God accepted me in the Beloved. He didn't accept me because I
knew the Beloved. He accepted me because He had
to. I was in the Beloved. What you see is what you get.
You accept the vine, you accept the branches. You see what I'm
saying? You accept my head, you got to
take my body too. That's right. That's just plain
language, but so. And we're in those, we're in
that vine by divine work, not by an effort on our part. Turn to
1 Corinthians 1.30. Now listen to 1 Corinthians 1.30. Oh, I'm here, I'm on something
this morning that I tell you, I wish I could tell the whole
religious world this. I listen to them preach and sing
and talk, and it's evident to me that they've missed this one
vital issue. I am divine. You're the branches. Abide in me, and I in you. But of God are you in Christ
Jesus? How'd you get in Christ Jesus?
Of God are you in Christ Jesus? Who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He's made unto
us everything. There's no lack of Him in Christ. Turn to Ephesians 1. I want you
to look at this, Ephesians 1. How'd I get in Christ? By divine,
the same divine purpose that made him the brain, or made me
a brain in him. Ephesians 1, verse 3, blessed,
blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. all of them, all I
need, in the heavenlies in Christ, according as he chose us in Christ
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy. Christ is my holiness, and without
blame before him in love. And I'll tell you this, there are many branches many
of them, a number which no man can number. And those branches
are indivine. And those branches are indivine
by divine will, by divine act. And I'll tell you this, those
branches know they're indivine. They know they are. They know
where their life comes from. They know it's not of them. They
know that. They know that. They certainly
do. 2 Corinthians 13. Listen to this. Oh, they have
a lot of... 2 Corinthians 13. They have a
lot of infirmities and failures and afflictions and faults and
all that, but they know. They know where the fountain
is. They know who the author and finisher by their faith is.
Yes, they do. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. I'm persuaded he's able to keep that which I've
committed to him. Second Corinthians 13, 5. Examine yourself whether
you be in the faith. Prove your own self. No, you're
not your own self. Father, Jesus Christ is in you.
You mean Jesus Christ can be in a fellow and him not know
it? I don't believe that. I believe that Christ, a greater
one is Christ dwells in you, and you dwell in him. You're
aware of it. You know it. Yes, you do. 1 John 3. Listen to John. He talks about
this a whole lot. The branches know they're in
the vine. They know they're in the vine. Just turn to 1 John
3, and let me show you some Scripture. 1 John 3. 1 John 3, verse 14. We know we've
passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.
We know we've passed from death Such a transformation can't take
place without a person being aware of it. We know we've passed
from death to life. We know we love the brethren.
We know we love Christ. Look at verse 16. Hereby perceive
we the love of God. We perceive the love of God.
You perceive the love of God, he laid down his life for us.
Do you see that? I see that. I perceive the love
of God in the sacrifice of Christ. Look at verse 19, "'Hereby we
know we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before
him. If our hearts condemn us, God's greater than our heart.
He knows all things. Hereby we know we are of the
truth.'" I know the truth when I hear it. Look at verse 24. He that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth in him, and he in him, and hereby we know that he abides
in us by the Spirit he's given us. I know he abides in us. All right, you see where this
is not? I know I'm saved because I walked
an aisle. I know I'm saved because I had
a feeling. I know I'm saved by the Spirit of God, by the Word
of God, by the Son of God. I perceive the love of God in
Christ. I perceive the presence and power
of his truth, and I perceive a love for Christ and a love
for his people." Now, that's not all. Turn to 1 John 4. He
keeps on this theme. 1 John 4, 2, "...hereby know ye
the Spirit of God." Do you know the Spirit of God? Every spirit
that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.
I confess that, I believe that. Believe it or die for it. We are of God. He that knoweth
God heareth us, and he that is not of God heareth us not. Hereby
know we the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error." I know
the Spirit of truth. I can listen to these con artists
and tell that there's the Spirit of error. Do you know the Spirit
of truth? Or can't you see a difference? Well, judge not. Everybody's all right. You don't
know the difference in error and truth. You don't know that
which glorifies God and that which glorifies men. I know what
it says here. Hereby I know the spirit of truth
and error. In verse 13, Hereby know we that we dwell in him,
and he in us, because he has given us his spirit. John's pretty
positive, wasn't he? Pretty positive. Go back to the
text, John 15. I'll tell you how I know. This
is a day of live and let live. This is a day of perniciousness
in religion. You don't dare draw a straight
line or a narrow path or a straight gate. You just don't do it. But the Word of God does it. I am. And I am the true God. And my Father made me divine,
vested everything in me." And there's some branches that God
has put in that vine. God put them there. And because
they're in me, they partake of my grace and mercy in life. And
what God has for me, he has for them. Now listen. All right,
verse 2. Every branch in me. Now, this
word, fruit, is mentioned over and over again. Every branch
in me bears not fruit. He takes it away, and every branch
that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more
fruit." Verse 4, "'Abide in me, and I in you.' The branch cannot
bear fruit, and then the same bringeth forth much fruit." That's
five times. Well, Christ is the light. By divine act of God,
we're in that branch. Christ is divine. We're in that
branch. We're branches. Now, there's
a...in verse 2, he says, "...every branch in me that beareth not
fruit." Here's a person in Christ. He's in Christ by divine grace.
He's in Christ by the Father's will. He's in Christ by the Spirit's
work. He's in Christ by faith. And
if he does not bear fruit by the grace of God, God will kill
him. That's what he said. That's what
that statement says. That's not a person who was in
Christ and then he fell out of Christ. He was saved and then
he was lost. He's in Christ. He's a branch of Christ. He's
a believer. He's a believer. He's a true believer. He's truly
in Christ. But if he doesn't bear this fruit,
we're going to see in a few moments, God take him away. That's right. God put him out of business.
He put him out of business. And he said, goes on, he says,
every branch that bears fruit, God purges it. What's purging? Well, he prunes it. He dresses
it. Now, I don't know a great deal.
I could get John Fleming to come up here now, and being from California,
and being in the grape industry, and being associated with it,
identified with it, he could talk a whole lot about vines,
grape vines and branches. But I do know this. I know I've
seen men prune grapevines until it looked like nothing but the
vine remained. I mean nothing. I mean this owner
cut the branches back so deep and so far that hardly a branch
could be seen, and I believe that's what God does. I believe
a true vine, that God would have there the best fruit, the choice
fruit, and the most fruit. that through trial and affliction
and through his own work in that person's life, he'll so work
on that person that that person, that individual, that believer,
just doesn't even exist. It's only Christ. It's only Christ. He doesn't. He just, he just
disappears. He just, it's cut him back so
far on so many occasions. that he is nothing to bind all
that matters and all that seems. God will prune and dress and
afflict believers through trials and testing and through his Word
that they may bring forth more fruit. That's right. Let's turn,
let's see Paul talking here in 1 Corinthians 3, 1 Corinthians
chapter 3. 1 Corinthians 3, verse 5 through
7. He talks about this in the church
that had a division. I am of Paul, I am of Cephas,
I am of Apollos, I am of Christ. He said, Who is Paul? 1 Corinthians
3, 5. Who is Apollos, but ministered
by whom you believe? Even as the Lord gave to every
man. I have planted, Apollos watered, God gave the increase.
So then, neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth,
but God gives the increase. We're nothing. Nothing. It's like that grapevine in the
fall. It's the vine. That's where the
fruit comes from. That's where the life, that's
where the life is. That's where the glory is, the
vine. And the man goes out and just lops off those vines. Just
cuts them, cuts them back there. Just nothing there. And he knows
what he's doing. And we're really nothing. I'm
nothing. Paul said, I'm not one with thine,
the chief apostle, but I'm nothing. is Christ, that's the key, that's
the whole thing. And in religion today, I don't
know, somehow we promote people and drag on people and insult
people and lift up people and folks keep getting more degrees
and more education and more recognition and more offices and more titles
and all this. That's not what this is saying
here, is it? It prunes it. For only the barn
is seen, only the barn's important. And the branch exists only to
bear fruit from the vine. That's right. Let's look for
a moment at the fruit. And notice this, it's always
fruit, it's not fruits. It's always fruit, fruit, fruit,
fruit, fruit. And here's three things. Number
one, it's the fruit of the vine and not the branch. And secondly, it's called fruit,
not words. It's called fruit. And it's called
fruit, not fruits. Turn to Galatians 5. It's called
fruit, not fruits. You see, a grape arbor doesn't
have fruits. You don't find raspberries on
a grape arbor, or blackberries, or apples. It's just fruit. It's
just fruit. A lot of fruit, but it's just
fruit. So a believer does not bear fruit, he bears fruit. And that fruit is always spiritual
fruit, it's related. And it's here in Galatians 5
verse 22, I'll give it to you briefly. Now back in verse 19,
the works of the flesh, we talk about the works of the flesh.
But verse 22 talks about the fruit. And it's not the fruit
of the flesh, it's not the fruit of the man, it's not the fruit
of the individual, it's the fruit of the spirit. It's the fruit of the spirit. It's his fruit, his produce,
it's because of his fruit of the Spirit, his love. That's
love for God, that's love for his Word, love for his people,
and there's a love, a pity, a compassion for all men. Do you love Christ? Actually, when you read about
this fruit, it's comforting because you see that God has Like John
said, hereby we know we've passed from death unto life because
we love the brethren. There's a love there that's unexplainable.
There's a love there that I don't have by nature. Joy. This is a joy in Christ. We rejoice
in Christ. We joy in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. We have a joy. We joy in His
providence and care. There's a peace. You have peace. The Bible talks about two kinds
of peace. Peace when there is no peace, but talks about the
peace we have through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, being
justified by faith, we have peace. There's long-suffering. What
is long-suffering? Well, it's just patience. Patience
with respect to God, waiting on the Lord. Patience with respect
to trials. Let patience have her perfect
work. Patience with respect to others. Let's be slow to judge. slow to anger and ready to forgive. Gentleness. What is gentleness? It's just kindness. Courtesy.
Just plain consideration. Goodness. Well, what else would
you expect from the Spirit of God besides goodness? Liberality. Generosity. Goodness. Good to
people. Liberal and generous. I'm certain where the Spirit
of God dwells, a man believes. Meekness. You know, pride and
grace are opposites. Temperance. What is this temperance?
First thing you think about is moderation in eating and drinking,
and that's there, but there's moderation in materialism, too.
Moderation in temperament, set a watch on our mouths, fretting
and complaining. there's a temperance and moderation
in running after new things. And he says down to the end here,
against such there is no law. This, this fruit, nine things
are mentioned, but it's one fruit. It's one fruit. And against such
there is no law. Turn to 1 Timothy 1, 9. I don't
have time to dwell on this a great deal, but you see that And there's
a lot of this going on today. There's a lot of reference to
this, about laws and rules and regulations. Where a person is a branch in
the bind of Christ, you really don't need to make a great deal
of laws on his behalf, because he gets his principle and motivation
and life from that bind, not from laws outside. The light's
in the bind.