384 - Jesus is the True Vine#
384 - Jesus is the True Vine
(Jp 文字组 - shalom 整理)
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord, welcome to your arrival.
The topic we are sharing is: Jesus is the True Vine.
John 15:1-4
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also 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."
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you, thank you for preparing this time, we come before you, during this time grant us the words we need, renew our thoughts and intentions, so that no matter what we encounter, we have hope and live with your promises. Thank you and praise the Lord, may those who seek you find you today, so that they may all receive! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
The vine is a very fruitful plant; a single vine can produce many grapes. In the Old Testament, the vine symbolizes the people of Israel, and the grapes symbolize the fruitfulness of the people of Israel. Israel is a chosen people by God, and God's purpose in choosing Israel is to bless them first, and then let the people of Israel spread this gospel, making them different among the nations, becoming a blessing to the world! This is an important purpose of God in setting them apart.
Unfortunately, after the people of Israel received this gospel, they produced wild grapes; they went against God's word and could not become a good witness among the Gentiles, until Jesus came, through whom we saw the true vine bearing abundant fruit! Therefore, the vine primarily symbolizes our Lord Jesus.
Although it previously symbolized the people of Israel, they failed, which is akin to saying that God blessed Adam, who represents humanity, but Adam failed. The last Adam has come, who is Jesus Christ, representing a victorious person. Now this vine symbolizes our Lord Jesus, the branches symbolize the believers, and the Father is the gardener. This also reflects the different works of the Father and the Son: the Father creates everything, and the Son accomplishes the work of the Father.
In the book of Genesis, the most frequently mentioned word is God. God refers to our Heavenly Father, which can be understood as the Triune God, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father mainly does the work of creation, thus the one who plants the vine is our Heavenly Father; the true vine symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the work in the hands of our Heavenly Father, through the true vine, supplying life to all believers, as well as the power to overcome in life. Therefore, our life comes from the Father, possessing the true life of Jesus in Christ, living by the power that comes from Jesus, this is the victorious life. The relationship between the vine and the branches is an inseparable relationship, and our relationship with Christ is also an inseparable relationship.
Sharing the first point: The relationship between believers and Lord Jesus.
John 15:2: 2 He 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.
Here, there is a very important phrase called "every branch in me." This verse is addressed to believers, not to unbelievers. How do we belong to Christ? By believing in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, He shed His blood for our sins on the cross, cleansing all our sins, He died for our sins, and rose from the dead on the third day, we are justified. The moment we believe in Jesus, we belong to Jesus Christ, therefore we have a name called Christians. "Every branch in me" indicates that this person has already believed in Jesus Christ. According to the promises in the Bible, those who belong to Jesus cannot and will not be discarded by Him for any reason.
John 6:37-40:
37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."
From this passage, it is clear that the person who can believe in Jesus is brought into Christ, they belong to Christ. The Father will give those to Jesus, and they will definitely seek Jesus, be able to listen to Jesus' preaching, and be willing to believe in Jesus. Once they believe in Jesus, He gives us a very clear guarantee, "I will never drive them away." What does this mean? As long as you believe in Jesus, you are saved, Amen.
Just like what is mentioned in Romans 10: "If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart." As long as you meet these two conditions, you are saved, and no one can take you out of Christ's hands! Moreover, Jesus knows very clearly that this soul is not His, but the Father's; He always says that He came to this earth not to do His own will, but to do the will of the Father.
Why do some Christians, after believing for many years, still not experience the abundance of Christ? It is not that God's word has a problem, nor that Christ does not love them, but many times they are still acting according to their own will. Comparing Adam and Christ, Adam was also a complete person at the beginning, full of wisdom and glory; God placed him in the Garden of Eden to manage the world. But he did not act according to the Father's will. Our Father's will is that from all the trees in the garden, you may freely eat, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.
Even if Adam did not know what death was, God said not to eat, and he should have understood that. However, Adam acted according to his own will, leading to failure. God placed His words in the Bible, and many believers are unwilling to act according to God's will; people have their own wisdom and ideas, which is why many cannot experience God's abundance and victory, often remaining in weakness and failure, the reason is right here.
First, we must know that our relationship with Lord Jesus is an inseparable one. Everything Jesus did and said in this world was done and said according to the Father's will, therefore He is completely victorious! In Jesus' words, what the Father has given Him, He will not lose any of them. This means that as long as you believe in Jesus, you are saved, and on the last day, He will raise you up, referring to the resurrection of the body.
When you believe in Jesus, your spirit is one with the Holy Spirit. This body will continue to decay and eventually die, but after the body dies, one day it will be resurrected, resembling the resurrected body of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we see that those who believe in Jesus already belong to Christ, Amen.
Our Father's will is very simple: you belong to Him, believe in Him, and you will forever be in Christ; it is impossible for you to be in Christ today and tomorrow, because of your bad behavior, for God to kick you out. Always remember, it is not by your good behavior that you are saved, but by faith you are saved, and you will not be cut off or removed by God because of your bad behavior. We are saved by believing in Jesus, and God hopes that we will believe in Jesus to receive eternal life, which is a life of abundance.
John 10:27-30:
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
This is the connection between Jesus and the Father, a relationship that is one and never separated. When we accept Jesus and believe in what He accomplished on the cross for us, we belong to Christ and are united with Christ, thus we can hear the voice of the Lord. Some may ask, why can’t I hear the Lord’s voice? This is a reflection of a relationship, which can be seen through the relationship between a child and a mother. A mother can immediately distinguish her baby’s cry, even among several children; as soon as her child cries, she can recognize it. The child can also hear the mother’s voice. It is not that the child has enough knowledge to have this discernment; it is a relationship. As long as this relationship is established, they can recognize each other.
Animals are like this, and so are humans; in the spiritual realm, it is the same. After accepting Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit within us; as long as you calm down, you can hear the voice the Lord gives you. The guidance of the Holy Spirit will never exceed the principles of the Bible; everyone should be clear about this.
Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." This is a relationship; it cannot be obtained just by having a lot of theories. This relationship is built through interaction. Just like when a child cries from a distance, you can hear it because you have heard their voice since they were little; you are so familiar with it, having been together every day. We read the Bible, pray, and gather, which is actually a way to have a closer relationship with our Lord! Once we believe in Jesus, we belong to Jesus, but if this relationship is not established through these means, it is indeed difficult to discern the Lord's voice.
If a child is separated from their mother at birth and ten years later cries out, the mother would not recognize the child, nor would the child recognize the mother. You cannot say they have no relationship; the mother-child relationship still exists, but their intimate relationship is lost. The shepherd and the sheep are very familiar with each other because they are often together.
Some people say they want to hear the Lord speak to them; it is actually very simple. As long as you develop the habit of reading the Bible, praying, or listening to sermons every day, when you encounter problems, there will be a voice that comes out from within you, and this voice will transcend all the noise around you. No matter how chaotic the external environment is, there will be a very small, clear voice guiding you, and this voice must come from the principles of the Bible. Any voice that contradicts Jesus' words or the Bible is not possible.
Some say the Holy Spirit told them not to attend gatherings; this is absolutely impossible. The Holy Spirit would not say, "If you don’t want to go to the gathering, then don’t go." To discern whether it comes from the Holy Spirit or from ourselves is actually very simple; you can see whether it aligns with the principles of the Bible, which is meant to improve our relationship with God, Amen.
"I give them eternal life." After we establish this relationship with Lord Jesus, we become one with Jesus, which means the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. From then on, we receive eternal life from God; eternal life refers to an abundant life, which includes two parts: first, receiving the life of Christ; second, receiving the abundant life of Christ.
John 10:28 states, "They shall never perish."
This refers to us, and the following statement is also for us. When believers believe in Jesus, no one can snatch them out of my hand. This means that neither the devil nor any other force in the world can take you away from Christ.
Let me share something with you. Recently, someone sent me information about human microchips, 666. They linked these two issues, saying that if a chip is implanted in a person's body, that person cannot be saved and belongs to the devil! This is actually due to a misunderstanding of technology. Implanting a chip in a person's brain has been around for a long time; for example, when treating epilepsy, if a person has epileptic waves, as soon as these waves occur, the person will have problems. A chip can be implanted in their brain to block the epileptic waves, significantly alleviating the person's issues.
This is also chip implantation, but many people misunderstand and say that once a chip is implanted, the person belongs to the devil. Creating a chip that can break God's salvation implies that God's salvation has loopholes, suggesting that Jesus' power is not the greatest. What does this mean? "They shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." It means that as long as you believe in Jesus, belong to Christ, and are in Christ, no one can take you away; Jesus will not let go! How did you enter into Christ? By believing in Jesus! Amen. As long as you are in Christ, it is impossible to come out again; Jesus will not let go. To help us understand better.
Verse 29 tells us again, "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all."
Here, Jesus speaks of our Heavenly Father. The previous verse indicates that Jesus' power is great; no one can snatch us from Jesus' hand. Verse 29 indicates that our Father is greater than all. What does "all" refer to? Everything, all powers, all rulers, authorities, angels in heaven, or various demons; our Heavenly Father is greater than them all. What does the following sentence say?
"No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand." This refers to you; once you believe in Jesus, you belong to our Heavenly Father. From then on, no one can take your life away, Hallelujah! A small chip made by man has no such power! Do not be intimidated by those who explain these things; return to the Bible and listen to the voice that comes from God, Amen.
Verse 30 says, "I and the Father are one."
"Are one" speaks of a relationship, a united relationship, an inseparable relationship. After accepting Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and we become one spirit with the Holy Spirit! Those who belong to Christ are saved; no one can snatch believers from Christ's hand. Salvation is secure. Salvation is secure, and there will still be two different lives manifested: one that does not bear fruit; the other that bears much fruit, like the vine that produces many grapes! God is not only responsible for our salvation but also for our lives; He not only hopes for our salvation but also hopes that our lives are abundant, glorious, and fruitful! This is absolutely good for us.
Romans 7:4: "Brothers and sisters, so my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."
What is Paul saying here? Your life is no longer the same as before; you have died to the law through the body of Christ. Your life has said goodbye to the past; you now belong to the one who was raised from the dead, Jesus Christ. Always remember that you belong to Christ, and you are filled with the power, authority, and glory of Christ. If you are aware of this every day, you will unconsciously bear fruit for God, meaning you will live a life that is like God's! This is not difficult; only when your thinking changes will your behavior change.
The branch and the tree are the same life form, just as the life of the grapevine branch comes from the vine; the life characteristics are the same. The life of the branch comes from the tree; the branch receives the life of the tree and manifests the glory of the tree! Amen. The vine is truly vital; how do we see this? By continuously bearing fruit. A grapevine that is bare and dry has no life and does not bear fruit. For believers, continuously bearing fruit manifests the life of Christ.
The life of Christ is powerful, abundant, and victorious; therefore, all believers should be able to manifest this life! Some Christians do not manifest it; where is the problem? Remember that our life is united with the Lord. As Christ is, so are we in this world; this is the connection of life. This connection cannot be broken by anyone.
John 15:2: "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit."
With a snap, it is cut off? What happens if believers do not bear fruit? Many people have believed for decades without living out the likeness of Christ, have not experienced God, and have not witnessed the Lord Jesus. Are they saved or not? Many people interpret this passage to mean they are not saved, that God cuts them off, completely separating them from Jesus, and throwing them on the ground to be burned.
If this interpretation is correct, it means they were saved at first, but because they do not bear fruit, our God cuts them out and sends them to hell, which implies that salvation is related to behavior. Does this not conflict with some verses in the Bible, especially some verses about salvation? No matter who explains this verse to you in this way, you should reflect on how the Bible speaks. We have just discussed these verses in detail; as long as you belong to Jesus, how do you belong to Jesus? It does not emphasize your behavior but your belief! Always remember, brothers and sisters, salvation is not related to behavior but to faith! Amen.
How should we understand this passage? The original word for "cut off" refers to lifting up or raising up. Those who have planted grapevines understand that grape branches lying on the ground bear almost no fruit; to make the vine bear more fruit, one method is to lift it up with a stick. This indicates that the life of believers cannot bear fruit by themselves unless they are lifted up by God!
What is our composition? Our bodies come from dust. You hope that dust can live out the life of Jesus; this is impossible unless the essence inside changes. That is our God lifting us up from the dust, just as the grape branch is lifted up by a stick, and it begins to bear fruit. Let me give a life example: if a child is disobedient, lacks confidence, and is always self-deprecating, you need to encourage and recognize them more. Even if they do one thing right, you must praise them in time; this is lifting them up and giving them confidence. If you keep them lying on the ground, they will be too close to the dust and will definitely be dirty.
As believers, if we are too close to the dust, we will become food for the devil. Our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. What kind of person can he devour? Someone with a dusty mindset, who feels worthless and believes they can do nothing, just a ruined life; such people are the easiest to be used by the devil! If they know that although they are dust and can do nothing, Jesus still loves them, lifts them up, and places the Holy Spirit within them, that person will change. Hallelujah!
A grape branch lying in the mud will not bear fruit. But when you lift it up, its life begins to change! Therefore, it is said that if the grape branch does not bear fruit, it lies on the ground; here, "cut off" actually means to lift it up. This is the first way to deal with those who do not bear fruit: to help them recognize their life, to understand that the life of Christ is their life. This is done by constantly encouraging them and lifting them up until one day they realize that they are such a life, and they must establish their life on the cross. The grape trellis, when viewed from a distance, looks like a cross.
If believers realize that the cross has brought a complete transformation and change to their lives, that they have completely severed ties with their old selves, and that now the life of Christ dwells within them, they will begin to change and bear fruit! Hallelujah! This is the method for dealing with those who do not bear fruit.
The second type is those who do bear fruit. Those who have borne fruit refer to some believers who have experienced God, have revelations and guidance from the Holy Spirit, but sometimes they have it, and sometimes they do not; their lives are intermittent and fluctuating. What should be done about such a life? The scripture tells us that every branch that bears fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful, Hallelujah! If life is always fluctuating like waves, it indicates that there are impurities in their lives, a mixture of worldly and spiritual elements, which is often referred to as a mixture of grace and law, constantly appearing in their minds. Such people are in the majority.
So what should be done about such people? Our Heavenly Father begins to prune them clean. This does not mean cutting off the branch. That would mean it would bear no fruit at all. Here, "prune" refers to cutting away the excess from life, similar to pruning grape branches. If not pruned, many side branches will grow, and those tender shoots may grow quickly, absorbing a lot of moisture and nutrients, which in turn affects the vine's ability to bear fruit.
In our growth, we inevitably have our own things, self-righteousness, and our own ideas; this is very normal. As long as the flesh is here, there will definitely be some desires and some of our own thoughts. When these things appear, first do not condemn yourself; acknowledge that you have such traits and correct them with the truth, Hallelujah! This means allowing the Father to prune us with the truth. The "pruning" mentioned here is to cut away those side branches and wrong things in your life, such as bad habits and erroneous thoughts. As long as these things are cut away, you will be able to bear more fruit, and your life will no longer be the same!
Gradually, as you come to know the Lord Jesus more, the waves of your life will get closer to a straight line. This is because it is impossible to not sin or have self-righteous thoughts; this is not possible. As long as you carry this flesh, there will definitely be weaknesses and problems, but they will only become smaller. For example, if someone used to have a very explosive temper, and someone said something that made them uncomfortable, their temper would flare up immediately, as they say: "Look at my bad temper!" The situation that follows can be imagined; it could be very scary. Therefore, their bad temper causes their family and friends a lot of hurt.
One day they believe in Jesus and realize that this bad temper has caused them many losses in life. They want to change this bad temper, asking Jesus to give them strength, saying, "I am a new life, I belong to the life of Christ; grant me your gentleness." This person listens to sermons and reads the Bible every day to know Jesus. The next time someone says something that makes them uncomfortable, they take five seconds to calm down before getting angry. This is a significant improvement! Later, as their life becomes more abundant, even when someone speaks very harshly, they can hold back their anger. This is not just about enduring; they feel it is unnecessary to get angry.
Many people will say, "You are different from before!" This kind of life is not about our efforts to endure and change ourselves but about recognizing the goodness of Christ and allowing the Father to prune the side branches in our lives. Our bad habits and poor thoughts will change unconsciously. This is why many people give such testimonies; those around them say they have changed so much! What method did you use? They say, "Actually, I didn’t do much; I just insisted on listening to a sermon every day and read the Bible more when I had time." This is how it happens; this is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the beauty of Christ has already been manifested in them. Thank you and praise the Lord.
Sharing the second point: The Father cleansed us with the word.
John 15:3: "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you."
When a person believes in the work of Jesus on the cross, their life is clean. Do not say you have a filthy life, a ruined life, heretical, or that you are not saved... If they believe in Jesus, in the eyes of the Father, their life is clean, holy, righteous, and without blemish. Therefore, those who attack them should be careful because this has nothing to do with behavior.
Hebrews 9:13-15:
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason, Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
This passage gives us a very definite answer: your life is clean. Perhaps your behavior is not perfect, but your life is clean. In the Old Testament, how did a person cleanse their life after sinning? They had to use the blood of goats and bulls or the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on the unclean person. As long as it was sprinkled on this person, they could be set apart as holy. If you read Leviticus and Numbers, you will find that anything in the holy place, even the holy bread, if touched by an unclean person, would become holy!
In the secular world, for example, if someone touches a dead body, they become unclean. The key is what you are connected to. If you touch a dead body, God sees you as unclean; if you touch a holy object, you become clean because of that holy object. Even if you are unclean, if the Holy Spirit is with you, you also become clean! Hallelujah! The Holy Spirit is clean; through the eternal Spirit, we are without blemish before God. You must firmly remember these truths; otherwise, carrying a condemning heart will only lead to speaking condemning words and living out sinful behaviors. If you carry a holy heart, you will speak holy words, just like Christ, and you will live out holy behaviors. It is that simple; everything comes from the heart.
Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant; Jesus has redeemed us from the sins committed under the law. All sins have been borne by Him; He shed His precious blood, cleansing all our sins! The price of sin has been paid; we have reconciled with the Father and have become one! On this premise, you are called and can receive the promised eternal inheritance! Simply put, you will continuously bear the fruit of Christ, experiencing His goodness and prosperity, experiencing His health, experiencing His eternal life, and continuously experiencing the abundant life of Christ manifesting in you. This is a change in behavior; to people, it appears this way, but in reality, it is related to what they believe inside.
We have always emphasized that correct faith will lead to correct behavior. How you live is directly related to what you hear. Some say, "I haven’t heard the word." What words you receive is what your life will be like. If you often hear lies, you will often speak lies, and what you do will be untrustworthy; if you often hear the truth, you will speak the truth and live out the truth. Everything comes from the heart; therefore, if we want to bear abundant fruit, we should not focus on the fruit every day but continuously correct ourselves with God's word. Acknowledge that the promises in the Bible are for us, that the power of Christ is upon us, and your life will continuously manifest the glory of Christ. In your life, you will increasingly experience His words and His goodness.
John 13:3-12:
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10 Jesus answered, "Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them.
I want to ask those who have believed for some years, do you understand what Jesus did in this passage? The disciples had heard Jesus' teachings for more than three years, but many of them might not understand what Jesus was doing now. Jesus is the Son of God, who came from heaven to this world and became a servant. After Jesus and the disciples had finished eating, everyone was resting, and the water and towel were there, but no one got up to serve everyone.
This is similar to many people continuously receiving grace, receiving, receiving, without knowing what they should do. They have received a lot of theories and feel they are better than others, that they understand more, and have received pure truth, but after receiving, what should they do? Just like the disciples, after eating, what should they do? They did not know.
We often talk about serving, but no one is willing to get up to serve. At this moment, the King of Kings, Jesus, got up and did something. Jesus, while doing these things, clearly knew who He was. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God. Jesus did not say, "I have suffered too much in this world; I want to do some good deeds and return to the Father early." Jesus knew He was one with the Father, that He was filled with power, authority, and glory, yet He chose to take on the appearance of a servant. He knew where He came from and where He was going, and He also knew what His mission was on this earth!
Many people do not know the meaning of life; they think making money is their mission, raising children is their mission, and climbing to high positions is the greatest significance in life. In fact, none of these are! Solomon experienced all these things and finally said it is all vanity! Jesus is different; He preached for more than three years on this earth, very clearly knowing what His mission was because His authority and power were the highest and greatest. Instead, He did something: He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist.
A person truly filled with God's power and glory will certainly display humility, like a servant. The most terrifying thing is a half-empty bottle; it is neither high nor low, thinking they can rule the world, but in reality, they cannot even govern themselves. They lack self-discipline and cannot even get out of bed in the morning; they are conquered by their bed. Many people do not know their true value. So what should we do? We need to recognize what we have in the spiritual realm. Jesus clearly knew who He was and what He had. He stood up, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.
Doing such things, if we have reached a certain level of identity and status in the world, many people command others to wash for them and would not wash for others. This indicates that they still do not have the abundant life of Jesus. The grape branch and the vine, the more abundant the life, the more it manifests by continuously bearing fruit to supply others. It is not like other trees that grow tall and big with leaves; a grape branch, when dried, cannot even hold anything. However, as long as its life is still there, the more abundant the life force, the more grapes it will bear, Amen!
This is the characteristic of the vine. Therefore, if the life within a Christian is abundant, they will continuously bear fruit. The fruit we speak of is that they will continuously supply others with Christ's gentleness, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc., flowing out from within them. They themselves are joyful, just like Jesus, who is now washing the disciples' feet, but He is joyful in His heart, not compelled, Amen! Simon Peter, seeing this, was a bit confused and said, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" At least Peter felt a bit embarrassed; the other disciples are not recorded. Then Jesus said, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later."
In fact, even today, many people do not understand why Jesus did this. Simon Peter did not understand and thought He was really going to wash our feet! So Peter said, "No, you are the teacher, you are the Rabbi, you are the Christ! Your status is higher than mine; I am just a fisherman; how can you wash my feet?" You cannot wash my feet. When Jesus saw that he was unwilling, He explained the truth: "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." When Peter heard this, he thought, "That won't do! I must be one with you! I must follow you! Then wash me, not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!"
Jesus began to teach the truth again: "Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." What does this mean? As long as you are saved, the one who has had a bath is what? We are all people cleansed by the precious blood of Christ. However, our feet often tread in the dust and can be contaminated by worldly thoughts, which can lead to many worldly ideas and impurities. As long as you wash your feet, what does this mean? It means to renew yourself with God's word every day, filling yourself with His word, and you will be clean all over! When you have a condemning mindset, thinking that God seems not to hear your prayers, that God does not love you, and that your life is desolate and hopeless, you just need to return to God's word. God's word will correctly guide you, and you will recognize your abilities again because you realize that Jesus' power is yours. This means that as long as you wash your feet, you will be clean all over!
Jesus later says, "You are clean, though not every one of you." This refers to Judas Iscariot, because Judas did not believe in Jesus. What does this passage mean? We must first believe in Jesus and become one with His life. This connection of life is like a person who has had a bath; they are already clean. We are saved, but in life, we may occasionally encounter failures, be occasionally overcome by faults, and may be condemned by others or condemn ourselves. When we fail, we may feel discouraged and disappointed. What should we do? It is because your feet are not clean; you have been condemned by people in the world. You see many things, become fearful, worried, and disappointed. You need to quickly return to God's word, wash your feet, and renew and adjust yourself with God's word. You will be clean all over and will be filled with strength, confidence, and the glory of Christ, living a different life!
This is why we hope everyone will come to church on the first day of the week to worship God and hear God's word. Many people do not take this seriously, thinking that not listening to the word is no big deal! Yes, you are still saved if you do not listen to the word, but if you do not listen for several months, you will find that many things in life become difficult, and you will start to doubt God, leading to many bad thoughts. Quickly return to gatherings and recharge, and you will no longer be weak!
Jesus means that when you want to serve others, first let your feet be washed clean. We are all saved, and serving others is actually a process of giving. What about ourselves? We must first be filled with God's word. If you want to give someone a cup of water and you only have a drop of water, how can you give it away? What you give away may be your anger, your rationality, your thoughts, your desires; but if you possess a bucket of truth, giving someone a cup of water becomes easy!
When others are edified, you are comforted, and when others experience God's power, you also see God's glory. This is bearing fruit! The vine continuously supplies nutrients and water to the grape branches, and seeing the grape branches continuously bearing abundant fruit brings joy. When Jesus sees us manifesting His likeness on earth, our Heavenly Father is also joyful because this kind of life is very beneficial for us, Amen.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11:
9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
What kind of people does this refer to? Wrongdoers cannot inherit the kingdom of God! Even if they are saved, their behavior and thinking may very well be the same as those of worldly people. Paul tells them not to be deceived! You can do the terrible things and have the terrible thoughts of worldly people, such as stealing, getting drunk, slandering, and extorting. It is not that after believing in the Lord, you cannot curse, cannot be greedy, or cannot get drunk; you can do these things, but when you do these things, you cannot inherit the kingdom of God. This refers to being unable to inherit the blessings that come from God.
For example, when you curse, your heart is certainly filled with anger! How can there be peace inside? If you say, "The more I curse others, the more peaceful I feel," such a person does not exist. When you curse, your heart is certainly filled with hatred and anger, and you lose God's peace! This is what it means to be unable to inherit the kingdom of God; it means that the blessings of God cannot be inherited, Amen. If you do not do these things, we renew ourselves with God's truth, which fills our hearts with God's word, and peace and joy will naturally fill us.
1 Corinthians 6:15-17:
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
Here, it still does not speak of salvation but of how to be victorious. Simply put, it means who you are connected with. Who you work with, what your friends are like, your life and lifestyle will basically be like that. If a person is often mixed in with a group of people, often being the indispensable one in a group, your life will also be like that. Look at your friends, and you can know what your life and lifestyle are like. The characteristics of life will already be manifested based on who you are friends with and who you are connected to.
Realizing that we are one with the Holy Spirit and one with Christ, we should seek to understand Christ more and get to know Jesus more in our daily lives; naturally, we will live out the likeness of Christ! Amen. This is very simple. We must realize that our lives can bear fruit by continuously drawing water and nutrients from the vine, and our lives will naturally become abundant! This is the secret to victory in the Christian life.
Thank you and praise the Lord. I hope every brother and sister can experience such abundance, bearing fruit like the vine without ceasing. Even in years of drought, the grape branches need not worry because the vine continuously supplies water and nutrients. Even in economically challenging years, brothers and sisters, the economy of our Heavenly Kingdom is always good! In Christ, God can give you wisdom and ability to live a separated life. I hope brothers and sisters will develop the habit of regularly reading the Bible, praying, and listening to sermons. If you listen to the correct word, your life will definitely be correct. United with the Holy Spirit, you will surely live out the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you. Thank you for renewing us and helping us through such words. We are united with Christ. Jesus is the true vine; we receive nutrients and water from Jesus, and our lives are changed, continuously bearing fruit, even in years of drought.
When others complain, our hearts are still filled with God's peace and wisdom, allowing us to overcome in all things! Help us to experience your words and your truth more this week. Let us live out your words, for your words are life and power! Thank you and praise the Lord; may every brother and sister seeking you experience such wonders! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.