Abiding in the Vine..... - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

.Abiding in the Vine

By Lahry Sibley

Jesus said in…..
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

What a statement to make and what does it tell us? First of all, Jesus says that “I am the vine”, “I” being Himself. There are not many vines, not many ways, not many plans for salvation, only one. Jesus the Christ (Messiah, Anointed One). Anything that promotes itself as truth and light apart from the Lord Jesus Christ is a deception designed to send the one deceived straight to HELL! Make no mistake about it. They may build an organization of dedicated participants, but no eternal fruit will be produced. He says that “without Me, ye can do nothing. NOTHING! ZILCH! ZIP! NADA! NO WAYNO!

On the other hand, if we abide in Him, and His Word abides is us, He said we could ask whatever we wanted, and it would be granted. (John 15:7) In fact, in chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, the word “abide” is mentioned in 4 different verses. That must be important. We had better take a look at this word and see what it means:

ABIDE = menō

1) to remain, abide
a) in reference to place
1) to sojourn, tarry
2) not to depart
a) to continue to be present
b) to be held, kept, continually
b) in reference to time
1) to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure
a) of persons, to survive, live
c) in reference to state or condition
1) to remain as one, not to become another or different

Now this abiding with Jesus is a reciprocating arrangement. We abide in Him and He abides in us. That means to me, that the child of God, born again of Spirit has the supernatural power base on board. In fact, it so much becomes a part of us that Jesus said we are in Him and He in us. We can see by the definitions above, that it is not a temporary part time arrangement, but an everlasting arrangement. How awesome is that?

I abide in my physical body 24/7. In order for us to “abide” in Christ’s mystical body, we must be there 24/7. If a branch does not stay connected to the vine at ALL TIMES, it withers and dies. If we do not abide in the true vine, we die……please think about that.

To abide in Christ is to not abide to self, for one must lose his/her life, to get His life. We are crucified by faith. (Gal 2:20) That is not a lofty thought of faith, beloved. That is the real deal. We must die, that He might live in us, and we in Him. No Cross, no life. This cannot be watered down or set aside. It’s His way, not our way. How dare anyone try and change it!

True repentance is an act of personal crucifixion. “Well brother Lahry, I was always told…..”. You were told wrong! When one is crucified, he/she is DEAD, forever! If you are still living in your old life, committing your old sins, giving in to your old habits, depending on your old entertainments and amusements for personal contentment, you are not dead to Christ and you are not abiding in the Vine. The wages of sin are still DEATH! You are a walking dead man if you are still living in your old carnal life. I don’t know what someone told you about repentance and sin, or even if it was mentioned. Crucified means dead! Not wounded, dead.

To get His life, His power, His love, His faith, His anointing, we must die. Death is a one way and final event. Just as the Cross stands in the middle of all time, so it does in the middle of who we are and the life we live. It is a monument of death, without which there is not victory. Without death, there can be no burial. Without a burial, there can be no resurrection. Without a resurrection, there can be no hope for newness and eternal life.

The good news is that in death we find life, His life. We are grafted onto the True Vine. We draw our life from His life and He willingly lavishes it upon us. Peace and contentment floods our souls that remains! I said it REMAINS. It’s not something I have to get in my car and drive around looking for. It’s not something I have got to find on TV or in a movie to fill the “void” in my soul. He is there, and no matter where I am, I am content with Him. No more pursuit of vain and deceitful pleasures that always seem to come up short and leave us with hunger for more. No more sin soaked debauchery to keep the insatiable needs of the flesh pacified. Flesh DIES on the Cross. If flesh is not dead, you haven’t been crucified!

So what do you do? Run to the cross by faith, confess your sins, determine in your heart to obey Christ, no matter what the cost. Beg God to have mercy upon you, because of what Jesus did for you. Determine to clean up your life as Christ has cleaned up your heart. If it is toxic to your relationship with God, it must die along with your flesh. Get anything and everything out of your house and out of your life that nourished the old life. Let God see you are serious about your decision to die. Tell Him you want Him to forgive you because of the blood of Jesus, and you want Him to manifest Himself to you, place His witness in you, that by death, Christ’s death and your death, you may enter into eternal life, one time for all time. Then, and only then, will you be grafted into the true Vine. I don’t care how long you’ve been in church. I don’t care what kind of ministry you may be involved in. Even ministry can become an idol. God hates idolatry. Don’t offer Him an idol. Offer Him an idolater, YOU! Hang it on a Cross, and kill it before God. God will receive you and immerse your life into His life. His eternal life. Selah! Pause, and think about that. - Lahry

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