Excepts Of Jesus
JOHN 15:4 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, EXCEPT it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, EXCEPT ye abide in me."
We now come to the ninth and final of the Divine imperatives or "excepts" of Jesus. Do you not see how plainly and forcefully our Lord speaks? He is the Master Teacher. Fickleness NEVER characterized His instructions. Jesus was never "wishy-washy" but "the multitudes were astonished at His teaching: for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes." (Matt. 7:28,29)
Jesus began speaking in John the fifteenth chapter with the pronouncement "I am the true vine." The fourth verse teaches that EXCEPT we abide closely to Christ, we cannot bear any fruit. We must continue living by the words of Jesus and be closely united to Him. We must live in and for HIM. No person can bear fruit apart from the Vine which supplies the much needed nourishment.
The Christian is a partaker of the Divine nature and mind of Christ, he is wise in His wisdom; powerful in His might; and pure through His holiness. We must remain attached to Christ by a living faith. "Live a life of DEPENDENCE on Me, and obey My doctrines; imitate My example; and constantly exercise faith in Me."
The disciple's life is both unthinkable and impossible without Christ. Christ is the fountain for all of our spiritual hunger. Anyone who is severed from the Vine can have no spiritual life and can accomplish no good. EXCEPT we abide in Christ we can bear no fruit or good works to God's glory.
May we always remember that "we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present ' world" (Titus 2:12). EXCEPT we do this, we shall never see "the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
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