Love Series

LOVE OF GOD # 14

Faith and Hope

Fred Coulter – January 13, 1996

Now let’s continue in John 15 in going through about the meaning and the reason of the covenant words. These words that Jesus gave are the words of the New Covenant and that’s the reason that I have them in the Passover ceremony booklet because the Passover is just not a ritual that you go through at a set time. The Passover that we go through is because Christ has given us a part with Him and He has made a covenant with His life for us. And this is a betrothal relationship between the one who is to be husband and the one who is to be wife. And you know and I know the only way for a marriage to succeed is that both love each other. And that’s what this is all about so that we learn to love God. We also learn to do things in such a way that it’s important for us to realize how wonderful that this covenant relationship is and how marvelous that these words are that we learn them and understand them and know them and live by them.

So let’s begin in verse 1 of John 15. And this also has to do somewhat with church structure. Jesus said, "I am the sequoia, and anybody who climbs up to the branches will reach the top." He did not say that. He said: "I am the true vine…" Now how does a vine grow? Out. How also does a vine grow? In the way that it is directed. If it has no direction then it just grows wild and becomes a big bunch of entangled vines one on top of the other. So it has to be cultivated, and so this is why He uses it.

Now, a vine is low to the ground, is it not? A vine is what kind of structure? A horizontal structure. It is not a vertical structure. What is one of the things that they’re beginning to find in management today? I saw it in one of the business magazines, it’s the title of an article – the horizontal corporation. Even the corporations are getting rid of their hierarchies. The church of God is to be like a vine, and you have many plants and many vines, but it’s not to be some great, great hierarchy like a sequoia tree.

Now then, a vine takes a lot of work. Do we need a lot of work? Yes. Let’s read on: "…My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that is not bearing fruit, He takes it away…" Isn’t that interesting? Who makes the initial decision to call you? God the Father. Who makes the final decision to get rid of you if you do not produce? God the Father. So no man can throw you away from Christ, can he? The only one to do it is God the Father. Now we were never taught that, were we? Let’s look at it another way: since God the Father has called each individual, who’s business is it to get rid of someone if they need to be gotten rid of? The one who called them.

"…He takes it away: and every one that bears fruit, He cleanses it, in order that it may bear more fruit." Now we’re going to look into "cleansing" here in just a minute because that becomes very important. That’s what’s happening right now to the church. That’s why God wants us to grow. That’s why God wants us to change. That’s why God wants us to be pruned and trimmed. And another thing that’s important with a vine trunk, because over the years the trunk as it grows up it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, but you prune and trim the branches and the vines, and then you direct them along the wire runners, and they’re held up by supports all the way down the line. If you’ve seen a vineyard that’s how they do it all the way down. And the best wine comes from the oldest trunks. Yes, it does. That’s another reason we should use wine for the Passover, by the way. "He cleanses it in order that it may bring more fruit." So that’s what’s happening now with all the people that God is working with.

Now notice verse 3. I think it’s quite an interesting verse: "You are already clean through the words which I have spoken to you" (John 15:1-3, paraphrased). What did He just speak? [He] washed their feet, broke the break, gave them the wine and the whole thing of the covenant. What did He say concerning foot-washing? He said, "You call Me the Master and teacher and you’re speaking correctly because I am. And if I, your Lord and teacher and Master have washed your feet, you are duty bound to wash one another’s feet. And I have set you an example and blessed is he that practices this." And that’s what it is in John 13. You can read it there. Then He made another statement. He said, "The servant is not above the Lord" (John 13:13-16, paraphrased). That’s very important. So when He says, "you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you," He’s talking about spiritually cleansed. Their feet have been cleaned as a rededication of their baptism, which we do every year. And by the way please go back and maybe restudy in the Passover book concerning foot-washing, the body and the blood, and the final sacrifice of Christ. And we are cleansed to walk in the way of God.

Now cleansing is an ongoing thing that we go through all the time because God wants it to be that way. "You are already clean through the word which I have spoken." The Greek there is katharizo from which we get the English word catharsis. Now there is a mental catharsis where you cleanse your mind. You get the whole load off your mind. God wants us to have a catharsis of the mind with our past experiences. There is a physical catharsis which is a purging of waste in the body. And sometimes when the waste is accumulated the catharsis becomes a very difficult purging. And catharsis means that. Now we covered earlier in I John 1 that Christ is cleansing us (same word, katharizo) from every one of our sins and transgressions.

Now let’s go to I John 3:3 and let’s look at one of the things that is really one of the most cleansing and purifying aspects, spiritually, that we need to really keep in mind in relationship to cleansing. And I’ll just mention here (and you can put this in your notes) – all sin is uncleanness. Spiritual sin is spiritual uncleanness. Question: What are the demon spirits called? Unclean spirits. So just remember that. Also, part of sin is our physical uncleanness that must be also taken care of. So when we are anointed and we have things in our body which need to be healed, you need a cleansing of the body.

Now remember what Jesus said. Put this in your notes – Matthew 8:2. The leper came to Jesus and kneeled down to Him and worshipped Him and said, "Lord if you will You can cleanse me." So He touched him and he was cleansed instantly. So healing is also a cleansing. And I think we’re beginning to learn with some of the things that we are understanding concerning the way the body functions that there may be a whole lot of other things we need to get out of our body in the way of cleansing it. So God is taking us through that right now but let’s look at I John 3:3. This is the best cleansing – mental cleansing.

Verse 3: "And every man that hath this hope in him…", which then is what? Let’s read the first couple of verses here: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." This kind of love and inspiration and hope is given to inspire us for our part in the cleansing, because we have to have cooperation with God in it.

Verse 3: "And every man that hath this hope in him [of this final and tremendous coming into eternal life and having glory like Christ] purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (I John 3:1-3, KJV). Now there, notice the "eth" in the King James – is purifying himself. Now how do you do that? You confess your sins to Him and He’s faithful and just to forgive you your sins. You do like David did, you say, "God, create in me a clean heart." Because when you’re loaded down with sin you have a dirty mind. Is that not correct, since all sin is uncleanness? "Create in me a clean heart, O God."

Now let’s look at a couple of psalms here. We covered some of those. Let’s come to Psalm 12, and it’s important for us to maintain this kind of relationship. Now we also understand this: the Proverbs tell us that the way of a man is clean in his own eyes. Now why is that? Because he justifies his own way as right. So therefore he thinks what he’s doing is clean and he doesn’t realize that the sin and the thoughts of sin in his mind make him unclean. Now this is why as we read in Ephesians 5 that "let not there be uncleanness once mentioned among the saints." Now you take that physically, you take that spiritually. You have no case for eating unclean meats, do you, whatsoever? None.

Let’s read John 15:4 and then we’ll pick it up right here in Psalm 12. "Abide [dwell] in Me, and I in you." Now you’ve got to keep living in the vine. "As the branch cannot [is not able to] bear fruit of itself…" Now "able" means you do not have the power to bear fruit of yourself. Why? Because we have a carnal nature by nature and we cannot bear spiritual fruit of ourselves. "…Unless it is living in the vine [or, lives in the vine] in exactly the same way neither can you bear fruit unless you live in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches: the one who is living in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not live in Me, he is cast away as a branch, and is dried up; and men gather it, and cast it into the fire, and it is burned because the Father has removed it."

Now here’s what I want to get to and then we’ll come back to Psalm 12. "If you are living in Me…", Christ says, and this is what’s important. Now you’ll understand when you read this why it is so very important to realize that an organization cannot do what Christ does. If you are living in Christ sometimes you cannot live in an organization. Have you found that true? Yes, because Christ is the one we love and worship with God the Father. And if you are living in an organization and that becomes a paramount thing first, then that becomes your Christ. "Stay here and you will go to a place of safety." Biggest lie there ever was when you really understand it. Sounds good because everyone wants to escape, don’t they? Yes. I do, you do, if it is God’s will.

Now notice how this is done: "If you are living in Me, and My words live in you…" Now let’s understand something concerning the words of God. What did Jesus say? He said, "The flesh profits nothing. The words that I am speaking unto you, they are spirit and they are life." So God’s Word is to live. And God’s Word, when we read these words though they are physical on a page, represent the spiritual reality and the power and the force behind it because God upholds it. So therefore it is to live within us. So He says: "If you are living in Me, and My words live in you…" (John 15:4-7, paraphrased). Now let’s see how God’s Words are.

Now let’s go to Psalm 12:6: "The words of the LORD are pure words…" Do you want to get your mind cleaned up? Fill it with the Scripture. Fill it with the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of truth; the Spirit which will produce the fruits of the Spirit. "The words of the LORD are pure: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." Now what did God tell the Laodiceans? "Buy of Me gold tried [purified] in the fire." And why was that necessary? Because they didn’t have the Words of God living in them as they should have.

Let’s go to Psalm 19. I think we covered part of it but there were a couple verses that we didn’t cover here. Let’s pick it up in verse 11, concerning the words of God and the testimony of God: "Moreover by them is Thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward." Not a great burden, [but] a great reward. "Who can understand his errors?" Boy, isn’t that true? You’ve got your own mind justified in what you are doing and you think it is right. You can’t understand your errors, but maybe you will have a friend come and tell you, or maybe God’s Spirit will prick you in the heart and He will reveal to you what you have done that is not right. Therefore David said: "…cleanse Thou me from secret faults." Now isn’t that the best way to get rid of your faults, when they’re between you and God and they are not public? Yes. Because if your sins are so bad that God has to expose them, and He says He will, that which is spoken in secret shall be shouted from the housetop; that which is done in darkness shall be exposed to the light. So this is how we are cleansed. And if you’re truly striving to love God you’re going to want Him to cleanse you, correct? Yes. You’re going to desire the words of God; you’re going to desire the Spirit of God and the love of God, yes.

Now let’s continue, verse 13: "Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me [yes, we covered that last time but we’ll finish it here]: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer" (Psa. 19:11-14, KJV). Now if they are the words of God that are there and you’re meditating on God’s way and thinking God’s thoughts, won’t that be acceptable to God? Yes, absolutely. So you see then how this really works in a profound way for us.

Let’s go to Psalm 119 now please. And as Jesus said, "The words that I have spoken to you, you are clean through them." Let’s come to verse 140: "Thy word is very pure: therefore Thy servant loveth it."

Now notice, go back up to verse 139: "My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten Thy words." The living lesson that is happening right today, isn’t it? Yes. So he says, "Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it." And when it’s single "Your word," that means inclusive of all the words of God.

Now let’s come back to verse 9 for just a minute then we’ll see how these tie in together. Not only the words that Jesus has spoken, not only the forgiveness of sin because you repent, but notice then we also have to do something, verse 9: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy word." Notice then how he applies it in verse 10: "With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Psa. 119:140, 139, 9-11, KJV). So there we come full circle with the cleansing, with the healing, with the rebuilding, with having the Words of God in our mind and how we can live and have them living in us.

Now then let’s come to Proverbs 22:11, and this will tie in with the section that we’re covering right here: "He that loveth [is loving] pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend." Now I want you to circle "friend" because we’re going to come to that in just a minute. We will see (I’ll just project forward here at this time) Jesus calls us His friend, correct? Is not Jesus also the King? Yes. So if we have, as it says here, if we are loving pureness of heart, "for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend." Boy, I tell you what, when you really put the Scriptures together and see how that ties in with Christ, it gets thrilling. It gets exciting. I mean the Word of God has been inspired by the mind of God so there is really never any end to the newness of it, or there’s never any end to the joy of it or the excitement of it if we really get in and do it. And He will cleanse us. That’s a tremendous psalm.

Now then let’s go to I John 3:24 because Christ is to dwell in us. He said, "Dwell in Me and I in you." Then we can produce a lot of fruit. That’s what we’re trying to do here, brethren. We’re trying to help reestablish every one of us with Christ to be clean, to produce fruit, to let Christ live in us abundantly. And when that happens we have this. This is one of my favorite places in the Epistle of I John: "The one that is keeping His commandments is dwelling in Him [you’re dwelling in Christ], and He [Christ] is dwelling in the one who is keeping the commandments. And hereby we know…" And this is the whole thing that is so important that God wants us to understand, when you really know and grasp this to the very depths of your being. And it’s a growing process to do so. "And hereby we know that He is dwelling [abiding] in us, by the Spirit which He has given to us" (paraphrased). And that’s what we need to really know and understand. And it is something you will know; it is something you will feel; there are things of emotion about it and that emotion will manifest itself very greatly when you are praying because you are in direct communication with God the Father. And that’s an awesome thing to understand that we can come right before God the Father and we know that He’s hearing us. I mean, you think about that the next time you pray, and you thank God for that, and just ask Him to help you really grasp it to the very depth of your being. I tell you, your prayers will just increase manifold times over in the joy of prayer, and praying, and knowing that you will have answers to your prayers. They just will. And see, that’s the only way we can be cleansed from all of this nonsense that men have put upon us. And they put upon every church in the world, not just our experience. What about all those Catholics, are they not put-upon, and the Baptists, and the Lutherans, and the Methodists, and the churches of God. See, how about the Buddhists and those of Hindu and all of that? How about the mullahs in the Islamic religion? They put upon all the people, and they play their religion. Well God wants us to be cleansed from all of that to have this direct connection and know that Christ is dwelling in us, and we in Him. And it’s a living relationship, and it’s a dynamic relationship.

Let’s come back here to John 15. Let’s concentrate a little bit more about the vine here again. Verse 5 says: "I am the vine and you are the branches. The one dwelling in Me…" Now let’s look and see how we are to be bringing forth fruit.

Let’s go to Psalm 1, and I think it’s interesting that this starts out as the very first psalm because it sets the tone for the whole rest of the Book of Psalms. And let’s see how this fits in with what we’ve been studying in John 14 and 15 up to this point. Verse 1: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners…", walking in the way that sinners go. Jesus said what? "I am the way, the truth, and the life." You’re walking in the way of the Lord. "…Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD [and His words are purified seven times, as we saw]; and in His law doth he meditate day and night." What is the whole purpose of the New Covenant in relationship to God’s Word? To have those things written in our hearts and in our minds that the living Words of Christ in our living mind, with God’s living Spirit directing us. See, so you see the whole dynamics of this is so great. If we can just comprehend this.

Now notice what will happen if you do that: "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…" Now you think of this as a tree in the desert right along side the river. All the trees along the river are green. Going inland away from the river it all dries up. "…He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…" What is the Holy Spirit likened unto? Rivers of living water. "…That bringeth forth his fruit in his season…" That’s a very interesting one, isn’t it? Every person has a different season. Did you know that? Because every person is different. Not all can bring forth the same fruit at the same time. So we all bring forth our fruit in our season. "…His leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper [because God is with us in whatever trial or difficulty there may be]. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." Is that happening today? Yes. "For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish" (Psalm 1:1-6, KJV).

Now let’s go to Jeremiah 17 because here’s an interesting comparison. I know we like to go to Jeremiah 17 and many ministers have gone there many times and they quote the verse Jeremiah 17:9 about the deceitfulness of the human heart. And many times they miss the verses before it, which are very important and tell us a great message. Verse 5: "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man…" Do you see why God is doing what He’s doing? Yes, there it is, right in the Scriptures. "…And maketh flesh his arm…" What happens when you become carnal-minded or fleshly-minded and rely in that strength? "Makes flesh his arm" – that means using carnal methods and carnal power to do what he’s doing. He’s forgotten God. "…Whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited." Now verse 7, here’s the contrast again: "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." Now you can see we’re beginning to make a transition from faith and love to hope and love. And it will become a little clearer as we get down a few more verses here.

"For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit" (Jer. 17:5-8, KJV). That all ties in with bearing much fruit and living in Christ and having living waters flowing through you.

Now let’s continue on because there are many, many important things that we have here that we need to continue on with. Let’s come on to verse John 15:7 (paraphrased). Now notice "if." I suppose if we went back and circled…I didn’t do this. You might do that in your study, go back and circle all the "if’s" in John 14, 15, 16, and 17. It says in verse 6: "If anyone does not live in Me [then it gives a consequence]…" Verse 7: "If you are living in Me, and My words live in you, whatsoever you desire you shall ask and it shall come to pass for you." Now that’s a tremendous promise, brethren. Now I tell you what, if we are lacking in faith, who do we go to, to receive faith? God. If we read this and say, "God I know this is true, but help my unbelief so that it may be true," God will do it. But what is the greatest desire that we need to have? Not to have physical things to consume on our lusts, but our greatest desire should be to be in the Kingdom of God and fulfill the fruit that He’s called us to do. That’s what He wants us to do. And so God will answer those prayers, without a doubt.

Now what’s going to happen when that desire is fulfilled? Let’s go to Psalm 15:1. Here then becomes a fruition of this desire, and there are qualifications for it. "LORD, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle?" Live with God in new Jerusalem, that’s going to be a wonderful thing, right? "…Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart." In other words someone who’s converted. "He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach [nor asks for a reward] against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned…" That is, you are not going along with their actions. In some cases you may need to take care of them. "…But he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury…" Now "usury" is a great amount of interest. Jesus said to the unprofitable servant, "Why didn’t you at least put it in the bank so that I could have interest when I returned?" So there’s a proper amount. "…Nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved" (Psa. 15:1-5, KJV).

Now let’s go to Psalm 23 for just a minute. Notice what happens when you follow Christ as the Shepherd. And you should all know this. I know as a kid growing up I never could figure out that first verse because I didn’t understand it. I don’t know if anyone had the same problem. Let me explain it to you. It says, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." And I never could figure out why you would say the Lord is your shepherd and you won’t want Him to be your shepherd. That’s the way I took it. And it really means, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not lack anything." That’s what it means. See, I was never good in English. I had to learn that as an adult.

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters." Notice how that ties in with bringing forth fruit. "He restoreth my soul [let it be]: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…" Now when you have this kind of love for God you can have this kind of reaction here. And I know, many of us in our lives either spiritually or physically, have walked through the valley of the shadow of death and God has brought us through it.

"…I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…" Think of that. That’s marvelous. They can’t figure you out. They don’t know what on earth is going on, and yet God is preparing a table for you, a spiritual table with spiritual food, with spiritual meat right in the presence of your enemies. "…Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." Now notice the last verse. If you’re doing this and dwelling in Christ and He in you: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever" (Psa. 23:1-6, KJV). That’s what we’re to keep our minds on. That’s tremendous. I tell you, God’s Word is just really absolutely marvelous.

Now let’s continue on and finish this section here. John 15:8: "In this…" Now that is in the whole process of verses 1 to 7: "In this is My Father glorified that you should bear much fruit…" Not only personally, but how ever you affect other people around you. Now He’s talking to the apostles here in this case. It applies to us, but it’s directly to them. "…So shall you be My disciples." Now verse 9: "As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you…" Now notice: "…live in My love" (John 15:8-9, paraphrased). Right there. How? "As the Father has loved Me." And what did He say of Jesus? "This is My beloved Son in Whom [I am well pleased]."

(Turn Tape)