Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Wednesday,
July 17, 2019
- “True Vine” -- the word “True” refers to His character and nature or His divine essence and that is why He is called the God of Truth; Deu 32:4.
Isa 65 -- our Lord warns His people about the divine discipline they were about to receive because of their rejection or disobedience to the Truth as it was presented.
One of the ways that Bankers and Tellers are trained to recognize a counterfeit bill is by training them and getting them use to the real genuine authentic bills.
It is a lot easier to identify the Truth and expose the Lie or identify the genuine authentic bills verses the counterfeit bills.
1Jo 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Counterfeits will spring up in the Last Days, counterfeit signs and counterfeit wonders will be manifested all over the world; 2Th 2:9.
2Th 2:9 that is the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
GAL 1:6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; -- There is your counterfeit.
GAL 1:9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.
In HEB 13:9, the writer warns the individual about the strange teachings that they are being carried away to by counterfeiting strange teachings.
HEB 13:9 Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited.
Still dealing with the principle of counterfeits, the apostle Paul warns us about the counterfeit Gospel, Jesus, or Spirit.
We also have counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, counterfeit angels; counterfeit servants of light.
There are also counterfeit ProphecyAtonementDenying ChristSpiritual MalnutritionFalse Religious SystemRansomenemies, of believersSatan, Power OfBuying and sellingForeknowledgeSecrecyFalse Doctrine, Dangers OfDestroying Oneself
Love Feast False Teachings Seduction Destruction Misteaching Markets False Teachers, Characteristics Of Tolerancedenial of Jesus Christ False People Opinions Heresy
prophets and counterfeit teachers who bring in counterfeit teachings; 2PE 2:1.
2PE 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
If you have rejected the doctrines and the promises of God, God will allow you the appropriate time and doctrinal passages that you need to rebound and recover, if necessary.
All divine discipline is based upon two of the divine attributes that God possesses which is His love and His veracity which is His Truth from one who has never lied to any one at any time.
That is one of the major differences that exist because God is the God of truth, whereas Satan is the father of lies; PSA 31:5; JOH 8:44.
The cosmic or carnal believer, lives in lies because instead of following our Lord in doctrine which is also called “the truth,” they follow the god of this world, which is the devil and his lies; JOH 8:44.
JOH 8:44 "You are of {your} father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own {nature;} for he is a liar, and the father of lies.
ISA 65:11 -- the Lord is addressing everyone who has fallen away from God’s plan and their own personal sense of destiny that He had just for them.
To them -- their plans are really the only plans that really care about more than God’s plan.
They have forgotten that in PSA 33:10 The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
PSA 33:11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
ISA 30:1 "Woe to the rebellious children," declares the Lord, "Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin;
There is “the Plan of God” and “a plan for man” as well as an alliance that is made either for the Lord or against the Lord.
The first issue we must deal with is the plan of God the Father verses the plans of man which are no match for the plan of God.
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lords.’ (ZEC 4:6).
1CO 1:26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;
1CO 1:27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
1CO 1:28-29, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God.
Man’s plans are constantly changing because of his instability and double-mindedness; as Pro 19:21 teaches us, Many are the plans in a man's heart, But the counsel of the Lord, it will stand.
Man’s plans die with man.
God’s plan elevates and bless man.
If we desire for our plans to line up with God’s plan then in PRO 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
PRO 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Without the Lord, man makes all kinds of plans, usually based on his dreams and desires for self rather than for others.
Hamartiology = The Doctrine of original sin or inherent sin = we all were born in sin as sinners who were totally depraved under the principle that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, ROM 3:23; PSA 51:5; 58:3.
ROM 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
PSA 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
PSA 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.
JER 29:11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for prosperity and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
ISA 25:1 O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; For Thou hast worked wonders, Plans {formed} long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
- “you who forsake the Lord” refers to those believers who had negative volition toward doctrine resulting in backsliding.
- “who forget My holy mountain” refers to our Lord’s place of worship.
- “who set a table for Fortune” = made plans for making money or promoting self by using God as the means).
- “who fill {cups} with mixed wine for Destiny” refers to the influence of unnatural stimulants to fulfill their destiny rather than the Holy Spirit.
“Because I called, but you did not answer” = if we do not answer when He calls, we may be in danger of divine discipline depending on the circumstances.
“Because I called, but you did not answer” referring to NVTD at the point of perception.
“I spoke but you did not hear or listen” meaning that they had negative volition toward doctrine at the point of metabolization, either no concentration or reject what is being taught.
“And you did evil in My sight, And chose that in which I did not delight" referring to the principle of application.
This means that the “God of Truth” reveals His forgiveness to His people because the former troubles are forgotten and hidden from God’s sight as Heb 8:12;10:17.
ISA 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.= the promise of wiping away all the bad memories that we have.
PSA 31:5 Into Thy hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.
He did not have to say the last half, “Thou hast ransomed me,” because He did not have to be ransomed or redeemed.
Eph 4:21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus.
- Our Lord is called the “True Vine” because the word True refers to His character and nature or His divine essence and that is why He is called the God of Truth; Deu 32:4.
- Vine - our Lord’s human nature where we draw spiritual life from learning how our Lord, in His humanity, fulfilled the plan of God.
After knowing that the ministry of the Spirit helped us on the day of our salvation, we are told by the apostle Paul; COL 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.
After salvation, we are to GAL 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
HEB 9:14 - through the eternal Spirit, the Lord offered Himself without blemish to God, and we can do the same.
- The “True Vine” also refers to His Deity and it is derived from the first part of verse 1, when as He said; JOH 15:1 “I Am” the true vine.
- The “True Vine” as it relates to the Hypostatic Union; Joh 14:6 “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life;’
- “My Father is the vinedresser” referring to the logistical grace support that comes to the branches or believers from God the Father.
He provides everything that we need pertaining to this life and everything that we need pertaining to living the spiritual life; Mat 6:33; 2Pe 1:2-4.
“true knowledge” = because gnosis is not used but epignosis is used which refers to wisdom or metabolized doctrine.
The Apostle Peter has grown immensely because of his humility and his submission to the apostle Paul, which was so obvious that Peter even said that the Apostle Paul was a spiritual genius in 2Pe 3:15-16.
- The principle of being “in Christ,” as New creatures or as New Spiritual Species which is found in the first part of the verse which says "Every branch in Me” = Baptism of the Spirit.
- Then in JOH 15:2b, our Lord goes on to say; "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away, which refers to the Doctrine of Divine Discipline; Heb 12:6-15.
- The third principle found in Joh 15:2c, where it says; “and every branch that bears fruit” referring to the fruit of the Spirit manifested by the believer who abides in Christ.
- Suffering for blessing = "and every {branch} that bears fruit. He prunes it [suffering for blessing], that it may bear more fruit [the doctrine of divine good].
Here is where suffering for blessing really becomes a blessing for every believer as it results in the production of divine good.
This is also when the “wall of fire” is placed around us by the invisible allies that we all have in the angelic realm along with our very own guardian angel; HEB 1:14.
HEB 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
Divine good also results from being attacked by evil but God turns the evil into good; GEN 50:20 "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
We also have seen and heard Moses give direct command from headquarters in Heaven when he said to the people in EXO 14:14, "The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent."
Added to that, the Elect Angels and the Old Testament believers revealed that no weapon that is formed against us will prosper; Isa 54:17.
Then in the New Testament, we are told in 2CO 13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but {only} for the truth.
No matter how much we try or someone else tries, we are told that “We can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.”
As our Lord warned His disciples in MAR 9:40 "For he who is not against us is for us.
And then He also said this; Mat 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Our Lord warned His disciples in MAR 9:40 "He who is not against us is for us.
He also said in Mat 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
MAR 9:40 "For he who is not against us is for us.
Mat 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me;”
Mat 12:30 He who does not gather with Me scatters.
All three of these principles can apply, first of all, to believers who are not against us but for us.
Phi 2:1 Since therefore there is encouragement in Christ, since there is comfort from virtue-love, since there is fellowship of the Spirit, since there is tendernesses and compassions,
PHI 2:2 Bring to completion my inner happiness [in your life] by thinking the same things, maintaining the same virtue-love, united in soul, concentrating on the same objective.
PHI 2:3 Do nothing motivated by contentiousness or ambitious pride, but with humility of mind [by means of grace orientation] let each of you keep on considering one another as more important than himself;
PHI 2:4 do not merely be regarding your own personal interests, but also for the personal interests of others.
PHI 2:5 "Keep on thinking this [doctrine] within yourselves which was also resident in Christ Jesus,"
Mar 9:40 "For he who is not against us is for us.
MAT 12:30, He tells us with His disciples that if we are not with Him, we are against Him.
We cannot just standby and do nothing especially when our Lord has bought us and set us free.
Do you believe 1CO 3:16-17, which says “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and {that} the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
1CO 3:17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
Then finally in Mat 12:30, if we do not gather with Him then we will automatically scatter.
Our Lord says the same thing but in a different ways and if we are not with Him that means that we are against Him.
You cannot just sit back and do nothing because if you keep on doing nothing then you will eventually live in the sins of Omission.
Sins of omission are failure to do something one can and ought to do.
If this happens deliberately and freely, it is considered a sin.
The sins of omission are sins that result from not doing something God’s Word teaches that we should do.
Prin: We cannot just standby and do nothing.
Prin: To do nothing is to be against Him.
Joh 15:3 speaks of salvation through the accurate interpretation of this passage.