Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Wednesday 14, 2014
The primary purpose of the pastor beginning in the Church-age is to teach every believer that he or she is in union with TLJC.
John uses the vine, the vinedresser and the branches as a metaphor to represent the relationship of the believer with God the Father and TLJC.
The vinedresser metaphor refers to God the Father as the author of the PPOG. The vine dresser = Father The vine = TLJC The branches = believers of the CA.
1. The primary purpose of the pastor is to teach the believer the difference between their position and condition in TLJC.
2. Being connected to the vine is simply being in union with Christ which is really what is known as the doctrine of positional truth.
3. Positional truth takes place at the moment of salvation when the Holy Spirit places the believer in union with Christ. ACT 1:5 for
John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
1CO 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
EPH 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
4. In union with the vine or our being in union with Christ belongs to the carnal as well as the spiritual believer (1CO 1:2;1CO 1:30)
5. Positional truth or being in union with the vine, our Lord Jesus Christ protects the believer from divine judgment in eternity, ROM 8:1.
6. Positional truth means that when God redeemed us He raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, EPH 2:6.
7. Once we are in Christ our position totally changes in 1CO 15:22, 2CO 5:17, GAL 6:15.
GAL 6:15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
8. Our condition is what we are in our Christian walk as we develop from infancy to maturity. 9. Understanding your position can change your condition, but your condition can never change your position.
Unfortunately most believers today concentrate on their condition.
10. When we concentrate upon our condition we are not living by faith but by feelings, emotions and appearances.
The inevitable result is that we become increasingly self-conscious and self-centered and we enter into that great sin of subjectivity.
2CO 3:18 but we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
When a believer does not know of his position in Christ or the doctrine of positional truth it is manifested by his struggle in Adam to improve his condition.
Every believer has been positioned forever in Christ but only the believer who knows – grows.
It is “faith” in the doctrines of our position that gives us the momentum and the divine energy to grow in our condition.
Faith toward our position in Him will bring growth in our condition here on earth.
Positional truth is also related to our acceptance with God – EPH 1:3-6 says.
The believer who is not aware of his position of acceptance “in Christ” is caught up a struggle.
The responsibility that we have concerning positional truth then is to simply believe it.
Security is very vital in all aspects of life including the spiritual life.
Am I unconditionally and forever saved or am I on probation?
The believer who truly stands in the grace of positional security is the one who truly respects God and hates sin.
He hates sin for what it is – not just for its consequences.
Grace gets rid of all the doubt and the guess work and give some assurance. Whereas, the law and legalism keeps one guessing and hoping.
2TI 3:7 – these are the ones who are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Liberty “in Christ” – GAL 2:4. Blessings in Christ – EPH 1:3. Been chosen in Christ – EPH 1:4. Acceptance in Christ – EPH 1:6. Redemption in Christ – EPH 1:7.
Boldness in Christ – EPH 3:12 Election in Christ – ROM 8:33 Predestinated in Christ – ROM 8:29 Called in Christ – 1TH 5:24 Condemnation removed – ROM 8:1
Crucified with Him – ROM 6:6 Dead with Him – ROM 6:8 Buried with Him – ROM 6:4 Raised with Him – ROM 6:4 Freed from the law – ROM 7:4
Adopted in Him – ROM 8:15 Justified with Him – ROM 3:24 Forgiven in Him – EPH 4:32 Righteous in Him – 2CO 5:21
Objects of His love – EPH 2:4 Objects of His grace – EPH 2:8-9 Objects of His power – PHI 2:13 Objects of His faithfulness – PHI 1:6
Objects of His peace – JOH 14:27 Objects of His intercession – ROM 8:34
We share in His priesthood – HEB 10:10-14 His kingdom – 2PE 1:11 His heirship – ROM 8:16-17
Alethinos which means true, trustworthy, dependable.
The vine is the source of wine. Wine is used not only literally as it often is but sometimes it is used as an analogy to happiness.
When the Lord Jesus Christ says, “I am the dependable vine’ it means He is dependable for perfect happiness.”
The word vinedresser – georgos means farmer, cultivator of the soil, the one who does the planning and the planting and the cultivating and the harvesting.
a. Relationship with the vine. When we believe in Jesus Christ we have relationship with Him, we are in union with Him, just as the branch is in union with the vine.
b. The branch indicates productivity. The productivity for the Church-age must come from the believer who is on the earth.
By production is meant thinking doctrine, not hustling around.
a) The knocking type discipline = warning; b) The intense discipline; c) The dying discipline.
The pruning is the mature believer getting occasional adversity, suffering, trial, etc. in order that he might be blessed even more.
Pruning only makes the branch stronger and more productive.
“that it may bear forth more fruit” means that – adversity is designed by God to intensify the blessing and happiness of the mature believer.
“I in you” – the ECS.
The believer and it cannot bear fruit from the source of itself.
This is a reference not to eternal judgement but it is the fact that when branches dried up in a vineyard they collected them all and threw them in a fire. In other words, they are removed.