Commentary on John 15 (3)

Commentary on John 15 (3) In John 15:7, there is a word about true prayer.“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.” First, he says, “Abide in me.” Therefore, you must first find yourself in Christ.Then, if my words abide in you, he says, ask whatever you wish.This means that prayer is the prophecy of the words of Jesus Christ.The first condition is in Christ.If we abide in the Lord and the word of the Lord abides in us, as we abide in him, the sap of the Lord's life permeates us and the attributes of the Lord flow into us, and as soon as we hear the Word and the Word comes near, we prophesy the Word. That is prayer.Then, it will be done as it is.This is true prayer.There are many places in the bible that talk about true prayer, and we must learn this prayer.In order to do that, You must first abide in Christ, the vine.Therefore, when you hear the word of Christ and know where you belong, what kind of relationship you have with God the Father through the Lord, and how you approach the Father, and realize what you can gain by approaching God the Father, then you can pray. Then we look at John 15:9.“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you:  continue you in  my love."He says to remain in love.For example, it is the same principle as children obediently accepting what their parents do.To receive and remain in the will of the Lord Jesus Christ and to receive and express it as it is, to receive and express the Lord’s provision as it is, this is the destiny of the branch.Nevertheless, the teaching that urges us to do whatever it takes to be worthy of the branch is illegal.If you cut a branch off of a tree, the tree and the branch have the same tissue.Even the smallest branch has the same tissue as the big tree.The sap flows only when the tissue is the same.Therefore, when grafting is done, at first the branch gets stuck in the tree and suffers, but eventually the branch sprouts leaves and grows.If we are to abide in Christ, it becomes a great spiritual battle.This is because our thoughts, words, intentions, plans, methods, and the organization and components must be the same as the Lord.So, by handing yourself over to the death of Jesus, you long for the life of the Lord to be revealed to you.At some point, you discover that it happens naturally.The cross of Christ becomes your own cross, and at first, you seem to be carrying the cross, but later the message of the cross carries you.From that moment on, there is no longer any distance between you and the Lord, and you become bold and confident.This is the meaning of ‘you abide in me and my words abide in you.’ When that happens, he tells us to ask for anything.When the organization and components  become the same as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord says, “I will give you everything I can.”Therefore, we must strive to become the same in organization and components in Christ.Patience is needed.That is why it took Moses 40 years to process himself, and Jacob 20 years.The better our faith becomes, the more we become like the Lord, not running wild.The organization becomes like the Lord, and all our character structures become like the Lord.Without realizing it, we are persuaded and surrender to him.Absorption and merger occur.This is proper faith. But the important thing is, is the role of bearing fruit the root of the tree or the branch?The branch does it.The internal part of connecting and supplying is done by God and Jesus Christ, but the role of attaching to it and making the organization and components match is done by the branch.That role is bearing fruit.This is the labor of love, and it is not I who do it, but Christ who is in me who does it.It is a mysterious work that appears in Christians who have the Spirit of truth in them.And as a result, the Father receives glory (John 15:8).The Lord also receives glory. The branch that bears fruit also receives glory along with the recognition that it is truly righteous.The evidence of this is that the joy of the Lord flows in and enjoys the same joy (John 15:11).This is what it means to offer up to God as a weapon of righteousness. Faith means that the branches receive supply from the tree by hearing the word, and life  is the result.It is important to properly understand this principle of hearing and acting.If you ask what faith is here, knowing how to receive supply from the tree is faith.The God of the living is the God of the living because we can gain life through faith.And living in such a state is the life of faith.It is not lifting weights.It is the Father who received glory and looked upon us and said, “It is very good.”Therefore, the saying, “Live by faith” seems right, but it is wrong.It is the meaning of the Lord’s words, “Listen to the Pharisees, but do not imitate their actions.”The actions of the Book of James are those who have fulfilled this principle through the Book of Hebrews, in other words, those who have completed the explanation of their relationship with the Father through Christ, and know how to receive supply from the Father, and only then will actions follow them.So, after looking at the deeds, he points out that if there are no deeds, the faith is dead.Isn't it because it is not connected to God?It's like an unplugged electrical appliance.This means that it is a dead faith that has been cut off from the supply of life that comes from the Lord.The book of James was written to tell that story.The reformers who did not properly understand the principle only insisted that righteousness is obtained through faith, so they dismissed the book of James as a gospel of rags, and that is why the world church today is unable to solve the function of faith and actions. Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.Translated by  Nancy Chung COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION To God be the glory.