Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 5,073
John 15:1-4 NKJV
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
What Faith Looks Like
What does faith in Jesus Christ look like? Well, first off, the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is not of our own selves, not of human flesh. We cannot even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ. And faith means to be persuaded, in this case to be persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to obey our Lord in practice, in the power of God. And biblical faith is also progressive. We are saved (past). We are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) if we continue in obedience to our Lord.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Hebrews 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24]
Therefore, if we do not continue in our Lord, but we fall away, and we go back to living in sin and for the flesh, and not for God, not in righteousness and holiness and in the forsaking of our sins and in walks of obedience, then we are in danger of being cut off from the vine (see also Romans 11:19-22). For to remain in Christ requires that we abide in him and that we bear much spiritual fruit in keeping with repentance. For to abide in Christ is to follow him in obedience, to conform to his standards, and to keep putting sin to death. And it is to live holy lives, pleasing to God, in his power and strength.
Bearing Spiritual Fruit
But none of us can bear the kind of Spiritual fruit (results, evidence) of heart and minds transformed of the Spirit of God if we are trying to do it in our own flesh. We can only produce righteousness, godliness, moral purity, holy living, honesty, faithfulness, kindness, and love, if our lives are surrendered to Jesus, to doing his will, in submission to his commands, daily walking in his truths in his power and wisdom, under his guidance. And that can only happen if we have honestly turned away from our sins and we are now following our Lord in his power, strength, and wisdom, not in our own.
Therefore, our Lord prunes those of us who are walking in his ways, in obedience to his commands, so that we continue in his ways. And that pruning will or may include many trials and tribulations to test our faith. We may be persecuted for righteousness’ sake, falsely accused of what we did not do, and/or rejected and cast aside as unwanted, even by the “religious” and by “religious institutions” and by their leaders, because we stand on the truths of the Scriptures, and we share them with the world, and we do not compromise with the world and with market-driven “church” philosophy.
John 15:5-8 NKJV
5“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Cheap Grace vs Biblical Grace
So many people today are preaching a cheap grace gospel message, not that God’s grace is cheap, for it is not, but that they have cheapened his grace to allow for deliberate and habitual sin to go on in the life of the one who professes faith in Jesus Christ. And they do not require obedience to our Lord’s commands. Yet many who do, they teach it more as a suggestion or as a recommendation, but not as a requirement for salvation from sin and eternal life with God. Few, it seems, are teaching the gospel as Jesus taught it, and as his New Testament apostles taught it, for they want acceptance.
But God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one obeying God’s will.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Unless We Abide in Christ
An Original Work / May 20, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
What Faith Looks Like
What does faith in Jesus Christ look like? Well, first off, the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is not of our own selves, not of human flesh. We cannot even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ. And faith means to be persuaded, in this case to be persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to obey our Lord in practice, in the power of God. And biblical faith is also progressive. We are saved (past). We are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) if we continue in obedience to our Lord.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Hebrews 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24]
Therefore, if we do not continue in our Lord, but we fall away, and we go back to living in sin and for the flesh, and not for God, not in righteousness and holiness and in the forsaking of our sins and in walks of obedience, then we are in danger of being cut off from the vine (see also Romans 11:19-22). For to remain in Christ requires that we abide in him and that we bear much spiritual fruit in keeping with repentance. For to abide in Christ is to follow him in obedience, to conform to his standards, and to keep putting sin to death. And it is to live holy lives, pleasing to God, in his power and strength.
Bearing Spiritual Fruit
But none of us can bear the kind of Spiritual fruit (results, evidence) of heart and minds transformed of the Spirit of God if we are trying to do it in our own flesh. We can only produce righteousness, godliness, moral purity, holy living, honesty, faithfulness, kindness, and love, if our lives are surrendered to Jesus, to doing his will, in submission to his commands, daily walking in his truths in his power and wisdom, under his guidance. And that can only happen if we have honestly turned away from our sins and we are now following our Lord in his power, strength, and wisdom, not in our own.
Therefore, our Lord prunes those of us who are walking in his ways, in obedience to his commands, so that we continue in his ways. And that pruning will or may include many trials and tribulations to test our faith. We may be persecuted for righteousness’ sake, falsely accused of what we did not do, and/or rejected and cast aside as unwanted, even by the “religious” and by “religious institutions” and by their leaders, because we stand on the truths of the Scriptures, and we share them with the world, and we do not compromise with the world and with market-driven “church” philosophy.
John 15:5-8 NKJV
5“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Cheap Grace vs Biblical Grace
So many people today are preaching a cheap grace gospel message, not that God’s grace is cheap, for it is not, but that they have cheapened his grace to allow for deliberate and habitual sin to go on in the life of the one who professes faith in Jesus Christ. And they do not require obedience to our Lord’s commands. Yet many who do, they teach it more as a suggestion or as a recommendation, but not as a requirement for salvation from sin and eternal life with God. Few, it seems, are teaching the gospel as Jesus taught it, and as his New Testament apostles taught it, for they want acceptance.
But God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one obeying God’s will.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Unless We Abide in Christ
An Original Work / May 20, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
