Topic: The Secret of Success. Abide Category: Success in Life>
Bible Scriptures: John 15:5-8, John 4:34, Luke 10:41-42, Luke 6:44.
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One day a young pastor said to me, ‘everyone tells me I must love. I must love God and I must love others, but no one can tell me how can I love. Please tell me, how can I love?’ Jesus reveals to us the secret of success. That is how to love, how to bear fruit and how to be His disciple.
God’s love revealed in Jesus is perfected when we know and experience living in Him.
the secret of success in life
John 15:1-5 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every 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. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide 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. “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.”
Success in this life is to be in relationship with the living God, being transformed into the character of Jesus, empowered to love God and to love one another. When we receive Jesus, we become a branch connected to Him, the vine or main stem.
Let us turn our thoughts to God’s natural creation. In the natural a healthy vine needs to drink water every day. Water is the source of life!
Water flows from high to low, from the sky and soaks into the ground. For the vine to drink the water, it goes up through the roots through the main stem to the branches. The water flows up from the roots through the main stem, giving life to the branches.
As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual, as God created all things.
In the spiritual, Jesus is the source of the living waters. The spiritual rain continually flows from the highest point, that is the throne of God, to the lowest point of humanity through Jesus the Son to His disciples.
fruit of the secret of success
When we receive Jesus, giving our allegiance to Him, we receive His Spirit; we have the Holy Spirit within. But to receive refreshment, to grow and be empowered, transformed and to live fruitful lives filled with His love, we need to drink daily His living waters. Drinking in His presence each day, receiving from Him. His presence is flowing over us, in us and through us.
Each day receiving more of His love, His joy, His, peace, His patience, His kindness, His goodness, His faithfulness, His gentleness and His self control. This is not fruit we can make or produce ourselves. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ Jesus, the Spirit of God.
It is not about changing ourselves or saying I must love. We cannot make ourselves love. Success is about His love. It is His love in us that enables us to love. Through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit we become more like Jesus, with His love flowing through us to others.
We love God because He first loved us. We love others because His love lives in us.
When we abide in Jesus — that is to remain, stay, dwell, endure, continue, stand — we can live in the fullness of Jesus’ love for us. As a result our heart becomes filled with God’s love more and more each day. It is then through His love that we start to act towards others in love.
the secret of success is known by the fruit
Jesus said in Luke 6:44 that every tree is known by its fruit. If a tree produces figs, it is therefore a fig tree. A fig tree cannot produce mangoes. A mango tree cannot produce figs.
The Jesus tree produces Jesus fruit.
We are drinking from the source of the power of the living God. Remember we are the branches both naturally and supernaturally connected to Jesus the vine.
As we receive a full revelation of God’s love and let His love flow through us, we are able to love no matter what people do to us or for us. It is by our love, which is His love in us, that the world will know that we are Jesus’ disciples.
If we abide in Jesus we will know the power of His love.
To receive His love is to live!
In the natural a healthy vine needs to be planted in good fertile soft soil.
Just as it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual, as God created all things.
In the spiritual Jesus likens good soil to the condition of the heart and to a teachable spirit. Imagine if Jesus in the flesh comes to your house to visit. The first thing you do is clean up. Then being a good hospitable person, you get busy in the kitchen making drinks and food. Meanwhile your sister is in the lounge room, just sitting at Jesus’ feet. Apparently doing nothing! She is just sitting there listening to Jesus.
All you can think about is all the things you need to do. You become resentful of your sister and even angry with God. She should be doing what you think is important, which is helping you. You’re thinking, this is not fair! You finally have had enough and you say to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Luke 10:41-42 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
what did mary choose to do?
Mary chose to abide in the vine. Her time with Jesus was her first priority. She had a teachable and untroubled spirit, listening to every word that Jesus spoke.
Her heart’s desire was to know Him, to seek first the Kingdom of God and His rightness and justice.
Everything else was secondary. In fact when we abide in Jesus, all our work, our ministry, our gifts and our life become fruitful, bringing glory to God.
If we abide in the vine, we will know the power of His Word.
To receive His love is to listen!
In the natural a healthy vine needs nutrients or food. For the vine to grow the main stem soaks up the nutrients from the soil that then flows freely to the branches.
Just as it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual, as God created all things.
What was Jesus’ food when He walked the earth as a man?
John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Jesus’ motive was to do the Father’s will, so that we may know Him and the Father who sent Him. That was when Jesus said His joy is complete. As we abide in the vine this too will be our heart’s desire, as we become more like Jesus.
To abide in Jesus is to surrender to the Father’s will. If we live in a continual heart and mind condition of surrender to the Father’s will, each day taking a moment to be still in His presence, He will produce much fruit. If we abide in the vine, we will know the power of His will.
To receive His love is to surrender!
This is the secret of success
Each day living in a continual heart and mind condition of surrender to the Father’s will, being immersed in His presence, drinking His living waters, listening to Him. As a result the Holy Spirit produces the fruit in us.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
The fruit of the Spirit is the character of Jesus. As we daily surrender our self-will to that of the Father’s will, drinking daily of His living waters, we will be transformed more and more into His likeness. We will love with His love. This will bring glory to the Father. Praise His mighty name!
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sermon categories
unsearchable mysteries> son of man> love of God> hope and healing> know God> truth> power> end times> experience God> life> success in life> kingdom> miracles of the wilderness journey>
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