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. 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?’
This is a very good question. Today we will journey through what I call the Secret of Success and how we can love.
God’s love revealed in Jesus is perfected when we know and experience living in Him.
the secret of success in life
John 15:5-8 “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. If 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. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Jesus reveals to us the secret of success and how to love, how to be a disciple.
It is important to remember that when we receive Jesus and give our total allegiance to Him, we receive His Spirit within. His living waters. We become a branch in the vine. We cannot be cut off.
Throughout scripture God referred to the ancient Israelites as the vine. Therefore Jesus is saying if someone of Jewish blood in their lifetime rejects Jesus as the Son of God, their king and messiah, the saviour of the world, they are cut off from the vine, who is Jesus.
Reject Jesus and they reject God and their only way to eternal life, love and light.
What are we required to do?
So let us turn our thoughts and our minds to God’s natural creation to discover the Secret of Success.
1: In the natural a healthy vine needs to drink water every day. Water is the source of life!
The water flows from high too low, from the sky down to earth to the lowest point. For the vine or tree to drink of the water, the water goes up the roots, through the main stem, to the branches. The water flows up through the main stem, giving life to the branches. The branches are simply connected to the vine receiving from the main stem and its roots.
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 water. His spiritual rain that flows from the throne of God, that is the highest place of power and purity, from the Father, through the son to His disciples.
As Jesus is the vine or the main stem, we are the branches, as we come into His presence, we receive all of His goodness.
fruit of the secret of success
When we receive Jesus, having given our allegiance to Him, we receive His Spirit, we have the Holy Spirit within. But to receive a refreshing, to grow and be empowered, transformed and live fruitful lives filled with His love, we need to drink daily His living waters, in His presence each day receiving from Him. His presence flowing over us, in us and through us.
God the Father is continually pouring out His spiritual rain for us to drink freely. Yet their can be blockages from us receiving, like a knot in a hose connected to a tap that is always on. If the hose has block it can prevent the full supply of water flowing through.
One of the greatest blockages to being transformed and receiving more of Him and His love is our selfish desires or self will.
So let us again turn to God’s natural creation and discover how the blockages are removed.
2: In the natural a healthy vine needs nutrients or food.
For the vine or tree to grow and receive nutrients from the soil, they go up through the main stem, to the branches. The food flows up through the main stem, giving nutrition to the branches.
The branches are simply connected to the vine receiving from the main stem and its roots.
Just as it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual, as God created all things.
What is Jesus’ food?
When Jesus walked the earth as a man He talked about the living waters and revealed what the Secret of Success is. He declared to His disciples in the context of the living waters and His mission of earth what His spiritual food is.
John 4:34
Jesus told His disciples, ‘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. The victory, transformation and fruitfulness comes in surrender.
If we live in a continual heart and mind condition of surrender to the Father’s will, continual surrender to our Father’s will, by His Spirit removes any blockages that stop us from receiving more of Him each day.
surrender is the secret of success
Surrender of our imperfect selfish will to that of the Father’s will perfect selfless will, drinking freely His living waters, He will produces much fruit to the glory of the Father.
A mango tree produces Mangoes. A banana tree produces bananas. The Jesus tree produces Jesus fruit.
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 ourselves or produce ourselves. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ Jesus, the Spirit of God.
We cannot change ourselves. It is about His love, His love in us enabling us to love. By the power of the Holy Spirit His love flows through us to others.
We grow more like Jesus through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
It is His love in us that enables us to love God. We love God because He first loved us and we love others because His love lives in us.
If we abide in the vine, we will know the power of His will.
To receive His love is to surrender!
the condition of the heart
If we abide in Jesus He will produce the fruit in us. It is a natural and spiritual process as God created all things.
3: 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 a teachable spirit.
what if?
Imagine if Jesus in the flesh comes to your house to visit. The first thing you do is clean things up. Then being a good hospitable Christian, 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!”
In Luke 10:31-42 we read the very same story. In verses 41-42 we read Jesus response.
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 righteousness.
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!
so how do we love?
Each day live in a continual heart and mind condition of surrender to the Father’s will, coming into His presence drinking the living waters, listening to Him being transformed from the inside out.
It is the Holy Spirit working in us, when we are surrendered to the Father’s will, drinking daily of the living waters, listening to Jesus and feeding off Him… fruit is produced.
We walk like Him by allowing God to change our heart. When we abide in Jesus, live in the revelation Jesus’ love for us, our heart becomes filled with God’s love, more and more each day. It is then through His love we start to act towards others in love and obey His word.
Jesus said in Luke 6:44 that every tree is known by its fruit. If a tree grows figs it is therefore a fig tree. A fig tree cannot grow mangoes. A mango tree cannot grow figs.
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 grows figs it is therefore a fig tree. A fig tree cannot grow mangoes. A mango tree cannot grow figs.
Therefore the Jesus tree produces Jesus fruit.
We are drinking from the source of the power of the living God. Remember we are branches naturally and supernaturally connected to Jesus the vine.
We have the power to receive the fullness of God’s love. When we receive a revelation of how much He loves us, it is His love in us then we can love God and through His love in us we can love one another.
As we receive a full revelation of God’s love and let this Godly 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 we are Jesus’ disciples.
If we abide in the vine we will know the power of His love.
To receive His love is to live!
the secret of success in love
Remember how a vine grows. It is a daily process. Every moment is an opportunity to grow closer to God and let Him produce the fruit in us for glory of the Father.
From Jesus own words in John 15 we learn: Abiding in Jesus is the source of life (v6). Abiding in Jesus is the source of joy (v11), of bearing fruit (v5) and of answered prayer (v7). Most significant abiding in Jesus is the source of doing the Father’s will (v8).
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Sermon categories: son of man> love of God> hope and healing> know God> truth> power> end times> experience God> life> success in life> kingdom>
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