THE PROBLEM OF SIN
1 Jn 1:8
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, the truth is not in us.
sin (hamartia) missing the mark of God’s Righteousness
Gen 6:5
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Rom 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Rom 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
CONFESSING (REPENTING) OUR SINS IS BEING HONEST WITH OUR WEAKNESSES AND FAILINGS
1 Jn 1:9-10
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
confess (homologeo) – to acknowledge, admit, declare
Ps 32:5
5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Prov 28:13
13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Mat 3:2, 5-6
2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
Act 19:18
18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
James 5:16
16 Confess your trespasses (sins) to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
JESUS DELIVERED US FROM SIN
1 Jn 2:1-2
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate (Helper, Intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
propitiation (hilasmos) related to hileos, “merciful.” Christ, through His sacrificial death, appeasing the wrath of God on account of sin.
1 Jn 3:3-10
3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
1 Jn 5:18-19
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
Rom 6:1-8
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized (immersed, overwhelmed) into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him that the body of sin might be done away with (not in control, inoperative, useless) that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
Rom 6:12-14
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (unmerited free gift of everything that is from God)
SLAVES OF RIGHT-EOUSNESS
Rom 6:15-23
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 8:13
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
1 Jn 1:5
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
darkness (scotia) literally, or spiritually
Jn 1:4-5
4 In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (receive, embrace, understand).
Jn 3:19-21
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
2 Cor 4:4-6
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake.
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
1 Jn 1:6-7
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Our walk in the light is a test of fellowship with God, since the life of fellowship is a life that is continually cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus. It also involves our relationship with one another, which indicates that a walk “in the light” is lived accountably before both God and man.
The blood flows through the body; when we practice fellowship with one another, and choose not to sin, there will be no blockages.
Matt 5:14-16
14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
1 Thes 5:5
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor darkness.
Eph 5:8
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Phil 2:15
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world
Lk 11:34-36
34 The lamp of the body is the eye (spiritual mind, conscience). Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.
Prov 20:27
27 The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
1 Jn 1:5-7
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
JOHN KNEW THAT THE LONGING OF EVERY HUMAN HEART WAS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND HIS PEOPLE
1 Jn 1:3
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, you also may have fellowship with us; truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
fellowship (koinonia) unity, communion, common-union
1 Jn 1:4
4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
KING DAVID’S HEART LONGED FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND HIS PEOPLE
Ps 16:11
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Ps 133:1
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
GOD IS PERFECT FELLOWSHIP
God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have the same divine nature, attributes and glory… three distinct persons – One God…Perfection in Unity.
1 Jn 5:7
7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
MAN-KIND WAS CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD… WHO IS PERFECT FELLOWSHIP!
Gen 1:26-27
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
JESUS LONGED FOR HIS CHILDREN TO HAVE PERFECT FELLOWSHIP WITH FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT
Jn 17:20-23
20 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 I in them, and You in Me that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.
Jn 14:16-17
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
This Unity (Oneness) cannot be found anywhere except in God and His people… The original plan of God, and the only plan of God.
This Unity is what reveals to the world (mankind and angelic hosts) that Jesus was sent by Father God.
He is the only way to the Father and He is the center of all God’s creation… The Reason For It All (Logos).
The Church then “reveals” Jesus to all the creation.
OUR PERFECT FELLOWSHIP (COMMUNION) IS BECAUSE WE ARE ONE WITH CHRIST’S BODY AND BLOOD
1 Cor 10:16-17
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.
OUR PERFECT FELLOWSHIP (UNITY) IS POWER
The context of Matthew 18 is about the Church’s responsibility to maintain unity (fellowship), especially repenting to one another when necessary, and forgiving one another always.
Mat 18:19-20
18 Again I say to you that If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name I am there in the midst of them.
The word "AGREE” means "symphony" ... to sound together. As two people agree with God first, and with one-another then the powerful flow of God's presence assures that nothing will be impossible.
OUR PERFECT FELLOWSHIP IS A CHOICE
Eph 4:1-6
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you (a choice) to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Eph 4:11-16
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Phil 2:1-2
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy (a choice) by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
1 Jn 1:3-4
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, you also may have fellowship with us; truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
In John’s first letter we find the word “children” – 13 times, and the word “love” – 36 times.
John wrote this letter to give assurance of eternal life to those “who believe in the name of the Son of God” (5:13).
The uncertainty of his readers about their spiritual status was caused by an unsettling conflict with the teachers of a false doctrine. John refers to the teachings as deceitful (2:26; 3:7) and to the teachers as “false prophets” (4:1), liars (2:22), and antichrists (2:18, 22; 4:3). They had once been within the church, but had withdrawn (2:19) and had “gone out into the world” (4:1) to propagate their dangerous heresy.
This heresy was a forerunner of second-century Gnosticism, which taught that matter is essentially evil and spirit is essentially good. This dualistic viewpoint caused the false teachers to deny the Incarnation of Christ and, hence, the Resurrection. The true God, they taught, could never indwell a material body of flesh and blood. Therefore, the human body that Jesus supposedly possessed was not real, but merely apparent.
“Gnosticism” is a word derived from the Greek gnosis, meaning “knowledge.” Gnostics later taught salvation by mental enlightenment, which came only to the elite spiritual ones, not to the ordinary rank and file of Christians.
Hence, they substituted intellectual pursuits for faith and exalted speculation above the basic tenets of the gospel. John again reacted strenuously (see 2:20, 27), declaring that there is no private revelation reserved for a few intellectuals, and that the whole body of believers possesses the apostolic teaching.
JESUS IS REAL
1 Jn 1:1
1 That which was from the beginning we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word (logos) of life (zōē)
Word (logos) - a transmission of thought, communication, the Word is Jesus Christ, the eternal, ultimate expression of God, the reason for it all
1 Jn 1:2
2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us
manifested (phanaroo) – unmistakably, fully revealed
In this earthly life we would not consider “word(s)” and “life” to be something tangible; something that can be touched or handled, but Jesus was real in every way; John was an “eye-witness”, “ear-witness”, and “hands-witness” to the reality of this Man, Who was indeed the “Word of Life”.
JESUS HAS BEEN FULLY REVEALED
Jn 1:14
14 And the Word (logos) became (ginomai) flesh (a new mode of existence) and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
became (ginomai) – to begin to be, to generate, to be born, to come into existence
Genesis (noun) is the Greek title of the first book of the Bible. It comes from the same stock as words such as gene, generation, genealogy, and was ultimately derived from the verb (ginomai).
Jesus did not change what He is - fully God
He changed how He exists - now also as man. He is now, and forever, fully God and fully man in One Person.
Jn 8:58
58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was (ginomai), I AM (eternally existent)."
1 Tim 3:16
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
Heb 1:1-3
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
2 Tim 1:8-10
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
WE MUST KNOW JESUS
Mat 7:21-23
21 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?
23 And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!
Lk 13:23-27
23 Then one said to Him, Lord, are there few who are saved? And He said to them,
24 Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, I do not know you, where you are from,
26 then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.
27 But He will say, I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.
1 Jn 5:20
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Phil 3:10
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death
Eph 3:17-19
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
19 to know the love of Christ which passes (surpasses, exceeds) knowledge(gnosis); that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Jn 20:29
29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
1 Jn 1:1-2 (The Message)
1 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.
2 The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
OUR “COMPLETE SALVATION” IS A “DONE DEAL” IN CHRIST
Rom 8:29-30
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified (made righteous); and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Paul presents God’s “COMPLETE SAVING WORK” as:
1) One unified act
2) Certain and irreversible
3) As seen through His perspective
To God, the past, present and future are all “NOW”!
From God’s eternal perspective, His purposes are “COMPLETE”, even when they unfold in time for us, and we must walk them out.
THE INFINITE IMPLICATIONS OF “GOD BEING FOR US” BECAUSE WE ARE IN CHRIST
Rom 8:31
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
for (huper) over and above
Eph 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
exceedingly abundantly above (huper – ek – perissos)
super – abundantly – over and above
Paul deliberately stacks words (adverbial intensity) to push language to its limit and show that God’s power goes far beyond human words, expectation, and understanding.
GOD HAS GIVEN US “ALL THINGS” IN CHRIST
Rom 8:32
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
1 Cor 3:21
21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.
23 And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
Rev 21:7
7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
WE ARE “MORE THAN CONQUERORS” IN CHRIST
Rom 8:33-37
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: "for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
more than conquerors (hupernikao) – (huper) “over and above,” and (nikao) “to conquer.”
The word describes one who is super victorious, who wins more than an ordinary victory, but who is overpowering in achieving abundant victory.
This is not the language of conceit, but of confidence. Christ’s love conquered death, and because of His love, we are hupernikao.
GOD’S LOVING PRESENCE IS OUR “GUARANTEE OF VICTORY” IN CHRIST
Rom 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Cor 15:57
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 2:14
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
1 Jn 4:4
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them (spirits of the Antichrist), because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Col 1:27
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1 Jn 4:18
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
2 Tim 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of powerand of love and of a sound mind.
WE ARE IN A “RELATIONSHIP” WITH CHRIST AND MUST MAINTAIN “FELLOWSHIP” IN CHRIST
Jn 14:1, 27
1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Jn 15:10-13
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
Rom 8:31
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Gen 2:4-15
4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.
14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
A SECURE PLACE TO BEAR MUCH FRUIT
garden (gan) fenced, hedged around, protected, defended
Eden (Ēdhen) pleasurable, prosperous, delightful, fruitful
MANKIND BEGAN IN THE GARDEN AND ENDS IN THE GARDEN
Rev 22:1-2
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
GOD’S CHILDREN BECOME THE GARDEN
Is 5:1-7
1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His (God’s) vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it."
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.
Is_51:3
3 For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
Is_58:11
11 The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Ez_34:29
29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.
Ez_36:35
35 So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.'
Song_4:12-16
12 A garden enclosed (protected) Is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, Fragrant henna with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices—
15 A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon.
16 Awake, O north wind (Holy Spirit), and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, That its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its pleasant fruits.
Song 5:1
1 I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!
Song_6:2
2 My beloved has gone to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed his flock in the gardens, And to gather lilies.
Jn 15:1-8
1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 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.
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 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.
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.
6 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.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Ez 47:12
12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.
Rev 22:1-2
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
The Garden Church
4155 S Nature Center Way, Springfield, MO
Copyright © 2019 The Garden Church - All Rights Reserved.