06/23/21 DON'T "OUTGROW" YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS

06/23/21 DON'T "OUTGROW" YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS

Young people (who have been regenerated) often "outgrow" faith, love, submission, relationship with Jesus. They actually "die on the vine." They were close to Christ, then they were drawn away by this evil age. They began to cut their connection, cut their relationship with the Vine. They failed to ABIDE in Christ. Their light, life, love, trust dwindled as they rejected God's leading, they grew hard, self oriented, distant to God, their families, their church folks, their calling and they stopped producing spiritual fruit until God cut them off.

John 15:1-11
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

CONSIDER my post from 2013...
09/17/13 ACTING LIKE A CHRISTIAN
Q. SHOULD A PERSON ACT LIKE A CHRISTIAN?
A. YES AND NO (see below).

Let me explain. I am using the word, "ACT" in two different ways.

1. "Act," as in behave. The sincere doing of a thing. Taking action.
   Christians act (sincerely behave like followers of Christ), because they trust and follow Christ.
2. "Act," as in pretend. The insincere doing of a thing. Play acting.
   Hypocrites act (pretend to be followers of Christ), because they do not actually trust or follow Christ.
   The good tree brings forth good fruit because the seed is good.
   The evil tree brings forth bad fruit, because seed is bad.
   The hypocrite brings forth bad fruit and pretends it is good fruit.
   A Christian's Action Is No Act.

DESTINY FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BEAR GOOD FRUIT
Matthew 3:10
(10) And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
DLG note...
In another passage Jesus said that every branch in the Vine (individuals who are in Christ), who does not bear fruit, will be cut off and cast into the fire.

John 15:2-6
(2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
(3) Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
(4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
(5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
(6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Not To Be Confused With Failed Works Of Believers
This burning of the trees, the branches, the believers, is not to be confused with the burning of empty works performed by those who die in the faith.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
(12) Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
(13) Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
(14) If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
(15) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Also, Not To Be Confused With The Chaff (the Carnal Mind), Which God Removes From The Totally Committed
Matthew 3:11-12
(11) I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
(12) Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

TREES KNOWN BY THEIR FRUIT
Matthew 7:17-21
(17) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
(18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
(19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
(21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

OUR WORDS
Matthew 12:33-37
(33) Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
(34) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
(35) A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
(36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
(37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

OUR DEEDS
Luke 3:8-9
[8] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
(9) And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

OUR THOUGHTS
Luke 6:43-49
(43) For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
(44) For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
(45) A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
(46) And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
(47) Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
(48) He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
(49) But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

When we are saved, we don't have to pretend.
A Christian does not have to act (pretend, play act) like a Christian, because his new nature, which he received at his salvation, produces the likeness of Christ.
The wannabe or pretend Christian must act (play the part) like a Christian, because his nature is to not live in the likeness of Christ.
Christian action is not just what we do, it is the spirit in which we do it. Good works rising from the love of Christ in the heart of the saved person.
Christian action is seen in what we do and in what we do not do. We do those things that are pleasing in the sight of God, and we refrain from doing those things which God despises.
Orange trees do not produce apples, apple trees do not produce watermelons. Each seed produces after its kind. The supernatural life of salvation is seen in the natural life.