John 15:1-6 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every 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. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide 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. 5I 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. 6If 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.
John 15:7 7If ye ABIDE in me, and my WORDS ABIDE in you, ye shall ASK what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
- Abide: (G3306) To remain, to dwell, not to depart; to continue to be present; to be held, kept, continually; To stay in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy
John 15:7 (AMP) 7If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
John 15:7 (CJB) 7 If you remain united with me, and my words with you, then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you.
Colossians 1:27 27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed
63-0728 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
394 Notice, next, secondly, the manifested Christ in you, the hope of glory. That great, manifested God in Christ; now Christ manifested in you.
Romans 10:17 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The Greatest Battle Ever Fought
62-0311 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
77 But, your mind accepts It. It grasps It. What is your mind controlled by? Your spirit. And your spirit catches the Word of God, and that’s the thing that’s got Life in It. It brings Life into you. Oh, brother! When that takes place, when Life comes down that channel, into you, the Word of God is manifested in you. “If ye abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, then ask what you will and it’ll be done for you.”
78 Then what does that do? From the middle of the heart, which is the soul, from there goes forth, feeding every channel. The trouble of it is, we’re standing in here with a lot of doubt, trying to accept what’s out there. You’ve got to stop that; and come down that channel with the true Word of God, and then it goes out, itself, automatically. It’s what’s on the inside. That’s the thing that counts, is the inside. Satan’s approach is from the inside.
Birth Pains
65-0124 · Phoenix, Arizona
182 Well, you got the same choice today. She’s fixing to bring forth the perfect Word back there, and the Word is coming for the Word Bride. As a—a woman is the part of a man, taken from him, so the Church will have to be a Word-abiding Church, every Word of the Bible; not systems, dogmas, or nothing added to It. It’ll have to be in an unadulterated, pure, virgin Word. Right.
Communion
62-0204 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
119 He appeared to Eve as an angel of light, told her, “Sure, the Lord said this, the Lord said this,” but he disagreed with God right at the end. And that’s the way false communion does today. When people think they’re praying to God, and won’t obey the Word, it’s a false communion.
120 “If ye abide in Me, and My Word in you, then ask what you will,” see, “and it’ll be done.” Now, it just can’t go one time, then off the next. “Ye abide in Me, My Words abide in you,” that’s, stay there. Abide means to “rest there, stay right there.” Yes, it—it’s inoculation from sinful diseases.
121 Now, let me close in saying this one word now, before we go to the communion table. The Blood and the Body of the Lord, mixed with faith, that’s the Blood and the Body, that’s the Spirit and the Word, mixed with faith, equals Eternal Life. “He that eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has Eternal Life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” There you are. What is it? The communion of the Lord. The Word and the Spirit, this Life is in the Blood, the Word and the Spirit equals Eternal Life, by faith in the Lord.
Psalm 19:14 14Let the words of my mouth, and *the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Psalm 77:12 12I will *meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
- Meditate: (H1897) to utter a sound, moan, meditate;to mutter; from the base meaning of uttering a sound of any kind comes a figure of meditation, the act of thoughtful deliberation with the implication of speaking to oneself.
Presuming
62-0117 · Phoenix, Arizona
67 You know, I heard someone was in a meeting here, some time ago. Someone said, “Just let your mind go blank now. Just look right straight up towards the skies. Let your mind go blank. You’ll get an experience.” And no doubt but what you do. That’s right. But, you get an experience, but what an experience? You see, when you do that, you just open your soul to Satan. He’ll give you something. That’s true.
68 But, I think, a person coming to Christ should come with all the intelligence they got, and quoting in their mind, when they come to Him, every promise in the Scripture. Keep your mind alert, when you come to Christ. Don’t let it go blank. The devil will make you do anything. See? They’ll give you a sensation. He can do that, too. But you want an experience, something that the Bible teaches, something that’s real.
69 Then they go away, presuming, “Well, a little nerve shook. I saw a light before me,” or—or something like that. “I got It.” And they never live any different. They go right on out.
Psalm 19:14 14Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
In the Old Testament, two Hebrew words are translated as “meditate.” One suggests a low-pitched muttering sound, and the other means to be taken up or absorbed by something. Taken together, we get the idea of someone pondering a biblical text, quietly vocalizing it repeatedly.
It can even mean to coo (pigeon), to growl (lion); a) to utter a sound; b) to moan; c) to read in an undertone; d) to mutter while meditating; e) to plot; f) to speak, proclaim
Theologian J.I. Packer describes it this way:
Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God… It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.
Psalm 104:33-34 33I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34 My *meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
- Meditate: (siyach) commune, ponder, study, consider, put forth thoughts, to talk, sing, speak
Psalm 119:15 15I will **meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
Psalm 119:48 48My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.
Philippians 4:6-9 6Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Here are some ways to meditate on the Bible:
- Read and study: Read and study the Scriptures regularly to help better understand God’s will for your life.
God Keeps His Word #1
57-0306 · Phoenix, Arizona
47 … Read the Word. Some of you don’t read the Word once a week. You ought to read chapter after chapter every day. Meditate; if you’d get your head out of them old magazines and things you’re reading, and out of this old, so many papers, and so-called religious literature that oughtn’t to never be on the market… That’s just as bad as reading some of the other magazines, stuff that’s false doctrine, and all kinds of dogma, and basing it upon the—on truth. Why, doctrine can’t be based upon some experience. Doctrine is based on God’s Word, not on experience. People can have experiences of everything.
- Focus: Be extremely diligent in your efforts to tune out distractions and focus fully on what you’re reading or the message that you are listening to. You have a choice as to what you focus on…
- Understand: Consider and carefully ponder how God is speaking about Himself, the world, and your heart.
Psalm 49:3 3My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
- Remember: Recall to the forefront of your thoughts all that God has done in His redemption story. Remind yourself that He did it ALL for you!
- Pray: Humbly ask God what He is saying to you through His Word, and what He desires for you to do in response. Keeping in mind NOT to tell Him WHAT to do or HOW to do it!!
- Journal: Write down what God’s Word says so you can go over it throughout the day.
Joshua 1:8-9 8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Psalm 1:1-3 (AMP) 1BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. 2But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.* 3And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].**
Blind Bartimaeus
57-0301 · Phoenix, Arizona
16 Blind Bartimaeus, setting by the gate, perhaps, in the sunshine of the direct rays of the Palestinian sun shining on him, by the wall… Let’s think that he was setting, meditating.
You know, the way to find God is to meditate upon God, think of God. David spoke of it. How he would bind the laws on his bedposts, and how he would meditate therein day and night.
If you notice it, as the disciples on the road to Emmaus, that while they were speaking to each other, concerning the Lord Jesus, that He stepped right out of the bush and walked with them.
**And if our minds would be more taken up on God and on the things pertaining to God, it would be so much easier to live a victorious life in Christ. He would be with us… **
17 And as we set as he did in the days gone by, [if our meditations is taken off of our church affiliations, if our meditation is taken off of our work, or off of the superstitions that we have in our mind, and place them upon Him and His Presence, He will come and do the same thing tonight that He did for blind Bartimaeus on that day. If we’ll just do it, if we’ll just keep our mind stayed on Him.]
And notice, it’s when we are thinking on those things. The Bible said, “If there be any praise, if there be any virtue, think on these things.”
Now, I want to ask you a question. What good does it do us to come to church and set in the meeting and ponder and may be discouraged because we didn’t get a prayer card, or maybe be discouraged because of some ill thing a neighbor did, or discouraged about one little matter or the other? That keeps Christ away from you. It’s when you’re thinking on Him.
That’s when the disciples, after the resurrection, was going down the road to Emmaus, as they were speaking about Him, that’s when He appeared to them.
We got our minds on too many things of the world. If we would throw those things off our mind, and think about Him and His soon coming, there’d be more revelations and power in the church. But we keep thinking about the things…“What am I going to do tomorrow? What will I do next week? Will I hold my job? Will this be…” All those things are in the hands of God. Think on Christ.
The Mighty Conqueror
56-0401M · Jeffersonville, Indiana
48 So they was wondering. But while they were thinking on Him, He appeared to them. And that’s the way He usually comes to us. When you usually find your greatest blessing; you housewives, when the children is all gone to school and you’re out by yourself washing the dishes, or something. When you’re running the sweeper on the floor, or something. When do you men? When you’re setting, eating your lunch, maybe by yourself, and reading the Bible on the side, somewhere where you’re on your road going home, in the car, and you are meditating on Him. If we would let the thoughts of our heart, and the meditations of our mind be upon Him, He would appear often to us. But the trouble, we’re thinking about where we’re going to make the next dollar, and what we’re going to do here, and how this is going to be. Jesus said, “All these things will be taken care of, but seek ye first the Kingdom of God.”
The World Is Falling Apart
63-1115 · New York, New York
164 What we need today is a good old-fashion, backwoods, sky-blue, sin-killing religion, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost back into the church again; a cleaning out, gun-barrel straight, sky-blue religion. We need a cleaning out, and a starting all over again. That’s the Truth.
165 Church, I’m not beside myself. I may be mad, as I said last night, but I—I feel good this way. I never did feel this way the other way, so I—I’d just like to stay this way. Yes, sir. I did lose my mind; I had to, to find the mind of Christ. Every other believer has to, that’s right, has to find the mind of Christ, by losing our own mind.
Revelation 20:15 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
John 15:4-5 4Abide 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. 5I 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.
The Fundamental Foundation For Faith
55-0113 · Chicago, Illinois
25 What did Christ redeem us for? Did you ever think what He redeemed us for? Why didn’t He just make you the atonement and say now, “There’s no need of giving them deep powers. There’s no need in making this man a son of God. There’s no need in doing that. I will just ask him to believe it and write his name in the Book of heaven and that’ll settle it.” But He gave us these redeemed blessings that we might operate the work of God, by the energy of the Holy Spirit.
In Saint John 15, He said, “I am the Vine, and ye are the branches.” Do you know that the vine can’t bear fruit, although the fruit is in the vine? But the fruit cannot be brought forth from a vine. It has to have the branch to bear the fruit. And you are the branches. Now, the vine with all of its energy cannot produce anything unless the br—branch is willing to receive the energy.
26 Now, God is depending on you as a member of His Body to bear fruit of His Spirit. And now, if He’s depending on you, let’s open up our channels, and let the Holy Spirit come in tonight and energize us, and—and free us from all these fears and doubts. Revival’s come.
Someone said, “The power was only given to the apostles for those things.” I’m not an historian but I have read much history—of church history. And I have never seen a time, in all the history of the world, where there ever was waves of the Holy Ghost that ever struck the church and without a revival but what signs and wonders and miracles followed it. God healed the sick in every age and will continue to do it in every age, where people and churches are willing to let loose and let the Holy Spirit take control of their being.
The Healing Of Jairus’ Daughter
55-0227E · Phoenix, Arizona
16 You remember when He stood there looking out upon the harvest, He said…He was the Lord of the harvest. He said, “The harvest is ripe and laborers are but few; pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that He will send laborers into His harvest.” In other words, “Pray to Me that I will send laborers into My harvest, which I’m just telling you it’s such a needy thing.”
But part of it lays in human beings. Do you believe that? The Kingdom of God lays within the human being. Now, Jesus said in one place, “I am the Vine, ye are the branches.” The vine can’t bear fruit; the branches in the vine bears fruit. God cannot bear fruit of Hisself, it’s got to take the Church. Is that right? He’s got to take you branches to bear fruit. And when you branches are yielded to the vine, then fruit comes forth. See what I mean? God wants your hands; He wants your eyes; He wants your tongue, wants your lips, wants your ears, wants your hands and feet so He can bring forth fruit through you.
Fellowship By Redemption
55-0403 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
210 And the only way that God can preach the Gospel, today, is through that lump of clay, and that’s why He is keeping you here. And that’s why you sick people have a right to come to Christ. Say, “Lord Jesus, if You’ll only heal me now, I’ll go. I may not be a preacher, but I’ll talk about It. I’ll do everything that I can. You are the Vine; I’m one of the branches.” Now, the Vine doesn’t bear fruit. The branches bears fruit. Not the Vine; the branch! The Vine only puts the energy into it. The Gospel can be preached by Christ if you’ll open up yourself and be a branch that’ll bear forth fruit. Others can see Christ in you, by your testimony, by your life and the way you live. He is the energy, but you’re the show picture. You’re the walking Bible.
God In His Word
57-0323 · Oakland, California
35 …The only thing you’ll have to do is to water the seed. Well, I… You put me on record tonight in these recorders. I have no apology for this remark that I’m fixing to make. I believe, and can prove, that the right mental attitude towards any Divine promise of God will bring it to pass. Yes, sir. The right mental attitude, but you’ve got to have the right attitude. The—the attitude is what brings the results. If you say, “Yes, yes, I believe it but I don’t know now.” That’s not the right attitude. The right attitude is to receive it, and say it’s “THUS SAITH THE LORD.” Then it’s right.
36 Now, I believe that everything that you have need of when you receive Christ… And Christ is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us.” God keeps His Word. Hope we get to it this week or next week one. God keeps His Word. He is duty bound to His Word. His Word can never fail. And I believe that when a Christian accepts God’s Word, and the Word is made manifest to him by the Holy Spirit, everything you have need of in this world, is given to you right then.
I believe that when a man gets born again, God gives him a checkbook with Jesus’ Name signed at the bottom of every check, and that check is good for every redemptive blessing that Jesus died for. If you’re not afraid to fill it out and turn it in. And I believe that we are planted in Christ, not stuck out, but we’re planted in Christ, and I…
You take a little tree and plant it; there’s only one thing you have to do to that tree; that’s water it. And it has got to drink. It’s got to drink more than its portion. It’s got to drink till it swells out. It pushes out leaves, pushes out branches, pushes out oranges, pushes out oranges again. [It’s has just got to drink, drink, drink, drink, and push out.]
37 And I believe that’s what the Church, the Christian’s got to do, is just to set down by Jesus Christ and His Word. And I believe that He is the inexhaustible Fountain of Life that man can be planted in Him, and drink, and push, and drink, and push, till every Divine promise in the Bible will be made manifest to him. Amen. Every promise in the Book, everything is God’s.
John 15:9-14 9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
John 15:15-16 15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16Ye have not *CHOSEN me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Chosen: (G1586) to pick out, choose, to pick or choose out for oneself; choosing one out of many, of God choosing whom he judged fit to receive his favors and separated from the rest of mankind to be peculiarly his own and to be attended continually by his gracious oversight;
Israel And The Church #1
53-0325 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
45 It isn’t because my mother there is saved, that I’m saved. It’s because God chose me, in Christ. I want you to see it. Not you choosing yourself; not your choice, how much you prayed, when you turned a new page. You had nothing to do with it. God! Oh, my, when you get to see what’s Truth! You say, “You mean that—that I—I didn’t turn to the Lord?” No, sir. You had no way at all of turning to the Lord**. Your whole nature, your whole make-up was against God. God called you. It’s always been that way.**
46 In the garden of Eden when man sinned, first, look at the nature of a sinner, hiding. But it should have been Adam calling God; it was Adam hiding, and God calling Adam. You see it**? That’s the nature of a sinner, hide, run away, get behind something.** But, God calling! Oh, my. Grace, amazing grace, God calling. And now notice, you say, “Oh, that was Adam and Eve.”
47 It’s always, through the Bible, the same. Jesus said, “No man can come to Me except My Father draws him.” Is that right? Now, that’s the Word. And that’s the way we want it, the Word, then you know where you’re standing.
48 How many in here has…are Christians tonight, know that you’re Christians, there’s something in you says you are a Christian? Yeah. All right. You see? Why, you should be the happiest people in the world. You should just believe that. My, that’s easy, take God’s Word for it!
49 Now, before you can become a Christian, God called you. Not you calling God; God called you. Now, He called Abraham, and he’s the father of us all, the faith. Notice now, He said, “Abraham!”
50 Now, it’s election. I want to get on that election, strong, ‘cause it’s the Truth. Now, you didn’t—you didn’t become a Christian just coincidence, because, you become a Christian before you was in this world. Before you were born, God ordained you to be a Christian, from the garden of Eden, from before the foundation of the world. “Oh,” you say, “is that right, brother?” That’s the Truth. God…before there was ever you knowed anything.
John 15:19 19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 15:26 26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: