Lesson 4563

 (Lesson 4563)(07-31-24) John 15:18-27 

   “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If 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. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. But 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: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.” 

 

 In today’s quote, Jesus warned those of us who choose to worship Him, that the world would hate us because it hated Him first. He explained that if one belongs to the world, the world would love that one as its own, but since those of us who have accepted, Jesus Christ do not belong to the world because He has chosen us out of it, the world hates us. Jesus reminded His disciples of His teaching that a servant is never greater than his master, meaning that they would face persecution just as He did. He also explained that those who persecute Him do so because they do not know God. Jesus concluded the lesson by saying that the Holy Spirit, whom He sent from the Father, will testify about Him, and that His disciples must also testify because they had been with Him from the beginning. ~

Lesson 4562

 (Lesson 4562)(07-30-24) John 15:15-17 

  “Henceforth 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. Ye 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. These things I command you, that ye love one another. 

 

   In, today’s quote, Jesus told His disciples that He would no longer call them servants, because servants do not know their master's business. Instead, He would call them friends, because He had shared with them everything He had learned from God the Father. He reminded them that they did not choose Him, but rather, that He chose them and appointed them to go and make disciples that would stay true to His word. Jesus concluded by reiterating His command that they love one another, emphasizing that this love is central to their mission and relationship with Him. ~ 

Lesson 4561

 Lesson 4561)(07-29-24) John 15:13-14 

   “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 

   In today’s quote, Jesus explained that the greatest form of love is laying down one's life for his/her friends. He told His disciples that they were His friends if they did what He commanded them. This passage emphasizes the depth of Jesus' love for His followers and the importance of obedience to His teachings as a mark of true friendship, or oneness with Him. ~

Lesson 4560

 (Lesson 4560)(07-28-24) John 15:8-12 

   “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 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. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” 

 

   The lesson in today’s quote conveys the importance of abiding in Jesus and keeping His commandments, particularly the commandment to love one another. Jesus taught that by working hard toward teaching His gospel, His disciples would glorify God and demonstrate their true discipleship. Jesus highlighted that the foundation of fruitfulness and obedience is love—just as He had loved them, they were to love each other. This mutual love is a reflection of the relationship between Jesus and the Father, and it is essential for maintaining the joy and spiritual well-being of His followers. Ultimately, the quote underscores the transformative power of living in accordance with Jesus' teachings and the centrality of love in the Christian life. ~

(Lesson 4559)(07-27-24) John 15:1-7 

   “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 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. 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. 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. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ” 

     In today’s quote, Jesus described Himself as the true vine and His Father as the vinedresser. He explained that every branch in Him that does not bear fruit is cut off, and every branch that does bear fruit is pruned so that it may bear more fruit. He told His disciples that they are already clean because of the word He has spoken to them. Jesus emphasized the importance of living in Him, seeing that a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is connected to the vine. He states that without Him, we can do nothing. Those who don’t believe in Him are cast out to wither and die. However, if we remain connected to Him, believe His words and live by them, we can ask for whatever we want, and it will be done. ~