![\"Godly](\"http:\/\/www.all-creatures.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/lambleft.jpg\")
<\/a>A Sermon Delivered to
\nThe Compassion Internet Church<\/p>\n
3 May 2015<\/p>\n
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor<\/p>\n
Scripture References:<\/p>\n
John 3:16
\nJohn 15:1-8
\nActs 8:26-40
\n1 John 4:7-10<\/p>\n
Godly branches bear fruit, for they have been grafted into the vine of Jesus and follow His teaching.<\/p>\n
We are the branches that Jesus is referring to, whether we are good or bad.<\/p>\n
And only Godly branches bear fruit, for they are the born again believers who have the faith to live in the heavenly will of God.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s listen to how Jesus explains this\u2026<\/p>\n
In John 15:1-8, Jesus compares us to the branches on a grape vine.<\/p>\n
1. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.<\/p>\n
2. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.<\/p>\n
We are the branches; the ones that do not bear fruit are those who say they believe, but don\u2019t follow the teachings of Jesus; however, the branches that bear fruit are the ones who are true peacemaking children of God who live in the heavenly will of God.<\/p>\n
3. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.<\/p>\n
4. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.<\/p>\n
5. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.<\/p>\n
To abide in Jesus is to follow His teachings and commandments, for only Godly branches bear fruit.<\/p>\n
As Jesus says, this is not something we can do on our own; this is the fruit that comes from having a personal relationship with the Lord, and abiding in Him.<\/p>\n
6. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.<\/p>\n
7. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.<\/p>\n
We are constantly hoping and praying that God would bring about some events, situations, or even miracles that will help end the horrible suffering and death of over 100 billion land and sea animals every year to satisfy human greed and lust, or that Jesus would return now and usher in His peaceable Kingdom.<\/p>\n
We also tell Him that we are here waiting for His call to help in any way we can.<\/p>\n
8. “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
\nNASB<\/p>\n
And even if God does not answer our prayers right away, we still continue to abide in Him and do everything we can, for the glory of God, to help free creation from its present corruption.<\/p>\n
Acts 8:26-40 gives us an example of how our abiding in the Lord helps us to bear fruit.<\/p>\n
26. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Arise and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)<\/p>\n
We may not hear an angel of the Lord speak to us in the same way that he spoke to Philip, but the Bible has called us to be peacemaking children of God who live in His heavenly will, for only Godly branches bear fruit.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, we know that God wants us to help end all the human caused pain, suffering, and death here on earth; and the easy way to begin to do this is to feel the pain and suffering of all animals, and stop eating and wearing them.<\/p>\n
And, like Philip, we are to tell others about the way God wants us to live our lives, and encourage them to do the same things.<\/p>\n
27. And he arose and went; and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship.<\/p>\n
28. And he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.<\/p>\n
29. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”<\/p>\n
30. And when Philip had run up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”<\/p>\n
31. And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.<\/p>\n
Like Philip, we are to encourage others to want to hear the truth about living in peace with all of creation, and the more we encourage these things to happen, the sooner the violence will end.<\/p>\n
32. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
\n“He was led as a sheep to slaughter;
\nAnd as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
\nSo He does not open His mouth.<\/p>\n
These prophets of old knew how much animals suffered and used their suffering as an example for us, so that we might end it as Jesus tried to do.<\/p>\n
33. “In humiliation His judgment was taken away;
\nWho shall relate His generation?
\nFor His life is removed from the earth.”<\/p>\n
But, through us, we can bring His life and heavenly will back to earth as it is in heaven.<\/p>\n
34. And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or of someone else?”<\/p>\n
Part of bearing fruit is being prepared, such as understanding the Bible passages, and how to apply them to our daily lives while abiding in the heavenly will of God.<\/p>\n
35. And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.<\/p>\n
36. And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”<\/p>\n
37. [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]<\/p>\n
The reason that this verse has brackets around its message is because the oldest texts don\u2019t contain it, but it is correct when we put it in context.<\/p>\n
38. And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch; and he baptized him.<\/p>\n
39. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.<\/p>\n
We may not be snatched away by an angel of the Lord as Phillip was, but we need to be just as prepared for such encounters as he was.<\/p>\n
40. But Philip found himself at Azotus; and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
\nNASB<\/p>\n
Philip should be an example to us of how Godly branches bear fruit, so that we would also bear fruit.<\/p>\n
One of the most evident truths about abiding in Jesus is our love, which is discussed in 1 John 4:7-10\u2026<\/p>\n
7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.<\/p>\n
8. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s stop here for a moment and meditate upon what we are told here.<\/p>\n
If God is love as we are told here, then isn\u2019t it also logical that the whole of God\u2019s creation is based upon His perfect love?<\/p>\n
Of course it is!<\/p>\n
This is also reflected in what we are told in John 3:16\u2026<\/p>\n
16. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
\nNASB<\/p>\n
\u201cGod so loved the world,\u201d the whole world and not just part of it.<\/p>\n
Sure, He loved us and wanted us to be saved, but He also loved all the rest of creation, and wanted us to help protect it and every other living being in it with the same perfect heavenly love.<\/p>\n
Remember, Godly branches bear fruit, which is the result of our living in the perfect love of God\u2019s heavenly will.<\/p>\n
There is no place in love for the horrible suffering inflicted upon animals, or in the warring madness that is inflicting pain and suffering in the whole world; and neither is there any room in love for the indifference to suffering and corruption we see in politics, business, and in the hearts of most people in this world.<\/p>\n
We are to be loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God, for only Godly branches bear fruit.<\/p>\n
9. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.<\/p>\n
And since God is love, the only way we can live through Jesus is to do it in the perfect love of God\u2019s heavenly will.<\/p>\n
10. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
\nNASB<\/p>\n
This means that no matter what evil or ungodly things we may have done in the past, God is faithful to forgive us if we are truly repentant and turn away from our former sins.<\/p>\n
Remember, only Godly branches bear fruit, and worldly branches are burned in the fire.<\/p>\n
As Godly branches, we are to bear the abundant fruit of love, compassion, and empathy for every human and animal in the world, and we are never again to eat any animal products, or wear their skins; we are to return to Eden, spiritually, and eat only the plant foods that God created for us to eat.<\/p>\n
And, if we do this we will receive the bonus of being in better health, and be much happier.<\/p>\n
Only Godly branches bear fruit, which is the way that God and the world around us should see us; we are to be the living examples of Jesus in the world.<\/p>\n
Amen.<\/p>\n
See our Sermons Archive: http:\/\/all-creatures.org\/sermons.html<\/a><\/p>\n
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