Two purposes to election and predestination; John 15:16.

Title: Two purposes to election and predestination; John 15:16.

 

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.

 

Fruit that doesn't remain is production that on the surface looks like divine good, but in reality it is human good from defective motivation.

 

Matt 21:18 Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry.

 

Matt 21:19 And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered.

 

Leaves only - outwardly the tree looked healthy and in full bloom and at this time, the Passover, should have ripe figs.

 

 "that your fruit should remain" - divine good is rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ and these eternal rewards are an eternal testimony to the fruit produced by Christ through the believer in time.

 

1 Cor 3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it.

 

1 Cor 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 

1 Cor 3:12 Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

 

1 Cor 3:13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.

 

1 Cor 3:14 If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.

 

1 Cor 3:15 If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.

 

It is fully understood by those who have rewards in heaven that it was Christ, the true vine, that produced the fruit and that the branch alone could not have done it, REV 4:10.

 

REV 4:10

the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne

 

While the crowns, uniform of glory, order of the morning star, new name, etc. are eternal evidences of divine good in time, some portion of the divine good produced will be in the NJMH.

 

REV 3:12

'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore;

 

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.

 

In this very important verse, important because of its content, there are two purpose clauses. This is often the way in which God presents His truth. Something that God has done for the believer either through direct imputation or through indirect agency is stated as a reality of His grace and then the purpose of that gift is added on using the subordinate conjunction hina. It is subordinate because it depends on the main clause in the sentence.

 

If the verse just said, “so that you should go and bear fruit and your fruit should remain” [“that” before “fruit should remain” is not in the original therefore it is one subordinate clause] it would be lacking the main substance.

 

In other words:

God has to give to the believer in grace before the believer can have a purpose. The believer cannot act until he understands what has been given.

 

That statement, if understood by all the Church, would quench religion once and for all. Learn your position first. Learn all that God has imputed by means of grace at salvation. Learn all that God has promised to continue to give directly and indirectly throughout your Christian life, and then do.

 

The world system: Do and then you will get.

God’s grace policy: Receive freely and then do.

 

To learn what God has done for you and then to not act upon those gifts is abnormal. If I told you I was the world’s greatest artist you would naturally ask me what I have painted or sculpted. If I said, “Nothing, I haven’t actually produced any art, I just know how to and if I did, it would be the best you’ve ever seen,” that would be abnormal.

 

A branch that doesn’t produce fruit is abnormal.

 

A normal branch produces fruit, but why does it produce fruit? It does so because it abides in the vine. As remaining in fellowship with Christ, and standing at the Holy of Holies, you are learning what you have received from Him freely. In our analogy the nutrients and water are flowing up the vine and down the branch, from Christ, through His word, to you. After you have learned what was given in election and predestination then you can do.

 

To attempt to do, before you know what was given, results in production that is not directed by the word of God and manufactured under false motivation, which is fruit that doesn’t remain; worthless.

 

Luke 6:46 "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

 

Luke 6:47 "Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like:

 

Luke 6:48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

 

Luke 6:49 "But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

 

Fruit production leads to true happiness and true happiness leads to stability.

 

John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

 

 “your joy may be made full” = Christ’s happiness fills up your deficiency making you whole and stable.

 

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.

 

The gifts of the main clause are election and predestination. The two subordinate purpose clauses are true fruit bearing and answered prayer.

 

As a second purpose clause, answered prayer does not depend upon fruit bearing but is simultaneous with it. Both are dependent on realizing the fullness of election through execution of predestination.

 

We have studied fruit bearing and we have studied prayer in a 14 hour series. When did we study prayer? October 6, 2011!

 

Review doctrine of prayer: Point 1 - Introductory principles.

 

It is doubtless that unsaved persons attempt to pray or at least say that they will or plan to.

 

However, the unbeliever is without the ground to access God, which ground is Christ.

 

The believer finds himself on ground that grants him unlimited access to God in a way and in a frequency that never occurred in the OT.

 

The plan of God for Christ’s humanity has been graciously given to the CA believer, and so:

 

It would be incredible that the One who lived by prayer when here on earth should not impel the one in whom He lives to exercise his right to the potentialities of prayer.

 

The basis for access to the throne of God is the believer’s position in Christ, who is the Mediator and Advocate that sits at the right hand of God. Prayer then becomes a ministry of the believer’s priestly office.

 

We are called into partnership with Christ, 1Cor 1:9.

 

1 Cor 1:9

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

All partnerships go two ways. We abide in Him and He does His works through us. In fulfillment of this partnership, Christ through His word and His Spirit accomplishes even more work throughout the CA then He did during His first advent.

 

John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

 

John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

 

John 14:14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

 

The privilege given to abide in Him, the work done by Him through the believer, and the fulfillment of prayer all go back to the same source - our position in Him. “in My name.”