Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
NT Framework - Christ shown in you
Is it possible for Christ to be fully manifest in you and seen by others? How could this happen?
More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com
This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament Framework. Today a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2:His impeccability is expressed through us, and here's the condition when we abide in him. Let's just, you can turn to John 15, the vine and the branches. The vine and the branches. So we're going to kind of start with an easy one. That's, I think, familiar, just to get across this idea before we go into Galatians and so forth.
Speaker 2:Jesus said in John 15, after Judas has already turned aside and he's gone out to betray him, jesus said I am the true vine, my Father is the vine dresser. So we're supposed to be thinking in terms of viticulture. Right, grape growing and you've got Christ is the vine. The Father is the one who cares for the vine. His job is to bring the vine to fruition. Right, good grapes. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away.
Speaker 2:Now we could discuss the word airo there. I think it means lift up, but they've translated it takes away. You know, if you have a non-fruit-bearing branch on the vine, some would say, well, you take that off and you throw it away. No, probably not in this verse. This verse, this word iro can mean lift up In actual viticulture, if you have a vine and here comes the spring and it's going to put out new shoots, right. So some of these shoots, they're very weak and gentle, fragile, and what they will do is the branch will like, touch the ground and get on the dirt. You're hanging down on the ground. It can't hold itself up yet, right, it's new. And so what the vine dresser would do is he'd come along and they would take little sticks that had a they look like a slingshot, you know a little V, and they would put them in the ground and lay the little branch upon it. To hold it up, to lift it up, keep it out of the dirt, because you don't want all that dirt getting in all the little new growth. And so I think that's what this word means.
Speaker 2:If you have a branch in me, we would say this is like a new believer and it's not bearing fruit. Most new believers don't. They don't bear much fruit. I mean, they're brand new believers. You know they've got to grow before they can bear fruit. Right, just like a vine.
Speaker 2:So he lifts up. That's the idea in verse 2. He lifts it up and then he talks about a different branch and he says and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it so it may bear more fruit. So these are established branches, right, they're already bearing fruit. What does he do? He bears it, I mean, he prunes it so it'll bear more fruit, and that's also a viticulture practice, quite normal. He says you're already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. So they're branches. That's the point, you're branches.
Speaker 2:And then he says something though and this is a key to productivity right, abide in me and I in you. Okay, so it's reciprocal abiding. Now you've got the branch. And he's saying to the branch I want you to abide in me. And he's saying I am the vine and I'll abide in you. And he says why? Next? Why, because, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. Then it goes on to talk about a mature branch that doesn't bear fruit and how it's either disciplined or loses, rewards, something to that nature in verses 5 and 6. But the point is like a branch cannot bear fruit apart from the vine, right? So the branch has to abide in the vine and the vine has to give its life through the branch. And that way, what do you have on the end of the branch? You have good fruit okay.
Speaker 2:And let me ask a question In this analogy of the vine and the branches, where is the fruit coming from? Is it coming from the branch or is it ultimately sourced in the vine itself the fruit coming from? Is it coming from the branch or is it ultimately sourced in the vine itself? It's sourced in the vine itself. That's where the good fruit is coming from, through the branch. Now let me ask you a question Is that fruit, if it's coming from the vine and the vine, is Jesus Christ? Is it flawed or is it perfect? Is it impeccable? It must be impeccable, it must be perfect in every way. So that's very interesting that you can have a manifestation of Christ through you, as long as you meet the condition of abiding In those moments. Let me ask you a question Are you sinning, fighting in those moments? Let me ask you a question are you sinning? If you're sinning, it's not coming from him. He can't sin, he's not able to sin right and he's impeccable. So whatever is coming through you, that has to be perfect. Okay, let's go to a passage Galatians 2. This will illustrate the same idea that came from Jesus right and it's written in John's Gospel.
Speaker 2:Now we're going to go to Paul and look at some of his interesting terminology in Galatians 2. Galatians 2. And this is a famous verse. I think Tony Boe used to call this money verse right, because it's Galatians 2.20. 20 is a $20 bill, so it's money you could bank on this right. Galatians 2.20.
Speaker 2:Paul says I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live. Now, this is such a strange thing. I'm not living, it's not me doing the living. Think back to the vine and the branches. Is it the branch by itself or is it the branch connected to the vine, the branch connected to the vine? You have to have the vine's life pouring through the branch to be fruitful. And isn't that very similar to what Paul is saying here? It's not I who live, no, because I'm just a branch right, but he says Christ lives in me. You see that connection in concept with the vine and the branches. He says in the life which I now live, in the flesh. He admits you know, we're here just in the flesh, mortal flesh. But he says this is the way I live my life. I live by faith in the Son of God Over.
Speaker 2:In John 15, it said abide. So if you're abiding in the mind. Do you think you're living by faith? Sure, that's what you're doing, that's how you're abiding. You're living by faith. So is Paul really saying anything, you know, entirely different than that analogy? No, this is not I who live, you know, I'm just a branch, okay. So what do I have to do? Plug into the vine? That's Christ living through me, right? So while I am here, living in the flesh, you know, the way I live is I live by faith. So see, faith and abiding are related concepts. So what would this mean? If Christ is living in him? What would the production be? Christ, a picture of Christ? I ask you a question Can Christ picture himself through you, according to this verse, sure.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app, and until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.