Our Dependence John 15:5
The Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The words freedom and liberty do not mean absolute autonomy from any authority or power. In fact, our founding fathers recognized and acknowledged our dependence on God in almost every document they produced. Yet in the case of Engle v Vitale, the Supreme Court ruled the 22 word prayer, “"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country" as unconstitutional, which led to the removal of all prayer in public schools.
It is sad that our nation no longer feels their dependence on God. More tragic, though, is the fact that most Christians do not believe that they are dependent upon God. We profess to know the truth of our Lord’s sovereignty, but very often we simply don’t believe it in a practical way. We really don’t believe that apart from Him we can do nothing. We consistently hear supposedly spiritual leaders touting messages of developing one’s potential and venting the motto “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it an achieve.”
The Word of God teaches us that man can do nothing apart from God. As believers we are to recognize our union with Him and demonstrate our understanding of our dependence in both word and deed.
I. The Truth of Our Dependence
A. John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
B. While looking at the context of this passage with Christ speaking to the fact that we can bear no spiritual fruit apart from an abiding dependence on Christ the reality is that apart from Christ we can do nothing at all.
C. There is nothing that you or I can do to earn God’s favor or to merit His salvation.
1. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
2. Romans 3:22b-23 “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
3. We like to think that there is some bad in the best of us, and some good in the worst of us.
4. The real problem is in the hearts and minds of men. It is not a problem of physics but of ethics. It is easier to denature plutonium than to denounce the evil spirit of man. — Albert Einstein
5. Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"
6. John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…”
D. There is nothing that you or I can do in and of ourselves to overcome sin.
1. Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
2. Verse 19 expresses the reality that all of us, all the time are utterly powerlessness in ourselves against the evil of the flesh whether or not we are saved.
E. There is nothing that you and I can do to produce lasting spiritual fruit or generate works that will endure scrutiny at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
1. John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
2. Matthew 7:18-23 “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'”
F. We are absolutely dependent on Christ for everything. He is Lord. Without Him we can do nothing!
II. The Demonstration of Our Dependence or the Lack thereof.
A. Matthew 7:20 “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
B. We say that we believe that we are utterly and totally dependent on Christ but then demonstrate by our actions and inaction that those are just words, that we really don’t believe it.
C. Lack of Prayer
1. We say we are dependent on Christ but then fail to pray for strength to overcome temptation, to seek His face and His will in the day to day, moment by moment issues of life, to ask for His guidance and power instead of trusting in our wits and beliefs. At best we give Him token prayers.
2. "If some people looked at their watches when they started praying and when they ceased praying, they would think their watches had stopped." - Billy Sunday
3. James 5:16 “... The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
4. A visitor to the White House when Lincoln was president was with Lincoln for three weeks as his guest. One night, soon after the Battle of Bull Run, this visitor could not sleep. Suddenly he heard a low voice proceeding from the room where the president slept. He got up and walked toward the door, which was partly open. Then he saw the president kneeling before an open Bible. The light was turned low, and the president's back was to the door; he did not know that he was being overheard. In piteous and solemn tones the president was praying: "Thou God that heard Solomon in the night when he prayed and cried for wisdom, hear me! I cannot lead this people. I cannot guide the affairs of this nation without Thy help. I am poor and weak...O God, Thou didst hear Solomon when he cried for wisdom--hear me and save this nation." - Choice Illustrations, W.W. Clay pg 57-58
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”
D. Lack of Holiness
1. The fact that this truth is not believed by many is seen in the indifference to sin and lack of separated living for Christ.
2. 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
E. Lack of Obedience
1. If we say that He is Lord of all why don’t we yield allegiance to Him as Lord of all?
2. Malachi 1:6a “"A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence?”
III. The Benefit of Dependence
A. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
B. Salvation from the penalty and power of sin
1. Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
2. Philippians 3:8-10 “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
C. Power to produce lasting fruit
1. John 15:5, 8 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing... By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
2. Donald Grey Barnhouse cites an amazing example of lasting fruitfulness. In Hampton Court near London, there is a grapevine under glass; it is about 1,000 years old and has but one root which is at least two feet thick. Some of the branches are 200 feet long. Because of skillful cutting and pruning, the vine produces several tons of grapes each year. Even though some of the smaller branches are 200 feet from the main stem, they bear much fruit because they are joined to the vine and allow the life of the vine to flow through them. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches. And when we need pruning, the goal is always more fruit. - copied
D. Guidance and Wisdom to accomplish His will
1. Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
2. James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
3. "Just remember that when you don't know what to do, God always knows what to do, and He will tell you (James 1:5)." – Kent Crockett
4. "You might not be able to improve your I.Q., but you can improve your W.Q. by praying for wisdom." – Kent Crockett
