Bearing Fruit

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. God bless you, everyone reading this program! Today we’re going to talk about Bearing Fruit. It’s for His glory! Let’s turn to Mark 4:1-20, And again He began to teach by the sea, and a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. And He said to them, He who has ears to hear, let him hear! But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, To you it has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them. And He said to them, Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the Word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the Word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the Word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the Word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the Word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Here Jesus spoke about four different kinds of hearts. All of them received the Word into their hearts. It was the condition of each one’s heart that determined the effect that the Word had in their life. The only ones that brought forth fruit were the good ground: the ones that heard the Word and received it and brought forth fruit according to their ability. Luke 8:15 says, But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. “Patience”, there, is hopeful endurance, or continuance. So, as Jesus said, If you continue in My Word, you will be My disciple indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. You will be delivered from the things that have you bound and prevent you from bearing fruit to God’s glory. Whatever the condition of your heart, if you will come to the Lord, in true humility and honesty, and ask Him to change your heart, He can do it!, if you are sincere; if you will continue with Him, even when it gets hard. It most likely will involve enduring some difficult times and circumstances; remaining faithful to Him; repenting and yielding to His correction in your life, for your heart to be changed. You have to want this!

Let’s turn to John 15:1-17, I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you. 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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 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 the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. Verse 8, By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As we continue in the love of God, keeping His Words; abiding in Him and in His love, His Word will bear fruit through us as He leads us by His Holy Spirit to do His will, loving Him; abiding in Him, and He in us, leading us in loving others and doing the will of the Father in their lives; speaking His Word to them by the Holy Spirit, and doing His works, seeking to glorify the Father with all our hearts, even as Jesus did, and even as Moses. Moses cared for the Father’s name and for His honor. When he interceded on behalf of Israel, his concern was that the Father’s name would not be dishonored.

Let’s turn to John 12:23-26,  But Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. John 7:18, Jesus said, He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the edification of the Body of Christ. They are operated as the Father wills, for His glory; for His Holy Name’s sake, by the Holy Spirit, through yielded vessels that are seeking to honor Him, not through self-loving, pleasure-loving, money-loving people who are seeking their own glory.  In Acts, chapter 3, we read where the Lord healed the lame man who was begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, through Peter and John. Verses 11-16, Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. 

So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. I’m reminded of what Peter wrote in his epistle, If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God gives, that God, in all things, may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever, Amen! Again, in John 15:16, Jesus said, 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 the Father in My name He may give you.  That the Father may be glorified through the Son, John 14, let’s go there, verses 12-14, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Is that your desire? Do you desire that the Father may be glorified through Jesus Christ, through your ministry, through your service? Verses 20&21, At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. In verse 31, Jesus said, But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Jesus went to the Cross and died for our sins and rose again because He loved the Father and He loved us. It was the love of God in Him that caused Him to lay down His life for us. He said, Greater love has no man that this: than to lay down one’s life for his friends. He spoke of how the seed must die and be buried, and then it will bring forth much fruit. Look at the fruit that has come from Jesus’ love and obedience to the Father, seeking to honor Him in laying down His life for us! So it will be for us if we will love the Father, and love His Son, and serve them, yielding to the Holy Spirit to lay down our lives, our self-love, our desires, our very lives, to serve Him and  labor in His fields. As He dwells in us, and we dwell and abide in Him, trusting Him and following Him, His Word will bring forth fruit by the Holy Spirit through our lives, as we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him every day. Not my will, but yours be done Father! For whatsoever we ask the Father, in prayer, believing, in Jesus’ name, for His glory, that will He do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son! Ask, and you shall receive, that the Father may be glorified in the Son! Through believing prayer, laboring in prayer and in the Word of God, we will bring forth fruit with patience; with continuance,  being married to Jesus; bearing fruit unto God- married to Him in love! That love relationship produces fruit. Rom 7:4-6, Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.  For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. Serving God, in the newness of the Spirit!

Psalm 1, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Delighting in the Word of God, with the Holy Spirit guiding us and teaching us, we will be bearing fruit in it’s season.

 It’s About Love

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. I want to say, God bless you, to everyone that is reading this. Today’s program is about love. It’s called, It’s About Love. Let’s turn to 1 Cor 13:1-13, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.  When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Let’s turn to John 3:14-21, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus and He said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is a very familiar verse to many, many Christians, and to many people, but how many of us have really meditated on it, and really considered what Jesus said?: that God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son a living sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary for us. Verse 17, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. 

Let’s turn to 1 John 4:7-12, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. The word “propitiation” is talking about Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. Chapter 3, verse 16, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Jesus said, Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. He said, You are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. In John 15:7-14, Jesus said,  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

Let’s turn to Mark 12:28-34, Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all? Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is: Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. So the scribe said to Him, Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God.

Let’s turn to John 17:20-26, As Jesus was praying to the Father He said, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Did you hear that? Jesus said, I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. We need to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:15-21, Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. Jesus said, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. We must believe the love that the Father has for us, that He would send His beloved Son into the world to suffer so much for us: to bear all our sins; everything that separates us from Him, in His own body and soul, there on the Cross. There Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood. What does that mean: He washed us from our sins in His own Blood?

Jesus, the Son of God, is a man: a man who was tempted in every way as we are, yet He never sinned. He was tried and tested, and He never failed. He loved and obeyed His Father and humbled Himself to do His will, and suffer and die for us there on that tree. When He died, His Blood was shed; they pierced His side, and out came Blood and water. His sinless, perfect life was in His Blood, and it was shed to atone for all our sins; the sins of the whole human race; the sins, that without that atonement and cleansing, would bring about eternal damnation and death; separation from God and all His goodness. But because He loved us, and because He wanted to save us from our sins and give us eternal life, the Father sent His Son Jesus to pay our ransom with His own perfect, sinless life; to offer it up on that Cross: the complete atonement for us. And because Jesus loved the Father, and because He loved us, He overcame and laid down His own flesh, and went to the Cross for us. There the Father made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, in Jesus. 

When we believe this love that God has for us: that He would do this for us; when we repent of our sins and believe that His shed Blood cleanses us completely from all our sins; when we believe that Jesus died for us and that He rose again on the third day completely justified from all sin and unrighteousness, then God imputes that faith to us for righteousness, and He clothes us with the robe of His righteousness. When we receive revelation and understanding by the Holy Spirit of all that He has done for us; of how much He loved us!, how then can we help but love Him and follow Him with all our hearts, keeping His Words; loving one another, as His love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh, with it’s affections and lusts. When you come to Jesus in repentance and confess Him Lord and believe that the Father raised Him from the dead for your justification, because He loves you, you shall be saved, to love Him! and follow Him, and serve Him, and love the ones He has in your life.

Jesus said, that in these last days, that many people’s love would grow cold because of iniquity abounding. As in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot’s righteous soul was vexed by the things he heard and saw every day, so it is today. Our souls are vexed by the evil we see and hear about every day. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that in the last days difficult times would come because people would be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure, and so on. So it is today. We are in these last days. What can we do? Remember the Words of Jesus which I quoted earlier: If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. If we will turn from our own ways, and set our hearts on Him, and on His Word, and spend real quality time each day in His Word, reading and meditating in; doing and living His Word, we will abide in His love, and His love will be manifested through our lives in this present evil world. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

 The Brokenhearted

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. God bless you, everyone of you who is reading this! Today we’re going to talk about The Brokenhearted. Let’s turn to Luke 4:14-22, Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 

And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, Is this not Joseph's son? Let’s turn to Isaiah, chapter 61. This is the scripture which Jesus read. We’re going to read it in Isa 61:1-3, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Jesus did not quote all of these verses, but He was referring to all of these verses; all of theses verses are fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus. And this is the acceptable year of the Lord! The acceptable year of the Lord is the time of God’s acceptance, goodwill and favor. And this is the time: from the moment that Jesus read these Words and He said, This day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears, until now; until the day that He returns, is the acceptable year of the Lord; it’s the time of God’s acceptance, goodwill and favor. I’m reminded of John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

In Psalms 109, verse 16, speaking about Judas Iscariot and his betrayal of Jesus, it says, 

Because he did not remember to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. This shows that Jesus’ heart was broken on the Cross, as He bore the sins of the whole human race, and as He was rejected and separated from the Father, because He was made sin on the Cross, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Then He cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? Jesus’ heart was broken on that Cross, because of sin and rejection, that He might heal your broken heart. He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Verse 11 of Isaiah 53,  He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Jesus’ soul travailed greatly as all our sins, the sins of the whole human race, were laid upon Him on that Cross. The Father had to separate Himself from Him at that time, when He was made sin for us, because He cannot fellowship with sin. He is Holy and separate from sin. So Jesus took it all upon Himself, He that knew no sin, though He was tempted in every way as we are, the spotless Lamb of God, and His heart was broken for us, so that we might be forgiven and cleansed, washed in His Blood, and our broken hearts might be healed. Again: He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted. Jesus was sent to heal our broken hearts!

Let’s turn to Psalms 51:1-19, David wrote this psalm when he was repenting for his sin with Bathsheba, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. I want to point out that the word “hyssop” there is very important. If you remember, in the Old Testament, on the day when God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt with Moses, He commanded them to take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood of the Passover lamb and wipe it on the doorposts of their houses. And when God saw the blood, He passed over their houses and did not allow the destroyer to come in to smite them. So this is referring to the Blood of the Lamb. I believe that the Lord would have me explain something to someone who is reading this and you are perhaps saying in your heart, How could King David write about the Blood of Jesus when Jesus was not even born yet? How could he have done that? I just want to explain to you: as you read the Psalms that David wrote, there are many prophetic references there about Jesus, and there is no way he could have done that except by the Spirit of the Lord. When you study the scriptures you see in 1 Sam 16:13 that David was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king of Israel, and it says at that time that the Holy Spirit came upon David from that day forward. Also in 1 Peter 1:10&11 Peter said, Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  So David was filled with the Holy Spirit, and when he wrote these Psalms he prophesied about Jesus and about His sufferings. In fact, I just quoted from Psalm 22 earlier, where He cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? Of course David was not writing that about himself; he wrote it about the precious Lamb of God. So here, when he wrote “purge me with hyssop”, he was prophetically referring to the Blood of the Lamb, which will wash you white as snow. If you will come to Jesus, whoever you are, if you will come to Jesus and humble yourself and confess your sins to Him, He will wash you, He will cleanse you in His precious Blood . The Father will send His Son to wash you and cleanse you. His Blood cleanses you, just as though you’ve never sinned, white as snow! Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God! Verse 10, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. 

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar. Verses 16&17, For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 34:18, The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 109:21&22, But do for me, oh God the Lord, for your name's sake: because your mercy is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. Jesus did not die of a broken heart, as many have said, but He was in anguish and sorrow over our sins, and His heart was broken for us. But, rather, He laid down His life for us, that we might be healed and delivered and live forever with Him in His glory! He said, I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received from My Father. He said, Greater love has no man than this: that one lay down his life for his friends. He said, you are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. 

He said, If you love Me, keep my commandments, and, This is My commandment: that you love one another. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God. You are accepted in Jesus! He bore your rejection on that Cross. The scripture says, He was despised and rejected of men. The love of God will heal your broken heart, and heal all your wounds! But you must repent and turn from all your own ways: the sins that have caused all the pain and torment in your life, and come to Him, and surrender anew to Him. You must ask Him to help you to forgive those people in your life who have hurt you, who have done you wrong. As you forgive them, your heart will be healed. Jesus said, Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. For if you will not forgive those who have sinned against you, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your sins. You will continue in your torments until you forgive. Make no mistake, if your sins are not forgiven, you are not going to Heaven. But, if you will come to the Lord with a broken and a contrite heart, willing to forgive anyone who you have anything against, confessing your sins to Him, and confessing your faults to your brother or your sister, to your mother or your father or your children, He will heal your broken heart, and your soul will be restored.  Psalm 147:3, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 

Let’s turn to Rev 21:1-8, Now I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth, for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.

 The Promise

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called The Promise. May God bless all of you through reading this program! What is the Promise? Let’s turn to Acts 26:1-23, This is when the Apostle Paul was appearing before King Agrippa, when he was in prison in Caesarea, Then Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 

They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? 

Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. So I said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. 

Let’s turn to Acts 13:13-39, Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment. After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all My will. From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: You are My Son, today I have begotten you. And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: I will give you the sure mercies of David. Therefore He also says in another Psalm: You will not allow your Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. 

Are you beginning to see what the Promise is? Let’s keep going: Rom 4:13-25, For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations, in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; (We see here that the Promise that God made to Abraham was not only for the Children of Israel, but it was for all nations) who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, So shall your descendants be. And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead, since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Hallelujah! Jesus was crucified for our sins, and raised again for our justification. Thank you Lord! Being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able also to perform, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Let’s turn to Gen 12:1–3,  Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed. Glory to God! God made this promise to Abraham! This is how Abraham started with God. The next verse says, So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him. Let’s turn to Gen 22:1-19, Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am. Then He said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. Those of you who know the scriptures, you know that Abraham believed God when God promised him a son. God came to him in the plains of Mamre and promised him that he would have a son. And so here He said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. Where was he going? To the Land of Moriah. And Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you. So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, My father! And he said, Here I am, my son. Then he said, Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering. So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! So he said, Here I am.  

And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, Jehovah-jireh, The Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided. Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.  God said this to Abraham on Mount Moriah. When we were in Israel, my wife and I, and we were sitting at Golgotha-the very place where Jesus was crucified, our British guide preached the Gospel to all of us who were there. And during that message he said, Where we are sitting is actually a part of Mount Moriah. It is a geological formation that extends from where the Temple Mount is, all the way over to Golgotha. So, in my opinion, it is possible that where Abraham offered Isaac was at the very place where Jesus was crucified. And when Abraham was walking with Isaac up Mount Moriah, and Isaac asked him, Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?, and Abraham said, God will provide Himself a Lamb; he said this right there, at that same place where God provided the Lamb of God, His beloved Son, a perfect spotless sacrifice for the sins of the whole world! This is the Promise that God made to Abraham: In your Seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed! All the nations of the Earth shall be blessed in your Seed! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! Thank you Lord! Gal 3:16, Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to your Seed, who is Christ. Gal 4:28, Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 1 John 2:25, And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. 

 Born From Above

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called Born From Above. Let’s turn to John 3:1-21, There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (The original Greek says, born from above. So when a person is born again, he is born from above.)  Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to Heaven but He who came down from Heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in Heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. Verse 5, Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. So we must be born of the Spirit, and we must be born of water. The Bible says, If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are past away: born of water; crucified with Christ; buried with Him, and raised with Him, in water baptism. Behold all things become new. 

Let’s turn to Rom 10:9&10, ,...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Gal 4:4-7,  But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father! Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Rom 8:10,  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin… This is what happens when we are baptized in water, after we hear the Gospel and we believe the Gospel; we believe in Jesus’ suffering for our sins; we confess our sins and believe on Him, and we are baptized in water for the remission of sins. When you are baptized in water, the scripture says you are crucified with Christ: you’re baptized into His death, His burial, and His resurrection. So your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Let’s turn to John 20:19-22, Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, Peace be with you. When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Ok, right here, where it says, breathed on them, actually the Greek says, breathed into them. So Jesus breathed into the disciples, and they received the Holy Spirit. This is where they were born from above. The disciples were born from above when Jesus breathed into them His Spirit. He breathed into them the Holy Spirit. Remember, If any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away. This is where they became new creatures, and they were born from above. Gal 4:4, Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying Abba, Father. 

1 John 1:1-10, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. Let’s turn to chapter 3, verses 1-24,  Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.   If we have this hope of being resurrected, when Jesus returns, in the first resurrection; if we have this hope in us of being glorified like He has been glorified, if we have this hope in us, we will be purifying ourselves just as He is pure.   The scripture says here, in verse 4, Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Actually the scripture right there is talking about practicing sin. Whoever sins, or practices sin,  has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not practice sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot practice sin, because he has been born of God. In the original Greek, that verse says, Anyone having been born of God does not practice sin because His Seed abides in him.

Jesus is God’s Seed, and He abides in us. If we are born of God; if we are born from above, Jesus’ Spirit is joined with our spirit; Jesus Christ is in us, and we are in Him!

We are not able to continue sinning because we have been born of God. In verse 6 it says, Whoever practices sin has not seen Him, neither known Him. Jesus said in Mat 7, Depart from Me, I never knew you: you who practice lawlessness. Jesus said, Come to Me and take my yoke upon you and learn of Me. The Apostle Paul said, in Phil 3:7-11,  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 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, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.

Do you know Jesus? Do you really know Him? Does He dwell in you? Do you dwell in Him? Are you abiding in Him, and does His Word abide in you? Don’t be deceived by all the lying prophets in the world today. If you are in Jesus, and He is in you, you cannot practice sin. If you love Him, you will be seeking to keep His Words with all your heart. If you sin, you will come to Him, and to your brother or sister, in repentance and confess your sin, and be cleansed by His precious Blood, that you may continue to walk with Him, in righteousness, with a clear conscience. Paul said, I exercise myself daily to have a conscience void of offense toward God and man. Also you will rejoice to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and be baptized, immersed in the Holy Spirit, yielding your tongue and all your members to Him, to be led by Him to work righteousness and to glorify your Father in Heaven. If you love yourself and your pleasures, you will not come to Him. Jesus said, He who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out. You may say you know Him, but if you walk in darkness, practicing sin, you are a liar. And no matter who may say to you that you are OK, you will stand some day before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and you will be judged for all your works. What did Jesus mean when He said, you must be born of water and of the Spirit, or you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God? You are born of water when you are baptized in water, after you have heard of Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins and His resurrection from the dead; you believed in Him and it was imputed to you for righteousness; now you must be baptized into His death, crucified with Him and raised with Him into newness of life in Him. You are born of the Spirit when you confess Jesus Lord and believe that He rose from the dead. His Spirit comes into your spirit, just

like when Jesus breathed into the disciples when He appeared to them after He rose from the dead, and you are born of the Spirit! Your spirit is made alive in Him! And He is in you! Has this really happened to you? If so, then you are born of God, and you are truly a child of God. Have you really met Jesus? Do you really know Him? He that says he knows Him and doesn’t keep His Words is a liar and the truth is not in him, but he that keeps His Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. Hereby we know that we are in Him. Christ in you: the hope of Glory!