(Isaiah 27:1–13)
1
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.
2
He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.
3
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4
Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
6
If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8
This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.
No Greater Love
9
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.
10
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
11
I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
12
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14
You are My friends if you do what I command you.
15
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
16
You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
17
This is My command to you: Love one another.
The Hatred of the World
18
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
19
If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
20
Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’(a) If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
21
But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.
22
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
23
Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.
24
If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
25
But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’(b)
26
When the Advocate (c) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.
27
And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
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