When cooking I’ve learned firsthand how important it is to follow the recipe. Waffles can turn into Aweffles if you miss one part of the directions. Likewise in the realm of faith and prayer it’s important that we follow the recipe of the Spirit. In John 15 Jesus gives us a recipe for victory.
The Abiding in God FACTOR…John 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
2. THE RHEMA KEY
The Rhema FACTOR “… and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
WORDS; Strongs #4487. rhema, hray’‑mah; from G4483; an utterance (individ., collect. or spec.); by impl. a matter or topic (espec. of narration, command or dispute); with a neg. naught whatever:‑‑+ evil, + nothing, saying, word.
Here in this passage Jesus says that the next criterion to move mountains is that the Word must abide in you.
Not your words, not someone else’s words, not the word of Aunt Mildred, not the preacher who passed away prematurely, not the skeptic, not the words of a disappointed Christian, but HIS words.
We know that words have great meaning as we translate and seek to understand the Bible and we know that certain English words my have several root words in another language.
For instance, the New Testament was written in Greek and in Greek, there are several words for the English word Love. Therefore, when the translators give us “Love” in the English version it could have come from the Greek word Eros, Phileo, Agape, etc. It is not until you look at the original word that you will see which one of these “love” terms the writer intended. So it is with this passage. In this verse the word Jesus used in the Greek for “words” is “rhema.” You can see from the Strongs concordance that the word “rhema” means the utterance of God, the narrative of God, the saying of God. “Logos” is another Greek word for God’s Word, but it differs from “rhema” in that it refers to the written Word of God.
Rhema means the word from God that is “alive” to you at that moment, as if God spoke it to you in the present tense…fresh manna, a living thing from God Himself. So here Jesus is saying that the “rhema” must abide in you for you to command what you will and it to be done for you.
The Logos outlines our general sphere of your authority and dominion, but the Logos is not enough for mountain moving faith. A Word from God, even a “Logos” must become life to you personally for it to bring forth faith. So it must become to you a “rhema”.
In otherwords, it’s not enough to know scriptures mentally, we have theologians who know the Word of God mentally. It’s not enough to know about the Word of God, growing up in Church I knew virtually every Bible story. You must have the Word become faith within you personally. You must have had a Word quickened by the Holy Spirit for you to have mountain moving faith.
This “quickening” happens by the grace of God as you study, learn and hear the Word of God, subsequent to salvation. Just lifting up Jesus Christ in praise and worship can bring a liberty to lift the veil of doubt or ignorance. In just a flash God has spoken to me in the midst of Praise and Worship. In II Corinthians 3:15-18 we are told that where the spirit of Jesus is welcomed, there comes a liberty to perceive and understand the scriptures.
2 Corinthians 3:15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Sometimes the logos, or scriptures, are made relevant to you by the Holy Spirit– as it pertains to something specific in your life. In this process the Logos is becoming Rhema to you and giving you hope and faith.
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
At other times, God speaks to you personally by the spirit with spiritual thoughts and spiritual words perceived within the heart.
I Corinthians 2: 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
Lot’s of people have missed God and the power of their God given authority to call something to come to pass because they did not FIRST hear the Word of the Lord for their situation. Faith you create on your own is different than the faith that Gods gives you through His Word. True authoritative faith comes by hearing the Rhema of God.
That’s why Jesus never failed in His faith, He always heard the Father.
John 5:19 Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
I John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Strongs defines Born. 1080. gennao, ghen‑nah’‑o; from a var. of G1085; to procreate (prop. of the father, but by extens. of the mother); fig. to regenerate:‑‑bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring.
Jeremiah 1:9 Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.”
11 And the word of the LORD came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.”
12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”
Matthew 17: 16 “So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Matthew 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and He said to it, Let no fruit grow on said unto it thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away. 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask(say) in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Mark. 11:21b “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask (DESIRE) when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Mark 4:35 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Romans 4:16 For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, 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,
17 (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU”) in the sight of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
