"Ye Can Do Nothing"
John 15:4-5
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Imagine a branch that has been removed from its tree. It is important to note that the branch can no longer bear fruit because it has been separated from that which gives it life (i.e the vine). That branch can no longer obtain water and nutrients from the vine, hence it is now unable to continue to bear fruit. Even though God has purposed us to be a light in the world we have to comprehend that the excellency of the power is of Him. By this, I mean that we must allow God to be the light through us. The only way we can come by this is if we become totally committed to Him and that we walk in obedience and agreement to His way.
A knowledge of Him alone is not sufficient to walk in the power of righteousness, because knowledge without obedience is pointless. A prime example of this is the scenario with the Sons of Sceva, and the Jewish Chief Priest, who attempted to cast the demons from them. He knew that the name of Jesus had the power to cast out demons. He gained that knowledge from watching Paul. However, the priest did not have a life that reflected that knowledge. Paul, on the other hand, had the knowledge of God, and with that knowledge, he obeyed, agreed and submitted to God's will and purpose for his life. Therefore, Christ was able to work through him.
Do you remember the response of the evil spirits? They said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?”. They acknowledged who had the power to cast them out; Jesus and Paul. They confirmed Jesus’ Word in John 15:5 “for without me (Christ) ye can do nothing.” What they are actually saying is that Jesus has to be operating through the vessel for us to yield and surrender. They were even bold enough to call Paul’s name because they recognized that Jesus was in him. In other words, if Paul was not walking in obedience to Christ the demons would not have been able to identify Christ in him, and he would not have been able to cast them out.
When they asked, “But who are you?”, their question insinuates that you can do nothing without Christ, so let us, as sons of God all walk in the Spirit so that we can be guided by God and see Him manifest through us.
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