WEBVTT 00:00:00.380 --> 00:00:03.880 I want to invite you to John 15 is where we're going to be today, John 15. 00:00:04.800 --> 00:00:11.760 And if you've been here with us through this Book of John especially last couple of weeks, you've known, I have said this several times. 00:00:11.820 --> 00:00:15.800 This is my favorite section of scripture, John 13-17. 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:19.860 These chapters, Jesus' final hours on this earth. 00:00:19.860 --> 00:00:27.160 He chooses to spend in a very intimate setting with His closest followers, communicating to them what it means to be a true 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:31.340 disciple, true follower of Christ, beautiful passage of scripture. 00:00:31.580 --> 00:00:37.210 In John 15, He's going to get to a really a so what do you do with your life kind of a place. 00:00:38.220 --> 00:00:41.920 And it's built off of what we experienced in 13-14. 00:00:41.940 --> 00:00:46.980 If you remember John 13, it really starts with a servant heart of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. 00:00:47.340 --> 00:00:52.240 He even washes Judas' feet and tells us that Judas is about to betray Him. 00:00:52.680 --> 00:00:57.820 A very loving, very gracious, He looks His enemy in the face and still loves and cares for him. 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:01.660 Jesus conducted Himself in the same manner, same character throughout His ministry. 00:01:01.940 --> 00:01:03.900 Very beautiful servant heart. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:08.560 Jesus does this to Judas tells the disciples He is leaving, disciples freak out. 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:10.360 Peter says the end of 13. 00:01:10.360 --> 00:01:11.530 "Ain't no way that's happening. 00:01:11.540 --> 00:01:18.600 I'm going down guns blazing." And Jesus tells even Peter that "You're going to deny me before the night's over." And then when you get to 00:01:18.600 --> 00:01:24.540 John 14, Jesus knows that the disciples are in turmoil, they're looking at Jesus, thinking of Jesus is going down. 00:01:24.540 --> 00:01:31.710 "What's going to happen to us because we have followed after Him and the world knows that we're followers of Him, we've given up everything last three years to pursue Jesus. 00:01:32.160 --> 00:01:34.420 And now Jesus is telling us He's gone. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.690 And if people are going to hate Him to the point they're going to kill Him, what are they going to do to us? 00:01:37.800 --> 00:01:38.860 They're probably going to kill us. 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:40.230 How in the world can we bail? 00:01:40.300 --> 00:01:43.370 How in the world can we hide?" All this turmoil in their heart. 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:49.590 And that's where Jesus starts John 14, "Let not your heart be troubled." And then He gives us these wonderful promises. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:56.940 He tells us in John 14, "Greater works than these you're going to do." Talking about His life, you've seen Jesus saying, "You've seen what I'm doing in 00:01:56.940 --> 00:02:04.020 this world, just wait till you see what I'm going to do through the church." And Jesus says "So greater works will God's people do in this world?" And 00:02:04.020 --> 00:02:06.660 the question for us will be how in the world are we going to do that? 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:11.740 And Jesus tells us, here's the promise Holy Spirit in John 14. 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:13.560 "I will be with you. 00:02:13.600 --> 00:02:16.700 And I will be in you." In verse 17 and 18. 00:02:16.700 --> 00:02:23.740 "I will not leave you as orphans." What Jesus wanted to do in this world did not end at His death, that it was 00:02:23.740 --> 00:02:24.900 a part of His plan. 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:31.220 In fact, it would impact not just this region of Jerusalem where Jesus is doing ministry, but all over the world. 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:35.320 And it is an incredible thought because He tells us one of those famous verses. 00:02:35.440 --> 00:02:37.600 I told you is a great verse to memorize John 14:6. 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:44.570 He says, "I am the way the truth and the life." That's what Jesus says at a time where the disciples are looking at Jesus, figuring out "How can I back away? 00:02:44.940 --> 00:02:45.610 How can we run away? 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:46.130 How can we hide? 00:02:46.200 --> 00:02:53.240 How can we preserve our own hind in from what's about to happen?" Jesus is saying, "Don't do that, you need to lean harder into me because this 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:55.580 is just the beginning of greater things to come. 00:02:57.060 --> 00:03:04.070 And Jesus then at the end of chapter 14 says and to the disciples, "Now let's get up and go." And I got to think at the end of that chapter, 00:03:04.220 --> 00:03:06.500 I would be looking at this and be like, go where? 00:03:06.660 --> 00:03:13.880 And like "You're God, what's going to happen?" But He's given these incredible promises of the Spirit of God in us and working through us and 00:03:13.880 --> 00:03:15.800 greater works than these you'll do. 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:23.540 And when you get to John 15, Jesus and expounds upon that idea, "Let's get up and go." There's no time to set and 00:03:23.540 --> 00:03:30.580 sock the mission that we've called you to in this world is so powerful, so incredible that God would work in you to do this, that we have a 00:03:30.580 --> 00:03:30.930 future. 00:03:31.060 --> 00:03:32.160 And we can think about that future. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:36.040 So let's move forward. 00:03:36.060 --> 00:03:43.180 And I think at the end of chapter 14, when Jesus is saying, "Let's get up and go," He's meaning specifically in that 00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:43.940 moment. 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:45.600 "Dinner was great guys. 00:03:45.640 --> 00:03:49.620 Now it's time to move on the crosses before." So I think that's specifically what He means. 00:03:50.900 --> 00:03:53.610 But I think He also broadens the idea. 00:03:54.380 --> 00:03:56.320 Now when you get to John 15, you see this. 00:03:57.180 --> 00:04:04.260 Jesus, as He says, "Let's get up and go." He then as they go, as they start to go, I should say, then starts to paint a bigger picture of 00:04:04.480 --> 00:04:05.760 continue to keep going. 00:04:06.920 --> 00:04:12.300 In John 15:1, He says it like, this is a very interesting way Jesus chooses to say it to us. 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:13.920 But John 15:1. 00:04:14.320 --> 00:04:15.020 Give me a quick Caleb. 00:04:16.380 --> 00:04:17.980 He says, "I am the true vine. 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:22.970 And my Father is the vine dresser." You want to know why you can get up and go in Jesus? 00:04:23.700 --> 00:04:30.720 "I am the vine." Which if I'm just thinking about this moment, thinking about everything that we need to 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:35.580 be successful, realizing that it's going to feel like all of Jewish society is against you. 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:37.820 All of Rome is against you as Jesus is about to be crucified. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:42.060 If I were to pick an illustrator for me, I'm probably not going to open up this way. 00:04:42.400 --> 00:04:46.670 "Guys, sorry, I'm a vine." You might as well be a beautiful butterfly. 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:49.020 Like, What does this have to do? 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:54.260 In our context, we say things like I am Rocky Balboa, Jason Bourne morphed into one. 00:04:54.340 --> 00:04:55.160 That's who I am. 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:56.100 Let's do this. 00:04:56.100 --> 00:05:01.410 And you charge the hill, but Jesus says, "I am the vine." What is this? 00:05:02.320 --> 00:05:10.000 But when you contextualize Jesus' comment in first century, Judaism, what you begin to realize is in Old 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.710 Testament, the vine was a very common phrase. 00:05:13.780 --> 00:05:19.500 In fact, God repetitiously referred to Israel as His vine. 00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:28.180 But the problem was is that every time God referred to Israel as His vine, the vine never did what the vine was designed to do. 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:35.520 Isaiah 5, the chapter talks repetitiously about the failure of the vine. 00:05:35.640 --> 00:05:41.720 And even in Jeremiah 2:21, listen to this Jesus or the Lord says this about Israel. 00:05:42.620 --> 00:05:47.720 He says, "Yet, I planted you as a choice vine, a completely faithful seed. 00:05:48.940 --> 00:05:56.020 How then have you turned yourself before me into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?" What He's saying 00:05:56.020 --> 00:06:00.400 is "You've done what you're designed to do and you don't even belong to me. 00:06:00.700 --> 00:06:01.720 You're separate from me. 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:06.220 This is not what I planted you as." And then Jesus shows up. 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:10.740 And Jesus says in the midst of Israel's failure, "You know who I am? 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:12.920 I am the true Israelite. 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:16.720 I am the true vine. 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:23.380 Where Israel failed, I have succeeded. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:28.600 I am the one that you've been waiting for." That's what Jesus is saying in this passage. 00:06:30.400 --> 00:06:36.400 The vine is here and the vine has done what the Father has called Him to do. 00:06:37.080 --> 00:06:42.460 And so in verse two, "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. 00:06:43.760 --> 00:06:51.500 And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." Jesus 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:57.740 in the story being the vine then gives this illustration of what He desires to see in our lives as we turn to Him. 00:06:58.900 --> 00:07:03.220 But I want you to see something interesting here in verse two, and I'll let you know this. 00:07:03.700 --> 00:07:11.080 This is actually a debated that verse in scripture because when you come to the section where He says "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, 00:07:11.300 --> 00:07:19.000 He takes away." There's a translational choice that those that read the 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:22.570 Greek texts, the New Testament was written in the Greek text originally, translated today for us in English. 00:07:23.020 --> 00:07:25.500 There's a couple of ways that you can translate this word arrow. 00:07:27.380 --> 00:07:34.340 "He takes away" can either be, He literally rips it off and takes it away, or it can mean He lifts it up. 00:07:35.380 --> 00:07:38.090 And most translations go with the He takes away. 00:07:38.400 --> 00:07:41.800 But the actual predominant way the word is used as He lifts it up. 00:07:42.660 --> 00:07:49.680 And so translators who choose to say the word He takes away here are going against what the most traditional way this Greek word is used, which is He 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:50.180 lifts it up. 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:57.460 And I tend to think in this passage of scripture and you can work on this yourself and come back and tell me your opinion later. 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:05.120 But I think that what He means in this Greek word is He lifts it up and I'll give you why in this context, we're going to talk about 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:06.120 taking away in a minute. 00:08:06.140 --> 00:08:09.150 When we get to verse five and six, because Jesus certainly does that. 00:08:09.460 --> 00:08:12.920 But I think in this passage, He's talking about lifting up and here's why. 00:08:13.760 --> 00:08:15.910 If you read it that sense, here's what God is saying. 00:08:16.020 --> 00:08:19.540 "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit." Here's what God's desires for you. 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:21.640 His desire as you are success in Him. 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:29.290 He's the vine, He's identified Himself as the vine and He wants you to flourish in Him, that's why He came. 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:37.760 And so when you think about what it is to grow grapes, if you've got grapes dragging on the ground, or at least the vine dragging on the ground you know what's going to not grow on that vine? 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:39.880 Grapes. 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:42.020 It's not going to live the way it was designed to live. 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:43.159 And so what does Jesus desire? 00:08:44.280 --> 00:08:45.220 For that branch to succeed. 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:49.110 And so what does He do in order for that branch to succeed? 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:52.360 Because His desires for your heart to flourish in Him, is He lifts it up. 00:08:53.460 --> 00:08:55.520 He lifts it up and then it goes on there and says this. 00:08:55.820 --> 00:09:02.700 "And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." His desire for your life is this. 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:04.870 He wants to see you flourishing in Him and succeeding. 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:13.360 And so whether He needs to lift you up or prune you that God would see this happen in your life 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:16.130 and continue to happen in your life all the days of your life. 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:23.240 And so in verse three, He says this, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." So as we've 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:30.320 gone through chapter 13 and 14, Jesus is saying, "This has been a very soul preparing, soul cleansing place for your life to be in, because 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:33.760 I have shared this with your soul and your soul is resting in this. 00:09:33.760 --> 00:09:40.820 Now you as a vine, have been purified for this purpose." Whether it's been to be lifted up, whether that's what you needed in your 00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:43.740 life, maybe you've come in today this. 00:09:45.380 --> 00:09:47.080 And I feel like I've just been dragging in the dirt. 00:09:48.560 --> 00:09:55.560 If I realized that this world's got light and darkness in it, I feel like right now that what I'm called to is to charge hell with a squirt 00:09:55.560 --> 00:09:56.010 gun. 00:09:56.040 --> 00:09:57.950 Like I'm in that kind of place in life. 00:09:58.920 --> 00:10:06.700 Whether it's you being lifted up or whether it's you being pruned because you bore 00:10:06.700 --> 00:10:13.240 fruit in this world for the Lord, God's desires to see you continue in that. 00:10:14.540 --> 00:10:22.620 So if you're a Christian that's been fruitful it's not to live in the things of the past, but to represent Jesus all the days of your life, that you continue to 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:24.280 display this fruit. 00:10:24.300 --> 00:10:31.420 And so this is an important place for us because what Jesus is about to share with us now, recognizing Himself as this 00:10:31.420 --> 00:10:34.240 vine is how to live a productive life. 00:10:34.620 --> 00:10:36.080 That's the context of what He is saying. 00:10:36.260 --> 00:10:39.440 "Okay, disciples, now that you've seen me, now I've told you to lean harder into me. 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:41.740 Now I'm saying greater works than these, that you've done. 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:44.140 I want you to live a productive life. 00:10:44.400 --> 00:10:49.690 I want you to do what you've been designed to do." So how do we live a productive life? 00:10:49.700 --> 00:10:51.700 That's the question we should be answering when we look at this thing. 00:10:51.900 --> 00:10:54.040 So how is Jesus going to lead me into this? 00:10:54.040 --> 00:10:55.210 What does this look like? 00:10:55.540 --> 00:11:03.640 In a religious context, this is where I would give you all the lists in the world to stress you out so that every encumbrance 00:11:03.640 --> 00:11:06.110 that you have in life, you come to church and you get more. 00:11:06.260 --> 00:11:11.420 That's typically how religion will treat this, let me just tell you what God wants for your life in just one word, this morning. 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:13.500 Verse four. 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:16.280 This is what Jesus says to His disciples. 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:20.420 "I want you to bear fruit." Oh man, not just one fruit, lots of fruit. 00:11:20.420 --> 00:11:21.220 How am I going to do that? 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:25.840 And then verse four, He says this, "How's it going to happen?" Abide. 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:28.280 Abide. 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:32.010 If you grab the notes this morning that's the first blank in your notes. 00:11:34.560 --> 00:11:39.140 God's desire for your life is that you abide. 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:47.180 I think most people generally want to have productive fruit filled lives. 00:11:49.800 --> 00:11:55.110 I wish I could say all people and feel very confident in that, but I would say at least most people. 00:11:55.310 --> 00:11:59.210 Once I have a productive life. 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:04.360 And the life of a Christian in pursuing Jesus, what does that mean for us? 00:12:05.060 --> 00:12:12.140 Well, Jesus says it, "Abide in me." Not just simply abiding. 00:12:12.180 --> 00:12:14.240 It's not like I'm just going to sit here and just be here. 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:15.240 It's abiding in Him. 00:12:16.180 --> 00:12:16.180 Right? 00:12:16.180 --> 00:12:17.080 "Abide in me. 00:12:19.020 --> 00:12:25.210 Abide in me and I in you, and as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine. 00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:32.740 So neither can you, unless you abide in me." Because that is one of the most relieving thoughts I 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:36.840 think I could really have, especially when I consider the circumstance of Jesus' disciples in the first century. 00:12:38.060 --> 00:12:43.180 "Jesus, you think we're going to go into this world that hates you and do something great? 00:12:43.420 --> 00:12:48.440 How is that going to happen?" And He says, "This is really what I want for your soul. 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:51.080 This is what you're to do. 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:59.880 Abide in me, abide in me." You're never going to do what God calls you 00:12:59.880 --> 00:13:05.260 to do in this world until you become who God has called you to become. 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:08.900 And that abiding is where that takes place. 00:13:10.780 --> 00:13:13.830 "Abide in me and I and you." This is what it's saying. 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:22.040 If I had just painted a similar picture to the idea of a vine, it's reaching your roots, deeper into Jesus. 00:13:24.700 --> 00:13:28.000 All the places that you could find your identity, your worth, your purpose, your value. 00:13:28.760 --> 00:13:30.500 You're leaning back into Jesus. 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.000 All that I am in all that He has, and Jesus tells us why. 00:13:36.560 --> 00:13:41.260 And in verses five and six for you to go on from just this idea of abiding. 00:13:41.260 --> 00:13:46.480 He says, "What's the result of that?" We're leaning into Jesus, verse five and six. 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:47.210 "I am the vine. 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:47.900 You are the branches. 00:13:48.160 --> 00:13:49.880 He who abides in me and I in him. 00:13:50.260 --> 00:13:57.300 He bears much fruit for apart from me, you can do nothing." And the things that we're called to 00:13:57.300 --> 00:13:58.720 accomplish in this world are spiritual. 00:14:00.700 --> 00:14:03.000 And we can't do that without the Spirit of God. 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:10.100 And so the way that we find the Spirit of God is through Christ to allow the Spirit, to dwell in us. 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:13.880 If we abide in Him, we bear much fruit. 00:14:13.880 --> 00:14:17.760 I love the contrast here in verse five, it's really two options here. 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:22.530 It's bearing much fruit or apart from me, you do nothing. 00:14:24.370 --> 00:14:29.180 Maybe the verse related to this would be what Paul says in Philippians 4:13. 00:14:29.180 --> 00:14:36.240 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's Christ who gives us the ability to do what we're called to do in this 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:36.580 world. 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:37.920 It's not me who bears the fruit. 00:14:40.020 --> 00:14:43.120 It's me who abides, it's Jesus who bears the fruit in me. 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:47.240 Ever seen a branch apart from a vine bearing fruit? 00:14:47.880 --> 00:14:48.560 Doesn't happen. 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:52.540 If a branch, apart from a vine is cut off, that has fruit on it. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:15:00.140 Fruit might last a little bit longer being attached to the vine because there's a little bit of nutrients left in it, but once that's gone, the branch is 00:15:00.140 --> 00:15:00.680 gone. 00:15:00.680 --> 00:15:01.820 And so does the fruit with it. 00:15:02.640 --> 00:15:06.440 I mean, as a Christian not connected to Jesus, trying to do the things Jesus calls you to in this world. 00:15:06.780 --> 00:15:11.740 What you're going to walk away looking like is someone who's severely constipated, at least spiritually speaking. 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:19.290 Jesus wants you attached to Him because the natural process of your life is that it bears fruit. 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:24.860 Not that it's your call to bear the fruit, but it's Christ gifting to bear the fruit in you. 00:15:26.800 --> 00:15:32.560 God's calls to simply abide and you will bear much fruit. 00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:37.440 So the result of abiding, the second blank in your notes is that you too much fruit. 00:15:38.920 --> 00:15:42.300 Jesus gives us to us in a beautiful parable. 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:49.860 I think a couple of times in the gospels in Mark 4 and in Matthew 13, He says to the disciples, 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:56.080 "When the gospel goes forth and it's scattered, it bears fruit and the fruit of that or the harvest." I think He actually says the word crop. 00:15:56.580 --> 00:16:03.820 "The crop of that is 30, 60, 100 fold." And for most of us who don't live on a farm, 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:06.180 you hear that and think, "Well, that's great. 00:16:06.180 --> 00:16:13.420 Jesus is going to throw some seeds and some crops happen from some seeds and wonderful." But in Jesus' day when they would scatter seed 00:16:13.420 --> 00:16:21.020 the expectation, if it produced the plant that the harvest from that plant would be about eight to 10 produce 00:16:21.020 --> 00:16:22.320 off the plant. 00:16:23.900 --> 00:16:29.500 What Jesus is saying in first century is what He's going to do through His gospel is unfathomable. 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:33.280 According to the way that they experienced the growing of crops in their society. 00:16:35.020 --> 00:16:41.660 That not eight, 10 items come off the plant that we're talking 30, 60, 100 fold. 00:16:42.540 --> 00:16:44.380 And it's not based on your strength. 00:16:44.380 --> 00:16:44.880 It's based on His. 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:51.940 Sometimes as Christians, I feel like we start to think religiously in this type of mentality, like, oh Lord I belong to Jesus 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:56.480 always expectation of me, as I do lots of things to show Him how great He is. 00:16:56.520 --> 00:16:58.260 And I got to perform myself into the ground. 00:16:59.040 --> 00:17:00.770 But that's not what Jesus says in this passage. 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:07.380 Jesus says, in this passage, if you abide in Him, the natural outflow of abiding in Him will be the goodness of who He is. 00:17:07.380 --> 00:17:08.640 And it will just bless the world. 00:17:10.540 --> 00:17:15.980 The things that you love, you tend to talk about, share about, find people that want to collect around that idea too. 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:19.280 And it perpetuates itself. 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:26.050 You guys know, I love the Jazz disappointing they didn't win the championship this year, but there's always next year. 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:28.500 And when I'm around people sometimes I talk about the Jazz. 00:17:29.840 --> 00:17:30.480 And not the music. 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:31.820 I mean this sports team. 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:32.860 Right. 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:39.940 But when we think about the idea of the Lord, when we spend time with the Lord and we're nurtured in Lord, 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:43.340 and we're growing with the Lord, we'll share the things that we're passionate about. 00:17:44.800 --> 00:17:46.320 And your passion is contagious. 00:17:47.860 --> 00:17:50.000 It's the Lord that fruit in you. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.820 We'll look at this in just a minute. 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:56.580 But sometimes in life, we get a little construed as Christians as to really what fruit is. 00:17:57.660 --> 00:18:04.760 We tend to measure our success by the accumulation of 00:18:04.760 --> 00:18:05.480 things. 00:18:06.620 --> 00:18:13.860 So if we're not careful in church, we can measure our success as a church by how many rear ends we have in a seat. 00:18:15.100 --> 00:18:19.510 But can I tell you rear ends and a seat is not the success of a church. 00:18:20.520 --> 00:18:27.660 We say it like this sometimes it's not in your seating capacity, but you're sending capacity, what Jesus does in us, and therefore compels His life through 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:27.780 us. 00:18:29.540 --> 00:18:36.640 And the reason I say that is this, because when you even read the Old Testament, you look at some great people that may not 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:43.260 have had the numeric success that we might often think about when we relate the word success or fruitfulness to life. 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:47.480 For example, in the Old Testament, you'll find a prophet named Jeremiah. 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:55.390 Jeremiah is referred to as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah shared a message and ain't nobody want to hear what your man I got to say. 00:18:57.740 --> 00:19:02.260 Jeremiah continued to let his message fall on deaf ears, but he did so faithful. 00:19:02.420 --> 00:19:02.840 You know why? 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:04.900 Because his life was still fruitful. 00:19:06.620 --> 00:19:08.220 He lived his life for an audience of one. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:11.220 At the end of his life. 00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:12.740 You know what he wanted to do? 00:19:14.100 --> 00:19:15.140 He just wanted to honor the Lord. 00:19:17.940 --> 00:19:24.580 At the end of your life, when God says, "Hey, let's see if you were successful." You know the only thing He wants to see? 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:29.700 "Did you abide, did you abide? 00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:40.360 Did you put your roots into me?" Because the fruit wasn't up to you, the fruits up to Him. 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:43.760 And we're all in different circumstances of life around different people in life. 00:19:43.780 --> 00:19:50.580 And sometimes, sometimes the soil is fresh and ready for the gospel to bring forth lots of fruit. 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:58.030 And sometimes we're in a place where we've got to till up the ground because there is a lot of gravel that's got to get out of the way before a seed can even grow. 00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:02.700 And God knows we're all in different places, but you know what wants? 00:20:04.420 --> 00:20:04.900 To abide. 00:20:06.560 --> 00:20:07.440 Just to abide. 00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:13.340 And He produces the fruit and we don't look at the fruit as if it's some numerical achievement. 00:20:13.940 --> 00:20:14.820 That's not what God's after. 00:20:17.380 --> 00:20:19.480 What we're describing truly is just faithfulness. 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:25.240 Jesus has been nothing but faithful to you. 00:20:25.840 --> 00:20:27.200 And that's all He will ever be. 00:20:28.600 --> 00:20:31.740 Because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 00:20:32.620 --> 00:20:37.580 And then He calls you into that same response that's to Him. 00:20:37.580 --> 00:20:40.140 Faithful, abide. 00:20:42.060 --> 00:20:46.480 So when you think about abiding in Christ, I think it is important for us. 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:47.760 Well, let me say this in verse six. 00:20:47.800 --> 00:20:48.540 I didn't get there yet. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:56.560 "If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned." So 00:20:56.560 --> 00:21:01.560 here we are to the place where we talk about vines, that aren't doing what they're supposed to do you get rid of them. 00:21:01.820 --> 00:21:02.800 And here's the example. 00:21:02.800 --> 00:21:06.290 Maybe I could relate to us as I shared a little bit about this versus. 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:09.940 How many of you would sign up to say for this. 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:11.680 This year you're going to grow a garden. 00:21:12.280 --> 00:21:13.240 You're going to use your whole backyard. 00:21:13.600 --> 00:21:15.440 You're going to till up and you're going to grow a garden. 00:21:16.060 --> 00:21:18.700 But when you grow that garden, it's not going to produce one single thing. 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:20.620 You're going to labor it up all summer long. 00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:24.320 And at the end of the summer, you're not getting anything off of that garden. 00:21:24.320 --> 00:21:29.250 There's not one corn stock, going to have a piece of corn, not one plant where you're going to get a tomato. 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:31.860 No carrots, no potatoes, no nothing. 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:33.190 You're going to do it all summer long. 00:21:33.360 --> 00:21:36.600 It's going to look green, but you're going to get no fruit. 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:38.400 Now, who would sign up for that? 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:43.620 If we want to go to do a garden, I'm doing a garden, if I just want to plant, I'll grow a flower. 00:21:44.320 --> 00:21:48.500 But if I want a garden, I expect something to come out of the garden. 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:52.170 And sometimes I think we look at Jesus and we're like, "Jesus, what are you doing? 00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:56.080 Why would you throw these things away?" We're talking, this is a correlation to people. 00:21:56.300 --> 00:21:58.280 Why cast some things out and some things not in. 00:21:58.600 --> 00:22:02.320 And the answer for us is because Jesus' interest isn't simply just to grow. 00:22:04.760 --> 00:22:07.120 He's not just interested in adding people, just to add people. 00:22:09.100 --> 00:22:12.900 It's like this, "Jesus, I want to get to heaven, but I really don't care about you. 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:13.380 How about you? 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:14.380 Let me in your place. 00:22:14.800 --> 00:22:19.350 And you just get out of the way." It just happened. 00:22:21.300 --> 00:22:28.050 It's His purpose for which He created you in our lives come to this place of belonging to Jesus or not. 00:22:28.120 --> 00:22:35.110 And if you belong to Jesus, that our lives should express that through this beautiful fruit for which He has created us. 00:22:36.840 --> 00:22:43.200 And that say the same thing is true for us as a church guys, our goal as a church I am thrilled when people come through our doors. 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:51.720 But our ultimate goal is not just [inaudible 00:22:47] seed, it's to see people abiding in Christ and growing in 00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:53.080 Him. 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:53.880 That's our goal. 00:22:53.880 --> 00:23:01.120 Anybody can create a crowd, I believe we say a lot of things, I could just get up here today and just give a self-help talk to make us feel really good about ourselves 00:23:01.120 --> 00:23:02.160 and we all walk out. 00:23:02.540 --> 00:23:09.690 Now, there are places that do that, but we are particular to the type of message we share because our heart's desire is not to simply create a crowd. 00:23:11.020 --> 00:23:12.480 It's to see faithfulness in Jesus. 00:23:12.600 --> 00:23:15.870 And in that faithfulness in Jesus, we see beautiful fruit born out of God's people. 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:25.000 And so we think about, okay, so this abiding fruit getting life, what does it look like as it's expressed when we live this 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:25.300 way. 00:23:25.300 --> 00:23:32.340 Well, in verse seven to 12, Jesus shares this for us, and I left this blank in your notes, really for 00:23:32.340 --> 00:23:34.620 you to creatively fill out however you want. 00:23:34.620 --> 00:23:39.350 And I'll give you some thoughts to put down, but Jesus goes through here and He shares with us what? 00:23:39.800 --> 00:23:45.800 Seven different things to consider when we think, okay, I'm abiding in Christ and I'm bearing fruit and Christ. 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:48.560 I think what does that look like? 00:23:48.800 --> 00:23:50.940 When I say abiding in Christ and fruit bearing? 00:23:50.940 --> 00:23:55.500 He gives us a little bit of a place here to see our lives in this sense. 00:23:55.540 --> 00:23:57.020 Am I really reaching back into Jesus? 00:23:57.080 --> 00:23:58.620 I'm a really developing fruit? 00:23:58.620 --> 00:24:00.160 What does it mean to abide in Christ? 00:24:00.260 --> 00:24:06.560 Is it to be more aggressive in sharing my opinions on vaccines and Afghanistan in Jesus' name, amen? 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:08.160 Is that what it is? 00:24:08.610 --> 00:24:11.600 Just more passionate about the things that I believe in? 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:13.260 I don't think necessarily that's it. 00:24:14.580 --> 00:24:19.180 I think it's more passionate about the things Jesus believes in and let that work through you. 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:21.060 What does it look like? 00:24:21.100 --> 00:24:22.380 And He describes a forest in verse seven. 00:24:22.780 --> 00:24:22.960 Ready? 00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:31.020 "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for 00:24:31.020 --> 00:24:38.060 you." If I just said it like this, abiding in God is seeking God 00:24:38.060 --> 00:24:38.700 prayerfully. 00:24:40.600 --> 00:24:48.260 It's seeking God prayerfully and He's identifying for us the way that we do this and I think I shared this with this last week that oftentimes 00:24:48.260 --> 00:24:50.940 in life, we don't use prayer the way God designed prayer. 00:24:51.620 --> 00:24:52.830 We use prayer selfishly. 00:24:54.020 --> 00:24:57.900 And I think God has more created prayer to be selfless, not selfish. 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:06.380 And what I mean is this is when we talk about prayer, we're asking things to be done according to not our 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:06.640 will. 00:25:07.760 --> 00:25:14.880 So I think sometimes we engage in prayer because there's something I want, we want to ask God to do what it is that I want so that I can get back to living my life really with Adam to begin 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:15.140 with. 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:16.880 The only reason I came to Him is because I had a need. 00:25:17.280 --> 00:25:20.540 I saw Him as maybe more powerful than me and it being able to answer His name. 00:25:20.580 --> 00:25:24.040 So I asked Him to meet this need so I can continue to live like I was God of my own life. 00:25:24.540 --> 00:25:25.680 And that's not what He's talking about here. 00:25:27.340 --> 00:25:32.080 He's talking about heart that genuinely is interested in what God wants to do in this world and wants to be a part of that. 00:25:33.820 --> 00:25:39.670 And so you're seeking God in prayer to live your life, that His fruit could be made known. 00:25:41.380 --> 00:25:44.820 So one who abides seeks God and let me just say it like this too. 00:25:45.230 --> 00:25:52.340 And I'm not meaning religiously you chunk out this time and legalistically have the pray and the prayer has 00:25:52.340 --> 00:25:53.260 to be this way every day. 00:25:53.320 --> 00:25:57.200 What I'm saying is you have this active relationship where you're seeking God where are. 00:25:59.520 --> 00:26:01.820 You're actively walking in a prayer life. 00:26:01.820 --> 00:26:05.130 And 1 Thessalonians 5, talks about this praying without ceasing. 00:26:05.340 --> 00:26:11.940 What it means is you're just engaging with the Lord wherever you go, because your desire is to seek His desire in this world. 00:26:12.020 --> 00:26:14.240 And so you're in this open communication with the Lord. 00:26:14.780 --> 00:26:15.940 That's what a biding looks like. 00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:22.070 If you really want to belong to Jesus, you're just engaging with the Lord as you go throughout your day. 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:24.120 And let me just say this. 00:26:25.320 --> 00:26:34.300 When you think about the gift of what prayer needs, in order to be your best, you 00:26:34.300 --> 00:26:35.000 need rest. 00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:36.700 And I'm a poet. 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:39.220 To be your best you need rest. 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:45.020 And prayer becomes that place where your soul can find rest and remind yourself, "Hey, I'm really not in charge. 00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:50.490 God is the one who produces a fruit and I can just sit here in Him and just be faithful to the Lord." Just be faithful. 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:54.760 And when I say rest, I don't mean planning your vacation. 00:26:54.960 --> 00:26:55.300 You're right. 00:26:55.340 --> 00:26:55.640 "I need rest. 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:58.680 Let's go one by one week vacation. 00:26:58.760 --> 00:27:01.260 Why that I needed and I'll seek God's face in it." That's not what I'm saying. 00:27:01.360 --> 00:27:10.320 What I'm saying is you're just in this active state of constantly coming back to the Lord throughout the day to find your rest in Him. 00:27:10.560 --> 00:27:11.690 This ongoing conversation. 00:27:12.380 --> 00:27:14.700 We know that you need Him, you need to rest in Him. 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:15.480 You need to depend on Him. 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:17.760 Prayer becomes that place that really demonstrates that. 00:27:18.860 --> 00:27:20.280 So someone, seek God prayerfully. 00:27:22.080 --> 00:27:27.480 Verse eight goes on and it says, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit. 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:33.040 And so prove to be my disciples." Your heart is to glorify God. 00:27:33.080 --> 00:27:35.680 That's what it means to reach your roots back into Him, to be faithful to Him. 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:43.360 As He has honored you in your life, by giving His life for you then take your life to honor Him to glorify God. 00:27:43.360 --> 00:27:45.940 That's our desire, versus eight, glorify God. 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:47.810 And this could look two ways in our lives. 00:27:48.280 --> 00:27:52.080 One is to have a holy heart or I would say a repentant heart is another way. 00:27:52.580 --> 00:27:55.420 A holy heart means completely sold into Him. 00:27:55.420 --> 00:28:02.060 Holiness doesn't just mean not sending, holiness means completely separate and everything else in this world and giving yourself fully over to Him. 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:04.600 I desire to glorify God. 00:28:05.320 --> 00:28:07.280 You know what a vine branches existed to do? 00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:09.240 To glorify the vine. 00:28:09.420 --> 00:28:10.090 You know how it does that? 00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:11.810 By making grapes. 00:28:11.820 --> 00:28:13.580 This vine is awesome. 00:28:13.580 --> 00:28:15.880 Just look at me as the branch, I've got wonderful grapes. 00:28:16.100 --> 00:28:17.960 And that's what you say in your life. 00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:19.160 You look to Jesus like this. 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:23.340 "Jesus is awesome." And the fruit of your life just makes that known. 00:28:23.340 --> 00:28:27.140 It magnifies His brilliance in this world, it glorifies Him. 00:28:27.140 --> 00:28:34.320 And so it can be seen in our holiness, or it can be seen in an attitude of repentance, which is I was attaching myself to a different branch, and 00:28:34.320 --> 00:28:36.700 it was not what I was intended to attach myself to. 00:28:36.740 --> 00:28:38.040 So I'm turning away from this. 00:28:38.040 --> 00:28:41.180 And I'm reattaching my life to the branch for which I was designed. 00:28:42.040 --> 00:28:44.740 It's either way, it's glorifying the Lord. 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:48.580 Number three and then you prove to be a follower of Christ. 00:28:49.820 --> 00:28:54.980 That's simply to say this one who fruitfully abides as a follower of God. 00:28:55.440 --> 00:29:01.780 And I would say, when you think about this passage, it's one that's committed for the long haul. 00:29:03.420 --> 00:29:07.660 I mean, at the end of your life, what do you want people to say your life was about? 00:29:09.640 --> 00:29:15.880 I don't think it would be beautiful before Jesus, if someone encapsuled it like this, he was one who abided in Christ, or she was one who abided in Christ. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:20.360 Faithfully following Jesus all of your days. 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:24.360 Verse nine, it goes on. 00:29:24.520 --> 00:29:30.580 And it says "Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you, abide in my love." Because I love this. 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:37.270 When you look at this, just these ideas of abiding, this is not a stress list of performance. 00:29:38.540 --> 00:29:41.720 This is all relational interaction that should be natural in Jesus. 00:29:42.620 --> 00:29:43.140 All of these. 00:29:44.300 --> 00:29:45.500 So what is abiding life look like? 00:29:45.620 --> 00:29:47.440 It's all about just relationship in Jesus. 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:55.500 And in verse nine, He reminds us this again with the idea of love, and this becomes important for us because 00:29:55.500 --> 00:29:59.560 in this world, as you walk in this world, it doesn't matter what era of time you live in. 00:29:59.580 --> 00:30:02.620 But we'll say, especially today, we're in an identity crisis. 00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:11.220 We're always in an identity crisis as people, there's always a spiritual battle in this world trying to get me to find my purpose 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:14.100 in life and use it to magnify something else. 00:30:16.220 --> 00:30:21.520 But the Lord wants us to remind ourselves of in this passage, in this verse, especially is His love for us. 00:30:22.560 --> 00:30:27.000 Because as we understand the greatness of who God is, it compels our heart to respond. 00:30:28.140 --> 00:30:35.400 When you look at the beauty of Jesus, just over the last couple of verses, when you think about how loving is He never stopped loving Judas 00:30:36.900 --> 00:30:39.640 to the end of His life He washed the feet of Judas. 00:30:39.900 --> 00:30:41.640 He had communion with Judas. 00:30:41.640 --> 00:30:44.760 If Jesus can love Judas, He's not giving up on me. 00:30:46.460 --> 00:30:49.840 I got God's love perpetual and continue on He doesn't leave me alone. 00:30:49.840 --> 00:30:52.360 It tells me in chapter 14, not an orphan, but He gives a spirit. 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:53.900 And the Spirit isn't just with me. 00:30:53.900 --> 00:30:55.060 His spirit is in me. 00:30:55.060 --> 00:30:56.040 He is for me. 00:30:57.180 --> 00:31:04.500 I mean, the greatness of this God who created all things comes in the form of a flesh and gives His life that I could be set 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:05.040 free. 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:08.240 This God loves me like no one has ever loved me. 00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:13.220 And so this is compelling to my heart to respond in 1 John 4, we love because He first loved. 00:31:14.460 --> 00:31:17.960 You want to know why you bear fruit or why you would even attach yourself to this vine? 00:31:18.580 --> 00:31:26.320 It's because your heart is bought into the greatness of who He is, because you've seen His love on display for you life in 00:31:26.320 --> 00:31:26.900 Christians. 00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:34.260 The important part in this, don't forget. 00:31:35.620 --> 00:31:37.900 Don't lose sight of that in the mess of this world. 00:31:40.800 --> 00:31:42.920 Don't let His love for you run your dry. 00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:51.140 Experience it, walking in it, renew yourself through it, abide. 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:54.430 So we could say it like this. 00:31:55.620 --> 00:32:02.660 You're loved by God or you find your identity in God, verse 10 then, He goes on and says, "If you keep my commandments, you 00:32:02.660 --> 00:32:10.340 will abide in my love just as I kept my commandments and abide in His love." I 00:32:10.380 --> 00:32:17.380 think this is very important just to make this nuance of understanding when you read this verse, because again, religiously we can think about, okay, here 00:32:17.380 --> 00:32:18.800 it is, obeying the rules. 00:32:18.800 --> 00:32:20.940 We should ask what the commandments are and I'll show you in a minute. 00:32:20.940 --> 00:32:22.960 What they are very simplistic in Christianity. 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:27.300 But here it is the list of rules now I knew was coming. 00:32:27.500 --> 00:32:29.530 He's talking about abiding now and He's giving me all these rules. 00:32:29.720 --> 00:32:30.660 And let me just say this. 00:32:32.300 --> 00:32:34.220 I don't obey God. 00:32:34.660 --> 00:32:37.560 And this could be your blank is obeying God and that's what it looks like to abide. 00:32:38.340 --> 00:32:42.300 But I don't obey God in order to earn His love. 00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:47.660 I obey God in order to experience His love. 00:32:49.120 --> 00:32:49.780 Does that make sense? 00:32:52.040 --> 00:32:57.300 Some people won't love you until you do exactly what they want you to do. 00:32:58.340 --> 00:33:04.330 And then they'll really, I don't even think that's love, but they'll temporarily love you, as long as you live up to their expectations. 00:33:05.900 --> 00:33:08.100 That's not biblical love, and that's not God's love. 00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:14.720 We don't obey in order to earn God's love. 00:33:15.620 --> 00:33:17.520 We obey in order to experience God's love. 00:33:17.580 --> 00:33:19.420 We what I mean is this in my house, we have rules. 00:33:20.760 --> 00:33:23.160 My rules are not there to beat my children down. 00:33:24.540 --> 00:33:26.560 My rules are there to see my children flourish. 00:33:28.120 --> 00:33:30.180 That's the desire of any rule that we have. 00:33:31.480 --> 00:33:34.280 I want to create a home that creates flourishing in the hearts of our children. 00:33:35.810 --> 00:33:36.850 Myself and my wife, right? 00:33:37.800 --> 00:33:39.140 And I think that's God's desire too. 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:47.380 He's not just creating these rules because He needs you to do certain things if you don't, He's going to be really disappointed in you and withhold 00:33:47.380 --> 00:33:47.940 His love. 00:33:48.340 --> 00:33:50.460 God doesn't need you know that? 00:33:51.700 --> 00:33:52.460 He doesn't need you. 00:33:53.620 --> 00:33:57.500 He's the one that can snap His fingers and have whatever He wants whenever He wants it. 00:33:58.580 --> 00:34:01.480 But He chose to create you because He wants to give His love away. 00:34:02.040 --> 00:34:02.800 That's who God is. 00:34:02.820 --> 00:34:06.200 Love is about giving itself away, unconditionally, sacrificially. 00:34:06.200 --> 00:34:06.580 That's who He is. 00:34:06.580 --> 00:34:07.180 And He gives you the invitation. 00:34:07.460 --> 00:34:11.840 "Do you want to belong in response?" And here's how you connect yourself to Him by following after Him. 00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:15.679 And this has looked in the form of obedience, not to earn His love, but to experience His love. 00:34:15.960 --> 00:34:17.590 So in my home, my kids don't know obey. 00:34:18.040 --> 00:34:23.090 It's more difficult to love because they've created distance in their sin that doesn't allow us to walk in unity together. 00:34:23.400 --> 00:34:30.639 But when we follow after the unity in the home, the way it's designed, the way it's created, then we can walk in unity together and 00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:33.060 experience that love the same is true for you with the Lord. 00:34:34.500 --> 00:34:38.100 You know if you're running away or not, you know if you're drawing near or not. 00:34:39.560 --> 00:34:47.340 "By obeying you're communicating Jesus, as you have brought yourself near to me, I desire to be near to you." And 00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:50.139 don't worry I'll get to the commands in just a minute. 00:34:50.460 --> 00:34:51.860 And verse 11. 00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:57.440 Then He says this "These things I've spoken to you so that my joy may be in you. 00:34:57.700 --> 00:35:00.480 And that your joy may be full." Here's God's desire for you. 00:35:01.820 --> 00:35:06.220 To be filled with joy, to be filled with joy. 00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:12.160 Why does He give me the abiding not to oppress you or to weigh you down, but to fill you with joy. 00:35:12.780 --> 00:35:13.140 Why? 00:35:14.300 --> 00:35:18.780 Because God knows whatever He promises you, will never fail. 00:35:21.240 --> 00:35:28.000 If you abide in Jesus, what God promises, God will deliver. 00:35:30.740 --> 00:35:38.100 Oftentimes as people, our joy wanes because we lose hope and we lose hope because 00:35:38.100 --> 00:35:39.460 in life we see failure. 00:35:41.260 --> 00:35:44.630 In this world we can find things that bring us temporary happiness. 00:35:46.100 --> 00:35:48.860 We can, I mean, life is full of things. 00:35:48.860 --> 00:35:50.700 Bible even tells you sin is fun for a season. 00:35:51.140 --> 00:35:55.400 You can find things that bring you temporary happiness, but here's the reality of everything in this world. 00:35:56.300 --> 00:36:05.580 It all passes away except for the truth of God, the 00:36:05.620 --> 00:36:07.240 truth of God endures forever. 00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:17.120 His promises, when you make your life about Him, His promises, His kingdom in this world, you 00:36:17.180 --> 00:36:20.150 begin to realize as you strive for that, yes, you will face adversity. 00:36:20.560 --> 00:36:27.100 Yes, there are hardships that we go through as people, but deeper than all of that, we have this great joy. 00:36:27.140 --> 00:36:28.240 And why do we have it? 00:36:28.700 --> 00:36:35.860 Because while temporarily things may go sideways in the long run, we always have the things that God has promised us in Him. 00:36:37.100 --> 00:36:44.600 And when we make our life about those things and how more deeply and richly we have put our treasures towards evidence. 00:36:44.600 --> 00:36:51.700 So I think it becomes elates for soul to see all the expectations we have in Jesus will only be fulfilled in this 00:36:51.700 --> 00:36:53.900 world or excuse me in the world to come. 00:36:53.920 --> 00:37:00.000 So therefore I can have joy in this world knowing everything that awaits me in Christ and everything that I have in Jesus right now will never disappoint. 00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:03.510 It will never fail. 00:37:04.980 --> 00:37:06.010 And then He gives us last idea. 00:37:06.280 --> 00:37:07.780 What does a binding fruit look like? 00:37:07.920 --> 00:37:08.980 So this is all relational. 00:37:09.340 --> 00:37:10.480 It's all relational at this point. 00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:18.540 This abiding fruit, the way it manifests itself in this world is the seeking of God, in glorifying Him 00:37:18.540 --> 00:37:25.080 and looking as a follower of Jesus, manifesting that fruit in obedience because I deserve to be near to Him. 00:37:25.420 --> 00:37:33.600 And then in verse 12, He goes on and says this, "This is my commandment that 00:37:33.640 --> 00:37:40.740 you love one another just as I have loved you." Mark 12:30 and 00:37:40.740 --> 00:37:44.060 31 gives us the two commandments of the new covenant. 00:37:45.640 --> 00:37:50.380 I think for us as Christians, when you look at the Old Testament, you have over 600 commandments to obey. 00:37:51.260 --> 00:37:52.740 You look at the New Testament, you've got two. 00:37:54.720 --> 00:37:55.360 And they're all relational. 00:37:57.000 --> 00:37:59.520 Love God, love others. 00:38:01.040 --> 00:38:01.960 And here's the reality. 00:38:04.200 --> 00:38:12.240 When God does His work in you, your heart begins to become molded into 00:38:12.240 --> 00:38:17.000 loving what Jesus loves because your heart is being shaped by Jesus. 00:38:17.060 --> 00:38:17.450 As you abide. 00:38:19.260 --> 00:38:24.120 And as your heart's being shaped by Jesus, you abide and you begin to grow in your love for the things that Jesus loves. 00:38:24.220 --> 00:38:27.250 What you come to find out is what Jesus loves His people. 00:38:29.580 --> 00:38:34.320 And the beauty of fruit is intended to give itself away. 00:38:36.880 --> 00:38:44.140 See the natural outflow of me spending time with Jesus as I learned the truth of Jesus, the wisdom of Jesus, the love of Jesus 00:38:45.660 --> 00:38:50.900 and the result of that, what comes out of my life is that demonstration towards others. 00:38:52.380 --> 00:38:57.840 Because what I learned in my own journey is that I was a sinner and I still sin. 00:38:59.780 --> 00:39:05.600 And God didn't give up on me, and God came for me, and God every day continues to pursue me. 00:39:07.720 --> 00:39:10.680 In that way that God's love has transformed my life. 00:39:11.920 --> 00:39:13.360 It can have the same effect on others. 00:39:13.500 --> 00:39:16.100 And so therefore I want to give that gift away. 00:39:17.140 --> 00:39:19.100 Fruit is designed to give it away. 00:39:19.300 --> 00:39:20.640 It's a gift that God has given to us. 00:39:20.900 --> 00:39:24.300 And so the desire of our heart is to give that way. 00:39:24.300 --> 00:39:25.820 And here's the result to have fruit. 00:39:26.960 --> 00:39:30.080 Fruit naturally will reproduce. 00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:32.890 Fruit will reproduce. 00:39:33.760 --> 00:39:36.780 The soil may be different where we are, but fruit will reproduce. 00:39:37.820 --> 00:39:40.420 Abiding fruit will reproduce. 00:39:40.480 --> 00:39:47.320 And so we should be able to look at our life and just ask ourselves, "What kind of fruit am I producing the hearts of others? 00:39:47.380 --> 00:39:54.900 And how has that seed, what does that see birthing in them?" A fruit will 00:39:54.900 --> 00:39:55.400 reproduce. 00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:02.040 When you think about the beauty of this passage, loving God, loving others. 00:40:02.080 --> 00:40:08.060 I want you to see how Jesus does this here in verse 13 to 16, He repeats the same commandment in verse 17 again. 00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:12.860 But then in verse 13 to 16, He goes back to talk about Himself in this love. 00:40:13.080 --> 00:40:20.100 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down His life for His friends." So that's our example of how to love unconditional sacrificial for the benefit of another. 00:40:20.720 --> 00:40:21.680 "You are my friends. 00:40:21.680 --> 00:40:28.780 If you do what I command you," verse 15, "No longer do I call you slaves for the slave does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends for 00:40:28.780 --> 00:40:32.410 all things I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 00:40:32.440 --> 00:40:39.800 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain so 00:40:39.800 --> 00:40:44.200 that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He would give to you." I love this. 00:40:44.880 --> 00:40:52.400 And then He goes on and says that this commandment, "Command you, that you love one another." He tells us the command in verse 12, He repeats the command 00:40:52.400 --> 00:40:54.000 in verse 17, but He wraps it. 00:40:54.960 --> 00:40:57.840 He wraps it and reminding us of His great love towards us. 00:40:59.340 --> 00:41:01.780 And that's to say this, you want to know how to love well? 00:41:03.400 --> 00:41:04.870 Let Jesus love you well. 00:41:06.680 --> 00:41:09.040 Find your identity and who He is because here's what's going to happen. 00:41:10.760 --> 00:41:17.820 When you go into this world to "Love people." If you're not secure in your identity in Jesus already, what you're going to 00:41:17.820 --> 00:41:24.940 end up doing when you look to people to love them as Jesus calls you to is for them to affirm you, to them to tell you where your meaning and 00:41:24.940 --> 00:41:25.680 value and worth is. 00:41:27.400 --> 00:41:34.460 But Jesus is saying "No, you're able to love and live this way because you have found the greatest gift 00:41:34.460 --> 00:41:38.340 you've been given in Christ." He's the one that's lift you up. 00:41:39.020 --> 00:41:40.750 He's the one that's designed you for a purpose. 00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:45.360 He's the one that's created the space to let that fruit shine through you. 00:41:46.720 --> 00:41:48.360 It's Jesus who is called you. 00:41:48.360 --> 00:41:49.640 It's Jesus where you belong. 00:41:50.280 --> 00:41:52.040 It's Jesus where you find your identity. 00:41:52.580 --> 00:41:54.020 You don't need people to affirm that. 00:41:54.700 --> 00:41:57.220 It's good to encourage one another, it certainly always is. 00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:01.820 But sometimes people don't always have the right intentions in the way they encourage you. 00:42:01.840 --> 00:42:05.430 And sometimes people that call themselves your friends will tell you things that you shouldn't be doing anyway. 00:42:06.300 --> 00:42:09.360 So finding Jesus is so important. 00:42:09.760 --> 00:42:11.740 And then I want to highlight this last thought and be done. 00:42:13.060 --> 00:42:16.830 In verse seven, 12, and 17, He says this, that you love one another. 00:42:18.020 --> 00:42:24.240 And I think it's good to just love people in general. 00:42:25.160 --> 00:42:26.980 Jesus wants us to love everyone in this world. 00:42:28.020 --> 00:42:32.620 But I think in this verse, Jesus also means more than that. 00:42:32.900 --> 00:42:39.920 Not just love everyone in general, but I think He means, and especially "Those that are pursuing me," like in 00:42:39.920 --> 00:42:46.520 this room right now, disciples you guys together, I'm telling you love one another, love one another. 00:42:47.420 --> 00:42:53.900 And here's why, because when you walk together in giving your love away, it strengthens you. 00:42:55.700 --> 00:42:59.160 It strengthens you for how God has called you in this world. 00:43:00.700 --> 00:43:01.920 And this vine is interconnected. 00:43:03.200 --> 00:43:09.500 One of the things I love about our church name, Alpine Bible Church, is you know anything about the Alpines and the Alpines are really the high mountains. 00:43:11.040 --> 00:43:18.100 And in the Alpine, we have a particular tree that doesn't grow until you get to a mile higher. 00:43:18.120 --> 00:43:20.500 At least it does better between a mile and two mile range. 00:43:21.740 --> 00:43:23.260 And it's called the aspen trees. 00:43:24.340 --> 00:43:25.840 And something cool about the aspen trees. 00:43:25.880 --> 00:43:26.910 And give me a click, Caleb. 00:43:28.420 --> 00:43:30.420 Something cool that we discovered about the aspen trees. 00:43:30.420 --> 00:43:32.680 And I think it's a fairly recent discovery is that they're intertwined. 00:43:33.640 --> 00:43:34.510 They're one organism. 00:43:35.500 --> 00:43:36.260 They're interconnected. 00:43:36.260 --> 00:43:42.640 These trees can grow up individually, but what they do as they start to grow, is they find the roots of the other trees and they interconnect with each other. 00:43:43.080 --> 00:43:50.180 And the reason they do that is because when one tree is doing well, and one tree is doing poorly, they can pump strength into each 00:43:50.180 --> 00:43:51.460 other that they all survive. 00:43:52.200 --> 00:43:57.260 They live and grow as a unit, or maybe we should say they live in die as a unit. 00:43:58.560 --> 00:44:00.780 But they depend on each other. 00:44:00.780 --> 00:44:04.140 And they use the fruit that God has given to them to bless each other. 00:44:04.180 --> 00:44:08.080 And I think that's what Jesus is saying in this situation, especially in a hard moment. 00:44:09.440 --> 00:44:11.840 You know how you're going to just bless this world? 00:44:12.600 --> 00:44:14.140 It's because you're also for each other. 00:44:15.080 --> 00:44:24.020 And the fruit of who you are is intended to be given way that God's people can find strength to live for His glory in this world, and 00:44:24.020 --> 00:44:26.420 of your life, and of your life. 00:44:28.020 --> 00:44:28.930 You want it to matter. 00:44:29.520 --> 00:44:31.120 I mean, I think that's why you're here. 00:44:31.820 --> 00:44:33.440 You want your life to matter. 00:44:34.280 --> 00:44:35.660 And that question for us is, okay. 00:44:35.700 --> 00:44:39.780 So then if I want my life to matter, and I'm here seeking the Lord, what matters to God? 00:44:40.380 --> 00:44:41.800 What matters to Him? 00:44:42.560 --> 00:44:42.780 What answer? 00:44:44.500 --> 00:44:45.120 That you would abide. 00:44:46.800 --> 00:44:53.220 And in abiding in Him, your life would be lived for the purpose He created it, and you will bear fruit.