I wonder why it’s such a compliment to tell a woman she looks like a breath of spring, but not to tell her she looks like the end of hard winter. Isn’t it the same thing? I wonder why, when the preacher says, "In closing..." he doesn’t.
I wonder why it pleases her to say time stands still when you look into her face, but not to say her face would stop a clock. Why?
I wonder why the people who punish a child for lying will tell the same child, "Just say I’m not home."
I wonder why a speaker who "needs no introduction" gets one anyway. It seems curious. Many things in this world could cause us to wonder.
Discussion:
I am hit with the realization that life is hard. What do tell someone when life hits them right between the eyes, an life dumps a mess on their plate? “Go in Peace”? “Keep the faith”? “God helps those who helps themselves”? (That’s unbiblical by the way). What do you tell the parents who are weeping over a small casket, or the daughter who just lost her dad to suicide? Those situations have no easy answers. Jesus, while on his way to the cross told his disciples about something that would get them through the hardest of times. In other words this is what will get you through the trials at work, the divorces, the death of loved ones, the struggles that you have right now. Faith is the one thing that will get you through.
Turn with me to John 15:1-6 (read)
We must have:
I. Faith that trusts Christ (1-2)
Jesus was closer to the cross than at any other time before when he gave the last of the I AM statements. He’s already declared that he was the way the truth and the life, the living water, the bread of life. Jesus now says:
a. I am the true vine
This was a name reserved only for Israel. Isaiah’s parable of the vine, after stating that the divine vinedresser looked for good grapes, sadly declares, “But it yielded only bad fruit” (Is 5:2). They were the true vine of God. Jesus is now making it clear, that he is the true vine of God.
i. Through him would come all the promises God gave to Israel.
ii. Through him all people would be blessed
iii. Through him God would be inclusive –
1. He would include all people
2. He would make a way for every person to come to God.
3. He would become the link between the gardener – God the father
a. And the fruit – God working through his people.
b. Eternal Life
i. Not based on works – so that no one will boast.
ii. Not based on the things you do – or even the things you stay away from.
b. Jesus says
i. “He cuts off every branch in me that does not produce fruit”
1. Sounds like a warning – we should
a. Keep our eyes open
b. Keep our hearts in prayer
c. Keep our hands busy in service
2. Sounds like – we should be confident
I am convinced that God is not done with us yet. He’s not done with you.
Philippians 1:6 – … he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
a. We still have lives we can touch
i. A large population of this town is not in church on Sunday Morning
ii. Our joy shouldn’t be in transfers from other churches, but from people who aren’t going to church.
b. We still have ministry left to do.
God is not finished. We must trust God together, that he can use us in ways he’s never done before. To remain with Christ means to have faith that trust that Jesus is who he said he is, and will do what he said he would do.
Remember when you first learned how to ride a bike? Your experience was probably much like mine – dad or mom right there with you, encouraging you to keep going. You looked back to see their face, to make sure they were still holding on. The handle bars were unsteady, but you were moving forward. And before you know it you look back and they’ve let go. We need to quit looking back. For that matter we need to quit looking across town. God has given us a place in this community to teach Biblical truths, not denominational doctrines. We have to trust that God will bring about the good work he has started in this body of Christ. God is blessing this church, and he will continue blessing as long as we put nothing above his word. Our movement says that we aren’t the only Christians but we are Christians only, where the Bible speaks, we speak and where the bible is silent we are silent. The Christian churches/restoration movement is the fastest growing church in America. God is blessing the work he has started.
Jesus says the fruitful Christian:
II. Opens their life to Christ (3-4)
Jesus told his disciples that their lives were clean because of the word spoken. In the same way today hearing the gospel message preached also cleanses.
Acts 8:29-31 – The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The eunuch was then baptized because he understood the word of God. His understanding of God’s word cleansed him, just as hearing the word made the disciples clean and makes us clean today. We must not only hear the
a. Do the word
James 1:22 – Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
i. Take God’s word
1. And place it in the lives of those who are not dedicated.
2. And live it out by building relationships with those who are not dedicated
3. And encourage those who are, and those who have lead you to where you are today.
We must be doers of the word. It’s not only through hearing the word but ‘doing’ it that we are clean.
b. We are not alone
i. God has a place for you in his kingdom.
“God doesn’t play dice.” – Albert Einstein
“You are not an accident. Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not surprised at all by your birth. In fact he expected it.” -- Bill Hybels “Purpose Driven Life” pg. 23
ii. God planted in you
1. The skin color that you have
2. The abilities that you have
Listen to me, and hear my point. If God created everything about us – and I believe he did, he didn’t just leave us alone. He gives us his promise – he says, “remain in me, and I will remain in you.” He even acknowledges that you can do nothing without him. We shouldn’t even try to have church, or maintain ministries without asking God to bless us first. What is our worship if God doesn’t go before us? What are the duties we have each day, if God doesn’t going before us? What are the relationships that we have, if God doesn’t go before us? He will go before you – when you ask.
c. Remain
This word appears 10 times in John Chapter 15. It means that you stand in difficult circumstances. It means when the going gets tough – you stick around, even when everyone else is jumping ship. The Christian life, is not easy, but we must remain with Christ and he says, he promises that he will remain in us. When life gets hard – he will stay by our side. When we have reasons to doubt or question our faith or our purpose – he is here, he remains with us. To remain with Christ is to be fruitful.
To remain in Christ mean:
III. To remain in union with Christ (5-6)
We must hold fast to the faith that we claim.
a. Know our position
i. Jesus is the vine
ii. We are the branches
1. Our job is to remain in Christ
2. The result of our job
a. To produce fruit.
We produce fruit in two ways.
b. Winning non-believers to Jesus Christ
i. We show them that we care
ii. We show them that Jesus cares
iii. We show them the need they have in their lives for a relationship with Christ. Don’t give someone a religion –
You don’t buy a bag of hotdog buns and leave the bag open – because it would get stale and would be useless. Church, the bag of hotdog buns weren’t intended to be hard and stale. Our relationship with God is the same way. It was never God’s intention for you to have a meaningless religion with him, something you just pull from the shelf first thing Sunday morning. He didn’t send his one and only son to live, and die for religion. He did it for something else – a relationship. Your attitudes shouldn’t change when you come to church, you should be in a church mindset all the time.
If the goal is winning non-believers to Jesus Christ – you are the best tool, the best way to get that done. According to a Barnes national survey – people will more often take the advice of someone they trust as a friend, than to take advice from an expert. Here’s the heart of what I am saying: I show up at the door of someone who doesn’t come to church – 2 things are going through their minds – 1. Someone’s dead 2. The preacher’s here to remind me how wrong I am because I don’t go to church.
Listen, you build a relationship with a person and tell them about a great church – they will come. You build a relationship and tell them about the Sunday School program, or the children’s ministry – tell them how Christ has impacted your life – they will come. See the difference? I will make every effort to contact people you say will benefit from a personal visit – but please do your part as well. If you care about this church, and the God given role we have in this community, build relationships.
c. Showing the results of our faith
i. How will the world know unless they see a change in you
1. Unless they see
a. Clean speech
b. Changed attitudes
c. Loving words
d. Growth
I generally don’t like bumper sticker theology but here’s something that we need to understand. People who will never pick up a Bible will read you, they will read your life. They will then judge (right or wrong) they will make a judgment about the value of your belief based on how you live it. James asks this question: James 2:14 – What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? In case you didn’t catch it – He expects a negative answer – IT IS WORTHLESS.
After September 11th people became aware of a religion that’s been around for centuries. Those people who gave their lives for what they believed became criminals to most, but heroes to some. I’ve heard of people actually converting to Islam because they said it cost them something. In their minds Christianity doesn’t cost a person anything. In other words, they were looking at the people and what they claim to believe and they were seeing people who were unwilling to sacrifice for their belief.
d. He gives a promise
John 15:7 – If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
i. We have a God who supplies
1. Where God calls he provides
2. Where He leads we should follow
Paul in his prayer to the Ephesians says this –
Ephesians 3:20 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
How big is your God? Paul says that he can do all we imagine to the 100th power. Jay McPhearson version – “If you can dream it, and God has called you, HE can do it.” I believe God is saying – Give me a body of believers 100% sold out to Jesus Christ, and there is no stopping us. I want us to be that body of believers. Will we have some growing pains – yes, but it’s better than arthritis. Will we have to make some changes – yes, but God’s word will always be exalted.
Conclusion:
God says – you ask and I will provide. Maybe you are sitting there this morning and you’re thinking you aren’t qualified – God has used unqualified people from the very beginning. God used the little shepherd boy David when his brothers were bigger, tougher and stronger. God is able to use you, this the first day of the rest of your life to do powerful things for him, to help this church be everything it can be.
Someone said the only one who likes change is a wet baby. Jesus said count the cost before you follow me. Count the cost – there is no such thing as a ½ way believer. Either you are or you are not devoted to Christ. Either you are submitting to the holy spirit, or you are not – it’s that simple. Are you remaining in Christ in your daily walk with Jesus?
If you have a decision to make – come as we stand and sing.
