Latest / #Faith4TodayPodcast / 🌿 Episode 43 — The Vine, The Branches, and the Friend of God (John 15)

Transcript

🌿 Episode 43 — The Vine, The Branches, and the Friend of God (John 15) · #Faith4TodayPodcast

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  Hey, today the episode we're going to take a deep dive into
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  John 15. We're going to explore what it
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  really means to abide in Christ and live a life that bears
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  lasting fruit. You'll discover that pruning
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  isn't punishment, it's love. In caring action, God removes
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  what hinders our growth so His life can flow freely through us.
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  From the ancient process. Of vineyard cultivation to the
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  covenant meaning behind Jesus word where he calls us his
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  friends we're going to look at historical insights spiritual
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  death and real world applications in this episode
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  you're going to learn why God's delays are not really his denial
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  because waiting seasons are necessary we're going to talk
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  about the difference between pruning and spiritual attacks
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  we're going to talk about what does it mean to abide and live
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  aligned with Jesus love commands and his Kingdom and we're going
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  to talk about how. Limits really help us grow leaps
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  and bounds more than what we thought we could.
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  All in today's episode, let's go.
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  Well, welcome to another episode of the Faith for Today podcast.
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  Thanks for tuning in. I'm Matthew, I'm your host and
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  we are going to jump into John 15 today.
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  We're looking kind of at Part 2 of Jesus's fond farewell with
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  his disciples. On today's podcast.
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  We're going to look at a recap from from Sunday's message.
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  You're going to share some bonus content and I'm going to respond
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  to a few questions that we had come in, all with the goal of
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  helping you have faith for the day to move beyond inspiration
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  on a Sunday so that you live integrated with loyalty on a
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  Thursday. So here we are.
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  Let's jump into it Now just imagine you're standing on a
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  Judean hillside over 2000 years ago.
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  Morning sun warms the stones. Rows of vines stretch across the
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  terrace. A farmer, the vine dresser,
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  walks among them, pruning knife and hand, singing and whistling
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  softly as he checks each branch with care.
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  When Jesus said I'm the true vine and my father is the vine
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  dresser, everyone listening understood that picture
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  immediately. They'd seen it 100 times over.
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  But Jesus wasn't talking just about grapes.
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  He was talking about you and me and what it means to live a
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  fruitful life that pleases God. In the ancient world, planting a
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  vineyard was kind of an act of faith.
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  It would take three to five years before it would produce
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  usable fruit and grapes, and during that time the farmer
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  would clear stones, build walls, and wait.
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  In fact, in Leviticus, scripture says that for three years the
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  fruit shall be forbidden. In the fourth year, the fruit
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  belongs to the Lord, it's holy to Him.
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  But in the 5th year you could start using the grapes of the
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  vineyard that that finally tasted and and get to reap the
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  reward of what you had planted. That's a long wait and maybe
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  that's where some of us feel like we are at in our lives
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  waiting years. You've planted seeds of faith,
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  you've prayed, you've walked in obedience, but you haven't seen
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  the fruit yet. Yeah, I think that God's delays
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  are part of his process of maturing our perseverance where
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  where we're rooted and we're really growing deep roots before
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  we start to show fruit. I think God is preparing our
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  soil and. That kind of.
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  Fruit takes a long time to grow. We talked about how what comes
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  to the the branch is pruning and pruning is necessary.
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  Of John 15, two says that every branch that does bear fruit, he
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  prunes so that it can bear more fruit in the vineyard.
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  Pruning isn't punishment, it's care.
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  And in our lives, pruning isn't punishment.
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  It's God caring for us. It's an act of love towards us
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  and cutting things away, like maybe a job, a habit,
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  relationships. It's not because he's angry, but
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  it's because he sees potential that we can't see.
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  He sees things that are hindering our growth that we
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  can't see. He knows that if he doesn't trim
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  it, we won't really thrive and flourish.
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  And so when we feel that knife, that cut coming, it remember
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  that the vine dresser never wounds without a purpose.
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  And, and I don't mean wound in terms of inflicting pain, but he
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  never leads us to a place where there's discomfort, where we're
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  being stretched, where we have to persevere and endure.
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  There's always a purpose in those moments of our of our
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  life. A branch cannot survive without
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  the vine. If it's detached even for a
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  short time, it Withers in the heat and a branch itself can
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  have some unhealthy things growing in it that must be cut
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  away. The secrets of fruitfulness is
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  not effort, rather it's remaining in connection and
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  communion with God, with the vine.
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  Prayer isn't a religious task, it's the lifeline for our soul.
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  Scripture isn't an obligation, it's the SAP that keeps us
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  alive. You can't bear Lovejoy, peace
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  and patience on our own. We need the Spirit of God
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  abiding in US and us abiding in Him.
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  They're they're not self produced, they're vine produced.
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  If you stay connected to Jesus, his life is what's going to flow
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  through you and you'll find yourself becoming more and more
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  like him. Not striving, but abiding
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  doesn't mean that there isn't effort or things that we don't
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  do that help protect and guard what God is producing in US.
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  But ultimately it's our union with him that produces the life
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  of God in US and through us. Now when the harvest finally
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  comes, grapes could be crushed into vats and people would stomp
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  them bare feet singing songs of joy.
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  And the juice flowed into jars like ferment and, and, and that,
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  that that were left to ferment and mature.
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  And over time, this juice became wine, a symbol of covenant joy
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  and celebration. Wine and Scripture always speaks
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  of joy and covenant and blessing.
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  And at the Last Supper, this is what Jesus lifted up the cup
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  saying, this is the blood of my new covenant.
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  There's a connection here. The the, the vine that we
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  connect to that produces much fruit that the grapes and the
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  wine, the new wine of the Spirit in us.
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  This is what the new covenant is all about.
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  It's not just about the forgiveness of our sins, but
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  rather the abiding presence of the new wine of the Spirit that
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  is producing life in us that others can see that we are
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  partakers and participants in a new covenant with God.
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  He's the vine, We're the branch. He pours out His life into us so
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  that joy could flow in US and through us, and our joy can be
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  made complete. It's His blood that became the
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  new wine of the new covenant, the fruit of a divine love made
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  complete in us through the person and work of the Spirit,
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  the new wine that we need. And so He's the vine, we're the
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  branch, and He longs for us to remain in union with Him so that
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  we can produce fruit that remains.
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  So one of the things that I want to share as we get into some
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  bonus concept today is just to acknowledge that in John 15, you
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  cannot read John 15 and not recognize that Jesus expects.
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  Us to mature, Jesus expects us to bear fruit like that's the
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  normative that we would bear fruit.
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  And when I say bear fruit, I'm not talking about improving in
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  our lives or getting better at this Christian thing.
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  Talking about maturity, talking about rootedness, faithfulness,
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  fidelity. This, this, this maturing in our
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  love. It's kind of like it moves from
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  the emotional state to a real loyal state, right?
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  Just like a marriage that begins kind of in its infancy.
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  As that relational communion grows, it ought to get richer,
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  more fuller, more robust, more mature in how it loves and
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  serves and cares for each other, how it tends to each other.
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  This is maturity. I think becoming healthy and
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  strong is the goal of of the follower of Christ that we would
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  ongoingly keep keep walking in the ways of Jesus and become
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  healthy and strong in all of those in all of those things.
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  And when we come to the this, this understanding that Jesus is
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  giving this, this ancient picture of a vineyard, Jesus is
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  letting us know that in the vineyard, when it was planted,
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  it had everything internally it needed to grow and mature, just
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  like our human bodies. Everything in our human bodies
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  is when we are born in US and it matures and develops with us as
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  we age, as we continue on growing.
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  I think that's the life of the follower of Jesus.
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  It's meant to move from infancy to adulthood.
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  It's meant to move from from being kind of weak to stronger.
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  It's meant to to continually develop and and grow.
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  But everything in US is designed to grow and mature, develop as
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  time progresses on, and everything that we need in US or
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  or to produce the life of God is already in US in the work of the
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  Spirit. In fact, Peter tells us in in in
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  his writing that everything that we need as it pertains to life
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  and godliness has been given to us by the divine power of the
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  Holy Spirit living in US. And so we have what we need.
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  God has given us everything that we need.
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  And one of the realities is that he's make us no longer a slave
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  to sin, but so many of us still live enslaved to our flesh.
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  And I think that we need to recognize that he set us free.
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  And the question is, do we want to walk in freedom?
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  It's kind of like the question. Then he asked the the lame man
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  at the pool of Bethesda, do you want to be made?
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  Well, it's not that God didn't Jesus didn't have the power to
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  raise him up and restore his his ability to walk.
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  It's not that Jesus didn't see or care or know or love.
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  It wasn't any of those things. It actually came back to this
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  man and his willingness to allow his entire life to change.
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  I think when we come to Jesus, we like the idea of being saved.
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  We like the idea of following Jesus until we have to start
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  following Jesus, until everything in our lives needs to
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  change. We we say things in our world
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  like I would do anything for my kids, I would die for my kids.
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  That's that's fine. I think it's great to be
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  committed to our family. My question is, is will you live
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  with discipline? How about you eat healthier so
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  that you're around longer? We'll all do anything but that,
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  right? Like, like when you're in a
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  loving relationship, there isn't anything you're unwilling to
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  change in order to continue to help the relationship be
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  healthy. I think we need to recognize
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  that Jesus has set us free. He doesn't want us enslaved to
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  sin, doesn't want us living according to the patterns of the
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  world. And he's giving us a new way to
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  be human, a new way to have life with God, a new way to actually
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  flourish. He's the true vine, not a false
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  vine. He's the one that's going to
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  produce real life. And so I, I think we have to ask
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  ourselves the question, do we want to actually produce and see
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  a life of flourishing happen in our life, or are we just happy
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  living with the substitutes of the earth, substitutes of the
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  world where we're not really willing to exchange our life for
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  his life. We just want to add a little bit
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  of Jesus into our life, Friends. That's not the invitation of
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  God. That is not the saving work of
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  God. It's not just adding Jesus into
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  your life. It's Jesus coming and consuming
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  and reorienting entirely all of your life.
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  It's you dying to yourself so that the Spirit can live in you.
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  Paul says that like this in Galatians.
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  For it is no longer I who lives, but it's Christ in me, the hope
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  of glory that's living. So if you want the hope of the
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  glorious life in the world that is to come when Jesus returns,
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  then it's about dying today to your flesh, dying to who you
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  are, to your ideas. And so if we say that we want to
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  live for God, but we're not willing to give up our hobbies
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  that are distracting us from actually following Him, We're
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  not willing to deal with offense in our lives so that we can get
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  rid of the bitterness and actually have real friendships
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  that are life giving. We just like the surface level
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  things. We're we're unwilling to get
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  beyond our hurt to engage in a community.
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  We, we don't want to get rid of the lies.
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  We want to hold on to, to our own way of life.
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  And, and again, we if this is the relationship we want with
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  Jesus, then it's going to cause us to reorient everything in our
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  lives. But so many of us are still
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  living in slave to sin. Because we have.
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  Not actually started walking the path that Jesus invites us to.
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  We, we will teach our kids how to throw a ball, but we won't
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  teach them the scriptures. We'll, we'll, we'll tell our
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  spouse that we'll, we'll do anything for them except
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  actually open up and share our heart with them.
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  We'll, we'll tell God he has everything.
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  We, we, we want to follow him and we believe in him, but we
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  won't open up and allow our hearts to be where our treasure
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  is. Our treasure is somewhere other
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  than with Jesus. We will do all of these things
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  that we say we want to do. We just don't follow through.
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  And as a result, we end up living enslaved to our to our
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  flesh. But God has given us everything
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  we need to live a different life.
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  When we talk about abiding, we're not talking about just
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  being saved. And I'm not just talking about
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  the Holy Spirit living and abiding in US.
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  That's a part of it. That's him in US.
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  Jesus said if we're going to abide in him, then there is US
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  keeping his commands. The Spirit comes and abides in
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  us. That's that's happening.
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  We get that. But if we're going to remain in
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  him, the idea of remaining is obeying.
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  See, to be to abide is to remain.
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  To remain is to obey and keep his commands.
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  Let me say it another way. I said it like this on Sunday.
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  If you're going to abide in Christ, then you must submit to
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  Christ. That means you don't get to
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  choose whether or not you forgive or not.
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  You submit to Christ and you give forgiveness.
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  You don't get to choose whether or not you you don't hold on to
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  offense. He says get rid of the offense.
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  You don't choose. If you get to pray for your
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  enemies, you pray for your enemies.
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  That to abide in Christ is to submit to the life that God
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  invites us into. To abide is to live submitted
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  and aligned with His love, to live and be submitted to His
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  commands, To live and be submitted to His Kingdom.
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  This isn't just an emotional. I'm abiding with Jesus.
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  Yeah. Hey, hey, hey, hey.
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  No, no, this is the spirit abides in us.
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  But if we're abiding in him, he says that looks like obedience.
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  So so first John 2/3 through 6. Is it like this?
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  This is how we know that we know him.
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  That word know is that an intimate knowing, a remaining,
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  an intimacy. He says if we keep his commands,
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  The one who says I have come to know him yet doesn't keep his
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  commands is a liar. The truth is not in him, but
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  whoever keeps his word truly in him.
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  The love of God is made complete.
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  The love of God is made complete.
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  So if we're going to remain in His love, then we need to obey
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  His commands, not to earn His love, but that His love would
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  have permanence and work its way into our being.
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  You don't get to just receive someone's love and never walk in
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  life with them. And if we're going to walk in
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  life with Jesus, then we are walking in the light.
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  And to walk in the lightest to have fellowship.
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  You don't get to have fellowship and know Him unless you're
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  living out His commands. This is what John keeps telling
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  us. This is how we know Him.
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  It goes on to say the one who says He remains in Him should
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  walk as He walked. To know him friends, is to keep
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  his commands. If you're going to walk as he
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  walked, that means you live and keep his commands.
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  Keeping his commands means keeping his word.
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  God's word is, is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path
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  that we that we walk. I talked about this.
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  If we're going to walk as Jesus walk, then we're going to walk
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  down the road that he wants us to walk, to walk the way that he
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  walked. Well, how did Jesus walk?
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  We'll read the Beatitudes, read the Sermon on the Mount.
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  This is Jesus's kind of summary of what it looks like to live
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  like him in the world, to live in accordance with his Kingdom.
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  And so when you read Matthew 5-6 and seven and you're not, your
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  life is not reflective of those at all.
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  Well, man did then. Then you're not really walking
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  the way of Jesus. You're in the ditch.
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  You're not on the road. And for every mile of Rd. that
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  you could walk the way of Jesus, there are two miles of ditches
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  that you could get into. You can get into legalism and
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  you can get into lawlessness. You can get in a ditch and you
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  can see the road. You could describe the road.
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  You can even try to articulate how the road got there.
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  You might even be able to intellectually tell me all about
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  the road, but you're still not on the road.
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  You might have memorized verses about the road that Jesus tells
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  us to walk, but you're not walking the road.
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  Memorizing a verse about the road isn't the same as walking
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  the road. You might know what the Sermon
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  on the Mount says, but you're not living the Sermon on the
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  Mount. And because you're not living
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  the Sermon on the Mount, he says his love is not being made
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  perfect any you and you're, you're not living in his
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  commands and you're a liar. You think you're on the road,
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  but you're a ditch dweller, he says, so don't call it the road.
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  You're there's a falsehood about that and Jesus is inviting us
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  into a new way of living where we reorient all of our life
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  around the teachings and life. An example of Jesus and one of
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  the things that he invites us into is rich communion with the
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  father. One of the things he invites us
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  into is loving people around us, loving our one another, fellow
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  disciples and people of God. He invites us into serving and
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  and fasting and praying and worshipping and generosity, all
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  of these things. And as a result, not worrying
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  and being consumed by anxiousness and building a life
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  that's going to stand the test of time again.
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  Just sit with the Sermon on the Mount for a while and watch this
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  lifestyle of Jesus begin to permeate your life.
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  We are called to live that out, not just acknowledge that it's
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  the truth. We're to to live out that truth.
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  And God's Word helps us see His commands and then live His
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  commands is a choice that we make.
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  God's Word is not here. I said it on Sunday, but God's
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  Word is not here to affirm your lifestyle.
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  God's Word is not here to conform to your political ideas.
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  No, no, God's Word is here to conform your life into the image
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  and likeness of Christ's. That's what God's word is here
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  to do. It's not here to affirm your
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  lifestyle. It's not here to rationalize for
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  you to twist into some political agenda.
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  God's word is not here to kind of help justify your sinfulness.
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  No, no, God's word is here to conform your life into the way
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  of Christ. And so we, we want to live more
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  like Christ and we are free from sin.
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  We have this freedom and I think we need to use our freedom in a
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  way that. Embraces the limits that God has
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  for us. You know, if you don't have a
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  trellis for a vineyard, that vine will just grow anywhere and
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  everywhere. And it can grow anywhere and
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  everywhere, but it may not produce its best fruit because
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  it's just growing wherever it wants.
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  A vineyard was, especially in ancient times, was built along a
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  wall and was built with some wood supports like a trellis to
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  keep the vine growing healthy and in the right direction.
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  When we, when we live however we want, rather than embracing the
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  limits God invites us into, we we're not going to grow healthy,
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  mature and in the right direction.
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  And so we need to look at the word of God and, and, and, and
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  bind ourselves to the to the ways of God and live with
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  boundaries and limits so that we grow in the right direction and
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  we grow healthy. Limits are in.
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  Are. Helpful.
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  I use the illustration on Sunday of if I played the guitar and I
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  just turned the guitar upside down and just started like
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  banging it. Well, I'm using my freedom.
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  I'm just not really using the guitar the way it was meant to
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  be. I can't.
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  You can use the guitar that way, it's just not it's intended use
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  and it doesn't make nearly as beautiful sound.
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  You can live your life how you want and try to make a mess of
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  the. Grace of God, you can do that.
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  You have the freedom to do that, but it's not going to produce a
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  life that really is going to flourish.
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  You can, you have the freedom to skip church all the time and
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  just like pray on your own and not getting community, not
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  serve, not give, never fast, never really engage in the life
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  of the body of believers. You can do that.
• 22:02
  Your life just isn't going to grow as healthy, grow as strong,
• 22:05
  and be in the direction that God wants.
• 22:08
  It's going to be unprotected because it's not bound by the
• 22:10
  trellis. It's not living in the on the
• 22:13
  wall, if you will, and you're going to be more susceptible to
• 22:16
  things coming at you. Why?
• 22:17
  Because you're living your life on your terms rather than
• 22:20
  submitted and aligned to God. And so when we live with
• 22:24
  boundaries, when we live out and we practice the spiritual
• 22:27
  disciplines and we limit ourselves to be submitted to the
• 22:32
  ways of Jesus, well then man, we're, we're, we're in best
• 22:36
  place to grow in a proper, in a proper direction.
• 22:40
  Anywhere that we are unwilling to put a limit in our life will
• 22:47
  become an idol in our life. If you do not live with limits
• 22:52
  around, your spending, spending will become an idol in your
• 22:56
  life. Materialism will grow if you
• 22:58
  don't put a limit around around how how often you are gone on
• 23:05
  the weekend for work, your work will become an idol in your life
• 23:10
  if you don't put a limit around how much screen time you're on
• 23:15
  screens and digital things will become an idol in your life
• 23:19
  anything. If you don't put a limit around
• 23:22
  the sports that your kids do on the weekends, sports will become
• 23:26
  an. Idol in your family's life and
• 23:29
  you are discipling them in a way that doesn't produce real.
• 23:33
  Life. I don't have anything against
• 23:34
  sports, I don't have anything against shopping, anything
• 23:36
  against having to go on business trips over the weekend.
• 23:39
  I'm just saying anything that we aren't limiting, well, limiting
• 23:43
  and surrendering to Jesus absolutely becomes an idol in
• 23:46
  our lives. That takes away our attention,
• 23:48
  takes away our affection, and takes away the life of God from
• 23:52
  growing in US. Anything I'm unwilling to
• 23:55
  embrace with the limit becomes this idol.
• 23:58
  It's Scripture warns us to not remove the ancient boundary
• 24:02
  markers, warns us about living a life of discipline and how.
• 24:06
  How foolish. It is to.
• 24:07
  Live without restraint and we don't want to live that way.
• 24:11
  We want to live a healthy life. Jesus wants you to mature, be
• 24:15
  healthy and grow in the life of God.
• 24:17
  That's what he wants from you so that your joy may be complete,
• 24:23
  that you'll find real, satisfying life.
• 24:26
  The only way to find real satisfying life is to be
• 24:30
  connected to the true Vine and let let him redefine how you
• 24:36
  live your daily life, how you do relationships, how you do money,
• 24:40
  how you do parenting, how you do sexuality, how you do worship
• 24:46
  and and scripture and truth and politics and I'm caring.
• 24:51
  For the environment. All of these things Jesus wants
• 24:55
  to shape and form his way of living, and we need to take our
• 24:59
  way of living, our own knowledge of good and evil, of how we
• 25:02
  should live our lives. And we need to submit that to
• 25:04
  him, align with him, obey him, remain in him so that we can be
• 25:10
  abiding in him. Second thing I want to say kind
• 25:15
  of from Sunday is kind of talk a little bit more about Jesus
• 25:19
  calling us friends. And he's using a.
• 25:22
  A contrast between a friend and a slave.
• 25:25
  A slave was an ancient role in ancient households as to how
• 25:33
  people were now. Now, slavery in ancient times is
• 25:37
  different than slavery how we think of it.
• 25:38
  It was a little bit more of like, hey, I I have a debt I
• 25:41
  can't pay off. I'm going to indenture myself to
• 25:44
  you and I'm going to serve your family until I pay off my debt.
• 25:48
  And so it was more like a hired hand, a workforce thing then
• 25:51
  like a forced slavery. Now, there was some mistreatment
• 25:54
  of those things, just like there are our bosses that mistreat
• 25:58
  people. There's unkind, unsavory,
• 26:01
  ungodly, unholy working conditions in third world
• 26:05
  countries that just are inhumane.
• 26:07
  Those kinds of things did exist in the ancient areas too, but
• 26:10
  they were also very healthy environments.
• 26:12
  So it's not a one to one in all of those things.
• 26:16
  But Jesus is contrasting a slave and a friend.
• 26:18
  This word friend is the Greek word filos and it means this a
• 26:21
  person with whom one has a close bond or to whom one is under a
• 26:26
  basic obligation. Jesus is using both definitions
• 26:31
  emphasis emphasis in this text and when when a word like friend
• 26:39
  has a couple different meanings or connotations, you have to
• 26:43
  look at the context to figure out what its meaning or which
• 26:46
  which. Part of the.
• 26:48
  The definition it's relying on or utilizing and the same is
• 26:53
  true. Here.
• 26:53
  In John 15, Jesus calls us friends.
• 26:56
  Now the disciples were Friedman, they weren't slaves.
• 27:00
  And so that meant they had a reciprocal relationship, a basic
• 27:03
  obligation, returning to Jesus loyalty and carrying out his
• 27:09
  commands again. Jesus is asking them to follow
• 27:12
  him, to love each other as he loved us, to respond and
• 27:17
  represent him on the earth in his departure.
• 27:21
  He's getting ready to leave. This is his fond farewell.
• 27:24
  And he's letting the disciples know I want you to live and be
• 27:27
  my emissaries, be my ambassadors in this place that's there's a
• 27:31
  basic obligation. There's something that is
• 27:33
  happening. In fact, in the ancient East, in
• 27:37
  Rome and Greece, and in this time in Judaism, to have a
• 27:43
  friend was to have a client patron relationship.
• 27:47
  It was a complex social mechanism characterized by
• 27:50
  reciprocal exchanges between individuals of unequal status.
• 27:55
  Patronage was. Fundamentally, A voluntary
• 27:58
  exchanging relationship between people of unequal power, where
• 28:02
  the patron, in this case Jesus, would provide things for the
• 28:06
  other and the client was obligated and obliged to return
• 28:11
  favors through loyalty service and public displays of support.
• 28:16
  A client would reciprocate by promoting the patrons reputation
• 28:21
  and promising future loyalty to the patron himself.
• 28:27
  And so the disciples are promising their loyalty.
• 28:29
  The the disciples are being commissioned to represent Jesus
• 28:33
  on the earth when he's about to depart.
• 28:35
  And Jesus himself said, if you deny me publicly on the earth,
• 28:39
  I'm going to deny you before my father, the one that you really
• 28:42
  want to be with. And so Jesus is saying, hey,
• 28:45
  listen, I'm coming. I have all power and authority
• 28:48
  and if you're going to deny me then we're not going to be in
• 28:50
  this relationship. But if you acknowledge me before
• 28:53
  man, then. I'm going to.
• 28:55
  Acknowledge you before my father.
• 28:56
  What is that? That is client patron language
• 28:59
  that Jesus is using in his teachings.
• 29:01
  And so when he says, I'm not going to call you slaves where
• 29:03
  you have to do this just because you're trying to pay back a
• 29:06
  debt. This isn't about you earning
• 29:08
  something or paying off your own debt.
• 29:10
  That's not you. But we are friends.
• 29:13
  I'm, I'm your patron and we're partners in this and I have more
• 29:16
  power and authority and I have things that you need, like life
• 29:19
  and life eternal. And you and your loyalty
• 29:22
  returned back to me. We're going to live out this
• 29:25
  life together. So this isn't like a buddy,
• 29:27
  buddy, friend. There's affection here.
• 29:29
  There's connection and communication here.
• 29:32
  But there was a reciprocal nature to this loyalty that the
• 29:36
  disciples were to give and this content of this farewell
• 29:41
  discourse. And John points to Jesus's
• 29:43
  commissioning his disciples to act in his absence.
• 29:47
  The disciples are expected to respond by fulfilling their
• 29:50
  Commission to love one another bear fruit.
• 29:53
  Their loyalty is to Jesus in his absence in the same way that
• 29:56
  Pilot's loyalty is expected by Caesar in his absence.
• 30:00
  Caesar expected Pilot to represent the interests of Rome,
• 30:04
  even though Caesar wasn't present all the time.
• 30:07
  Jesus expects us to represent the Kingdom of God everywhere we
• 30:11
  go, even though he's at the right hand of the Father, and he
• 30:16
  gives us the spirit to do this. This is a client patron
• 30:19
  relationship. Jesus is the King and we are
• 30:22
  responding to his patronage as those in his Kingdom returning
• 30:27
  our loyalty, our fidelity, our allegiance, our trust, which are
• 30:33
  all words to help us understand our word faith.
• 30:37
  Faith means all of those things embodied trust, loyalty,
• 30:42
  allegiance. This is the language of
• 30:45
  Scripture that points us to how we trust in Jesus and how
• 30:50
  entrusting in Jesus. We get the exchange of His
• 30:53
  mercy, His forgiveness, we get adopted into His family, we
• 30:57
  receive the gift of His Spirit, and we get to live.
• 31:00
  Out his mission on the on the earth so.
• 31:04
  This is the. Relationship.
• 31:06
  He's inviting us into this client patron relationship.
• 31:09
  Then what are the implications for us today?
• 31:11
  Well, I think there's a few #1 it means he's our authority,
• 31:16
  he's our protection, he's our provision, he's our source.
• 31:19
  So we submit to him. This is what baptism is.
• 31:22
  Baptism is a public pledge of, of fidelity, of loyalty,
• 31:27
  submitting to Jesus as your Lord #2 I think it means that we
• 31:35
  entrust, that he entrusts us to be his agents and reps in his
• 31:39
  absence. Like he's the patron, we're the
• 31:41
  client. He's entrusting the mission to
• 31:45
  go into all the world and spread this good news and make
• 31:48
  disciples. That's the mission we're on.
• 31:51
  And he entrusts us to do that. And finally, I think that it
• 31:54
  means that his love towards us demands reciprocity of our
• 31:58
  loyalty and love toward him. Scripture says we love him
• 32:04
  because he first loved us. He gave love 1st.
• 32:08
  And the proper response to that love is a loving loyalty in
• 32:12
  return. That's part of saving faith,
• 32:15
  this treasuring. Love.
• 32:17
  See. See, the world is loved by God
• 32:20
  in general, but it is those who return the love back to God that
• 32:24
  he gives the right to be called children of God.
• 32:26
  That belief in him that embodied trust in Jesus.
• 32:30
  Son, this this understanding. Again, remember, there are those
• 32:35
  who think true of God, but they don't adhere to God's word, They
• 32:40
  don't treasure his word. Satan himself believes in the
• 32:43
  reality of God, knows all about God, has experienced and seen
• 32:47
  his power. He just rejects God as someone
• 32:52
  worthy of his love and loyalty. And because of that, he's exiled
• 32:56
  from all of life, like he's at odds with with God, this Kingdom
• 33:04
  that. We're to represent has virtues,
• 33:06
  it has values, and it has priorities.
• 33:09
  In fact, it it it sounds a little bit like this.
• 33:12
  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
• 33:16
  with all your mind, with all your strength.
• 33:18
  That has to do with your. The strength has to do with your
• 33:20
  embodied obedience, loving God with your.
• 33:23
  Mind is to to have it renewed to the truth of who he is and let
• 33:27
  Jesus be the filter of every thought that you think of what
• 33:30
  is true and what is untrue. It's loving Him with your soul,
• 33:33
  with your prayer, and in a life of prayer, you really begin to
• 33:38
  allow your soul to come alive because of the loving presence
• 33:42
  that you experience in prayer and communion.
• 33:45
  And loving him with all of your heart is a passion of worship,
• 33:49
  of expression and honor and love for him.
• 33:53
  It has values like loving one another like this.
• 33:56
  Is it like? Here's the priority.
• 33:57
  Love one another like it. This is what it means to be in
• 34:01
  the Kingdom. You don't get an option.
• 34:03
  This is an optional, this is an add-ons for those who are really
• 34:06
  good at doing this. This is like essential basic one
• 34:09
  O 1 following Jesus like we don't like.
• 34:12
  I don't think we get to live it as an option.
• 34:14
  And I think that we need to get back to understanding that Jesus
• 34:17
  commands us to do some things like they're not optional for
• 34:22
  us. There are ways of living and
• 34:23
  representing the Kingdom. And if you don't represent the
• 34:26
  Kingdom well, you like get switched out for a different
• 34:32
  ambassador, right? Like this is, I think, part of
• 34:34
  the pruning. Like you get cut off if you're a
• 34:36
  disinfectant, if you're a branch that's diseased and you're in
• 34:41
  danger of ruining the rest of the vineyard, Like God's going
• 34:44
  to protect the vineyard and protect others like that.
• 34:48
  Like you just have to think like these are commands, friends.
• 34:51
  These aren't options. Love has a list.
• 34:54
  There's ten of them loving how how we love God and how we love
• 34:58
  others. There are 10 that give us a a
• 34:59
  basic framework for loving God with all of our hurstle mind and
• 35:03
  strength and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
• 35:05
  It's called the 10 commandments like this is the values and
• 35:09
  virtues and and attitudes and priorities of the Kingdom of
• 35:12
  God. In fact, the Kingdom of our
• 35:15
  world has values, virtues and priorities too, has fruit that
• 35:20
  just shown. James 4/4 through 5 says this.
• 35:22
  You adulterous people. In other words, you people who
• 35:24
  have affection and love given to something other than God.
• 35:29
  Those of you who love things more than you love God.
• 35:31
  God would say that's an adulterer.
• 35:33
  You are giving your affection and your body to live a life
• 35:38
  that is an honoring of the covenant that you've made with
• 35:40
  Jesus and that Jesus has made with you.
• 35:43
  You adulterous people. Don't you know that friendship
• 35:46
  with the world is hostility to our God?
• 35:49
  This word friendship, same word that Jesus used in calling his
• 35:52
  disciples friends. Don't you know that being a
• 35:55
  patron, a client patron, relationship with the world
• 35:59
  makes you an enemy of God? Why?
• 36:01
  Because you are representing the world.
• 36:02
  You've pledged your loyalty, fidelity and and your affections
• 36:06
  are for things. Of this of this world.
• 36:09
  And to do that makes you an enemy of of God.
• 36:12
  First, John 2 says, what does it look like to love the world?
• 36:15
  Well, it looks like this. The lust of the eyes, the lust
• 36:17
  of the flesh and the pride of life.
• 36:19
  It's greed, power and control. That's abusive, toxic, and it's
• 36:23
  sexual sexuality unrestrained. It's it's filling every desire
• 36:30
  and passion in worldly, ungodly ways.
• 36:32
  It's having power and control and domination of other people
• 36:36
  and it's greed. It's envy, it's jealousy.
• 36:40
  These are the things, virtues of the ways of the world.
• 36:44
  Galatians 519 through 21 says this.
• 36:47
  Now, the works of the flesh or of the world, they're obvious
• 36:49
  sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry,
• 36:53
  sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
• 36:57
  selfish ambition, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness,
• 37:01
  carousing, and anything similar. And I am warning you about these
• 37:04
  things, as I warned you before, that those who practice such
• 37:07
  things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
• 37:10
  Why? Because to be an emissary of the
• 37:13
  world is to be an enemy of God to.
• 37:17
  Be an ambassador. For the ways of the world and
• 37:19
  how you live representing its values, virtues and priorities
• 37:22
  makes you an enemy of God. Ephesians chapter 429 through
• 37:27
  chapter 5 and verse 7 says don't let any foul language come from
• 37:30
  your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in
• 37:33
  need so that it can give grace to those who here and don't
• 37:36
  grieve God's Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the
• 37:39
  day of redemption. Let but all bitterness, anger,
• 37:41
  wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all
• 37:45
  malice and be kind and compassionate to one another,
• 37:47
  forgiving one another, just as God also Christ forgave you.
• 37:50
  So here they are. They're they're, they're giving.
• 37:52
  He's giving you a contrast between ways of the world and
• 37:55
  the ways of Christ. What does it look like to love
• 37:57
  the world? Lust the flesh, lust the edge,
• 37:58
  pride of life. He's showing you right here.
• 38:00
  This is the the fruit of those things.
• 38:03
  What does it look like to love God with all your heart, soul,
• 38:05
  mind and strength, Forgiving one another, being compassionate
• 38:07
  just as God in Christ forgave you.
• 38:09
  Be imitators of God as dearly loved children walk in love as
• 38:12
  Christ loved us and gave himself for us.
• 38:14
  Sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
• 38:17
  But sexual morality, any impurity and greed should not
• 38:22
  even be heard among you, as is proper for the Saints.
• 38:25
  Get rid of that stuff. Obscene and foolish talking,
• 38:28
  crude joking are not suitable, but rather give thanks instead
• 38:32
  with your words. For know and recognize this,
• 38:35
  every sexually immoral, impure or greedy person is an idolater,
• 38:40
  does not have any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ of God.
• 38:43
  And let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God's wrath
• 38:46
  is coming on the disobedient because of these things.
• 38:50
  Therefore do not become there partners.
• 38:54
  This word partner is like a client patron relationship.
• 38:57
  This word partner is like a friend.
• 38:59
  What is Paul articulating the same thing.
• 39:02
  First, John 2 articulates lust, the fleshless the is part of
• 39:05
  life. In fact he summarizes it in
• 39:07
  verse 5 of chapter 5 of Ephesians 5 that I just read.
• 39:10
  It says every sexually immoral. In every impure.
• 39:15
  That's that unholy power. Just this impure motive as it
• 39:20
  relates to manipulation and other things and other people.
• 39:22
  That's what that word's talking about.
• 39:24
  And greedy people all are idol. In other words, you've become
• 39:27
  idol worship because you've given your affection and your
• 39:30
  attention to these three things, one of these three things, and
• 39:33
  those three things produce a fruit in your life that looks
• 39:37
  like sexual immorality, impure talking, greed.
• 39:42
  It looks like slander and gossip and malicious malice.
• 39:49
  Living. All of these like attributes all
• 39:53
  come from the root system of these unholy idols that we have
• 39:59
  in our lives, where we give our affection and our attention to
• 40:02
  things in the world. When we live as adulterers, when
• 40:06
  we don't, when we live as a partner with the world.
• 40:10
  Then we're not living as partners in the Kingdom of God.
• 40:13
  The Kingdom of God has values, virtues, and priorities.
• 40:16
  The Kingdom of the world has values, virtues, and priorities.
• 40:21
  And depending on the 1 you are demonstrating, it is revealing
• 40:26
  which Kingdom you are operating in, which one you truly have a
• 40:30
  partnership with. And the warning is clear in
• 40:34
  Ephesians 5. The warning is clear in
• 40:36
  Galatians 5. The warning is clear in John 15.
• 40:42
  Those things are going to be pruned, cut, and burned up in
• 40:48
  the end. You will not inherit the Kingdom
• 40:50
  of God when you're living. Abiding in the world versus
• 40:54
  abiding in the Kingdom of God. Those are harsh warnings, clear
• 40:59
  warnings. We have to make sure our
• 41:02
  affection, our attention, our loyalty is living the way of the
• 41:07
  Kingdom versus our loyalty living the way of the world.
• 41:12
  Last thing I'll say is this is that this life of abiding, of
• 41:18
  living in the Kingdom, of partnering with God on his
• 41:22
  mission of experiencing the presence of the Spirit, abiding
• 41:25
  in US, practicing the formation of God, this builds strength.
• 41:31
  This builds strength, I heard Levi Lesko say.
• 41:34
  This Recently, he said one of the symptoms of starvation is a
• 41:37
  loss of appetite. So if.
• 41:40
  You've. Lost an appetite for prayer?
• 41:42
  Pray, because the more you pray, the more you'll want to be
• 41:45
  filled with prayer. A loss of appetite for the Word
• 41:48
  means you need to get back into the Word because you're actually
• 41:51
  starving for it. It's not that you're full and
• 41:54
  satisfied, it's actually that you're malnourished and
• 41:57
  starvation has started to set in.
• 42:00
  And so if you're, if you kind of are lost your appetite for
• 42:05
  gathering with the people of God, you're actually starving.
• 42:08
  And you need to get back in with the people of God in worship, in
• 42:12
  communion and fellowship and partnership and giving and
• 42:15
  serving and living together and living among each other and
• 42:18
  forgiving one another and being kind to one another and singing
• 42:21
  songs and spiritual songs over and to each other and studying
• 42:24
  the Word together, whether you need to get back into that.
• 42:26
  Why? Because that's actually what
• 42:28
  you're starving for. And the more you feed yourself
• 42:32
  on that, the more filled and hungry you become for that, and
• 42:35
  your hunger for it returns. So if you find yourself not
• 42:39
  hungering for God, what you need is more of God.
• 42:41
  And so when you pursue God and the abiding life of Christ, you
• 42:44
  become more and more filled with it.
• 42:47
  And each time you do this. You, you are growing in strength
• 42:51
  in our mission statement. And when we talk about our
• 42:54
  vision as a church, we have it kind of in a circle.
• 42:58
  So like pursuing the presence of God, practicing the way of Jesus
• 43:02
  so that we have redemptive formation and partnering the
• 43:06
  essential mission of God are kind of like marks.
• 43:08
  On this circle and what we say is.
• 43:10
  That these aren't steps that we take, but rather these are
• 43:13
  things that we pursue, participate and practice so that
• 43:17
  we ongoingly keep going around the circle because that's what
• 43:20
  it looks like to abide in Christ.
• 43:22
  That we pursue his presence, we experience redemptive formation.
• 43:25
  We partner in the mission of God, we pursue his presence.
• 43:27
  We are reformed in his love and we partner in the in the mission
• 43:31
  of God. And we just keep going around
• 43:33
  our life of abiding in him just keeps going around.
• 43:36
  And the more times we go around the circle and participate in
• 43:39
  those things, man, we really believe that that develops a
• 43:43
  strength of life. Each time you were to draw a
• 43:46
  circle, and if you just kept tracing the same circle over and
• 43:49
  over and over again, like abiding what you're doing,
• 43:51
  you're remaining in the circle, you're remaining here.
• 43:54
  And the more you do that, the thicker the circle is going to
• 43:56
  get, the the more bold and strong it's going to look,
• 44:00
  right? This is what it looks like for
• 44:02
  our life to flourish. It gets thicker, it gets bolder,
• 44:04
  it gets more full of Jesus and we just keep doing the same
• 44:08
  things. We say it like this.
• 44:10
  We're just making boring sexy again, like we're just doing
• 44:13
  really basic things as a file, as followers of Jesus.
• 44:16
  And we do them over and over and over and over.
• 44:20
  We're remaining there. We're staying steady there.
• 44:22
  We're being consistent there. And the more we do it, the more
• 44:26
  we experience the fullness of God, the strength of God.
• 44:29
  Jesus said I'm, I'm, I'm telling you all of these things about an
• 44:33
  ancient vineyard and an ancient way of friendship.
• 44:36
  I'm telling you all of these things so that your joy can be
• 44:41
  complete. I think joy is something we
• 44:44
  experience from God's countenance.
• 44:48
  One of the translations. Of Numbers chapter 6, one
• 44:51
  version. I think it might be the NIV that
• 44:55
  says in this this blessing that is pronounced, may the Lord
• 45:00
  bless you and keep you may make his face shine on you and be
• 45:03
  gracious to you. May he look on you with favor
• 45:05
  and give you peace when it talks about the Lord make his face
• 45:09
  shine on you. One one version says that that
• 45:13
  he would lift his joyous countenance on you.
• 45:17
  I think when the. Face of God.
• 45:20
  Is in our direction. And towards us as the gardener,
• 45:24
  as the gardener, He's facing us as the branches connected to the
• 45:28
  vine of His son. His face towards us is where we
• 45:32
  see joy. He really is where the joy is
• 45:35
  found in. Fact, I think as a friend, when
• 45:39
  you when you're in relationship that's healthy and it's
• 45:42
  committed, there's loyalty there.
• 45:44
  You can see joy in each other's countenance, Scripture says in
• 45:48
  Exodus. 33 that God spoke. With Moses face to face, just
• 45:52
  like he speaks with his friends, Jesus calls us friends for a
• 45:57
  reason. These these, this connected
• 46:00
  partnership of patronage and client response where we return
• 46:05
  our loyalty to him and his face and favor and blessing and life
• 46:09
  flows to us as we represent those things on the earth.
• 46:13
  His face is towards us and we can meet with God face to face.
• 46:17
  First Corinthians says with an unveiled face.
• 46:20
  We can be. We hold the beauty and.
• 46:22
  Glory of who God is, and when our face and God's face are face
• 46:26
  to face, His joy, His countenance, His blessing, His
• 46:30
  life fills us. I read Psalm 80.
• 46:35
  A section of Psalm 80 in the message in the last part of
• 46:39
  Psalm 80, which is kind of like a prayer, asking God to look
• 46:43
  back on favorably to the vineyard that had been
• 46:46
  destroyed, asking God to revive the vineyard, revive what it is,
• 46:51
  says this in verse 18. Then we will not turn away from
• 46:54
  you. Revive us and we will call on
• 46:57
  your name. Restore us, Lord God of armies,
• 47:00
  make your face shine on us that we may be saved.
• 47:08
  We keep God's face shining on us and our face looking in His
• 47:13
  direction by keeping His commands, by abiding in Him, by
• 47:16
  living out our loyalty to Him. This isn't legalism.
• 47:22
  Legalism isn't keeping the commands of God.
• 47:27
  It may sound like legalism, because they're keeping his
• 47:30
  commands is US living and loving him with all of our strength.
• 47:33
  But legalism is just works without love, right?
• 47:39
  It's it's loyalty without love. So legalism is loyalty void of
• 47:45
  love, but. Loyalty.
• 47:48
  That produces the life of God is firm and filled and motivated by
• 47:53
  love. So our loyalty is motivated by
• 47:56
  love. It produces the life of God in
• 47:58
  US. And if our loyalty for God is
• 48:00
  not fueled by our love for God or His love for us, then it's
• 48:04
  only going to produce legalism and His fate.
• 48:08
  We want his face shining on us as a friend and in communion,
• 48:13
  and it revives us. And makes us alive like
• 48:17
  vineyards, like branches connected to a vine that bear a
• 48:21
  lot of fruit. Hi, let's get into a.
• 48:24
  Few questions and responses. Here's the first question.
• 48:28
  How do I know if I'm being pruned or attacked by the enemy?
• 48:31
  I would like to understand so. That I can pray more direct
• 48:34
  prayers. Fantastic question.
• 48:37
  I think pruning happens primarily to draw us closer to
• 48:41
  God and allow the life of God to grow more in US.
• 48:46
  Things that are hindering us from experiencing is love or
• 48:50
  distracting us from living with loyalty to Him in an everyday
• 48:54
  life. The enemy wants to come and
• 48:57
  attack us so that it dismantles our faith, causes us to not
• 49:01
  trust God, to trust in riches and wealth, to fall into
• 49:05
  temptation and sin, to get us distraught, distracted, even
• 49:09
  living in shame and isolation. So pruning happens to draws 2
• 49:14
  gods. Satan's attacks happened to to
• 49:17
  cause us to stop engaging and pursuing God.
• 49:21
  If Satan can get you idol, he's happy to to get you there.
• 49:26
  Why? Because if you're not
• 49:27
  progressing and growing in your life, he knows that idol life
• 49:32
  will create idols in your life. So if you're still and stagnant,
• 49:36
  you'll eventually start to doubt and love the things of the world
• 49:40
  and live for yourself rather than live surrendered to God.
• 49:44
  I think pruning, though, happens when we have the attitudes that
• 49:47
  are not gone, honoring that need to be revealed or cut out and so
• 49:51
  that we can make changes. I think pruning looks like God
• 49:54
  revealing actions that are not God honoring, sinful even, or
• 49:59
  they're good things that are just distracting you from loving
• 50:03
  God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength that are not
• 50:06
  helpful for your growth. I think that's when pruning
• 50:10
  shows up and is necessary in our life.
• 50:13
  There were things in my life that I've had God cut out and
• 50:17
  then bring back into my life now that they're not really
• 50:19
  disruptive to my soul or or to my loyalty to God.
• 50:23
  And if they ever cross the point where they begin to be
• 50:26
  disruptive or or not helpful in my life, I think God is going to
• 50:30
  say, I want you to put that aside for a little bit.
• 50:31
  I want you to to fast that. I want you to give it up.
• 50:34
  Permanently or for another year. Get that off to the side because
• 50:37
  it's not producing the life of God in you.
• 50:40
  And so if there are things that aren't producing the life of God
• 50:44
  in you and are harmful or unhelpful, those are things
• 50:48
  that. God will probably address, say,
• 50:50
  hey, let's get that out of here. That's actually leading you to
• 50:52
  have an attitude that's not good, that's not right.
• 50:54
  I think the best prayer to pray and one that you know God always
• 50:58
  answers is God. Will you remove any and
• 51:01
  everything that is hindering me from experiencing your loving
• 51:05
  presence and disrupting our communion and life together?
• 51:09
  God, would you take away anything that's causing me to
• 51:11
  not encounter you? Well, take away anything that's
• 51:13
  causing me to live a life that doesn't honor you.
• 51:16
  I think that's the prayer God will always answer.
• 51:19
  And you're finding yourself attacked by the enemy and just
• 51:21
  distraught and anxious all the time and worried and you're just
• 51:24
  bombarded with lies, things that aren't true.
• 51:28
  Well, I think then, then you can pray and ask God to deliver you
• 51:30
  from the evil 1 to give you wisdom and how to build
• 51:34
  boundaries so that you don't fall into temptation and sin and
• 51:38
  and give you the strength to endure any storm that comes as
• 51:42
  it rages so that your hope and your trust and your faith is in
• 51:44
  God. But pruning and attacks are
• 51:47
  different. Pruning is God taking things out
• 51:50
  so that you draw closer to him. The enemy brings things in your
• 51:54
  life to distract you, just discourage you and cause you to
• 51:57
  distance yourself from God becoming idol in some way.
• 52:02
  So. That then you give.
• 52:03
  Your heart to idols instead of God.
• 52:07
  The next question is this. How do you sever ties from a
• 52:11
  friend you know is not good for you?
• 52:15
  This is a real tender question. It's very nuanced because it it,
• 52:20
  it really depends on every situation and level of of
• 52:22
  relationship. But I let me give you some
• 52:25
  general things from from Scripture.
• 52:27
  First, examine your heart. I think before you.
• 52:30
  Create. Distance.
• 52:31
  You need to ask God to search your motives.
• 52:34
  Are you acting out of pride? Acting because you've been hurt
• 52:38
  or fear? Or is there just something
• 52:41
  you're not willing to confront? Or is this an act?
• 52:44
  Of obedience and wisdom. I think praying and asking God
• 52:48
  to clean your heart before you take actions is really
• 52:52
  important. The second thing is recognize
• 52:54
  when a relationship is actually harming you.
• 52:58
  Scripture is really clear. Proverbs 13 says walk with the
• 53:01
  wise and become wise. Associate with a fool and you're
• 53:05
  going to get into trouble. 1st Corinthians 15 kind of throws
• 53:09
  this out there. It says bad company corrupts
• 53:12
  good character. Are your values and virtues
• 53:15
  constantly being lessened? Are you?
• 53:18
  Are you living a life that doesn't honor God because of
• 53:22
  this relationship? If a friend is continually
• 53:25
  drawing you into sin, negativity, gossip, compromise,
• 53:28
  or even causing spiritual drift, that relationship is not
• 53:32
  sharpening you, it's dulling you.
• 53:35
  I think wisdom means that we begin to step back and
• 53:39
  prioritize that relationship less so that we can prioritize
• 53:44
  healthier interactions more. God's love for you and your
• 53:49
  spiritual health is necessary and, and and needing to do that.
• 53:53
  But when you step back, it's not because of a lack of love for
• 53:57
  them, it's actually because you have.
• 53:59
  Great love for God and what he's wanting to do in in you. 3 I
• 54:05
  think you need to set healthy boundaries.
• 54:08
  Guard your heart. The scripture says.
• 54:10
  For it determines the course of your life.
• 54:12
  I think boundaries are biblical. They're not unkind.
• 54:15
  Boundaries aren't punishing someone.
• 54:17
  Boundaries are protecting your heart.
• 54:19
  Boundaries are about limiting how other people's actions
• 54:24
  impact you. It doesn't necessarily mean that
• 54:28
  you punitively punish somebody. Removing them.
• 54:31
  A boundary just means I'm not going to take responsibility for
• 54:35
  your actions and I'm not going to allow your actions to harm my
• 54:39
  life, my family, my, my flourishing, my relationship
• 54:43
  with with God. I don't think you necessarily
• 54:46
  have to announce that you're breaking up with the front.
• 54:48
  Like up, we're out of here. We're done.
• 54:49
  You, you don't want to follow God.
• 54:50
  I'm going to follow God. Like I don't think that that's
• 54:53
  necessary. I think you can just simply
• 54:55
  begin to kind of change your rhythms.
• 54:58
  Respond less, decline invitations a little more often,
• 55:02
  redirect conversations to something more wholesome or
• 55:05
  holy, or even invite them to move in the direction that
• 55:09
  you're moving in without saying I'll.
• 55:12
  See you later, but you could just.
• 55:13
  Say hey, you know. What right now my priority?
• 55:15
  Is really, I'm, I'm really growing in God and I'm
• 55:18
  prioritizing that. So this weekend I'm, I'm not
• 55:20
  going to go to the lake with you.
• 55:21
  I'm going to go, I'm going to church and I'm going to my
• 55:24
  group. You want to come to church with
• 55:25
  me, right? And just see you can be a
• 55:28
  positive influence in their life and, and grow in that.
• 55:32
  And, and if and if they come back and they ask why aren't you
• 55:35
  talking to me anymore? Why aren't you do this?
• 55:36
  You just simply tell them that there are some priorities in
• 55:38
  your life that are changing and that there are certain things in
• 55:41
  your life that you want to to move forward in.
• 55:43
  And while you love them and are grateful for who they are, man,
• 55:47
  there's just some behavior and some things that aren't helpful
• 55:51
  in this space that you're in. And so you can be gracious and
• 55:56
  live with boundaries at the same time.
• 55:58
  And then four, I think finally, how do you kind of sever those
• 56:02
  relationships? I think ultimately you have to
• 56:04
  release bitterness and keep forgiveness flowing.
• 56:08
  Severing ties. In a relationship or or hanging
• 56:11
  with someone. Less and less doesn't mean that
• 56:15
  you stop loving them, doesn't mean you stop being kind and
• 56:19
  gracious to them, doesn't mean you get offended at them.
• 56:22
  You can forgive someone fully and still not walk closely with
• 56:27
  them. Being kind to one another,
• 56:29
  Ephesians 4 says tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in
• 56:33
  Christ forgave you. Forgiveness frees you, not
• 56:37
  necessarily the friendship, right?
• 56:40
  So it frees you. It doesn't mean that you have to
• 56:42
  walk freely in that in that friendship.
• 56:44
  And then finally, I think you need to ask God to fill that
• 56:46
  space. Bring the right friends into
• 56:48
  your life. Look for people that are walking
• 56:51
  the direction you're going with and walk with them more than
• 56:55
  you're walking with with others. When you release an unhealthy
• 56:58
  relationship, it can feel lonely.
• 57:00
  That spaces where God often plants new healthy friendships.
• 57:04
  So allow that to be a part of your life.
• 57:08
  Jesus called his dissoluers friends, right?
• 57:11
  He's the truest, most faithful friend, and He'll bring others
• 57:14
  in your life who will help you grow in him too.
• 57:17
  And so we can trust the Lord in that process that anything that
• 57:21
  we let go of so that we can pursue God more, know that God
• 57:27
  will restore that back into our life in another.
• 57:31
  Way, some way, somehow that Jesus said no one who gives us
• 57:34
  Father. Mothers, brothers, sisters,
• 57:36
  friends, businesses, any of that for the Kingdom of God will not
• 57:40
  inherit even more in in his life and in in in the Kingdom of God
• 57:44
  and so. Let God bring the right friends,
• 57:47
  fill that space. Let Him accompany you, comfort
• 57:51
  you, and walk with you in that as you move forward.
• 57:55
  Next question. Can you give some examples of
• 57:57
  what God's pruning looks like and how to properly respond?
• 58:02
  Yeah, I think again, I kind of mentioned it a little bit
• 58:05
  earlier in the first question, but let me say this.
• 58:08
  God wants to prune anything that keeps you from experiencing His
• 58:11
  love. Normally that has to do with
• 58:14
  lies and shame. So things.
• 58:17
  Like. Lies and shame that are keeping
• 58:18
  you from experiencing God's love fully, He wants to prune out.
• 58:22
  Anything that keeps you from misrepresenting the Kingdom's
• 58:26
  values and virtues He wants to prune out.
• 58:29
  Anything that causes you to misalign your way of life from
• 58:34
  his way of life. Busyness, being idle and
• 58:38
  anxious. Being distracted, being worried,
• 58:43
  all of these things, being greedy, these are things that
• 58:46
  misalign our life from the way of Jesus and he wants us to
• 58:50
  walk. Differently in them our values,
• 58:53
  virtues and priorities should look like.
• 58:57
  The way of Jesus look like the teachings of Jesus look like the
• 59:00
  practices of our spiritual faith and anything that keeps us from
• 59:05
  experiencing his love misrepresenting his Kingdom or.
• 59:09
  Misaligns us from obeying his commands.
• 59:12
  Those are things that he wants to get rid of.
• 59:14
  I heard recently someone quote Warren Buffett that said busy is
• 59:17
  the new stupid. And I think that.
• 59:20
  Many times we live our lives just busy because we are more
• 59:24
  formed by the cultural currents of our day and rhythms rather
• 59:28
  than the way of Jesus. And I think it's possible to.
• 59:33
  Now that's not to say that just being idle is what we want to
• 59:35
  do, because you can be idle and still anxious.
• 59:38
  You can be active. All the time.
• 59:40
  And be at rest. So it's not so much that you
• 59:43
  stop being active or you stop living your life, it's having a
• 59:47
  place of rest versus anxiousness.
• 59:52
  But most of the time we're so busy, we're really just
• 59:55
  distracted from actually engaging in a relationship with
• 59:59
  God. Most of us are so.
• 1:00:00
  Consumed with pleasing and taking care of things in our
• 1:00:03
  life. Making our life comfortable and
• 1:00:05
  good. That we don't really recognize
• 1:00:08
  that we're not following Jesus well, that we're not really
• 1:00:11
  keeping His commands. I mean, if I can just talk to
• 1:00:15
  men for a minute, guys, like you're doing everything you can
• 1:00:19
  to give your kids all of the things that they want in life
• 1:00:22
  and you're working really hard, but you're not actually teaching
• 1:00:25
  them how to love Jesus. Well, that's misalignment
• 1:00:27
  opportunity. Your priorities are not in line
• 1:00:30
  with the Kingdom of heaven. I'm not saying don't take care
• 1:00:32
  of your family, and I think you should.
• 1:00:34
  I'm just saying you also need to lead and help disciple them.
• 1:00:37
  You, you can teach them how to throw a ball, but you're not
• 1:00:39
  going to teach them how to how to memorize a scripture.
• 1:00:42
  You can, you know, teach your kids how to spend money, but you
• 1:00:47
  can't teach them how to be loving, forgiving, and kind.
• 1:00:51
  I think that we have to look at what are the priorities and the
• 1:00:53
  values and the virtues of the Kingdom of God and make sure
• 1:00:56
  those are existent in our life and we're leading other people
• 1:00:59
  to see those in our lives too. So what are the things that are
• 1:01:03
  causing you to misrepresent God's Kingdom?
• 1:01:06
  I think you need to check those. What are the things that are
• 1:01:09
  causing you? Just busy and distracted and
• 1:01:11
  worried I'm. Going to be really.
• 1:01:14
  Honest, I have yet to see a healthy marriage and life
• 1:01:18
  flourish. In the Kingdom of God, and
• 1:01:20
  you're gone every weekend at sports things with your kids,
• 1:01:23
  and your kids are in for sports and they're running here and
• 1:01:25
  you're running there. Why?
• 1:01:27
  Because the life of God doesn't work at the speed of busy.
• 1:01:31
  I think the love of God grows in us at a slower pace, at a less
• 1:01:36
  distracted pace. I don't think you can adequately
• 1:01:40
  love your kids. If you spend so much time on the
• 1:01:43
  screens and you're just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling,
• 1:01:46
  You're not actually stopping to help shape them into who God has
• 1:01:50
  called them to be. I don't think.
• 1:01:55
  I don't think that we can. Live the flourishing life when
• 1:01:59
  we're not willing. To stop and abide and be with
• 1:02:02
  God in our everyday life. And so, you know, I think that
• 1:02:07
  we're teaching and we're modeling and we're showing lots
• 1:02:10
  of things, but I think we need to examine the maturity, the
• 1:02:14
  fruit, the evidence of our lives.
• 1:02:16
  What are we leaving behind? What are we teaching?
• 1:02:18
  What are we showing? How are we living?
• 1:02:21
  I just think that it there are things that are creating more
• 1:02:23
  anxiousness and stress in US and that's just not the way of
• 1:02:25
  Jesus, which means that we're not doing it Jesus's way if
• 1:02:29
  we're not experiencing what Jesus has promised us on the
• 1:02:32
  regular. I'm not saying that there isn't
• 1:02:35
  dry seasons. I'm not saying that there isn't
• 1:02:38
  learning season, growing season. We're all a work in progress,
• 1:02:41
  but are we working on the progress?
• 1:02:45
  Sometimes I think we just say we're a work in progress and we
• 1:02:47
  actually have 0 intentions to put any spiritual practices into
• 1:02:50
  place. I think God would call that
• 1:02:51
  lazy. Laziness isn't a virtue in the
• 1:02:55
  Kingdom of God, it's a virtue in the Kingdom of our world.
• 1:02:59
  And so you can make excuses or you can make progress, but you
• 1:03:02
  can't make both. And I think a lot.
• 1:03:04
  Of. Followers of Jesus continue to
• 1:03:06
  make excuses rather than properly respond to the pruning
• 1:03:09
  that God is after in our lives. And so I think there's probably
• 1:03:12
  a lot of things that need to be cut in our in our lives.
• 1:03:17
  I know I talk about this a lot, but man, if, if you don't have
• 1:03:20
  time to, if you're not willing to make time to spend one-on-one
• 1:03:25
  time under, under uninterrupted with your spouse, I just don't
• 1:03:28
  think you're actually being creative.
• 1:03:31
  I think there are things that in your life you need to cut out.
• 1:03:33
  I just think you're too busy. I think you need to say no.
• 1:03:35
  I think you need to live with some limits.
• 1:03:37
  I think you need to limit yourself.
• 1:03:38
  To how many? Nights a week you are not around
• 1:03:40
  the dinner table. I just think that there are a
• 1:03:42
  way. The way of God has formed in US
• 1:03:45
  at a different pace and in a different place of most often
• 1:03:49
  than the way that the world tells us to operate just because
• 1:03:52
  we're trying to chase experience rather than actually encounter
• 1:03:56
  God. So you want to keep giving your
• 1:03:59
  family all the experiences. Great, go for it.
• 1:04:01
  Just know that you're probably not going to teach them how to
• 1:04:03
  encounter God's presence properly.
• 1:04:05
  And I think that that's a problem, and we need to learn
• 1:04:08
  how to encounter God's love. Not just be.
• 1:04:11
  Experienced and busy and running everywhere in our lives.
• 1:04:16
  I think that we need to look at those things of things that God
• 1:04:19
  wants. I'll give you another example.
• 1:04:21
  If you don't have financial margin to give to the Lord, then
• 1:04:25
  you probably aren't handling your finances in a way that
• 1:04:27
  honors God and you have misaligned priorities.
• 1:04:31
  You're seeking a different Kingdom with your money.
• 1:04:33
  I just, you're just not going to convince me biblically of that.
• 1:04:37
  Now, the world will tell you that's stupid and that's fine.
• 1:04:40
  But living according to the world makes you at enmity with
• 1:04:43
  God. I'm not saying if you don't give
• 1:04:44
  then you're an enemy of God. I'm saying that when you love
• 1:04:46
  the things of the world more than you love the things of the
• 1:04:49
  Kingdom, then you're an enemy of God.
• 1:04:50
  You have put yourself at enmity rather than living as an
• 1:04:54
  emissary of God. So anything in your life that is
• 1:04:58
  distorting your ability to represent the Kingdom of God
• 1:05:02
  correctly, God wants to prune. That could be things as simple
• 1:05:08
  as pleasure. I'll give you an example in my
• 1:05:10
  life right now, God is pruning in me continually talking to me
• 1:05:15
  about how I spend my evenings, do really great in the mornings
• 1:05:18
  with the Lord, live throughout my day, worship God throughout
• 1:05:21
  my day, spend time with God throughout my day, honor him,
• 1:05:24
  affectionate to him, serve other people don't don't live with
• 1:05:27
  that. But in the evening time, I kind
• 1:05:29
  of just check out of life and I'm learning how to re engage
• 1:05:34
  with God. And that means there's some
• 1:05:36
  things that have to shift, change and get cut and pruned in
• 1:05:38
  my life. I haven't landed.
• 1:05:40
  There, I don't have it all together yet.
• 1:05:41
  I'm still trying to figure that one out, but those are things
• 1:05:44
  that I'm just trying to become more fruitful in and create more
• 1:05:48
  space for the life of God to grow rather than self indulgence
• 1:05:52
  in my life to grow. Here's the last question.
• 1:05:57
  And this is a kind of a key one. It says John 15 verse two.
• 1:06:01
  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.
• 1:06:04
  Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it may
• 1:06:07
  so it would be more fruitful. So my question running through
• 1:06:10
  my mind is this, What does it look like to be in Jesus but not
• 1:06:14
  bear fruit? Is this abiding but not
• 1:06:16
  producing fruit? And also is this saying faith
• 1:06:19
  without works is dead? Or if we are only abiding is it
• 1:06:23
  not enough or just believing in Jesus isn't enough?
• 1:06:27
  Great questions, there's a lot there.
• 1:06:28
  First, remember this is a metaphor, so not every detail in
• 1:06:33
  this section needs like a parallel true thing.
• 1:06:35
  We have to get every. It's like a one for one thing.
• 1:06:38
  Second fruit. On the vine does take time to
• 1:06:42
  produce fruit, so it's possible to be connected to the vine to
• 1:06:46
  be healthy, but no fruit yet. Jesus alone knows.
• 1:06:51
  God alone knows as the vine dresser what stage of
• 1:06:56
  development that branch is in. So God knows what stage of
• 1:07:00
  development we're in. That doesn't mean that the
• 1:07:04
  minute we're grafted into the vine that there isn't some
• 1:07:08
  initial health or. Evidence of Christ likeness.
• 1:07:11
  I think there is and there should be.
• 1:07:15
  The second thing I want to say is or the third thing I'll say
• 1:07:18
  is this abiding is obeying. Abiding doesn't mean I just feel
• 1:07:24
  God or I love God or I know that God is generally with me.
• 1:07:28
  That's not abiding. That's not us abiding in Him
• 1:07:31
  anyways. That's the Holy Spirit.
• 1:07:34
  Abiding in US and just remains and is present everywhere.
• 1:07:38
  He's with us everywhere we go. That's true.
• 1:07:41
  Abiding. In the Vine is more about
• 1:07:44
  yielding and obeying. So yes, this is more John 15 is
• 1:07:50
  talking more about abiding in him in a way that means that
• 1:07:54
  we're obeying him. That we're yielding to him and
• 1:07:57
  that we are living in submission to his commands.
• 1:08:03
  So when he says for in verse 2, every branch that bears no
• 1:08:07
  fruit, he's saying every branch that is not yielding and is not
• 1:08:10
  obeying will not produce fruit. Therefore it will get cut off.
• 1:08:16
  That's. What John 15 two is talking
• 1:08:17
  about, in fact, he's actually, I think talking not just about us
• 1:08:21
  today. He's specifically talking about
• 1:08:24
  Israel because he then he very, very next verse, verse three, he
• 1:08:27
  says, and I've already cleansed you and so you're good.
• 1:08:30
  He's talking to Jews disciples who he's letting them know.
• 1:08:34
  Listen, there are a lot of Jews who are getting cut off right
• 1:08:37
  now because they are not keeping in my commands.
• 1:08:41
  They are not abiding in me. They are not remaining in me.
• 1:08:44
  They are not yielding and obeying.
• 1:08:47
  To my Father in heaven. And to my words.
• 1:08:50
  But you disciples, you are, so you're good.
• 1:08:53
  And and and so we. Know even in Romans 11, Romans
• 1:08:57
  11 talks about Romans 910 and 11 specifically talks about this
• 1:09:01
  corporate understanding of Israel at large, of how many of
• 1:09:06
  them just, we're not obeying and yielding to God and they have
• 1:09:10
  rejected Jesus. And in rejecting Jesus, you are
• 1:09:14
  rejecting the vine and it creates a disease in that
• 1:09:16
  branch. And if if you don't repent and
• 1:09:19
  you don't reconnect to Jesus and you don't resubmit and yield in
• 1:09:23
  obedience to Jesus as your Lord, it will produce disease in that
• 1:09:28
  branch and God will cut that branch off and it will be burned
• 1:09:31
  up in the in the end. And so not only is he talking
• 1:09:36
  just about Israel, but he's talking now about a broader
• 1:09:38
  scope. We can take that and we can
• 1:09:39
  apply that to the people of God at large.
• 1:09:42
  And so followers of Jesus, people that are in the family of
• 1:09:45
  God that are not yielding and obeying Jesus that aren't,
• 1:09:51
  because our obedience is indeed faith with our works.
• 1:09:54
  Obedience is a work of our strength.
• 1:09:57
  How are we to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and your
• 1:09:59
  strength? That's what he's.
• 1:10:01
  Talking about Jesus said it again in in John 15, If you
• 1:10:05
  don't obey my commands, then you're not in me.
• 1:10:08
  But if you remain in me and obey my commands, man, there's a life
• 1:10:12
  that's going to flourish in you, and so that's going to produce
• 1:10:16
  fruit. If we are yielding, obeying, and
• 1:10:19
  submitting to Jesus, then we are abiding.
• 1:10:23
  To abide means to remain. To remain means to submit and
• 1:10:27
  yield. To remain, submit, and yield is
• 1:10:29
  the same as keeping the commands of God.
• 1:10:31
  As in obedience, which Jesus instructs.
• 1:10:34
  So the context of John 15 is Jesus.
• 1:10:37
  Telling His disciples how you can produce fruit in your life
• 1:10:42
  is by yielding, obeying, submitting, remaining and
• 1:10:47
  abiding in His Word and His commands.
• 1:10:51
  So when we obey the commands and the teachings of Jesus, we're
• 1:10:55
  going to see fruit produced in our life eventually.
• 1:10:58
  A God knows if your heart is surrendered or if you're living
• 1:11:03
  double minded or having double loyalty.
• 1:11:06
  James one says a double minded man is unstable in us all, all
• 1:11:09
  his ways. We we get wishy washy.
• 1:11:12
  We're not really getting the full nutrients of life.
• 1:11:15
  Fruit doesn't mean perfection, though.
• 1:11:17
  In every area of our life. That's not what God's after.
• 1:11:20
  God's not after our perfection. God's after our perseverance of
• 1:11:25
  our faithfulness and loyalty, staying yielded and submitted to
• 1:11:29
  him. And so God is patient and kind,
• 1:11:32
  and He knows how to take care of one part of our branch while
• 1:11:36
  letting the other part of the branch just be.
• 1:11:38
  And whatever part of the branch God is dealing with you on when
• 1:11:41
  it comes to your marriage, when it comes to your home, when it
• 1:11:44
  comes to your own livelihood, when it comes to your
• 1:11:47
  relationship with God, when it comes to your devotion and
• 1:11:49
  scripture and prayer, whatever part God is dealing with, that's
• 1:11:53
  the party's pruning and wanting to be made healthy right here
• 1:11:55
  and right now. Our job is to submit to His
• 1:11:58
  pruning, yield to his leading and obey His teachings and
• 1:12:04
  watching that grow because it's possible to be connected to the
• 1:12:08
  vine that is completely healthy and you're a branch that is
• 1:12:12
  unhealthy and diseased. In fact, I did some research on
• 1:12:15
  this just this morning, thinking about a vineyard.
• 1:12:18
  In fact, it says now some of the research I found said that that
• 1:12:22
  that the trunk or the main vine can be strong and vigorous,
• 1:12:26
  while branches, one or two canes or shoots can become infected
• 1:12:31
  and unfruitful. See.
• 1:12:33
  Because when? We abide in the vine with we're
• 1:12:35
  obeying, yielding to Jesus. We're going to produce fruits,
• 1:12:38
  so the vine is healthy. It's how we're abiding that
• 1:12:42
  determines whether or not we're going to become fruitful or not.
• 1:12:45
  But when we're abiding, when we're yielding, submitting,
• 1:12:47
  obeying and remaining in, in Jesus's love, obeying his
• 1:12:51
  Kingdom values and principles and listening and and and and
• 1:12:55
  embodying his commands, well, then we're going to grow
• 1:12:57
  fruitful. But it's possible to be
• 1:13:00
  connected to the vine but be diseased.
• 1:13:03
  In fact, some, some vineyards, some, some branches can have
• 1:13:06
  fungal disease. It can have viruses, have
• 1:13:09
  physical damage even and water stress that need to be made
• 1:13:12
  whole and the vines root system may be robust drawing water and
• 1:13:15
  nutrients but the disease branch stops receiving or transmitting
• 1:13:20
  life properly which I think happens in our lives
• 1:13:23
  spiritually. We can be connected to the.
• 1:13:26
  Vine, we're in the family of God.
• 1:13:27
  We've been saved, but there's a season at a time in our life
• 1:13:29
  where we stop receiving and transmitting life of God
• 1:13:32
  properly. There is something that is
• 1:13:34
  hindering and disrupting our life and God and God wants to
• 1:13:38
  heal that, remedy that and bring life to that.
• 1:13:42
  And so the Vine dresser. Comes in his skill, watching
• 1:13:45
  closely, knowing what a life, what a lush branch should look
• 1:13:49
  like. He can tell a branch that is
• 1:13:51
  lust, A lush but lifeless green leaves but no fruit.
• 1:13:56
  Having the a form of godliness, but denying the very power of
• 1:14:00
  God in our lives. He can cut it off.
• 1:14:02
  He. Can burn them out.
• 1:14:03
  He can. He can draft new shoots.
• 1:14:06
  A good vine dresser can cut back the vine almost all the way to
• 1:14:10
  the trunk. Where so?
• 1:14:11
  Much of your life gets cut away and you feel like you're down to
• 1:14:14
  almost nothing but God and that's where you really begin to
• 1:14:17
  grow again. I think Jesus's imagery and John
• 1:14:21
  15 fits this reality of diseased branches and healthy branches
• 1:14:27
  and vine that is always life giving and vibrance.
• 1:14:30
  I think that's a big part of it, right?
• 1:14:32
  The Vine Christ is always healthy, always strong, always
• 1:14:35
  life giving, but a branch, a believer.
• 1:14:38
  Can become diseased, cut off from the flow of his life
• 1:14:41
  through sin, bitterness, pride, disobedience.
• 1:14:44
  We can outwardly look alive, but spiritually be unfruitful and
• 1:14:50
  the vine. Dresser, who is loving and
• 1:14:52
  patient and wants to restore those branches, knows how to
• 1:14:57
  dress those things. Listen, God's going to try to
• 1:14:59
  restore, redeem, and call us to repentance long before He cuts
• 1:15:05
  us off. That's.
• 1:15:07
  Why, as long as it is still called today, we can repent in
• 1:15:11
  any. Area of our life.
• 1:15:12
  That's why Psalm 80 is so powerful, because we can call
• 1:15:15
  and say, God, would you come and revive me?
• 1:15:17
  I've been destroyed by foxes. I've been weathered and torn.
• 1:15:21
  I've gotten off the trellis and I'm growing in the wrong
• 1:15:23
  direction. I have a disease in my soul and
• 1:15:26
  my spirit. It is not healthy and vibrant
• 1:15:29
  and lush. I've been isolated.
• 1:15:30
  I've been rebellious, I've been bitter, I've been disobedient.
• 1:15:33
  I've not remained and yielded to you.
• 1:15:37
  Would you come redeem and revive your life in me?
• 1:15:40
  And God comes, and he's faithful to do that.
• 1:15:43
  I think that's a beautiful picture of his mercy.
• 1:15:46
  That's a beautiful picture of his spirit that comes and
• 1:15:48
  redemptively forms us back into the ways of Jesus.
• 1:15:53
  And so is it possible to be? Connected to the vine but not
• 1:15:56
  grow fruit. I think it is and God alone
• 1:16:00
  knows whether it's because of disease or because it's still in
• 1:16:03
  a formation stage and God will come and speak to us.
• 1:16:06
  And if the the the real reality is this, when we are connected
• 1:16:10
  to the vine, that means remaining in him.
• 1:16:14
  Abiding means remaining. Remaining means yielding.
• 1:16:18
  Yielding looks like obedience to the commands of God.
• 1:16:21
  That's the context of John 15 is.
• 1:16:24
  That when you obey the. Commands of God because you are
• 1:16:28
  in loving relationship with God. The life of God is produced in
• 1:16:32
  you and through you. And that's the big point of John
• 1:16:36
  15. That's what He wants for all of
• 1:16:38
  us is to trust Him, to be in union with Him and let the life
• 1:16:42
  of God to flow freely in us. And He showed us how to have
• 1:16:45
  union with Him, keep His commands, walk in obedience to
• 1:16:49
  his teachings, stay yielded to Jesus as Lord, because He is our
• 1:16:55
  Lord, our God, our King, and He wants.
• 1:16:59
  Us to produce life and life more abundantly and that's how we can
• 1:17:02
  do those things. Hey, I hope today has been
• 1:17:05
  helpful. Thanks for sticking with it,
• 1:17:08
  listening to it. There's so much good stuff here,
• 1:17:11
  but man, I hope today's podcast has helped you flourish a little
• 1:17:15
  bit more and helps you. Have that loyalty and faith for
• 1:17:19
  today. I love you everybody.
• 1:17:20
  I'll see you next week.