Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing
First B Jackson
2022-10-30

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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All right. Good morning, everybody. How are you? It is good to see you this morning. Welcome.

Welcome. Would you stand with me? I'd love to I'd love to sing together. Here's a good word from Romans five to lead us into worship, and it says this. It's talking about hope.

It says, hope will not lead to disappointment. And, hope in the Bible is sure and certain. For we know how dearly God loves us because he's given us his Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Spirit To fill our hearts with his love. Should we start by singing, my hope is in you.

I meet with you. And you can have a a seat here for a moment. And, Nick, back there from the soundboard, is, gonna share a few announcements with us.

Hey. Good morning, and welcome to First Baptist Church. Tomorrow night is Monday nights of First B, mule music and message. And Carl, what are we speaking about tomorrow?

So we are in, Mark tomorrow where Jesus begins his ministry. And the miracles are proof that the message is real. It's so good. So we're beginning the book of Mark, and know that you're invited. Meal, music, message tomorrow at six.

Down the hall.

Excellent. And during the Monday night service is Awana, if you wanna bring your kids. September 26 is when we started. We've been going every week, just pouring scripture into kids' hearts and minds. Bring the kids by.

They can also come by a little bit early for some of the food from the Monday night service that they want to, and we all love fossils. Turns And out we have a bunch of fossils in the back in the sanctuaries lost and found. Please check the coat rack, the book rack for all of the things you've left behind over the years. Say hi to old friends, and maybe pick up a new one. Who knows?

There's too much back there. Would really love to get that cleared out. But something you can bring back to the church is the food drive. Nancy Trossiano is in charge of the food drive. Each week, we're collecting different items, for $1.20 two's, food cupboard, and they're right outside in the foyer.

You can check out what those things are, or you can look online. Each week, There'll be some new items that one twenty two has specifically requested. It's in the church emails and, on the website as well. And Operation Christmas Child is in full swing if you wanna pick up your boxes outside. One note on this is some of the pamphlets say that it's $9 for shipping.

It's actually 10 this year. Those slips are from last year. So, it's $10, and you can come, bring some items. There's a list of things you cannot put in the boxes. A lot of you have been doing this for a long time and have continued to put the wrong thing in the boxes.

If you put the right things in the boxes, you can check that packing list in the back or on the website as well and come to the packing party on the sixteenth. And if you just wanna contribute, you're also welcome to purchase boxes online or help with the shipping cost too through First Baptist Church. And this is a new one. Children's Christmas choir is gonna be starting up here. There are rehearsals downstairs after the 9AM service starting on November 13, and this is for kids of all ages.

Because on December 18, we're gonna have a combined service at 10AM, just one service that week, and that's the program. The kids have learned a few songs, get to sing in front of the church. It's it's gonna be great. If you have any questions, Lisa Landis' phone number is there. It's also on the website.

Back to you, Carl.

Would you stand with me? We'll sing together again. I'm not afraid to show you my failures and flaws. Lord, you've seen them all, and you still call me friend. Let's hear this, this verse from from Psalm 30.

And the Psalmist is saying, you've turned my morning into joyful dancing. That's what what God can do. And you've taken away my clothes of mourning, and you've clothed me with joy. God, that you would fill us with your joy and your presence this morning. Amen.

And as we sing to you and worship you and give you praise, that you'd be glorified. And God, that each of us right here in this room would feel your presence and be edified. In Jesus' God, indeed we do. We sing for all that you have done for us. The grace that you have extended in our favor by leaving the glories of heaven coming to earth as a man.

But fully God, taking our sin on yourself so that we could be reconciled, brought to you. God, what a gift. What a gift. And we receive it by faith believing. So Lord, we sing out in faith this morning.

God, we're saying that we're choosing not to lean on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge you. In Jesus' name. Sing that again. You can have a seat here for a moment. This is the worship through giving part of the service, and I'm gonna invite, Gary to come on up forward, and he's gonna pray and and give thanks.

And and we're gonna sing a song called, Such an Awesome God. From John one sixteen. It says, from God's abundance, from his abundance, we've received one gracious blessing after another or grace upon grace, favor upon favor from God's abundance. Before we sing, Gary, would

you pray?

Do I have a microphone there for you? Yeah. I think we do. And if you just hit that button, the power button there, you'll see a green light.

Let us pray. Lord God, you're you're worthy of all our praise and honor, Lord. And as we come to this time of offering, Lord, the fact that we have a heart and the resources to get back to you is only because you blessed us.

That's right. Amen.

Lord, I think of the just the many ministries that you've led this church to be, involved with, Lord, and and you blessed us with the resources to do that, Lord, as as we collect this offering, Lord. I just pray that you would just bless just bless us, that we would save souls, that we would pour your love that you've so graciously give to us for others. So, again, Lord, just bless this blessing or this offering in your precious son's name.

Amen. Let's see. Nick, I think yep. There it is. Children's Church.

So kids, you are excused for for Children's Church and a big thank you to all of our volunteers downstairs. Thank you all. And I'm gonna invite up Matt Litzelman. Matt Litzelman is one of our elders. And Ray is on a a ministry road trip right now helping someone move, and Matt graciously stepped in to share from John 15, and I was encouraged just by just by talking about it with you yesterday.

So can I pray, Matt? God, we're grateful. And thank thank you, God, for the word. Your word and the Holy Spirit does the work. It does the transforming.

And I I pray that we would hear it afresh and anew this morning of the abiding new, remaining in you. Lord, that you give us new insight, new meaning, a fresh and new meaning of it. And what that means for us in our lives. God, would you bless the reading of your word. And through Matt's personality, may we receive it with an open heart, open mind, and hands and feet that are ready to move.

In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

Thank you, Carl. Thank you. A couple quick announcements before I get started. I was asked to remind everyone that down the hall in the fellowship halls, there's some amazing food and there was a lot of work done to make that. And I just want to encourage you guys to enjoy fellowship together.

Secondly, a couple of men's things. The men meet on the first Wednesday morning. It's a Jackson Hole Men's Alliance. It's the first Wednesday of the month at 06:30AM. There's a breakfast.

Someone will share a word. It's a great place of connection for the men and the body. I would encourage you to go to that. There's a couple other men's things happening. I'm involved in men's ministry so I'm just kind of getting them.

I'm up here so I got the floor so I'll take advantage of that a little bit. The men's annual snowmobile retreat is coming up in January it's scheduled right now for the last week in January 27. And then following that in February there is also another men's retreat. It's called a Word Retreat. And Word Ministries is part of that.

This church will be hosting that retreat. And I just want to encourage you guys to consider being a part of that. I think it'll change your life if you'll take time to participate. So Carl, thank you for praying. And I just want to start out by this is our mission statement here at First Be.

With all we are, loving God and loving people through Christ. And and it it's the greatest commandment, and I'll read that. It's in Matthew twenty two thirty seven through 38. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like it, that you shall love your neighbor as yourself. So I wanna start and end here just as a reminder of that's what we do. Anybody that you'd ask that attends here, why do you most what draws you to first be? And many will say the love that they experience from y'all when they come because of the way you engage them and love them and and are truly interested in who they are. What I wanna focus on today though is in John 15, and it's and it's about abiding, about fruit, and about being a disciple of Christ.

And so best to just start out with the word because that that is a very safe place to be. It says, I am the true vine and my father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

And it goes on, and for abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit for apart from me, you can do nothing. This last portion.

If anyone does not abide in me, he's thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burnt. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this, my, excuse me, by this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. I just wanna go back to the beginning. And it says here in this first part, it says, I am the true vine.

I'm the true vine. I am authentic. I am the life giver. There is none other. And then the other portion I want to point out to you aside, we'll get back to branches and fruit here in a second.

But in three, it says, already you are clean because the word that I've spoken to you. And I'm like, Lord, what do you mean? And and it takes me back to I had to look at Ephesians five twenty six, and and it says that this it talks about being washed with the water of the word. Because of their relationship and walking with Jesus, they were already clean because of the word that he had spoken to them. They had already experienced him.

I mean, were in right standing. I think that's a good way to say it. So I just wanted to point that out as we go. And then the abiding part. Unless we abide in him, we can't bear any fruit.

So if we're separated from the vine, we start to wither. We start to die, right? The idea being start to die because that's the life giving part for us as we abide in Christ, as we continue, as we remain in Jesus. We we've we experience that true vine, that life giving part of who he is. And, I guess the example that keeps coming to mind is I was going to I was gonna get a plant.

I love object lessons. The last time I spoke, I used dog training. And I love to do that with kids church because I feel like object just they just work. So my wife bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers. And we clipped a clipped a daisy off this flower and put it on the counter just to to see how quickly it would wither.

Well, it didn't. It looked almost as good this morning as it did last evening when we cut it off. And I think that's true to us. When we separate from Christ, we don't wither sometimes quickly. It takes time.

We die we slowly, let's say, maybe if that's a good way to look at it. But after a period of time, the leaves fade and shrivel and we become dry. And before long, we're longing for Christ again because that's because we realize that's where the life truly is. So I didn't really mean to share that, but I I just felt like it was it's very real. Like, we don't fall into sin.

I told Amy this morning, it's not like we become a serial killer overnight. Right? I mean, it's a succession of of slow fade. You've heard that song, the slow fade, where it takes years maybe to digress to that place where we fall into that deep sin. So I'm a little distracted because I'm not used to using the slides and my notes at the same time.

But I'm going to Lord's faithful. So we will manage. Let's go to let's go to the next slide here. By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Part of what I wanna share as we get a little farther along is is about discipleship and and this verse in particular that that by bearing fruit that we prove to be Christ's disciples.

So with that in mind, I just wanna look at what is what is God, what is the Lord pruning in your life? When he prunes us, what does he prune out of our lives? Does he prune does he prune the lies of the enemy? Is he pruning false identity, the things that we believe about ourselves, pride, unbelief, selfishness? I believe those are the things that the Lord desires to prune in our lives as we as we walk with him, as we abide with him, as we become more intimate with him and acquainted with him.

He reveals those things in our lives as we walk with him. They become apparent. And as we abide in Jesus, he reveals the truth of of who we are as a new creation. He frees us from the lies that we believe about God, ourselves, and others. He we get our identity through Jesus.

It it's like when we clear the air, you know, for me, it's like the lies are like, you're not smart enough. You're not good enough. You're not fast enough. You're not strong enough. What are the not enoughs that you believe about your life?

The places where where you just don't feel like you can do it. Those are lives. So as we spend time abiding, remaining, continuing, walking with Christ, he begins to reel the truth about who we are, about who he created us to be, the way he designed us. So that's probably the main reason why I felt like God chose this particular portion of scripture this morning is that we would take time as disciples to really focus on Christ too and and spending time with him. So the way that we recognize who we are aside and in addition to spending time with God is to ask him.

And whether you believe in hearing the voice of God or not, it's like he is speaking. To hear him, we have to know him. We need to spend time in the word understanding who he is and his character and the way he's the way he does what he does. And so what that does for us is it creates in us through our experience in reading and walking with Christ. Creates what a friend of ours shared with us just a couple of nights ago.

An inner it's an inner witness. It's not like we all hear the audible voice of God. This is my son in whom I'm well pleased. You know, it's we don't get that all the time. Many times we we hear God through a headline or a friend or obviously when we're reading in the word or or it's just something in our spirit.

The Holy Spirit stirs enough, we know that's God. So as we spend time with the Lord I'm using this thing, aren't I? Put that in my pocket for a second. I guess that's authority that Christ puts in us. It's, please hear this.

It's important. We need to ask him who we are. Lord, who do you say that I am? Who am I in your eyes? And many of you may know Norris Williams.

He was here some time ago and shared, you know, walked us through a process of of hearing God and asking that question. And after I had put away all the lies that I gave back to Jesus, the lies that I felt about myself about not being enough, he asked us to ask Jesus the question. Who do you say I am, Lord? And in my, you know, in my innermost me, I felt the Lord say, steadfast. Good.

That's a good place to start. Steadfast. And that's not all that God's called me or called me to be, But it's where I started. And it was some It wasn't just four years ago. I got steadfast a long time ago.

But that's how it works. So in the process of abiding take time to ask that question. I'm going to move on a little further here. We go. Galatians.

But the fruit of the spirit since we're talking about bearing fruit and proving that we're disciples. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things, there is no law. So when you think about that, what fruit do others see in me? Or what fruit do others see in you when you're engaging them?

Do they see do they see love? I mean, that's like the true mark of maturity right there. Right? It's like, are you loving? Do you actually care?

There's, I don't know, I'm sure some of you know Ben Bartlett. Great brother. But when I'm with Ben, I feel that. So I think it's just a matter of self evaluation there. What's the fruit?

Where what fruit are we bearing? Are we angry? We're short-tempered. We hate tourists because they get in our road. You know, are we frustrated?

You know, it's just there. You know, let's We all go there at times. The one part I wanted to share to you in this part when it talks about abiding, when we abide, maybe I should I should cheer a little go a little bit farther farther. When we abide, we we are we are learning. We just show up.

Here I am, Lord. I'm here. I got nothing right now. I don't have anything to share. I don't I don't know even what to say to you.

I don't know how to pray. But but here I am. And that's enough to show up. Because when we show up, we're in his presence. And we give when he give him opportunity to speak to us, that we have an opportunity.

We can learn just by showing up. And by abiding, we're desiring to spend time with him. It's relationship. It's about walking. What do you do with your friends or anybody that you know, even my wife or when you're with somebody, you're at least in their presence.

And he says he's never going to leave us or forsake us. So he's here as Norris says he's like right here. He's like in me. He's like here. You can't.

You know so how do you function that you know when you're in his presence. Acknowledge that. And so we receive in that place of abiding in the vine. So it's connection, communication. It's being still and knowing and listening to him.

In Colossians love Colossians in chapter one twenty one twenty three. And you once and you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind By wicked works, yet yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above and above reproach in his sight. If indeed you continue in the faith grounded and steadfast and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Excuse me. If indeed you continue in faith, stable and steadfast.

That's that's all he's asking. He's asking you just continue. Just remain. Continue walking with me. In the chosen, I don't know if you guys are chosen fans or not.

But the disciples are following Jesus. What struck me about that part of that movie was I was watching series after series is that wasn't easy. Those guys, it was difficult. They were traveling, walking on the road, many miles, going different places. They're camping.

Somebody's gathering firewood. Somebody's cooking food. Somebody's, you know, doing the regular day to day stuff just like us. We do our regular day to stage. We gotta we gotta work to eat.

You know? It's like we have lives to live. But I guess what I'm trying to say is that we he's encourage encouraging us to continue. My friend Cole and I, we were having a discussion about this life group, and he he said that that Jesus is compelling. He he was so compelling that the the disciples, like like Simon Simon and Peter, he's like, they they just dropped the nets.

You know? I mean, they, like, left of their life life's work behind to follow Christ because when they saw him, they were like, it was it was like, wow. This is this is the guy. This is it. And and that word compelling just, I've never heard any man speak like that before.

You know? It's like it's like when you're in the presence of somebody who spent who's spending a lot of time with Jesus. It's like when Carl and I were talking yesterday, we were just like, wow, back and forth, just the amazing things that God was showing us in his word. And it was so amazing. And Amy, that's like if you know Amy, that's who Amy is.

It's like you just get in there with Jesus, and you start sharing all the amazing truths and things that he's revealing in your heart and your spirit. And it's just like fire. You get excited. So I'm trying to I'm trying to encourage us to to do that, to to as disciples, to just spend that time in in Christ that we to get to that place of of just knowing him and realizing how how amazing he is. And I'm gonna keep going because because I'm going to run out of time.

So Peter this is after Jesus said, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you'll have no part of me. And Peter says, this is math. This is also in John six, he says. But Simon Peter answered him, Lord, he gives he asked the question, you know, do you also wanna leave? Because after he asked that, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part of me.

And they're like, wow, that's wow. And they departed. Many of them left him. And then he gave the disciples, the 12. He's like, so are you guys gonna leave too?

And and Simon Peter's like, but Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the son of the living God. You know, in the midst of our struggle and our pain and, you know, where else are we gonna go? Who else will we turn to to get the answers that we need and to change ourselves.

Let's move on to Philippians three:eight through 10. I'm going to read slow. I hope that's Okay with you guys. But this is how the amplified, so they add in all the really cool parts that kind of make it bigger. It says, yes, furthermore, I count everything as lost compared to the possession of the priceless privilege.

The overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. And of the progress end of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with him. Of perceiving and recognizing and understanding him more fully and clearly. For his sake, I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish, refuse refuse and dregs in order that I may win, gain Christ, the anointed one. And that I may actually be found and known as in him.

Not having any self achieved righteousness that can be called my own based on my obedience to the lost demands. Ris ritualistic, upright, and supposed right standing with God so acquired. But possessing that genuine righteousness which comes through faith in Christ, the anointed one. The truly right standing with God, which comes from God by saving faith. For my determined purpose is that I may know him.

That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with him. Perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of his person more clearly, more strongly and more clearly. And that I may, in that same way, come to know the power outflowing from his resurrection, which it exerts over believers. And that I may so share his sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into his likeness even to his death. And the hope that I it that in the hope that if possible, I may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts me out from among the dead even while in the body.

That's that's some serious passion right there and desire to be like Jesus, to know him, and to experience who he is. So lastly, in regard to discipleship, and we were talking about abiding and fruit and being a disciple. The Great Commission, Matthew twenty eight and eighteen through 20 talks about, and Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the father and of the son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded. And lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age. So discipleship is about abiding. It's about bearing fruit. It's about it's about relationships.

It's about time spent with Jesus. In the Jewish tradition, if you were chosen to be a disciple of a particular rabbi, you would spend a significant amount of time with him. You would be serving him. You would be learning about him, about the teachings of that particular you know, his Old Testament, obviously, but ultimately about Jesus. You would be modeling your master, your your rabbi.

You would do what he does. You would you would walk and become like him. And it's the perfect picture of following Christ and modeling and being like Jesus. So with that in mind, how do we be disciples? Obviously, we wanna make disciples of Jesus and point people to follow him, to abide with him, to learn from him, to walk with the Lord.

But also in community, and that's something that we did a year or so ago now. We We made a lot of effort to kick start LifeGroups again. And I just want to share just a little bit in the LifeGroup that I'm a part of. There's three brothers that I meet with on Wednesdays. They're all here this morning.

And what a blessing to to walk with these guys and to learn from them. And we disciple each other. We've shared our you know, it takes time to get to know people and to trust and to be able to be transparent with them. But we've shared our life stories together, our testimonies of how God's saved us and restored us from our past, our core values, you know, who we really are, what the things that we really value. We've shared our fears, our anxieties.

And through that community, we're growing and discipling one another and becoming stronger. And I just wanted to share that because I don't want you all to miss out on that. There's an opportunity to to do that, to to be a part of a community that's making disciples and helping one another to be more like Christ. So with all we are, and it's back at the beginning, and I won't go all the way there. With all we are, loving God and loving people.

And how do we do that? Through Christ, through abiding and learning and through bearing fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, kindness, self control, long suffering. One last thing I'll share because I'm at this hour. When we remain in Christ, that is a safe place. When we remain in love Because we know who we are, when we come into a situation where we're speaking with someone, and it's hard, and we've been offended.

We've been rudely treated. We revert to those lies or we or we receive whatever's coming at us. We don't have to do that. When we remain in Christ, when we remain in love, that is a safe place because we are in our identity, and no one can steal that from us. No one can take that.

So I just wanted to share that last part. Just felt like it was important. So thank you guys for the privilege to be able to share my heart with you and what I feel like God's teaching me and just encourage you to to follow Christ and to really be a disciple and and to really take time to be purposeful in in not only being a disciple but making making disciples. So thank you. Thank you, Matt.

Yep.

Would you stand, and we'll we'll sing, one more song together. I think this is fitting too. I love how I love how a song and a sermon come together. But from Philippians, here here's Paul saying, I wanna know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I wanna suffer with him sharing in his death so that one way or another, I'll experience the resurrection from the dead.

But his desire was to so know Jesus so intimately. Shall we sing? I want to know you. As we part, can I I'd love to share a little benediction? And it's actually it's not this one.

I've got another one here. It's from John 17 and it says this, now this is eternal life, that you know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. Amen.