Remain in Jesus
First B Jackson
2022-01-04

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

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Scott.

I

want song in my soul. And that song too?

I'll enjoy yourself.

Could we have a couple of I wanna do a couple of announcements too. Hello, everybody, and welcome.

Hey. Hey.

You made it. You made it. And could we give Felix and Guadalupe can we give them a hand for working so hard? Thank you, Felix and Guadalupe. Appreciate you guys so much.

He says, I don't appreciate you. I'm gonna shut this thing. Know this. For Monday nights, these guys graciously have been cooking once a month once a month, but there is always a need there. But we we order food from Cisco, we can make it really, really simple.

If you're willing to serve the food, we'll have the food here. But if it sounds like something that you could do, you're willing to enable, there's a sign up back there. That's all I'll say about that. And there's a couple of announcements.

These are

these are sad ones. What did you refer them, Nick, as?

The friend the slideshow friends we used to have. Yes.

Slideshow friends we used to have. No. And we will always have. But one of them in is Kevin Wedgeworth, and Kevin is gonna be moving to Washington. This he's got another Sunday here.

But if you see Kevin on Sunday, please wish him well.

You holler out right now. He's watching online, so you could holler out right now.

Is he? Hi, Kevin. Oh, Kevin. We're gonna miss you so much. And, also, Lexi is gonna be going to probably Hawaii.

We gotta figure out all the airport stuff

and this

and that. But is it a a farm? Mhmm. A farm in Hawaii for a few months? And take us with you, Lexi.

Take us with you.

Maybe you've up to fifty five years. It's like a six month to fifty five year kinda time frame. So

we never see you. Alright.

Alright. Stay in touch. But,

really, we do wish you well. And I and I do. I wanna we would like to pray for for you and for Kevin. And let me just take a moment to do that right now. Lord, we love our friends.

We're thankful for everybody who who comes here when we're we're like Olive Garden. They're here, your family. And it's true. It it it really is. And, Lord, we have lasting relationships, and we always just pick up where we leave off when people move away.

And, Lord, we just ask a blessing on Kevin and for Lexi as they move to different parts that they would find churches like this where they're loved and received and they they have a place to serve. I just thank you, God, for how they have used their gifts while they're been here at First Be and just how valuable and wonderful and important they are and and and what they bring. And I'm just so thankful for them. God bless them on their way. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Amen. Alright.

In the in the army, this is this I don't have a mic or anything. In the army, when when there are forces needed, right, when there are forces needed somewhere, it goes up the chain of command. They figure out what they need, and they send people. And it just struck me today that there's a cabin needed

That's right.

Out there, and there's a Lexi needed Yeah. Down there. Yeah. So I'm glad I know I'm on my arm. Love you.

Ray and I cry every week. You've got crybaby pastors.

Well, we'll

miss you, but I'm glad for

the blessing Yep.

That you've been to the the Christian community here in Jackson and that you will be where you're headed.

That's right.

Thank you.

That's right. And we're so hopeful about it too.

Yep.

Totally. Like, we know that that God's got you where he's going to place you, and and you're gonna be a blessing there.

Yeah. Reinforcements and replaces fresh fresh soldiers. Yeah. All of that.

Yeah. Thanks. You guys are like family to me too. We're gonna miss him.

Should we sing sing together?

Yep.

Worship. I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love. Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your splendor. You're the only one who can really fill up our and satisfy our our soul.

There's nothing that even comes close, truly, like just being in your presence. So thank you, God, for that privilege, really, that you were always extending grace in our in our direction, that you're offering us life and life to the full measure, God, that we would have it, really. Lord, would you fill us up and satisfy us like nothing and and no one else can. In Jesus' Amen. You can have a seat here for

a little bit.

How are doing on a Monday? It is kinda like this though, isn't it? Sometimes it's unpredictable. I'll just share this. For for me, January and February are the hardest months in Jackson.

I tell probably Ray too much about it. I'm like, Ray, oh, it's so dark. It's so cold. I just wanna hibernate. But you know what?

When I'm here and and that's just it. It's like once I get here and I see you and I when we're here together and we're worshiping together and we're in the word, I think, oh, thank God. Thank you for the church. Thanks for the body. God, thank you for the body of Christ, truly.

One many one body, many parts. I thank you for each part here tonight. We're here on purpose. We're here for a reason. God, show us what that is, would you?

Would you speak to us? Maybe show us something that we have not yet discovered yet or or or were aware of. Teach us. Show us. Holy Spirit work.

Move in Jesus' name. Amen. Book of John chapter 15 is what we're again, I I I've said this before, but I really mean this. The names of Jesus have probably been the most meaningful for me in this this study of John. The son of just let's look at some of these again.

Here we go, Nick. Let's try this.

Alright. Yep. There you go.

Okay. I'm gonna I'm gonna

click it, and then I'm gonna stop. Actually, would you do it?

I'm gonna do it.

Thank you. So just here's a view of the the son of man, the bread of life. Those who come to me will never be hungry again. The light of the world if you follow me, you don't have to walk in spiritual darkness because you have the light that leads to eternal life. The gate for the sheep.

The good shepherd. I'm the good shepherd. I lay my life down for the sheep, Jesus says. The resurrection and the life. The way, the truth, the life.

And now tonight, the true vine. These names are just they're very meaningful. That's why I just put them up there. They're so meaningful, And every one of them are so rich. Let's take a look here at the the true vine.

I wanna read this through, and then I'll share a few thoughts of my own. But then we've been opening it up for a gospel conversation, which has been one of my favorite parts of it. But here's here's what it says. And, Nick, would you just track with me as I as I read it? It'll be up here on the screen.

And it says this, Jesus, the true vine. Jesus says, I am the true grapevine, and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so that they will produce even more. You've already been pruned by and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

For a branch cannot produce fruit if it's severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Verse five. Yes. I am the vine. You are the branches.

If you remain in me and I in you, you'll produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want and it will be granted.

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my father. I have loved you even as the father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love.

Just as I obey my father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes. Your joy will overflow. This is my commandment.

Love each other in the same way that I've loved you. There's no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You're my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the father has told me.

You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit so that the father will give you whatever you ask for using my name. This is my command, love each other. That's where I wanna stop tonight.

And before we go any further, let's let's pray first. Okay? God, what a privilege. We get to hear your heart's desire for us right here in the scripture that we would remain in your love, that we would be filled with your joy, that we would love one another, that we would produce fruit. But, God, that just doesn't happen without remaining in you.

It just doesn't happen the way that you intended if unless we remain in you. God, help us. Lead us. Show us show us the better way here, and that is truly to remain in your love. In Jesus' name.

Amen. It's probably one of my favorite favorite chapters in all of John. I know I say that about

every chapter.

This is my favorite right now. But it really is this is a powerful, powerful illustration of the importance of remaining in Jesus. In fact, that's this is how I would sum up the sermon. You go, okay. What did Carl talk about tonight?

What does John 15 talk about more importantly? It talks about this, remain in Jesus in three words. Remain in Jesus. If you walk away with anything, please walk away with that. I feel like that is the most important.

He's the vine. We're the branches. If we remain in him and he in us, that's how we'll bear fruit. Apart from him, we we just don't. Not permanently anyway.

Backing up a bit. So Jesus uses these common everyday ordinary things to teach spiritual truths. Right? We've heard bread, water, wine, shepherd, sheep, light, darkness. These are just simple common everyday ordinary things.

It it I I really appreciate about that Jesus. I think if Jesus were here in Jackson right now, he'd be going, see that snow out there? You know what I mean? And and using it as an illustration. But this one is really powerful.

Vines were a common thing. Makes sense that Jesus called himself the vine. But I thought this this was really interesting right here in the Old Testament. Vineyard was a a reference to Israel. So Isaiah five seven is a good summary.

It says this, the nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of heaven's armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but catch this, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence. So Israel's the vineyard, but in Isaiah, it says they're not producing the kind of fruit that God wants from them.

That's their story. That's our story too, though. Right? We fall short of God's standard. That is the story of the Bible.

But when Jesus comes on the scene, that changed. You remember this from Luke? This stood out to me this week. Jesus stands up in front of at the temple, and he says, the spirit of the Lord is upon me. For he's anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He sent me to proclaim the captives will be released. The blind will see. The oppressed will be set free. The time of the Lord's favor has come. In other words, when Jesus entered human history, he was that justice and righteousness that God wanted for his vineyard.

Does that make sense? He he was. He was the true vine of Israel. So the nation couldn't produce that kind of fruit. We can't produce that kind of fruit unless we stay connected to him.

Are you with me? And I think that's the point of the the chapter here. He's the vine. We are the branches when we remain in him. Unless we remain in him, we don't produce fruit.

And check out verse four again. It says this, remain in me and I will remain in you for a branch cannot produce fruit if it's severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. This is my little orchid, by

the way.

It's a sad little orchid. His name is Carl. And he hangs out by the kitchen sink, and I am terrible at caring for little Carl. Seriously. One day, I was I was messing I was kinda messing with it.

There it had a little it grew the flowers. Anybody have an orchid at all? They're awesome. I threw it away. Yeah.

She's only kidding. I know. I've got three

of them.

I should have, but I was messing with it. And it had the flowers, and it just the stem just broke out. And Chris is like, my wife, she goes, what are you doing? I was like, I know. I know.

It was it had flowers on. It was beautiful. And Chris is like, why do you do that? And, of course, I had to throw that little I had to throw that little part away. I had to throw it because it was no longer attached.

I mean, it's it was toast. I tried to put it in, like, a glass of water for a little bit, and it it just it just ended up dying. You know? So lesson there. Number one, I shouldn't touch plants, so I just put an ice cube in it this week.

And there's a little shoot there. That's what's so cool about it. There's a little shoot going off to the left, and that thing is gonna produce a flower again. Not right now. It's not happy right now, but it it will.

It will because it's still connected. It's still connected. But I shouldn't touch plants. But also, if a branch isn't connected, it just can't produce anything. I put it in that glass of water, it just ended up dying.

It it can't grow. The same for our spiritual lives. If we do not abide, stay, remain, there are a lot of words you can use, stay attached to Jesus, we can't produce that kind of good fruit that God intended for us. We just can't. Galatians, it it talks it speaks about the spiritual fruit.

You've heard these before, but let's hear them again. The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Let me pause for a moment. Can I I just wanna pause and pray?

God, this kind of fruit works. This kind of fruit has a big impact on how we love one another like you told us to love one another. Holy Spirit, would you fill us? As we stay attached to you, would you fill us? Would you give us?

Help us so that we can produce this kind of fruit. All you're asking is for is that we would stay attached to you. And this happens. When we yield to you, this happens. This is a product, a byproduct of of just sticking with you.

Help us. We wanna look like those. Amen. Jumping out of verse seven. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, You may ask for anything you want, and it'll be granted.

This is the second time that we've heard this now in John a couple of times. So first was chapter 14 and now here. And I think this brings up a really good question. Does anything mean anything? And I I believe the answer is yes.

I I really do. But I wanna say this. When we're talking about remaining in him and his words remaining in us, to me, it implies we want his will. We want his will even more than we want our own will to be done. So he taught us to pray this way in Matthew six.

He said, our father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. This is about you. May your kingdom come. This is about your kingdom. May your will be done on earth.

This is about your will. Done on earth as it is in heaven. I think that if we're really praying this way, this is gonna have a huge impact on what we ask for. Do do you agree with me? Because of the whatever you want.

I mean you know, that's that's where I start to go. You know, I'm like, I want a lot of things. But then I think but Jesus said, no. Pray this way, Carl. Your kingdom come, God.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So that's probably gonna change some of my wants and wishes and desires, don't you think? I think that anything there really is anything that aligns itself with the with the will of God so that his kingdom really does come and his will really is done. Verse eight, it goes on to say, when you produce much fruit, you're my true disciples, and this brings great glory to the father. I I love this one.

This is this is awesome to consider. When we stay attached, we just stay there, remain there. Will produce fruit. It glorifies God. It puts God on display.

It it Jesus over and over again through John, his purpose I'm bringing glory to the father, bringing glory to the father. Like, we get to participate in this too. We get to put God on display. He gets to be glorified and lifted up. He's the one who made that fruit happen in the first place, and that fruit is the evidence of the the goodness of God.

I just I really like that verse a lot. And then nine and ten, we're just going verse by verse. I've loved you even as the father's loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love.

Just as I obey my father's commands, remain in his love. He's saying it again and again and again. Remain. Remain. Remain.

Jesus loves us as the father has loved him. Remain there. Stay there. When we obey his commands, we remain there. I like this verse.

It was from first John five three. Let's this one more time. There it is. Loving God means keeping his commands. And check this part out right here.

And his commands are not burdensome. Obedience doesn't feel like a burden when you know the goodness of the one you're being obedient to. Does that make sense? It doesn't feel like a burden when you know the goodness of the one you're being obedient to. He says, my yoke is easy.

My burden is light. He's not adding to our burden. He's trying to free us up by obeying these commands. Are are you with me? He's freeing us up.

He's not adding something else. Oh, now I gotta do this. No. If I do this, if I love God, if I love you, if we love God and love one another, our burden is going to be lighter. All he's asking is to remain there with him.

He's saying, stay here with me. There's this little this little phrase in John, so that so that you might be where I am. Jesus wants us with him. He desires a very, very deep and rich and meaningful relationship with us. That's what's true.

Verse 11. It goes on to say, I've told you these things so that you'd be filled with my joy. Yes. Your joy will overflow. There is a very good reason that Jesus is telling us to remain.

It's so that we would have joy. Joy. Joy is gladness because we've recognized God's favor toward us. And then that joy overflows. It spills over.

I love it. Verse twelve and fourteen says this, I think. Let's hear it again. This is my commandment. Love each other in the same way that I loved you.

There's no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You're my friends if you do what I command. That's a powerful, powerful statement because Jesus was headed to the cross to do exactly that. It wasn't long after this. After he said this, he was headed to the cross to do that, to give his life for those disciples, for us, for the world.

So for Jesus to say love each other in the same way that I've loved you, this is the greatest and most sacrificial kind of love that anybody can give ever. What's more, Jesus says, I no longer call you slaves because our master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my what? Let's say it together. Friends.

Friends. Since I told you everything the father's told me. Isn't this awesome? Jesus has not withheld anything from us. He's told us everything that the father has told him.

He loves us as the father has loved him. Even though he's master and he's lord and he's teacher, he calls us what? Friends. I think that's so cool. There's a very deep and a personal relationship that Jesus is offering here.

If we'd have it, he says, I call you a friend. Wow. And then we end with sixteen and seventeen. Nick, would you help me out on that one, please? It says, you didn't choose me.

I chose you. He has made the first step toward us. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit. He's got a purpose for us. It's to be fruitful.

And here it is again. So my father will give you whatever you ask for. Again, when we remain in him and his words remain in us, our desires are gonna look a whole lot more like his than ours. Verse 17. This is my command.

Love each other in the same self giving sacrificial way that God has loved us. He says, I want you to do this toward one another now. And believe me, I know this sounds like an impossible task, and it is. Apart from him, it is an impossible task. But when we remain, stay, abide right there with Christ, he and us, us and him, it becomes a whole lot more feasible.

Amen? It really does. Again, sermon in three words. Here it is. Remain in Jesus.

Let's say it together. Remain in Jesus. He's the vine. We're the branches. When we remain in him and he in us, we will bear fruit.

We will bear fruit. Apart from him, we don't. So those are just a few thoughts from John fifteen one through 17. I'd like to take a back seat and and just open it up now for the conversation. If there is just a word of encouragement or something that you'd like to share, something that just struck you from this passage, we'll pass the mic around the room.

Don't don't worry. It's it's just so that people can hear that are are watching online. But would anybody feel compelled to share? You don't have to. But if there's something that that really struck you from John 15, these conversations have been they've been good.

Not everybody out once. Come on.

I'll I'll share that one of the things that struck me from from it being a younger Christian was that my yoke is easy and my burden is light. The more you start to see that God is is worthy of your trust, the the more you put into his trust. You can see that, like, he's directing you towards the right step anyway. So you should give him all of it. So I think that's I think that's one of the things that has I used to think of that yoke as like, oh, I've got all this this God stuff to do.

I've got all this Christmas stuff to do. But it becomes light because it becomes pleasurable. You start to see that he knows what he's doing, and he is gonna lead you the way you should go. And it's gonna be a lot better than where where you were gonna go.

Yeah.

So, like, for me, that that's been it's been easier to accept that and and and come alongside that.

That's a great point there. Yeah. That struck me too. Yeah. I was looking at this.

My my yoke is easy. My burden is like Jesus says. These are these here these commands, they're they're not meant to added weight. They're they're really they're meant to free us up.

It it's actually easier so it's actually to to go with those commands. It's easier to love someone than to maintain a hatred for them. Right? It's and there's no burden that comes with that. It might sound like, oh, I know the person that I've gotta treat.

Yeah. You treat them well, but it's it's not something that you take away from that and go, oh, I really wish that I had done better. I wish I I just hate that person. Holding on to hate or unforgiveness is one of the hardest things we can do. We can't maintain that.

And so to love him and to humbly ask for God's forgiveness and receive it, if we're remaining in it, we know how he feels for us. We know that he loves us. If we remain in that love, we recognize it, and it's easier to love other people. It really is a lot easier than hating them. So

Any anybody else?

Monique has something to say. Oh, good. Good. I'm just kidding. I'm walking around.

Okay.

You know, we have a study Bible Mhmm. And have a family. And some people, they don't understand obey, God, law, and they have a status. And I say, you know, we you you think that you play with God? God is truly God is we have to be honest all the time.

You know? And, yeah, now what you are talking about, we are nobody without Jesus. You know? We are completely lost. Before I was like that, I was lost.

Now I find a way, you know, a new Christian. I know new people. Yeah. Yes. Amen.

Thank you. Yeah.

Thank you, Felix. Scott.

Evening, everybody. Was thinking about it in Christmas trees because I think in a really weird way. If you think about a Christmas tree, it's alive and it's beautiful and then we cut it down and it's no longer attached to the power. And whenever he talks about the the pruning k. We prune trees, and then we try and dress them up.

And so here we have one that's fake to make it look real. Because whenever you look at at who he was talking to, Judas was there. Judas looked the same, but he he was cut off. He was never tied to the power. And so if you were to look

at the 12, you'd go, oh,

you know, here's the 12. He's just like all the rest of them. And the thing is is as Christians, and I know myself, you know, we can put on a facade and we can say the right things and, you know, we know the right things to do if we've been a Christian long enough. And yet the thing is is are you producing fruit? And if you've ever grown grapes I don't know if you guys grow grapes in Wyoming.

It seems a little cold up here for grapes. Where I'm from, we grow a lot of grapes. The older the vine gets, the sweeter the grapes get, and it produces more. But it's not pretty. And the young the young vine, it's still supple.

And then if you see an old vine, it's like a it's like a gnarly tree. Mhmm. And for those of us as older Christians, okay, sometimes we put out this fake facade around us. And the thing is is the only thing that's important for any of us as Christians is the sap. The love of Jesus Christ that's coming through us, that if we produce and I don't know about you, but I have never seen a grapevine or an apple tree grunt.

They're just there. And that's the only way we can produce fruit is we have to be in the Lord and let him move through us. And just realize that, hey. I'm here with brothers and sisters, And it's so wonderful to be away from home, but it's so wonderful to be here with brothers and sisters who are tied into the vine.

Thanks, Scott.

I do think it's cool when you talk about this really is not loud

enough. We we want everybody to hear you all online.

This really wasn't in any of the verses, but the Lord just convicted me because to remain in Jesus means it's not about me. And so I just think there are so many times recently where I've been like, okay, God. It's not about me. It's not about me. Like, I'm in it for you.

And then I'm disappointed, or it doesn't work out the way I want it to because deep down, I said it wasn't about me, but it really actually became about me. And so sometimes I think just remaining in Jesus' means it's it's all about him, and it it really boils down to nothing that has to do with me.

Thank you. Thank

you. Yeah. I

that that sparks a thought too that the you didn't choose me. I chose you. If if it is because we just chose him from all of the marketplace of ideas out there, Christianity looks like one that's been tried, and I'll go for it. And then we get disappointed with trying to do the right thing or trying to look the right way or sing the right songs. And and we think, maybe I'll try something else.

Jesus is saying to any Judas was in the room, but he was saying that, hey. You didn't choose me. I chose you. And I chose you to bear fruit. I mean, he doesn't stop with just I chose you.

It can't it's not a sovereignty of God responsibility to manage you. He says, I you didn't choose me. I chose you, really. It's not about you, but I did choose you, and I chose you to bear fruit. So stay connected, and you'll do it.

Just stay connected, and you'll do it. It'll happen. I like that about the grunting. You can't just force it. You've never seen a plant go, you know, trying to make it happen.

It's like just abide. The and, you know, being a pastor, being a preacher, I I do see that when we're connected to his word, it makes a difference. Your favorite chapter is always the one you're studying. Right? Yeah.

It's if if you are dwelling in the word, it it it tends to keep you connected. It helps, you know, especially New Testament. Old Testament loses me, really. But New Testament really, really just likes my Jets, and it it makes it easier to abide. Yeah.

Yeah. Anybody else?

Good thoughts. Good thoughts. Thank you for sharing. Yeah. Should we stand?

We'll sing one more one more song together.

Song 17.

The evidence. Evidence. I'm gonna leave you with John fifteen five this week. Carry this one. Let's carry this one with us, friends.

Jesus says, yes. I'm the vine, and you're the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Amen.

God help us. Amen.