Remain in Me

In one paragraph

Steve Landis filled the pulpit while Pastor Ray was on vacation, preaching from John 15 and walking the congregation through the Gospel of John to ask a pointed question: do we actually know Jesus, or have we only convinced ourselves that we do? The message drew a thread from the subatomic scale to the scale of galaxies to press home a single concern, that we are surrounded by evidence of God and...

Read together

1. Psalm 19:1-4 opened the service to lift the congregation's eyes to God as creator despite the rainy morning
2. John 15:1-11 the main text on the vine and branches, used to explore what it means to remain in Jesus
3. Romans 1:21-23 quoted to describe how human hearts exchange the glory of God for created things, applied personally by Steve
4. Romans 1:28 referenced again briefly to note that those who do not retain the knowledge of God become fools
5. John 1:1-4 used to establish that Jesus is the Word, the divine expression of God, and the creator of all things
6. John 1:14 the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth
7. John 1:17-18 law came through Moses but grace and truth through Jesus Christ; no one has seen God but the Son
8. John 1:19-27 John the Baptist questioned by the religious leaders, declares himself the voice in the desert preparing the way
9. John 1:29 John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
10. John 1:35-42 Andrew and John follow Jesus, spend the day with him, Andrew finds Peter and says they have found the Messiah
11. John 1:49-51 Nathaniel calls Jesus the Son of God and King of Israel; Jesus promises he will see greater things
12. John 2:1-11 wedding at Cana, Jesus turns water into wine as his first sign
13. John 2:13-22 Jesus clears the temple and says destroy this temple and he will raise it in three days
14. John 3:16-18 God so loved the world; used in the Nicodemus discussion and extended to the verdict about light and darkness
15. John 4:7-26 Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well; he reveals her life and declares himself the Messiah
16. John 5:1-16 healing of the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda; Pharisees fixate on mat-carrying on the Sabbath instead of the miracle
17. John 6:5-21 feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on water, then arriving at the destination immediately
18. John 6:53-66 Jesus speaks of eating his flesh and drinking his blood; many disciples turn back
19. John 6:68-69 Peter answers Jesus: Lord, to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life
20. John 8:12 I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness
21. John 8:24 if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins
22. John 8:28 when you have lifted up the Son of Man you will know that I am
23. John 8:58-59 before Abraham was, I am; the crowd picks up stones to stone him
24. John 11:1-44 death and raising of Lazarus; Jesus waits four days then calls him forth from the tomb
25. John 11:25-26 I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even though he dies
26. John 8:31 if you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples, referenced in the Lazarus section
27. Colossians 1:19-22 all the fullness of God dwells in Christ; he reconciled all things through his blood shed on the cross
28. Ephesians 3:14-20 closing benediction: kneeling before the Father, praying for power through the Spirit, grasping the breadth of Christ's love, filled to the measure of all the fullness of God
29. Jude 1:24-25 final benediction read by Pastor Ray: to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before his glory

Talk about it

1. Steve talked about how God showed him that he was doing the same thing to Jesus that the Pharisees did, missing God even when He was right in front of them. When have you caught yourself doing that in your own life?
2. Steve said his heart naturally drifts toward making gods out of things like coffee, sports, his kids, or comfort, exchanging the creator for created things. What created things do you find yourself most tempted to put in that place?
3. Andrew and John simply followed Jesus, asked where He was staying, and spent the day with Him. Steve held that up as a picture of what it means to abide. What does that kind of unhurried time with Jesus actually look like for you day to day?
4. Steve described visiting Michael Daily as his best worship moment of the week, and said it reminded him that we are not going to live forever. How does keeping your own mortality in view change the way you pursue knowing Jesus?
5. Steve said that when he feels beaten up or worthless he goes back to a list of what he called his 'in Christ' truths, things Jesus' death and blood have done for him. What do you go back to when you need to be reminded of who you are in Christ?