WEBVTT 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:02.800 Fathers, we look at your word today. 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.520 We come and we ask that you would come and meet with us. 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:12.439 We pray, Holy Spirit, that you would open our ears, our hearts, our minds to listen to you. 00:00:13.140 --> 00:00:19.600 Your word is clear, but oftentimes our minds are foggy, and frankly, our own sin gets in the way. 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:25.679 And so, Holy Spirit, we know that unless you work, unless you move, that our time here today will be futile. 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:29.820 So we pray, O Lord, attend to the reading and the teaching of your word. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.159 That we may rightly understand it, and our hearts may be transformed by it. 00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:36.399 And we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:00:38.579 --> 00:00:43.340 Why is it so hard to do what you really want to do? 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:47.019 I wanted to get in shape. I wanted to get strong. 00:00:47.019 --> 00:00:48.640 So I joined Planet Fitness. 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:52.280 And I went, for a while, I went four days a week, which is my goal. 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:53.260 I thought that was pretty good. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:56.760 And I'm going, and I'm working out, and I'm feeling pretty good about myself. 00:00:56.759 --> 00:01:00.759 But after a while, I find that I'm going less and less. 00:01:01.239 --> 00:01:07.599 And soon, I would go, and I'd work out a little bit on a machine, and then it'd start to hurt, so I'd go to the next machine. 00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:10.319 And pretty soon, I found that I wasn't going at all. 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:14.159 I really did want to be in shape. 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:15.319 I just didn't want to work out. 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:18.119 Another time, I thought I'd learn Spanish. 00:01:18.759 --> 00:01:21.239 And, you know, because it'd be helpful, particularly in my role. 00:01:21.339 --> 00:01:23.780 Every now and then, I'd go to Spanish-speaking parts of the world. 00:01:23.979 --> 00:01:27.899 And so, you know, Duolingo or Rosetta Stone. 00:01:28.039 --> 00:01:29.699 And I got it, and you just start working. 00:01:29.839 --> 00:01:32.219 You figure, you know, 30 minutes a day, and you can just start. 00:01:32.399 --> 00:01:33.539 You can pick up a lot. 00:01:34.179 --> 00:01:35.019 And so I'm doing it. 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:35.899 I'm cranking it out. 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:38.399 But then soon, I get too busy. 00:01:38.859 --> 00:01:40.639 And I'm not doing it at all. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:43.480 And I know very, very little Spanish. 00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:45.120 I wanted to know Spanish. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:47.659 I just didn't want to do the work of learning Spanish. 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:53.200 And nowhere do we feel this tension more than our lives and our character. 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:57.180 I know I want to be a kind person. 00:01:57.700 --> 00:01:58.980 You want to be a kind person. 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:00.280 You want to be a disciplined person. 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:04.200 You want to be a person known for your love, for your generosity, for your encouragement. 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:08.319 But then you find yourself not being those things. 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:10.060 You say, you know, we'll even make vows. 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:11.699 You know, parents, you ever made this vow? 00:02:11.780 --> 00:02:14.080 Okay, I'm not going to lose my temper with my children. 00:02:14.740 --> 00:02:15.800 I'm not going to do it. 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:17.180 I'm determined. 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:18.099 And you mean it, right? 00:02:18.180 --> 00:02:19.379 You really mean that. 00:02:19.460 --> 00:02:24.620 But then that child does something, and you find yourself saying things. 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:27.539 Or, you know, you find yourself in your marriage relationship. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:29.080 You roll your eyes at your spouse. 00:02:29.860 --> 00:02:31.780 And you don't want to do those things. 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:36.080 By the way, I have been cured of losing my temper with my children. 00:02:36.699 --> 00:02:37.659 They've all moved away. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:41.259 And no longer happens at all. 00:02:41.259 --> 00:02:43.979 And so, but you know what I mean. 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:45.400 We want to change. 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:48.039 You want to be generous, but you find yourself being stingy. 00:02:48.300 --> 00:02:52.280 You want to be a servant, but when he calls to serve at the church, you're going, oh, man, 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:53.699 I really don't want to go do that work day. 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.319 You know, you just find yourself not doing these things. 00:02:56.319 --> 00:03:04.780 So if that's how you feel, then the words of Jesus here are incredibly hopeful and encouraging 00:03:04.780 --> 00:03:05.780 to us. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:13.379 Because as we look at what Jesus has to say to us, he shows us that we can have a beautiful 00:03:13.379 --> 00:03:14.000 life. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:16.759 A life that bears beautiful fruit. 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:20.780 A life that is marked by beauty, love, and compassion for others. 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:26.120 And how we get there is all explained to us here in John chapter 15. 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:29.020 So let's look at what it means to live a beautiful life. 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:31.460 And so first of all, we see the fruitful life. 00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:33.420 What does the fruitful life look like? 00:03:33.419 --> 00:03:36.959 So Jesus talks a lot about bearing fruit in this passage. 00:03:37.079 --> 00:03:39.719 He says that he's the vine and we are the branches. 00:03:39.879 --> 00:03:45.679 Now, that imagery, when Jesus said this, it probably raised some eyebrows among his original 00:03:45.679 --> 00:03:46.119 listeners. 00:03:46.299 --> 00:03:50.979 Because throughout the Old Testament, Israel was called the vine, not Jesus. 00:03:51.579 --> 00:03:53.119 And so Jesus is saying that he's the vine. 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:56.619 In fact, the vine was a national symbol for the nation of Israel. 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.939 It was across the temple porch when Israel rebelled against Rome. 00:04:00.019 --> 00:04:01.139 They put it on their coinage. 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:03.479 And so Israel was to be the vine. 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:05.119 But here's what Jesus is saying. 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:07.079 He's saying, no, I am the vine. 00:04:07.679 --> 00:04:08.339 I am the vine. 00:04:08.579 --> 00:04:12.159 Now, what Jesus is saying, he's not saying that he's the replacement. 00:04:12.379 --> 00:04:15.000 What he's saying is he is the true Israel of God. 00:04:15.419 --> 00:04:18.860 He is the true fulfillment of what Israel was supposed to be. 00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:21.319 Where Israel failed, he's going to succeed. 00:04:21.479 --> 00:04:25.079 So he is the true son, the child of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:04:25.219 --> 00:04:28.819 And he's going to accomplish what Israel is supposed to do and to be. 00:04:28.819 --> 00:04:33.939 And so if you want to be part of the true Israel, and you want to be part of God's people, you 00:04:33.939 --> 00:04:38.120 want to be blessed by God, you must be connected to Jesus the vine. 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:40.339 So Jesus says, I am the vine. 00:04:40.459 --> 00:04:41.779 You're the branches to have life. 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:43.060 You must be united to me. 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:49.639 And furthermore, he says, if you are united to him, your life will bear much fruit. 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:55.639 And if your branch does not bear fruit, he gives these warnings. 00:04:56.479 --> 00:05:02.500 If you do not bear fruit, you will be cut off from the vine and cast into the fire. 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:08.459 On the other hand, if you do bear fruit, you will be pruned so that you bear more fruit. 00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:11.360 Now, that pruning, you might think of that as a negative image. 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:13.240 But really what that means is you're going to be cared for. 00:05:13.339 --> 00:05:14.360 You're going to be nurtured. 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:20.639 It's not necessarily, although it can be painful, certainly, it's a positive image that God is 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:25.259 going to tend to you and he's going to care for you so that you end up bearing more fruit. 00:05:25.699 --> 00:05:29.160 So the result of being in Christ is fruitfulness. 00:05:29.520 --> 00:05:35.180 Or to put it more clearly, the sign that you're in Christ, the sign that you're a Christian, 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:36.540 is that you bear fruit. 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:42.420 And if you do not bear fruit, what Jesus is saying is that's a sign that you are not united to the vine. 00:05:42.460 --> 00:05:45.879 Because if you're united to the vine, you will bear fruit. 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.240 Anything that's drawn united to Christ bears fruit. 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:52.920 Well, how do you know if you're bearing fruit? 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:56.780 What kind of fruit is Jesus talking about? 00:05:58.020 --> 00:06:03.759 Well, it's living out of the fruitfulness of what it means to be a child of God, 00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:05.600 of what it means to be a Christian. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:09.379 And if you do a survey of the Bible, the Bible talks about fruit actually quite a bit, 00:06:09.460 --> 00:06:11.020 in quite a number of different places. 00:06:11.460 --> 00:06:15.560 And we can look at these places to see what the fruit is that Jesus is talking about. 00:06:15.980 --> 00:06:21.320 So, for example, in Colossians, in Romans, in Colossians 1 and Romans chapter 7, 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:24.580 fruitfulness is connected to doing good works. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:28.760 So if you're united to Christ, you're going to do good works. 00:06:28.820 --> 00:06:33.520 And by good works, the Bible generally means those works that are good for other people, 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:37.740 works that produce things, works that serve others, works that care for others. 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:44.279 And then also, we see in his letter to Philippians, Paul says, and he prays, 00:06:44.579 --> 00:06:48.779 that his readers will be full of the fruit of righteousness. 00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:54.060 And so if you're connected to Jesus, your life is going to bear the fruit of righteousness. 00:06:54.799 --> 00:06:58.199 But then that raises a question, what do we mean by righteousness? 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:03.259 You know, when you think of a righteous person, what comes to mind? 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:06.719 Somebody says, oh, so-and-so, they're really super righteous. 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:08.459 They're godly. 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:10.379 Positive image, negative image. 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:14.099 Remember a number of years ago, there was an episode of The Simpsons, 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:16.839 and Homer Simpson's next-door neighbors were very religious, 00:07:17.099 --> 00:07:19.919 and Homer comes, is out in the yard, and they're coming back. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:21.219 And he asked them where they've been. 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:22.759 They said, oh, we've been at Bible camp. 00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:24.199 We've been learning how to be more judgmental. 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:29.699 You know, and oftentimes, that's the image people think of righteousness. 00:07:30.019 --> 00:07:31.620 It's not true righteousness, right? 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:33.459 It's self-righteousness. 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:36.079 It's something that's produced by self. 00:07:36.599 --> 00:07:41.599 Christian righteousness is diametrically opposed to self-righteousness. 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.060 Christian righteousness does not come from self. 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:48.899 Christian righteousness, as Martin Luther says, is an alien righteousness. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:52.699 It's a righteousness given to you by another that you did not earn, 00:07:52.699 --> 00:07:57.959 you did not deserve, but you get solely through faith in Christ and your union with him. 00:07:58.379 --> 00:08:04.199 And that righteousness that we are in Christ will express itself in righteous deeds 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:05.519 and righteous actions. 00:08:06.579 --> 00:08:10.480 So, of course, Jesus is not talking about self-righteousness. 00:08:10.599 --> 00:08:12.659 He's talking about true righteousness. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:18.879 Another place where the Bible talks about fruit, the fruit that is produced by Christ, 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:23.100 is in Galatians chapter 5, and it talks about the fruit of the Spirit. 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:30.060 And again, very interestingly here, we see that the fruit of the Spirit is not produced by our own selves. 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:38.820 In fact, Paul in chapter 3 contrasts very dramatically the life of faith with the life of works 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:41.120 and simply trying to obey the law on your own. 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:49.299 And he says there that those who live by the flesh and live through the law end up producing fleshly deeds. 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:53.139 In other words, the more you simply try to reform your life, he says, 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:57.120 what happens is you're living by the flesh and that will produce the deeds of the flesh, 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:00.860 which are these awful actions that he mentions in Galatians chapter 5. 00:09:01.060 --> 00:09:06.820 But he says instead, if we live by faith and we put our faith in Christ, 00:09:06.820 --> 00:09:08.720 then faith and the Spirit work. 00:09:08.780 --> 00:09:12.000 And we trust in Christ when we believe that we're redeemed by him, 00:09:12.060 --> 00:09:16.160 when we believe that we're saved by him, the Spirit's power is unleashed in our lives. 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:17.520 And so what does that look like? 00:09:18.140 --> 00:09:27.000 It looks like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. 00:09:27.760 --> 00:09:30.500 So now let's talk about what does a godly person look like? 00:09:30.940 --> 00:09:32.420 What does a righteous person look like? 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:34.280 What's the fruit we should be looking for? 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:39.120 Which instead of saying that person is so disciplined, so strict, so severe, 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:43.159 they must be godly, we'd say that person is so joyful, 00:09:43.959 --> 00:09:50.240 that person is so loving, so gentle, so patient, so self-controlled, 00:09:51.079 --> 00:09:52.000 she must be godly. 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:53.819 That's the fruit of the Spirit. 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:56.139 And that's the fruit that our lives are to bear. 00:09:57.059 --> 00:10:01.179 But if we're truly going to understand what Jesus is saying in John chapter 15, 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:02.839 we can't just look at the New Testament. 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:05.320 We have to look at the Old Testament as well. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:08.240 And that's why we read Isaiah chapter 5 earlier. 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:11.399 And if you look at that passage in Isaiah chapter 5, 00:10:11.460 --> 00:10:15.680 it is so similar to what Jesus says in John chapter 15, 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:20.960 that Jesus appears to be almost doing a sermon on Isaiah chapter 5. 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:25.460 He clearly has this in mind because the parallelism is so strong. 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:31.820 And so in Isaiah chapter 5, we see that God is the vine dresser and his people are the vineyard. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:38.019 And yet even though God has cultivated them, he has nurtured them, he's cared for them, 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:40.180 they are not producing good fruit. 00:10:41.040 --> 00:10:43.320 And so he says in verse 4, God says, 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:54.480 God says, 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:58.700 I've been caring for you, I've been nurturing you, I've been doing everything for you, 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:02.660 yet instead of bearing good fruit, you've borne terrible fruit. 00:11:03.800 --> 00:11:04.760 But what is this? 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:06.320 What's the good fruit, what's the bad fruit? 00:11:06.379 --> 00:11:07.420 How does God describe these? 00:11:07.419 --> 00:11:09.620 Well, Isaiah goes on and tells us in verse 7, 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:15.219 says that God, he expected a crop of justice, but instead found oppression. 00:11:15.819 --> 00:11:20.179 He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence. 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:25.059 By the way, in the Old Testament, those words justice and righteousness are often used together 00:11:25.059 --> 00:11:29.360 to form a single idea, and that of righteous and good works. 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:31.620 But notice here, what is righteousness? 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:35.480 You notice this in the Old Testament, we have these poetic passages. 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:40.259 The way oftentimes you understand one line is by contrasting it to the line before. 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:42.840 So what's the opposite of justice? 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:44.680 The opposite of justice is oppression. 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:46.300 What's the opposite of righteousness? 00:11:46.680 --> 00:11:47.360 It's violence. 00:11:47.920 --> 00:11:50.320 And so what he's saying is that true righteousness, 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:56.320 what righteousness looks like, is actually a care for the oppressed, 00:11:56.680 --> 00:12:00.080 a concern for those who are weak, a concern for those who are in need. 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:03.680 And again, this is a theme throughout the Old Testament, 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:05.699 particularly the prophets. 00:12:06.199 --> 00:12:08.839 Well, they talk about the wicked oppress the powerless, 00:12:09.319 --> 00:12:12.259 while the righteous care for the powerless. 00:12:13.059 --> 00:12:16.799 Bruce Walkie put it this way in his commentary on Proverbs. 00:12:16.939 --> 00:12:19.339 He talks about the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. 00:12:19.859 --> 00:12:25.439 Walkie says the righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community. 00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:30.799 The wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to disadvantage themselves. 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:33.099 Do you see what righteousness is then? 00:12:33.959 --> 00:12:36.199 Righteousness then is a concern for others. 00:12:36.719 --> 00:12:41.120 It's a concern where you're actually willing to disadvantage yourself for others. 00:12:41.299 --> 00:12:46.740 And so when Jesus says care for the weak, we care for the needy, we care for others around us. 00:12:46.839 --> 00:12:52.279 We're not simply seeking to exploit, but we're willing to pour ourselves out for the sake of others. 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:55.659 And he even makes this clear in this passage. 00:12:56.299 --> 00:12:58.959 For that background, go back to John chapter 15. 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:02.679 And then he says in verse 10, Jesus says, 00:13:03.299 --> 00:13:06.600 those who abide in his love keep his commandments. 00:13:07.659 --> 00:13:13.259 And then in verse 12, he spells out for them the main commandment that we are to keep. 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:14.679 Notice what he says. 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:22.539 This is my commandment that you love one another even as I have loved you. 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:28.979 Now, it's no surprise here that Jesus would highlight this commandment because elsewhere he said 00:13:28.979 --> 00:13:32.139 that if you look at all the commandments, all the commandments in the Bible, 00:13:32.339 --> 00:13:36.000 all the commandments hinge on two commands, and they are love God, 00:13:36.419 --> 00:13:38.179 and the second command is love your neighbor. 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:40.500 All the commandments are summarized in that. 00:13:40.500 --> 00:13:46.340 In fact, the reason we have those commandments are to help us understand what it means to love God, 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:47.779 verse 4 of the Ten Commandments. 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:51.379 And then the last six are showing us what it means to love our neighbor. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:53.139 What does it look like to love? 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:59.799 And so ultimately, the call of us that God puts on our lives is to love one another, 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:01.059 to love our neighbor. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:03.799 That's what a beautiful life looks like. 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:06.100 All you need is love, right? 00:14:06.779 --> 00:14:07.779 All you need is love. 00:14:07.779 --> 00:14:11.659 Love one another, love your neighbor, and that's the fruitful life. 00:14:13.419 --> 00:14:14.419 Now, that sounds beautiful. 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:19.740 You know, it's great, and I'm sure we'd all like to do it, 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:22.799 but it's pretty doggone hard to love your neighbor. 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:25.819 I think many of us think of ourselves as loving people, 00:14:26.059 --> 00:14:29.319 but, you know, what we find is that you love certain people. 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:33.600 One of the reasons I went into ministry is I thought I liked people. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:37.519 And so years ago, I'm a young man. 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:42.159 We're planting a church in Orlando, and so I'm like, I'm a people person. 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:42.980 I like people. 00:14:43.460 --> 00:14:46.399 And so God began to bring people to our church, 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:50.159 and what I found out pretty soon is I don't like people, you know? 00:14:50.899 --> 00:14:52.519 I don't like people, at least some people, 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:55.360 because, you know, some people are just mean, right? 00:14:56.040 --> 00:14:57.399 And you meet them in church, frankly. 00:14:57.680 --> 00:14:59.259 Well, you meet them everywhere, to be honest. 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:00.500 Some people are mean. 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:02.259 Some people are weird. 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:04.879 And some people are socially awkward. 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:08.120 Not that that's so bad, because I kind of fit that category, too. 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:10.360 But, you know, some people are very draining. 00:15:10.819 --> 00:15:13.700 And all these people came to my church all at once. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.779 And so here I am, and I'm going, ah, you know? 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:20.779 I'm looking at this, and I find out I only like certain people. 00:15:21.319 --> 00:15:22.139 Here are my requirements. 00:15:22.319 --> 00:15:23.659 I like people who like me. 00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:26.799 If you like me, I think you're great. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:28.319 If you don't like me, I don't like you. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:29.660 It's pretty simple, you know? 00:15:30.520 --> 00:15:32.600 Or I like people who are fun. 00:15:33.680 --> 00:15:34.940 Well, that's not the command, right? 00:15:36.060 --> 00:15:36.960 It says love your neighbor. 00:15:38.040 --> 00:15:39.120 It says love your neighbor. 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:41.000 It doesn't say which neighbor. 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:42.840 It doesn't say love the neighbors you're like, 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:44.320 or love the neighbors who are like you. 00:15:44.660 --> 00:15:46.040 It includes everyone. 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:47.300 It's without qualification. 00:15:47.520 --> 00:15:49.300 It includes the healthy and the hurting. 00:15:49.800 --> 00:15:52.000 It doesn't only include those who think like you, 00:15:52.060 --> 00:15:55.360 but those who have very different backgrounds with you than you. 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:58.500 Those who struggle with issues differently than you. 00:15:58.779 --> 00:16:02.500 And get this, even people who vote differently than you. 00:16:03.340 --> 00:16:03.740 Whoa. 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.800 I mean, now Jesus has gone to meddling at this point, right? 00:16:07.259 --> 00:16:09.980 When he talks about loving your neighbor, he means love your neighbor. 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:12.060 All your neighbors. 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:14.820 And to love them, again, indiscriminately. 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:17.700 And what becomes terrifying about this, 00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:21.840 Jesus says that if your life is not marked by love for others, 00:16:21.840 --> 00:16:24.680 because that's the fruit he's talking about in this context, 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:26.960 if your life is not marked by fruit of others, 00:16:27.040 --> 00:16:30.180 if you do not bear the fruit of righteousness and justice and love, 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:32.000 you will face God's judgment. 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:38.100 In verse 2, he says that any branch that does not bear this fruit is taken away. 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:41.720 Verse 6, those branches that are cut off and taken away 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:44.720 are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned. 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:49.399 So according to Jesus, those who do not live a fruitful life 00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:51.960 incur the eternal judgment. 00:16:53.460 --> 00:16:56.960 Now you might say, okay, wow, I've got some work to do. 00:16:57.040 --> 00:16:58.180 I need to get my act together. 00:16:59.060 --> 00:17:01.540 I'm just going to be selfless now. 00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:02.879 I'm going to be loving. 00:17:03.180 --> 00:17:04.200 I'm going to be patient. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:05.339 I'm going to be kind. 00:17:05.940 --> 00:17:08.799 The problem is you can't change you. 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:10.900 You can't change your heart. 00:17:10.900 --> 00:17:14.660 I cannot make myself be a loving person anymore 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:16.500 than I can make myself love kale. 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:18.820 It's not going to happen. 00:17:19.560 --> 00:17:21.600 It's just not something that's going to come natural. 00:17:21.780 --> 00:17:24.540 You can't just wake up one morning by sheer willpower and say, 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:26.500 oh, I'm going to love annoying people. 00:17:27.340 --> 00:17:28.440 It won't happen. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:30.920 Willpower will not do it. 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.720 The key to change is not the will but the heart. 00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:37.560 The key to change is not the will but the heart. 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:41.500 Jonathan Haidt has this illustration like this. 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:45.000 He says, imagine a man riding on an elephant. 00:17:45.679 --> 00:17:46.619 And so you have this image. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:49.679 It's probably a small man, big elephant. 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:53.599 And the elephant represents the emotions, 00:17:54.179 --> 00:17:55.960 and the man represents willpower. 00:17:56.500 --> 00:17:59.339 Now, a man can ride that elephant, control where it goes. 00:17:59.379 --> 00:18:00.359 It's pretty remarkable. 00:18:00.859 --> 00:18:03.940 But what if at some point the elephant gets spooked 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:07.460 and wants to go a different direction than its rider wants it to go? 00:18:07.620 --> 00:18:09.340 Who's going to win, the man or the elephant? 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:11.279 Elephant every time. 00:18:11.940 --> 00:18:15.180 The heart will trump the will every single time. 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:16.660 Every single time. 00:18:17.100 --> 00:18:22.960 And so what we see in Christianity with the gospel is Christianity does not call us 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:26.779 merely to behavior modification but to heart transformation. 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:31.639 And your heart cannot be transformed by you but only by Jesus. 00:18:32.139 --> 00:18:37.559 Because as Jesus says here, apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:18:38.420 --> 00:18:38.819 Nothing. 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:42.379 So we are called to abide in Christ. 00:18:42.500 --> 00:18:43.319 Well, what does that mean? 00:18:43.379 --> 00:18:47.220 So look again at verses 5 and 6 to see what it means to abide in Christ. 00:18:47.339 --> 00:18:47.619 He says, 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:49.559 I am the vine, you are the branches. 00:18:49.939 --> 00:18:53.659 Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:55.399 For apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:18:55.719 --> 00:18:59.759 If anyone does not abide in me, he's thrown away like a branch and withers, 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:02.759 and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 00:19:03.419 --> 00:19:05.359 Now, Jesus' point is not, 00:19:05.879 --> 00:19:08.899 if you want to abide in him, you better bear fruit. 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:10.819 That's not what Jesus says. 00:19:11.419 --> 00:19:15.139 His point is, if you abide in him, you will bear fruit. 00:19:15.819 --> 00:19:20.919 And so we have to be careful that we do not confuse the result with the cause. 00:19:21.619 --> 00:19:24.500 We don't bear fruit in order to abide in Jesus. 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:27.279 We bear fruit because we're abiding in Jesus. 00:19:27.399 --> 00:19:30.779 If you flip those two things, you no longer have Christianity. 00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:33.579 You have a religion, but it's not Christianity. 00:19:33.939 --> 00:19:38.879 Because Christianity starts with us abiding in Christ and therefore bearing fruit. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:42.080 Jesus says, apart from him, we could do nothing. 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:46.700 So the key here, see, fruitlessness is not the main problem. 00:19:47.620 --> 00:19:52.840 Fruitlessness is a symptom, a sign of the problem that you're not abiding in Christ. 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:56.320 Notice, Jesus does not command us to bear fruit. 00:19:56.840 --> 00:19:57.600 That's not a command. 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:02.080 He commands us to abide in him, and as a result, we bear fruit. 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.120 So again, what does it mean to abide in Christ? 00:20:06.040 --> 00:20:08.480 Look again at what Jesus says throughout the passage. 00:20:09.320 --> 00:20:10.740 Repeatedly, he says, abide in me. 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:13.520 Verse 4, abide in me, abide in me. 00:20:13.840 --> 00:20:15.460 Verse 6, abide in me. 00:20:15.760 --> 00:20:17.180 Verse 7, abide in me. 00:20:17.600 --> 00:20:20.440 But then in verse 9, notice the change. 00:20:21.140 --> 00:20:22.400 He says it slightly differently. 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:25.020 He says, abide in my love. 00:20:26.320 --> 00:20:26.900 Here's the key. 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:28.720 Here's where it all comes together. 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:34.060 What it means to abide in Christ is to abide in his love. 00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:35.540 To abide in his love. 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:38.500 The key to the Christian life is faith. 00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:40.960 The key to the Christian life is faith. 00:20:41.139 --> 00:20:43.899 What that is, is faith is not simply being optimistic. 00:20:44.399 --> 00:20:45.940 Faith is not having a positive outlook. 00:20:46.399 --> 00:20:48.359 Faith is believing that the gospel is true. 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:54.259 Faith is believing that Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect life in my place, died on the cross, 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:55.759 took the penalty for my sins. 00:20:55.759 --> 00:21:02.119 And because of that, he's shown his love for me, and he's going to care for me all the way until he brings me home. 00:21:02.539 --> 00:21:08.680 And when we believe that, the Holy Spirit's power is unleashed in our lives so that we bear fruit. 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:11.100 We believe the gospel truth. 00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:13.240 The key to the Christian life is faith. 00:21:13.340 --> 00:21:14.160 It's the good news. 00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:16.240 It's what Jesus says in verse 13. 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:18.200 Here's what you're called to believe. 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:24.060 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. 00:21:25.060 --> 00:21:27.900 So we abide in Jesus by believing that. 00:21:28.320 --> 00:21:30.320 By believing that it's actually true. 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:32.779 He did not die because we're good. 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:35.539 He did not die for us because we're fruitful. 00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:40.519 Well, on our own, we bore no fruit because apart from him, we can do nothing, right? 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:42.619 We can only bear bad fruit. 00:21:42.879 --> 00:21:45.819 On our own, we deserve death, but in him, we have life. 00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:53.099 See, the death of Christ shows us both the reality of our sin and the reality of his love. 00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:59.960 Because our sin is so serious that we deserve to be cut off and thrown into the fire. 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:07.720 But the love of Christ is so real and so deep that he was cut off and thrown into the fire on our behalf. 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:11.120 Where we deserve judgment, he gives us life. 00:22:11.600 --> 00:22:17.160 And where he had earned life, he receives our death so that we can have life. 00:22:17.579 --> 00:22:21.340 We abide in Christ by believing that, by believing the gospel. 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:24.460 And when you believe that, it actually changes everything. 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:29.799 You'll live a fruitful life, not because, oh boy, I better do this in order to earn God's favor. 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:36.200 Rather, we live a life of obedience and seek to live a life of righteousness because we already have his favor. 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:37.960 John Calvin put it this way. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:40.640 As he comments on this passage, he says, 00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:47.120 The obedience which believers render to God is not the cause of why God continues to love us, 00:22:47.380 --> 00:22:49.860 but it is rather the effect of his love. 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:50.640 You see that? 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:54.900 God's love produces that obedience. 00:22:55.380 --> 00:23:00.759 To abide in his love means to live with a conscious awareness that Jesus delights in you. 00:23:01.520 --> 00:23:02.860 I think that's something we forget. 00:23:03.820 --> 00:23:06.740 We know it because he just sang about it a minute ago. 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:09.480 We know it, but we forget it. 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:15.520 And see, what happens, though, is when we believe the gospel is true, that's what produces obedience. 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:19.940 Now, as we talk about trust and obey, those two are not equal. 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:27.340 What happens is we trust and therefore we obey because we live out of that faith, out of that trust. 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:29.540 You know, it changes how we live. 00:23:30.220 --> 00:23:35.640 It changes everything about us when we actually believe that he loves us. 00:23:36.340 --> 00:23:40.160 And so, to abide in Christ's love means to believe that. 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:46.580 So, to remain in his love, then, means we live with that constant awareness that God loves us. 00:23:46.860 --> 00:23:47.820 Here's what's interesting. 00:23:48.180 --> 00:23:52.940 Have you ever gone to church and heard a sermon or Sunday school and you go, 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:55.380 I really didn't get anything out of it. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:57.500 I already knew everything they said. 00:23:58.580 --> 00:24:00.340 That's not the point, right? 00:24:00.339 --> 00:24:05.279 What we're doing as we come together in worship is we're being reminded. 00:24:05.659 --> 00:24:07.319 We're not here to learn something new. 00:24:07.459 --> 00:24:09.740 We're being reminded of something old. 00:24:10.399 --> 00:24:11.879 And we need to be reminded. 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:16.419 We need to constantly be in that fellowship and that union with Christ, reminded of his love, 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:18.079 because otherwise we're prone to forget. 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:21.980 You know, I think my wife knows that I love her. 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:25.259 I told her 37 years ago, right? 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:26.259 You know? 00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:29.019 And I'm thinking, you know, do I need to repeat that? 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:31.079 Yes. 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:34.779 I think she loves me. 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:37.400 But, you know, we tell each other we love one another. 00:24:37.599 --> 00:24:38.640 That's not new information. 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:41.640 You suddenly go, oh, my goodness, you're just finally now coming around. 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:42.099 No. 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:44.079 No, we spend time together. 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:48.880 We share our love for one another because you need that constant reminder, 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:51.920 because absence makes the heart go wander, right? 00:24:52.779 --> 00:24:55.700 And so same thing in your relationship with Christ. 00:24:56.460 --> 00:25:01.240 You know, your children, you know, if you're absent a lot of times, I remember this. 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:04.680 I was working a lot when my children were younger, and I'd come home, 00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:08.279 and my middle daughter would give me the cold shoulder because I hadn't been around for a while. 00:25:08.680 --> 00:25:10.980 I mean, she would just, like, totally ignore me. 00:25:11.539 --> 00:25:14.120 Because what a child needs to know is her father loves her, right? 00:25:14.819 --> 00:25:17.200 And so that's, like, constant reassurance. 00:25:17.360 --> 00:25:19.000 Well, we need the same thing. 00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:19.960 We need to be reminded. 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:21.740 So we come and we worship. 00:25:22.460 --> 00:25:25.900 But we also have to be thinking about this throughout the day every day. 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:28.819 We have to abide in his love. 00:25:29.360 --> 00:25:30.620 And so that's why we pray. 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:32.120 That's why we read our Bibles. 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:33.019 That's why we meditate. 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:34.420 That's why we go through. 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:40.920 And it's a conscious thing we have to do throughout the day because if we don't do it consciously, 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:42.700 we will not abide in his love. 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:47.600 And so we're reminding ourselves of the gospel, that Christ died for us. 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:53.460 And when we do that, when we remember that Jesus loves us, then it transforms how we live. 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:56.080 Because then obedience is not merely a duty. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:57.620 Think of this. 00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:01.019 Think of it as a parent, what it's like raising children. 00:26:03.019 --> 00:26:05.539 I mean, if you saw a job description for a mom, it's horrific. 00:26:06.039 --> 00:26:06.220 You know? 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:08.440 It is terrible what you have to do. 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:09.519 Change dirty diapers. 00:26:09.900 --> 00:26:11.000 Stay up late at night. 00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:12.440 Then they become teenagers. 00:26:12.600 --> 00:26:13.279 And oh, my goodness. 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:14.700 And then they move away. 00:26:14.860 --> 00:26:17.220 Now, you know, do you know what my children are doing right now? 00:26:17.620 --> 00:26:18.519 I have no idea. 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:19.799 I mean, they're gone. 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:24.700 And you have all these worries and all these concerns, and yet you find yourself sacrificing 00:26:24.700 --> 00:26:28.139 for your children, not because it's your job. 00:26:28.579 --> 00:26:30.740 You could not pay me enough to be a father. 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:32.720 But I would not do it. 00:26:33.220 --> 00:26:34.700 You know, I would never give it up. 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:36.079 Never give it up. 00:26:36.740 --> 00:26:38.419 You do it because of love. 00:26:39.259 --> 00:26:43.359 And when you see Christ loves you, then here's what it does to obedience. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:45.599 Here comes the command of God. 00:26:45.879 --> 00:26:46.559 Love one another. 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:50.279 Or command to do not lie, do not steal, whatever the command is. 00:26:50.619 --> 00:26:52.679 And you're thinking, this God loves me. 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:54.319 He knows everything. 00:26:54.919 --> 00:26:56.059 He knows what's best for me. 00:26:56.399 --> 00:26:57.379 He cares for me. 00:26:57.740 --> 00:27:03.059 And so if he gives me a command, and he knows me, and he loves me, and he knows what's best 00:27:03.059 --> 00:27:09.159 for me, then I have to assume that the best thing possible for me to do is to obey that 00:27:09.159 --> 00:27:09.440 command. 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:12.359 It flows out of abiding in Christ. 00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:17.740 And plus, I'm going to want to do those things because I want to honor him. 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:20.919 And so abiding in Christ transform your life. 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:23.459 Think about how it changes your relationship with other people. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:29.559 If God can love me when I'm annoying, I'm far more annoying to God than anyone is to me, 00:27:29.599 --> 00:27:29.799 right? 00:27:30.459 --> 00:27:33.500 I've sinned against God far more than anyone sinned against me. 00:27:33.899 --> 00:27:39.279 And if God can love me even though I'm unworthy, then certainly we can love our neighbor whether 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:40.440 they're worthy or not, right? 00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:42.859 It changes everything about us. 00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:46.039 Abide in Christ, and our lives are transformed. 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:50.000 If God can love me, then I can love others. 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:55.480 But if you want your life to bear beautiful fruit, instead of trying to change your life 00:27:55.480 --> 00:28:03.299 by sheer willpower, instead of just trying to gut it out, seek to live an obedient life, 00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:06.579 but do so out of remembering his love. 00:28:06.920 --> 00:28:10.240 Abide in my love, and you will bear fruit. 00:28:10.620 --> 00:28:11.120 Let's pray. 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:18.299 Father, we do thank you that we do have that privilege of abiding in you, in Christ. 00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:20.640 And so because of that, we can abide in your love. 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:26.500 But Father, we come and we confess that sometimes we don't abide in your love because sometimes 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:30.500 we look at our own works and our own performance, and we realize we haven't earned it. 00:28:31.300 --> 00:28:36.840 We look at our fruit and think that somehow you love us for our fruitfulness rather than 00:28:36.840 --> 00:28:37.640 the other way around. 00:28:38.220 --> 00:28:39.340 So Lord, forgive us. 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:43.100 Forgive us for doubting your love when you've given your Son for us. 00:28:43.660 --> 00:28:46.160 Forgive us for questioning your love when we disobey you. 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:51.660 Forgive us for doubting your love when we are unwilling to sacrifice to serve others. 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:53.000 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:53.460 Amen.