Let's turn to our sermon text. So today, our series in the Gospel of John takes us to John
chapter 15, verses 1 through 11. So let me invite you to turn there with me,
and as you turn there, let me pray as we come to God's Word together.
Father, we ask that you would pour out your Spirit among us to help us to understand this Word
that your Spirit has inspired, and to help us to understand and to know Christ more,
because we know that as we see him in all of his glory, we are transformed
into his likeness from glory to glory. Lord, clothe us with your beauty as we behold you in
your Word, we pray. In Christ's name, amen. So let me read John chapter 15, verses 1 through 11 for us.
Jesus says to his disciples, 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. 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.
If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are
gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 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 Father is glorified that you bear
much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my
Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy
may be in you, and that your joy may be full. So in 1989, Stephen Covey published a book called
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In this book, Covey seeks to lay down what he calls
the universal and timeless principles for how a person can live a productive and effective life.
And since 1989, this book has gone on to sell something like 25 million copies. That's one of
the best-selling books on productivity and personal management and self-help ever written.
Now clearly, if it has sold that many copies, this book speaks to a need that many, many people feel.
Right? And since then, hundreds of books have been written and seminars taught and TED Talks given
about how we can be more productive and more effective, not just at work or in time management,
but in life. You see, deep down as humans, we don't just want to exist. We don't just want to float along.
We want to be fruitful. We want to be and do something that lasts, that's meaningful.
And this desire goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. You see, when God created humanity, God made us
with a purpose to steward creation, to work and keep the garden, to see the glory of God extend to the
ends of the earth as we, his image bearers, use the gifts he's given us to bring flourishing to the world
he has made. But of course, the human story took a tragic turn, didn't it? Rather than using our gifts
to cultivate creation for the glory of God, we chose to become our own gods and use our gifts
to advance our own kingdoms rather than God's kingdom. And the result of the fall has been
alienation and disintegration and death ever since. So we as humans are a bit of a walking contradiction,
aren't we? On the one hand, we want to use our gifts and our powers to do something that lasts,
to flourish and to bear fruit, and that's good. But on the other hand, we're too often motivated to
be fruitful by a desire to exalt ourselves rather than the God who made us. Too often we're motivated
by a desire to make a name for ourselves, like the builders of the Tower of Babel. Do you remember of
that story? Only to see it all kind of end in confusion. Now the passage before us, John 15,
1 through 11, is all about bearing fruit. As disciples of Jesus, we want to be productive
and effective for God and his kingdom. In fact, this whole section of John's gospel, what we call
Jesus's farewell discourse, is about Jesus preparing his disciples not just for his departure, but for
their upcoming mission when he returns to the Father. And how will the disciples, how will the church
go forth and bear fruit that lasts? Now being fruitful here is sort of an all-encompassing
thing, bearing fruit. In the New Testament, we see that bearing fruit can refer to a number of things.
Bearing fruit can refer to becoming Christ-like in character. Remember Galatians 5, where Paul talks
about the fruit of the Spirit. Bearing fruit can also mean doing good works, loving our neighbors as
ourselves. Remember Colossians 1, 10, where Paul talks about bearing fruit in every good work. And of
course, it can also mean winning others to Christ. It can refer to evangelism and discipleship. A little
earlier in Colossians 1, Paul says, in the whole world, the gospel is bearing fruit and increasing as
it does among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God and truth. So bearing fruit
means helping others come to faith in Christ. So you see, bearing fruit kind of describes the totality
of our life as followers of Jesus, becoming like him in character, doing good works, sharing the gospel,
winning others to faith. But how do we do that? We want to be fruit-bearing Christians, but what's the key
for doing so? Because we don't want to go build another tower of Babel that just ends in confusion
and alienation. We want to bear fruit that lasts. So what's the key?
Well, here's the big idea of our passage. In order to bear fruit as disciples, we must abide in Christ.
Abiding in Christ is the necessary, non-negotiable, irreplaceable thing if we're going to bear fruit.
You can go to a seminar, you can attend a class, you can read a book, you can listen to a lecture,
you can double your effort, double your zeal, double your time, double your activity, you can
strategize, plan, and prepare, you can research, and rehearse, and review, and all those things might
be right and good, but they will amount to nothing if we aren't abiding in Christ.
Verse 5 says it all. Jesus says, I'm the vine, 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. So if you want to bear fruit,
you must abide in Christ. And our passage answers two questions about this idea of abiding in Christ.
First, our passage answers the question of why. Why must we abide in Christ in order to bear fruit?
And then it answers how. How do we abide in Christ so that we bear much fruit? So let's look first at
why, and then we'll look at how. So first, why? Why must we abide in Christ in order to bear fruit?
Verses 1 through 6 kind of provide an answer to that question that's twofold. Jesus is basically
going to tell us, you have to abide in me because of who I am, and because of who the Father is.
Because of who Jesus is, and because of who the Father is. That's why we have to abide in Christ.
So let's look at first, we have to abide in Christ in order to bear fruit because of who Jesus is. And
Jesus says, because he's the true vine. That's how the passage begins, right? Jesus says, I am the true
vine. Now this is the last of the famous I am statements in the Gospel of John. And like all the
previous I am statements, this one is a rich and powerful metaphor. Jesus is the true vine.
In a vineyard, think about it, where do the grapes come from? Well, they grow off the branches. And
what are the branches connected to? Well, they're connected to the central vine, right? It's the vine
that carries life and energy and vitality that flows through the branches and so produces the fruit.
Now John has already told us as much about Jesus in his prologue. Do you remember in John 1-4,
John says about Jesus, in him was life? Life is in Jesus. Jesus Christ, who was one with God from the
beginning, the one through whom all things were made, he is life. He is the true vine.
And just look at the records we have of Jesus' earthly ministry and you see this must be true.
His words were words of authority and life-giving truth. His character was full of love and courage.
His deeds were like none who had come before or after him. The blind were given sight, the lame were
made to walk, the sick were made whole, the lepers were cleansed, the dead even were raised back to life.
The power of life flowed through Jesus just like life-giving sap and energy flows through a vine,
bringing fruit and life in its wake. We have to abide in Jesus to bear fruit because Jesus is the true vine.
He's life itself. We were joking this week as a staff that wouldn't it be a great sort of visual
illustration if I walked down to this little flower thing and just cut it off?
And I'd say, see what happens when you're not connected? You die. Do you want to be like that?
I figured I wouldn't go that way, but then I just did. So now it's in your mind. So it's done.
Jesus is the vine. He's true life. We have to stay connected to him to bear fruit.
But you know, this I am statement, this I am statement's more than just a metaphor.
You know, these I am statements that Jesus makes in John's gospel,
they're all rich actually, not just in metaphorical power, but they're rich with Old Testament overtones.
There's a biblical, redemptive, historical reality that Jesus is talking about here.
You see, in the Old Testament, the metaphor of a vine was used again and again to refer to what?
To refer to God's people, to refer to Israel.
God called Abraham and formed the people of Israel so that they, like a vine,
might be planted in the midst of fallen creation and bear fruits amidst the ashes of Babel.
That in the fallout of human confusion, Israel might be the place where God's fruit started to flourish again.
Israel was meant to be a fruitful vine, glorifying God, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation,
declaring God's life and light to the nations.
They were meant to be the vine where fruit finally grew again.
But what's interesting is that in places like Isaiah 5 or Jeremiah 2 or Ezekiel 15 or Hosea 10,
when the prophets speak of Israel as the Lord's vine,
it's not their success that we hear about, but their failure.
That Israel, like the rest of us in humanity,
we can't bear the fruit that we were meant to create.
That Israel, too, must be rescued.
And in Psalm 80 that Eli read for us earlier,
Jerusalem, much like the Tower of Babel, ends in ruin and confusion.
The people are judged and sent away into exile, and Jerusalem lies in ashes.
And yes, God would eventually end the exile,
and God would eventually rebuild Jerusalem,
but still the people were waiting.
When would God make us fruitful?
When would we become the vine he intended us to be?
And into this Old Testament hope,
Jesus says to his disciples,
I'm the true vine.
The hopes of Israel,
the mission of Israel,
the people of Israel,
all find their fulfillment.
In me, Jesus says,
I'm the true vine.
And if you want to bear fruit,
if you want to overcome the fall,
if you want to do something that lasts,
if you want to escape the pride and the folly of Babel,
then you must be united to me.
There's no other way.
The mission of God to redeem the nations
and heal creation,
the mission that God launched through Israel,
is now fulfilled in Jesus,
the true Israel.
So if we want to be God's people,
if we want to be fruit-bearing people,
we need to be Jesus' people,
united to him,
abiding in him.
So why must we abide in Christ in order to bear fruit?
On the one hand, because of who Jesus is.
He's the true vine.
There's no other.
But on the other hand,
because of who the Father is.
Verses 1 and 2, Jesus continues.
He says,
I'm the true vine.
My Father is the vine dresser.
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
he takes away.
Every branch that does bear fruit,
he prunes that it may bear more fruit.
The Father, Jesus says,
is the vine dresser.
He's the gardener.
He's the farmer.
He's the vine grower.
The vineyard belongs to him.
And just like a vine grower is jealous
for the success of his vines
to see them flourish,
so the Father is jealous
for the glory of his Son,
whom he loves.
And that brings a warning and a promise.
The warning is that
if we say we are Christians,
but bear no fruit,
Jesus says,
our judgment will be the same as those
who reject Christ altogether.
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
the Father takes away.
And then he says again in verse 6,
if anyone does not abide in me,
he's thrown away like a branch and withers.
The branches are gathered,
thrown into the fire,
and burned.
So the warning is this to us.
If we merely profess to be believers,
that is, if we take the name of Christ
to ourselves,
but our lives show no fruit
of a real relationship with Christ,
if they show no fruit of real union with him,
no real change,
no real vital union,
then eventually,
we will be removed altogether
from the presence of God
like branches bundled for the fire.
So we must not merely profess Christ
with our lips.
We must embrace him
and surrender to him
with our whole hearts.
We must abide in him.
That's the warning.
But there's also a promise.
Every branch that does bear fruit,
Jesus says,
the Father prunes,
that it may bear more fruit.
For those who abide in Christ,
the Father will use
every circumstance of our lives,
not just the good circumstances,
but also and especially the trials
and the hardships
and the challenges
and the losses
to prune us
that we might bear even more fruit.
Like a master gardener,
he will cut away
what is lifeless,
what is distracting,
what is sinful,
so that the life of Christ
might flow for us,
flow through us
even more richly
that we might bear even more fruit.
So brothers and sisters,
if you are in a season of trial
or pain right now,
do not despair.
The life of the true vine
is still flowing through you.
And your heavenly Father
is pruning you,
shaping you,
so that you might bear
even more fruit.
You know,
what you think
might be
your greatest loss
or your greatest liability
for the kingdom,
your greatest setback
in your Father's hands
becomes the work
of a loving gardener
who has a vision
to see you flourish
in beauty and praise.
That's the promise.
So in order to bear fruit,
we must abide in Jesus.
Why?
Because of who Jesus is
and because of who the Father is.
Jesus is the true vine
and the Father is the vine dresser.
And now listen to what Jesus says
in verse 3.
If you have it open,
look there.
Already,
Jesus says,
you are clean
because of the word
that I've spoken to you.
Now there's a bit of a play
on words here.
In Greek,
the same root
underneath the word prune
in verse 2
is also underneath
the word clean
in verse 3.
In other words,
Jesus is saying,
the Father cleans up
those who are already clean.
And how are they clean?
Because of the word
that Jesus has spoken to us.
Friends,
hear this loud and clear.
How do we get connected
to Jesus,
the true vine?
Do we earn our way
into proving
that we can sort of
bear a lot of fruit?
Is there sort of
some kind of like
vineyard tryout?
Where the Father
sort of lines us all up
and says,
okay,
make some fruit
on your own
in order to win
a spot on the vine.
No!
That's the whole point
of the metaphor.
The whole point
of this metaphor
is that you can't
produce fruit
on your own.
You can't perform
your way
into a saving relationship
with God in Christ.
Apart from Christ,
we're dead wood.
So how do you get
connected in the first place?
Jesus says,
because of the word
I've spoken to you.
The word of Jesus
comes to us,
outside of us,
as a word of grace.
The word of Jesus
that says,
come to me,
all who are weary
and heavy laden,
and I'll give you rest.
The word of Jesus
that says,
I've not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give my life
as a ransom for many,
for you.
The word of Jesus
that says,
whoever believes in me
will have eternal life,
and you will dwell in me,
and I will come
and dwell in you.
We're united
to the vine
when we hear
the words of Christ
and respond
with believing trust in him.
And we don't place our trust
in a sort of set of doctrines,
although biblical doctrines
are beautiful,
and we don't put our trust
in a system of ethics,
although biblical ethics
are so life-giving.
No,
we place our trust
in a person,
in the crucified,
risen,
and ascended Lord Jesus
who says,
I'm the vine.
Believe in me.
And through believing
in his word,
Jesus says,
you're clean.
You're mine.
And now,
I want you to abide in me
so that my life
can flow through you
more and more
and so that you can go
and bear much fruit.
So that brings us
to the next natural question.
We've seen why
we must abide in Christ
in order to bear fruit.
Now we need to ask how.
Right?
How do we do that?
How do we abide in Christ
in order to bear fruit?
Well,
in verses 7 through 11,
Jesus tells us how.
He doesn't leave us guessing.
He gives us very practical means,
actually,
for abiding in him.
First,
he says,
if you want to abide in me,
then abide in my words.
Look again at verses 7 and 8.
If you abide in me
and my words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish
and it'll be done for you.
By this,
my Father is glorified
that you bear much fruit
and so prove to be my disciples.
So,
abiding in Christ
means first and foremost,
abiding in his words.
So,
what does that mean?
Well,
think about the word abide itself.
How might we define
that word abide?
I've been sort of using it
a lot this morning,
but what does it mean?
Some translations say remain,
some say live,
some say stay.
One translation even put it,
make your home in.
And I sort of liked that last one.
To abide in Christ
is to sort of make our home
in Christ.
That he's the place
where we stay.
He's the place
where we rest.
He's the place
where we dine and celebrate.
He's the place
where we can weep
and find comfort.
Christ is our home
and we abide in him.
And to make ourselves
at home
in Christ
is to make ourselves
at home
in his words.
The things that he's said
and the things
that he continues to say.
Now,
where do we find those words?
Well,
we find them in the Gospels,
of course.
And so,
we must read
and ruminate
and meditate
on the Gospel records
of Jesus.
But you know,
in the Gospels,
Jesus also teaches
that the Old Testament
was really all about him as well.
Jesus says,
the Old Testament
was my word too.
So,
then,
we read
and we ruminate
and we meditate
on the Old Testament,
on the Pentateuch
and the history books
and the wisdom literature
and the prophets
because that too
is the word of Jesus.
But we also see
that Jesus himself
commissioned
the New Testament apostles,
gave them the Holy Spirit
that they might go
and teach
and instruct
and pass on
all that he taught them
in his name.
So,
that means
not just the Gospels
and not just the Old Testament
but the rest of the New Testament
as well
is also the Jesus-authorized
word of Christ.
So,
you see,
the whole Bible,
it's not just
merely a collection
of 66 books
written by various authors
over the course
of 100 years.
Yes,
it is that.
But through the work
of the Spirit of Christ
in and through
those authors,
the whole Bible
is the very word
of Jesus
to us,
his church.
So,
if we are to
abide in Christ,
we must make ourselves
at home
in the words
of Christ.
Christ.
And look at what a treasure
he has given us.
All the pages of Scripture
are there
so that we might
commune with him
and commune with him
as intimately
and personally
as a branch
is vitally connected
and organically
knit together
to the vine.
Now,
how do we know?
How do we know
we're abiding
in Jesus' words?
And how do we know
we're sort of abiding
in his words
and his words
are abiding in us
and we're not just
sort of reading them,
right?
After all,
plenty of folks
can read the Bible
and not abide in Christ.
Well,
look at what Jesus
says here.
If you abide in me
and my words
abide in you,
ask whatever you wish
and it will be done
for you.
In other words,
prayer
is the sign
that our reading
of the Bible
has become
a real abiding
in Christ.
So,
I think
that causes us
to ask ourselves
a good question.
When you and I
read Scripture,
do our minds,
do our hearts
move to prayer?
Do you start
talking to God,
asking God
for the things
that you see
him showing you
in his word?
Now,
don't be immediately
discouraged
if you think,
well,
that's not really
true of me.
if your reading
doesn't often
turn into praying,
then just take
the simple advice
of many,
many saints
down through
the ages.
Slow down.
Read
less
so that you
might pray
more.
You know,
rather than reading
three or four
chapters of a gospel,
try reading
three or four
verses
slowly
and then
reread them.
Reread them
as if Jesus
intended these
words to be
handed down to
you so that
you might
commune with
them and hear
his voice
because that's
exactly why
Jesus inspired
the Scriptures.
Ask,
what's the point
of the passage?
Is there anything
that jumps out
at you?
Where is the
Spirit drawing
you in,
challenging you,
comforting you?
Slow down
and then pray.
And when we
start praying
in line with
the word
in this way,
Jesus makes
the incredible
promise that
God will
answer those
prayers.
So abiding
in Christ,
how do we
do it?
First,
abide in
his word.
Let his
words abide
in you.
Abiding
in Christ
means second,
abiding
in his
love.
Look again
at verses
9 and 10.
As the
Father has
loved me,
so have
I loved
you.
Abide
in my
love.
If you
keep my
commandments,
you will
abide in
my love,
just as I
have kept
my Father's
commandments
and abide
in his
love.
Now,
how might
we abide
in the
love of
Christ?
How do
we make
ourselves
at home
in the
love of
Christ?
And isn't
this great?
Jesus is
saying,
look,
it's not
just about
hearing my
words and
kind of
getting them
into your
head and
your heart,
but you
also need
to abide
in my
love.
What does
that mean?
Well,
first,
I think
abiding
in the
love of
Christ
means
returning
again and
again to
the fact
that the
love of
Christ for
us is
the thing
that is
most true
and most
real about
us.
To make
yourself at
home in
the love of
Christ means
to remind
yourself again
and again
that is what
is most
real about
me.
Too quickly,
we are tempted
to leave the
love of
Christ and
set up shop
in our
accomplishments
or our
successes,
but then,
as we all
know,
that means
we've also
set up shop
in our
shortcomings
and in
our
failures.
But Jesus
says,
remain in
my love.
Let my
love be the
vital energy
that flows
through you
like sap
flowing from
a vine to
its branches.
And abiding
in the love
of Christ
also means
that we
will be
constantly
returning
to the
cross of
Christ.
For at
the cross,
the love
of Christ
is seen
in its
fullness.
You know,
the first
time I
went to
a vineyard,
I was
really surprised
actually,
because I
was expecting
when I went
to this
vineyard to
see like
rows and
rows of
big,
bushy,
thick vines,
strong and
sturdy,
ready to
like give
life to
the branches
and the
grapes.
Of course,
if any of
you have
ever been
to a
vineyard,
you know
that's
not what
I saw,
right?
The first
time I
visited a
vineyard,
what I
found out
was that
the vines
that produce
the most
desirable
grapes
aren't
strong and
aren't
huge and
aren't
massive.
They're
these
gnarled,
twisted,
ugly things
coming out
of the
dirt,
like three
or four
feet high,
looking very
weak.
fruit.
But from
those twisted
and naked
vines in
time come
the most
beautiful
fruit.
Isaiah 53
2 says,
For he
grew up
before him
like a
young plant
and like a
root out of
dry ground.
He had no
former majesty
that we should
look at him
and no beauty
that we should
desire him.
Friends,
Jesus is a
true vine,
the only
truly fruitful
one.
But look at
where his love
would take
him.
Look at where
his love for
us would lead
him.
He would be
twisted and
gnarled on a
cross and
hang on a
rough piece of
dead wood and
himself would
die.
Why?
Why would the
true vine be
cut off like
that?
God.
Because he
loves us.
Because he
wanted to
rescue us from
the death our
sins deserve.
Because he
died as a
substitute to
deliver us from
sin and death.
So that we
could abide in
his love.
And so that we
might say with
the apostle Paul,
the life I now
live, I live by
faith in the
son of God who
loved me and
gave himself for
me.
Now how do
you know you're
abiding in the
love of Christ?
How do you know
you're abiding
there?
Well, again,
what does Jesus
say?
If you keep my
commandments, you'll
abide in my love.
Just as I have
kept my father's
commandments and
abide in his
love.
Love and
obedience go
hand in hand.
Jesus the
son abides in
the love of the
father and so
keeps the
father's commands
in the same way
we abide in the
love of Jesus the
son and so we
keep the son's
commands.
Now let's be
honest.
The commandments
of Jesus are
not easy.
Love your
enemies.
Pray for those
who persecute
you.
If your hand
causes you to
sin, cut it
off.
Take up your
cross and
follow me.
Wash one
another's feet.
Serve one
another.
Forgive one
another.
Not just seven
times but 77
times.
What on earth
could lead
someone to want
to do anything
like that?
the love of
Christ can.
Because all
the fear and
all the pride
and all the
anger and all
the confusion
that we harbor
the love of
Christ meets us
there and
heals us and
forgives us and
comforts us and
gives us hope and
gives us strength so
that we not only
want to obey but
that we actually can
obey his commands.
And when we're
abiding in the love
of Christ suddenly
we can turn to
someone who's
wronged us and
we can forgive
them.
Because we know
that the true
vine was twisted
and gnarled for
us.
How could we not
forgive?
How could we not
pray for those who
persecute us?
How could we not
want to rid sin
from our lives?
How could we not
want to serve one
another and love
one another?
So abiding in
Christ's love leads
to obedience just
like abiding in
Christ's words leads
to prayer.
But last we don't
just abide in his
words or in his
love we also abide
in his joy.
Verse 11
These things I've
spoken to you that
my joy may be in
you and that your
joy may be full.
When we make our
home in the words
of Christ and in
the love of Christ
do you know what
follows?
We suddenly find
ourselves at home in
the joy of Christ
and we stay there
and we remain and
we abide.
Even in sorrow
even in pain
even in loss
and brothers and
sisters you know
as Christians we
will face all
those things in
this life but
even there there's
a joy that nothing
can steal away.
The kind of joy
that comes not
just from being
loved but also
from having hope.
You know the
reason why a vine
dresser can look
out across a field
of old gnarled
vines and have a
smile on his face
is because he knows
what's coming.
In a few short
months those vines
are going to push
out tendrils and
those tendrils are
going to push out
leaves and those
leaves and tendrils
will grow into
branches full of
color and full of
life and then there
will be a flower and
then there will be
fruit and then there
will be a harvest and
then there will be a
celebration.
Perhaps you look out
over your life at
present and you just
see a twisted bunch
of sticks.
But if only you
could see what your
father the vine
dresser sees.
If only you could
see what soon will
be reality.
The leaf, the
flower, the fruit,
the harvest and
yes soon brothers and
sisters the
celebration.
Christ will make all
things new and in
him you will join the
celebration and the
fruit that you have
born in this life
though it was made in
the midst of much
pruning your fruit will
be caught up in the
celebration of
eternity.
After all why did
Jesus do what he do?
Did it do what he
did?
Why was he willing to
hang fruitless and
alone on a cross?
The book of Hebrews
says for the joy set
before him and you
are part of that joy
so abide in him.
And what will be the
sign that you're
abiding in his joy?
If the sign of
abiding in his word is
prayer and the sign of
abiding in his love is
obedience what's the
sign you're abiding in
his joy?
Well what does Jesus
say?
These things I've
spoken to you that my
joy may be in you and
that your joy may be
full.
Friends the end of joy
is well it's joy.
Unstoppable unshakable
joy.
And that's why God
made us in the first
place to glorify him
and enjoy him forever
as the old catechism
says.
Joy in Christ is the
end.
His joy leads to our
joy and that's the
fruit of it all.
Humanity redeemed from
our confusion and
death to know eternal
joy in God once again.
And you know this joy is
starting to take root
when the old things that
used to give you joy
don't seem to have the
same power anymore.
When the old lusts and
the old addictions and
the old needs and the
old fears and the old
longings when they've
just started to lose
their taste and now
joy in God is what
really counts and what
really satisfies you.
It will be imperfect and
it will be ongoing in
this life to be sure but
it will be real.
And your joy will start
to be full.
So friends if we want to
be fruitful if we want
to be productive we
must abide in Jesus in
his words in his love
and his joy.
At the end of the day
there aren't seven
habits of highly
effective people as
helpful as that book
is there's only one
that really counts.
I'm the true vine Jesus
says abide in me.
Let's pray.
Our Father send your
spirit that we might
abide in you and
abide in your son.
And Lord cause us to
be a people in this
day in our time in our
city that bear much
fruit for the glory of
your good and holy
name.
Lord help us to slow
down that we might
abide in you.
Help us to remember
your love and your joy
would it flow through
us we pray in Christ's
name.
Amen.