The Disciples and Jesus

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The Disciples and Jesus

Sermon Series: Abide
Sermon Title: The Disciples & Jesus
Passage: John 15:1-11
INTRO:
Who the disciples were
they knew the prophecies of the suffering Servant in Isaiah 53
they knew the Law, the first 5 books of the bible, and in Deuteronomy 18:15 where it said...
Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—
[can you imagine waiting on God to fulfill a promise?]
SUMMER OF 1999 “now, this is it”
For generations, the Israelites had been waiting for their messiah
Jesus shows up on the shore by the water … with a gentle “now, this is it”
“We have found the Messiah.”
3 years with Jesus
Jesus wanted them to know it isn’t over
conversation after Judas left and before he began to pray in the garden of Gethsamine
[Read on iPad]
John 15:1–11 ESV
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 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. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 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. 5 I am 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. 6 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. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 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. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
LET US PRAY...
Talk about the vine/vineyard allegory and connection to OT
The vine was Israel, the children of God who did not produce good fruit because of their disobedience
Jesus was the true vine, the child of God who was obedient to the Father and did produce good fruit
Abide - what does it look like to abide in Christ… 3 things from our passage today
BODY:
Dependence on Christ (vs. 4-5)
Information: one of the most familiar statements in the Bible but also one of the most forgotten because how often do we...
Story of Samson “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him”
Illustration: 5 years ago...
Application:
pray before making a decision
make decisions based on the bible’s standards
trust God with the results
Abiding in Christ means dependence ON Christ
Communion with Christ (vs. 7-8)
Information: what does communion with Christ look like? his words abiding in us, dwelling in us, living in us....
Getting to know God more deeply doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. Paul had known Christ for many years when he said his passion was to know Christ better. He went on to say, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own” (Phil. 3:12).
Nor is getting to know Christ better an automatic process; it takes real effort. Is effort contrary to grace? No. Grace is opposed to earning (law) but not to effort. Effort is a vital part of how grace operates in sanctification. Thus Paul, the apostle of grace, went on to say to the Philippians:
...But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:12–15)
   Paul is saying in a sense, a person is as close to God as he or she really wants to be.
But it is not just Paul who urges us to press on.
God told Israel, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).
Jesus told His disciples, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).
In each case, those who seek are the ones who find. And if we don’t seek, we will not find.
  So how do we press on toward communion with Christ?
God offers everything we need in order to grow into deeper fellowship with Him and His Son, but we must embrace it. He gives the milk, but we must drink it.
This is what Peter meant when he said,
1 Peter 2:2–3 ESV
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
 What is the spiritual milk we should long for? Peter is using the image of “newborn infants” to say that just as babies need their mother’s milk to grow up physically, so believers need spiritual milk to grow up spiritually. It seems very likely that the milk Peter has in mind is the Scriptures.
Communication is essential for knowing anyone, including God; and it is primarily through the words of Scripture that God speaks to us. These are God-breathed words that the Holy Spirit inspired holy men of old to record over the centuries, words that the Spirit now illuminates our minds to understand and empowers us to obey.
The Scriptures are our only reliable source of knowledge about who God is; what He is like; what His will is; what His plans and purposes are; what He has done in the past; what He will do in the future; who we are; what life is all about; how we can know, love, and serve Him; what are the many promises He gives us; and how we can fulfill His purposes in the world.
One theologian has said, "They are also God’s chief instrument for building our faith in Him. The Scriptures are God’s ultimate and final authority for what we are to believe and how we are to behave; they are our lifeline in this fallen world.”
Illustration: quarterback knowing the playbook…
how they perform is directly related to how well they know the plan
the bible is our playbook… if we want to be the team members Jesus wants us to be, we MUST know His Word!
Application:
what is your plan for knowing the Bible?
how much time each day do you spend communing with Christ?
Abiding in Christ means communion with Christ
3. Obedience to Christ (vs. 9-10)
Information: Abiding in Christ means being obedient to Him and His Word. This is how we “prove” to be His disciples. This brings God glory!
we do not just spend time getting to know the bible and then live however we feel like it in a given moment...
going back to our quarterback analogy, the quarterback who knows the playbook better than anyone else because of how much time he’s spent in it, will still be cut if once he runs on the field he abandons the plan and does something totally different.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22
“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.'” John 14:23
“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:17
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24
Illustration: “Selected obedience is not obedience; it is merely convenience.”
Abiding in Christ looks like:
dependence on Christ
communion with Christ
and obedience to Christ
He is the vine. We are the branches. and Apart from Him we can do NOTHING.
CLOSING:
The branch gets EVERYTHING it needs from the vine and as long as it does, it produces fruit.
When we are not fully satisfied in Christ, we look outside of Christ for what we want and need. We look to the things of this world.
In that position we will not produce fruit, we will end up feeling empty, and because we are not abiding in Him, we are in danger of being a branch that is cut off.
Our legacy is not our future… Jesus is our future
Our net worth is not our hope.... Jesus is our hope
He takes away our worries and burdens and brings peace
He is the anchor for our soul
LET US PRAY
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