Sermon Cloud

John 15:1-11. Abiding in Christ. Review: Sin has woven into the fabric of creation the principle of decay. We are wasting away physically – gravity is pulling us down. Reminded when I visit one of you who live in a walk up (walk up and limp down). It also has affected our inner life. There is a downward pull on our hearts, our character. We lack virtue, yet we want virtuous lives. We applaud generosity and gentleness and patience and love, and there 1000s of books that will tell you how to have that – potential/actual. There is a way for us to flourish inwardly, to become loving, patient, forgiving, generous, to be free of greed and pride, self-absorption, self-pity, insecurity, bitterness, and anxiety. Jesus calls it living a fruitful life. And we have seen from the lips of Jesus, that human nature is the problem not the answer. The problem of modernity was our confidence in the human race to improve ourselves through knowledge. But confidence in human nature has been shaken by two war worlds, genocide, and our own sinful impulses. Asking human nature to fix human nature is like trying to treat diabetes with donuts. Human nature shows flashes of greatness (image of God), but also shows a pattern that is problematic. In this passage, Jesus is saying that apart from him we cannot be all we were designed to be. Human nature does not have the capacity to be all that God intends it to be.  But, in a relationship with Jesus, we can be forgiven for what we have done and we can be changed at the core of who we are. We can find in him the necessary resources to be all that God intends us to be. Not only is it possible, but for all that know him we saw that it is inevitable, and it is inevitable for two reasons. First, when we come to believe in Christ and entrust our lives to him, His Spirit comes to live inside us. So that Christianity is not Christ influencing me, it is Christ indwelling me. It is his very Spirit, the Holy Spirit living in us. It is the very life of God in us. Just like a branch has the life of the vine flowing in it and producing life, so we have the life of Christ in us producing life in us and through us. Secondly, the Father is working on us to make us into the people He envisions us becoming. He is The benevolent gardener who has a vision for what the branch can be and he prunes away the things that would hinder and prevent this growth and flourishing. It is a painful process where he cuts things away from our lives that feel to be a very part of us, but hinder us from the being the best us. Now, what I left you with last week was that this is Inevitable, but it is not automatic. Jesus says, yes, you will bear fruit, you will be changed; you will steadily become more and more what God envisions you to become and intends you if you are in relationship with him because of Grace. But, the degree of fruit, the amount of his life finding expression in and through your life is dependent upon you abiding in Him (11x in vv. 1-11). If you want to experience steady progress, moving closer to his benevolent vision for your life, becoming more loving, patient, gentle, forgiving, and less anxious, insecure, and fearful, you have to abide in Him. It is Grace and Grit. So, 3 questions: What does it mean to Abide in Him? How? What difference will it make?

What does it mean to abide in Christ? Simply, maintain close, personal contact with Jesus Christ. Cultivate a close relationship with Christ. We can get suffocated under the complexity of spirituality. There is mystery, difficulty, but Jesus breaks the myth of complexity. He says, just stay close to me, as close as a branch is to the vine.  Broken record: He does not say, if you want to be all I envision you to be, give careful attention to the boundaries; rather he says, stay very close to the center. Illus: Fences and Wells. Stay close to the source of flourishing.

How do you Abide in Christ (vv. 7, 9-10) The way we cultivate this relationship is to live in the rhythm of receiving and responding. Receiving the great love of God in Christ (v.9). As the Father has loved the Son…Full, selfless, self-giving love (v. 13). Responding with trusting obedience to Christ (v. 10) as the Son obeys the Father and experiences the love the Father, so we are to respond to Christ’s love with trusting obedience. There is a rhythm to this. The more we receive his love, the more we realize it and receive it, not as a universal fact, but as a personal experience, the more we will respond in trusting obedience. This is why there are so many prayers in the bible that we would know, experientially the love of God in Christ (Ephesians 3:18ff). The more we respond in trusting obedience, the more he reveals his great love for us. Jn 14:21. Like breathing. Inhale his love; exhale obedience – can’t inhale more until you exhale. See how relational this is: We said this a few weeks ago, but this is what is so radically different about Christianity. Western Religions (eternal ideals) you have to be a philosopher or a contemplative. Eastern religion (force) you have to be a mystic; no room for children. Christianity is about a person even a child can receive love from and respond to a person. There is an order to this. Christ is not saying respond in obedience and I will love you – he is saying receive my love for you and then respond to that love in trusting obedience. It is not about receiving a body of information and then following the instructions. It is about receiving a person and His great love for you and then responding with trusting obedience. Cultivating this rhythm requires establishing a devotional time as a practice in your life. TIPS FOR DEVOTIONAL LIFE: Plan it; State the Goal; Keep the Scriptures Central (finding the person in the scriptures); Find a guide (person and a plan); Be verbal and silent; Don’t give up.

What difference will it make? Upward, Inward, and Outward. God’s Glory v.8. Our lives make much of God, this benevolent gardener who is working to make us fruitful, making us new. Our transformation is God’s doing and he loves to make much of himself by making you flourish.  Your Gladness v. 11. This is to your gladness – fullness of joy. God is not at work in you to keep you in line, but to give you life. He is a gardener that wants the full flourishing of each branch. To abide in Christ is to your joy. The World’s Good (v. 16). He has appointed you to enter into the culture, to your social network, and make it a better place. Fruit is satisfying. Part of what it means for us to be a community sent into the city seeking its renewal and its flourishing, is to bless whatever social space you occupy, to enrich lives around you through your patience, generosity, kindness, mercy, forgiveness – gospel activity – showing the mercy of Christ. But also to engage in Gospel announcement, sharing the message of Christ and seeking to bring others into the rhythm of receiving and responding to the love of Christ. To become part of this vine in community with other branches, other people who are being renewed and spreading renewal. What social space are you sent to? Apostles: Habitat and Aids Hospice.