Abide In Jesus

Good morning and welcome to CCC. What a beautiful morning. I believe all the schools around us are now out on summer break so let the summer fun begin.

Camp season officially starts today as well as Sydnee, Declan, Alex, Dixie, and I head off to a week of camp at 2 pm today. Be in prayer that eternities are changed forever this week!

I do pray you make time to get away as a family for vacation but I pray that you continue to make church a priority this summer

Again not so we can brag about numbers as I never count

Not so we can brag about our bank account as God has and will continue to take care of that as long as we are faithful to Him

Not for anything other than the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and he says to gather together

The body of Christ, all those saved are the church. This is a local body of believers and is no more important than any other body of believers.

You come to worship

You come to hear the Word proclaimed

You come to fellowship

You come to serve others

Most of all you come to meet Jesus

There should be nothing else more important in your life than meeting Jesus!

Let’s Pray

START OBS

Last week we talked about your foundation being Jesus Christ…the Rock....the Chief Cornerstone

We talked about the fact you must build upon Jesus the only true foundation and you build by obedience to Christ

That sermon is posted to our YouTube channel if you missed it go check it out

As I said last week we are going to embark upon a new sermon series The Bait of satan starting next Sunday where we will attack his lies with the truth of scripture.

Before we embark on that together I felt God telling me to preach on two things…foundation and abide

Last week was foundation

This week Abide in Christ

John 15:1-17

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I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another

We are going to break this up into parts this morning and wrestle with what abide in Christ looks like but I wanted you to hear the scripture as a whole to begin with

As I said last week I feel led by God to bring a full frontal assault on the lies and tactics of the devil and build knowledge…heart knowledge of the truth that defeats him and his lies

Without Jesus any defense used against satan will fall short and fail

Only in and through Jesus can we be victorious

Obedience is the key to abiding

It is the key to building your new life on the foundation of Jesus Christ

Abide.

You must first understand abide to understand this truth

Websters dictionary…modern version online

verb

1 to bear patiently or tolerate

2 to endure without yielding or with stand

3 to accept without objection

4 to remain stable or fixed in a state

5 to continue in a place or sojourn

Websters 1828

verb

1 to rest or dwell

2 to tarry or stay for a short time

3 to continue permanently or in the same state, to be firm and immovable

4 to remain, to continue

5 to wait for, to be prepared for, to await

6 to endure or sustain

7 to bear or endure, to bear patiently

Strong’s Online Concordance says the original Greek used was a verb men-o

To stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy;

abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry

KJV translates men-o in the following ways

abide 61 times

remain 16

dwell 15

continue 11

tarry 9

endure 3

The Greek word men-o is used each time abide is translated in this scripture

Abide is much more than live or even walk

This is a constant

Total

State of being

Fully connected with Christ

Fully present

All in mentally

One can’t do this just a couple hours a week on a Sunday or an hour or so mid week in Bible study or a few 10 or 15 minute devotions or short Bible reading sessions

No

This is beyond that

Which is why Jesus used the vine and branches example

Look at grape vines

They are extremely useful

the produce grapes which are delicious themselves

those grapes can be turned into raisins or wine

A single vine supports many branches and produces much fruit

Now just like anything without direction and attention they can run wild

Here is a picture of an unpruned grapevine

Crazy isn’t it?

Now here is a picture of a pruned grapevine

Much different

I found this sketch that helps illustrate further

First notice the branch abides....fully connected in the vine

Also notice to produce much fruit the branch must be pruned

Jesus mentions two types of purging or pruning

a purging or pruning that results in the branch being thrown away because it does not produce fruit

and a purging or pruning that cuts the branch back to produce more fruit

No fruit no salvation....not my words but Jesus words

Jesus is the vine

You and I are the branches

God is the gardener

No Fruit = gone

produce fruit = pruned to produce more fruit

Notice a branch cannot produce fruit without the vine

If you don’t abide in Christ you can produce no fruit

If you produce no fruit that means no salvation because you will be cut off and thrown into the fire

Church this is eternal stuff right here

If you are truly a Christian fruit will result

To be a true Christian you must repent…change your mind…repentance comes from salvation

You realize you are a sinner and that sin will force you to die and be eternally separated from God in hell

You realize you can do nothing to pay for that sin

Then you realize Jesus lived and died for your sin

He paid your price

He bought you with His perfect blood shed upon the cross

You believe God raised Jesus from the dead and you confess with your mouth and you are saved and because you are saved you repent…

change your mind

change your direction

not to earn salvation but because of salvation

Same with obedience and abiding

You don’t obey or abide to earn salvation but because of salvation

God is serious

Jesus is serious

Apart from Jesus you can do nothing

Earthly things don’t matter

You may build an earthly kingdom

You may appear to be successful

You may even appear to be producing fruit but without Jesus

without abiding in Jesus

You will be rejected…

cut away and thrown into the fire

The only way you or I can glorify God is by producing fruit

The only way to produce fruit is through Jesus!

Now also notice…purgeth…prune

God will prune you

IT will be uncomfortable but it will produce more fruit

Why does God prune you?

1. To produce more fruit

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John 15:2

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“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

God removes dead branches

unfruitful branches

because He knows the fruit you were created to produce through Christ

He eliminates anything standing in the way of that fruit being produced

Society claims there are many ways to heaven but Jesus says in John 14:6 I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, no one comes to the Father except by me.

Jesus is the only way and if you reject Jesus God rejects you

You will be taken away

Cast away

Thrown into the fiery pit of hell

The other prune is to remove all of the stuff you are holding on to that is in the way of you producing more fruit

This can be so many things.

Bad theology

Bad attitudes

Bad beliefs

Language

Actions

Behaviors

Past hang ups

Relationship

Jobs

Any thing that you place higher than Jesus......idols

that could be money

sex

drugs

porn

golf

camping

fishing

work

family

spouse

kids

you name it if you put if before Jesus it is an idol and keeping you from producing fruit

2. To make us more dependent upon Him

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The process of pruning allows us to truly abide in Christ

When you abide in Christ you rely upon Christ for everything you need

Minute by minute grace and strength

An independent Christian....if there is such a thing…is dangerous

If you become proud of your works

If you seek to do works or produce fruit for your glory not God’s glory

You then become independent and sin

You claim to be a Christian but are practical atheists because you operate without the need for God

When you are truly dependent upon God that is when you truly find rest and peace

The only way to be truly dependent upon God is to turn to God 24/7 365

He has to be your everything

He has to be where you turn in times of

trouble

temptation

tribulation

joy

success

happiness

sadness

failure

success

start your day

middle of your day

end of your day

You must turn to God and rely on Him for your

entertainment choices, movies, tv, music, books

past times or hobbies

work

food

clothes

So many of you depend upon your paycheck instead of your God

depend upon your IRA instead of God

Depend upon your 401k instead of God

Depend upon your savings instead of God

James 1:17

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“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

You didn’t make any of those things

You didn’t create any of those things

You didn’t secure any of those things

You didn’t earn any of those things

ALL GOOD GIFTS are from God

God gave you your job

God gave you your IRA

God gave you your 401k

God gave you your savings

If you check your bank account or IRA, or 401K, or savings account more than you study your Bible you got a problem.......your bank account or IRA or 401K or savings account means more to you than God

Where your heart is there is your treasure

Where your time is spent there is your heart

Church GOD must be first, middle, last

Beginning and end

Alpha and Omega in your life

Your actions.....fruit.....must prove it and your fruit comes from Jesus Christ

If you have something between your and God

If you have something that you have been putting before God

Confess

Repent

Leave here forgiven and free and cleansed of all unrighteousness!

You can do nothing apart from Jesus!

3. To assure your true salvation

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Hebrews 9:14

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“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

God cuts away non-believers

If He pruned them to produce more fruit they would only produce dead works

Why is a non-believer’s works dead?

They have no faith in Christ

They don’t abide in Christ

They don’t obey Christ

You if you are saved abide in Christ therefore He produces fruit through you

Pruning is painful

God is removing things you are attached too

Things you may have held in high-esteem for a long time

Things that involve deep hurts…real hurts…but keep you from producing maximum fruit

This body CCC and many others have endured many hurts

Many bodies including this one have endured painful splits of the congregation and church

That causes deep hurts

That causes many deep emotions

I am sorry if you were hurt but holding those things

refusing to forgive

resisting or refusing to be pruned wont help

This applies to everything

Maybe you were abused

Maybe you have had things stolen from you

Maybe you have had a falling out with friends or family

God wants to purge those things

He wants to help you forgive and heal from those things

Matthew 6:14-15

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“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Unforgiveness is something God prunes you of as a believer

I truly believe forgiveness is an inside job

I don’t think that humans are capable of forgiving on their own

Non-Christians are not capable of true forgiveness

Jesus died to save you to forgive you

God through the blood of Jesus forgives your sin

You and I....humans are not capable of either of those things

Forgiveness comes from the Holy Spirit living inside of you as a Christian

Forgiveness is a fruit

You have to be pruned in order for that fruit to be produced in abundance

A true Christian should be marked by their quick, immediate, and complete forgiveness

If you struggle with forgiveness, you are not alone but you must truly seek God and ask Him to prune whatever is causing you to struggle with forgiveness

Maybe you have a belief that you felt was Biblical but God has revealed to you that belief is wrong

He wants to purge that from you as well

Maybe God has called you to do something or called you away from something......

pruning to produce more fruit

Hebrews 12:7-8

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“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”

Pruning can feel like chastening and chastening is a way God shows He loves you as a child

God’s children....

those who are saved....

blood bought…

true Christians....

will be chastened by God

He knows your best and anything in the way of that must be removed

Pruning is not always chastening.

That doesn’t mean it wont be painful

You may hold tight to the very thing that God is pruning.

That will hurt when He asks you to give it up or if He has to take it from you

either way it hurts

That will be uncomfortable but you have to trust God and trust He has a plan......remember

Jeremiah 29:11

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“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

4 God prunes us to bring Him glory

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Jesus explains in John 15:9-17 that we…you and I....true Christians must keep His commands

His command is simple....

love others as I Jesus have loved you

Jesus died for you

That is how much He loves you and in fact how He loves you

He willingly gave His life for yours

The way you love either brings God glory or proves you reject Jesus

Jesus choose you

He ordained you

He saved you

Your only response is to accept Him, obey Him and love others as you are loved by Jesus!

This is really what this series the bait of satan is all about

Loving others as Jesus loves you

To truly do that you have to die to yourself

satan attacks your flesh

the only power he has is flesh if we are saved

When you love others as Jesus loves you....it is a neon sign that you are redeemed and the Gospel is true

That is why satan hates it so much

That is why satan will stop at nothing to keep us from loving others as Jesus loves us

Once you are saved he can’t touch you in an eternal sense and he knows it but he can keep you from loving others

from obeying Jesus

from building your new life on the foundation of Jesus Christ through obedience

This summer I pray you truly embark on this journey together with God

I pray you will let go of things

I pray God will prune you of anything standing in the way of Jesus producing fruit through you

I pray you truly grasp a hold of God and His truth

You will be pushed

You will be uncomfortable

You will be forced to face your sin

your wrong attitudes

you will be forced to realize God loves you and because He loves you He prunes you to produce more fruit to bring Him glory

If you don’t know Jesus now is the time to accept Him as your Lord and Savior

Maybe you have been battling.....struggling.....looking for Jesus in all the wrong places

Maybe you have a burden that is weighing you down

beating you down

exhausting you

It is time to give it to Him

Maybe you need prayer

Maybe you need to be anointed with oil and hands laid on you

Whatever your need come

Come and meet God and give it to Him

Maybe you realize it is time to quit walking alone

here at CCC we have open membership as we believe all Christians are members of the Church the Body of Christ but maybe you want to come forward and say I want to do life with you guys, this local body of CCC

Whatever your need is

Whatever God is laying on your heart

NOW is the time to respond

STOP OBS

invitation song