A Changed Life (Finding Truth Pt. 4)
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The last couple of Sundays we have been learning about finding truth. We have learned that we find the truth in the Bible, We learned that our identity is found in Jesus, we learned that we get our confidence from the church and the church members, and today we are going to learn what it looks like to have all three of those play out in our lives. what does it look like for the Jesus, the bible and the church to come together.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Who is the vine? And who is the gardener (vine keeper)? This is one of 7 I AM statements that Jesus uses to prove that He is God.
Jesus says He is the vine and God the Father is the gardener.
what must a person do to bear fruit? They must remain in Jesus.
It is very easy to think that being a Christian is just about believing in God and attending church every once in a while. But this passage describes how deeply connected we are with Jesus. Church is more than just showing up on Sundays and Wednesdays, it is way more than just saying I am Christian.
You are only a Christian if you have a personal relationship with Jesus.
What does it mean to remain in Jesus?
Pray to Jesus. (Talk)
Learn about Jesus. (Read)
Obey Jesus. (Do what He tells you)
Imitate. (Do what He does)
What happens if you don't?
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
If you don’t remain or abide in Jesus, your life won’t produce the fruit He wants you to produce. We’ve talked about it these last four weeks plenty. The truth is we try our hardest to produce the fruit we want, When we chase the things we want, we go after the things God asked us to stay away from. Our nature is to go towards sin, and Jesus wants us to seek Him, not our sin.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As much as we hate to hear it, God’s ways are always better than our ways. How do I know? Because I spent too much time going after the things I wanted, and it left me further away from God than I could never imagine. And even if you go out and get everything you ever thought you wanted, without God, it’s all pointless.
If you have been walking around this earth doing what you want without consulting Jesus, without asking God what His will is, then you will be far from God.
I think the problem we run into is that we believe that if we come to Jesus, He will take us away from our desires. God knows what you want, even better He knows what you NEED. And He has promised that if you follow Him, He will leave you in a better place.
Jesus said: Don’t worry
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Seek Jesus, let Him tell you what is best, let Him provide your desires, let Him truly be the Lord of your life.