Made for This Part 4

Morning 2

Ok this is the third day of camp, who here has not taken a shower yet? Raise your hand if your favorite part about camp has been the food? raise your hand if your favorite part about camp has been the gaga pit, ok raise your hand if your favorite part has been the worship. Aight last question, Raise your hand if you have already made a decision this week, you have either came to know christ, you have rededicated your life, you have made some type of choice to do something about your relationship with God??? ok sweet this is good because. if you havent made a decision yet, you still have time,

Lets open up with prayer

If I can just for a second share a little bit about me, this morning, I tend to make mistakes left in right, as an adult it can be pretty embarrassing to mess up. it can be pretty humiliating. last week even, i looking for a friends wallet that he left out at the park, that was on top of a hill, and while doing so I got out of my truck and while looking for my friends wallet, i turn around and see my truck, going downhill towards the lake, I left it in drive. luckily some brush of trees stopped it after it had caught some air going over a divit. Im just telling you know my imperfections. Even in my relationship with God, in some moments in my life, I i have been scared even after i have been saved, I have been scared to fully do the things that God has wanted me to do and that reason is, because I didn’t want to give God full control, God not only wants you to have a relationship with him but he wants all of your life to be dedicated towards him,

Not some of your life, but all of your life, full control

See we know that we are made for a relationship with God, but we have to maintain our relationship with him by steadily going to him.

And I hope some of yall aren’t trying to find that

In the book of John chapter 15, Jesus gets really personal with his disciples and leading up to this chapter he is telling them that hes leaving, hes explaining to him that he is the way to God, and he wants them to know that following him is necessary, but he gets to this part, in john 15, there is something that really sticks out in

New Living Translation Chapter 15

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Weve all seen a limb fall from a tree. when that limb breaks away from that tree it doesn’t grow. here Jesus says he is the trup grapevine and God is the gardener.

but then he says God the father cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit,

Ok for a moment think about the things that are stopping you from following Christ with everything that you have, the things that seem to get in the way even after you have said that you believe, maybe it is the sinful things in your life, like bad friendships, i have those, maybe its your overly dedicated lifestyle to sports, ive been there. maybe its things that you idolize. Maybe you have an addiction to video games, and look im being serious maybe you have an addiction to pornography. Whatever in your life that is not giving God the Glory does not produce fruit. which means that its not Good

But being apart of this vine with Jesus and God means that he cuts off those very things, praise the Lord, hallelujah he can do that, but will you let him do that for you in your life.

Come on now we are free in christ, but sometimes we wanna still live like were not, sometimes we want have the best of both of worlds, We want to say we live for christ, but life that we live doesnt represent that.

Listen there is no more excuse for you if you are 9 years old, or if your younger, or if your 10,11, or 12, or older, not only can you have a relationship with Christ, but you can start being serious about it. A relationship with christ not only begins to change the trajectory of your eternal life but it changes the trajectory of your life now. But you have to let him do the changing work in you.

I used to think growing up that I would just be good at football because, I was a big kid, and because all I did was watch football. but until I went to practice it was my coach that had to make me into a football player he to teach me how to block and teach me how to tackle. My way wasn’t good enough. God wants control of your life because he knows how to make you the best that you can be. he wants control over your life, because he enjoys seeing you be the best you can be

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

not only does God cut off every branch that does not produce fruit but he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more

God wants to get rid of the bad things inside of you and he wants to take the good things about you that glorify him, and make it even better.

Ephesians 4:15 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”

We are to grow up in every way into him, If I would have grown up in the way that I want to for my life, not only would I not know where I would be, but I would be missing out on the things that he had for me

Think about how great of a lifestyle you would have if you let him into your life like that. and then think how complicated and hard it could get if you didnt.

Gods way of living is infinitely better, than our way of living.

He brings us peace

2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

He brings us joy

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

He brings us our hope

Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

that hope is Jesus,

none of those things can we have on our own, but all of those things we can have in christ

IF you are here today and you don’t know who christ is, you cant hold on to something that you don’t have, and while some of us may have placed our hope in him, you can do that tonight, it says that if you confess and believe in your heart that you will be saved.

Then Jesus he tells his disciples that theyre clean just from the message he is given them as a reminder of that they belong to him. and then he says this,

New Living Translation Chapter 15

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

not only does he want to change us and make us better but he wants us to spend time with him.

We remain in him by spending time with him

Spending time with God looks like gettingin his word

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

I know reading the bible can be challenging but we become better readers of the bible by reading the bible. You can’t shy away from the challenge, if you got headphones you can have the bible read to you these days. Find a version that you want to read, and work your way up, to a better version, If you ever played baseball you often had to start with a t ball before you worked way up to the pitching machine,

spending time with God looks praying to God

you cant have a relationship with somebody if you don’t talk them

Psalm 145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

Listen you do not have to overcomplicate your prayers, just talk to him, tell him how you thankful you are, tell him good he is, tell him about what you need, and ask for forgivineness.

Thats all you got to do, it doesnt have to be creative.

spending time with God looks like serving God

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

There are ways to serve, go to your youth pastor and ask him and if he cant think of a way for you to serve go to your pastor, and if he cant think of way for you to serve start asking people in the church.

And if theres no where to serve at church, start a prayer group at school,

So we remain in him, and he will remain in us,

How does God stay in me, well he stays in me through my confession, if you have a relationship he is again, undoubtedly with you,

Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

But we show our love, by remaining him too.

and then he says, For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

See we can’t do anything without God. and when we try to well, you can end up like that my truck in a ditch, If someone has the best intentions for your life, wouldn’t you want to hand it over all of it to him, if someone knew you and died for you, and wanted to the best for you, wouldnt you want to give them full control. not half, not 75 percent but all of it.

So I have questions for you to think about again this morning,

Does God have full control over your life? And what are those ways

How do you remain in God personally, What are some easy ways for you to remain in him?