Foundations for Fruitfulness

We Need Something Different

Our world is in trouble

Our fellowship is not all that God says it can be.

Our lives are not what we want them to be.

We need a revival. A vital re-connection to the divine.

Everything else is only a symptom

Gangs and violence

AI and Social Media

Corporate Greed and Government Corruption

Economic Downturns and Systemic Racism

The kind of culture we have is a reflection of the kind of people we are.

Everybody wants to change the world. But, nobody wants to change themselves.

Before we can ask God to do great things through us, we must allow God to do great things within us.

If the Different We Need Is More of God, Then The Different That We Need Is Not Something New

If you look back over the great revivals of the church—from the Day of Pentecost to now—you will discover that there are certain themes…certain ways of life that are common among the people God used at these inflection points of redemptive history.

Different cultures

Different times

But, there are these shared set of activities that are common to all

Prayer

Fasting

Study

Meditation

Sabbath

Silence

Simplicity

Solitude

Worship

Celebration

This sermon series will explore these Ancient practices that draw in the life of God

All are welcome to engage these rhythms

the skeptic has great potential discover a new world of spiritual vitality

The sage old veteran will easily confess himself to be only a beginner.

THIS IS AN INVITATION TO DISCIPLESHIP

John 15:1-8 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.

New Year’s Resolutions?

To make them…Not to make them…

The more important question is this: DO YOU HAVE THE INFRASTUCTURE IN YOUR LIFE TO SUSTAIN THEM?

This is Jesus' final conversation with His disciples before the cross.

No call to urgency, only faithfulness.

The metaphor is agricultural, not industrial. (The advantages of industriousness were becoming profoundly clear).

Disciples of Jesus are not mass produced on the assembly line of mega-churches and Christian “Influencers” on TikTok.

The Christian life is about what theologian Eugene Peterson calls “long obedience in the same direction”.

What you need…what I need…what our world needs…is not going to be accomplished in a 21-day fast.

We need something slower…something deeper…something admittedly more demanding, but blessedly more transformational.

A life of abiding in Jesus.

Sermon Title: Foundations for Fruitfulness

PRAYER

If You Want To Be Fruitful, Reject The Futility of Striving

Fruitfulness is expected.

Every branch that does not bear fruit is taken way.

They are “thrown away”, “gathered” and “burned”.

Most humans…unless and until the conscience is seared…carries this sense moral obligation to do something worthwhile…something fruitful.

And we find it terribly difficult to do so.

You don’t have a Christian worldview (“you can’t force your morality on me”...you have a hard time with your own morality).

The only morality that works is no morality

Whatever I do is right…and I need it that way because I don’t know what I’m going to do.

This is the reality of being dead in sin.

A ship lost in a sea of temptation with rudder or sail.

And it manifests, not only in the violation of righteous requirement of the moral Law recorded in the scriptures, but also in the constant transgression of the natural law written on the pages of your own conscience.

The only natural weapon we have against this ingrained habit of missing the mark is the force of our will.

We determine never to get high again.

We resolve to workout three times a week.

We pinky-promise not to lie to our spouse anymore.

Most often, we fail in our efforts.

Worse yet, we succeed.

Debilitating pride.

The constant frustration of having separated ourselves from the sin our souls love so much.

The soul always strikes back.

Apart from me, you can do nothing (your will is not strong enough to cleanse your heart).

If You Want To Be Fruitful, Embrace The Power of Trying

As powerless as we are against this ingrained sin, Jesus is still speaking in the imperative sense.

There is an expectation of fruit.

There is a consequence to fruitlessness.

Fruit is expected, but not demanded.

Our moral depravity does not relieve us of our moral responsibility.

There is something that you can do…and you are expected to do it.

Grace is free, but it is not cheap.

Jesus gives a command here, but the command is not to produce fruit. The command is to abide.

7 times in these 8 verses

Abide = to remain, to dwell, to take up residence

We work at producing fruit when our efforts should be 100% geared toward staying connected to the vine.

If You Want To Be Fruitful, Live In The Freedom of Trusting

Trust the Vine.

He is the source.

The branches don’t go into the ground.

Trust the Vinedresser.

Don’t get discouraged when you experience a little pruning.

Trials work patience and patience hope...

Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”

ONLY DO NOT PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE TRELLIS.

The trellis is structure that supports the plant.

We are going to talk for the next 12 weeks about things we can do to help us stay connected to Christ.

It is Christ who saves us…not the doing of the things.

How easy it is to take this thing or that and make it into a law.

These rhythms…these spiritual disciplines are at their best support structures…a doorway…a means to an end.

It is completely possible to do all these things and have no spiritual life and no spiritual power…because we trust in support structures and not the vine.

We are going to get quite practical…

The devil will try to turn these messages into to bondage.

These rhythms will not look exactly the same in every person’s life.

Give yourself grace to experiment with the practice of these rhythms and find what works for you.

Remember that the purpose of the preaching is to equip you to draw close to God, not so that you can assess someone else’s spirituality.

Ultimately, the command to abide in Christ is an invitation to discipleship.

Discipleship is not about performance, it is about learning.

It is experiential learning (an internship)

I used to run an internship program.

Organizations don’t take an intern because of what the intern can produce for the organization.

They do it because they want to invest in the intern’s development.

The most important thing for an intern to do is show up and trust the process.

Yes, there are things you don’t understand.

Yes, there are parts of the role that feel really hard.

Go to the office everyday. Listen to your supervisor. Fully participate in the life of the organization.

These rhythms are how you show up for your spiritual internship with Jesus.

These rhythms are how we STAY CONNECTED to Vine.

This series can seem like a lot.

4 Commitments

8 Sermons

12 Weeks

15 Practices

But there is really only 1 FOCUS: STAY CONNECTED

My encouragement to you today is to Take A Step (The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step)

Only you and God know what the next step is for you.

It might be a step of Desire - A vision of yourself in a new place. I want something different. (Desire for Desire - I want to want something different.)

It might be a step of Intention - Make a commitment

It might be a step of Mechanism - Put the structures, rhythms, and practices in place to pursue the commitment.

Some steps I might suggest

Become a disciple…follow Jesus

Maybe believe…maybe not…you want more…

Come and follow me.

Belong as you come to believe.

Want to…want to want to follow Jesus

Join this church…a means of grace.

Participate in this process.

Come to church.

Engage the devotionals.

Implement these commitments:

Wake to God.

Eat your colors.

Move your body.

Give it a rest.