Confidence in Discipleship
Discipleship #-4 Confidence in Discipleship • Sermon • Submitted
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· 15 viewsDiscipleship is a commitment to following Jesus, learning from him and imitating him in love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy. He is for all people who are willing to listen to him and follow him.
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Confidence in Discipleship
Confidence in Discipleship
Discipleship is a commitment to following Jesus, learning from him and imitating him in love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy. He is for all people who are willing to listen to him and follow him. The Bible describes Jesus as the Lord of lords and King of kings; wonderful counselor; Prince of peace. He is the greatest person as leader and teacher whom anyone could follow. Why wouldn’t we want to abide in Him?
We want to explore, what it means to "remain” in Him (Jesus). These verses are very encouraging, specific, and challenging. Jesus point us to what it means to remain in Him and the effect it will have on us bearing fruit in our lives.
Our text this morning is It is found in the center of a number of verses that talks about God the Father being the gardener; pruning branches so they will be more fruitful. He speaks about the importance of remaining in Him and what happens if we do not.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 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. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
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.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 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. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
We've talked about what it means to be a disciples over the past few weeks, addressing commitment and cost. Today we want to talk about being confident in discipleship. We’ll do this as we learn to daily remain and abide in Him.
Confidence begins with ...
I. God Giving Us His Word
I. God Giving Us His Word
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.
God is the Gardener…The expert in growing fruit. He prunes the dead wood, so that it’s potential for fruit-bearing might improve. Dead wood can harbor disease and decay. An untrimmed vine will develop long rambling branches that produce little, if any fruit because most of the strength of the vine is given to growing wood.
The Gardener is concerned that the vine will produce good fruit. That it will be healthy and productive. We are pruned and cleaned by God and His word! He condemns sin, inspirers holiness and promotes growth. Most people believe in the Bible; most homes have a Bible in their home. Almost nine out of 10 households (87 percent) own a Bible, according to the American Bible Society, and the average household has three. However, when it comes to reading the Bible and letting it speak to us, well… lets just say it has become less and less. over the centuries.
By Bob Smietana
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Americans have a positive view of the Bible. And many say the Christian scriptures are filled with moral lessons for today.
However, more than half of Americans have read little or none of the Bible.
Less than a quarter of those who have ever read a Bible have a systematic plan for reading the Christian scriptures each day. And a third of Americans never pick it up on their own, according to a new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.
Small wonder many church leaders worry about biblical illiteracy, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.
“Most Americans don’t know first-hand the overall story of the Bible—because they rarely pick it up,” McConnell said. “Even among worship attendees less than half read the Bible daily. The only time most Americans hear from the Bible is when someone else is reading it.”
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.
II. God’s Glory is that you Bear Much Fruit
II. God’s Glory is that you Bear Much Fruit
When we apply God’s word to our lives we go through a pruning process that removes evil from us and conditions us for further service; for bearing fruit. God wants to produce fruit in our lives! He wants us to experience His love, joy, and peace; patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
To be fruitful there must be a constant union with God. This is done through prayer, Bible reading and studying, fellowship, and worship.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
In these verses we find unity with God, with one another; spiritual growth as individuals, and growth for the church. The evidence of God’s bearing fruit in our lives as individuals and as a church is seen in the way we live as true followers of Jesus.
Our effectiveness depends on our connection with God - a constant flow of nutrients from Him. Then fruit bearing is certain. Failure to maintain a vital connection brings about rejection and uselessness.
Our connection is made by faith through obedience to God’s word and prayer. We consciously accept His authority in our lives and communicate with him.
As we seek the Lord’;s will and call out in the name of Jesus, He hears us and will grant every prayer that would accomplish His will! It is having harmony with Him and one another.
He want’s marriages to succeed; he wants people to come to saving faith in Jesus; he wants people to experience His love, joy, peach, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
?I visited with a person recently who had broken their ankle. When I asked how it happened they told me they didn’t remember. They had been sober for SIX years and thought that for one night they could have a few. They said, God has a sense of humor because now their is a rod in their ankle and they have the limp to go with a bum leg. God is using that experience in this persons life to help them see his love and that there was some pruning that needed to take place. But God promises that from these things we can know and experience His Great Love for all people...
III. God’s Great Love for you!
III. God’s Great Love for you!
Let’s look at what Jesus says about His love and the Love of the Father…
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
One of the things that so many people forget about the love of God is that we must show Him that we love Him, by being obedient to His ‘Wisdom’ and ‘Ways’ (His Commands) People want God’s love, but they forget to love Him in return. Even when that happens, God’s love does not change; but the way we experience God’s love does. If we are ungrateful for His love and don’t show him the Honor and respect that he deserves as God and the one who created us, we will find it hard pressed to experience the abundance of his love.
God wants to show you His love according to this verse. In Jesus says...
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.
Love is the relationship that unites us to Christ as branches are united to a vine. Two results stem from this relationship… the first is obedience and the second is joy.
Obedience… to what? To God’s love for us. Obedience is a statement that we acknowledge and accept the authority of God in our lives.
During our Wednesday night K.I.D.S. outreach, we are studying the life of Jesus. This past we we talked about Jesus being Baptized. When He came to John, John tried to deter him saying, “I need to be baptized by you...” Jesus said, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”
Baptism is another way of saying, “I will follow Jesus and conform to His authority.” Jesus set the example and thus we are called to do the same. It is one very clear ways of saying to God, “I love you” and to say “Thank you God for loving me. I will live my life for you!”
The second result of our relationship with Jesus is Joy!
IV. God’s Great Joy!
IV. God’s Great Joy!
Joy is the result of you knowing that God is working his purpose and will in you and through you. You are part of something much larger than yourself. Your role is to do the work the Father has created you for.
Paul writes in
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
This verse has quickly become one of my most favorite. It speaks to the work of God in our lives and the fact that we all have a purpose in this life and we are to walk in obedience to them. This is where Jesus says: Your joy may be complete!
Then Jesus says in
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
God chose his disciples. He chose you to be his disciple… to bear fruit that will last!
In His we are blessed!
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—
Conclusion: We can be confident in Christ
“Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
AS we seek the Lord and
In our desire to seek the Lord and do his will, he will grant all that would accomplish his will because we are living in harmony with him.
Love is what unites us and obedience marks the cause of ones fruitfulness, with Joy as the result.
Benediction:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.