THE KEY TO VIBRANCY

Show Angel of the Lord Video

Now before you get into the video remind them of a few things from the Writings of John

Elements to bring before video

John 20:31 ESV

31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John start of the Book- reflection of Genesis

John 1:1–3 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

starts out with God looking a a dark void, and formless world and he brings definition, light and gives birth to life

And John starts the begining f John in the begininsg was the Word of God, who is both with God and was God...

God shining his light into humanitys darkness and gives them light, and the light gives life. And who is it? The Word, the living Word of God offers life, and spiritual light to mans darkened depraved heart

Then we get to verse 14 of

And we see that the Word becomes flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. The literal meaning to the word dwelt is actually tabernacled among us. And it is alluding to te Old Testament tabernacle, the tent that the Moses and the children of Israel carried around with them while they wondered in the desert. The tabernacle eventually was built into the Temple. And in the inner most sanctum of the Temple was the Holy of Holies, wher ethe Shekinah Glory of God dwelt, it was God’s dwelling place

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

So when this says that the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us, it is alluding to that Old Testament picture of Yahwe God, the temporary dwelling place of God. In the same way the Lord Jesus is the Yahwe of the Old Testament, and He had a temporary structure aka his body that would be beaten to a bloody pulp and nailed to a cross for the sins of the entire world. And that repentance and forgivness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations!

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NOw as the video showed there are two different realms

This realm, where the law of sin and death reign, where we lived as slaves to sin dominated by the gravity of the law of sin and death.

CS Lewis pictured this principle in the Chronicles of Narnia where it is always winter. It was always winter because of the sin of Adam who lost his right to rule to the devil. The winter speaks to the chilling grip of sin. And how sin like any cancer sucks the life and meaning out of everything. It promises a whole lot and delivers very little

Listen Winter isn’t coming it is already here. And we being son’s of Adam the original trespasser, we live in the world where it is always dark, it is always winter, We are held fast by our sin, limited from our own earthly lusts and held captive to that way of thinking.

CS Lewis pictured this principle in the Chronicles of Narnia where it is always winter. Listen Winter isn’t coming it is already here. And we being son’s of Adam the original trespasser, we live in the world where it is always dark, it is always winter, We are held fast by our sin, limited from our own earthly lusts and held captive to that way of thinking.

But when Jesus came, he won back, bought back what Adam originally lost, and now by being born again, yes you can feel the gravity of the first law or principle of sin and death, but now God offers a higher law to redeemed people, the jet propulsion of the law of the Spirit. For where the Spirit of the Lord is .... THERE IS FREEDOM!

And where this world rules through strength, fear and intimidation, He conquered it all through love.

For greater love has no one than this for a friend to lay down his life for another.... And God, Adam brought winter, But Jesus brings the spring, He brings light, and when light is introduced into the darkness, sight also comes.

And God

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But God has provided a second Adam, a second ruling figure for humanity, He s the great champion, and while men here are in a game f Thrones. He already sits on the Throne of all thrones. a mighty warrior named Jesus, and in his appearing the two realm clashed head to head, And Jesus breaks the long winter of the soul and gives spring to the heart, where there is life and joy and peace. And he is the one that changes everything, because he changes the human heart. He places His life inside of us...

So now we are continuing on in our study of John and I am going to skip a few chapters and take you to the next major section of the book of John chs13-17 where Jesus is facing his final hour when he would go to the cross, but before He goes He is assuring his disciples that through tradgedy there would ultimately be victory, and through his death, that would bring multiplied millions life. And there was going to be a power that would subdue them and empower them to carry out his mission. And I tell you that that pwoer is still available to you and I today. The power of the Holy Spirit

Congregation

How does He change the human heart?

By the Holy Spirit

and God’s realm where the Law of the Spirit

Jesus Commandments

John 14:15–19 ESV

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

John 14

Now notice this first part, if you love me you will keep my commandments… Now I feel that I need to point out that church culture in America has turn this verse on its head, and they say I don’t need to obey him because He loves me. And what we have done is poisoned the pot of grace and turned it into a cheap grace. Now don’t misunderstand God’s grace to us is free, it is a gift, you can’t earn it and you and I sure don’t deserve it, but make no mistake, it is not cheap grace. That grace may be free to us, but it cost God everything, cost him his son’s life.

Hebrews 10:29–31 ESV

29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Henbrews 10:29-31

We have lost a healthy dose of the fear of the Lord, We began to dumb it down when we said, well the fear of the Lord is not actually fear, but rather its and awe and reverence of who God is! After all we don’t want to scare the kids to much… Well what has come about is a bold and defiant culture that is strutting their way to hell thinking they are too good to be damned.

I don’t believe in fear mongering, ok when I am sharing the good news I don’t start out with the subject of hell. But make no mistake people, god is a fearsome God, and when the most Holy of men stood in the presence of God, they always had the same reaction, they fell down immediately on their faces.

When John who is known as the beloved disciple. The one that laid his head on Jesus chest at the last supper, later see jesus in the Book of Revelation in His glorified state

Revelation 1:17–18 ESV

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

revelation 1:17-18

Revelation 1:17 ESV

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

Listen fear is very much a real thing, but jsut as Jesus did here, so he will do with you and I and say to us fear not, I am the first and the last, the living one, I died and behold I am alive forever more, and I have the keys of death and hell. What is he saying? He is saying when you and I learn how to fear the Lord, then in return we don’t have to ever fear another thing.

IF YOU HAVE A DISOBEDIENCE PROBLEM< WHAT JESUS SAYS IS YOU HAVE A LOVE PROBLEM. So its not i am disobedient but its ok because He loves me. It is I love him therefore I choose to obey Him. And to the Lord this is a serious thing.... In fact in the Book of Revelation he rebukes a church that is really a pretty good church. The church at ephesus, they have good works, they are not denying his name, They are testing everything, spotting phonies insde the church and running out false teaachers and phony apostles, but the Lord has something against them

Revelation 2:4 ESV

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

Revelation 2:

They had abandoned their first love, or the love that they had at first. and He even threatens to close down their church if they did not repent and do the first love.

What is the first love? Well think back to your first love. Maybe its your spouce. You would open the door for her, you would go out of your way to buy her gifts and show affection. You would lather up on the smell goods, try to be charming, maybe more spiritual than you actually wore, but then that all stopped when you got married. Now you jsut take her for granted. You gripe and complain because she has gained weight, and there is no intamacy which means no cuddling time. But maybe she began to gain weight because you treated her like a homely house wife.

Listen what jesus is saying is he don’t want to be your old homely house wife. In fact the roles are actually reversed, He doesn’t want a homely house wife. He wants you sparkling and in makeuyp with your hair all did up, even if its saturday afternoon.

the preparation of the Holy Spirit

There is a beautiful picture mback in Ch 14 1-6… that is a beautiful picture of a man about to marry his bride. where he says be not afraid and do not allow yuour hearts to be troubleed… In my Fathers house are many manisions, and he is going to prepare a place… That describes a man betrothed to a beautiful bride. During the betrothal period he would go back to his Fathers home and start a new addition to the family home, and there is this extended period of their seperation. And while he is gone preparing a place, the Bride is at her mothers house preparing herself to recieve her husband when he comes. She is to be ready when he returns. She is to be adorned when he returns. She is to be preparing to be an unblemished bride when He returns.., and you know what? That pictures us

John 14:16–18 ESV

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:16-

What are we to do while we wait for his return? We are to be getting ready. Training ourselfs in holiness and righteousness. We enter into a theological term called sanctification. And the sanctification is the setting apart of yourselves to the ways of the bride.

Now picture this wiith me. Lets say that the groom goes and prepares a place for His bride, but when He returns He finds her over at Jim’s house, laid up in His bed. Do you think there is going to be a wedding? No

Listen it is hard to live faithful to the Lord, yes, but tht is the reason He sends us a Helper. He is the spirtit of Truth. Now that is important. We live in a world of lies and deception. It gets hard keeping ourselves right with the Lord. And lsiten when you get saved you get the Spirit. The World doesnt see him, it doesnt know Him. the world will mock at your faith, scorn to death your lifestyle. But listen to him. When He tells you that something isn’t right about this relationship that you entered into… listen because he is trying to keep you from harm. When He says don’t go to this place or hang around this group of people.... Listen because he is trying to keep you from wrecking your life.

When I recieve the Lord… Immediaetlky I am free form the penalty of sin… that is called justification. I am justified by faith

But when the Spirit comes, He enters you to a place of seperation, that is called sanctification. I am being free from the power of sin.

And one day the Lord will return and I will experience glorification, that is being free from the presence of sin.

Right now you are being sanctified. he is bringing you to greener pastures and and is trying yo show you a better way. And when we allow the teacher, the spirit of truth guide us to greener pastors, listen that is when this thing of Christianity becomes fun, and joyfilled. everyday is a new an exciting day

John 14

John 14:21 ESV

21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

The World cannot reciebve him

Notes- When we get to chapter 13 Jesus embodies the meaning of true love- washing of the feet of the disciples

How is is jesus going to transform the World?

He did it through love,

He does it through us by transformation… AKA the Spirit generating a persons heart and mind

He doesn’t want you to do anything for him. He wants to do something through you

The Spirit can be in all places at one time

He draws us into the love of the Father and the Son

HIs disciples are the ones that remain in the Love of the father

Illustrates this truth by describing a vine and the branches- Just as the branch abides in the vine, so that the vine permeates veery area of the vine and produces fruit

IAm… Eygoyameme ( God’s Covenant name in the Old Testament

The Bread of Life

The light of the World

The Gate of the Sheep

The Good Shepherd

The Ressurection

The Way, the Truth and the Life

The True Vine

When the solderers

The Spirit also empower Jesus followers to carry on the mission by radical acts of love