Hope @ 7 Talk - Apr 8

Hi everyone!

Hope everyone out there has had a good day so far. It has really been amazing weather that God has provided over the last few days hasn’t it. I hope that you’ve gotten outside just a bit to get some vitamin D and to really take in the glorious scenery that God has provided for us here in the Shuswap.

In case you don’t know who I am I’m Germiko. I work with Bob here at Shuswap Community Church here in Sicamous. And tonight you’ll have just me. Bob’s at a council meeting and so he’s otherwise busy tonight. At any rate were going to hang out and talk about that hope that we can have during this very weird time that we are going through in our world today.

As Bob mentioned earlier this week we’re actually in one of the holiest weeks in the Christian Calendar. And in light of that we’re speaking this week on passages that will coincide with a reading plan for this week that our church posted. So today we’re going to spend tonight in . This book was written by the apostle John and is specific chapter is probably one of my most favourite passages in the bible. And I think it’s because it’s really an invitation for all of us to stick with God.

Really this is an easy time, with all that is going on, to get disillusioned with God, to get bogged down with all that is going on. To think why do we have to go through all of this. To miss the message that despite all that is happening that God is still in control and that he still loves each one of us. To miss the opportunity to stay close to God and to gain comfort and hope from him. And I truly believe that the passage that we have tonight gives that.

There is so much in this whole chapter that we’re going to spend tonight on the first 17 verses. John here is writing the words of Jesus. So let’s read it together. says, ““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. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.”

This is an amazing time of year. I know I’ve spent the winter really excited for the snow. But I’m also generally excited for the spring and the summer. That’s because, before moving into an apartment building. I’d be preparing a garden and getting ready to put things in the ground.

Now those of you who garden and do work around your yards will know how important it is to prune and prepare things for the growing season. If you want the most out of whatever you’re growing you need to prepare. In the case of fruit trees you need to do something that seems strange. You need to cut it back in order for it to grow abundantly. And this is what Jesus is talking about in the beginning of this passage. He’s saying that God is the gardener. And what he’s using to prune and prepare people with is the message that he’s given each one of us through the bible. This is really why we are so adamant about the importance for each on of us to be reading our bibles. Because we know that God uses it to encourage us, to give us hope, to tell us how to live and to go about this life. says, “12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Guys the bible, the good news of God’s plan for us, is so important. It’s what we need to guide our thinking and what we do. Cause we know that as humans we are imperfect. Despite our best efforts we still sin and mess up. And the bible is so important in helping us to recognize where we are going wrong and how God can make us right again.

And with this pruning he’s really commanding us to remain in him. And that’s what I want to encourage you with tonight. To stay close to God. It says in verse 5 that when we do that when we remain in him, he’ll be with us and will produce much fruit in us and through us. When we stay close to God that he stays close to us. What this doesn’t mean is that Jesus leaves us or isn’t around us. But I think what Jesus is saying here is that when we stay close to Him that he will continually be working out our faith with him. And that through that we’ll see the fruit. And what’s the fruit; obedience, righteousness, love, patience, endurance, hope, etc.

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Print.

And the flip side is that when we don’t remain in Jesus, he says that we are gathered together like the useless branches and we wither. And the reality is, when we don’t connect with Jesus like we ought to we do wither don’t we. We get into these rhythms where we are depressed and we feel disconnected and alone. I don’t know about you but when I don’t seek out Jesus; reading my bible, listening to worship music, talking to my friends who are believers, I feel out of sorts. I feel more alone because I’m not feeding my soul with Jesus, I’m not remaining in the vine like what it’s saying here. I love what Max Lucado says, “Jesus tends to his people individually. He personally sees to our needs. We all receive Jesus' touch. We experience his care.” And we need that now, maybe for some of us more than we’ve ever needed. We feel maybe even more disconnected from others and that might translate to feeling disconnected from God. Like this passages says, we should be clinging to Jesus and he will absolutely remain in us and give us absolutely what we need in order to get through.

And the last point that I wanted to talk about tonight is the second half of what Jesus is talking about in this passage. In verse 9 he says that he loves us and we need to remain in that love. I want to tell you that this love from Jesus that is shared in the bible is a love that is deeper, more meaningful and more satisfying that anything else in this world. And the grandest demonstration of this love is what we are celebrating this week. In Bermuda, a huge tradition that we have is kite making. It’s a bit of an art form let me tell you. You buy these wooden sticks and you place them in a cross or an octagonal shape and you string it together. Then the most challenging part is then gluing tissue paper to these kites. They end up being these beautiful masterpieces that are super cool and can be flown for hours. As a kid I was told the original purpose of these kites and its importance around easter is because of its shape. They traditionally build them in a cross shape. And when you put the tissue paper on it and put it in the sky the outline that you see is a cross being flown. And it serves as a reminder for you and whoever is seeing it in the air of the incredible sacrifice that Jesus went through on the cross. And you know why he would do that. Why he would go through the pain and suffering and humiliation. Its for us. It’s because he loves us so much. Because he cares for us so much. It’s so that we believe in him, and place our trust in him, and ask him into our lives that he will do it. And all the dumb things that we’ve done won’t be counted against us.

And all he asks us is to remain in that love. To love him. And then to love others in that same way. It’s so easy with this social isolation, this fear of the virus to be self-focused. To care only about our own well being and not to care a ton about other people. But Jesus is asking us to love others in the same way that he loves each one of us. That means putting aside what we want and to care about other people. In these times that we are in it might mean thanking the people who are on the front lines of these pandemic. Our doctors, our nurses, our food distribution folks (grocery store workers and the take out places that are still open), thanking our teachers who are working hard as still trying to educate during this strange time, and I’m sure there are others. It might also mean being extra kind to folks as you past by them. Saying hello, sharing a smile. Little things like that are helping to share this love with others. Jesus wants us to lay down our lives for our friends. To lay down our personal self-focused desires. To be his hands and feet to the people around us and to the world around us. And you know what. It’s things like that that will help us to get through this. To ease the pressure that we are all facing.

And to end. Jesus says he’s said these things so that we will be filled with joy. Who doesn’t want some joy right now. We have so many things that can and will remove our joy right now. There are fears and worry which have merit because of what going on. But I want to encourage you that this remaining in Jesus and this love that Jesus’ is talking about will produce in us joy. Joy in the midst of some pretty horrible things. Joy in knowing that this really isn’t it. Joy in understanding that you are loved beyond anything you could ever know.

So as we finish off today. I want to encourage you; if you know Jesus, remain in Him. Pick up your bible, listen to some worship songs. We now have more time that some of us have ever had. Let’s use it to get closer to our Lord. If you’re still not sure about this whole Jesus thing and you want to talk about it more. Please let us know. Contact Bob or myself and let’s talk about where you’re at. I promise you that you want to hear about Jesus and what a life with him looks like.

Let’s pray.

So to finish our time together. I want to encourage you with a song. It’s a favorite of mine. It’s a love song to God. It’s called So Will I by Hillsong United.

Also check out the reading plan for Holy Week. It’ll be a great start to getting yourself into God’s word.

And the last thing that I want to encourage you with, and it was something from last time I was with you at Hope at 7. Read some books, there are tons of books out there that will encourage our hearts and point us to Jesus. I told you last time that I was reading through the Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve found another one off read that I didn’t know existed but I’ve picked it up and am reading through it now. It’s called Benton Brocket and the Mad Scientist by none other than Bob Evans. I’m half way through it and it really is a great read and will take you back to some really awesome bible stories. I’ll post the link to where you can get yourself a copy it’s on kindle, and if you’d like to take a read and can’t afford it let me know and I’ll get you a copy!

Have a great night and we will see you next time!