Untitled Sermon (2

John 15:1-9

Pastor’s fellowship Calvary Bapt Ch/09 Nov 04/am - Faith Baptist Church/14 Nov 04/am First Baptist Church of Westminster/17 Jan 10/am – FBCW/1 Nov 2015/am-FBC Lafayette/6 Mar 2022/am

INTRO: In our text, Jesus is telling us that He is the vine, the main stem and root of the plant, and we are the branch, the off- shoot. If we are to provide fruit, which is the purpose of any tree or plant, we must abide, or be a part of the vine/stem. It all comes down to our relationship with God and are we abiding in him or are we just dead branches not producing eternal fruit. All too often we are too busy doing things, even in our living for the Lord, actively doing what we think we need to do or where we need to be, and yet not where God wants us. Are we asking, or do we ask God to bless what we are doing, when we should we be joining God where He already is working. I think that I may have, at times, hindered some of my own ministries in the past and I am trying to avoid that same problem in this present ministry. Don’t misunderstand, what we may be doing now is good, but are we just asking God to bless it/us and not being sure if God is in it. Do we really want to discern what God has for our personal lives and ministry and not just what we think we need to be blessed, we must;

I. First and foremost, before anything, we must check our relationship with God. It is at the heart of all blessing and working. Jn 15:9 “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you : continue ye in my love.” That is a love relationship between God, Jesus & us!

A. Is it what it should be? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?

1. I know most, if not all you here love God and have given yourself to him. Nevertheless, is your relationship what it is supposed to be? Are you right w/God at this moment?

a. If you have not received Christ as Lord and Savior, you don’t and can’t have a personal relationship with Him because you are still trying to save yourself by what you do and who you are.

b. Practicing Religion outside of surrendering to the Lord and faith in Jesus Christ. Sin is a barrier to a proper relationship w/Lord if we are not careful. Isa 59:2

2. Some Bible characters had a relationship w/God but were at times not where God was or where they should be. David (murdered ,etc), Elijah (lost trust), Moses (disobedient), Noah (drunk), Abraham (too many wives), Isaac (lied), all of these men had a heart for God, yet they didn’t always do what was right in the sight of God b/c they weren’t where God was active in there lives.

a. When they had a right relationship, they knew where God was at and His message for them was clear/plain. Prov 15:19 “The way of the slothful man is as and hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.”

b. God will make things plain to us. Jn 16:25 “ These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.”

3. When their relationship was right/close with the Lord, God’s message to them was clear and they obeyed in faith and were blessed of God. At those times they knew where God was at and didn’t go their own way. (Doing what was right in their own eyes, the natural mans way)

a. Paving the way w/Good intentions alone and doing right doesn’t necessarily mean much or guarantee success. 1Cor 3:12,13 If we are doing what we think and not where God is working/doing we will pay a price/or lose a reward.

b. When the time is right, we will know His will plainly, if we are watching for where he is already active. (speaking of prayer and in a loving relationship with obedience) Seedline, etc.

B. Have we left our first love? Rev 2:4

1. The church at Ephesus was commended for what it was doing, but God rebuked them in that they left their first love.

2. We have spent much time preparing for life with our spouses, for our personal ministries and it’s people, but, have we prepared ourselves for a right relationship with God and being where He wants us.

3. Do we work as hard at our relationship w/God as we do at our lives, our marriages and relationships with God’s people? Or have we left our first love in the busyness of business in the name of doing right.

C. Put the love back in your relationship with God. Jn 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

1. Just like with our personal relationships, it starts out great and may progressively deteriorates (not bad, just not as good) and seems to stagnate. We still love and maybe even more, but we get comfortable, don’t appreciate like we did/take for granted, we work at it like a job and not a love relationship. We leave our love in one way or another.

2. We do it with God too and don’t realize it sometimes.

a. In the process of trying to do right, we forget about our relationship and that is key to that relationship, and not just trying to do/duty, but loving Him in everything we think and do. Personal worship/corporate worship, etc.

b. All we should want is what He wants, Paul said it best, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” 1Cor 13:2

c. Love is the key to everything, all laws of God hang on that one command & attribute. Love God first, and others as self.

II. God wants you to JOIN Him where He is. Gen 17:1 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Abram was where God was at! (Maybe not always, but generally)

A. Or, are we asking God to join us. Deu 1:42-43 “And the Lord said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. So I spake unto you ; and ye would not hear…. and went presumptuously up into the hill.” We too often ask: From a Church standpoint:

1. “God, we are doing all these good things having a Wednesday and Sunday evening services (Youth Clubs, TLUSA/AHG, FPU, Bible Institute, etc), therefore you should bless it.”“All the churches that are growing have all these and other special programs, so for your sake and the gospel’s we will too. God please bless it!

2. We also may say “God, it’s a new culture in our churches today if we want to reach people, saved and unsaved, We need to change our methods (not necessarily bad). Please bless us.” Too often not only is the method changed, but so is the message. Why? Because God isn’t there!

3. Have we asked God to join us in what we think he wants for us to do or will we ask Him if we can join Him where He is at.

4. Have you changed what you know is right because it doesn’t seem to work anymore or because everybody else is doing it and seem blessed.

B. God’s timing (a heavenly timetable-Jn 2:4-8) or ours. Judges 20:18-48 Israel against Benjamites. Sometimes we may not understand, but it is God’s timing! Israel and the tribe of Benjamin were in a bad spiritual place at the time.

1. We all say and believe it is in God’s timing not ours, but we all still try to affect the timing by doing things until God will bless them.

2. If it is really God’s timing that we are waiting for, then we will wait for Him to do something. (prepare while we wait)

3. When He is ready for us, we will know because we will see where He is at. Then it’s time and not sooner or later, now!

4. It takes time for God to prepare where He wants his activity, we need to be prepared, our people need to be prepared, our community, and everything else in between.

C. Are we preparing. God didn’t allow the nation of Israel to go in the promised land until they were ready. They had to be prepared in faith and to fight.

1. Are we prepared by our knowledge and strength. Or by God’s.

2. We need to prepare in prayer, in building our character, getting knowledge and wisdom for God.

a. Not by just doing things just because we think we should do them for whatever reason, unless it’s Gods reason/purpose.

D. Are we ready.

1. We believe the preparation is over, when we’ve done all we can by what we think and what we have seen by others.

2. Are we really ready for God’s work or maybe just our work.

a. If we are really ready for God’s work we need to be watching, not just for his return, but for his activity.

3. If we have prepared properly, in building our character and our relationship with God, we will be sensitive to when God will be ready for us.

a. When we are as ready as we know how, be ready to act immediately. Phillip in Acts 8:26 “arise and go…”

b. I believe the window of opportunity is sometimes quite small. Vs 27 “And he arose and went…”

c. Phillip prepared and when God was ready for him he acted immediately. Be ready!

E. Is God ready. He never does anything before He is ready, before the right time!

1. We can’t know for sure except to go where He is. Where we see Him.

2. Where is that, Author and preacher ‘Henry Blackaby” tells us in His book, “join God where you see activity, that is where God is at.” Our/your seedline ministry, I have seen God working in other countries through getting the Word of God out. (Gideon, missionaries with John/Romans, etc)

3. We can know where that is by prayer, Word, circumstances & believers. Do you see God moving and working in your life or ministries that you are doing. “Seek His face!”

4. That may not be where you are at, so go there, forget the other stuff.

F. God is where He has already prepared not necessarily what we prepared for.

1. Amos 3:7 “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but to revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Those who are serving Him. He prepared the Ethiopian Eunuch for Phillip Acts 8.

2. God will reveal it to us and he does by his activity.

a. And By his word, circumstances, and/or other believers.

III. God will truly bless only what He is doing. Where He is at, not necessarily where we are at! So, don’t get in a hurry, be patient and let Him real it to you. Psa 37:7; 40:1

A. As a believer, Your life is His, just like this church/ministry. 1Cor 6:19-20

1. Mat 16:18 tells us that this church is his and he will build it. “Upon this rock I will build my church.”

2. If’ it’s His, then he will see that he accomplishes what He has started.

a. Just as our body is not our own because it has been bought with a price. 1Cor 6:19-20 “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not our own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God’s.”

b. Paul told the Philippians 1:6 He/Jesus has begun a work in you He will perform until His coming.

c. God’s will, will be accomplished in your life if you let him and this ministry when/you are where we ought to be in God’s work.

3. But, Are we a blessing to that end or a hindrance? Maybe we aren’t doing anything wrong and doing all the things that we think are good or what a church is supposed to do according to what we see and know from the Bible, but is it where God is at this moment in time?

4. One thing we can know, God is more interested in seeing the purposes and fulfillment of His kingdom completed, than we are. Therefore;

B. It’s his purpose and plan that must be fulfilled. Not necessarily ours.

1. What is God’s purpose, plan? God’s will!

a. We know it was important to Jesus. Jesus always did the will of the Father, because God had a purpose and a plan.

Jn 5:30,8:29 Jesus said: “I can of mine own self do nothing… I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father…”

2. We can know one thing for sure, His plan and purpose/will is to show the earth there is a living eternal God and He is it.

a. 1Sam 17:46b “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” Same with Pharaoh, that all the earth will see His power and his name declared. Ex 9:16

b. That all men might come to repentance/be saved. Not willing that any should perish. 2Pet 3:9b.

3. That no other god, man or satan can tempt or control him.

4. Man is less then the gods, because man made the gods he worships, in his own image. He bows down to his own creation, not our living God.

5. God has revealed that all was created for his good pleasure and that his glory would be manifest to all the earth. As he has purposed in Himself. Eph 1:9

6. We also can know that everything is for God according to His will, and for His glory, therefore it is for us to be where he is at not Him to be where we want to be.

a. Even in sickness and death. Jn 11:4 speaking of Lazarus who was dying, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”

b. But, as God’s children. 1Pet 4:11 “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to who be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen”

c. We are not to glory in ourselves, If we want glory, glory in the Lord. 2Cor 10:17-18

C. It’s His purpose therefore His battle. 2Kings 18,19 (Hezekiah and Sennacherib of Assyria)

1. God used Joshua like he did Moses, so that He would be magnified and glorified. Joshua 4:14

a. Josh 5:13-15 God is the Captain of the hosts and gives His victory through Joshua and the people of Israel. Josh 5:13-15

b. Joshua 6: God wins the battle, all Israel needs to do is be obedient in faith even when it doesn’t make sense.

c. We too often think we have to win. No, the Lord will see we win if we are where God wants us. In our relationship and His activity.

D. If we are doing good where He is not active/present, will He really bless it?

1. Maybe, but not to the degree that we may desire or think it should be.

2. There are some things only God can do; we have seen it throughout the Bible.

a. No matter how much we may know or how hard we may work, we can’t do everything of eternal value w/o God.

b. But, we sure try. Let God do what only he can.

c. I have often been told by some my pastor friends, “don’t try and be the Holy Spirit”, well, we shouldn’t do the work of God/H.S. either, because we can’t.

CLOSING: If everything is for God’s pleasure and glory, which it is, and according to His purpose and plan. Then He will only truly bless where He is, where he has planned, purposed, prepared, and where he is active, not necessarily where we are attempting to do something. Provided you have one, Is your relationship what it’s supposed to be with him? Are you where he wants you or where you want to be? Are you asking God to bless what you do instead of us blessing where He is? Work on your relationship with God, then Go where He is active, I believe it is there that you will find success, in the eyes of man and more importantly in the eyes of God.