February 3, 2019
Morning Service

This morning we focused in on what John opened his letters with.  He stressed the fact that he had walked, talked and has been an eye witness of the ministry of Jesus Christ.  He had a relationship with the Son of God in the flesh.  We were then challenged to begin to cultivate our relationship with Jesus, by using the avenues of prayer and Bible study.  We speak to God through prayer and He speaks to us through our Bible study and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  By cultivating a closer relationship with God, we will begin to see a change in our life.  We will start to become more like Jesus, attempting to walk in the same steps that He walked in; like a child does as He follows his father in the new snowfall.  John recorded Jesus’ teaching on this subject in Chapter 15 of his gospel.  Tonight, I would like to go there and perhaps help us to understand the relationship between Christ and His believers a little deeper and also how that affects our relationships with others.

 Joh 15:1-6  "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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  (3)  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  (4)  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  (5)  "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  (6)  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

            It is through our relationship with Jesus that we learn to “abide in Him.”  By abiding in Christ we receive the strength to bear fruit (do good works).  Any righteous works we try to do on our own will prove to be nothing.  We receive our nourishment, our abilities and our guidance from our Savior.  It is through Him that we are able to bear fruit in our lives.  God even prunes (sends struggles and trials into our lives) us to encourage growth.  Those branches that do not bring forth fruit are cut off and burned.  As we grow in Christ and learn to abide in Him, we are changed and begin to imitate Him in every way.  As we abide in Him, we become like Him.

 

Joh 15:7-11  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  (8)  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.  (9)  "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  (10)  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.  (11)  "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

            It is by “abiding in Christ” and keeping His commandments that we can truly nurture and grow in our relationship with Christ.  As we walk with Him we know that He hears and answers our prayers and fulfill all our needs.  He is our biggest fan and supporter.  He has our back.  It is through our relationship with Christ that our joy can be full.  True happiness and contentment comes from His love for us and in return our love for Him.  This relationship then flows to all the relationships in our lives.  Jesus now speaks on the relationship we share with our brothers and sisters in the faith.

 

 

 Joh 15:12-17  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  (13)  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.  (14)  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  (15)  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  (16)  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  (17)  These things I command you, that you love one another.

            God is our biggest fan and supporter.  He was willing to give up everything for us.  He does not look at us as servants, but He considers us His close friends.  He loved us enough to lay down His life for ours.  He chose us and has appointed works for us to do.  Each of us have a purpose and a ministry to fulfill.  We are to love our brothers and sisters just as Jesus loved us and He will be right there to help us do that.  We are His hands and feet in this world.  Our closer walk with the Lord will result in us loving our brothers on a different level.  We will laugh with them in time of happiness and cry with them in times of pain.  We will be there to encourage, hold them accountable, support, pray for or maybe just listen to them.  We will do life together as we walk the path Jesus has laid out for us.  We are better together.  When we choose to follow Christ, we will lose ourselves, but gain a family of believers to help us along our way.  Our love for Jesus will translate into love for our brothers.

            Jesus now addresses how our relationship with the world will now change because we have chosen to follow Christ.

 

Joh 15:18-25  "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  (19)  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  (20)  Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  (21)  But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.  (22)  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  (23)  He who hates Me hates My Father also.  (24)  If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.  (25)  But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.'

            When we accept the gift of salvation and the invitation of Jesus to “Follow Me,” we sign up for a spiritual war.  Our decision to follow Christ is also a declaration of war on Satan.  The world will hate us just as it hated our Savior.  Christians have suffered and continue to suffer horrific persecution from our enemy.  Jesus came into this world teaching a message of love and repentance and they hung Him upon a cross; we should expect the same opposition.  We are no greater than our Master.  Be prepared to face this and to answer it with love.  We are to be strong, courageous, and willing to engage with our enemy, but we are commanded to do all things in love.

 

            As we were challenged to cultivate a closer walk with our Savior this morning, we now realize that it goes much deeper.  When we build a stronger relationship with God it will filter down to being a closer relationship with our brothers and sisters in the faith and it will also be a dividing line between us and the world.  A deeper relationship with God will change our entire world as we know it and Jesus promised that the change will assure us that “our joy will be full!”

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and please grant to us a deeper and more joyful walk with You.