Elements City Church
We are taking an extended dive into the gospel of John. In this gospel we witness the hands-on Jesus in all his splendor and radiance. John writes as one who is very close to Jesus and he goes to great length to record a full picture of the person and powerful work of Jesus: a human Christ to redeem us, a divine Christ to reveal God’s nature, and a powerful, Spirit-filled Christ to help us live godly lives. We want to lean into this incredible portrait of Christ painted in the gospel of John! We want to grow to know Jesus better, grow in the life He gives and grow in the life-mission He invites us into. John writes so that we would BELIEVE.
*(see John 20:30-31)
Last week we celebrated Jesus – His Resurrection confirming that he truly is the Way, Truth and the Life. He is way more than just a good teacher or miracle worker – though he is that in abundance.
=He is the way we can find life with God. *What Jesus accomplished on the cross & through His resurrection – changed everything.
Jesus IS NOT someone we put our faith in – in one moment of time; then we got our ticket to heaven and we just set it and forget it. NO -- He’s the ONE we’re to repeatedly anchor too, constantly stay connected to, endlessly tether our lives too, this relationship with Jesus is to be something we REMAIN IN continually…
John 15:1-5 NIV
The vine was one of the favorite metaphors to describe the people of Israel in the Old Testament. Time and again, the people of Israel are likened to a vine.
Take, for example, Psalm 80:8– 11...
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River.
Here, God’s people are described as a massive vine, planted by the Lord. God brought them out of Egypt, and planted them in their own land. And the whole purpose for their redemption was that they would bear fruit for his pleasure.
The Lord says to the people of Israel, in Jeremiah 2:21, “But I was the one who planted you, choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best. How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
By in large, the Lord didn’t find the fruit he was looking for from Israel…
So, Jesus’ claim, “I am the true vine,” was shocking and bold.
==He is saying that he is the faithful and true Israel. Where the people of Israel failed to produce the fruit that God was looking for, Jesus succeeded.
Where the people of Israel fell short of God’s righteous requirements, Jesus succeeded.
Though Israel bungled its mission to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth, Jesus would get the job done.
In verse 5 Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” Jesus makes it clear that there are 2 different kinds of branches:
Fruitful branches and unfruitful branches.
So we must ask ourselves: Which one am I?
Do you produce what is pleasing to God? Or are you an unfruitful branch?
This passage tells us there is only ONE difference between the two.
==Fruitful branches abide in the vine.
Abide basically means “to remain,” “to stay put,” “to linger in one place,” or “to dwell.”The most important thing for a branch to do is to stay connected to the vine. Only a branch that receives life-giving sap from the vine will live and bear fruit. And so it is with us.
The struggle is – MOST people live their lives as if they are independent vines.
The truth is we are incapable of pleasing God until we are utterly and continually dependent upon Jesus. Linked to him, partnered w/ him, reliant upon him IN HIM / WITH HIM, we can do great things…
Galatians 5:16-23 NIV
Q)
Are these fruits of the Spirit being produced within you more and more as the months go by? Are they more prevalent in you now, then 2 years ago?
Quote:
"The essential idea of fruit is that it is the silent natural restful produce of our inner life." -Andrew Murray
Q) How can we grow & strengthen our connection – REMAIN in Jesus?
-prayer habits
-reading/studying Scriptures
-connection with others that are remaining with Jesus – small groups, mentors that can help encourage you in your spiritual journey. Be a mentor / coach for others.
-evangelism – learning how to share you faith story, God’s story with others
-WORSHIP – I don’t can’t think of a better time to feed your heart/soul on worship as a reset for our minds navigating crisis with a CLEAR FOUNDATION of the God who is with us each step of the way.
=Romans 12:2 ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind – Scripture, worship, prayer...
-other spiritual habits – spiritual disciplines (fasting, reading, solitude, silence, serving, growing our generosity…
*we also need to STAY OPEN to His pruning process; allow God (the Holy Spirit) to highlight things in us that need pruned, so He can produce more through us. Pray the prayer of: Psalm 139:24-25
COMMUNION AT HOME
Again - if you need help or wanna help - visit www.elementscitychurch.org and let us know. We love you - you can also let us know of specific prayer requests via our app (prayer request tab). You can also listen to playlist of songs we sing via the playlist in the app. We're here FOR YOU and God is too! We'll see you back online NEXT SUNDAY AT 5PM!