After setting the stage for His vineyard teaching in John 15:1-3, Jesus invites His true followers to “abide in me.” What does this word abide mean? Further, what does it look like for followers of Jesus to abide today? In this message we consider the various uses of “abide” throughout John’s Gospel including Jesus’ own abiding relationship with His Father to see more clearly what abiding in Jesus can look like for us.
Sermons by Dean Wertz (Page 21)
What type of person is Jesus describing when He says, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit” (v. 2b) and what does “he prunes” refer to? Further, when He says, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (v. 3) what is “the word” and how has “the word” made the disciples “already … clean”?
Today we enter week 4 of 12 in The Abide Project which includes the most vexing part of Jesus’ vineyard teaching. Who and what does Jesus have in mind when he declares in John 15:2, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away”? Is he opposing what many call the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints? Further, what is this verse’s connection, if any, with verse 6 in which he says branches are “thrown away … gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned”?
Why does Jesus seemingly complicate the simplicity of His invitation to abide by introducing His Father as the vinedresser who cuts some branches and prunes others? Apparently, maintaining a close, dependent and life-long attachment with Jesus also requires a wholistic view of life. Here is good news for followers of Jesus – when life doesn’t make sense and when we feel alone, this more comprehensive view of reality includes the presence of a sovereign and loving vinedresser.
Today we begin The Abide Project, a 12-week journey to better understand and experience Jesus’ invitation to abide. In this teaching (John 15:1-11) on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus started by identifying Himself as “the true vine.” Why does He liken Himself to a vine and is there any significance to His use of the adjective “true?” As we explore answers to these questions, we discover that these words are more than the beginning of Jesus’ vineyard teaching, they are the beginning of life as we were created to live!
“If I find in myself a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”1 In one sentence C.S. Lewis exposes the universal hunger of our souls. It is a craving for more joy, strength, comfort, peace, help, guidance, love, awe, gratitude, compassion, self-control and more. Today we prepare in a variety of ways to begin a journey this fall to explore Jesus’ proposed solution for this longing. His answer comes as an invitation to “abide” so our focus for the next three months will be called, The Abide Project.
1 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Glasgow: Fontana Books, 1975), 118.
For the 1st time in history a tent can be delivered tomorrow, popcorn can be enjoyed in 2 minutes and a movie can be viewed in 10 seconds. Immediacy reigns. Yet something beautiful, mysterious and rich is present when we see a couple in their 70’s walking hand in hand or a riverside tree bearing fruit in its old age. In God’s kingdom, immediacy happens but consistency reigns. Relationships with one another and (according to Psalm 1) with God, require a long walk in the same direction.
Last week Arik was led to remind us that we are a people of hope. We have a God-given picture of the future that effects how we live in the present. Today, we consider how God sent Jesus to ignite hope in His generation and how the church, as the body of Christ, when prioritized by all who are a part of it, has the privilege of continuing to provide hope in our generation until He comes again!
Throughout the book of Proverbs wisdom calls us to work diligently and plan thoughtfully while also declaring that God is at work in the world and no plans will succeed if they are not from Him. So, which one is it? Does God do the work or do we? Today we explore Prov. 21:31 which nods at a resolution to this conundrum and a beautiful approach for life.
What does the Lord, who owns it all, want us to do with the resources He entrusts to us? Last week we learned that He wants us to be generous by sharing the first portion. This week we discover that He also wants us to save an appropriate amount, so we are prepared and at ease, without dread of disaster.