John 15 with Russell Burrell
Did you enjoy this teaching?
Let others know!
VIEW TRANSCRIPT
Our study this morning.
It's going to be in the book.
Of John, the Gospel of John, we're going to be looking at chapter 15.
And we're going to be looking at the entire chapter this morning.
As you make your way there, I want to begin by reading a letter that I received back in 2006.
It was a letter from a 8 year old kid and evidently had a homework assignment and Simon centered around giving an explanation who who God was to to these kids.
Like I said, it was in 2006, so this kid, now that's what he's about, 2324 years old.
No, he lived in Chula Vista, CA and I can relate to that because my wife and I used to live in Chula Vista, CA and here's his.
It's explanation title is.
My explanation of God.
It says one of God's main jobs is making people. He make them to replace the ones that die.
So there would be enough people to take care of things on Earth.
He doesn't make Grown Ups, just babies.
I think because they are smaller and easier to make.
That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk.
He can just leave that to the mothers and fathers.
God's second most important job is listening to prayers.
An awful lot of this goes on since some people like preachers and things pray at times beside bedtime.
God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this because he hears everything.
There must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything, hears everything and is everywhere which keeps him pretty busy.
So you so you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you should. You couldn't have.
Are people who don't believe in God?
I don't think there are.
There are any in Chula Vista at least.
There aren't any who come to our church.
Jesus, as God's son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and from and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God.
They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him, but he was good and con like his father and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them.
And God said, OK.
His dad, God, appreciated everything he had done and all his hard work on Earth, so he told him he didn't have to go out on the road anymore.
He could stay in heaven so he did and now he helps his dad out.
By listening to prayers and seeing thing and see into things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having having to bother God.
God his father like a secretary only more important.
You can pray anytime you want.
And they are sure to help you because they got it worked out.
So one of them is always on duty.
You should always go to church on Sunday because it May God makes God happy.
And if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God.
Don't skip church to do something you think would be more fun, like going to the beach.
This is wrong and besides, the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.
And that's so true down in San Diego, if you don't believe in God.
Besides being an eighth is you would be very very lonely because your parents can't go everywhere with you like the camp, but God can.
It is good to know he's around when you're when you're scared in the dark and when you can't swim and you get thrown into the deep end of the water by the big kids.
But you shouldn't just always think of God.
Think of what God can do for you.
I figured God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.
And that's why I believe in God.
I thought that was very insightful for little 8 year old kid, you know, to give his explanation of who God was to him.
Let's begin in a word of prayer, guys, our father.
We thank you for this day that you've given us. We thank you for this Mother's Day again. We thank you for your many blessings that you continue to bestow upon us.
We thank you for bringing us through another week for your provisions.
For this week, we ask that you prepare our hearts and our minds right now as we get into your word.
And give us understanding.
Give us wisdom, give us guidance.
My father on what you would have us to do and it's in your son, Jesus Christ, holy and precious name.
We ask these things Amen.
As I indicated guys, I was studied this morning to be in the Gospel of John Chapter 15.
And we're going to be looking at the entire verse and the title of the message this morning is Jesus Christ.
The true and genuine vine.
Some of the key supported scriptures that going to we're going to be touching up on today.
If you want to write those down, for if you want to read them later, gonna be.
Coming from the Book of Deuteronomy, the 4th chapter.
Verse six first Samuel 1522 second Corinthians 520 John 3 verses 19 and 20.
Romans 12 verses one and two, and then Galatians 522.
So let's read our first eight verses of this chapter this morning together.
Chapter 15.
Verse one says I'm the I am the true vine, and my father is the vinedresser.
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.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Verse 4 abide in me and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it's a, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
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.
If anyone does not abide in me.
He is cast.
Out as he branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
For seven, if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
By this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit.
So you will be my disciples.
Before we get started this morning, I want each and every one of you just contemplate and really ask yourself.
Am I about and in Jesus?
Am I truly about and in Christ wholeheartedly as a believer?
Not just on a Wednesday night or Sunday morning, but continually continuously on a day by day.
Am I allowed allowing the word of God?
The love of God and the spirit of God.
To control to direct and to manifest itself fully in my life.
So others.
Or where or who I am as a believer in Christ.
Just ask this little boy in our opening store this morning.
Explain who God was to him.
Can we as believers?
Adequate, adequately explain to others who Christ asked us.
Or more importantly.
Is it displayed?
In our everyday everyday lives, to the people.
We encounter on a daily basis.
Is it your desire to grow closer and remain close to God?
As you live.
Out your life here on this earth.
Kristen statesman and author from.
The 20th century 1 century ago, you know, back in in 1950, sixty 70. I guess when he talked and wrote books.
A guy by the name of Oswald Sanders said this.
Each of us and I quote each of us is as close to God as we choose to be.
Each of us.
It's as close to God as we choose to be.
That doesn't mean that means it, your your relationship with God doesn't doesn't depend on what someone else is doing.
It all depends on what you do.
How close you want to be with him?
Think about this as we get ready to get into our study this morning.
This portion of Scripture in John 15 was given to Jesus disciples.
After their time together in the upper room, what we commonly refer to as the Last Supper?
Most Bible commentators.
Believe it actually took place.
Enroute to the garden of Desimini.
Good night before his crucifixion.
Let me say from the onset that this portion of Scripture has nothing to do.
With your salvation.
As believers as believers.
A lot of people get confused sometimes when they read this portion of Scripture, especially as you look at verse six that says anyone that's not about in me.
He is cast out as a branch and it withered, and they gathered them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
This verse is not speaking about a believer self salvation, but is speaking about our works.
The fruit that we gonna bear as believers or the fruit that we should be bearing as believers.
If this was the case, if with this first if this portion of Scripture was talking about salvation, think about it as she read through the Book of John and John Chapter 10.
Jesus said these words, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
And I give them eternal life.
And they should never perish, neither should anyone ****** them out of my hand.
It would be totally contradictory to what he's saying here.
Later in verse 15.
So I want to clear that up right away this morning when you're reading this portion of Scripture and you look at a first like first six.
It's not talking about.
Us losing our salvation.
But it is talking about.
What we do?
In our relationship with Christ in terms of bearing fruit.
Verse five says I am divine.
You are the branches.
He who abides in me and on him and I and him bears much fruit.
For without me you can do nothing, and then we're going to see later on as we get into verse 16.
He says this, you did not choose me, but I chose.
You and point and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should should remain.
There's so much in this chapter.
This morning that we could get into and talk about, but due to time constraints you know, as I was going through it, I was praying about and said, OK God, what what do you want me?
To put forth this morning, and I believe he he gave me 3 points to talk about from this portion of Scripture.
Our first point this morning is.
We are to abide in Christ alone.
As we've seen.
From the 1st 8 verses.
The word of.
God is mentioned 7 times.
Some translations might have remained.
You know some of your translation might say remain in Christ, abide in Christ.
They one in the same.
What does it mean to abide in with someone?
It simply means to remain or to stay with them.
You know?
You can look at your family life.
You know, through the good times and the bad times in your marriages.
You stuck it out.
You remain with that person in a lot of cases.
In some cases people have gotten divorces.
But for the most.
Part people try to stick with their spouses.
And that's what Christ is talking about here.
We should remain, abide in him, not just part time, not just sometime, not just most at a time.
But he's saying we should remain and abide in him all the time on a continual basis.
As we look at verse, I want to go back to verse in reverse one and three.
He says I am the true vine and my father is the vinedresser
Every branch of me that that's not bear fruit.
He takes away and every branch that bears fruit.
He prunes that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
And then he begins first four with.
Abide in me.
Abide in me because Jesus Christ is the true and genuine bond as he stated here, he is the one we should stay continually connected to.
As believers.
No doubt probably in your life you have heard some people say, or maybe you have even said it yourself.
You know I'm a Baptist, I'm a Methodist.
I'm a Catholic Presbyterian.
Whatever you want to say, put in there.
That's my relation, and that's what I'm sticking with.
Or I would born Baptist.
I would born Catholic.
I would born Methodist.
And that I'm gonna die one, you know, I've.
Heard people say that.
First of all, this is not true because you know none of us were born Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, whatever you want to put in there.
You know, just like none of us was born Christians.
We weren't born as a Christian.
You chose to be a Christian.
You chose to be a believer in Christ.
Now, being affiliated with a particular denomination in and of itself, it's nothing.
Wrong with that.
I'm not saying anything is wrong with that, as long as.
There are teachings.
Of these nominations, a Senate.
On the person of Jesus Christ.
And they're teaching.
And they're they are teaching from the whole word of word of God.
Not picking and choosing just the stuff that appeals to them, but from the complete inerrant word of God.
I'm not up here to knock the nominations.
You know, that's that's not my purpose.
This morning I grew up in about this church.
You know when?
In my childhood.
All through teenage years.
You know, even in early adulthood, I grew up in a Baptist Church.
That's where I grew up in and.
I'm simply stating that this is not what we need to be focused on or abiding in.
As believers in Christ.
We don't need to be.
Tide up so much in religious affiliations or denominations.
Like I say, there's nothing wrong with that as long as they're centered on the person of Jesus Christ.
See Christ was telling his disciples this.
He's saying it's not enough that you claim to be part of the Jewish faith, or that you're a practitioner.
Of Judaism.
And he's telling not the same thing today.
Difficult to profess a particular denomination or have affiliation with a particular denomination.
It means nothing.
And it's futile.
Unless you're connected and abiding in the true and genuine bond with your Jesus Christ.
And if you're not.
If you're not.
If we are not.
The Bible tells us we can do nothing.
That's what he said in verse.
In verse five, he said.
Without me, you can do nothing.
I am live on.
You are the branches and he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit.
But if you're not.
You can do nothing.
Our identification as believers and as fruit bearers.
Is to be in Christ and him alone.
As we read verse 4.
He says again, and I want to keep emphasizing this abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself and let it, unless it abides in the vine.
Neither can you unless you abide in me.
Again, in verse six, he says 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.
Verse 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire.
And it shall be done for you.
See if you truly.
If we are truly abiding in Christ, you will begin to think like Christ.
You will begin to talk like Christ.
You will begin to walk like Christ to pray like Christ and to love like Christ.
If you are abiding in him, your your life will be aligned with and for.
The things of Christ.
His will.
Will become your will.
And not the other way around.
You see many of us as believers have not reached this point yet.
Because it's branches.
We're connected to some other bond.
Instead of the true vine.
Which is Christ.
We are connected to our to our religious bonds.
We're connected to our moral bonds.
We're connected to our even our family traditional bonds.
And I dare dare say a lot of us are connected to our political vines.
And we wonder.
Why isn't my life producing any type of fruit?
Simply put, because you connect it to their own bond.
See the vine you can you that you're connected to determines the type of fruit that you're going to produce.
If you have a branch that is connected to an apple tree.
You're not going to get oranges from that from that branch.
You're going to get apples in the same sense.
It's just spiritual Vaughn.
Is not connected to the uh, it's connected.
I'm sorry to the themes of this world instead of the true vine which is Christ Jesus, you're not going to yield.
Fruits of the spirit.
It's impossible.
No matter how hard you try, no matter.
What you think you're producing?
The fruit that you will be producing would not be according to the fruits of the spirit.
Galatians 522 gives us.
You know some of those fruits of the spirit.
It says it's Lovejoy peace, longsuffering continence, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.
And then there's others spoken of in the Bible that, due to the lack of time this morning, I don't have time to go into.
As I've indicated, and because of this, many of us are producing fruit according to the vine we find ourselves connected to.
And as a result of this, as stated in verse six, our branches.
Are becoming withered?
As believers.
Because Simply put, we're connected to the wrong bond.
And the fruit that we're producing because we are connected to the wrong bond.
It's becoming varathan.
In our lives.
And as a result, As for six says that type of fruit will be cast out and burned.
What good is it?
But if you're abiding in him.
If you're doing the things that Christ wants you to do, and we're staying connected to him.
Despite what the world may be telling us despite.
Uh, any type of affiliations.
You may have in this world if you stand connected to Christ.
You will produce godly fruit.
And then we could be like.
What it says as verse 8 exclaims.
Our father in heaven would be glorified.
By our lives.
Because we'll be bearing much fruit.
And the world.
Would know that we are his disciples.
A lot of times in this world, and it's a shame to say this.
People get.
Distinguish between believers and unbelievers because of our actions because of our words.
Because of our deeds.
They look at us and say.
God help you, you act just like the world.
You're no different from this person who claimed that he or she doesn't believe in God.
And here you are.
You profess you believe in God and your actions in many cases are worse than theirs.
That's the type of fruit that we're bearing to the world when they look at us.
But if we abide in him and doing the things that he said that he wants us to do, then there is a difference.
People can tell.
People can look at us and say it's something different about that individual.
1st Corinthians 1.
First third, it says this, but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
My youngest brother once told me this and I think it's been about a couple of weeks ago.
He said his pastor there was made this statement.
When he was given a.
A teaching.
And I quote he said.
You see?
There's more to this Christianity thing besides sitting in church on a Sunday.
And if you're truly abiding in Christ.
You will see there is more to this Christianity thing besides sitting in church on Sunday.
See a lot of us think, oh I can go out in the world and do what I want to do.
But as long as I come to church on Sunday, I'm OK.
As long as I show up on a Wednesday night, regardless of what I've done during the week, I'm OK.
It's not OK like that, Pastor said it's more to this Christianity thing.
Than just sitting in a church on a Sunday morning.
Examine your walk as a believer.
Are you abiding in a true vine?
Which is Christ Jesus?
Our second point this morning is.
Abide in the love of Christ.
Abide in the love of Christ.
Verse 9 through 17 says as we read as the Father loved me.
I have also loved you, abide in my.
Love if you keep my commandments you would about you will abide in my love just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you.
That my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
This is my commandment that you love one another.
As I have loved you for 13.
Greater love has no one than this than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends.
If you do whatever I command you 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 no.
I have main made known to you for 16.
You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed 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 to you.
Again, in verse 17, he says these things I command you that you love one another.
How do we as believers?
Abide in the love of Christ.
How do we do it?
It's a simple answer.
Simply about knowing his word.
And obeying his word.
That's it, that's the simplicity of it.
But you cannot obey it unless you know it.
And you cannot know it unless you read it.
It's an impossibility.
Deuteronomy 46 says, therefore, be careful to us to observe them talking about the commandments of God. But this is your wisdom and your your understanding in the sight of the people who will hear all these statues.
Now, this portion of Scripture was given to the children of Israel right before they were preparing to cross over into the promised land.
Moses was reiterating to them all the things that God had done for them by bringing them out of Egypt, and now as they getting preparing to go into the promised land, Moses again is telling them.
What is expected of them?
But it has applications for us as believers today.
Also we shall be observing and obeying the word of God for guidance.
For instructions for understanding that we may be effective witnesses in the sight of those who are who are observing us.
2nd Corinthians 520 says we are and we are God's ambassadors.
As though God was pleading through us.
That's a heavy statement when you think about it as though God was pleading through us like he's using us.
To plead to a lost and dying world.
His grace.
His salvation, his love to them, and if we're not displaying that love.
What good are we?
Would not bear an effective fruit for him.
Notice again in verse 10 he said if you keep my commandments you will about you will abide in my love just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. Jesus showed his love to the father by keeping and obeying his word.
He said earlier in this book, in the Gospel of John that always do those things.
That are pleasing to him speaking about his father.
And this is what is expected of us as believers as followers of Christ to please him by keeping his commandments and his word completely.
John 1415 says if you love me.
Keep my commandments.
I like the way to amplify above a state.
This particular verse of Scripture says if you really love me, you will keep or obey my commandments.
Later in that same chapter, chapter 14, verse 21, he said he who has my commandments and keeps them.
It is he who loves me.
As I stated earlier, this means the whole Council of God's word.
Not just the verses.
We like and agree with.
But each and every word of God.
Even those verses.
That cut us deep to the core sometimes.
Well expected.
To obey
God's word and to keep his word.
See, we can show up here in church on a Sunday or Wednesday.
Like I said, we can sing.
We can give money.
We can quote scriptures to people until we're blue in the face.
But if you're not keeping and obeying his word.
It's all for nothing.
It's all for nothing, it's just a show.
Remember what the prophet Samuel said to King Saul?
In the book of her Samuel.
After God had given Saul instructions to go out, he said I want you to totally destroy these people there malikites
So Saul took his King, Saul took his marching orders.
He went out.
But he didn't do everything God told him to do.
He didn't totally destroy their malachites.
He brought the keen back King Agag.
I think if his name name was I have to look it up later.
If I'm wrong, you guys, you get the logistics just to what I'm talking about.
He brought back, you know, some of the sheep in the cattle.
The best ones, he said.
And then God said, the Prophet Samuel took old meat King Saul.
To confirm him on what he had done of what he had not done, his lack of obedience to God's word.
And this will King Solomon said this was the prophet Samuel told King Saul in first Samuel 1522.
It says, but Samuel replied after Saul, you know, had given his excuses to to Samuel why he didn't do everything God told him to do.
Samuel told him this.
But Samuel replied, what is more pleasing to the Lord, your burnt offerings and sacrifices, or your obedience to his voice.
He said listen Saul.
Obedience is better than sacrifice.
And submission is better than offering the fatter Rams.
In essence.
King Saul rebelled against God.
He didn't keep.
You know he tried to pretend that he kept.
And obey God command fully. But in essence he didn't. He was rebelling against God and we when we disobey God's word.
We are essentially rebelling against them.
Saying yeah Lord, I know I know what your word says about this or that, but I'm going to do this my way because I think I'm a little bit smarter.
And I know a little bit more than you do about this particular situation.
You might not say that.
Audibly, but when you disobey his word, that's what we're saying.
And you find yourself like that old Frank Sinatra song.
Doing things your way.
And when we do that.
Jesus has.
And answer for us.
He tells us in John 1424 he who does not love me.
Does not keep my word.
Plain and simple.
He that does not love me does not keep my word.
You see, we in one camp or the other.
Either you love him by keeping his word.
Or you don't love him.
By not keeping his word.
And these aren't my words, I'm just giving you what the Bible says.
There's no middle ground.
We like to say, OK, I'm almost get right close to the edge.
And we think, OK, I'm OK.
I did some of what God told me to do or I'm doing some of the things what he told me to do, but I'm OK.
In essence, you're not would not.
We need to quit playing games.
That's the bottom line.
And then what is another way we show our love to our Lord and Savior?
It's about displaying love.
To our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
Verse 12 says this is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.
And I know.
This one can be a difficult one.
Because some of us we can be hard to love.
Especially as believers.
We could be unkind.
We can be abrasive in our approach.
To other people.
We can even be abusive.
In our actions and things that words that we say to people.
We could be callous.
Short tempered.
UN loving, deceitful.
I mean you fill in the blank it's a thousand other adjectives that you can use just to describe us as believers.
No, I'm not talking about unbelievers.
I'm talking about us as believers.
Like I said earlier, you look at, you can look at us and you can't distinguish between.
Yep, that person is a believer and this person is not a believer because in many cases.
We act the same.
But like I said, I know some of us can be hard to believe that hard to love.
But in spite of all of this, God commands us to love one another.
He commands us that we should love one another.
You know you might, you know not.
Agree with a person perspective.
You might not agree with them.
Politically speaking, you might not agree with them on the way they dress or what they.
Drive or what?
All that is irrelevant, he said we should.
Love one another.
Because Christian love has very little to do with our feelings.
But it has everything to do.
With our will.
Are you willing to love somebody?
And in many cases we're not?
Because we based it upon how you feel about a person.
11 with Whispy said this, you must keep in mind that Christian love is not basically a filling.
Fact of the wheel.
We must, as believers surrender our will to the will of the father, just as Jesus did when he walked this earth.
Just as he said when he was in the Garden of God, Simonae father, not my will, but your will be done.
And by surrendering our.
Will to God he can use us.
And bring about much fruit in our lives.
If we're willing to surrender our will to him.
If we love one another as Christ loves us.
We can do this like I said, regardless of how you feel about a person about an individual, if you go to God and be honest with them as a Lord, I just don't like this person.
I don't like being around them.
I don't like the way you dress.
I don't like the.
Way they sound.
And be honest with them.
But say Lord, I'm surrendering this to you to help me to love this individual.
And if he, if you're sincere in your heart.
You'll be surprised what God can do.
Romans 12-1 says, I beseech you, I urge you. Therefore, Paul says, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Part of that reasonable service. That's a believer in Christ is abiding.
In the love of Christ and displaying this love to others.
Especially fellow brothers and sisters who are.
Are the faith.
Again, in verse 17, Jesus says these things.
I command you that you love one another.
This is the second time in this portion of Scripture that the Lord repeats its particular phrase, that you love one another doctor McGee said if the Lord says something once in the Bible is important, but if he says it twice, it's doubly important.
Like I stated earlier, there's more to this Christianity thing.
Than just sitting in church on a Sunday morning.
The Weird believers truly love one another.
If we do not.
We are not about an inner love of Christ.
Our third and final point this morning.
Is abstaining from worldly upset acceptance?
If we're doing points one and two, then .3 shared becomes somewhat natural to us, although it can be difficult to accomplish. Let's read verses 18 through 27 quickly.
It says.
If the world hates you, you know that it hated me.
Before it hated you if you were up 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.
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 also keep yourself.
So, but all these things that they would do to you for my namesake, because they do not know him who sent me verse 22.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
He who hates me hates my father.
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.
But this happened that the word might be fulfilled, which is written in their law.
They hated me without a cause.
Of verse 27 but when hit. But when the helper comes whom I should send to you from their father, the spirit of truth, who proceeds from the father, he would testify me, and you will also bear witness. It bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
The word hate here is used eight times in this portion of Scripture, and the word persecuted is used twice.
What a contrast.
Just from the earlier portion of Scripture where the word love was used eight times in verses 9 through 17, I think.
It's really hard.
To find true and genuine love in the world that we live in today.
Because there's always a condition usually attached to it.
But on the other hand.
You can definitely find true hatred in the world that we live in.
Verse 18 said the world hates you.
You know that it hated me before it hated you, Jesus speaking this word.
Hate in the Greek is missile.
If I'm pronouncing it right, which means to detest or to pursue with hatred.
This is a type of hatred that Jesus is Speaking of here.
It says in verse 19 again, yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world.
Therefore, the world hates you.
A servant is not greater than his master.
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute it.
Persecute you.
Overall, the world hates, despises, and detest the things of Christ.
And his word.
Why again, the answer is given in this gospel in a in an earlier chapter, chapter 3.
Verse 19 says this is a condemnation, that the light Speaking of Jesus has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil for everyone practicing.
Evil haste the light and does not come to the light, lest that these should be exposed.
So we as believers.
This morning people we should not expect the world to embrace us and to love us.
Simply because if the world hates the one that we represent, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
He was the one who brought light into the world, and because of many evil deeds.
They want no part of it.
But the problem with most of us as believers this morning is we want the love and approval of this world.
I had a former coworker.
Coworker who you used to work with me, a good friend of mine and whenever you saw him you would ask him hey how's it going this morning?
How you doing and this was to his the statement that he would make to me all the time he's at rest.
I'm trying to get in where I fit in.
I'm trying to get in where I fit in that's what he would say to me all the time and that's the mentality that a lot of us.
As believers have today, we're trying to fit into a world system that hates and detest us because of our relationship with Christ.
And no matter how hard we try to get in, where we fit in.
It would never happen in this world if you're truly aborted.
In Christ.
Because we live in a world that it's ultimately not our home.
The book of First chronicles tells us that we're pilgrims and sojourners in this world.
Romans 12 two self tells us and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable, acceptable and perfect will of God.
So church family as we get rid of the clothes, stop looking for acceptance here.
Because you're not going to get it, we're not going to get it.
This is not our permanent home.
It's been said you can't walk with Jesus.
And hold hands with the devil.
You can't do it.
And if you're trying to do that, living in this world, thinking OK, I can.
I can keep my 1 foot here in my Christianity and what I believe in another foot in the world.
It's not going to work.
It's not going to work.
Game 4/4 tell us, do you not know that friendship with the world is in enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Again, first, John 217 said, and this world is passing away and the lust of it. But he who does the will of God abides forever.
See if we are abiding in Christ the true and genuine vine and abiding in his love.
The things of this world will grow strangely.
Dim to ourselves believers compared to what awaits us on the other side.
With all the hatred the world has toward our savior.
If we abide and remain in him.
And you guys that understand football would get this, we could be on the 50 yard line and still be first and goal.
If we are abiding in him.
If we abide in the love of Christ and stay connected to him, even though.
I put it to you.
This way we could still be winning.
Although it seems as if we're fighting an uphill battle.
In a downhill world.
As we conclude them this morning, I want you, I want to encourage you.
To not allow anybody or anything to sever that connection.
That you have with Christ.
Continue to abide in Christ.
Come about in the love of Christ that your foundation that your walk as a believer.
Would be sure.
That it would be strong that it would be solid that it would be secure.
That when the storms of life do come.
That foundation would not be shaken.
Because it built and anchored on the rock.
Which is Christ.
I won.
And only true and genuine bond.
So when we get to the other side as we prepare to get to the other side, we'll say.
As we I should say, as we get to the other side, we'll.
Say Oh my God Oh my.
Goodness, Lord, I had no clue.
That this was it, uh?
Waiting for me.
Oh, as my granddaughter says, instead of saying Oh my goodness, she said Oh my cookies.
I had no idea that's what we'll say.
Oh my cookies.
I had no idea so Lena is gonna come up and lead us in another worship song as we prepare to take communion this morning guys.
And I ask that as the guys pass it out, that you hold your cup and you hold the bread so we can partake it together.
Once Lena finished with her song this morning and I sighed as she sings this song this morning.
Like I said, just contemplate.
And ask yourself, I'm not truly about in Christ.
And if we're not, if we have if we have shortfalls like all of us do.
All we gotta do is come back and say Lord, I fell short here.
I fell short there helped me to get back where I need to be with you.
Amen.