Scripture John 15:1-10
Leo Tolstoy said Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.
John 15:1-10 Jesus said,
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every
branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he
prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean
because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I
will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the
vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (Have a branch with leaves on it – pull some leaves off
and ask…how many leaves will grow back on this branch next year? NONE / WHY?
Because it has been cut off. If this branch were still attached and I cut here
and there, would leaves grow back next year? Yes…and maybe more because I have
done intentional pruning to make it grow better.)
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me (like the cut off branch) you can do nothing.6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words (Red Letter Edition) remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (REMAIN 9xs - be consistent, unswerving, stable, unfailing – be faithful. Christianity is not 3/1 it is 24/7)
Matthew 12:33-38 Jesus also said,
"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a
tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything
good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man
brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings
evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have
to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have
spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be
condemned."
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." They obviously missed the point – Jesus said it is what is on the inside that counts.,..they said “Let’s see something external then we will listen to you.”
Proverbs 4:20-23
My son, pay
attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of
your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find
them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it
is the wellspring of life.
2 Corinthians4:7-8
But we have
this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from
God and not from us.
I am not worthy to be a pastor preacher. None of us are from a moral standpoint – we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But I have also never felt worthy from and intelligence standpoint – even with three college degrees. God’s word is far above any education we can obtain. That proves the point of today’s message. The message I preach and the work I do as a pastor is not because I have great ability – it is only ever because I have availability – I make my self available for Jesus to take up residence inside me and what comes out is His Holy Spirit led message. That is how we must live the Christian life – stop striving to be perfect and strat striving to be “in Christ” and to have Christ “in you”.
There
is only one way to have Christ in you…with a change of heart and mind. You must
receive Christ by faith and then he will pour His Spirit into you.
Matthew 9:17 Men do not pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
And when you are made into a new
wineskin and receive the new wine – you will truly have Christ on the inside
which will be reflected on the out. You literally become…The Other Jesus – a
part of His body, the church, and now we will be keeping a steady gaze on
Jesus!
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