Title Restore the relationship (John 15:1-11)
Content 15th Year-end Special Early Morning Revival - Day 12
[John 15:1-11]
Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is a relationship. It is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Religion teaches what not to do and what to do. Christianity is a life-sharing relationship. Here's an interesting example of how to drive a Fantastic relationship with Jesus Christ. If you drive at 45, you should sing this hymn, “Don't worry, the Lord will keep you”, if you drive at 55, “If you want to get closer to me”, if you drive at 65, “I am coming to you now”, at 75. “Let’s go forward to heaven”, driving at 85 mph “I feel comfortable wherever I am”, 95 mph “The rock will open and I will enter”, and 100 mph “Lord, I saw you in my dream last night” , when you start running over 100 miles, “With the Saviour I died, and with the Saviour I live”.
What can tell you that you have a wonderful relationship with God? Do you have a long religious life? no. Relationship. Through the Word, we will share the principles for living a vibrant life that bears abundant fruit and is full of joy through our relationship with God.
First, abide in Christ (v. 1).
“I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener”
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches of the tree. You can build deep relationships with the saints while living your life of faith. This is a relationship that cannot be broken unless you want to break it. When our deep spiritual relationship with the saints is broken, we die spiritually. That's why relationships with the saints are so important. However, no matter how close you are with the saints, if you do not have a relationship with Christ, your relationship becomes nothing. The most important relationship is your relationship with Jesus.
The word “abide” appears eleven times in the text. This means a deep relationship with God. Are you living in a deep relationship with the Lord every moment? Do you trust and follow the Lord? I'm not talking about working hard at church. Many saints serve diligently in the church, but sometimes they miss the most essential thing, the relationship with the Lord. If we depend on the Lord, our lives will work together for good and become an OK life. We must walk with God in our daily lives. Like Enoch, we must walk with God. Even if there is no special event, a life that always walks with God becomes the power. To walk with the Lord, we must trust Him. He knows our prayers. You know our pain. Trust in the Lord.
Second, abide in the word of the Lord (v. 7).
“If you abide in me and I abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
(If you remain in me and my word remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you)”
Do you believe the saying “God’s word is truth”? If we hold onto the Word of God, it will hold us. If you miss the Word, you cannot win. The life of faith is not an effort. Training. It must be refined through training. We must be trained in the Word of God. The lack of growth is due to the absence of the Word of God. Religious life alone does not lead to growth. The Bible was not written to satisfy our curiosity but to make us to confirm his image.
Words change lives. If you have the Word near you, you can live a holy life in God. God's Word was not given for information of knowledge, but to change our lives (Bible is not given for information but it is given for transformation). If you have the Word near you, you can live holy in God. There is a saying. “If you draw near to the Word, you will be far from sin, but if you draw near to sin, the Word will keep you away (The book will keep you away from sin or sin will keep you away from book)”. “If the Bible is clean, my life is a life polluted with sin, and if I read the Bible too much, my life will be a clean life (Dusty bible always leads dirty life and the dirty bile always leads clean life)”. Keep the word close.
Can you confess that apart from God you can do nothing? “I am the vine and you are the branches; if he is in me and I in him, this man bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (verse 5). The reason we are away from the Word is because we are in the spiritual illusion that we can do it on our own without God. When we are separated from God, we become unable to worship Him.
Third, abide in the love of Christ (verse 9).
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
(As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you)”
Soak in the love of Christ. Come into the love of Christ. Human love is conditional. It is a limited and temporary love. It is a love that even parents cannot take the place of their children's pain. It's emotional. But God's love is unconditional. Unlimited and sacrificial. And God's love is eternal. “You see, just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Human love is because of conditions. But God's love is in spite of. We love anyone unconditionally. If you have a deep relationship with God, these results will come.
First, it bears fruit (v. 2).
There are four types of trees: There is a tree that does not bear fruit (verse 2), a tree that bears fruit (verse 2), a tree that bears more (verse 3), and a tree that bears abundantly (verse 5). What kind of tree branch are we? When you have a relationship with God, you can become a tree that bears abundant fruit.
Second, it is an answer to prayer (verse 7).
The more you maintain your relationship with God, the more your prayers will be answered. When a child of God asks for it, we cannot but respond. Because God loves us. But before you ask, there must be some worship of the Lord. First, establish a relationship with God.
Third, there is joy (verse 11).
Through a spiritual relationship with God, we can bear fruit, receive answers to prayers, and have joy. There may be no change in the environment. But when the Lord is in us, He brings joy within us.
In summarizing the sermon, I would like to ask three questions.
1. Are you growing old or growing up?
2. Are you living or simply just existing?
3. Do you substitute church activities with a personal relationship with God instead of your relationship with God?
We hope that you will meet God deeply and build a deep relationship with God through this special event. I pray in the name of Jesus that you abide in the word of Christ and abide in the love of Christ so that you may live a life that bears abundant fruit.