Staying Connected To The Source

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Staying Connected To The Source</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id413.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Expression of Love"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id434.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="From Grief To Joy"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"Staying Connected to the Source," </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=John+15:1-27" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>John 15:1-27</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, January 4, 2004</B></div> <div> <I>Note: This series will be once a month on the first Sunday </I></div> <div> <I>in celebration of the Lord's Table in our church.</I></div> <bR> <div>      A few weeks ago, someone driving down the road missed a turn and ended up crashing into a lone apple tree in our yard. In that accident, a major limb of the tree was disconnected from the root and therefore from its source of life. The limb, along with the whole tree, will die. (The driver was fine, his vehicle was not.)</div> <div>      Jesus makes this point with his metaphor of the vine and branches. You cannot live out life as a follower of Christ without being fully connected to the source of the life itself.</div> <div>      Maybe your spiritual life, and everything else, seems anemic. Maybe you are not any making progress. You're not growing at all. You may feel stuck spiritually and relationally. You may not be making any difference in the lives of the people around you. You may find it hard to love people you know you should love. In order to be growing spiritually, we have to stay connected to the source of spiritual life.</div> <div>      But how do we stay connected to the source of life - thereby experiencing life as a follower of Christ, the way Christ intended it?</div> <div>      John 13-17 deals with Jesus' conversation on the night before he went to the cross. Jesus discussed his departure and return, and here in John 15, he continues to address life for his disciples while we wait for his return. He had said he would send the Spirit as our Helper - he would not leave us alone.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. The metaphor of the vine and branches.</B></div> <div> <B>A. John 15:1-8 - The point: remain in Christ. </B></div> <div>      What does it mean to "remain" (vs. 4)? Consider how human relationships drift apart when two people do not talk, interact, or spend time together. Remaining in him is staying relationally connected to him, staying under his influence. Responding to his gospel is the first step is getting into relationship! And the relationship continues from there. His love for us is the foundation of this relationship (vss. 9, 12-16).</div> <div>      Remaining in Christ <I>demonstrates</I> that you are a true disciple. We do not remain in Christ to "stay saved." We remain in Christ if we <I>are</I> saved. True disciples bear fruit. Fake disciples (people who act like they are part of the group, like Judas) will be cast away, because they never had life to begin with (vss. 2, 6-8). (See <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=1John+2:19" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>1 John 2:19</U></A>.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>B. John 15:9-17 - The results of remaining in Christ. </B></div> <div> 1. We bear fruit (vss. 5, 16). We achieve the results that Christ wants to achieve - as if he were living through us, because he is. This includes <I>being</I> a disciple and <I>making</I> disciples (sharing his good news with those outside his family and building up others who are in his family).</div> <div> 2. We practice obedience (vs. 10). Obedience is the result of remaining in him, and obedience is necessary to continue to be closely connected to him. We need to be  under his influence and strength in order to obey him, and we need to obey him (in his strength) so as not to interrupt the relationship.</div> <div> 3. We experience true joy (vs. 11). This is the basis of genuine worship.</div> <div> 4. We practice love  (vss. 12-17). You cannot love like Jesus loved without his help and influence.</div> <div> 5. We become witnesses for Christ (vss. 26-27).</div> <bR> <div> <B>C. John 15:18-27 - The challenge: expect opposition because of your union with Christ.</B></div> <div>      Jesus reaffirms the task and the effectiveness that he will bring about, despite opposition (vss. 26-27). Don't be surprised when you face opposition because of Christ, and don't give up.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Two lessons:</B></div> <div> A. You cannot do anything <I>for</I> Christ without doing it <I>with</I> Christ. </div> <div>      You cannot obey him or serve him without depending fully on him (vss. 4-5); this is expressed through  prayer (vss. 7, 16 - in his will and for his glory)! We don't really do anything <I>for</I> God, as though we were doing it on our own.</div> <div> B. The key to remaining in Christ is staying in his word, soaking it in, and being influenced by it (vs. 7). 1 John 2:24 says, "See that what you have heard  from the beginning [the teaching of the Word of God] remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father."</div> <div>      This is <I>foundational</I> to growth and health. It is as necessary to your spiritual life as a battery and fuel are for you car. If your car battery is disconnected, don't be all shocked and surprised that your car won't run. If you have no fuel, don't be surprised if you cannot get anywhere. Even if you have a Hummer, you still need battery power and fuel to go anywhere. That is how much you need to be in the word of God on a regular basis.</div> <bR> <div> It's a new year, and today is your opportunity to reconnect with Christ and recommit yourself to him. Here are some questions for thought:</div> <div> 1. Do you make it a point to regularly spend time with Christ in the word  and prayer.</div> <div> 2. Are you actively pursuing obedience in every area of your life?</div> <div> 3. Are you showing love to everyone around you?</div> <div> 4. Are you humbly depending on Christ for everything?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2004, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>