WEBVTT 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:10.720 Some of the most difficult things in Christianity will require more joy than guilt, self-hatred, or determination. 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:16.160 This is why most people don't achieve them, rarely experience them, and really don't enjoy them. 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:23.920 This podcast is a ministry of Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people know, enjoy, and glorify God. 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:28.800 For more information about Grand Parkway, visit Grandparkway.org. 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:32.079 Amen. 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:32.719 Let's pray. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:37.840 Father, we uh we're struck this morning, or we should be struck, by the beauty of little words. 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:42.479 Church is not about coming and hearing big words and leaving and feeling stupid. 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:47.679 No, you're a God of you get you use big words sometimes, but most often you use little words. 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:52.640 Like the little words we just sang, like ever and only and all. 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:54.320 That is the God of the Bible. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:55.600 That's the God of Christianity. 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:58.320 He's not complicated, He's accessible. 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:08.000 He's the God that put on flesh and blood and came and lived on this earth and said, Hey, come to me, all you that labored are heavy-laden, and you'll find rest for your souls. 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:13.359 And so, Lord, let us be struck today by the simplicity of both God and gospel. 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:16.000 Ever only all. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:19.359 Ever only all. 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:21.760 Those are great words. 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:24.719 Ever only all for thee. 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:29.120 Now, Holy Spirit, make the Bible make sense today. 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:33.599 Cause it to kind of click in our head and in our heart and find expression in our hands this week. 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:40.799 And the way we love our wives and raise our children, spend our money and be a neighbor and be an employee and a boss and the CEO. 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:42.879 The gospel affects all those people. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:48.879 So, Holy Spirit, lead us into the truth so we can be freer cats when we walk out of here than we were when we walked in. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:49.760 This is our prayer. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:53.200 We ask for it in Jesus' name, and everyone said, Amen. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:53.680 Amen. 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:54.400 You can have a seat. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.680 If you've got a Bible, I invite you to take it and open up to John chapter 15. 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:01.680 If you're our guest, let me say uh welcome and thank you for looking into a new church. 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:05.200 We're going through the Gospel of John and we're up to chapter 15 this morning. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:08.319 And I want to talk to you this morning about what Christians tend to forget. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:14.639 What Christians tend to forget, because the longer you're a Christian, I've been a Christian since July of 1982. 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:16.000 That was a long time ago. 00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:17.680 Some of you in this room were not even born. 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:18.960 Let me ask this question. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:24.719 How many of you in this room, I see you smiling out there, how many in this room were not born in July of 1982? 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:26.159 Could you raise your hand? 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:28.000 God, y'all are some punks. 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:29.919 Anyway, I don't take that personally. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:31.599 So I've been a Christian a long time. 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:32.719 And here's what happens. 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:39.520 Like when I said July of 1982, there's a young lady in this section right here that just kind of went, wow, I wasn't even born. 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:41.039 That's a long time ago. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:43.120 Oh, and now she's trying to figure out my age. 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:44.479 I'll be 55 next month. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.000 Anyway, bring your gifts. 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:49.520 So as a Christian, I've been a Christian a long time. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:51.439 And so it's easy for me to kind of forget. 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:56.960 And we have this passion, and the church and American Christianity kind of fuels this passion for the new. 00:02:57.039 --> 00:02:59.599 And I'm all for that, but don't let go of the old. 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:05.280 There's a passage in the book of Ecclesiastes that says it's good to take hold of one thing and not let go of another. 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:11.759 I want to just kind of remind you hey, don't let go of these things in your passion and pursuit of what's new and what's next. 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:16.960 Because a lot of times what's new and what's next pales in comparison to this stuff back here. 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:21.199 So I want to talk to you from John 15 about what Christians tend to forget. 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:23.039 Verse 1, this is the Bible. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:24.719 Jesus is talking, and he says this. 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:28.000 He says, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:31.039 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:34.960 Every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:38.000 Already you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:40.560 Abide in me, and I in you. 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:47.039 As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, and neither can you, unless you abide in me. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:49.199 I am the vine, you are the branches. 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:52.800 Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.520 For apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:02.879 If any one does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:07.599 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:09.680 By this is my Father glorified. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:15.039 You bear much that you bear much fruit, and so prove yourselves to be my disciples. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:17.759 As the Father has loved me, so I've loved you. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:19.040 Abide in my love. 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:25.839 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:32.720 These things I've spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:33.839 May be full. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.360 I want to talk to you this morning about uh what Christians tend to forget. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.000 There's four things from the passage from the text this morning. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:42.879 The first one is simply this the nature of the Father's work. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.360 We tend to forget the nature of the Father's work. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:50.160 Now, I may refer to an old man that discipled me throughout their sermon this morning. 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:59.360 I just want to say uh when I became a Christian at 18, it was a couple years later, I went and worked at a at a Christian camp, and I was discipled by an older man that worked there. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.120 I think he was at the time 48. 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:02.560 I thought that was ancient back then. 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:05.199 Because I'm like 20, and I thought this guy could die at any moment. 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:08.480 He was one of those guys that said crazy things to me. 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.639 Like, I mean, just it just bizarre. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:15.519 Uh like he said to me, the first thing he said to me that made me I didn't know what discipleship was. 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:21.759 I just thought you became a Christian, you went to church, you sinned a lot, you told God you're sorry, and you tried harder. 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:28.720 Uh he walked up to me one day, he always had a cup of coffee in his hand, and he would blow on the coffee, and the steam would fog up his glasses. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:30.480 And I just kind of thought, wow. 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:35.279 And then years later, they made a malox commercial where this guy's blowing on some gumbo. 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:36.560 And he's like, Oh, Maylox. 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:38.319 I thought, oh, look, it's that guy. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:39.839 But he walked up to me one day. 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:43.839 I'm I'm 20 years old, working at a Christian camp, loving Jesus, working for Jesus. 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:48.879 And he just looked at me and he said, Hey, are you getting tired of working on yourself and getting nowhere? 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:53.120 And I was like, you talking to me? 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:54.959 Uh and he's like, Yeah, I'm talking to you, Mr. 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:56.079 Personality. 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:01.759 And I was like, Well, I mean, I'm just, you know, just loving the Lord, blah, blah, blah. 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:03.040 And he goes, relax, relax. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:04.079 You're not in trouble, son. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:07.839 I just think that you get a lot of affirmation because you have a big personality and you're enjoyable. 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.959 I wonder how much weight you got in the bottom of the ship. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:15.040 Because I'm concerned you don't have, I'm, what did he say? 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:17.519 I'm concerned you got more mast than ballast. 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:18.480 That's what he said. 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:20.160 I we didn't have Google back then. 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:21.439 This is how long ago that was. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.319 I had to go ask people what is mast and what is ballast. 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:26.639 And they ballast is the weight in the bottom of the ship. 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:29.199 The mast is like the sails and the rigging and stuff. 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.959 So, unless you have, if you got more mast than ballast, the ship's gonna turn over. 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:38.240 What keeps the sheep, the ship riding is you got weight in the bottom of the ship where no one can see. 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:40.399 And he would say stuff like that and just walk off. 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:41.360 Now, why am I saying this? 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:43.839 Because the church is supposed to be doing this for each other. 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:46.560 Older men should be speaking into the lives of younger men. 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:49.439 And older women should be speaking into the lives of younger women. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:51.920 You shouldn't just be getting together with your friends and reading a book. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:53.199 That's not discipleship. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:54.240 That's a book club. 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:55.680 Oprah can do that. 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:57.920 The church is to do discipleship. 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:02.079 And it's not about being polished, shiny, it's about being scraped sharp. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:08.160 Like the first time this man met my girlfriend, the next time we met, he said to me, Hey, can we talk about the obvious? 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:10.480 And I was like, Yeah, man, isn't God great? 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:12.240 And he said, What's that? 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:14.319 And I said, Don't make fun of my girlfriend. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:17.040 He goes, I'm not making fun of your girlfriend, I'm making fun of you. 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:21.680 Yeah, I was like, tell you what. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:24.800 Oh he asked me one time and he really provoked me. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:25.439 He goes, Are you mad? 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:26.879 I said, Dang straight I'm mad. 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:27.680 He said, Great. 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:30.959 I'm not saying don't be mad, I'm saying be mad to the glory of God. 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:35.439 What kind of crazy old man are you? 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:36.560 Huh? 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:39.439 He said, first thing we tend to forget the nature of the father's work. 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:39.920 What do you mean? 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:40.560 It's verse one. 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:42.639 He says, I am the true vine, Jesus said. 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:44.480 And my father is the vine dresser. 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:48.399 Now, if I ask you what is a vine dresser, how many in this room would know what a vine dresser is? 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:49.519 Could I see your hands? 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:53.759 Yes, yes, all the wine drinkers in the room are like, Yes, I know what that is. 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:56.720 Yes, I named my first child, Merlot. 00:07:56.959 --> 00:07:59.600 Anyway, uh a vine dresser. 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:03.360 A vine dresser is now when Jesus tells you something, he never wastes words, okay? 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:05.040 He says, I am the true vine. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:06.639 My father is the vine dresser. 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:13.680 You have to understand that because that sets the tone and the timber for the rest of this passage, especially the first two or three verses. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.279 Uh and so I'm such a nerd. 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:17.120 I went and looked up what a vine dresser was. 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:19.439 I knew what it was, but I wanted to understand what they do. 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:24.639 This is from a secular article about the people that tend grapes in a vineyard where they make wine. 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:25.680 And this is what they said. 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:31.040 They said, a vine dresser, now, when you hear this, think about God and the way he relates to you as a Christian. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:36.559 A vine dresser is an agriculturalist involved in the daily pruning and cultivation of grape vines. 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:43.440 As with any agricultural professional, vine dressers work nearly year-round to help ensure the vineyard has a successful crop. 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:46.639 Pruning is one of the preeminent tasks of a vine dresser. 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:51.120 These pruning techniques take into consideration the shape and the consistency of the vine. 00:08:51.360 --> 00:09:00.720 Pruning is an essential task as it removes dead, diseased, or stunted fruits to make room for new growth, ultimately leading to a healthy and productive vine. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:04.879 The pruning process begins very shortly after planting, usually within a few weeks. 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:06.399 I did not know that. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:08.000 A few weeks. 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:14.399 Keeping pests away from the burgeoning vines is vital to maintaining the vineyard and ultimately the wine production. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:18.960 Now let me read that last sentence again, and you think about your friends that your parents don't seem to like. 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:25.120 Keeping pests away from the burgeoning vines is vital to maintaining the vineyard and ultimately wine production. 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:32.960 Vine dressers must also closely monitor vineyards to ensure each is receiving the correct amount of water and irrigation during the growing season. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:40.320 Failure by the vine dresser to provide adequate water to vines could lead to sunburn, immature vines, and pest problems. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:45.840 And by the way, I read this over and over and over. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:48.639 This was my devotional for a period of time, I must confess. 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:50.399 Here's what I was struck by the first sentence. 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:56.080 A vine dresser is an agriculturalist involved in the daily pruning and cultivation of the grapes. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.200 God is daily pruning and cultivating. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:04.159 Unless you understand the nature of the Father's work, you don't understand the next two or three verses. 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:06.240 Because, see, most people hear this now that I said that. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:08.320 Let me read verse one and two again. 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.799 I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:14.000 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:18.480 And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:23.039 Unless you understand the nature of the Father's work, you fight against that process. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:24.559 Because most people hear this. 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:28.639 And again, verse two every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:33.039 Every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may be, that it may bear more fruit. 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:37.519 Most people hear this and they kind of think, man, I better get busy producing fruit or else God's gonna take me away. 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:47.840 And preachers with no integrity come along and they use this thing out of context and they make you feel guilty and they kind of manipulate you to you better be producing fruit or God's gonna take you away. 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:51.279 This is why context is so important when reading the Bible. 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.919 This is not a bunch of disconnected one-off stories. 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:57.440 This is all everything in the Bible happens in a certain context. 00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:59.279 This is the context of what just happened. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:00.639 We're in chapter 15. 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:10.399 Now, it is in chapter chapter 13 and 14 where Jesus sets the stage, and then it happens that Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus, he leaves the disciples. 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:16.799 Jesus dips some bread in a cup of wine and hands it to him and said, Here's the one that's gonna betray me like you can't roll up on me. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:19.519 Y'all are bringing Kool-Aid to a gym party, okay? 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:21.200 You can't tell me things I don't know. 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:23.440 And so he's like, Here's the one that's gonna betray me. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:26.480 And Judas is so overwhelmed by guilt. 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:27.840 He gets up and he runs out. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:32.000 Because Jesus hands him the bread and said, Whatever you do, do quickly. 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:34.240 He doesn't say stop anything. 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:36.399 And so Judas has left the disciples. 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:38.240 Now, why do I make a big deal out of that? 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:39.039 Here's why. 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:43.200 Because the context of the Bible helps us translate the Bible accurately. 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:48.960 Having said that, I'm saying to you this morning, the first part of verse two, Jesus is referring to Judas. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.000 The second part of verse two, he's talking to the disciples. 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:53.279 Hear it again, verse two. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:57.200 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away Judas. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:02.480 And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit, the disciples. 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:06.480 He says, Hey, I got no, I got no achievement certificates, no awards, no trophies. 00:12:06.559 --> 00:12:07.519 You're bearing fruit. 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:08.080 Great. 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:11.679 God's going to prune you so that you can bring forth more fruit. 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:20.559 Judas Iscariot demonstrates this ruthless commitment to his own agenda to not abide in and trust in Jesus, and his life ends in fruitless despair. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.919 Because the Father, the vine dresser, takes him away. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:27.600 This is why Jesus says what he says to them, and we'll get to that in just a minute. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:37.279 The second part's a reference to the disciples, and it's instructive for them, but also for us, because it helps us to understand the necessity of pruning and the goal of pruning. 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:44.240 And because unless you understand, unless I understand the necessity of pruning and the goal of pruning, it all feels like punishment. 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:45.919 It all feels like punishment. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.559 Like I alluded to this girl that I dated when I was 20. 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.159 And I thought, man, this is awesome. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:55.120 And we got one weekend out of the 13-week summer at the camp I worked at where we could have a family visit. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.799 My family's kind of like, we're working. 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:00.159 We ain't knocking off to come see you or some religious cult you've joined. 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:08.080 So my girlfriend came to see me, and I was so excited, and all my guy friends, one of my guy friends said to me, dude, if I had your hands, I'd cut mine off. 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:09.759 I had no idea what that meant. 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.080 I was like, I think he thinks my girlfriend's pretty, okay? 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:13.360 Back then we said, fine. 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.879 I don't know if you say that anymore in the Me Too generation, but they were all excited. 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:18.720 Have you seen McClennan's girlfriend? 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:20.159 How did he get a woman like that? 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:21.200 Are you kidding me? 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:22.080 Blah, blah, blah. 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:25.759 It's all the same things you people say to me now about my wife. 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:28.639 Yes, I hear you. 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:36.799 I walk by the hall the other day, and some kid goes, How did the guy that looks like the love child of Pitt Bull and Tim Keller get a woman like that? 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:39.600 I'm like, Yeah, yeah, think about it. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:46.879 But my girlfriend comes for the weekend, she leaves, and we sit down for our discipleship time on Monday, and he says, Let's start with the obvious. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:47.679 And I said, What do you mean? 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:48.720 He says, What was that? 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:52.320 And he started getting my girlfriend, and I was like, Right, I said, Don't talk about my girlfriend. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:53.519 He said, I'm not making fun of your girlfriend. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:54.960 I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about you. 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:58.159 I think you date her for your pleasure and not God's glory. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:03.120 And I just thought, about four minutes in, I thought, this is not going well today. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:13.279 Because discipleship for me, church was where you got together with religious information, played badminton, boo, and Jesus hit it back to you, boo, and then no one, oh, awesome, that's good. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:14.080 And pray for me. 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:16.159 I've got a little unspoken prayer request. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:19.200 This old man showed up shirtless and played dodgeball. 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.919 It was awesome, but it scared me to death. 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:30.799 He said to me one time, we because we read John 15 the whole chapter for months. 00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:35.279 And I was, I remember just thinking, is there anything else in the Bible? 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:39.679 We talked about Pruny one day, and he said to me about my girlfriend, he said, Here's my problem with you, son. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:47.360 You're trying to make a living, you're trying to make a meal out of small bitter fruit because you don't trust God to bring you the juicy grape. 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:52.399 And in my mind, I was like, I have no idea what you just said, but it sounded really spiritual. 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:57.120 And then he just looked at me and he said, Son, sometimes when God loves you, he puts the blade on you. 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:00.480 What are you talking about, Willis? 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:01.519 And I said, What? 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:04.080 He goes, He puts the blade on you, he prunes you. 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:05.039 He prunes you. 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:06.720 You know why you prune a tree, son? 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:08.000 And I'd worked at a peach orch. 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:12.879 I said, Yeah, you prune a tree to thicken up the branches so it can support the weight of future growth. 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:13.440 Yeah. 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:18.639 Unless you're willing to let go of this and let God prune it off, you ain't gonna get anything better than this. 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:23.919 You're gonna settle for this, you're gonna eat small, bitter, undeveloped fruit the rest of your life. 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:24.799 You are the kid. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:25.600 He called me a kid. 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:27.440 I was like, I'm 20 years old, I'm not a kid. 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:33.039 He said, You're the kid with a mouthful of raisins who denies the existence of grapes. 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.320 And I was like, I don't even know what that means. 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:43.039 Later that day, like four o'clock, I'm mowing out on the property, and I was like, Oh, he was insulting me. 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:50.320 Afterwards, we got done working, we went and showered up, went to supper to service supper, and I saw him sitting over there with all the adults smiling. 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:52.320 I said, I got your grape raisin thing. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:55.200 And he just held up his glass and he just was like, hey. 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:58.159 I was just like, Oh. 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:02.320 By the way, I was I'll be 55 next month. 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:04.559 These things were said to me when I was 20. 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:08.639 You need people in your life that say consequential things to you. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:10.879 I can remember him looking at me, one smiling way. 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:13.519 He says, When God loves you, he puts a blade on you sometimes, son. 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:17.840 And if he doesn't, your life will be a life of leaf and not fruit. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:19.840 From a distance, you'll look good. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:23.679 But when Jesus comes close and parts the leaves, there's nothing in there. 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:32.960 I've been a Christian two years, and I remember thinking, this man speaks a different language than everybody I've known so far. 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:36.559 But the more I read the Bible, the more I understood the language that he was speaking. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:40.879 And again, unless you understand the necessity, the nature of the Father's work. 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:45.039 The Father does what the Father does to bring more fruit into our life. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:46.720 He's the vine dresser. 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:57.600 Unless you understand that, you understand the necessity of pruning and the goal of pruning, it all starts to feel like punishment when in reality what God is doing is preparing you and I to be able to sustain bigger and more fruit. 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:02.399 You prune again to thicken up branches so it can support the weight of what has to come. 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:05.839 A couple years later, I had another relationship a lot like that one. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.720 Which is great, but it just wasn't like, ah, this is going somewhere. 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:14.000 It's like, hey, it's just somebody to hang out with and kiss on the mouth and go eat dinner with and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:16.240 Same thing happened, had to end the relationship. 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:18.319 I didn't say, hey, I've been praying. 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:20.079 I think the Lord just wants us to be friends. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:21.680 Don't be such a coward, men. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:23.039 Put your big boy pants on. 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:25.279 And say, hey, this relationship doesn't glorify God. 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:26.960 I don't want to be in this relationship anymore. 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.000 There's a lot of yeah, yeah, yeah things we could say, but that's the bottom line. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:31.519 How do you feel about that? 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:41.519 And by the way, when you defraud a woman, when you lead her with your words beyond where your heart is, that's called defrauding. 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:44.160 That's an emotionally traumatic thing. 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:51.599 And I just had to sit there and watch just come undone, sobbing uncontrollable, and I thought, this is a gross feeling. 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.000 I don't want to ever do this to anybody ever again. 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:54.960 So I didn't. 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:56.720 I just was like, I'm done. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:17:58.880 The old man was killing me. 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.599 And he said to me, he said, This won't make sense. 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:04.880 Sometimes it'll be years down the road until this makes sense. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:06.240 You expect me to go years. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:07.920 I didn't say that, but I'm thinking it. 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:09.200 That's easy for you. 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:10.079 You're like 48. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:11.359 You're gonna die any day now. 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.039 You got a wife and kids. 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:16.799 When you're 48, it's just easy. 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:19.039 Yeah, thank you. 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:24.000 I'm 54, I'm still waiting for Easy to get here. 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:26.480 This is what I'm saying to you. 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:29.359 None of that made sense until I was in grad school. 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:37.039 I looked up across the campus and I saw this blonde hair whipping in the wind, and these straight-legged Levi's and cowboy boots and a white t-shirt and no makeup. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:40.160 And my first thought was, What a friend we have in Jesus. 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:44.160 All our sins and griefs to bear. 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:47.920 And then I met her and talked to her, and I was like, dang, that's like a woman. 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:49.200 That's not like a girl. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:50.160 And guess what? 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:52.000 I heard the voice of the old man. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:58.640 Sometimes when he loves you, son, he lays the blade on you to prune off what's unnecessary so that what's necessary can come. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:06.960 I've been with that blonde for 26, married for 26 years. 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:08.000 We dated for two. 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:10.720 Best thing I ever did. 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:12.559 Because I understood pruning. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:16.160 Here's the second thing Christians tend to forget that austerity is not the norm. 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:17.440 Austerity is not the norm. 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:18.079 Look at verse 3. 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:18.799 You still with me? 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:19.920 Can you feel it in the room? 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:23.599 Some of you cats are like, oh, easy, let's just go home right now. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:26.400 Austerity is not the norm. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:27.200 Look at verse 3. 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:30.559 Jesus says, Already you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:31.440 Hear that. 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:34.720 Already you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:36.240 Jesus is not criticizing them. 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:40.000 A lot of people think that Jesus is like, hey, you guys better get out there and bear some fruit. 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:43.680 I'll tell you what, it's going to wadge up and throw you into hell and you're going to burn and blah, blah, blah. 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:45.119 What do you do with verse 3? 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:47.839 Already you are clean because of the word I've spoken to you. 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:52.640 He's not criticizing, he's encouraging them to continue in what he's already established. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:59.279 Now, if you've been with us on this journey in the Gospel of John, I know some of you are like, how long am I being John till we get to the end of it? 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:04.720 And then we're going to preach through the book of Daniel next because the culture in Daniel is kind of like our culture. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:08.400 Christians are being persecuted, and we're going to be persecuted even more. 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:11.920 So put your big boy pants on and buck up, little soldier. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:14.559 Thank you for coming. 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:18.400 And after that, we're going to probably do Galatians. 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:20.000 That's about the next six years. 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:24.480 Anyway, so stop asking me how long I'm going to be in John. 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:25.680 Till we get to the end. 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:26.480 Yeah. 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:27.759 Until we get to the end. 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:32.880 So either buckle in or go find you a topical Tommy that'll tell you something new every four weeks. 00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:40.079 And it's like riding a stick horse through Christianity rather than into Christ. 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:42.240 Big difference of the two. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:43.920 And now back to the text. 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:45.039 Anyway. 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:47.920 Jesus says, already you're clean. 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:48.880 Hear that again. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:51.119 Already you're clean because of the word I spoken to you. 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:59.359 And if you've been with us on this journey, here's why you should develop your muscles and your appetite for exegetical and expository preaching. 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:03.119 Because you see the big themes of the Bible and the big picture of God. 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:04.640 And this is a great example of that. 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.519 Jesus says, Already you're clean because the word I spoke to you. 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:11.039 And if you've been with us in John, you should be like, now wait a minute, I've heard this before. 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:17.119 And where you heard this before was two chapters earlier in chapter 13 at the Last Supper, Jesus gets up to wash the disciples' feet. 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:17.599 Remember that? 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:18.480 He's washing their feet. 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:20.319 He gets to Peter and Peter, Mr. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:21.359 Austerity, Mr. 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:23.599 When I say austerity, what is austerity? 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:25.519 Austerity is hard, difficult. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:30.000 There's a lot of people in the church that are like, if it's not hard, it's not spiritual. 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.079 And that's Peter. 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:35.599 Jesus gets to him, and Peter says, No, Lord, you won't wash my feet. 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:39.119 And Jesus looks up and says, Hey man, if I don't wash your feet, you have no place with me. 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:40.960 Then Peter's like, his austerity kicks in. 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:44.640 He's like, Well, then, not my feet, but my head and my hands and my whole body. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:47.119 And Jesus is like, dude, I didn't come to bathe you. 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:49.359 Okay, we ain't going there. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:50.960 This ain't a sponge bath. 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:51.839 Knock it off. 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:53.279 Here's what Jesus says. 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:55.519 I brought it for you this morning so you wouldn't think I made it up. 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:57.200 It's John 13, verse 10. 00:21:57.359 --> 00:22:03.039 Jesus says, The one who is bathed does not need To wash except for his feet, but is completely clean. 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:04.960 And you are clean, but not every one of you. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:06.400