This week we’ve confessed that we are nothing without Christ, who is not only enough, he is all in all. We saw that our muchness comes from his enoughness and that it only takes a mustard seed amount of faith to have enough. We need to stay with him so we don’t lose our muchness. Let’s read John 15.
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Transcription:
Guest Host: Jen Ervig
This week everyone, we’ve confessed through the Bible for Busy People podcast that we are not only not enough, but we are nothing without Christ who is not only enough, he is all in all. We saw that our muchness comes from his enoughness and that it only takes a mustard seed amount of faith to have enough. Now we’re going to talk about staying enough, staying with him so that we don’t lose our muchness. Let’s read John 15.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also 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. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are 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 remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for 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. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other. 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Did you hear that? Abiding with Christ needs to be enough for us. It’s enough for him. John 15:3 says, Work has already been accomplished. That makes us healthy and connected or enough, but pruning is a continual process to keep us that way. Pruning hurts and it’s in those moments when the enemy likes to come in and say, See? You’re not enough. Author Jodi Dietrich says, to not be discouraged because Jesus reminds us that fruitfulness is not about attainment, but attachment. It’s not about being better, but belonging. She says anything good in our lives i’s all about our grip on him and his grip on us. That’s it! I saw a meme this week, maybe from Judith Smith, that says, we always think that the priority is what we’re partnering with God on. No. The priority is that you’re partnering with God. Did you hear that? It’s not about being enough. It’s about attachment to the one who is enough. We are not expected to be perfect. He perfects us until his return. Sanctification is ongoing. He who began a good work and that can only happen when we’re hanging onto him for dear life. When we’re utterly attached, we get to do life with God, not for God. The things we do for him are because we are with him.
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