New Year s Eve Sermon 12/31/17 John 15:1-11 The Ultimate New Year s Resolution- Theme- Abiding in Christ Introduction- Happy New Year s Eve morning-

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1 New Year s Eve Sermon 12/31/17 John 15:1-11 The Ultimate New Year s Resolution- Theme- Abiding in Christ Introduction- Happy New Year s Eve morning- only a few hours left in 2017 and we all have a new season right in front of us Many of you probably spent some time over the last few days or weeks looking back on 2017 and assessing what kind of year it was for you o Some of you are saying to yourself, it s been a rough year, I ve dealt with a lot of challenges, or maybe 2017 was awesome and filled with blessings and couldn t have gotten any better.. Regardless of where you are on that spectrum you probably also spent time determining what goals you wanted to set for 2018 to change things up for the better. We call these goals New Year s Resolutions. o NYR weren t invented here but were supposedly started over 4000 years ago by the Babylonians they believed if they promised to pay off debts or returned objects they had borrowed then made good on the promise their Pagan Gods would bestow favor on them o The focus of the resolutions has changed over the years to things like: being a better person, losing weight, exercising more, spending less & saving more, improving your health, eating better, getting a job, a better job, stop smoking or drinking or using foul language o All of these sound like they could be pretty good things to do, but the statistics say you are unlikely to succeed.in fact, over 60% of you will stop trying by the end of January and only 8% will succeed at achieving your goal o That s kind of discouraging right? If 92% of our New Year s Resolutions aren t going to make it to the finish line in what will??

2 January 1 st is an opportunity to start fresh with a clean slate how will you step into it? As Apprentices of Jesus.I propose we look to God s Word as our guide! We have a story of an ultimate fresh start in Jesus s conversation with his Disciples in John 15. These are some of Jesus s last words to his disciples in his final hours before he went to the cross. Jesus was giving his closest followers a roadmap to follow after he left them to be with his Father.. Jesus has been with his Disciples for 3 years now always at his side..walking, talking, eating, drinking, observing & learning from everything Rabbi Jesus did...now he is trying to prepare them for life & ministry after he leaves them physically.. The picture- Passover is coming, Jesus and his Disciples are in the upper room, eating what we know as the last supper, Jesus is filling them with important truths.he washes their feet (servanthood), commands them to-love each other as he loves them (love & unity), way, truth, life (salvation), the helper (Holy Spirit) As they leave the upper room and head to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus gives them these parting instructions...the ultimate Resolution for the new season for the Disciples, Jesus s WORDS are equally fitting for us here at Reality Santa Barbara for this New Year where we endeavor to be Apprentices. Read John 15 v1 to v11 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone 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. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 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. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Pray

3 We will look at the text from 3 perspectives: The Roles- How Jesus describes his role, the role of the Father and the role of the Disciples.(that s us) The Posture- The way the Disciples need to stay connected with him after he leaves The Outcome- The fruit born out of living in connection with Jesus Roleso Jesus is THE TRUE vineo This is the 7 th and last of his I AM statements in John, he s already described himself as the o bread of life, light of the world, the door of the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life and now- I am the true vine..so as you can see he s given the disciples the message that he is the ONE several different ways.he wants that point to be clear! o The Vine example is relevant to the Disciples from at least 2 points of view: (1) they are in a geographic area filled with vineyards- vines/branches and grapes (2) Vine is referred to several times in the Old testament, its symbol of the nation of Israel, unfaithful & lack of good fruit, disciples would know this reference well o Jesus is emphasizing again that he is the only WAY.. o Described as the Vine, Jesus is calling attention to himself being the source of everything for the branch.branch can do nothing w/out the vine The Father is the Vinedresser o The Vinedresser is the Farmer, the Caretaker of the vineyard.special skills required in the care of the vineyard and vines & branches.the ultimate goal is abundant fruit production o The Vinedresser actively & patiently cultivates, trains, prunes, washes, lifts up..nurtures the vines & branches He removes insects, disease, dirt, entangled branches Pruning reference-hebrews 12:5-6 (ESV) The Disciples (we) are the Branches o There are 2 types of branches described- Those that bears fruit- connected- get pruned Those that don t bear fruit-not connected- takes away, withers & dies, thrown into fire Important to note the importance of true connection o Branches are totally reliant on the vine for everything, always needing attentionpruning/washing/lifting up

4 o Left to its own, they wander, get caught up w/ other branches, get covered with dirt, insects, mold. Dependence- reference- Proverbs 3:5 (ESV) Application- 2 things stand out for me Dependence instead of Independence- We are branches & we can t do anything without the Vine o This truth is contrary to everything coming at us from our culture. We are bombarded with messages of self-reliance, depend on no-one but yourself. But we are also overrun with stories of burn out, discouragement. This text is clearly telling us reliance on the vine leads to fruitfulness and that a disconnected life leads to withering, death and the fire o If you are feeling withered & lacking fruit check your connection to the vine Jesus wants connection- those who are weary & burdened he will give rest The Vinedresser prunes & cleans o As a branch, the vinedresser is actively cultivating, cleansing & pruning in your life whether we recognize it as such or not So you ARE being pruned.. What is happening in your life where pruning might be taking place? Relationships, struggles, losses Remember the vinedresser is wanting to remove those things blocking the bearing of fruit (more of him, less of us) o Recognizing these circumstances as pruning to produce fruit encourages us to cooperate and gives purpose even in difficult circumstances The 2 nd point- The Posture- Our part as Branches is to Abide o This is a word we don t use much in common speech today but John used this word 43 time in his Gospel & Letters, 10 times in these 11 verses- the central theme of this text the word is Meno in Greek, it s an active word used as a command, warning & promise Remain, stay, dwell, continue, stand fast, endure.to make our permanent home (don t wander) o Remember the context- he is speaking to his Disciples, he is leaving them but doesn t want them to stumble or wander. o He asked them to ABIDE in his Love, his Words, his Commands, in Prayer, Many of us spent the last several week dealing with the results of the fire, the smoke, the power outages etc One of the things I thought those in charge did well was let us know how to prepare for what was coming they even instructed us on what we need to have in our survival kit - water, food, batteries etc.

5 I think that is exactly what Jesus is doing for his disciples and us when he asks us to Abide in him, his love, his word, his commands, in prayer- telling us what we need in our SURVIVAL KIT for life Sometimes it helps to see a picture of what it looks like- Luke gives a beautiful picture of abiding in the story of Mary & Martha- Luke 10:38-42 (ESV) 38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me. 41 But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. This isn t a story about working hard vs laying on the couch.it s about a heart condition- Mary seems to be at peace and most likely would be if she were doing dishes and Martha probably would be anxious at the feet of Jesus Applicationo Why does abiding seem like a hard thing for many of us to do? I hear busyness, I hear weariness, I hear pace of life o It comes back to the survival kit we most likely are Abiding in something we have been led to believe that what we need in the kit is possessions, position & a full calendar but Jesus is telling us to ABIDE in something different The 3 rd point- Outcome Connected Branches Bear Fruit, more fruit, MUCH fruit..so that. o Father is Glorified- honored, praised, worshiped, adored o Prove to be Disciples- evidenced by love Fruit = manifesting Christ like characteristics in our lives Christ like Character- Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control Christ like actions- Matthew 5:16 (ESV)- good works- service Christ like transformation- Matthew 3:8 (ESV)- repentence (transforming change) In this fruito Father is Glorified- honored, praised, worshiped, adored o Prove to be Disciples- evidenced by love

6 I love the way Jesus closes the loop in vs 11..Why did he tell them this? These things I have spoken to you, that my JOY may be in you, and your Joy may be Full Joy reference- Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) He doesn t want them to dwell on his departure.he wants them to see beyond the immediate- the bigger Purpose and have JOY that Jesus loves them and has come to save them & the World! The TRUE vine is here to provide for his branches Conclusion & Next Steps Jesus s RESET plan for the Disciples in John 15:1-11 applies to us We are Branches who NEED the VINE and Vinedresser Our part- to Abide The goal/outcome- Fruit for his Glory and our pleasure The question to grapple with this morning on New Year s Eve is how do you want to RESET for 2018, How do you want to step into the new year As I call up the Worship Team the 2 nd set of worship is a time for you to practice Abiding.get comfortable, settle in, make your home in Jesus s words, his love, let his Holy Spirit minister to your heart We have carpets up front for you to posture yourself to worship, we have crackers and juice to remember what Jesus did for us.his body & blood given for the forgiveness of our sins, We have prayer teams on your right and left to pray with you