00:20:49.605 --> 00:20:54.175 Well, what's up Hope Community Church, how we doing? Okay, 146 00:20:56.135 --> 00:20:59.095 well I am excited to spend this time with you. My name's Dwayne. 147 00:20:59.096 --> 00:21:02.695 I'm one of the pastors here at Hope and I'm excited to continue this series, uh, 148 00:21:02.696 --> 00:21:04.335 that we've been in for the fa past few weeks. 149 00:21:04.505 --> 00:21:08.455 We've been talking about the foundations of our faith, 150 00:21:08.755 --> 00:21:13.695 the things that are essential to us living out a long life, lived with Jesus. 151 00:21:13.915 --> 00:21:17.655 Now last week we got a chance to hear from Ben Foot, my good friend, 152 00:21:17.656 --> 00:21:21.855 y'all give some love for Ben. Great message last week, great time together. 153 00:21:23.555 --> 00:21:27.655 And Ben challenged us to do one thing as we move through our week. 154 00:21:27.675 --> 00:21:30.975 And I gotta tell you like it really was a challenge and it was something simple 155 00:21:31.395 --> 00:21:32.195 to do. 156 00:21:32.195 --> 00:21:36.494 He asked us to simply take a 20 minute walk 157 00:21:37.575 --> 00:21:41.055 undistracted with the Lord. And I gotta tell you, 158 00:21:41.056 --> 00:21:44.215 like everything in my life this week fought against that walk, right? 159 00:21:44.365 --> 00:21:48.175 Like I was busy, I had a whole bunch of stuff to do, but I decided to do it. 160 00:21:48.176 --> 00:21:52.175 And so by show of hands, how many of you also decided to take a, a walk, 161 00:21:52.375 --> 00:21:55.415 a 20 minute walk with the Lord? Okay, I can see quite a few of you. 162 00:21:55.494 --> 00:21:58.335 I see you two at Get Hope tv. You guys did a great job. 163 00:21:58.475 --> 00:22:00.775 You should be proud of the fact that you walk. 164 00:22:00.875 --> 00:22:04.695 And so I took a 20 minute walk with the Lord. I took my headphones off, 165 00:22:05.095 --> 00:22:08.295 I decided to just do it. I just went out and I did it. 166 00:22:08.355 --> 00:22:11.935 And can I just say like it was one of the most beautiful moments that I've ever 167 00:22:12.035 --> 00:22:16.295 had in my walk with the Lord. It was just 20 minutes. 168 00:22:17.155 --> 00:22:20.135 It wasn't a particularly long walk. I am 46 years old, 169 00:22:21.685 --> 00:22:26.555 but it was a good walk. I just spent time talking to the Lord, 170 00:22:27.145 --> 00:22:29.395 listening to what he had to say to me. 171 00:22:29.855 --> 00:22:32.994 And it was like this close relationship was rekindled. 172 00:22:32.995 --> 00:22:35.035 It was something that I felt familiar in. 173 00:22:35.095 --> 00:22:39.315 It was something that I remembered and I just had an opportunity to spend time 174 00:22:39.316 --> 00:22:41.595 with God and it was like this beautiful thing. 175 00:22:41.596 --> 00:22:46.405 And I was so glad that Ben challenged us to do it because it made a 176 00:22:46.406 --> 00:22:50.805 huge difference. And I had this feeling in my heart, like, 177 00:22:51.065 --> 00:22:53.685 and it's a feeling that I get oftentimes, uh, when I, 178 00:22:53.795 --> 00:22:58.605 when I take long separations away from the gym and I go back for one day and I 179 00:22:58.606 --> 00:23:02.445 have that feeling like, man, why do I ever stop doing this? 180 00:23:02.744 --> 00:23:05.725 Why do I choose to not actually work out every day? 181 00:23:05.726 --> 00:23:09.085 Well that's the way I felt after I took this long walk with the Lord. 182 00:23:09.625 --> 00:23:13.565 Why do I ever stop walking with God? 183 00:23:15.145 --> 00:23:16.005 Why do I choose 184 00:23:17.505 --> 00:23:21.895 to walk away from the Lord rather than choosing to walk 185 00:23:22.244 --> 00:23:25.975 with him? And the answer's pretty simple. 186 00:23:26.395 --> 00:23:28.855 It is probably the same answer for all of us. Uh, 187 00:23:28.856 --> 00:23:31.415 it's because we get caught up in the spin cycle of life, right? 188 00:23:31.555 --> 00:23:35.615 You just start doing things and you start going places and everything seems like 189 00:23:35.616 --> 00:23:38.734 it's more important than the relationship that you have with God. 190 00:23:38.875 --> 00:23:42.375 And so you get caught up in this spin cycle and when you're in the spin cycle, 191 00:23:42.875 --> 00:23:46.725 one of the first things that gets dropped is your relationships. 192 00:23:48.305 --> 00:23:51.525 And usually the second thing is your discipline. 193 00:23:52.975 --> 00:23:53.808 And so for me, 194 00:23:54.605 --> 00:23:58.215 there are these times where I just get outside 195 00:23:59.575 --> 00:24:02.475 of proximity to the Lord. You know, 196 00:24:02.555 --> 00:24:05.635 I reaffirmed during that walk something that I found to be very true. 197 00:24:06.275 --> 00:24:10.395 And it's a song that we sing. It says that God is a good, good father. 198 00:24:10.675 --> 00:24:14.515 I reaffirmed that in that moment because I realized that he desperately wanted 199 00:24:14.516 --> 00:24:18.234 to spend time with me the same way I wanted to spend time with him. 200 00:24:18.465 --> 00:24:21.555 Like it was almost as if he missed me in that moment, right? 201 00:24:22.935 --> 00:24:27.355 And I know what this feels like mostly because we have children 202 00:24:28.545 --> 00:24:32.085 and I know what it feels like to just spend time with your kids and to have them 203 00:24:32.435 --> 00:24:34.805 want to be with you and you to want to be with them. 204 00:24:35.285 --> 00:24:37.405 And now we are at a special part of our lives. 205 00:24:37.625 --> 00:24:41.565 Me and my wife are loving this season of our lives. It's called Empty Nest. 206 00:24:41.675 --> 00:24:45.365 Anybody at Empty Nest, listen, it is a beautiful place to be. 207 00:24:47.765 --> 00:24:50.365 I wish we could have gotten there faster. 208 00:24:52.465 --> 00:24:54.405 You know, the kids are outta the house, 209 00:24:55.635 --> 00:24:58.484 they are off the payroll mostly 210 00:25:01.075 --> 00:25:03.965 they're kind of flourishing on their own. 211 00:25:04.665 --> 00:25:08.325 But can I tell you a secret about Empty Nest? Now don't tell my kids. 212 00:25:08.355 --> 00:25:12.725 It's not as if they're gonna watch the sermon . I miss him. 213 00:25:14.955 --> 00:25:19.945 I miss like being close to them. I miss like hanging out with them. 214 00:25:20.405 --> 00:25:23.385 It is all the little stuff that I miss, right? It's none of the the big stuff. 215 00:25:23.415 --> 00:25:27.345 Like I miss the simple things that come with close proximity to your children. 216 00:25:27.785 --> 00:25:31.145 I, I miss the McDonald's toys on the floor, all the pointy toys. 217 00:25:31.385 --> 00:25:35.744 I must have threw away 175,000 of those toys over the years. But I miss it. 218 00:25:35.825 --> 00:25:40.425 I miss the little shoes that would get put on the stairs because apparently 219 00:25:40.426 --> 00:25:43.385 that's where shoes go. And I would trip over 'em on my way up the stairs. 220 00:25:43.625 --> 00:25:48.505 I miss yelling up to our children or just random things like stop pinching your 221 00:25:48.506 --> 00:25:52.505 brother. Turn off your light. We're gonna be late. No, 222 00:25:52.605 --> 00:25:57.545 you don't need a bandaid again, I miss it. 223 00:25:59.535 --> 00:26:03.055 I miss being in close proximity to our children. 224 00:26:04.555 --> 00:26:04.856 You know, 225 00:26:04.856 --> 00:26:08.695 one of the things I miss the most is when they would get a little nervous and 226 00:26:08.696 --> 00:26:10.855 they would want to get close to me, right? 227 00:26:10.875 --> 00:26:13.815 We would go someplace as a family and I could always tell that they were 228 00:26:13.816 --> 00:26:14.536 nervous, uh, 229 00:26:14.536 --> 00:26:18.855 especially my daughter because she had this way of just kind of wrapping herself 230 00:26:18.875 --> 00:26:22.815 around my leg and letting dad know that there was something going on that she 231 00:26:22.816 --> 00:26:25.975 wasn't completely sure And she didn't know exactly what was gonna happen. 232 00:26:26.075 --> 00:26:30.815 So she found that if she'd just gotten close proximity to dad that everything 233 00:26:30.816 --> 00:26:34.655 would be okay. Now my son was much cooler than that, 234 00:26:34.656 --> 00:26:36.335 so he wouldn't wrap himself around my leg. 235 00:26:36.355 --> 00:26:37.855 He would just kind of hold on to my shirt. 236 00:26:39.875 --> 00:26:44.575 But it was a way of letting me know that they wanted and desired a relationship 237 00:26:44.576 --> 00:26:47.205 with their father. You see, 238 00:26:47.375 --> 00:26:52.045 those were like the best moments. And if I'm honest, 239 00:26:53.325 --> 00:26:54.984 I miss it. You see, 240 00:26:54.985 --> 00:26:58.465 there were three things that our children knew that if they got close to dad and 241 00:26:58.466 --> 00:27:00.785 if they got in close proximity that they could expect, uh, 242 00:27:00.786 --> 00:27:04.345 they could expect protection, they knew that dad was on the job. And listen, 243 00:27:04.605 --> 00:27:08.385 if you want to get my attention mess with my kids because that Papa Bear comes 244 00:27:08.405 --> 00:27:11.385 out, I will take you out and preach at your funeral. , 245 00:27:13.975 --> 00:27:16.225 they knew that they could get protection from their father. 246 00:27:16.375 --> 00:27:19.744 They knew they could also get provision and they had no problem with spending 247 00:27:20.055 --> 00:27:20.984 that provision. 248 00:27:22.925 --> 00:27:26.984 But they also knew that something they could expect in close proximity to their 249 00:27:26.985 --> 00:27:29.465 father was this sense of peace. 250 00:27:31.305 --> 00:27:34.685 And it was a special kind of peace. And here's the thing, 251 00:27:34.686 --> 00:27:38.405 that kind of peace that I shared with my children that didn't come naturally to 252 00:27:38.406 --> 00:27:40.645 me, that wasn't something that I naturally knew about. 253 00:27:40.785 --> 00:27:44.645 The only way that I learned how to share that kind of peace with my children was 254 00:27:44.646 --> 00:27:48.605 because I had learned it from sharing that kind of peace with my father in 255 00:27:48.606 --> 00:27:51.845 heaven. It was the same thing that I had experienced from that walk. You see, 256 00:27:51.846 --> 00:27:54.365 here's what I've learned about proximity to the Lord, 257 00:27:54.645 --> 00:27:58.805 is proximity with the Lord leads us to peace with the Lord. 258 00:28:00.575 --> 00:28:04.755 We get to this place of peace when we spend time 259 00:28:06.185 --> 00:28:09.185 with our father. You know, 260 00:28:09.186 --> 00:28:12.185 it was a beautiful thing that I experienced on that walk. 261 00:28:13.045 --> 00:28:16.145 The Bible has a word for that kind of experience. 262 00:28:17.085 --> 00:28:20.465 And that is gonna be the focus of effort as we spend our time together today. 263 00:28:20.805 --> 00:28:24.025 The Bible calls that kind of proximity to the Lord, 264 00:28:24.055 --> 00:28:29.025 that kind of walking daily with Jesus, the Bible calls that abiding. 265 00:28:29.605 --> 00:28:31.585 And so that's exactly what we're gonna focus on. 266 00:28:31.725 --> 00:28:35.185 And abiding is a big part of this series that we've been in. 267 00:28:35.186 --> 00:28:38.505 We've been talking about the foundations of faith and we've examined four 268 00:28:38.506 --> 00:28:42.265 different things that are essential to understand if we're going to have a 269 00:28:42.266 --> 00:28:45.745 relationship with Jesus. The first one that we are created, 270 00:28:45.845 --> 00:28:49.465 we were made by God with purpose and intent in mind. Second, 271 00:28:49.615 --> 00:28:53.145 that we are broken people, that we have a sense of brokenness. 272 00:28:53.245 --> 00:28:55.305 But here's the good news about our brokenness, 273 00:28:55.306 --> 00:29:00.305 that through a relationship with Jesus Christ we can be fixed. And that lastly, 274 00:29:00.306 --> 00:29:01.945 and this is what we're gonna focus on today. 275 00:29:03.085 --> 00:29:06.065 We are on our way to something better 276 00:29:07.645 --> 00:29:11.385 and that better begins with this word abiding. 277 00:29:12.225 --> 00:29:17.085 Now the quintessential passage on the concept of abiding is found in 278 00:29:17.155 --> 00:29:20.245 John chapter 15. So if you have your Bibles, here's what I want you to do. 279 00:29:20.565 --> 00:29:23.845 I want you to go ahead and open up to John chapter 15 or go ahead and turn on 280 00:29:23.846 --> 00:29:27.765 your devices and I'm gonna meet you over there and we're gonna spend some time 281 00:29:27.766 --> 00:29:29.205 just kind of reading through the text. 282 00:29:29.265 --> 00:29:31.965 And then after we read from verse one to 11, 283 00:29:32.015 --> 00:29:35.765 we're gonna take some time and just kind of chop it up a little bit. All right? 284 00:29:35.825 --> 00:29:37.165 So while you're turning there, 285 00:29:37.405 --> 00:29:39.485 let me just give you some context of what's happening here. 286 00:29:39.915 --> 00:29:42.445 When you get to the end of chapter 14, 287 00:29:42.815 --> 00:29:45.405 Jesus has been spending time with his disciples. 288 00:29:45.745 --> 00:29:47.965 And this is something called the upper room discourse. 289 00:29:47.966 --> 00:29:51.765 They've been having some conversations where Jesus has been describing to them 290 00:29:52.105 --> 00:29:54.365 who he is in great detail. 291 00:29:54.465 --> 00:29:57.925 And he's actually been capturing it with words like I am. 292 00:29:58.625 --> 00:29:59.725 He says I am. 293 00:29:59.785 --> 00:30:04.245 And he goes through this whole litany of ideas of who he actually is because he 294 00:30:04.246 --> 00:30:07.245 wants to make sure that they understand who he is. 295 00:30:07.425 --> 00:30:11.925 And when we get to the end of chapter 14, he stands up and he says, guys, 296 00:30:12.055 --> 00:30:14.205 let's get up and let's leave this place. 297 00:30:14.745 --> 00:30:18.405 And it's believed that he begins to do exactly what Ben talked about the other 298 00:30:18.406 --> 00:30:18.785 day. 299 00:30:18.785 --> 00:30:22.765 He takes a walk with the disciples and maybe he walked through a vineyard or 300 00:30:22.766 --> 00:30:25.485 maybe he walked past a temple that had a vineyard on it. 301 00:30:25.665 --> 00:30:28.045 And just like Jesus is coming to do, 302 00:30:28.505 --> 00:30:33.205 he uses it as an opportunity to teach a lesson about who he is. 303 00:30:34.265 --> 00:30:39.065 And when we get to verse one of chapter 15, here's what he has to say, 304 00:30:40.225 --> 00:30:44.745 I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Uh, 305 00:30:44.746 --> 00:30:49.665 every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. 306 00:30:50.045 --> 00:30:54.465 And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. 307 00:30:55.455 --> 00:30:59.265 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 308 00:30:59.485 --> 00:31:01.985 And so here's what I want you to do. Verse four, 309 00:31:02.755 --> 00:31:07.645 abide in me and I in you as the branch 310 00:31:07.646 --> 00:31:10.685 cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abide in the vine. 311 00:31:10.686 --> 00:31:13.525 Neither can you unless you abide in me. 312 00:31:14.485 --> 00:31:17.725 I am the vine and you are the branches. 313 00:31:18.355 --> 00:31:21.005 Whoever abides in me and I in him, 314 00:31:21.345 --> 00:31:24.365 he it is that bears much fruit for apart from me, 315 00:31:24.705 --> 00:31:26.805 you can do nothing. 316 00:31:28.495 --> 00:31:33.255 And if anyone does not abide in me, it it is, excuse me. 317 00:31:33.335 --> 00:31:35.655 If anyone does not abide in me, 318 00:31:38.125 --> 00:31:42.975 then it is he who is thrown away like a branch and withers 319 00:31:43.555 --> 00:31:48.455 and the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned. 320 00:31:49.275 --> 00:31:52.495 But if you abide in me and my words abide in you, 321 00:31:55.925 --> 00:32:00.575 Then ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you by this. 322 00:32:00.675 --> 00:32:05.415 My father is glorified that you would bear much fruit and so prove to be my 323 00:32:05.535 --> 00:32:08.615 disciples. And as the father has loved me, so have I loved you. 324 00:32:08.715 --> 00:32:10.175 So here's one more time, 325 00:32:10.705 --> 00:32:14.215 abide in my love and if you keep my commandments, 326 00:32:14.435 --> 00:32:19.095 you'll abide in my love just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide 327 00:32:19.096 --> 00:32:19.929 in his love. 328 00:32:20.185 --> 00:32:25.175 These things I have spoken that you may have joy and that joy may 329 00:32:25.176 --> 00:32:29.415 be in you and that your joy may be full 330 00:32:30.315 --> 00:32:34.055 May the Lord had a blessing to the reading of his word. 331 00:32:35.435 --> 00:32:35.816 You see, 332 00:32:35.816 --> 00:32:40.565 he begins right from the beginning by telling us that we need to 333 00:32:40.775 --> 00:32:45.175 abide in him, uh, that the goal is to abide in him. 334 00:32:45.595 --> 00:32:49.495 And he goes right from the beginning by breaking down the idea of abiding. 335 00:32:49.595 --> 00:32:53.375 And I love the approach that he takes because he takes a moment to just kind of 336 00:32:53.475 --> 00:32:56.895 unpack these roles in the relationship of abiding. 337 00:32:57.195 --> 00:33:00.855 He takes a moment to unpack what everybody has to do and everybody's 338 00:33:00.856 --> 00:33:03.775 responsibility when it comes to this concept of abiding. 339 00:33:03.835 --> 00:33:07.335 And he starts by unpacking his own role. 340 00:33:07.675 --> 00:33:12.295 He says right from the beginning, I am the true vine. 341 00:33:13.455 --> 00:33:16.275 Now this is a term that speaks to the vineyard, 342 00:33:16.895 --> 00:33:20.475 but it's also a term that speaks to a larger narrative that's found in 343 00:33:20.635 --> 00:33:24.955 scripture. You see, most of the time when the Bible talks about a a vine, 344 00:33:24.985 --> 00:33:26.355 it's talking about Israel. 345 00:33:26.615 --> 00:33:30.155 And a lot of people spend time searching for Israel because they believe that 346 00:33:30.156 --> 00:33:32.875 Israel was the way to connect them to God the Father. 347 00:33:33.095 --> 00:33:36.395 And so they spent a lot of time believing that Israel was the way. 348 00:33:36.655 --> 00:33:38.875 And he's not saying that Israel's not important, 349 00:33:38.895 --> 00:33:43.195 but what he's actually saying here is that no, Israel is not the true vine. 350 00:33:44.935 --> 00:33:48.405 I am, I am the true vine. 351 00:33:50.195 --> 00:33:53.595 I am the way and the truth in the life. 352 00:33:54.575 --> 00:33:58.195 If you are looking for this abiding relationship with God, 353 00:33:59.615 --> 00:34:00.905 then it comes through me. 354 00:34:02.175 --> 00:34:05.955 You see what he's doing here is much more than just giving an illustration. 355 00:34:06.025 --> 00:34:08.995 He's making a declaration of his divinity, 356 00:34:09.275 --> 00:34:14.275 claiming to be fully God and fully man and saying that if you wanna 357 00:34:14.276 --> 00:34:16.875 get close in this relationship to God the Father, 358 00:34:18.215 --> 00:34:20.864 well it's only gonna come through me. 359 00:34:21.945 --> 00:34:24.765 And so he describes himself, uh, but he doesn't stop there. 360 00:34:24.825 --> 00:34:26.565 He also describes God the Father. 361 00:34:26.585 --> 00:34:31.005 And he says that my father in heaven is the vine dresser. Now in the vineyard, 362 00:34:31.185 --> 00:34:35.405 the vine dresser has a an essential role to play when it comes to the 363 00:34:35.685 --> 00:34:38.844 cultivation of the vine. And so when he is calling God the Father, 364 00:34:38.905 --> 00:34:42.485 the vine dresser, he's saying that he is the keeper of the vineyard. 365 00:34:42.705 --> 00:34:47.565 He is the one that cultivates the plant so that it will have the best possible 366 00:34:47.895 --> 00:34:52.245 fruit. He's saying that his father in heaven is responsible to give 367 00:34:53.885 --> 00:34:55.675 fruit through Jesus, 368 00:34:57.225 --> 00:35:01.125 to give the fruit everything that it needs in order to flourish. 369 00:35:02.775 --> 00:35:05.195 So God the Father has a role in all of this. And then lastly, 370 00:35:05.196 --> 00:35:07.395 he defines who we are and he says that, 371 00:35:07.396 --> 00:35:11.355 that God the Father is the divine dresser. That I am the true vine. 372 00:35:11.356 --> 00:35:15.395 And that you, your role, your job is that you are the branches. 373 00:35:15.614 --> 00:35:18.475 And the branches have one reason for existence. 374 00:35:18.915 --> 00:35:22.195 Branches are there to produce fruit 375 00:35:24.275 --> 00:35:25.955 that our whole lives of following Jesus. 376 00:35:26.175 --> 00:35:30.715 All of this proximity and closeness to Jesus is designed to do one thing 377 00:35:31.844 --> 00:35:35.025 to bear fruit. And here's the key with the fruit. 378 00:35:35.045 --> 00:35:36.905 The fruit doesn't look like us. 379 00:35:38.185 --> 00:35:43.165 The fruit that we bear when we're in close proximity to Jesus looks like Jesus. 380 00:35:44.915 --> 00:35:49.415 And so the whole design of this abiding was this three-pronged thing where all 381 00:35:49.416 --> 00:35:51.975 of it works together and all of it to produce fruit. 382 00:35:52.075 --> 00:35:55.614 And through that God gains glory from how we live our lives. 383 00:35:55.625 --> 00:35:57.975 Jesus gives us this beautiful metaphor here, 384 00:35:58.085 --> 00:36:02.455 this picture of what it looks like to be established in the faith and abiding in 385 00:36:02.456 --> 00:36:06.255 Jesus and the ultimate result which is to bear fruit. 386 00:36:06.445 --> 00:36:09.215 When we abide in Christ, we bear fruit 387 00:36:10.745 --> 00:36:13.805 and he makes it clear what our role is as branches. 388 00:36:14.905 --> 00:36:18.815 We got one job, bear fruit. 389 00:36:20.135 --> 00:36:22.015 And in verse four, Jesus says, 390 00:36:22.505 --> 00:36:27.375 abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it 391 00:36:27.475 --> 00:36:28.975 abides in the vine. Uh, 392 00:36:28.976 --> 00:36:32.695 neither can you unless you abide in me and I am the vine. 393 00:36:32.855 --> 00:36:33.576 In you are the branches. 394 00:36:33.576 --> 00:36:37.255 He just flat out tells us our responsibility is to abide in him. 395 00:36:37.275 --> 00:36:41.215 And that's the way that any of us, all of us that we produce fruit. 396 00:36:41.795 --> 00:36:46.735 And I wanna look at this word abide because I think it's a word that kind 397 00:36:46.815 --> 00:36:50.855 of gets breezed over just a little bit when it comes to our culture. 398 00:36:51.795 --> 00:36:53.975 You know, here's the thing, abide is not common language. 399 00:36:53.976 --> 00:36:56.655 It's not language we would use in a normal conversation with people. 400 00:36:57.035 --> 00:37:01.215 And sometimes we try to translate a word from the Bible with a common word from 401 00:37:01.216 --> 00:37:03.055 English language. And the problem with that is, 402 00:37:03.195 --> 00:37:07.855 is it doesn't necessarily speak to the depth and the gravity of the word. Uh, 403 00:37:07.856 --> 00:37:12.094 there's some words that just are so deep in their context that they need a 404 00:37:12.095 --> 00:37:15.255 little bit more emphasis to understand them completely. 405 00:37:15.355 --> 00:37:20.025 And I believe that abide is one of those words. You see, 406 00:37:20.026 --> 00:37:23.625 sometimes we just kind of breeze over it and we often translate, 407 00:37:23.835 --> 00:37:27.985 abide with the word remain. Uh, indeed some of our translations, 408 00:37:28.225 --> 00:37:32.265 our Bible translations translate the word abide, uh, to remain. And yes, 409 00:37:32.364 --> 00:37:37.105 it means to remain, but it's a whole lot more than just remaining. 410 00:37:38.375 --> 00:37:41.705 You see this idea of abiding it, 411 00:37:41.706 --> 00:37:45.945 it means to stick really close to the Lord. 412 00:37:46.925 --> 00:37:51.925 It means to stay in close proximity in relationship with the Lord. 413 00:37:52.575 --> 00:37:57.405 Abide means to keep in fellowship with it. It means to stay connected to, 414 00:37:57.505 --> 00:37:59.965 it means to embrace, to hold close. 415 00:38:00.105 --> 00:38:03.965 It means to have an intentional relationship where we are staying rooted and 416 00:38:04.205 --> 00:38:08.445 grounded in the Lord. It it's in our current context. It means to stay put, 417 00:38:08.446 --> 00:38:12.525 to stay focused on it. It means that we are in Christ and he's in us. 418 00:38:12.545 --> 00:38:13.805 And if we are in Christ, 419 00:38:14.405 --> 00:38:17.805 it's so that he can work in our lives and through our lives. Oh yeah, 420 00:38:17.915 --> 00:38:20.645 abiding is much more than just remaining. 421 00:38:22.205 --> 00:38:27.065 It has this depth and that depth is meant to transform 422 00:38:28.875 --> 00:38:31.145 our whole lives. You see, 423 00:38:31.344 --> 00:38:34.545 the concept of biting is not just taking a walk for a moment, 424 00:38:36.105 --> 00:38:39.885 is taking a walk with Jesus for our lives. 425 00:38:41.315 --> 00:38:46.295 And that walk walks right past this earth and into the next life with the 426 00:38:46.296 --> 00:38:50.015 Lord for all of eternity. Abiding is much more than just remaining 427 00:38:51.725 --> 00:38:56.665 and means stand put with the Lord and allowing him to do 428 00:38:56.666 --> 00:38:59.145 the work on our lives that needs to be done. 429 00:39:00.385 --> 00:39:03.565 The work that the passage earlier calls pruning, 430 00:39:04.935 --> 00:39:09.805 cutting back the things that don't bear fruit and giving us the things that do, 431 00:39:11.145 --> 00:39:13.165 that's the idea of abiding. 432 00:39:13.905 --> 00:39:16.325 So when Jesus is telling us in this passage to abide, 433 00:39:16.326 --> 00:39:19.605 we need to know that it's much more than just a simple change to our lives. 434 00:39:19.864 --> 00:39:22.165 It will change everything that we do forever. 435 00:39:22.585 --> 00:39:25.085 And in that kind of abiding we produce fruit. 436 00:39:25.344 --> 00:39:28.205 He says in verse five that whoever abides in me and I in him, 437 00:39:28.206 --> 00:39:31.205 it is he that bears much fruit for apart from me, you can do nothing. 438 00:39:32.585 --> 00:39:36.085 But if you abide in me and I abide in you, then you will bear much fruit. 439 00:39:36.105 --> 00:39:37.525 So abiding produces fruit. 440 00:39:37.945 --> 00:39:41.245 But he also gives this like this little bit of a warning here. 441 00:39:42.355 --> 00:39:46.775 And he says that there's something that happens if you don't abide. 442 00:39:47.435 --> 00:39:50.535 He says that if anyone does not abide in me, 443 00:39:50.645 --> 00:39:54.455 that he is thrown away like a branch and he withers and that branches are 444 00:39:54.575 --> 00:39:56.094 gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 445 00:39:56.095 --> 00:39:59.655 And if you abide in me and my words abide in you ask whatever you wish and it'll 446 00:39:59.656 --> 00:40:01.775 be done for you. But if you don't abide, 447 00:40:02.895 --> 00:40:06.745 there's this thing called withering that happens in your life. 448 00:40:07.885 --> 00:40:09.065 And it's a simple concept. 449 00:40:10.025 --> 00:40:13.785 A physical branch has to stay attached to the vine, right? 450 00:40:14.065 --> 00:40:17.185 A physical branch has to stay attached to the vine in order to stay alive as 451 00:40:17.186 --> 00:40:19.864 follower of Christ, we have to stay attached to God. 452 00:40:19.965 --> 00:40:23.745 We have to stay attached through Jesus. If we're gonna spiritually be alive. 453 00:40:23.765 --> 00:40:24.985 And if we're gonna be productive, 454 00:40:25.094 --> 00:40:30.025 then our goal should be to stay attached to the vine. But here's what happens. 455 00:40:31.525 --> 00:40:34.505 We get caught in that spin cycle 456 00:40:36.455 --> 00:40:38.155 and we start to separate ourselves. 457 00:40:40.265 --> 00:40:41.705 And when we start to separate ourselves, 458 00:40:42.885 --> 00:40:45.575 we break away from the vine. 459 00:40:47.815 --> 00:40:49.255 When we break away from the vine, 460 00:40:50.525 --> 00:40:53.495 there's this withering that begins to happen. 461 00:40:55.035 --> 00:40:59.735 And I've experienced this for myself at times in my life where I have chosen to 462 00:40:59.895 --> 00:41:00.815 separate from God. 463 00:41:01.195 --> 00:41:04.815 And the problem with withering is that it's not this thing that happens all at 464 00:41:04.816 --> 00:41:09.775 once, right? It is like this slow creep 465 00:41:11.725 --> 00:41:16.085 where you begin to separate yourself from the things of God and all of a sudden 466 00:41:16.265 --> 00:41:20.765 you stop showing up to church or you stop showing up to your small group. Uh, 467 00:41:20.785 --> 00:41:23.005 and then quickly you start to separate yourself. 468 00:41:23.025 --> 00:41:26.045 And then separation starts to look like isolation. 469 00:41:26.065 --> 00:41:29.645 All of a sudden where you used to walk with a whole lot of other believers, 470 00:41:29.705 --> 00:41:33.364 now you no longer walk with other believers where you used to read the Bible, 471 00:41:33.625 --> 00:41:38.125 you no longer read it because you've begun to separate yourself from the true 472 00:41:38.555 --> 00:41:38.845 vine. 473 00:41:38.845 --> 00:41:43.645 And all of a sudden isolation starts to feel like disorientation 474 00:41:45.725 --> 00:41:47.265 and you find yourself in this place 475 00:41:49.995 --> 00:41:54.725 and you don't even remember where to go to reestablish your faith. 476 00:41:56.945 --> 00:41:58.325 That's what withering looks like, 477 00:42:01.275 --> 00:42:06.145 where you find yourself so far from God, you can't remember 478 00:42:07.645 --> 00:42:11.594 how to get back. You ever been there before? 479 00:42:13.555 --> 00:42:16.385 Maybe even some of us are there right now 480 00:42:18.885 --> 00:42:21.685 at this place of just withering. 481 00:42:23.245 --> 00:42:27.225 And it's really dangerous because if you wither too long, uh, 482 00:42:27.505 --> 00:42:29.864 what what Jesus says in this passage is that uh, 483 00:42:29.925 --> 00:42:33.905 you get to a place where your only, uh, recourse is to be thrown in the fire. 484 00:42:33.925 --> 00:42:37.945 And what he is talking about there is this spiritual death that comes as a 485 00:42:38.065 --> 00:42:39.225 result of our withering, 486 00:42:39.665 --> 00:42:43.425 where we just realize that like we are no longer alive in Christ, 487 00:42:43.455 --> 00:42:45.945 that spiritual death is a very real thing. 488 00:42:48.835 --> 00:42:53.165 It's the ultimate separation from God and spiritual death. 489 00:42:53.225 --> 00:42:56.805 I'm just gonna tell you it's much worse than physical death 490 00:42:58.295 --> 00:43:02.185 because spiritual death lasts for all of eternity. 491 00:43:03.805 --> 00:43:06.985 You see, when we choose to separate ourselves from the true vine, 492 00:43:08.395 --> 00:43:12.715 when we choose not to bear fruit, there's a consequence 493 00:43:14.385 --> 00:43:16.445 and that consequence is withering. 494 00:43:17.185 --> 00:43:19.515 And if you are there right now, 495 00:43:21.565 --> 00:43:22.765 I want you to know two things. 496 00:43:22.955 --> 00:43:26.005 Like while you may be withering in this very moment, 497 00:43:26.245 --> 00:43:28.725 I want you to know first that you don't have to stay there. 498 00:43:28.755 --> 00:43:31.165 Like you don't have to stay in this place of withering, 499 00:43:31.275 --> 00:43:35.445 that God has something greater for your life. God has something greater for us. 500 00:43:35.585 --> 00:43:38.085 We don't have to stay in a place of withering. And second, 501 00:43:38.275 --> 00:43:40.605 that God wants you to know 502 00:43:42.255 --> 00:43:44.585 that he wants to walk with you to that greater, 503 00:43:46.905 --> 00:43:50.555 that you don't have to stay in this place of withering, 504 00:43:51.735 --> 00:43:55.875 not even one more day. You know, as the passage concludes, 505 00:43:56.085 --> 00:44:00.835 Jesus takes time to unpack a few more things that happen when we abide 506 00:44:01.375 --> 00:44:03.635 and he talks about this greater that's coming. 507 00:44:03.975 --> 00:44:06.915 He impacts the things that we get when we actually abide, 508 00:44:06.916 --> 00:44:09.635 when we actually spend the time in close proximity to the Lord. 509 00:44:09.705 --> 00:44:13.035 There's some great rewards that come for this. And so in verse eight, 510 00:44:13.215 --> 00:44:16.075 he tells us that abiding in Christ, when we abide in Christ, 511 00:44:16.335 --> 00:44:19.915 we have the privilege of bringing God glory from our lives. 512 00:44:20.065 --> 00:44:23.875 Like when we embody in Christ, God is glorified through the way that we live. 513 00:44:23.876 --> 00:44:27.675 Because all of a sudden the things that God cares about become the things that 514 00:44:27.815 --> 00:44:30.235 we care about. And when we start living that way, 515 00:44:30.775 --> 00:44:32.925 God gets the glory. 516 00:44:40.505 --> 00:44:44.875 When we abide, we glorify God. Second in verse nine, 517 00:44:44.895 --> 00:44:46.835 he talks about how if we abide in God, 518 00:44:46.935 --> 00:44:50.275 we get to actually experience and walk in the love of God. 519 00:44:50.585 --> 00:44:52.435 Like my kids were loving, 520 00:44:52.436 --> 00:44:56.155 getting close to their father because they knew that I loved them. 521 00:44:56.225 --> 00:44:58.114 They knew that I wanted to spend time with them. 522 00:44:58.225 --> 00:44:59.995 They knew that no matter what they did, 523 00:45:00.155 --> 00:45:03.835 I was still well pleased with their life and I loved them. 524 00:45:06.085 --> 00:45:10.364 And that same kind of love is what I experienced in Christ. 525 00:45:13.285 --> 00:45:17.895 And I didn't have the best example of what it meant to be a loving 526 00:45:17.896 --> 00:45:18.729 father. 527 00:45:20.175 --> 00:45:22.915 The only way I learned it was from how God loved me, 528 00:45:24.765 --> 00:45:28.625 unconditional real love. 529 00:45:30.945 --> 00:45:33.185 You see, when we stay in close proximity to the Father, 530 00:45:34.645 --> 00:45:36.705 that's the kind of love that we have access to. 531 00:45:38.605 --> 00:45:41.695 It's a love that transcends anything that we could do. 532 00:45:43.045 --> 00:45:45.895 It's a love that we didn't earn and a love that we don't deserve. 533 00:45:47.805 --> 00:45:50.735 It's a love that carries us all the way through to eternity. 534 00:45:52.625 --> 00:45:56.715 It's an abiding kind of love. And in that abiding, 535 00:45:58.315 --> 00:46:02.465 we get access to the love of God. You know, lastly, 536 00:46:02.965 --> 00:46:06.535 he talks about the joy that we experience. You know, 537 00:46:06.594 --> 00:46:11.415 joy is a special thing because it's not based on our mood or our situation or 538 00:46:11.416 --> 00:46:12.255 our circumstances. 539 00:46:12.435 --> 00:46:15.695 My grandmother used to tell me that joy is different from happiness because 540 00:46:15.696 --> 00:46:17.695 happiness is based on happenstance. 541 00:46:17.715 --> 00:46:20.335 And what happens to you starts to make your happiness. 542 00:46:20.336 --> 00:46:23.895 But joy is much different from that with joy. 543 00:46:23.896 --> 00:46:25.575 Doesn't even matter what's going on in your life. 544 00:46:27.364 --> 00:46:31.445 'cause the world doesn't give joy and the world can't take it away. 545 00:46:33.145 --> 00:46:34.715 This is a different kind of joy. 546 00:46:35.815 --> 00:46:40.665 It's the joy that only comes through an abiding relationship with Jesus. 547 00:46:42.875 --> 00:46:43.275 You know, 548 00:46:43.275 --> 00:46:47.935 as I began to hear about that kind of joy and all the things that come from 549 00:46:47.936 --> 00:46:50.455 abiding relationship as a young man, 550 00:46:50.695 --> 00:46:53.655 I remember the first time a pastor preached this message into my life. 551 00:46:54.215 --> 00:46:55.775 I wanted this like I was like, man, 552 00:46:55.776 --> 00:47:00.015 you get joy and love and hope and you get to be with Jesus one day. 553 00:47:00.195 --> 00:47:03.655 That's the kind of relationship I wanna be a part of. I want this abiding thing. 554 00:47:03.875 --> 00:47:08.175 But I remember this nagging question that kept grabbing a hold of me as I was 555 00:47:08.176 --> 00:47:12.575 trying to understand abiding. And it's a simple question like how 556 00:47:14.695 --> 00:47:19.255 Well then how do you abide? Like what am I supposed to do? 557 00:47:19.815 --> 00:47:22.094 ? Because if we're not careful, 558 00:47:22.165 --> 00:47:26.135 this abiding can become this theological construct that actually never takes 559 00:47:26.205 --> 00:47:29.219 root in our lives. And it just becomes something we talk about. 560 00:47:29.505 --> 00:47:32.125 We need to abide. But I wanted to live it. 561 00:47:34.905 --> 00:47:37.765 So I began to ask, what does it look like to abide? 562 00:47:39.445 --> 00:47:42.765 I began to go to the word of God to see what it looked like to abide. 563 00:47:43.505 --> 00:47:46.045 And so for the rest of your time, our time together today, 564 00:47:46.805 --> 00:47:51.725 I wanna share some practical ways that we can actually abide in 565 00:47:51.726 --> 00:47:55.844 Christ. And these are things that I've experienced as I've lived, 566 00:47:56.105 --> 00:47:59.165 as I've read the word of God and as I've learned. 567 00:48:00.465 --> 00:48:03.725 And I just want to impart to y'all what God has been imparting to me. 568 00:48:05.195 --> 00:48:05.935 Well here's the first one. 569 00:48:05.935 --> 00:48:10.555 If we are gonna abide in Christ and we need to begin or 570 00:48:10.915 --> 00:48:15.075 continue to walk with Jesus, you know that walk that Ben talked about, 571 00:48:15.614 --> 00:48:16.995 it was just a short walk. 572 00:48:17.895 --> 00:48:21.395 And I experienced so much during that 20 minutes that it's something that I 573 00:48:21.594 --> 00:48:23.995 wanna experience for the rest of my life. And I want you to experience, 574 00:48:24.175 --> 00:48:28.875 and maybe you're in this moment right now and you have never begun an actual 575 00:48:28.945 --> 00:48:31.955 walk with Jesus. You've never been a follower of Christ. Well, 576 00:48:31.956 --> 00:48:34.995 can I just say like we would love to talk to you about that at hope. 577 00:48:36.705 --> 00:48:39.445 We have an area called the next steps area at all of our campuses. 578 00:48:39.446 --> 00:48:41.165 And even for those of you watching online, 579 00:48:41.425 --> 00:48:45.005 we would love it if you would let us know that you are interested in learning 580 00:48:45.006 --> 00:48:47.045 what it means to walk with God. 581 00:48:47.046 --> 00:48:50.445 Because we want to help you to take that journey. It's a really big deal. 582 00:48:50.625 --> 00:48:52.765 And we want you to know how to walk with the Lord. 583 00:48:52.785 --> 00:48:56.445 And if you have been walking with the Lord for a long time, can I tell you? 584 00:48:57.205 --> 00:49:00.885 And I want to encourage you To walk a little more 585 00:49:03.225 --> 00:49:05.085 and maybe even to walk a little closer, 586 00:49:07.625 --> 00:49:12.445 to continue the walk that you have with God because 587 00:49:12.585 --> 00:49:17.245 he wants to walk with you. And where he's walking us to 588 00:49:18.965 --> 00:49:23.665 is something better. And here's the second thing I wanna encourage you to do. 589 00:49:23.666 --> 00:49:24.585 In order to abide, 590 00:49:24.945 --> 00:49:29.344 I want to encourage you to abide by reading and living God's word. You know, 591 00:49:29.345 --> 00:49:30.985 if we are gonna learn how to abide, 592 00:49:31.005 --> 00:49:33.825 it is only gonna come through us reading the word of God, 593 00:49:34.344 --> 00:49:36.785 applying it to how we actually live our lives, 594 00:49:37.125 --> 00:49:40.625 and then grabbing the hand of Jesus and walking with him. 595 00:49:42.085 --> 00:49:42.785 You see, 596 00:49:42.785 --> 00:49:47.344 scripture teaches us how to abide. 597 00:49:48.325 --> 00:49:53.185 The Bible says that it's profitable for instruction and correction and training 598 00:49:53.325 --> 00:49:56.185 in righteousness. It teaches us how to abide. 599 00:49:57.725 --> 00:49:59.545 So I wanna encourage you to make scripture, 600 00:50:01.285 --> 00:50:03.105 the reading of the Word of God, 601 00:50:04.145 --> 00:50:06.344 a real part of how you live your life. 602 00:50:08.425 --> 00:50:11.305 I can tell you that it'll bring you closer to God 603 00:50:13.065 --> 00:50:16.825 and anything will. Well, here's the last one. 604 00:50:19.565 --> 00:50:24.025 The last way to abide is I want to encourage you to stay focused on 605 00:50:24.875 --> 00:50:25.708 Jesus. 606 00:50:27.585 --> 00:50:30.485 You know what I've found over the years is that when I get caught up in the spin 607 00:50:30.486 --> 00:50:31.319 cycle, 608 00:50:33.755 --> 00:50:38.605 It's very easy for me to move outta proximity with the Lord because I 609 00:50:38.606 --> 00:50:41.045 begin to focus on everybody else and everything else. 610 00:50:42.305 --> 00:50:45.285 And everything else in my life begins to get attention, right? 611 00:50:46.945 --> 00:50:51.925 And the one thing that I neglect to pay attention to is the 612 00:50:51.926 --> 00:50:55.205 thing that has the power to change all of those other things, 613 00:50:58.415 --> 00:50:59.248 Jesus. 614 00:51:01.745 --> 00:51:06.485 And the only way that we can truly abide is by our focus 615 00:51:07.655 --> 00:51:08.765 being on Jesus. 616 00:51:08.945 --> 00:51:11.685 You know the thing that was so beautiful about that walk the other day, 617 00:51:11.985 --> 00:51:16.885 it was me clearing all the distractions from my life and taking just a moment to 618 00:51:16.935 --> 00:51:18.525 focus in on Jesus. 619 00:51:22.765 --> 00:51:23.765 And so when we do that, 620 00:51:25.005 --> 00:51:29.445 that we realize how good it is to be in proximity with the Lord and that 621 00:51:29.446 --> 00:51:34.325 proximity brings us great peace and we're reminded over and over and over 622 00:51:34.455 --> 00:51:37.285 again that peace with God is something to be desired. 623 00:51:37.565 --> 00:51:39.125 And that when we walk in that kind of peace, 624 00:51:39.385 --> 00:51:41.645 it changes everything about our lives. 625 00:51:45.635 --> 00:51:48.405 It's only through focusing on Jesus that we experienced. 626 00:51:48.405 --> 00:51:49.238 That. 627 00:51:50.955 --> 00:51:53.285 It's only through abiding. 628 00:51:55.245 --> 00:51:59.525 And you might be in this place right now, you're like, I hear you, 629 00:52:01.285 --> 00:52:03.005 I hear you Dwayne, and I want to abide, 630 00:52:04.985 --> 00:52:08.645 but I'm not sure where to start. Well, 631 00:52:08.646 --> 00:52:11.885 I want to close with just a little bit of an an anecdotal story. 632 00:52:14.945 --> 00:52:18.205 You know, um, there's this guy, right? 633 00:52:19.065 --> 00:52:23.364 And he and his wife are heading out to go hang out for the morning and they're 634 00:52:23.365 --> 00:52:28.285 driving in their pickup truck and she's sitting next to him in her seat and 635 00:52:28.286 --> 00:52:31.245 he's sitting in his seat and they've been married for a long time, 636 00:52:31.495 --> 00:52:33.205 let's just say 25 years or so. 637 00:52:34.105 --> 00:52:37.364 And they're going to go get a breakfast of bacon and eggs. 638 00:52:37.415 --> 00:52:39.085 Fewer mornings are better than that. 639 00:52:40.844 --> 00:52:43.525 And they're going out to hang out and they notice that there's a truck in front 640 00:52:43.526 --> 00:52:45.364 of them and there's two other people. 641 00:52:45.365 --> 00:52:48.645 There's another couple in the truck in front of them and they can kinda see 642 00:52:48.646 --> 00:52:49.479 through the window. 643 00:52:49.665 --> 00:52:53.445 And what the wife begins to see is that the husband and the wife and that truck 644 00:52:53.785 --> 00:52:57.405 are very close to each other. They seem to be cuddling a little bit. 645 00:52:57.705 --> 00:52:59.285 Now he's in his seat and he is driving, 646 00:52:59.705 --> 00:53:03.485 but she's kinda really close to him and they're hugging and they even take a 647 00:53:03.486 --> 00:53:06.565 moment to have a little kiss. It seems like for whatever reason, 648 00:53:06.875 --> 00:53:11.125 they're a lot closer in their car than this couple is in theirs. 649 00:53:12.745 --> 00:53:15.325 So the wife leans over to her husband and she says, 650 00:53:17.885 --> 00:53:22.285 I wish we were like them. I wish we were close like them. 651 00:53:22.485 --> 00:53:26.364 I wish that we spent time together the way that they seem to be spending time 652 00:53:26.605 --> 00:53:29.485 together. And we were like that when we first got together. 653 00:53:29.545 --> 00:53:32.485 But now for whatever reason, we seem so far apart, 654 00:53:32.585 --> 00:53:36.165 you sit on your side of the car and I sit on my side of the car for whatever 655 00:53:36.166 --> 00:53:40.645 reason. We seem to be distant now we once were close, we seem to be distant. 656 00:53:41.805 --> 00:53:42.885 And the husband looks at her 657 00:53:44.375 --> 00:53:48.315 And he says some words that just seemed to resonate in my heart. 658 00:53:50.415 --> 00:53:53.475 He says, dear, you know, I love you. 659 00:53:55.935 --> 00:54:00.795 The driver's seat is fixed. I never moved. 660 00:54:04.065 --> 00:54:08.475 I've never moved. And if you want to get close to me, 661 00:54:10.955 --> 00:54:15.275 baby, you got an open chair, come on over and get close to me. 662 00:54:17.735 --> 00:54:22.195 You know, I tell that story for two reasons. One is because 663 00:54:25.114 --> 00:54:27.594 I love riding a truck with my wife and being close to her. 664 00:54:28.975 --> 00:54:33.035 But two is because I believe that this is what God is saying to us today when it 665 00:54:33.036 --> 00:54:33.955 comes to abiding. 666 00:54:35.455 --> 00:54:40.114 He has been faithful from the very beginning and he has been fixed 667 00:54:40.495 --> 00:54:42.635 and he's never moved. 668 00:54:44.175 --> 00:54:48.235 And if you find yourself in a place today where you realize that you're far from 669 00:54:48.295 --> 00:54:48.635 God, 670 00:54:48.635 --> 00:54:52.715 I want you to know that you have an open seat and an open opportunity to come on 671 00:54:52.815 --> 00:54:57.035 and get close to him. He's never moved. He's always been in the same place, 672 00:54:57.205 --> 00:55:00.114 fixed and ready with open arms to receive you. 673 00:55:03.075 --> 00:55:07.435 And the opportunity to abide is right in front of you. 674 00:55:10.645 --> 00:55:14.715 Don't you miss walking in the cool of the day 675 00:55:15.625 --> 00:55:16.458 with the Lord? 676 00:55:18.125 --> 00:55:21.995 Don't you miss the peace that comes from proximity to God? 677 00:55:25.114 --> 00:55:28.835 Well, I want to encourage you, the way that you get back to that 678 00:55:30.535 --> 00:55:33.755 is by choosing to abide in here. 679 00:55:35.395 --> 00:55:40.135 And the one thing I can promise from abiding is that your life 680 00:55:41.685 --> 00:55:42.614 will bear fruit. 681 00:55:44.835 --> 00:55:48.535 You'll quickly move towards something greater. 682 00:55:50.864 --> 00:55:54.215 Let's take a moment and pray together and let's close our time. Father God, 683 00:55:54.295 --> 00:55:55.735 I thank you for your word. That is true. 684 00:55:56.295 --> 00:55:58.575 I thank you for the way that you encourage us to abide. 685 00:55:58.695 --> 00:56:01.775 I thank you for your love that is poured out on us. And Father, 686 00:56:01.875 --> 00:56:04.375 as we take steps towards abiding in you, 687 00:56:04.635 --> 00:56:08.094 we pray that our trust and our focus will be completely on you. Father, 688 00:56:08.245 --> 00:56:12.455 lead us and guide us towards the life of abiding because it's the only way that 689 00:56:12.456 --> 00:56:14.775 we can bear the fruit that you wanna bear in our lives. 690 00:56:14.995 --> 00:56:16.335 And so we trust you with this. 691 00:56:16.475 --> 00:56:19.015 We look forward to seeing what you will do in our lives. 692 00:56:19.075 --> 00:56:23.525 And we'll be very careful when we abide and produce fruit to give you praise and 693 00:56:23.526 --> 00:56:26.965 honor and glory because we'll believe that it's because of you working through 694 00:56:26.966 --> 00:56:30.485 us, that we are bearing fruit. And that God the Father, the vine dresser, 695 00:56:30.705 --> 00:56:34.085 is preparing us for greater work. We believe in you, we trust you. 696 00:56:34.305 --> 00:56:39.245 We ask for your perfect will in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.