Citygate Church

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 5:27-30

The Old Testament sexual ethic said that marriage (a one man, one woman covenant) is the sole God-given context for a sexual relationship. So when Jesus says here, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’” he’s referring to the creation narrative and to the seventh commandment (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5) - and all the subsequent teaching.

There are many stories of sexual activity outside the boundaries set by God in the Old Testament - from David’s adultery with Bathsheeba to the rape of Tamar to Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines. All of which shows that adhering to those boundaries has been an age-old challenge.

So why was this command given? For at least three inter-related reasons: because sexual intimacy is a serious thing in a way unlike other human contact; because it expresses a unity that only makes sense in marriage; and because it pictures the exclusive relationship between God and his people.

Sexual intimacy with someone who is not your spouse unites that person to someone other than their spouse (see 1 Corinthians 6:16) and thus breaks the marriage covenant. Far from downplaying sex, the Christian faith elevates it. In a world that sees sex as little more than the satisfying of a physical appetite, God, who designed us a sexual beings, sees it as an intimate, covenantal act.

The action he recommends in order to avoid committing adultery in the heart sounds extreme indeed! But out of love for us, he warns us to do whatever is necessary to avoid the dire consequences of adultery. Although v 28 is addressed to men, it is clear that the command applies to both men and women. Whether the entrance of sin is through the eye with which you see or the hand with which you touch, the best course of action is to ruthlessly “gouge it out” or “cut it off.” 

In Jesus’ day:

The Rabbis gave a limited, narrow interpretation of the seventh commandment - as long as one avoided the physical act of adultery, one had kept that law. But as Jesus so often did, he here exposes their convenient interpretation and raises the stakes to include the attitude God wants and the intent behind the original command. “Do not commit adultery” was always meant to be a heart matter, not simply a physical matter; it is surely true that if people keep adultery from their hearts, they will certainly keep it from their conduct.

In our day:

We could sum up our day as suffering from sexual saturation and sexual confusion: 

Sexual saturation. Huge businesses are ploughing vast sums of money into shaping our view of sex and sexuality. From tv to adverts to news to the easy availability of pornography, we are bombarded with the message that sexual fulfilment is one of the key points of life.

Sexual confusion. A crisis of epidemic proportions is currently being experienced by people of all ages, but especially the young. While much progress has been made in helping people to be open and authentic, the encouragement to question one’s gender and sexuality has led to immense confusion.

In that context, Jesus’ instruction that, “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” is probably one of his most counter-cultural statements which calls us to radical purity that may seem strange to the world around us, but may increasingly be attractive too.

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 6:19-24

Jesus spoke frequently about the place of money, wealth and treasure. He applauded the faith of a widow who gave her last resources into the offering in the temple; he called the rich ruler to “sell all that you have and distribute to the poor”; he said we should pay our taxes (even to the oppressive Roman regime!); he warned people that it’s foolish to store up treasure for ourselves, while not being rich towards God. And at the end of this passage Jesus puts it very clearly: “You cannot serve both God and Money.” Why? Simply because, “no one can serve two masters.” Our wholehearted allegiance to one will mean we cannot possibly have the same allegiance to the other.

There’s no question that Jesus’ teaching on money, possessions and comfort is hugely challenging to the selfish instincts in every person. But Jesus gives good reason for serving God rather than Money - in contrast to the temporary, insecure nature of “treasures on earth,” Jesus commends the pursuit of “treasures in heaven” because they are eternal and secure. At the core, the question of who we will serve - God or Money - is a heart issue: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus is never simply challenging people to modify their behaviour so as to become more moral; rather he wants hearts that are God-first, focussed on eternal, rather than earthly, treasure.

In Jesus’ day:

Whether Jesus has in mind the religious hypocrites he’s just been talking about (vs 1-18) or the secular, pagan people who he will soon refer to (v 32) is not clear. In Jewish thinking, the blessed life was believed to be the one that was healthy and wealthy, very much like it is in our day. The obedient life was surely evidenced by God’s physical and material blessing (see the Old Testament promises). And in the rest of pagan society, the natural desire for comfort and to trust in one’s resources could equally be in view. Either way, Jesus warned people not to calculate things materially. Moths, vermin and thieves were very real problems in Jesus’ day!

In our day:

Money, possessions and material comfort have undoubtedly become an idol in our day. While many do still live in poverty, it is true that the higher living standards generally become, the more we desire and feel we are entitled to. We’re all chasing that bit more. This idol, just like any other, leads us to trust in and find joy and meaning in the measure of our material assets rather than in God. Our challenges may come less from moths, vermin and thieves, but other ‘enemies’ equally mean that our earthly resources are insecure - inflation, scams, our own greed. 

What is “treasure in heaven?” Certainly not any sort of good works by which we accumulate heavenly merit. Stott argues that Jesus likely means, ‘anything on earth whose effects last for eternity,’ such as growth in Christlike character, introducing others to Jesus, growing in love for God and others. What Jesus is certainly commending is an eternal perspective rather than a temporal one. God’s people are counter-cultural because they’ve made their choice to set their hearts and minds on the things of God, “where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor during the Second World War, wrote, ‘When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.’ Bonhoeffer was hanged in 1945 for his part in plans to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The idea of cost is rarely communicated when Christians talk of following Jesus. We tend to speak of benefits, blessings and gain - all of which is absolutely true, of course. We follow Jesus because of what he gives. Yet Jesus was unafraid to speak of the cost of following him - to the rich ruler in Luke 18, to his 12 disciples in Matthew 10 & 16 or to a teacher of the law in Matthew 8. In each case, Jesus confronts people’s confidence to follow him with the cost of doing so. 

The account of Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:21-27 come immediately after the high point of Peter’s confession (vs 13-20). Peter cannot comprehend that Jesus will suffer and be killed (v 21) so he rebukes Jesus - for which he receives a far greater rebuke in return (v 23). Then comes the teaching about the cost of following him:

v 24: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

v 25: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

This counter-cultural logic is set in the context of the time when, “the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels.” What we may have left behind for him in this life will be far surpassed by the wonderful rewards of that life.

In Jesus’ day:

The Romans crucified tens of thousands of people who they saw as trouble, or a danger to, the Roman state. But to take up a cross voluntarily would have been a bit of a mystery.

Being a pious Jew brought respect, honour and a good reputation; now Jesus is calling his disciples to leave all that behind in favour of a cross, self-denial and losing the life they had known. For them, following Jesus meant literally leaving their fishing business or their tax collector’s booth!

In our day:

It’s perhaps not surprising that most of us prefer the cheapest, easiest and most comfortable options. And that can be true today in matters of faith just as in any other area of life. However, in the Luke 14 passage it’s very interesting that Jesus encourages the “large crowds” who were travelling with him to face up to the cost. He insists that it is only logical to count the cost before embarking on being his disciple. This is in stark contrast to many modern invitations to follow Jesus in which our need for Jesus and the benefits he brings are laid out, but the challenges, costs and sacrifices are rarely mentioned. 

While most of us are not facing imminent persecution for following Jesus, the cost to us will surely be greatly felt if we are truly submitted to following him above all else. What does denying ourselves, taking up our cross and losing our lives for Jesus look like today?

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 5:3-12

‘The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the

Christian counter-culture’ (John Stott). This famous sermon begins with Jesus issuing nine statements about the blessed life. It is crucial to rightly understand what it means to be “blessed.” Stott says, `It is seriously misleading to render ‘blessed’ to mean ‘happy’. For happiness is a subjective state, whereas Jesus is making an objective judgement about these people. He is declaring not what they may feel like (‘happy’), but what God thinks of them and what on that account they are: they are ‘blessed’.’

The nine characteristics are not so much a list of things to do to be blessed, but the types of people who are blessed. However, they represent essential attitudes expected of the person whose life is submitted to God.

It is clear that God is the one who bestows the blessings. Each of the first eight statements (vs 3-10) have a corresponding promise. The ninth statement also has a corresponding promise: “because great is your reward in heaven.” It is likely that all of these promises have both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’ dimensions, as is prominent in NT teaching.

In Jesus’ day

The good life, as defined by the majority of Jews, was seen as the prosperous life, the life honoured by the rest of one’s community, the life kept ‘pure’ by remaining separate from the unclean. Positive outward circumstances were believed to be evidence of God’s blessing and it was clear to all that God’s blessing had been withdrawn from those whose circumstances were negative. To understand this prevailing mindset, consider Job’s ‘comforters’ or the question asked by Jesus’ disciples in John 9:2: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus is saying in his statements that the blessed life is so much more than outward circumstances: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, etc are those who will know God’s presence and provision (both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’). The blessed life as Jesus sees it is defined purely in relation to how God views a person.

In our day

It doesn’t take much analysis of our 21st century culture to conclude that the good life is believed to be the full, prosperous life free from trouble or need. We’re trained to believe that more is better, that popularity is where significance comes from, that the blessed life is the comfortable one.

But Jesus’ words are a head-on challenge to a hedonistic world that promotes ease and self-fulfilment. He finishes with the counter-cultural statement: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” The promise attached to this blessing is also counter-cultural: “great is your reward in heaven.” It’s a future-oriented reward in contrast to our culture that believes you must get what you can now.

About this series:

In this 10-part series we look to show how counter-cultural Jesus is, and to give confidence that he will help those who follow him to do likewise.

Jesus was God-in-flesh. He was (and is) the purest, most loving and truth-filled human being the world has ever known. And yet what he taught, how he lived and the kingdom he inaugurated directly confronted the human culture in which he spent his years on earth. He was truly counter-cultural. And he is no less counter-cultural in every part of the world today.

To follow Jesus is to embark on a lifelong journey of counter-cultural transformation in which we can expect that being a disciple will lead us towards challenge, temptation and costly decisions at every turn. It’s to this that he calls every single person who follows him. 

It’s a lifestyle:

- That requires obedience to him above all else.

- That will lead us into conflict with the world, the flesh and the devil.

- That witnesses to the world of his greatness.

The goal of the first series this year - Just Jesus - was to spend time specifically focussed on the person and work of Jesus. And the goal this time is again to look at Jesus - how he was (and is) counter-cultural. So we’ll be speaking about Jesus - showing how his teaching and actions were counter-cultural in his day and then applying it to our day. We’ll be asking how we submit to his words and live like him in a world where his values are so dramatically opposed to the values of our culture.

About this talk:

Matthew 22:34-40

This famous encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees comes towards the end of a series of similar encounters, where various groups are seen questioning Jesus. Chapter 21 ends, “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.”

Jesus has entered Jerusalem on a donkey (21:1-11) and is now less than a week from his crucifixion. The tension is high and the religious authorities are plotting how to arrange for him to be killed. All of this is the immediate setting for the question, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” On the face of it, this is a perfectly reasonable question, but it should be noted that the expert in the Law was seeking to test Jesus.  

Rather than give one of the 10 commandments, Jesus answers with the commandment recited every day by faithful Jews, from Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”. To which he adds, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (from Leviticus 19:18). In other words, love for God, which is first, is intimately connected to love for others.

In Jesus’ day:

In a very God-conscious culture, the Jewish Rabbis had found 613 commandments in the law and added many other restrictions to ensure they didn’t break any of them. They liked to put another level of ‘fencing’ around the commandments so that people would be in no danger of breaking any of the laws. The Pharisees’ priority had been to obey God by keeping all the commandments; Jesus says the priority is to love God and others. If they focus on that, they will obey find that they are in fact obeying God and keeping the intent of all his commandments.

In our day:

In our God-unconscious culture the continual message is that your priority is to your own happiness, to realise your own potential and express the ‘real you.’ And so, from a very different angle, Jesus’ words challenge the core narrative of our day. He strips away all the nonsense about self-actualisation (loving oneself as the central point of life) and refocusses us on loving God with all we have; which, if genuine, then flows to loving and caring for others with the same intensity we love and care for ourselves (cf. James 2:14-26).

About this talk:

Russ reminds us of how God has been speaking to Citygate about ‘pruning for fruitfulness’ - by continually abiding in him. We also celebrate some of the high points of the year so far and look ahead to this next term, where we will be focusing on equipping ourselves to be the Lord’s harvesters.

About this series:

At the start of 2022 Russ, our Lead Elder, spoke about this being a year of ‘pruning for fruitfulness.’ The imagery comes from John 15 so we are going to preach through this chapter over seven Sundays.

The vine and branches are a wonderful and inspiring image but comes at a very intense point in Jesus’ journey to the cross.

There is also a clear Old Testament connection. In the OT “the vine” or “the vineyard” was a common picture of God’s people, and a symbol of the fruitfulness God intended for them. God had done all that was necessary for his people to be fruitful - chosen them, loved them, planted them in ‘fertile’ conditions - yet they continually turned away from him, and failed to be a prophetic witness to the nations of the one true God.

Fast-forward to John’s gospel where Jesus says, “I am the true vine” - I am the truly fruitful one sent by my Father, who himself is the gardener; stay intimately connected to me and dependent on me; your fruitfulness is directly related to that connection. It is by remaining in me that you will be enabled to be the distinct and faithful people of God and a prophetic witness of him.

We have a danger of immediately thinking of fruitfulness in terms of output, usefulness, and productivity - which is certainly part of what it means to be fruitful. But fruitfulness for God is the result of a life rooted in faithfulness to him. That is surely why God’s people produced bad fruit throughout the OT - because they had been unfaithful. Bearing good fruit is a matter of growth in godliness and character; it’s a holiness question as much as a usefulness one.

This series about abiding is not a set of seven ways to be fruitful but is a careful study in John 15. However, we hope that it is extremely practical, with the thread of abiding (as the way to be fruitful) weaving through it all. Each part of the series should help us consider how we can abide in Jesus.

For example

- Through staying conscious of him at all times

- Submitting our decisions to him

-Keeping his glory as the goal

- Connecting to fellow believers

-Ensuring that we’re carving out time to be alone with him in personal devotions (prayer, Bible reading, worship, etc)

- Growing in our understanding of who he is and who we are in him.

About this talk:

Scripture: John 15:12-17

As we come to the end of this passage, the ‘vertical’ meets the ‘horizontal,’ as it always does in the Bible. Loving God - because we are intimately connected to the vine - will result in loving people. Reference can be made again to Mark 12:28-34, to the many NT commands, to the ethics outlined in the OT and so on - loving people cannot be separated from claiming to love God or to having received his love.

 The command to love one another was not a new one (see Leviticus 19:18); but Jesus redefines it because now it is his love for his disciples that is their model for loving others - “love each other as I have loved you.” He’s already loved them despite their mistakes, he’s served them wholeheartedly, even washing their feet.

But he now qualifies the depth of his love by looking ahead to what he knows is coming in a few hours’ time in agony on the cross: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And the love he has for them has led him to call them his friends, not only servants (though elsewhere in the NT we are referred to as servants of God). His friends do what he commands and have been brought into very close fellowship with him such that, “everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” and that, “whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

 With a final encouragement that all this has come about through his own initiative and that he has appointed them to bear fruit (it’s a promise, not just a possibility), Jesus says, “This is my command: love each other.” There really is no greater expression of the life of the vine flowing through the branches than that they love one another - that is, in large part, what it means to be fruitful.

 Brain Edgar: ‘Love becomes an indispensable quality of life for the believer precisely because it is the essential dynamic of the divine life. Christians are to live in love because God is love. Love is not just a good idea, a useful expediency or a noble virtue, it is a participation in the life of God.’

We look at:

- What the pattern of Jesus’ love for us shows to us, practically, about how to love others.

- Some of the real-life ways we’ve been challenged in living out the command to “love each other”?

- What practical encouragement can we give to help people with some ideas about how to love as Jesus has loved us?

About this series:

At the start of 2022 Russ, our Lead Elder, spoke about this being a year of ‘pruning for fruitfulness.’ The imagery comes from John 15 so we are going to preach through this chapter over seven Sundays.

The vine and branches are a wonderful and inspiring image but comes at a very intense point in Jesus’ journey to the cross.

There is also a clear Old Testament connection. In the OT “the vine” or “the vineyard” was a common picture of God’s people, and a symbol of the fruitfulness God intended for them. God had done all that was necessary for his people to be fruitful - chosen them, loved them, planted them in ‘fertile’ conditions - yet they continually turned away from him, and failed to be a prophetic witness to the nations of the one true God.

Fast-forward to John’s gospel where Jesus says, “I am the true vine” - I am the truly fruitful one sent by my Father, who himself is the gardener; stay intimately connected to me and dependent on me; your fruitfulness is directly related to that connection. It is by remaining in me that you will be enabled to be the distinct and faithful people of God and a prophetic witness of him.

We have a danger of immediately thinking of fruitfulness in terms of output, usefulness, and productivity - which is certainly part of what it means to be fruitful. But fruitfulness for God is the result of a life rooted in faithfulness to him. That is surely why God’s people produced bad fruit throughout the OT - because they had been unfaithful. Bearing good fruit is a matter of growth in godliness and character; it’s a holiness question as much as a usefulness one.

This series about abiding is not a set of seven ways to be fruitful but is a careful study in John 15. However, we hope that it is extremely practical, with the thread of abiding (as the way to be fruitful) weaving through it all. Each part of the series should help us consider how we can abide in Jesus.

For example

- Through staying conscious of him at all times

- Submitting our decisions to him

- Keeping his glory as the goal

- Connecting to fellow believers

- Ensuring that we’re carving out time to be alone with him in personal devotions (prayer, Bible reading, worship, etc)

- Growing in our understanding of who he is and who we are in him.

About this talk:

Scripture: John 15:9-11

Such was his closeness to Jesus and so infused were his gospel and his letters with love that John became known in the church as ‘the apostle of love.’ Here he records Jesus proceeding to show what is the primary element in abiding - remaining in him means remaining in his love. It is the life of his love flowing through us that will lead us to be fruitful in loving both God and people.

Verse 9 affirms the extraordinary quality and measure of love that Jesus has for his disciples - the same love that his Father has for him. This is restated in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:26: “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Our part is to “remain in my love.” The privilege of what we have been brought into is truly mind-blowing. The life and love shared by the Father and the Son is so closely paralleled to the life and love we share with the Father, the Son and the Spirit. No wonder Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” He has done everything for us; our part is to make sure our connection to the life and love of Jesus is not hindered. And the route to doing so is perhaps surprising - obedience. “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love.” What he surely doesn’t mean is that he will love us if / when we keep his commands - that would be to make his love dependent on our behaviour. What he means is that our experience of his love and of his life flowing to us, the branches, will depend on us staying obedient to him and thus connected to him. Which is exactly how he says he has remained in his Father’s love.

All of which works for our joy, v 11. But just as it is his life flowing through us, it will be his joy flowing through us - “so that my joy may be in you.” And if his joy fills us then our joy really will be complete. Obedience to Jesus keeps us in his love, the result of which is joy in him, which works to motivate us to be obedient - and so the cycle continues.

 We look at:

- The extraordinary nature of Jesus’ love for us.

- The reality that knowing God’s love leads to obedience, which leads further into a desire to be obedient.

- How we can keep ourselves conscious of God’s love for us?

About this series:

At the start of 2022 Russ, our Lead Elder, spoke about this being a year of ‘pruning for fruitfulness.’ The imagery comes from John 15 so we are going to preach through this chapter over seven Sundays.

The vine and branches are a wonderful and inspiring image but comes at a very intense point in Jesus’ journey to the cross.

There is also a clear Old Testament connection. In the OT “the vine” or “the vineyard” was a common picture of God’s people, and a symbol of the fruitfulness God intended for them. God had done all that was necessary for his people to be fruitful - chosen them, loved them, planted them in ‘fertile’ conditions - yet they continually turned away from him, and failed to be a prophetic witness to the nations of the one true God.

Fast-forward to John’s gospel where Jesus says, “I am the true vine” - I am the truly fruitful one sent by my Father, who himself is the gardener; stay intimately connected to me and dependent on me; your fruitfulness is directly related to that connection. It is by remaining in me that you will be enabled to be the distinct and faithful people of God and a prophetic witness of him.

We have a danger of immediately thinking of fruitfulness in terms of output, usefulness, and productivity - which is certainly part of what it means to be fruitful. But fruitfulness for God is the result of a life rooted in faithfulness to him. That is surely why God’s people produced bad fruit throughout the OT - because they had been unfaithful. Bearing good fruit is a matter of growth in godliness and character; it’s a holiness question as much as a usefulness one.

This series about abiding is not a set of seven ways to be fruitful but is a careful study in John 15. However, we hope that it is extremely practical, with the thread of abiding (as the way to be fruitful) weaving through it all. Each part of the series should help us consider how we can abide in Jesus.

For example

- Through staying conscious of him at all times

- Submitting our decisions to him

-Keeping his glory as the goal

- Connecting to fellow believers

- Ensuring that we’re carving out time to be alone with him in personal devotions (prayer, Bible reading, worship, etc)

- Growing in our understanding of who he is and who we are in him.

About this talk:

Scripture: John 15:8

Why does anything exist? Or more personally: Why do we exist? Here’s that question famously phrased as a ‘what?’ in the Westminster Shorter Catechism (17th century): ‘What is the chief end of man?’ Answer: ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.’

The glory of God is the answer to most ‘Why?’ questions. The great point of life is that God might be known and loved and magnified for the beautiful, awesome, supreme being that he is. Which is the point Jesus makes here in v 8: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” The ESV translation - “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” - makes the connection even clearer: bearing much fruit glorifies the Father as we demonstrate that we are Jesus’ disciples.

One of the tragedies of the church through the centuries has been its inability or unwillingness to bear fruit that shows the greatness of God to the world. Some examples could be cited. And yet God’s intention has always been that the people he calls to himself will be a witness of his greatness to a watching world - see, for example, Deuteronomy 4:1-8; Isaiah 49:5-7; 1 Peter 2:9-10;

Just as the Son brings glory to the Father (John 13:31; 14:13; 17:4), so those through whom the life of the Son flows will bring glory to the Father because the fruit of their lives will reflect that of the Son, the true vine and truly fruitful one. Hence, the imagery of pruning and cutting (v 2) is part of the process by which the gardener works to ensure that he is increasingly glorified in his people’s increasingly Christlike lives.

We look at:

- Help people to grasp the concept of God’s glory, using NT teaching and illustrations.

- Give some examples of how bearing fruit brings glory to God.

- Help people to see abiding in Jesus not as a self-centered goal in itself, but as being filled with the life of Jesus so as to know God’s greatness more and to make his greatness known more.

About this series:

At the start of 2022 Russ, our Lead Elder, spoke about this being a year of ‘pruning for fruitfulness.’ The imagery comes from John 15 so we are going to preach through this chapter over seven Sundays.

The vine and branches are a wonderful and inspiring image but comes at a very intense point in Jesus’ journey to the cross.

There is also a clear Old Testament connection. In the OT “the vine” or “the vineyard” was a common picture of God’s people, and a symbol of the fruitfulness God intended for them. God had done all that was necessary for his people to be fruitful - chosen them, loved them, planted them in ‘fertile’ conditions - yet they continually turned away from him, and failed to be a prophetic witness to the nations of the one true God.

Fast-forward to John’s gospel where Jesus says, “I am the true vine” - I am the truly fruitful one sent by my Father, who himself is the gardener; stay intimately connected to me and dependent on me; your fruitfulness is directly related to that connection. It is by remaining in me that you will be enabled to be the distinct and faithful people of God and a prophetic witness of him.

We have a danger of immediately thinking of fruitfulness in terms of output, usefulness, and productivity - which is certainly part of what it means to be fruitful. But fruitfulness for God is the result of a life rooted in faithfulness to him. That is surely why God’s people produced bad fruit throughout the OT - because they had been unfaithful. Bearing good fruit is a matter of growth in godliness and character; it’s a holiness question as much as a usefulness one.

This series about abiding is not a set of seven ways to be fruitful but is a careful study in John 15. However, we hope that it is extremely practical, with the thread of abiding (as the way to be fruitful) weaving through it all. Each part of the series should help us consider how we can abide in Jesus.

For example

- Through staying conscious of him at all times

- Submitting our decisions to him

-Keeping his glory as the goal

- Connecting to fellow believers

- Ensuring that we’re carving out time to be alone with him in personal devotions (prayer, Bible reading, worship, etc)

- Growing in our understanding of who he is and who we are in him.

About this talk:

Scripture: John 15:4-7

It will be important here to work through what Jesus means by “fruit,” as people may otherwise make various assumptions - see notes in the Introduction, above. Having spoken about who he is - the true vine - and who his Father is - the gardener - Jesus now explains the route to fruitfulness. “Remain” (NIV, used 11 times in vs 1-10) and “abide” (ESV, used 10 times in vs 1 - 10) are a translation of Gk. meno, μενω, meaning to remain in him, abide in him, stay intimately connected to him, be faithful to him.

The dynamic relationship shared by Jesus and the disciple is highlighted by the double “in” - “remain in me, as I also remain in you” (v 4, cf. 14:20). Becoming a follower of Jesus means so many things - forgiveness, reconciliation, adoption, justification, etc - and includes this dual sharing of life. The believer is like a sponge dipped in water - the sponge is in the water and the water is also in the sponge. The fruit produced by a vine comes from connection, not primarily from effort - it is a drawing on the vine’s life that then flows through the branch to produce the fruit (see Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23).

Jesus remains in us because he is faithful and has promised to never leave. But our remaining in him is something we are personally responsible for (though that needs balancing with the assurance that as much as we are to be at work keeping ourselves in him, he is at work to keep us in him - see 1 John 5:18; Jude 21 & 24).

It’s worth noting that, while modern westerners will instinctively hear Jesus’ words as having an individual application, the commands are mostly plural in the original language. While this clearly has individual implications, the thrust, as usual in the Bible, is on living the life of following Jesus together - including remaining/abiding and being fruitful.

The language Jesus uses is stark - “Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me…apart from me you can do nothing.” He does not say we will be less fruitful or not as fruitful as we could be, but that we can bear no fruit apart from remaining in him. And yet those words are a promise, too, filled with hope - “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Verse 6 appears to elaborate on the gardener’s task in v 2, of “cut[ting] off every branch in me that bears no fruit” by stating here, “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.” These are branches that were said to be “in me,” but the language suggests the gardener is doing more than only cutting away the dead wood (see notes on v 2 in no. 3, above). Rather, it appears to be the decisive destruction of the fruitless, lifeless branch, with the mention of fire and burning leading us to think that eternal judgment is in mind. In that reading, these would be people who appeared to be disciples, but by their lack of fruit have ultimately shown that they never were connected to the vine.

Again, as in the notes on v 2, above, we should be careful not to push the metaphor to answer questions it was not intended to. In commenting on this issue in this verse, Gary Burge puts it this way: ‘The principle is simple: Jesus (and the vine) are the source of life; to fail to have him is to fail to have life. To refuse to “remain in Jesus” (15:6a) is to refuse the gift of life he offers.’

We certainly should not interpret this in a way that leads to anyone losing the assurance of salvation. The genuine believer will persevere to the end because they are righteous in Christ and will be kept by him.

We look at:

- What does it look like in practice to remain/abide in Jesus? What unhelpful preconceptions might people have that need deconstructing?

- Given the privilege and mystery of prayer, what are we to make of, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”?

- How does being in the community help us to remain/abide and be fruitful?