Choose today, and every day, to stay connected to Jesus.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.”

What’s the Gardner Doing?

He’s pruning branches that are fruitful.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

The Pattern of Abiding

We Abide in His Word (v.7)

We take the Word in so we can live the Word out.

We abide in Prayer (v.7)

The Condition: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you…”

The Result: “…ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

We Abide in His Love (v.9)

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

Abiding in His love is not about what you do for Him; it’s about what He has done for you in Christ.

When we take His love in and we give His love out.

Staying connected to Jesus is necessary for spiritual growth.

It’s time to join in on the mission of God through His church!

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

“Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you….”

“Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.”

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…”

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God!”

When we embrace the love of Christ, we will also embrace the life of Christ.

We don’t take next steps accidentally.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”

We are all ministers of the gospel.

- A congregation is not an audience; it’s an army.

“…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

Why Should We Take Next Steps?

1. Next Steps produce spiritual maturity.

“…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses…For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2. Next Steps cultivate Christlikeness.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…”

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

3. Next Steps lead to a purpose-filled life.

“…from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

NEXT STEPS

1. I want to follow Jesus.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…”

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.”

Often, Christians are persecuted not for their Christianity, but for their lack of it.

To be righteous is to be like Christ.

Reasons We Face Persecution

1. Persecution matures us.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

2. Persecution is an opportunity to be a witness.

3. Persecution shapes us to be like Christ.

“For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

4. Persecution reaps heavenly reward.

Primary Motivations

A deeper love for God.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Peace is not found in the absence of conflict; it’s found in the presence of Christ.

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

A peacemaker is a fighter who seeks to bring peace.

“God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

“Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

How Do We Become Peacemakers?

1. We get peace from God.

Peace is a person.

We experience peace with God.

We experience peace with ourselves.

“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

2. We extend peace to others.

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

We must see others the way God sees them.

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him…”

We must live sent.

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

“And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.”

Being pure in heart is to be like Jesus.

“There are none righteous, no, not one…”

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked/sick; who can understand it?”

“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?”

“He who has clean hands and a pure heart…”

“There must be a work of grace in the core of the heart as well as in the palm of the hand, or our religion is a delusion.”

“…who does not lift up his soul to what is false…”

Divided worship destroys worshipers.

The pure in heart regard God (alone) as their highest good.

Let us not prioritize the kingdom of self over the Kingdom of God.

1. Jesus is concerned with your heart.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

2. Jesus is concerned with your holiness.

“Pursue peace with all men, and be holy, for without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness…”

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Mercy is compassion in action.

Mercy is compassion in action…but it’s directed toward the guilty.

In the process of trying to hurt others, you are only hurting you.

1. We remember God’s mercy toward us.

2. We remember mercy is not the goal, Jesus is.

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you…”

“And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?”

“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Where are we to direct mercy?

1. We are to give mercy to those who make mistakes.

2. We are to give mercy to those who have hurt us.

3. We are to give mercy to people far from God.

“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

4. We are to give mercy to OURSELVES.

“For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.”

“…though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

“For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

“…much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

“And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?”

“…one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches…”

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

“For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

The reason we don’t hunger for the things of God is because we fill up on all the wrong things.

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”

“…may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

What is Righteousness?

1. Righteousness is right standing with God.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

2. Righteousness is right living on earth.

The natural man hungers for the things of God, whereas the true disciple hungers for God, himself.

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

“Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.”

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”

“…whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith…”

Week 1

Week 2

Today

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Meekness is not weakness.

Meekness is strength under control.

Meekness is power and control under the reigns of the Master.

“(Jesus), who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

1. Meekness is about God.

“…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”

“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

How can we walk in meekness?

Ministry requires thick skin and a soft heart.

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.”

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

1. We should mourn the sins of others.

My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

2. We should mourn the sins of self.

We make much of grace, yet we make little of sin.

Misconceptions About Pain and Suffering that Lead to Mourning:

1. We believe good people shouldn’t suffer/mourn.

2. We believe mourning means something is wrong.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…

…for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

3. We believe we know what’s best for our lives.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death…But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

What am I to do when facing a tough season of life?

1. Shift your focus from what God is doing to you, to what God wants to do in you.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

3. Surround yourself with solid relationships.

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Each verse reveals where true blessedness can be found.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To be “poor in spirit” is a consciousness of my emptiness.

1. Spiritual poverty is a necessity for salvation.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…

2. Spiritual poverty is a necessity for spiritual growth.

3. Spiritual poverty is a necessity for being used by God.

Some of our greatest ministry will come from our weakest moments.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.