John 15:1-17New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus, the True Vine

15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

1. God is the vine and we need to be connected to him

2. We are expected to bear fruit for his glory

3. We are supposed to love God and each other

4. We have to be okay with being pruned



John 10:10New Living Translation (NLT)

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Love is the accurate estimation and adequate supply of another person’s need.

Agape- unconditional love, God’s love. This is the word for love we see used in scriptures like John 3:16, John 15, and Galatians 5 and defined in 1st Corinthians 13

1 John 4:18New Living Translation (NLT)

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

2 Timothy 3:1-4New Living Translation (NLT)

The Dangers of the Last Days

3 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.

Questions-

1. God, what do you need to prune in me so that the element and attribute of love can come to full bloom?

2.What situation can I chose to ask God to give me a chance to demonstrate agape love?

3. Would the people I brush shoulders with characterize me with a dominating attribute of love?

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Elements - Patience

Patience is long and boring obedience over quick and easy gratification

Proverbs 16:32

Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

James 5:7-8

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

Galatians 6:9

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

1. God’s plans and dreams for your life are

probably going take longer, and be harder than

you imagine.

James 1:2-4

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

2. Some things that are right for your life are not



3. Enjoy the Journey

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Ezekiel 33:11

“‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways!’”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

How do I put the gentleness the Holy Spirit provides into action?

Correct others with easiness

2 Timothy 2:23-26

23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

Forgive

Matthew 18:23-33

23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’

Set Your Opinions Aside

John 3:30

30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

Was I gentle in the situations I faced today? If not, why? Were my rationalizations prideful?

Do I exhibit the same gentleness to others that God exhibits to me every day? How?

Do people describe me as gentle? Or do they describe me as critical or brash? Why?

Do I gently encourage people to “sin no more”? Or do I self-righteously cast the first stone?

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Romans 1:21-23

21Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and

confused. 22Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter

fools. 23And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

Romans 1:21-32

24So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.30They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Romans 2:1-4

1You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 4Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

2 Timothy 2:23-26

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

James 1:20-21

Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

Questions to ask ourselves:

Am I conforming my life the God’s truths or am I trying to serve a God who only agrees with me?

Am I as concerned with my sin as I am the sins of others?

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Galatians 5:22-23

(NLT) 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.

Self-control is the ability to make decisions against yourself.

Proverbs 25:28

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”

Vision

Mark 8:34

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my fol lower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

Purpose

John 10:10

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Discipline

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercise self-control in all things.

Strength

Philippians 4:13

13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Proverbs 24:16

16 The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal” (Phil. 3:13-14)

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Elements

Week 3 – Faithfulness

Faithfulness - Staying true to what you said you were going to do

long after the feeling you felt when you said it has left

I believe we need to hear about faithfulness because our society has a faithfulness epidemic

Statistics

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America -

- one out of every three -- live in biological father-absent homes.



About 70 percent of married men admitted to cheating on their wives!

55% of married women admit to cheating on their husbands

The average length of a marriage in America now is 8.2 years. What

happened to “until death do us part”

More than 90 percent of American men believe in God, and five out of

six call themselves Christians. But only one out of six attend church

on a given Sunday.

Those stats are depressing, but here is the good news. The Bible tells us that Faithfulness is something that God helps us have through the gift of the Holy Spirit. In other words if you want to be a faithful person, and if you will let him, the Holy Spirit will give you the power to be faithful.

Notice I did not say, the Holy Spirit will give you the power to be perfect, I said the power to be faithful.

Galatians 5:16-25

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil,

which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. (were saying, I don’t want that life or those things) 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

How can we stay Faithful

1. Keep showing up

“Woody Allen said 80% of success is showing up" We underestimate consistency.

2. Resist Temptation and Admit your weaknesses

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

3. Focus on the end and not the immediate

Faithfulness – making it to the finish line Well done good and faithful servant

Pray each day for the Holy Spirit to keep you faithful.

Ronnie Freeman – Satisfied

I'm satisfied, satisfied I've been cared for so faithfully

But Lord hear my plea May it be that you're satisfied with me

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Fruit of the Spirit- Joy

I have an incredibly blessed life. Amazing husband, pastoring a life-giving church, love my job, like really love it, beautiful home, etc.

And it might be easy to think, well of course she’s happy. But let me tell you about “happy people”. 1. People think you’re fake 2. Lot of pressure to never be sad

My life, as I already shared, is incredibly blessed- but just as you know from the popular commentary on social media, pictures and stories can be presented lots of different ways. While everything I said earlier is very true, here’s what I left out

-cousin whose fiancé overdosed on heroine and she, three weeks later, took her own life

-students who have sat in my classroom and taken their lives, coworker I shared a room with died in a car accident on the way to work leaving behind two small children

-2 miscarriages

-robbed 4 times

-several close friends and family members who do not know the Lord

-close, very close, family member who was in rehab, struggled with depression

-a mother-in-law who lost her battle to cancer at age 48

Life is no doubt a constant reminder of how frail and how fragile we really are and it seems, at times, every incident every occurrence is working to rob what little happiness we manage to scrape together. But here is the deal-

To make any progress in figuring out how to demonstrate a life that is filled with and manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit we have to start with clarifying- When I say Joy, most people, including myself, would equate that word to Happiness.

1. Happiness is based on your happenings- Joy comes from the Lord

Happiness

-Got a promotion

-My kids didn’t fight

-I got to lay out at the pool

-Someone asked for my number

-I lost 30 pounds

-I got to buy a new house

-Someone told me I was pretty

-I found a 20 dollar bill

-I got to eat a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts

Joy

Miscarriage (God designed my body to terminate a fetus whose DNA was wrong)

Kathy (final days were filled with Joy know she lived a God-fearing life and was about to receive her reward)

Little moments that become monumental when you reach them (my graduating vs. Jason, someone learning to walk again)

2. Counter to what we may want to believe, joy in the Bible is almost always juxtaposed, paralleled, set up next to or paired with trials.

James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials or many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance

You want to know how to “be happier”, you want to know what it feels like to have the joy of the Lord be your strength? Here it is, you have to change what satisfies you. You have to get yourself concerned with what God is concerned with.

Proverbs 8:32

And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. You want to know how people seem happy when all manner of heartache and loss surround them- they have intimacy with God. Their obedience to God provides them with a supernatural strength, joy, contentment.

John 15:12 This is my commandment that you love one another that your Joy may be full.

This is the I’m willing to be inconvenienced, consider others as more important, and making the condition of their souls and wellbeing a matter of priority in our lives kind of love.

Jesus lived it out like this:

3. Our Joy is found in living life for others not ourselves.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Visit us on a Sunday morning at:

7515 3rd st rd

Louisville KY, 40214

Contact us at: 502-363-0182

Fruit of the Spirit- Joy

I have an incredibly blessed life. Amazing husband, pastoring a life-giving church, love my job, like really love it, beautiful home, etc.

And it might be easy to think, well of course she’s happy. But let me tell you about “happy people”. 1. People think you’re fake 2. Lot of pressure to never be sad

My life, as I already shared, is incredibly blessed- but just as you know from the popular commentary on social media, pictures and stories can be presented lots of different ways. While everything I said earlier is very true, here’s what I left out

-cousin whose fiancé overdosed on heroine and she, three weeks later, took her own life

-students who have sat in my classroom and taken their lives, coworker I shared a room with died in a car accident on the way to work leaving behind two small children

-2 miscarriages

-robbed 4 times

-several close friends and family members who do not know the Lord

-close, very close, family member who was in rehab, struggled with depression

-a mother-in-law who lost her battle to cancer at age 48

Life is no doubt a constant reminder of how frail and how fragile we really are and it seems, at times, every incident every occurrence is working to rob what little happiness we manage to scrape together. But here is the deal-

To make any progress in figuring out how to demonstrate a life that is filled with and manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit we have to start with clarifying- When I say Joy, most people, including myself, would equate that word to Happiness.

1. Happiness is based on your happenings- Joy comes from the Lord

Happiness

-Got a promotion

-My kids didn’t fight

-I got to lay out at the pool

-Someone asked for my number

-I lost 30 pounds

-I got to buy a new house

-Someone told me I was pretty

-I found a 20 dollar bill

-I got to eat a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts

Joy

Miscarriage (God designed my body to terminate a fetus whose DNA was wrong)

Kathy (final days were filled with Joy know she lived a God-fearing life and was about to receive her reward)

Little moments that become monumental when you reach them (my graduating vs. Jason, someone learning to walk again)

2. Counter to what we may want to believe, joy in the Bible is almost always juxtaposed, paralleled, set up next to or paired with trials.

James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials or many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance

You want to know how to “be happier”, you want to know what it feels like to have the joy of the Lord be your strength? Here it is, you have to change what satisfies you. You have to get yourself concerned with what God is concerned with.

Proverbs 8:32

And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. You want to know how people seem happy when all manner of heartache and loss surround them- they have intimacy with God. Their obedience to God provides them with a supernatural strength, joy, contentment.

John 15:12 This is my commandment that you love one another that your Joy may be full.

This is the I’m willing to be inconvenienced, consider others as more important, and making the condition of their souls and wellbeing a matter of priority in our lives kind of love.

Jesus lived it out like this:

3. Our Joy is found in living life for others not ourselves.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/river-city-worship-center/id289201329?mt=2

Visit us on a Sunday morning at:

7515 3rd st rd

Louisville KY, 40214

Contact us at: 502-363-0182

This is week 1 of the series, Elements, where we are studying the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

For this message, Associate Pastor Corey Burkhead, speaks on goodness and the importance for those who have accepted Jesus into their life to share the goodness we've received with others.

See more at: http://rivercitywc.com/

Give at: http://rivercitywc.com/give/

YouTube: http://youtube.com/rivercitylouisville

Twitter: http://twitter.com/rivercitywc

Instagram: http://instagram.com/rivercitywc

Facebook: http://facebook.com/rivercitywc

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/river-city-worship-center/id289201329?mt=2

Visit us on a Sunday morning at:

7515 3rd st rd

Louisville KY, 40214

Contact us at: 502-363-0182

This is week 1 of the series, Elements, where we are studying the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

For this message, Associate Pastor Corey Burkhead, speaks on goodness and the importance for those who have accepted Jesus into their life to share the goodness we've received with others.

See more at: http://rivercitywc.com/

Give at: http://rivercitywc.com/give/

YouTube: http://youtube.com/rivercitylouisville

Twitter: http://twitter.com/rivercitywc

Instagram: http://instagram.com/rivercitywc

Facebook: http://facebook.com/rivercitywc

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/river-city-worship-center/id289201329?mt=2

Visit us on a Sunday morning at:

7515 3rd st rd

Louisville KY, 40214

Contact us at: 502-363-0182