Sermon nuggets Weds Sept 24
Theme: Vine and the Branches
Verses: John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.(NIV)
Jesus Desires to produce Dependence.
Peter Drucker, an expert in the area of management says, “The churches aim is to make a difference in the way the parishioner lives. It is to change the parishioners values into God’s values.” How do we do that? Only by the power of Jesus. There is no other way. We cannot produce fruit of righteousness and Godly works without the freedom of the Spirit working within us and through us and to us. We often seek to accomplish tasks for the Lord that are not really His will or plan or purpose. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Fathers’ glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”(7).
What Jesus is saying is remain dependent upon Him in your life, in your prayer you give up your will to His will. In prayer we submit our pride to dependent humility. We seek our work to be in line with His greater work of service to Him and to others. We are totally dependent upon the Lord for even the mundane things that matter. Remain open to God’s work and will for you. Be obedient to whatever he tells you that is in His word, revealed now to us in the Scriptures, and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The word may tell us to be witnesses, and the Holy Spirit may lay it on my heart to speak to someone about their faith in Jesus. The Word tells us to tell the truth, The Holy Spirit may convict our hearts and remind us that we have not been truthful to IRS, and must declare correctly and to the best of our knowledge what our true income is. The Word tells us to love one another. The Holy Spirit may lay it on our hearts that part of how we are to work out that love is in volunteering with Crises Pregnancy Center, or visit someone in the nursing home, or write a letter of encouragement to someone this week.
The story is told of the classic pianist great Paderuski who was giving a sell-out concert in London. One music enthusiast was excited as she had gotten front row seats and thought this would also inspire her young son just learning to play the piano. As people were gathering for the concert, the mother involved in conversation with her friend on the other side failed to notice that her little boy had left his seat and began to make his way to the concert piano. She spotted him about the time he sat down center stage. She called to him to immediate come, when he began to plunk out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The audience was amused to see Mom try to motion for her son to stop. Then from behind him came the master Paderuski, who whispered into the boys ear, keep playing son. and as the boy repeated “Twinkle Twinkle Little star” he placed his arms around the boy and added the arpeggios and harmonies that filled the hall with heartfelt emotion until they ended and the audience gave them a standing ovation.
Lets face it, compared to what the Lord wants we have very little to offer. But he whispers in our ears. Keep playing. He is the one that makes the music around us that is fit for glory of heaven. It is not in what we do, it is what He does through us. Dependency is an important lesson that produces spiritual fruit.
Without Him we can do nothing.
Pastor Dale
