Persevering in Faith: Abiding in Jesus Through Pruning
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound concept of abiding in Jesus, focusing on the perseverance required to maintain this spiritual connection. In our fast-paced world, the call to abide with Jesus is a call to slow down and develop a steadfast commitment to our faith. This perseverance is akin to the patience required when we are put on hold during a frustrating phone call. Just as we hold on to eventually reach the help we need, we must hold on to Jesus, the true vine, to bear the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
John 15 serves as the foundation for understanding the necessity of remaining in Jesus. The passage emphasizes that apart from Him, we can do nothing of eternal significance. While the world may achieve many things without acknowledging Christ, the true and lasting fruit comes only from abiding in Him. Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to illustrate our dependence on Him for spiritual vitality and growth.
A key aspect of this growth is the process of pruning. Pruning, though painful, is essential for bearing more fruit. It involves the removal of dead or overgrown parts of our lives, such as pride, selfishness, or misplaced dependencies. God, the master gardener, uses life's challenges to prune us, promoting growth through subtraction. This process is not punishment but preparation for greater fruitfulness.
To persevere through pruning, we must prepare our hearts and trust God's process. By arming ourselves with a willingness to endure suffering, we align with Christ's example and open ourselves to transformation. Trusting God's process means holding on even when life is painful and confusing, knowing that He is working for our good and His glory.
The story of Jacob wrestling with God illustrates this perseverance. Jacob's encounter with God led to a transformation, despite the pain of a dislocated hip. His name was changed to Israel, signifying a new identity and purpose. Similarly, our struggles and losses can lead to growth and transformation if we hold on and abide in Jesus.
Key Takeaways:
- Abiding in Jesus requires perseverance, especially in a world that values speed and productivity. This perseverance is like holding on during a frustrating phone call, knowing that the connection to Jesus, the true vine, is essential for bearing spiritual fruit. [05:00]
- Pruning is a necessary process for spiritual growth. It involves the painful removal of dead or overgrown areas in our lives, such as pride or misplaced dependencies. This growth by subtraction is not punishment but preparation for greater fruitfulness. [22:13]
- Trusting God's process is crucial during times of pruning. Even when life is painful and confusing, we must hold on, knowing that God is working for our good and His glory. This trust allows us to see the purpose in our pain. [36:52]
- The story of Jacob wrestling with God illustrates the transformation that comes from perseverance. Despite the pain of a dislocated hip, Jacob's encounter with God led to a new identity and purpose. Our struggles can lead to growth if we hold on and abide in Jesus. [36:52]
- There is no total loss with God. He uses every loss for our good and His glory. By viewing our losses as opportunities for pruning, we can be encouraged to hold on, persevere, and abide with Jesus, knowing that it leads to growth and more fruit. [49:33]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Introduction to Abide Series
- [02:15] - The Value of Stillness
- [04:00] - Perseverance to Abide
- [06:45] - The Challenge of Perseverance
- [09:30] - The Analogy of "Please Hold"
- [12:00] - The Importance of Abiding in Jesus
- [15:20] - Understanding John 15
- [18:45] - The Process of Pruning
- [22:13] - Growth by Subtraction
- [26:00] - Trusting God's Process
- [30:15] - The Story of Jacob
- [36:52] - Transformation Through Perseverance
- [42:00] - Encouragement to Hold On
- [49:33] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Abiding in Jesus
Bible Reading:
- John 15:1-8
Observation Questions:
1. What does Jesus mean when He says, "I am the vine; you are the branches"? How does this metaphor illustrate our relationship with Him? [18:45]
2. In the sermon, the pastor compares perseverance in abiding with Jesus to being on hold during a phone call. What are some similarities between these two experiences? [09:30]
3. What is the purpose of pruning according to John 15, and how does the pastor describe this process in our spiritual lives? [22:13]
4. How does the story of Jacob wrestling with God illustrate the concept of perseverance and transformation? [36:52]
Interpretation Questions:
1. Why is it important to remain in Jesus, according to John 15, and how does this relate to the concept of bearing fruit? [18:45]
2. How does the pastor explain the difference between worldly achievements and the fruit that comes from abiding in Jesus? [18:45]
3. What does the process of pruning reveal about God's intentions for our spiritual growth, and how can this be seen as an act of love rather than punishment? [22:13]
4. In what ways does the story of Jacob's transformation after wrestling with God serve as a metaphor for our own spiritual journeys? [36:52]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt like you were "on hold" in your spiritual life. How did you respond, and what might you do differently now to persevere in abiding with Jesus? [09:30]
2. Identify an area in your life that may need pruning. What steps can you take to prepare your heart for this process, and how can you trust God's intentions during this time? [22:13]
3. Consider the distractions in your life that prevent you from abiding in Jesus. What practical changes can you make this week to prioritize your spiritual connection with Him? [18:45]
4. How can you cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in your daily interactions? Choose one aspect of the fruit to focus on this week and describe a specific action you will take. [18:45]
5. Think about a recent struggle or loss you have experienced. How can you view this situation as an opportunity for spiritual growth and transformation, similar to Jacob's story? [36:52]
6. In what ways can you support others in your community who are going through a season of pruning? How can you encourage them to hold on and abide in Jesus? [22:13]
7. Reflect on the idea that there is no total loss with God. How can this perspective change the way you view challenges and setbacks in your life? [49:33]
Devotional
Day 1: Perseverance in Abiding
Abiding in Jesus requires perseverance, especially in a world that values speed and productivity. This perseverance is like holding on during a frustrating phone call, knowing that the connection to Jesus, the true vine, is essential for bearing spiritual fruit. In our fast-paced society, the call to abide with Jesus is a call to slow down and develop a steadfast commitment to our faith. Just as we hold on to eventually reach the help we need during a phone call, we must hold on to Jesus to bear the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. This connection is vital for spiritual vitality and growth, as apart from Him, we can do nothing of eternal significance. [05:00]
John 15:4-5 (ESV): "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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."
Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to slow down and focus on abiding in Jesus amidst your busy schedule?
Day 2: Embracing the Pruning Process
Pruning is a necessary process for spiritual growth. It involves the painful removal of dead or overgrown areas in our lives, such as pride or misplaced dependencies. This growth by subtraction is not punishment but preparation for greater fruitfulness. God, the master gardener, uses life's challenges to prune us, promoting growth through subtraction. By removing these hindrances, we are prepared to bear more fruit and live a life that reflects His glory. Embracing this process requires us to trust that God is working for our good, even when it is painful. [22:13]
Hebrews 12:11 (ESV): "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you feel God might be pruning you. How can you embrace this process and trust Him for greater fruitfulness?
Day 3: Trusting God's Process
Trusting God's process is crucial during times of pruning. Even when life is painful and confusing, we must hold on, knowing that God is working for our good and His glory. This trust allows us to see the purpose in our pain and opens us to transformation. By aligning ourselves with Christ's example, we prepare our hearts to endure suffering and open ourselves to the growth that God intends for us. Trusting in His process means believing that every challenge is an opportunity for spiritual development. [36:52]
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "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."
Reflection: Think of a current challenge you are facing. How can you actively choose to trust God's process and see His purpose in this situation?
Day 4: Transformation Through Perseverance
The story of Jacob wrestling with God illustrates the transformation that comes from perseverance. Despite the pain of a dislocated hip, Jacob's encounter with God led to a new identity and purpose. Our struggles can lead to growth if we hold on and abide in Jesus. Like Jacob, we may experience pain and loss, but these experiences can lead to a deeper relationship with God and a transformed life. By persevering through our struggles, we open ourselves to the possibility of a new identity and purpose in Christ. [36:52]
Genesis 32:24-28 (ESV): "And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, 'Let me go, for the day has broken.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.' And he said to him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Jacob.' Then he said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.'"
Reflection: Reflect on a struggle you have faced or are currently facing. How can you see this as an opportunity for transformation and a deeper relationship with God?
Day 5: Viewing Loss as Opportunity
There is no total loss with God. He uses every loss for our good and His glory. By viewing our losses as opportunities for pruning, we can be encouraged to hold on, persevere, and abide with Jesus, knowing that it leads to growth and more fruit. Losses, though painful, can be a catalyst for spiritual growth and a deeper understanding of God's purpose in our lives. By trusting in His sovereignty, we can find hope and encouragement in the midst of our losses, knowing that He is working all things for our good. [49:33]
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV): "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."
Reflection: Consider a recent loss you have experienced. How can you view this loss as an opportunity for spiritual growth and trust in God's greater purpose?
Quotes
"a lot of perseverance. If we're just going to get through, if we're going to abide, we need perseverance. And as we start, I just want to briefly share one of these uncomfortable moments in my life. And I'm sure that many of you will relate to this, right? And I think it can be epitomized with just two words. And it starts with these two words because, you know, it's formed as a question, but it really is a command. All right. And I'm sure you relate to it. These two words that bring these uncomfortable moments of life is please hold. Please hold, right? How do you hear those words, right? I can tell you there's nothing more downright frustrating, downright painful than when you have to call phone company, right? Electric company, right? Get, get tech support for some item. You got to check on your warranty for something, right? And you go through all these prompts, press two for this, press three for that, right? And you're going all in the rigmarole trying to get to somebody, right? And usually before you can get to somebody, it's like your whole time would be 43 minutes, right? And then you have sit there, you have to hold and, you know, I don't know who's in charge of the music of these whole places, but I think they intentionally make it as worse as it possibly can be, right? It's not enjoyable, right? The whole experience is, is terrible. And I don't know if you've had these moments where you're like, you hold and you, you really need to speak to somebody. So you, you hold that whole entire time, right? And then at the end, right, it's like beep, beep, beep. And you look at your phone, it's like nothing. You, you've been disconnected, right? After holding this entire time, I don't know about you. Maybe you have more patience than me, but staying on hold, right? Is, is a hard thing, right? It's downright painful." [00:10:31] (112 seconds)
"that we can't do anything without God. I'm sure this can't be true because there are a million people doing a lot of things. People are doing a lot of things that are not thinking about Jesus. They're not abiding by Jesus. People are shooting cars into space. People are doing all types of building enterprises, making a lot of money, right? There's a lot of things that are happening, right?" [00:12:58] (21 seconds)
"depended on the fruit of the vine on the health of the branches right so above all the other things they could do with their life they understood that the harvest time that that fruit growing in a healthy way was one of the most important things to life and actually Jesus saying it is the most important so what he's telling them hey listen as much as you understand about the importance of harvest and healthy fruit understand this that I am the vine I am the true vine I am the most important life source that you can ever get and only through me can you have true life all right so we need to understand that's what Jesus is saying to them and that's what he's saying to us so again let's not be confused a lot of people are doing a lot of things right but of the most important thing that we can do that we can do is to remain in Jesus because that's where true life comes right it's not the money we make it's not how much popularity not much influence we can get right our need is to remain in the vine because that fruit of the vine that comes through relationship with Jesus is everlasting it's the most important thing that we need you know I heard a comedian who's you know I guess he's having a a moment where he's coming to some form of salvation but he said this it's Jim Carrey by the way he said this quote that I love he said I wish everyone could become rich and famous so they can learn that's not what they truly need now I just love that right you think about what most of us are striving for in life what we're most ambitious about in life and if we really look at it in the big picture all that falls in the one category right we need to come back to the the truth that Jesus is the vine that gives us the life that we need where true fruit comes from right and what is this fruit right this fruit is the characteristics one part of it is the characteristics that we exhibit through the through Christ right we talked about the fruits whoigs of the world has in the behalf of all Christ right this fruit sounds from the 하еть Lord in his dream that we exhibit through Christ right now and I believe that that means 26 years" [00:15:06] (129 seconds)
"he will prove so let's look at this real quick who are the branches first that don't bear fruit right and i think just to put it shortly it's us when we are rejecting christ we're rejecting this idea of abiding with christ we separate ourselves from the vine right right this is when we to bear no fruit of the spirit of god right to bear no fruit means that we are outwardly rejecting and inwardly rejecting christ right now if you're in that state can you be reintegrated integrated back in the of course you could be reintegrated into the vine there's always grace there's always jesus is always willing to accept us but in this parable he's referring to those who are bearing fruit and what is that who are those who are bearing fruit you're bearing fruit any time that you are in relationship with christ and are bearing some characteristics of the holy spirit right i mean this is not it's not a high bar it's a very little bar meaning if you are walking this thing out to the best that you're of your ability and you're bearing any fruit whether it's kindness right whether you are you know just willing to crack if you have the heart to say god i want to follow you then you're bearing fruit right the peace the love the joy the kindness right and again this bar is low if you're here i would be willing to say if you're listening to this message today you're already bearing fruit right you had the will yet desire to say i'm going to hear this message you're bearing fruit right so what i'm trying to say is he's talking to you you're hearing me today he's talking to you but check this out he says the people who have you know some fruit already being birthed out of them those are the people i will prune right now if you're unfamiliar with like plants and agriculture at all you don't know what pruning is this is what pruning is it's the cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems to increase fruitfulness and growth" [00:27:44] (129 seconds)
"right? It's the cutting away of the end of the stem, right? To increase growth. So pretty much any type of plant, right? Or any type of tree, right? The branch could grow so far and it can get to a point where the end of it is kind of dead. And so you need to clip it, right? So that stem could continue to grow and bear more fruit, right? It's cutting away dead or overgrown parts of a plant for growth." [00:35:14] (32 seconds)
"Many times these dead things, these overgrown things, these are things that rest deep in our heart, right? Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's selfishness. Maybe it's an over -dependence on people or a place or a job. Maybe it's a cynical view of God's word that makes it hard for us to trust him, right? Maybe it could be regret for something that happened in the past that you're holding on to, right? Guys, these are the things that God needs to do some deep surgery and prune with in our hearts, right?" [00:35:15] (37 seconds)
"of those areas we need to be pruned in right usually right we we are not have the perspective like we don't have the foresight to say oh yeah that's the thing that i need to be pruned right right it's not like we say oh god okay god um wanting to be pruned and god says hey john you have pride uh you need to be pruned and it's like okay cool god could you prune that nice done no that's not how it happens why again we usually don't have the perspective that it needs to be pruned or even if we do know we don't want to go through the process right because it could be painful right so what god does and what happens in life right as we are willing to abide in him god will use external situations in our life to have us face to face with the things that need to be pruned away from us understand see god knows what's deep in our heart and he knows the surrounding situations in our life that can lead to the things in our heart that need to be pruned so when god prunes us usually it happens in situations like a job loss right maybe we're too dependent on that job and it it took for us to lose that job to understand that so we could put our dependency on god maybe it was a loss of status maybe a demoted at your job or whatever like that right and a lot of times that comes face to face with this this pride that we have we need it to feel puffed up and we need it to feel elevated of others and god is causing us to come face to face with that aspect of us that needed to be pruned maybe it's a relationship that we lost right and what god can do in that situation is show us that hey we were putting that person way too high up right we were going instead of going to church we were going out to sunday brunch you know uh we were going out hanging out saturday night we were missing out devotion we're spending all our time and energy this person and now god say hey you are so important to me that i don't want to see your life go uh your faith walk be disintegrated so let me let me" [00:39:12] (128 seconds)
"seemed good to us. He knows what's in us. He said, no, I need you to grow in that area. Guys, this is how God uses subtraction for our growth, growth through subtraction. We need to understand this, right? This equips us to understand that although pruning can be painful, we need to understand that God is not punishing us, but he used pruning for our promotion." [00:48:00] (26 seconds)
"He wants to better you. Amen. Isn't that amazing? God wants to better you, right? He sees something in you that you don't see. He sees something in me that I do not see. And only he knows as the master gardener, he knows how to work in us. Amen. That's good news. But we need perseverance to hold, to abide long enough to see it, right? And so we talked about the need for it, but here's a big question. How? That's great. I know the need and I know about, thank you, John, for telling me that. How do I persevere? Well, I just want to give you a two -step process, all right? I want to give you a two -step process on how we can build this perseverance. One is very simple. Prep for the pruning. Prep for the pruning. What do I mean? Well, Jesus said, hey, when you're doing good, right? When you're bearing fruit, right? We can expect to be pruned, right?" [00:49:33] (56 seconds)
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained only on this specific sermon. Do you have any questions about it?