Transformative Discipleship: Embracing the Way of Jesus

And when you and I are following Jesus, we're taking up the cross and following him. We are following him in the way. The way. The way. The way. There are so many false ways. So many stories that lie to us and promise things to us that can never bring us to rest or satisfaction in our souls. But the way can. [00:02:44]

This is what this is all about. This discipleship pathway that you and I are on, it's about leading us to life. It's leading us to him. Yes, there may be hard things. There's stuff that Jesus does around us. And the Father prunes us. us and takes stuff off of us, but it's leading us to life. [00:03:06]

See, he said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me. See, Jesus, he's the bigger oxen, but he wants to get hooked up with you and I and teach us how to plow and how to plan. How to harvest. That's what he wants. His teachings. [00:04:26]

Everybody in here, if you are in this room today and you're a follower of Christ, this is a process. It's a long obedience in the same direction. Nothing happens quick in this thing. There is no microwavable. The Christian is not microwavable. It's a truck. Recipe. [00:06:21]

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I've spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. [00:08:57]

So the way that you and I abide or stay lodged in, I can't go back and preach last week's message. I talked about that whole in Christ thought pattern and the reality of who we are in Christ, right? But the way that you abide as a Christian is staying aware and conscious of your identity in Christ. Staying aware of who you are. Staying aware that you are in Christ. Staying aware. [00:11:14]

There's oppositions to you abiding. Staying aware and conscious of your identity, right? So this is a conscious act of faith. Now, I want to read this scripture in Colossians 1, 22 and 23. There's this kind of, this kind of actually just, just actually explains everything we talked about last week in its nutshell. You can go back and listen to it if you want to. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself to the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. That is so good. But you must, this is it, but you must what? Continue to believe in this truth. And stand firmly. Stand firmly in it. [00:11:43]

The vine dresser's care and love for his vineyard would not just go around cutting things off. He wants to pay attention to it in order for it to produce fruit, to be productive. I don't need to be as scared of the father, the vine dresser, the heavenly father, when he comes to me and I'm not bearing fruit like I need to, he's actually going to pay closer attention to me if I need to work on you a little bit. He lifts it up. [00:21:02]

God's not interested in cutting you off because you mess up. He's interested in coming to you as the vine dresser. He says, listen here, I'm coming to help you. I'm going to lift you up and I'm going to get you on the trellis system. And I want to get you in a place where you can bear fruit. He's committed to that. [00:24:16]

The Holy Spirit's going to come to us. He's going to challenge us to grow. Every vine dresser, this is the person that's the manager of the vineyard. Every single vine dresser, this is what he's wanting. What's he want? He wants fruit. He just don't want a little fruit. He wants what? Much fruit. It's the same with you and I. God wants us to move. God wants us to grow. God wants us to be developing, maturing, and growing more fruit. This is the work of the vine dresser. You're designed for more. You're designed to be productive. [00:18:30]

Pruning cuts away that which could be good for that which is better. Pruning. Right? I saw people make decisions about relationships. I know there's nobody in this room. Probably everybody in here is mad. Make decisions about relationships. And they settle for just the good. Instead of just waiting on God and letting Him prune it in order for the better. [00:27:08]

The vine dresser is there. He has great wisdom. He loves you. He cares for you. He wants what's best for you. So when He comes and starts knocking on your door, asking you to change something, it's an invitation actually for something greater. Don't resist the work of the vine dresser. Because you're not resisting man. You're actually resisting God. Because His job is actually to bring you. This is the will of God. You're what? Sanctification. [00:50:46]

The process of sanctification is something you and I have to submit to. If you're rejected, you're not rejecting men. You're actually rejecting God, who's doing the work in you. trained. How about you? I'm going to be trained. How about you? Exercise yourself, rather, therefore, to God. That's the Bible. Exercise yourself. Gymnasio is the group. Exercise. Gymnasio. We get the word gymnasium from it. Exercise yourself. To godliness. [00:47:18]