Obedient Abider
The Marks of Maturity • Sermon • Submitted
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The Marks of Maturity - Week One
The Marks of Maturity - Week One
Introduction
Good morning! Let’s take our Bibles and make our way to John Chapter 15, and go ahead a stick a bookmark in James Chapter One. If you are new here, my name is Ethan and I serve as one of the pastors here, and I am thankful to see you here today worshipping Jesus.
We are going to begin and old & new series today. We have characteristics about our church family that make us uniqely TWC. Its part of what I love dearly about being a part of this church is that we worship God, build community, multiply disciples, and live sent. That we have a church that values Biblical Truth, Death to Life, College, Multiplication,and Church Planting... and we are a church with a mission that exists to send disciple-makers of Jesus by being disciple-makers of Jesus.
And we have had a substanial amount of people join our church since we previously talked through this final part of our DNA that I want to present to you and its one you have heard often. And that is what we call…The Marks of Maturity.
If we exist to send disciple-makers of Jesus by being disciple-makers of Jesus, you naturally have to ask the question, well, what does a disciple look like? And we have four marks of maturity, that describe what a mature disciple looks like.
A Mature Follower of Jesus is an...
Obedient Abider, Missional Disciple, Sacrificial Servant, and a Faithful Caregiver.
Now, there are many things that encompass being a disciple. These are four characteristics that we pursue as a church family, that I beleive lead to enveloping all the characteristics of a mature Jesus follower if you begin here. That is the beauty of them.
And so over the next four weeks, we are going to unpack each one of these through the Word.
If you are new to these, and majority of you are, I want to challenge you to embrace these as a part of our culture. Its how we are faithful to God in what we believe he is calling us to do.
If you are familiar, now is a time to prayerfully re-evaluate your life and your disciplines according to these four and you can continually grow in one or all of these. I know I myself need to.
And as we do this, we get to experience an amazing journey of the depths of Jesus.
I want to pose the question: What is the single best way to grow in your walk with Jesus?
Is it by going to church?
Is it by serving faithfully?
Is it by living in a Biblical, intentional, missional community? No, these are all great things. MBL: The single best way to grow in a relationship with Jesus is to abide in Jesus.
And so our first mark of maturity is this - Obedient Abider - Someone who lives in submission to Jesus’ Word.
Some of you this word, abide, is very familiar, and for some of you this is brand new. And so we are going to learn what it is to abide, and how to abide in Christ.
So before we read, let me speak to a few people.
If you are here, and winter has come to your walk with Jesus. What I mean, the love, the warmth, the passion, you feel for him has gone cold. Not vibrant, weak, one, this should indeed be a matter of concern but two, this word today is for you. To take you down a path where you can lie down in green pastures one again.
If you are here, and you only a doer, and what I mean is you are always doing things for Jesus, but you are never with Jesus. Thats a problem. Because a temptation I have faced, and that many of you face, is falling in love with the ministry of Jesus, and the love of Jesus himself being second. Its where good things for Jesus, raise them to high, and they become idols while Jesus himself, is in the background.
Its like you are dating someone, and you are always doing stuff for them (buying their groceries, doing chores, helping with their needs) and because you are always doing stuff for them, you never realize their love language is quality time and you just dont’ spend time with them.
You might be thinking, ugh, I’ve heard this before. I don’t need this. But, Pride says I’ve graduated from this discipline, humility says, oh I could use repetition and a reminder.
And finally, if you want to be healthy, and flourish, you have to learn this truth today. Because if you don’t know this, you actually, can do NOTHING. You’ll see why in a moment.
Let’s read in John 15.
Exposition
“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. 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. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 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.
Verse One - Jesus is the vine, the Father is the vinedresser.
This is one of the I AM statements found in John’s Gospel, giving an account of who he is, what he is like, and what he does. .
Verse Two - Branches that do not bear fruit are not in Christ, Branches are pruned so that they may bear more fruit.
Verse Three - You are saved because of his word and faithfulness.
Verse Four - Abide in Christ, and he in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself , neither cant he person.
Abide - means, meno. Which literally means, to remain in. Thats why some translations say, remain in me and I in you.
Illustration: Me abiding in a cup of coffee, and a cup of coffee abiding in me, so I don’t have a headache.
We are abiding in Christ, through his word, and his is dwelling in us, so that we bear fruit.
And the effect is not that we do not get a headache, or relief from a struggle, the effect is, we bear fruit.
Wwell what is the fruit. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5), the Fruit of ministry, and an overall iife in abuandance with Jesus (John 10:10)
Verse Five - Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, apart from him you can do nothing.
Verse Six - If you never abide in Christ, you were never in CHrist to begin with, because God doesn’t remove those who are in him.
Verse Seven - Abiding in Christ aligns your will to Jesus.
Verse Eight - Abiding glorifes God the Father, proves fit for a disciple .
So here is the application:
Abide in Christ
Mature disciples remain in his Word. (Why do I say the Word, notice the mode of abiding in verse seven, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, how does he speak to us today? through his word. Its how we remain with him)
Through daily reading of his Word,
Through singing his word.
Through praying his Word.
Through memorzing his word.
Through Fasting on his word.
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
We cannot be hearers alone, of the Word but we must be doers.
Obey the Word of Christ
Mature disciples respond to his Word.
Don’t be a hearer, but be a doer.
Conclusion