1 00:00:00,100 --> 00:00:02,980 Tina: I know it's already been said, but happy new year. 2 00:00:03,639 --> 00:00:06,000 Um, I'm up here just to introduce us. 3 00:00:06,010 --> 00:00:11,049 For those of you who don't know, we are the Chaitis, Tina and Martin, and 4 00:00:11,049 --> 00:00:15,499 we have the great privilege of serving in the Spanish speaking ministry. 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:18,339 Yes, yes. 6 00:00:18,339 --> 00:00:23,589 As well as as of this month, we're also helping to serve and support the South, 7 00:00:23,589 --> 00:00:25,000 and they have graciously welcomed us. 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:25,560 So thank you. 9 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:25,869 Thank you. 10 00:00:25,869 --> 00:00:27,290 Thank you for that. 11 00:00:28,409 --> 00:00:33,720 But I wanted just to take a moment to encourage all of us to be here now. 12 00:00:34,610 --> 00:00:38,070 Um, I don't know about you, but hearing about the fires and other 13 00:00:38,070 --> 00:00:41,930 things that are happening in our lives has been a little overwhelming. 14 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:47,089 And for me, going to sleep last night, all I thought about was all the things I 15 00:00:47,099 --> 00:00:48,590 had to do today and the rest of the week. 16 00:00:48,590 --> 00:00:50,660 And then waking up this morning, all I thought about was all the 17 00:00:50,660 --> 00:00:51,890 things I have to do after service. 18 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,839 and so sometimes coming in on a Sunday when it should be a day of rest and 19 00:00:56,839 --> 00:01:03,010 worship can feel very busy and hectic and then if you're like me and you're 20 00:01:03,010 --> 00:01:05,800 a parent and you have two little ones, you're trying to get out of the house. 21 00:01:06,189 --> 00:01:10,849 It's even more but I want to encourage you like I said to be here now. 22 00:01:10,859 --> 00:01:13,860 God's word is going to be spoke spoken. 23 00:01:14,090 --> 00:01:19,559 Um Martine will be teaching and preaching which I'm excited to hear but of course, 24 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:21,440 there's less about him and more about God. 25 00:01:21,850 --> 00:01:25,220 And what he will be saying to each of us where we are currently 26 00:01:25,229 --> 00:01:26,729 in our life and in our season. 27 00:01:27,259 --> 00:01:29,360 So take a breath with me if you will 28 00:01:32,759 --> 00:01:38,128 And be here And be ready to embrace what god will say to you and how he 29 00:01:38,128 --> 00:01:41,140 will lead you Not only today, but through the rest of this week and 30 00:01:41,140 --> 00:01:42,280 of course to the rest of our lives. 31 00:01:42,289 --> 00:01:44,050 So happy new year Here's martin 32 00:01:48,035 --> 00:01:50,585 Martin: All right, you guys hear me? 33 00:01:51,245 --> 00:01:51,965 Well, good morning. 34 00:01:51,985 --> 00:01:54,815 Please turn your bibles to john chapter 15. 35 00:01:54,854 --> 00:01:58,994 I do want to say a special shout out, uh, to our translators who are 36 00:01:58,995 --> 00:02:02,184 translating in Korean and in Spanish. 37 00:02:02,184 --> 00:02:04,144 It's great to be part of a church. 38 00:02:04,645 --> 00:02:08,104 Uh, we are one church with three languages. 39 00:02:08,495 --> 00:02:11,845 Uh, and as we come together, we have translations like this, 40 00:02:11,845 --> 00:02:13,065 but the rest of the month. 41 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:19,170 Uh, we honor language, uh, God does not call us to assimilate, but honors and 42 00:02:19,170 --> 00:02:21,640 speaks to us in our native languages. 43 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:26,959 And so to be able to have a Spanish and a Korean, um, church 44 00:02:27,059 --> 00:02:31,970 and service in those languages is quite a privilege and a blessing. 45 00:02:31,980 --> 00:02:32,500 Amen. 46 00:02:33,900 --> 00:02:35,210 John chapter 15. 47 00:02:35,550 --> 00:02:37,980 I have a question for you as we get started. 48 00:02:37,990 --> 00:02:40,910 Has this ever happened to you? 49 00:02:42,765 --> 00:02:48,325 You trust in Noel tells you something about another person 50 00:02:48,815 --> 00:02:51,055 that you also trust in Noel. 51 00:02:51,065 --> 00:02:55,075 But what this person tells you about that person doesn't really 52 00:02:55,075 --> 00:02:57,335 sound like that person at all. 53 00:02:58,255 --> 00:02:59,594 Has that ever happened to you? 54 00:02:59,594 --> 00:03:00,314 Can you raise your hand? 55 00:03:00,315 --> 00:03:01,274 Has that happened to you? 56 00:03:01,285 --> 00:03:02,585 It's a mess, right? 57 00:03:04,845 --> 00:03:09,365 This happened to me reading the Gospel of John. 58 00:03:11,025 --> 00:03:17,110 For Us in the Spanish ministry, we spent two years in the gospel of John. 59 00:03:18,260 --> 00:03:23,210 And so we have 40 different lessons in the gospel of John, 40 different 60 00:03:23,220 --> 00:03:27,560 Sundays between 2013, 2023 and 2024. 61 00:03:30,059 --> 00:03:34,050 And as I'm reading, you know, trying to stay ahead of where we are in the 62 00:03:34,060 --> 00:03:37,780 church, and so I've been Read, you know, there's kind of a pattern that I have, 63 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:42,460 read the entire gospel one time, get five or six different commentaries from 64 00:03:42,460 --> 00:03:47,010 different sources, spend at least two or three hours a week diving into each 65 00:03:47,010 --> 00:03:49,199 chapter, understanding the big picture. 66 00:03:49,199 --> 00:03:51,790 I mean, it's just been a beautiful, it's been great. 67 00:03:52,210 --> 00:03:57,829 But as I got to chapter 15, I had that experience based on that question, 68 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,110 Jesus did not sound like he has been. 69 00:04:02,950 --> 00:04:09,660 Sounding from chapter 1 to chapter 14 and I just couldn't shake it and I kept 70 00:04:09,660 --> 00:04:14,649 reading and I'm like why is this why is there a why is there a knot in my stomach 71 00:04:14,660 --> 00:04:23,990 when I read John chapter 15 and so I took a deep dive and I want to you know walk 72 00:04:23,990 --> 00:04:32,995 us through that deep dive of John 15 here today amen And so as I said, you know, 73 00:04:32,995 --> 00:04:37,315 we spent all this time in the gospel of John and I'll share some thoughts 74 00:04:37,315 --> 00:04:39,275 and some themes in the gospel of John. 75 00:04:39,275 --> 00:04:43,924 But first I want to be able to read John 15. 76 00:04:45,514 --> 00:04:48,315 Let's see how you hear it and how you feel about it. 77 00:04:49,294 --> 00:04:57,755 Verse one, Jesus says, I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. 78 00:04:58,565 --> 00:05:00,885 He cuts off every branch in me. 79 00:05:01,425 --> 00:05:06,135 That bears no fruit while every branch that does not bear fruit. 80 00:05:06,165 --> 00:05:10,995 He prunes so that it will be more fruitful. 81 00:05:12,315 --> 00:05:16,485 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 82 00:05:17,255 --> 00:05:22,565 Remain in me as I also remain in you. 83 00:05:23,365 --> 00:05:25,635 No branch can bear fruit by itself. 84 00:05:25,685 --> 00:05:27,885 It must remain in the vine. 85 00:05:28,464 --> 00:05:30,315 Neither can you bear fruit. 86 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:33,710 Unless you remain in me. 87 00:05:34,670 --> 00:05:37,750 I am the vine, you are the branches. 88 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:43,539 If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. 89 00:05:44,330 --> 00:05:47,890 Apart from me, you can do nothing. 90 00:05:48,780 --> 00:05:53,500 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. 91 00:05:53,909 --> 00:05:58,560 Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 92 00:05:59,534 --> 00:06:02,915 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you 93 00:06:02,915 --> 00:06:05,345 wish and it will be done for you. 94 00:06:05,925 --> 00:06:09,905 This is to my father's glory that you bear much fruit. 95 00:06:11,964 --> 00:06:17,434 Showing yourselves to be my disciples and there's more, but we'll stop there. 96 00:06:18,444 --> 00:06:21,104 So again, we've all had that experience, right? 97 00:06:21,344 --> 00:06:23,754 Someone we know and trust tells us something about 98 00:06:23,754 --> 00:06:24,904 someone else we know and trust. 99 00:06:25,229 --> 00:06:27,749 But what this person is telling us about this person doesn't 100 00:06:27,759 --> 00:06:29,079 really sound like that's them. 101 00:06:29,349 --> 00:06:30,529 Again, that happened to me. 102 00:06:30,529 --> 00:06:32,739 I'm reading John chapter 1 through 14. 103 00:06:33,769 --> 00:06:38,289 And when I get to chapter 15, I kind of hit a wall. 104 00:06:40,669 --> 00:06:45,819 And up comes this image of a God that I should be afraid of. 105 00:06:47,699 --> 00:06:52,199 Because if I'm not close to this God, he's going to cut me off. 106 00:06:53,344 --> 00:06:56,794 But if I'm close to this God and I bear fruit, now watch out, 107 00:06:56,804 --> 00:06:58,254 now he's going to prune you. 108 00:06:59,344 --> 00:07:02,724 So you can bear even more fruit. 109 00:07:03,594 --> 00:07:05,664 That's how I was reading it. 110 00:07:05,674 --> 00:07:07,374 That's how I was interpreted. 111 00:07:07,474 --> 00:07:09,534 I think that's how we have heard it. 112 00:07:09,534 --> 00:07:12,984 I would even venture to say that's how we've taught it. 113 00:07:14,844 --> 00:07:16,654 And so it made no sense. 114 00:07:17,424 --> 00:07:18,504 Maybe I'm alone here. 115 00:07:18,504 --> 00:07:19,564 Maybe you can relate. 116 00:07:20,769 --> 00:07:24,389 Then we were, we were having a zoom call and those meetings always go great. 117 00:07:26,259 --> 00:07:30,199 And so we're in a zoom call and, you know, it's, uh, it was the beginning of the year 118 00:07:30,709 --> 00:07:32,709 of, uh, I think it was last year or so. 119 00:07:33,569 --> 00:07:38,699 And so we read this passage wanting to be encouraging, wanting to make the 120 00:07:38,699 --> 00:07:44,219 points of remaining in God and abiding in God abide means delighting in God. 121 00:07:44,219 --> 00:07:47,609 But we just, all of us sort of just felt like. 122 00:07:48,004 --> 00:07:53,933 We couldn't get past this imagery of watch out with God. 123 00:07:54,784 --> 00:07:59,094 Watch out with this gardener, because if you're not behaving, 124 00:07:59,704 --> 00:08:01,604 he's going to cut you off. 125 00:08:02,304 --> 00:08:08,454 And not just that, tossed you into the fire to get burned. 126 00:08:11,244 --> 00:08:12,894 That doesn't make sense. 127 00:08:13,164 --> 00:08:21,144 That does not sound like God, because God in chapter 13 has told us, I have come to 128 00:08:21,144 --> 00:08:26,364 save the world, not to condemn the world. 129 00:08:27,734 --> 00:08:33,404 And so today it is my hope to circle around this theme of trusting in 130 00:08:33,404 --> 00:08:36,374 God by looking into this picture. 131 00:08:37,034 --> 00:08:39,703 And hopefully we restore. 132 00:08:40,709 --> 00:08:42,029 This passage. 133 00:08:43,769 --> 00:08:48,549 And we can cast off the image of a God who's out to cut and to 134 00:08:48,549 --> 00:08:50,819 prune just so you can produce. 135 00:08:51,999 --> 00:08:55,079 And restore the true meaning of this passage. 136 00:08:55,949 --> 00:09:01,699 The God who in chapter 14 says I give you my peace who here 137 00:09:01,699 --> 00:09:03,569 he says I give you my love. 138 00:09:04,419 --> 00:09:06,599 And I give you my joy. 139 00:09:06,609 --> 00:09:10,079 And if you're familiar with the fruits of the spirit, those are the first three. 140 00:09:10,829 --> 00:09:16,169 The God who says I love you remain in me because I delight in you 141 00:09:16,189 --> 00:09:19,469 delight in me as I delight in you. 142 00:09:19,809 --> 00:09:24,839 The God who's not looking for us to be performative, but the God who's 143 00:09:24,839 --> 00:09:27,999 looking to form us into his likeness. 144 00:09:28,789 --> 00:09:31,549 So today our task is to restore. 145 00:09:32,139 --> 00:09:35,929 John chapter four, 15 and the correct imagery. 146 00:09:35,929 --> 00:09:38,459 So we have a lot, a little bit of work to do. 147 00:09:38,499 --> 00:09:38,989 Amen. 148 00:09:40,289 --> 00:09:43,569 So let's start with this theme of the gospel of John, and then we'll come 149 00:09:43,579 --> 00:09:47,439 back and dive deep into the meaning of these words in John chapter 15. 150 00:09:47,449 --> 00:09:49,729 So let me tell you about the gospel of John a little bit. 151 00:09:50,589 --> 00:09:52,769 There's a ton of questions in the gospel of John. 152 00:09:53,759 --> 00:09:57,019 In fact, Jesus is asked about 52 questions. 153 00:09:57,599 --> 00:09:59,749 And so there's a theme about questions. 154 00:10:01,619 --> 00:10:09,019 But the first human question is, Jesus is walking and there's two of 155 00:10:09,019 --> 00:10:14,159 John the Baptist disciples who have just been told, look, the Lamb of God 156 00:10:14,839 --> 00:10:17,919 who takes away the sin of the world. 157 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:20,579 And so they're following Jesus. 158 00:10:21,639 --> 00:10:24,179 And so they don't initiate because they're too shy. 159 00:10:24,199 --> 00:10:25,339 God turns around. 160 00:10:25,379 --> 00:10:26,219 God initiates. 161 00:10:29,229 --> 00:10:33,009 And they say, where are you staying? 162 00:10:34,619 --> 00:10:37,589 And that is the first human question. 163 00:10:38,519 --> 00:10:40,829 God, where are you? 164 00:10:41,989 --> 00:10:45,169 You see, the Gospel of John is written in a way where on the 165 00:10:45,169 --> 00:10:46,909 surface it makes perfect sense. 166 00:10:46,909 --> 00:10:51,729 It's very clear, but it's intended that way to invite you to a deeper meaning. 167 00:10:52,684 --> 00:10:56,624 Because when the Gospel of John says that these disciples asked 168 00:10:56,644 --> 00:10:59,214 Jesus, Hey, where are you staying? 169 00:10:59,564 --> 00:11:02,154 On the surface, where are you staying? 170 00:11:02,514 --> 00:11:05,784 And if you read the Gospel, that sounds kind of like an awkward question. 171 00:11:08,044 --> 00:11:12,534 But the deeper meaning is, it's what the Gospel is trying to answer. 172 00:11:12,834 --> 00:11:15,244 Where is God located? 173 00:11:16,204 --> 00:11:17,504 Where is God? 174 00:11:18,259 --> 00:11:22,029 Because it just told us that the word has become flesh, that God 175 00:11:22,029 --> 00:11:23,929 has made his dwelling among us. 176 00:11:24,079 --> 00:11:28,419 And that's not the arrival of God, because that would imply that God was absent. 177 00:11:28,539 --> 00:11:30,899 It is the revelation of God. 178 00:11:31,639 --> 00:11:35,889 That God reveals God's self in human flesh. 179 00:11:38,119 --> 00:11:41,109 And so, now the question is, where is God? 180 00:11:41,109 --> 00:11:44,299 And so this theme of location continues. 181 00:11:45,249 --> 00:11:50,419 Because Jesus goes and speaks to this man named Nathanael. 182 00:11:51,109 --> 00:11:52,469 And Nathanael is prejudiced. 183 00:11:52,469 --> 00:11:53,429 He probably inherited. 184 00:11:53,429 --> 00:11:56,309 But he's like, Nazareth? 185 00:11:57,719 --> 00:11:59,139 North of sea? 186 00:11:59,859 --> 00:12:00,289 Just kidding. 187 00:12:01,309 --> 00:12:04,429 So he says, Nazareth, what can come from there? 188 00:12:04,429 --> 00:12:05,819 Well, Jesus is from there. 189 00:12:07,209 --> 00:12:07,799 Right? 190 00:12:08,809 --> 00:12:10,959 And again, this idea of location. 191 00:12:11,609 --> 00:12:13,459 God isn't supposed to work in that area. 192 00:12:15,194 --> 00:12:15,654 Right? 193 00:12:16,884 --> 00:12:22,404 And so, Jesus says, You're going to see great things. 194 00:12:22,634 --> 00:12:32,004 In fact, you're going to see the angels of God ascending and descending. 195 00:12:32,004 --> 00:12:32,794 Did you get that? 196 00:12:34,814 --> 00:12:40,634 Jesus doesn't say, You're going to see the angels descending and ascending. 197 00:12:40,634 --> 00:12:43,789 Jesus says, You're going to see the angels Ascending. 198 00:12:44,629 --> 00:12:48,019 And he said, because the beginning of the commute of the angels is 199 00:12:48,019 --> 00:12:49,669 the God, the presence of God. 200 00:12:49,789 --> 00:12:54,349 And so if the angels are ascending and descending, where is God here? 201 00:12:56,859 --> 00:13:02,739 And then Jesus goes to the temple, the historical sight of the presence of God. 202 00:13:03,279 --> 00:13:04,209 And what does he do? 203 00:13:04,359 --> 00:13:05,589 He flips the tables. 204 00:13:05,709 --> 00:13:06,639 I just bought this one. 205 00:13:06,639 --> 00:13:08,259 I'm not gonna toss it. 206 00:13:09,414 --> 00:13:10,954 We have to be financially responsible. 207 00:13:13,024 --> 00:13:16,054 And so, he flips the tables. 208 00:13:17,244 --> 00:13:21,394 And in there he describes he drove out cattle and doves. 209 00:13:21,594 --> 00:13:22,794 Doves represents what? 210 00:13:23,644 --> 00:13:25,004 The Holy Spirit. 211 00:13:25,364 --> 00:13:26,944 What is God doing in the temple? 212 00:13:27,124 --> 00:13:29,244 Leaving the temple. 213 00:13:31,024 --> 00:13:33,764 God says you have turned this place into a market. 214 00:13:33,804 --> 00:13:35,109 It is no longer a market. 215 00:13:35,389 --> 00:13:36,799 The house of God. 216 00:13:37,019 --> 00:13:41,179 And again, this question, if this is not the house of God, then where is 217 00:13:41,499 --> 00:13:46,579 the house of God leading us to chapter 14 in my father's house are many 218 00:13:46,579 --> 00:13:47,749 rooms and we're going to get to that. 219 00:13:49,239 --> 00:13:50,889 But this idea, where is God? 220 00:13:50,889 --> 00:13:54,519 Because if we're going to trust in God, we got to identify where God is. 221 00:13:55,099 --> 00:13:57,739 And God is not an absent or distant God. 222 00:13:58,889 --> 00:14:03,819 God is a living, present and active God restoring. 223 00:14:04,709 --> 00:14:09,009 The brokenness of the world in our lives. 224 00:14:12,039 --> 00:14:17,669 And so the disciples say, man, they're reminded later zeal 225 00:14:17,689 --> 00:14:19,549 for his house will consume me. 226 00:14:19,579 --> 00:14:21,949 I think there's also a big misunderstanding there. 227 00:14:22,649 --> 00:14:26,419 We tend to think zeal for his house will consume me that God 228 00:14:26,429 --> 00:14:29,239 was filled with righteous anger. 229 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:33,669 And that can justify us feeling like we can have that. 230 00:14:35,084 --> 00:14:40,804 But perhaps zeal for his house will consume me was not a zeal, the God that 231 00:14:40,804 --> 00:14:47,344 Jesus has, but it was the temple police, the leadership, the guards that they 232 00:14:47,344 --> 00:14:51,544 were zealous to the point of violence. 233 00:14:52,404 --> 00:14:54,924 So zeal for your house will consume me. 234 00:14:54,924 --> 00:14:59,424 They wanted to protect and control and domesticate God to 235 00:14:59,424 --> 00:15:01,834 the point that they executed God. 236 00:15:02,964 --> 00:15:04,774 to want to keep their status. 237 00:15:07,314 --> 00:15:08,484 A lot of that going around. 238 00:15:09,685 --> 00:15:14,464 And so then Jesus interacts with the Samaritan woman in chapter four, and 239 00:15:14,464 --> 00:15:19,774 she's over associating the presence of God in the mountain of her people. 240 00:15:20,064 --> 00:15:23,134 And God says, Nope, that's not the place of God, but 241 00:15:23,134 --> 00:15:24,514 neither is the Jewish mountain. 242 00:15:24,784 --> 00:15:28,405 There's going to be a third mountain where all people will 243 00:15:28,405 --> 00:15:29,935 be able to worship in spirit. 244 00:15:30,354 --> 00:15:36,405 And in truth, do you see this theme of where the location of God and we can 245 00:15:36,405 --> 00:15:41,895 skip over to John chapter 10, the good shepherd, where it's describing Jesus 246 00:15:41,905 --> 00:15:46,934 walking these people out of the temple system that is outdated, broken, corrupt. 247 00:15:47,489 --> 00:15:49,290 No longer the place of God. 248 00:15:49,770 --> 00:15:51,859 And the good shepherd knows his flock. 249 00:15:51,890 --> 00:15:52,650 They know him. 250 00:15:52,650 --> 00:15:53,709 He knows them by name. 251 00:15:53,709 --> 00:15:54,810 They listen to his voice. 252 00:15:54,810 --> 00:15:55,599 He's the shepherd. 253 00:15:55,599 --> 00:15:57,859 He's the door, he's the gate he's. 254 00:15:58,089 --> 00:16:03,679 And so he brings them into a new location where God is present 255 00:16:04,140 --> 00:16:06,239 so that they are no longer 256 00:16:08,439 --> 00:16:16,649 confined to that temple system that is no longer about God, but it's a market. 257 00:16:18,949 --> 00:16:23,339 And God walks them over because God is with us, leading us. 258 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,730 God's always moving God's people. 259 00:16:27,730 --> 00:16:30,839 Things come to an end and that's no longer, that doesn't 260 00:16:30,839 --> 00:16:32,140 necessarily mean a bad thing. 261 00:16:32,780 --> 00:16:35,829 God's good and faithful and he moves us to the new things. 262 00:16:37,079 --> 00:16:37,930 You see that? 263 00:16:39,689 --> 00:16:43,020 And then the resurrection, my favorite character in the 264 00:16:43,020 --> 00:16:45,219 gospel of John Mary Magdalene. 265 00:16:46,074 --> 00:16:50,185 She runs to the resurrected Lord and has on the surface 266 00:16:50,204 --> 00:16:51,685 kind of an awkward interaction. 267 00:16:52,435 --> 00:16:56,204 Jesus says, don't hold on to me, right? 268 00:16:56,605 --> 00:16:58,685 I have not yet ascended to the father. 269 00:17:00,155 --> 00:17:05,513 And I think it's implying that Mary Magdalene was so overjoyed that Jesus 270 00:17:05,525 --> 00:17:11,525 is back that she thought things were going to be the same before the cross. 271 00:17:12,084 --> 00:17:14,685 And we tend to do that as human, in our human nature. 272 00:17:15,145 --> 00:17:20,234 We tend to want to go back to the past and relive the good old days. 273 00:17:20,234 --> 00:17:23,534 And sometimes we don't discern, discern that the present living 274 00:17:23,534 --> 00:17:25,905 God is doing something new. 275 00:17:27,013 --> 00:17:28,185 Are you with me right here? 276 00:17:29,865 --> 00:17:34,065 And so God is always doing something new, moving us. 277 00:17:35,355 --> 00:17:37,775 But God is always living, present, and active. 278 00:17:39,745 --> 00:17:43,864 And then Jesus gets into this discourse of the kind of, it's called the kind 279 00:17:43,864 --> 00:17:50,025 of the farewell discourse from chapter 13 till about chapter 18 or 17. 280 00:17:50,384 --> 00:17:54,054 And he begins to say, I am returning to the father. 281 00:17:54,054 --> 00:17:56,445 And we understand that as he's leaving. 282 00:17:57,394 --> 00:18:03,424 And I think that's a dominant image that is hurting our Christianity, our faith, 283 00:18:03,685 --> 00:18:06,064 how we interpret scripture, how we. 284 00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:09,340 Uh, view God and how we see ourselves. 285 00:18:09,340 --> 00:18:11,120 Think about how important all those things are. 286 00:18:11,670 --> 00:18:16,780 And I think there's this ongoing imagination where we feel like God left. 287 00:18:18,739 --> 00:18:19,599 He ascended. 288 00:18:19,610 --> 00:18:20,629 He left. 289 00:18:21,689 --> 00:18:27,189 But, but he left me with a commission to fulfill the mission 290 00:18:27,249 --> 00:18:28,989 he was not able to complete. 291 00:18:29,679 --> 00:18:31,370 And now it's up to me. 292 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:37,070 To save the world for the absent God who one day will return. 293 00:18:38,270 --> 00:18:43,079 And when we live that way after a decade or two, you're just burned out because 294 00:18:43,079 --> 00:18:45,889 you can't carry on what is God's. 295 00:18:47,220 --> 00:18:49,159 But that's a wrong and God never left. 296 00:18:49,169 --> 00:18:51,669 God is a living present God. 297 00:18:52,530 --> 00:18:57,330 And so when Jesus talks about the Ascension, he's not taught or departure. 298 00:18:57,540 --> 00:18:59,280 That sounds like leaving. 299 00:18:59,679 --> 00:19:01,860 That doesn't, that is not what it means. 300 00:19:01,860 --> 00:19:04,919 What it means is departure and ascension is God. 301 00:19:05,149 --> 00:19:08,080 This is us, this is earth, and here's Jesus. 302 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,509 And we're, we see him. 303 00:19:09,810 --> 00:19:15,239 Departure and ascension means a return to invisibility, but still present. 304 00:19:18,269 --> 00:19:23,539 And so our God, in his ascension and departure, does, did not leave. 305 00:19:23,729 --> 00:19:25,719 He's just now invisible. 306 00:19:26,459 --> 00:19:28,069 And why is that important? 307 00:19:28,329 --> 00:19:30,489 Because the word became flesh. 308 00:19:30,489 --> 00:19:34,409 The incarnation is super important, but the incarnation 309 00:19:34,409 --> 00:19:40,559 is limited to a geographical location and to a historical time. 310 00:19:41,509 --> 00:19:42,399 You get that? 311 00:19:43,069 --> 00:19:49,379 Jesus was bound to a geographical location and time, but in taking the 312 00:19:49,379 --> 00:19:55,319 cross and in the pouring out of God's self, the Holy Spirit, God is now present. 313 00:19:57,064 --> 00:20:01,834 In all, at all times, in all places. 314 00:20:02,324 --> 00:20:05,424 So where is your God, brothers and sisters? 315 00:20:07,184 --> 00:20:12,524 We can trust in the living, present and active God. 316 00:20:15,254 --> 00:20:19,074 So when I read John 15, I'm like, why do I feel scared? 317 00:20:20,664 --> 00:20:23,104 Because I think what has happened. 318 00:20:24,959 --> 00:20:26,129 Generally speaking, 319 00:20:28,469 --> 00:20:33,809 is I think we have read most of the Bible with predetermined answers. 320 00:20:34,809 --> 00:20:38,899 And it no longer surprises many of us, it no longer encourages. 321 00:20:38,949 --> 00:20:39,769 I was there. 322 00:20:39,929 --> 00:20:43,259 I confess, I was bored reading the gospels. 323 00:20:43,759 --> 00:20:45,559 I felt like I already knew what they were. 324 00:20:46,129 --> 00:20:47,429 I felt like I already knew what they said. 325 00:20:47,459 --> 00:20:48,509 That sounds so arrogant. 326 00:20:48,529 --> 00:20:50,409 Like I didn't say this out loud because I would have felt like 327 00:20:50,409 --> 00:20:51,879 probably that's how I felt. 328 00:20:52,514 --> 00:20:57,914 So I would just skip through them, but the Gospels are so unique. 329 00:20:57,974 --> 00:21:02,274 All four of them are very different and distinct for a purpose. 330 00:21:02,564 --> 00:21:07,754 I know some of us are great fans of the show, the show, the chosen. 331 00:21:08,324 --> 00:21:09,444 I've never seen an episode. 332 00:21:09,484 --> 00:21:10,964 I hear great things about it. 333 00:21:11,384 --> 00:21:12,744 I am not saying you shouldn't. 334 00:21:12,774 --> 00:21:16,554 I'm just letting you know, making a point here that the God, the 335 00:21:16,564 --> 00:21:19,264 chosen seems to just blend all four. 336 00:21:20,939 --> 00:21:21,669 That's cool. 337 00:21:22,039 --> 00:21:23,819 I'm sure it's really encouraging. 338 00:21:23,839 --> 00:21:24,919 Keep watching it. 339 00:21:25,499 --> 00:21:27,369 This is the abundance of God. 340 00:21:27,369 --> 00:21:28,979 There's a lot of goodness out there. 341 00:21:30,159 --> 00:21:34,209 But just note, the Gospels were intended to be distinct for 342 00:21:34,209 --> 00:21:36,199 a reason, not to be blended. 343 00:21:37,220 --> 00:21:40,509 Because every Gospel is written for a unique audience going through 344 00:21:40,509 --> 00:21:42,299 something unique and different. 345 00:21:43,534 --> 00:21:47,804 It's intended that way so that every church in every generation has an 346 00:21:47,804 --> 00:21:51,714 interaction with the living and present God through the Gospels. 347 00:21:53,334 --> 00:21:59,704 So we can ask ourselves as a region in OC, what gospel world are we in? 348 00:22:00,154 --> 00:22:04,694 In our local ministries, what gospel world are we in? 349 00:22:05,509 --> 00:22:10,409 For the South OC, we have discerned that we are in the gospel of 350 00:22:10,449 --> 00:22:15,059 Mark and we're gonna be walking with Jesus in the gospel of Mark. 351 00:22:16,529 --> 00:22:23,009 I say all that to say let's learn or reread the Gospels 352 00:22:23,269 --> 00:22:25,309 without predetermined answers. 353 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:30,419 I think John 15 sometimes sounds harsh to many of us because it has 354 00:22:30,439 --> 00:22:34,579 been influenced with ancient stones from interpreters, preachers like me. 355 00:22:35,864 --> 00:22:41,644 who go to that passage to warn you to behave otherwise you're going 356 00:22:41,644 --> 00:22:47,204 to get cut off and to be humble and sacrificial because if you're bearing 357 00:22:47,204 --> 00:22:54,484 fruit God's going to keep pruning you because what matters is the fruit which 358 00:22:54,485 --> 00:22:58,474 is ironic because it's the opposite of what Jesus is saying the goal is 359 00:22:58,474 --> 00:23:04,199 remaining and yes bearing fruit that when you're accompanied by God But 360 00:23:04,199 --> 00:23:05,989 again, let's put some pieces together. 361 00:23:06,429 --> 00:23:10,939 If we believe God left and is absent and it's up to us to do the work, 362 00:23:11,289 --> 00:23:12,389 how are you going to bear fruit? 363 00:23:12,429 --> 00:23:14,149 How are you going to remain in God? 364 00:23:15,279 --> 00:23:19,074 But if God is living, present, and active, and in mission, Yes, 365 00:23:19,094 --> 00:23:20,514 we need to be connected with God. 366 00:23:20,514 --> 00:23:24,784 Yes, God calls us to bear good fruit because he's working in our lives. 367 00:23:24,964 --> 00:23:28,494 He's working in the lives of our family members, of our classmates, 368 00:23:28,594 --> 00:23:30,634 of our schools, of our communities. 369 00:23:30,774 --> 00:23:34,324 And so we need to learn how to join what God is doing. 370 00:23:34,544 --> 00:23:38,074 God is in mission, right? 371 00:23:38,354 --> 00:23:42,294 And so when we share our hope and our faith and our perspective and 372 00:23:42,294 --> 00:23:47,184 our convictions in our lives with others, we're not the teachers. 373 00:23:47,524 --> 00:23:51,274 to show them what we're partners with them, helping them discern 374 00:23:51,494 --> 00:23:53,514 what has got up to in your life. 375 00:23:55,154 --> 00:23:58,144 And then it becomes a conversation about God. 376 00:23:58,834 --> 00:24:02,734 And hey, let me show you these scriptures that may give you some 377 00:24:02,734 --> 00:24:06,384 answers to what God might be up to. 378 00:24:07,354 --> 00:24:08,364 You see what I'm saying? 379 00:24:08,844 --> 00:24:13,904 There is a healthier, better way that is more God. 380 00:24:14,204 --> 00:24:17,204 It's not centered and there's a lot of work that we got to do for that. 381 00:24:17,214 --> 00:24:18,594 We can get into another time. 382 00:24:19,194 --> 00:24:25,114 And finally, why does this passage sound so complicated and scary? 383 00:24:25,954 --> 00:24:29,854 It's a lot of times taken out of context, right? 384 00:24:30,974 --> 00:24:35,874 And here's for the second and third decade students. 385 00:24:35,875 --> 00:24:38,444 There's a mistranslation in this passage. 386 00:24:39,294 --> 00:24:39,764 Okay. 387 00:24:40,144 --> 00:24:43,444 There's many, I'm not going to explain all the translations and all that, but. 388 00:24:43,654 --> 00:24:45,184 But here it goes. 389 00:24:47,544 --> 00:24:52,654 The NIV says, he cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every 390 00:24:52,654 --> 00:24:57,514 branch that does not bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 391 00:24:59,774 --> 00:25:05,894 Cut off is an inaccurate translation in most of our Bibles. 392 00:25:07,334 --> 00:25:10,374 All right, this is why it's important to get dive in and study 393 00:25:10,374 --> 00:25:11,544 and all these different things. 394 00:25:11,545 --> 00:25:12,318 very much. 395 00:25:12,318 --> 00:25:12,704 Amen. 396 00:25:13,664 --> 00:25:17,094 That word shouldn't say cut off. 397 00:25:17,164 --> 00:25:21,874 It should say lift up, take away, carry, or clean. 398 00:25:22,294 --> 00:25:23,574 It's the word arrow. 399 00:25:23,574 --> 00:25:26,404 Uh, you know, my, my Greek has a Spanish accent. 400 00:25:30,304 --> 00:25:30,874 Okay. 401 00:25:31,004 --> 00:25:36,494 So John uses this arrow multiple times and it never means cut off. 402 00:25:36,514 --> 00:25:38,114 Let me give you some examples. 403 00:25:39,504 --> 00:25:44,304 In John chapter one, behold, the lamb of God who takes away, who lifts up. 404 00:25:44,839 --> 00:25:47,069 The sin of the world. 405 00:25:47,439 --> 00:25:48,629 John 2 16. 406 00:25:48,919 --> 00:25:50,709 Take these things away. 407 00:25:50,939 --> 00:25:54,679 Stop making my father's house into a market or trade. 408 00:25:54,969 --> 00:25:57,649 Jesus said to him, get up when he's talking to the paralytic. 409 00:25:58,069 --> 00:26:01,129 Take your mat and walk. 410 00:26:01,469 --> 00:26:02,379 Lift up. 411 00:26:03,429 --> 00:26:04,039 You see that? 412 00:26:05,879 --> 00:26:10,529 John 10, 18, no one takes from me, but I lay down my life on my own accord. 413 00:26:10,539 --> 00:26:14,049 By the way, Jesus was joyfully taken the cross in John chapter 414 00:26:14,049 --> 00:26:15,949 10 in the gospel of John. 415 00:26:16,589 --> 00:26:21,049 Every branch in me that bears no fruit, he takes up, takes away. 416 00:26:21,679 --> 00:26:22,849 So let's see this. 417 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:24,539 Let's change the translation. 418 00:26:24,709 --> 00:26:28,949 Oh, by the way, if we want to argue, no, it means cut off. 419 00:26:29,009 --> 00:26:33,569 Actually, John knows how to write cut off in the Greek. 420 00:26:34,214 --> 00:26:36,974 He uses it in John chapter 18 verse 10. 421 00:26:37,374 --> 00:26:40,814 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the 422 00:26:40,824 --> 00:26:43,284 servant's priest, cutting off. 423 00:26:44,094 --> 00:26:49,704 And yet that's not the word that's used in John chapter 15 verse two. 424 00:26:51,454 --> 00:26:52,114 Ha ha. 425 00:26:52,894 --> 00:26:54,694 By the way, Peter was not aiming for the ear. 426 00:26:54,694 --> 00:26:55,694 He was aiming for the throat. 427 00:26:55,704 --> 00:26:58,454 This man was a believer in God, but still had violence. 428 00:26:58,454 --> 00:26:59,744 That's why Jesus had a compass. 429 00:27:01,389 --> 00:27:04,299 And appeared to him and restore him because he believed in 430 00:27:04,299 --> 00:27:07,149 God, but it was still about violence, like the temple system. 431 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:10,359 That's a whole other sermon right there, but I guess you got a free one. 432 00:27:11,409 --> 00:27:12,039 Happy New Year. 433 00:27:12,729 --> 00:27:19,119 And so John knows how to write cut off, so let's adjust it. 434 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:26,779 I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. 435 00:27:26,929 --> 00:27:31,309 He lifts up every branch in me. 436 00:27:32,409 --> 00:27:33,899 That bears no fruit. 437 00:27:34,849 --> 00:27:37,719 Well, every branch that does bear fruit, he pruned so that 438 00:27:37,719 --> 00:27:40,759 it will be even more fruitful. 439 00:27:41,769 --> 00:27:47,339 So God, the gardener, the vine dresser, he's not out looking. 440 00:27:48,339 --> 00:27:49,379 Let's see if you measure up. 441 00:27:49,389 --> 00:27:55,749 But now you're getting cut, but he's looking, Hey, you're ill spiritually. 442 00:27:56,779 --> 00:27:58,129 You're disconnected. 443 00:27:59,154 --> 00:28:01,594 You're spiritually blind. 444 00:28:02,374 --> 00:28:06,824 You are hard hearted, cynical, and critical. 445 00:28:09,694 --> 00:28:13,864 You have just gone, you've been going through the motions for so long. 446 00:28:15,154 --> 00:28:17,234 God's not upset with you at that. 447 00:28:18,014 --> 00:28:19,254 And he's not going to cut you off. 448 00:28:19,264 --> 00:28:20,004 What is he going to do? 449 00:28:20,234 --> 00:28:23,194 He's going to lift you up. 450 00:28:23,854 --> 00:28:27,664 Let's talk about vines here. 451 00:28:28,499 --> 00:28:32,449 So in those days, in that gen, in that era, there's not a whole lot of wood. 452 00:28:32,449 --> 00:28:37,319 If you go to, you know, wineries and all that here, you see all the woods in kind 453 00:28:37,319 --> 00:28:42,469 of the vines on the top because you don't want those branches to touch the floor. 454 00:28:42,949 --> 00:28:47,609 Because if they stay, remain in the floor for a long time, they start growing roots. 455 00:28:48,369 --> 00:28:51,399 And now you're connected to the vine, but you're connected. 456 00:28:51,399 --> 00:28:52,709 You have your own roots. 457 00:28:53,904 --> 00:28:54,794 You see what I'm saying? 458 00:28:55,654 --> 00:28:56,764 So they didn't use wood. 459 00:28:56,764 --> 00:28:59,524 What they would do is they would get rocks, a lot of rocks in the Middle East. 460 00:28:59,934 --> 00:29:04,994 And so you lift up those branches that were ill and you place them 461 00:29:05,464 --> 00:29:08,974 on a rock, something like this. 462 00:29:09,004 --> 00:29:12,814 I hope I don't get electrocuted or burn the place down, right? 463 00:29:13,374 --> 00:29:16,624 Now you put a rock under it there because it's ill so it 464 00:29:16,624 --> 00:29:19,274 can, so it can get sunlight. 465 00:29:20,644 --> 00:29:24,834 So it doesn't develop other roots, but it stays connected to the root. 466 00:29:26,364 --> 00:29:27,914 So that it gets nutrients. 467 00:29:28,974 --> 00:29:31,104 So that it can remain. 468 00:29:32,474 --> 00:29:38,954 Because God is God who wants to save the world, not condemn the world. 469 00:29:40,154 --> 00:29:45,564 And so, as that work took place, I can now read John 15. 470 00:29:47,034 --> 00:29:53,614 It's still convicting, it's inspiring, but it's not threatening me and 471 00:29:53,624 --> 00:29:55,574 giving me an image that is not true. 472 00:29:55,975 --> 00:30:02,385 True or accurate to the character and actions of the living present God. 473 00:30:09,495 --> 00:30:14,595 And so if God lifts up every branch that bears no fruit, when we are ill 474 00:30:14,835 --> 00:30:18,424 and when we become those things and we will, and we have been, and we 475 00:30:18,424 --> 00:30:27,335 will again, that I just described the faithful, good God lives us up now, 476 00:30:27,345 --> 00:30:29,654 we must respond to that lifting up. 477 00:30:31,815 --> 00:30:34,355 We must choose to be lifted up. 478 00:30:35,415 --> 00:30:40,965 We must choose to get the help to get the correction to get the, you 479 00:30:40,965 --> 00:30:43,965 know, to remain connected to God. 480 00:30:46,244 --> 00:30:48,344 And then later it describes, right? 481 00:30:48,674 --> 00:30:52,415 If you are, if you do get disconnected, you die off. 482 00:30:52,555 --> 00:30:53,845 That's not God's doing. 483 00:30:53,855 --> 00:30:54,875 That's our doing. 484 00:30:56,165 --> 00:30:58,325 That's the consequences of our decision. 485 00:31:01,820 --> 00:31:05,670 So we have a healthy relationship and image of God and we have a 486 00:31:05,670 --> 00:31:08,090 healthy responsibility of ourselves. 487 00:31:08,410 --> 00:31:09,760 That's a good match. 488 00:31:10,889 --> 00:31:12,610 That's good Christianity right there. 489 00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:18,209 But if you choose to be disconnected, yeah, the Bible describes you die 490 00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:21,890 off and it says you are picked up and thrown into the fire. 491 00:31:21,900 --> 00:31:27,240 But please note it does not say God picks you up and throws you into the fire. 492 00:31:28,250 --> 00:31:31,370 If you read it in the context, it's just consequential. 493 00:31:31,540 --> 00:31:32,880 That's not of God's doing. 494 00:31:33,180 --> 00:31:36,089 So it's not God who cuts you off and it's not God who tosses, 495 00:31:36,110 --> 00:31:37,450 tosses you into the fire. 496 00:31:37,659 --> 00:31:40,679 So can we please not have that kind of image of God because 497 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:42,049 that's not true to scripture. 498 00:31:44,430 --> 00:31:48,510 So fear and threats should not be the way we motivate one another, 499 00:31:51,710 --> 00:31:55,750 but helping us see the presence of the living God. 500 00:31:57,875 --> 00:32:03,715 The activity of the living God, the unfailing love of the living God. 501 00:32:04,335 --> 00:32:10,485 And it is truly our responsibility to respond and be faithful and 502 00:32:10,514 --> 00:32:13,945 loyal to the God who loves us. 503 00:32:14,534 --> 00:32:19,445 And so the God is the gardener, The vine dresser, he carries 504 00:32:19,445 --> 00:32:21,155 each branch that's ill. 505 00:32:21,315 --> 00:32:25,005 He lifts them to receive sunlight and nutrients lifts 506 00:32:25,005 --> 00:32:27,015 them to avoid competing roots. 507 00:32:27,085 --> 00:32:32,725 He lifts them to ensure a thriving connection with the vine producing 508 00:32:32,885 --> 00:32:38,435 healthy fruit and some of that fruit is Jesus gives us his peace. 509 00:32:38,595 --> 00:32:43,445 There's no anxiety worry because when we start fearing you start making 510 00:32:43,445 --> 00:32:47,664 bad decisions, you start trying to take your back your life back and try 511 00:32:47,665 --> 00:32:52,625 to control outcomes and you become someone you were not created to be. 512 00:32:54,450 --> 00:32:59,280 God says, I give you my love because if we're not connected and believe that God 513 00:32:59,290 --> 00:33:04,090 loves us, we end up looking for love in all these different places and meaning and 514 00:33:04,090 --> 00:33:09,590 belonging in all these different places that only leave us more scarred and hurt. 515 00:33:10,730 --> 00:33:12,990 But if we allow God to love us, 516 00:33:15,330 --> 00:33:17,530 then we can bear that fruit. 517 00:33:17,930 --> 00:33:21,440 And God says, I give you my joy. 518 00:33:22,850 --> 00:33:28,000 All of that is fruits of the spirit that come about from us abiding, delighting and 519 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,140 remaining and being connected with God. 520 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:35,180 And again, this is not just I'm just receiving. 521 00:33:36,099 --> 00:33:37,810 No, it's participating. 522 00:33:39,279 --> 00:33:44,230 It's participating because God, that fruit is what that fruit is 523 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:50,810 for the sake of others to feed, to strengthen, to encourage, to invite. 524 00:33:53,245 --> 00:34:00,235 It's not self serving, it's outward focus, not with you as the Savior and the 525 00:34:00,235 --> 00:34:03,395 protagonist, but with God leading the way. 526 00:34:08,475 --> 00:34:13,793 So I think today we re read this passage and maybe the entire 527 00:34:13,793 --> 00:34:16,005 Gospel of John with fresh eyes. 528 00:34:16,895 --> 00:34:19,734 We rediscovered a more accurate meaning. 529 00:34:20,679 --> 00:34:25,820 And we released the ancient stones that others have imposed on passages like this. 530 00:34:26,540 --> 00:34:33,530 Let's approach John 15 with a deeper understanding of, of God's character. 531 00:34:33,659 --> 00:34:38,380 May we cultivate a healthier image of God honoring the 532 00:34:38,389 --> 00:34:41,110 scriptures, especially the gospels. 533 00:34:42,199 --> 00:34:46,978 May we allow God to continue transforming how we see God, how 534 00:34:46,978 --> 00:34:50,495 we see ourselves, and others. 535 00:34:51,074 --> 00:34:56,165 He who has ears, let him hear the word of the Lord. 536 00:34:56,664 --> 00:34:57,335 Here's my wife. 537 00:35:11,105 --> 00:35:14,954 Tina: Well, um, I wanted to just help guide us as we go 538 00:35:14,954 --> 00:35:16,105 into communion right now. 539 00:35:16,105 --> 00:35:19,695 We're going to have a few moments to have a time of reflection 540 00:35:19,725 --> 00:35:22,365 and thank you, Martin, for all the things that you've shared. 541 00:35:22,915 --> 00:35:27,524 Um, this year will be my 25th year of being a Christian. 542 00:35:28,175 --> 00:35:32,045 And similar to what Martin said about himself, after reading God's 543 00:35:32,045 --> 00:35:36,815 word every day for decades, you can sometimes be a little disillusioned, 544 00:35:36,905 --> 00:35:42,035 or at least I was about what I read and what these pre-determined 545 00:35:42,035 --> 00:35:43,835 answers of what God is saying. 546 00:35:43,835 --> 00:35:47,585 And many times going to God's word trying to find out what do I 547 00:35:47,585 --> 00:35:51,350 need today versus a letting versus allowing God's word to take me. 548 00:35:52,370 --> 00:35:56,430 And these last few years of going deeper into God's word, reading God's 549 00:35:56,430 --> 00:36:00,880 word slower, trying to learn and be present in what God is trying to reveal 550 00:36:00,890 --> 00:36:02,860 has literally been life changing. 551 00:36:03,319 --> 00:36:08,420 And even reading passages like we read today, it may be one passage, 552 00:36:08,870 --> 00:36:12,550 but reading it and being present and asking God to take us versus us 553 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:18,759 taking God, um, can really change the way that we read God's word. 554 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:20,670 So we have three questions up here. 555 00:36:20,690 --> 00:36:24,236 So, I have a couple of questions here and I'm going to read them. 556 00:36:24,236 --> 00:36:24,489 What's? 557 00:36:24,490 --> 00:36:27,900 So, the first one is what surprised you the most from 558 00:36:27,930 --> 00:36:31,660 today's lesson, study, and why? 559 00:36:32,829 --> 00:36:35,529 And we like to ask this question because God is always working and 560 00:36:35,529 --> 00:36:37,670 sometimes there's something that surprises you that you never thought 561 00:36:37,670 --> 00:36:39,090 of, you never considered, right? 562 00:36:39,090 --> 00:36:46,640 Second, if we truly believe that God is living, present, and active in 563 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:52,055 our lives and the world, How does that reshape the way we connect 564 00:36:52,055 --> 00:36:59,265 with God personally as a church and how we share about God with others? 565 00:37:00,785 --> 00:37:07,085 And lastly, number three, how does the contrast between cut off and lift up 566 00:37:07,134 --> 00:37:11,625 in John 15 deepen your understanding of God's actions and character? 567 00:37:13,205 --> 00:37:17,695 Why is it important to understand God's the difference between 568 00:37:17,705 --> 00:37:22,295 these two images, and how does it influence how you will, sorry, how 569 00:37:22,295 --> 00:37:26,455 we perceive God's work in our lives. 570 00:37:27,385 --> 00:37:31,785 So a practice that we like to do is take a moment, a few moments, and 571 00:37:32,304 --> 00:37:36,555 with someone near you, around you, you don't need to get up answer. 572 00:37:36,555 --> 00:37:38,095 We'll just one of these questions. 573 00:37:39,155 --> 00:37:41,975 So someone next to you, someone across from you, someone behind 574 00:37:42,025 --> 00:37:43,834 someone with someone behind you, you. 575 00:37:44,355 --> 00:37:48,705 answer one of these questions and then we'll have time to pray for communion. 576 00:37:48,895 --> 00:37:52,145 So I'll give you about three minutes, four minutes. 577 00:37:52,665 --> 00:37:52,975 Thank you.