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So we're gonna jump in. I gotta quit talking and start talking. And we're going to look at today's title. And I want to see if you can help me fill out the blank. So the title of today's message is A Disciple Abides in God's blank and produces blank. So there's a couple of right answers to this. Let's see if you guys get it. So what do you guys think? A disciple abides in God's Yeah, those are all good. Um, and produces those are that's that's good too. Yeah, so let's see, let's see what I'm what I have here for the title, because I wrote the notes so I get to do it. A disciple abides in God's love and produces fruit. What in the world does that look like? What does that mean? Uh how do you abide in God? And what exactly is fruit? So we're gonna examine that today. Uh specifically, we're going we're gonna look at four fruits of a disciple. Um, number one, answered prayer. Number two, love, I think, right? Yep, good. Number three, obedience. And number four, joy. And just a caveat, this is not an exhaustive list. Like there are lots of other fruits that are in the gospels. Uh Galatians has the fruit of the Spirit, so there's a bunch of fruit there. So this is not the only fruit of a disciple, but these are four fruits that Jesus talks about in our passage today. Uh uh Luke 6, 44 says that a tree is identified by its fruit. And I would say, and so is a disciple. So is a disciple. A tree is identified by its fruit, and so is a disciple. Now, what is a disciple? What is what do we mean when we say that? Because the term can mean a lot of things, and you know, um, we've all been discipled for good and for ill, probably in different times in our lives. And uh the discipleship process is simply who you're becoming based on the people that you're hanging out with. And so I've been discipled for good in my life by hanging out with people that were doing healthy things, whether that was like, you know, uh, I had a uh a friend in my early 20s that taught me how to lift weights, and that was like a good thing, you know, because I had never done that before, and so he taught me how to do that, and that's kind of stuck with me uh for a while. Um I have two brothers, and I'm the youngest of my whole family. So I had two brothers, and we got in trouble as kids. We used to break into houses and explore. Um and that was not a good kind of discipleship uh that was happening uh to me. So, you know, discipleship is basically who you're becoming, um, who you're becoming in the process of who you're hanging out with. But if you if you um I uh do a little Google search, you know, what is a disciple in the in in another context? It says a dedicated follower who adheres to and helps spread the teachings of their leader. I think that's kind of more what we're talking about a little bit today. A dedicated follower who adheres to and helps spread the teachings of their leader, but it's also who you're becoming because of who you're hanging out with. And so as you're hanging out with Jesus and as you're hanging out with other believers, that's the discipleship process. And sometimes that happens in the structured kind of settings, you know, like was uh Sarah alluded to, like the you know, discipleship school, even the trellis discipleship class that we're doing, doing on Mondays here. Absolutely, it happens in structure and it happens uh outside of that structure too. Uh I thought of three L's. I just like to think in threes, and I also like words that start with the same letter when I think in threes. So I was like, you know, who is a disciple? Um I wrote down uh a disciple is a learner. So a disciple is a learner, a disciple is a lover, and a disciple is a lifer. I'm not gonna explore each one of those, um, but if you want to write it down, you can. A learner, a lover, and a lifer. Also, a disciple is not to be confused with the 12 original disciples that we also call the 12 apostles. Uh, it's not that that Jesus loves them more than he loves you and I, it's just that they had something, a very specific role in a very specific time they were in. So there's some things in scripture that Jesus says to them that is specifically and exclusively to them. And here's an example. Because sometimes, like, well, no, I'm not a disciple. That was like the 12. Like, yes and no. Like they were disciples, they were the original, and there's something special. But if you're a follower of Jesus, um, there's no other option. Like you are a disciple. It's not like, okay, yeah, like a serious follower of Jesus, that's a disciple, but I'm kind of just dabbling over here. I'm just, you know, kind of no, no, no, no, no. Like if you, it's a zero or a one. If you follow Jesus, if you belong to Jesus, if you're his and he's yours, then you're a disciple. But the 12 apostles, like there's things that let Jesus said like this in Matthew 19, he said to them, he said, You will sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And we could preach a sermon just on that, on that verse. But my point is that, yeah, some some stuff in scripture is specific to them. Uh, and so that term disciple, though, includes includes us. So we're not gonna go go there today. So are you a disciple of Jesus? Am I a disciple? Is there any other option for a Christian? I would say, I would say no. And then also like the model, like what's the model? How do you become a disciple of Jesus? And we see this in scripture. We see four four aspects. We see a call, like there's a call from God to you, from Jesus to you. It's that it's that nudge in your heart that um uh some of us that happened a couple decades ago, some of some of us I hope that's happening today, where the Holy Spirit is nudging our heart and saying that calling you. So there's a call and then there's a response. Like, you know, what am I going to do when I feel that call, when I hear that call? How am I going to respond? Am I going to call back? You know, the scripture says whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And then if you if if your response is a yes uh to his call, then what the result of that is is a new life. John chapter 3, when Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, he calls that being born again, a new birth, being born from above. So it's a call of response, a new life. And then the fourth aspect I would say of a disciple is it's for life. Like it's not like it's not a temporary thing, it's not something I'm gonna do this summer and not do next summer. Like it is it is for life. And yes, some some fall away, but that's not that's not the that's not the purpose. That's not the that's not the intent. It's for life. Today's main scripture passage is from John 15, and we're gonna read that in a moment. I want to give some context first. And uh this chapter, John 15, is right in the middle of what's called Jesus' upper room talk. And that's five chapters in John, John 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. And it's right before he is betrayed by Judas and subsequently handed over to the Romans to be crucified. So he's having this special meal with his 12 apostles, and um, and it's usually like a like a happy feast, right? It's like it's it's a good time, but he's like dropping this pretty big news. It's like, first off, one of you is a traitor, and I'm going, I'm about to die. Like, so he's like dropping that on them. And he's been giving hints, hints of that up to this point, but he's really laying it down today. So it's kind of a heavy, a heavy atmosphere. Also, uh Jesus has recently been anointed somewhere between, like, I don't know, like somewhere around four days prior. We're not sure exactly how long, but Jesus was anointed by Mary of Bethany. It's like when he was he was uh having dinner, and Mary comes and just interrupts everything and breaks this super expensive bottle of of perfume uh called Speknard, and it says it's the value its value was one year's wages. So let's just think, okay, well, maybe $50,000. Like just $50,000 broken, gone, because she she broke the vessel, she poured it on his feet, you know, uh dried his feet with her, you know, uh with their hair, it says, and it says that this the smell of the perfume filled the room. And I've done a little bit of research on that, not a whole lot, but it's basically spiknar comes from a plant in the Himalaya Mountains, and that's why it's so expensive, and then it takes like forever to get it from point A to point B to get it to market. But also it's like super, super fragrant. And so in in the scripture, the way that it's the way that it's described is that it, you know, once again, the fragrance filled the room. And I'm saying this because from the context, one commentator I read said that it's very likely that Jesus still carried that scent everywhere he went. So in this in this upper room, he's he's smelling like like perfume. Like, you know, he's he's got he's he's I mean, I don't know, it's just kind of neat. It's like when he, you know, even when he's going through his suffering, he's going to you know be tried in that courtroom. He's you know, he's he's smelling like that, you know, he's bringing this scent of perfume with him when he goes to Herod's you know uh judgment seat, when he goes to Pilate, when he when he's walking to the cross, he there's a scent of perfume on him. Just kind of interesting in that context. So he had just finished uh uh washing his twelve disciples' feet, and that's where you know Peter's like, no, no, no, you're not gonna do that to me. And Jesus' like, if you don't do this, you have no part of me. And Peter's like, okay, do it, do it, do it. Um and he's just finished uh quietly confronting and dismissing Judas. You know, so and and the and the disciples still they don't get it. So he just said, one of you is going to betray me, and then he like confronts and dismisses Judas, but they think that he's just sending Judas to go give money to the poor. I find that super interesting for two things. Is one is like looking at it a couple thousand years later, it seems like they're really dense. Um, but the second thing is like, wow, like Judas must have given money to the poor a whole lot if if they're assuming that's what he's oh Judas is leaving again. So kind of kind of neat that even in Jesus' ministry, which I don't think they were like rolling in the dough, but they were still they were helping others out financially, which is kind of kind of a cool model, even for us. Like, I may not be where I want to be financially, but I have enough to give. Like I can I can help, I can help somebody. There's always somebody that's that's worse off than I am, and I can help them. So that's kind of cool. So that's kind of the context of what's going on in this upper room talk in John chapter 15. We're gonna read, um, yeah, we're just gonna read most of the chapter. It's not super long, it's like 13 verses here we're gonna read. So I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does bear fruit, oh, sorry, 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 any one 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. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. So I wanted to read all of that, you know, because I wanted to paint a full picture. Uh, Pastor Zav asked me to specifically talk about verses seven through eleven. So we're going to home in on those particular ones today. But first I do want to comment on verse six because it'd be really easy to skip it. And it's one of those verses that sometimes I'm reading the Bible like, I don't want to tackle that, I don't want to think about that, I just want to look at the good ones. And um, obviously this is a good one because it's in the Bible, but it's a little scary. Verse six 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. So I have four, well, three, sorry, three quick observations on that verse. Um let's not be that kind of disciple. So that's just not that observation one. Let's not do that. Um and I and I I know it is actually funny, and I'm I but it's also like serious. Like, let's just let's not be that one. Like if we have a choice to be Judas or Peter, let's be Peter. Because both of them denied the Lord, but one of them, one of them came back. And and and let's be that one. Let's be the one that let's be the one that came back. So that's the first one. Don't be that kind of disciple, don't, don't fall away. And then number two, second observation, but what if what if I have? Um that's a legitimate question. Romans 11 talks about another tree and another set of branches. It's it's a little bit of different context, but it still works and it's still applicable to this. Romans 11 talks about the great mercy of God and how he's able to graft branches back in, even once that they've been cut off. So even if a branch has been cut off, God has the ability and the power, and I would say the desire based on his mercy displayed in scripture. He has all of that to be able to put that branch back on the vine. And then the first up this third observation is, yeah, but what about the fire? That sounds even even worse than being cut off. So uh, but what about the fire? That sounds pretty final. And I would, I know, yeah, and I would respond with 1 Corinthians 3, 15, that says this, and this talks about like a person's work that is just not, you know, like their life's work that is just futile. Um if if it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, but yet will be saved, even though only as one escaping through the flames. And so my point with all this is not to take a bunch of scriptures and and um and throw them all on the screen to you. My point is that God's mercy for us is greater than our mercy for ourselves. God's ability to save us and and redeem us and help us and invite us back in and run to us with arms open, like the the father in the prodigal son parable that Jesus told, that is greater than our imagination even can comprehend. Like his love is is greater. You are not the exception to the rule. If you're in this room and you've strayed and you've and it's been years and it's been you know a sin again and again and again, and you feel like you're beating your head against, you are not the exception to the rule. You are not the one that he can't save. You are not the one that he cannot love. You are not the exception. He's got you. And so that's what I'm getting at is like when you hear that and you hear like, oh wow, uh branch is broken off and thrown into the fire, like, yeah, but that's not gonna be you. He's gonna graft you back in. You're going to be saved. Okay, I did have a fourth thing, and that was it. The point God's plan is better than ours, his compassion and mercy is greater than ours, he is more fair than we are. As Abraham said in Genesis 18, 25, won't the judge of the whole earth do what is fair? And the answer is yes. Yes, he will. All right, let's jump back into our main text, verse seven. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. So a guiding principle for when we're reading scripture is that unless what's being said is blatantly and obviously applicable only to the original audience, like when Jesus said, You twelve disciples are going to, you know, sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel, that that's that's theirs. So unless it's blatantly and obviously applicable only to the original audience, we're going to assume that what Jesus is saying applies to all disciples and therefore to you and to me. So Jesus is saying and saying this to his 11 apostles, Judas is gone, 11 apostles, but he's also saying it to his disciples across time, and thus he's saying it to us today. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. So I don't know about you, but that's actually kind of hard for me to get my brain around. Um, and it's hard for me to reconcile some of my personal experiences. Because sometimes I have prayers that aren't answered. And I imagine you do too. But here's our first fruit check, though. Remember I said four four fruits. First fruit check. If I stay in Christ and his words stay in me, the fruit will be answered prayer. The fruit will be answered prayer. I do have a caveat to this. That doesn't mean you examine your whole life, and if you have any any unanswered prayer, it doesn't mean that you're not in Christ. That doesn't mean like that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if you are in Christ, some of that fruit will be answered prayer. We're gonna we're gonna look at what that that looks like here. So I believe that. Why do I believe that? Because we just read Jesus said it, and I'm gonna believe what Jesus says, but I'm still wrestling with it because there are lots of unanswered prayers from what appear to be good, godly Christians praying, what appear to be good, godly things. So why is that? Why are there unanswered prayers? This is not a complete answer to that, but it's it's a partial one that's been helpful to me. I hope it's helpful to you. I thought of three kind of scenarios where unanswered prayer actually does kind of make sense. Uh, number one is sometimes it's the enemy. Like we have we have a spiritual enemy. We're not just in some kind of microcosm, us and God, and and you know, everything's happy and go lucky. Like, no, there's sin. There's sin in the world, there's evil in the world, right? There's a there's a spiritual enemy, there's darkness. And and yes, Jesus has defeated it, and yes, we're in this in-between of of his first coming and his second coming, but there's still an enemy, there's still a battle, there's still stuff that's happening. We see this a little bit in Daniel chapter 10, verses 12 and 13. And just to give you a little caveat on what what this is, uh, Daniel had been praying and be like it'd been like three weeks. He was fasting and praying, and finally he's getting an answer. And this messenger, he has a vision, and this messenger says, He said to me, Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. Um and that and that's a that's a reference to a spiritual being on that. So there was something. My point is not to dive into Daniel, my which is awesome, but we're not going to. My point is that sometimes there's stuff we don't see that's happening. There's there's a spiritual, there's a spiritual world that we all live in. And there are things that are happening right now, even in this room, that we that we just can't see. It doesn't mean it's not real, though, it just means we can't see it. Another uh similar thought is from 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 through 5. For though we walk in the flesh, that means yeah, we have bodies, we can see and feel and touch and all that, we are not waging war against the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ. That's an awesome verse. Like that's yeah, like um. So if we have unanswered prayer, sometimes it's because there's a spiritual element that we're not seeing that we don't know. Does that mean we just stop praying? Like, okay, it's not working, I'm not getting answers. I I guess I should no keep praying, keep waiting, keep fighting, and be strategic. Like if there's a stronghold that God identifies to you, then as as it says there, cast it down. Destroy that argument. Number two reason I thought of that sometimes we see unanswered prayers is sometimes, yeah, it's the enemy, but then sometimes it's it's people. It's ourselves or it's others. If you're praying perhaps for a loved one to come to Jesus, what a great prayer, right? But their will is involved, just like your will is involved. God doesn't, he doesn't steamroll you with his will. He calls and he invites, and we respond to that. And in the same way, I'm sure there's a lot of loved ones in this that are represented in this room that you guys are praying for, me too, and we want God's will for them. We want them to answer the call and come to Christ, but their will is involved. And so if that prayer is not answered yet, you don't give up. You just you just keep praying. So sometimes others are involved, and then also sometimes we're involved. Here's an example of that from James chapter four. You don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong. You want only what will give you pleasure. I'm reminded of a song that in my early teens, or I don't know how old I was, uh by Nirvana, and the um the lyrics go, the the chorus go something like this Um I love myself better than you. I love myself better than you. And I think we see that without Jesus. We definitely see that. Sometimes with Jesus, when we're not in him and we're not focused on him, we still see. That we with without Christ and without his influence over us on a daily basis, we're all selfish. Even the nicest ones, even my wife is selfish without sorry, without Jesus. Like, and you're so nice. And I have enough relational equity with Jennifer that I can, she knows that that that uh I'm so sorry. No, no, but no, but you but you got me, right? I mean, sometimes it's it's because of us. Like we're imperfect. If we were perfect, Jesus wouldn't have had to come. I mean, what do they say? He's like, I didn't come to call the righteous people, I came to call sinners. Can I get an amen? Right? That's us. That's right. I mean, come on. All right. You're not your amazing sweetheart. Um, okay. And then uh Jesus said this in uh Matthew's gospel on the Sermon on the Mount about prayer. He says, When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. So that's the answer to their prayer. It's like people seeing them. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your father in private. Then your father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don't babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. So sometimes it's others, sometimes it's us. And so, like, so check your motives. Like, God's uh He's like He's able to show your motives to you. Like, Lord, reveal my motives. Like, I feel like I'm hitting my my head against the wall with this prayer request. I don't, I see nothing. Like, Lord, is there are my motives wrong? Is something going on here? He's able to answer that. Ask God to give you pure motives. You can pray like David did in Psalm 51. He says, Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. I just want to keep going. Cast me not away from your presence, O Lord. Oh, so good. So don't stop praying. So what happens when we hit a wall with our prayers? Do we give up? Do we stop? Like, oh, it's not working. No, keep praying. And then the third one here, sometimes when we see unanswered prayer, it's because there's a bigger plan that God is making happen. So it's not, it's not it's not because you're doing something wrong. It's not because someone else is doing something wrong. It's not because the enemy's you know attacking. It's because God's just got something bigger that you just don't know. You don't know what he's doing. Think about Jesus in Matthew 26 when he he prayed, it was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed to the Father to be spared from the upcoming suffering of the cross. So he so it's like he knew something was coming. He's like, Lord, please, you know, Father, please take this cup from me. But then he also prayed that the Father's will would be done, not his. And we know what happened, right? God answered the second part of the prayer, not the first part. But did you ever think about his disciples? What were they praying when they watched him be betrayed in that garden when all the soldiers came and Judas betrayed him with a kiss? And what were his disciples praying when he was imprisoned and then, you know, whipped and beat up in horrible torture? What were they praying? What were they praying when he was walking with the cross until he couldn't carry it anymore and someone had to carry it for him? What were they praying? They were praying for a, I imagine, a different outcome than what happened, right? And God didn't answer those prayers. And he didn't answer them because that he didn't answer them because they weren't praying hard enough. He didn't answer them because they were in sin. He didn't answer them because they didn't have the right formula. He didn't answer them because he had a bigger plan. And so sometimes there's a bigger plan that God is making happen. 1 Corinthians 13, which talks all about love, and then one of the last verses, verse 12, it says that we see imperfectly. And sometimes we just have to be humble enough to admit it. We see imperfectly, and that's okay. God's plan is bigger than ours, but it's also better. So should we stop praying? Nope. Keep praying, but with a submission to God's will over ours. So those are some reasons why sometimes we see unanswered prayers. I hope that's I hope that's encouraging to you to realize, wow, like I'm not gonna stop praying. I'm just I'm gonna keep praying, but with the knowledge that, okay, maybe there's some stuff that I don't know. Here's three prayers I want to touch on, and there's more than this, there's just three. These are three types of prayer that God consistently answers, and that you can be confident when you authentically pray them, he'll answer them too. These are good, I like these. Number one is the sinner's prayer. Jesus said in Luke chapter 18, two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all I get. But the tax collector, standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. So the sinner's prayer, God hears that prayer. God be merciful to me, a sinner. The second prayer that God hears, and he invites us to pray, is the wisdom prayer. This is from James chapter one. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person who a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. So if you need wisdom, ask God, have faith in him to res to give you the answer. And he and he will. He's generous. He will give it to you. That's what it says. And for me, this one, well, actually on the other one too. I kind of pray both of those a lot. But this one especially, like, I need wisdom so often. And again and again and again, like when I have a decision to make, I feel led by the Lord. I love I love that one. And the third one is uh the disciples' prayer. Y'all probably know this as the Lord's Prayer, but I'm calling it the disciples' prayer today because we're in a series called Disciple. And who was he talking to? Who was he instructing to to pray this prayer? He was instructing disciples. So we're gonna look at this, and you can even follow, you can even read along if you want. Matthew 6, verse 9 through 13. Pray then like this, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors, and let us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. So those are three prayers, and there's I know there's more. Uh, I just don't have time, and and there's just a bunch, so let's read the Bible together and find them. But at least three prayers that we're invited to pray that we know we know that God will answer. So sometimes we have unanswered prayers, not not just because of stuff, you know, people that uh that that others are doing, not just because God has a bigger plan. Uh sometimes we're not seeing answers to prayers because we're not praying. So let's pray. All right, let's go to verse, um let's go to verse eight. So what is the fruit? Yeah, yeah. What is the fruit of a disciple of Jesus? One fruit is answered prayer. And don't worry, like the other ones go quicker. I know I have four. That's like the longest one. Okay. One fruit is answered prayer, and another fruit of a disciple of Jesus is love. So let's go to verse eight. By this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. So when our life produces fruit, it shows that we are Christ's disciple. Well, here's here's my question. Um, and I hadn't thought about this before until I was studying this. Um shows who, like proves to who, or to whom. Proves to whom, I don't know. Anyway, who or whom? One of those. Who does it prove to that we're his disciples? I think it shows the world, right? It shows the world that that we're his. He Jesus even said, This is how the world will know that you're my disciples by the love that you have one for another. I think it also shows us, you know, when we abide in Christ, when his words is in us, when his words are in us, and we we're seeing the fruit of that, we're seeing answered prayer and some of these other ones that we're gonna talk about, it builds our confidence. So it shows us. But there's there's one person that I don't think it does show, I don't think it does prove, and and I think that's that's God. I don't think that the fruit of our lives proves anything to God because he already knows who we are, he already knows you. Like the one who planted the tree knows its true identity even before it bears fruit. Verse 9 dovetails into this. See how quickly that happened? I did seven, forever, eight, and now verse nine? Okay. As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. As his disciples, Jesus loves you, and Jesus loves me the way that the Father loves him. And so the question is, how did the Father love Jesus? We see a glimpse of this in Matthew chapter three. Jesus was uh had just been baptized by John the Baptist. He's coming up out of the water. You know, we see like a dove, the spirit like a dove descending on him, and we hear a voice from heaven that said, This is my son whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Chronologically, in the earthly life of Jesus, the Father said these words about him before Jesus had cured the ten lepers and done all the other healings he did, before he fed thousands of hungry people with a small boys, small lunch, before he called the twelve apostles, before he gained the attention of the masses, before he challenged hypocrisy and the local authority, before he died for the sins of the world, before he initiated the first resurrection Sunday by defeating death and the grave, and before he ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father. Before all of that, before he did anything of significance as a human, Jesus' heavenly father said, This is my son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. And that's how Jesus loves you. Not for what you can do or what you will do for him, but simply for you. So here's our second fruit check. As a disciple of Jesus, my life is marked by love from God, love for God, and love for others. Love, love, and love. What is this love? Verse 13 greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. And then in a 1 John, which is also written by the same apostle John, we see this in chapter 3, verse 16 through 18. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth. And then Romans 5, 8. But God shows his love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So the first fruit, answered prayer, second fruit, love. Love for God, love from God, love for God, and love for others. And here's a thought too, like the others, like, okay, what do you mean, love for others? Like he's talking to his disciples here specifically in John 15. So he is saying to us and to them, love each other. But in other parts of the gospels, we're shown that we're to love our neighbor. It's those that are a little more outside of our of our circle. Those that we see that need help and are in need, we're to love them. And then in the Sermon on the Mount, this is this is a fun one and it's a hard one, we're to love the people that the world would say we're to hate. Jesus said, if you love those who love you, like be whoopee, like what's you know, what's the big deal? Like, doesn't everybody do that? It's like you're he's like, but love your enemies. Love your enemies. So I want you to, do you have an enemy? Like, do you have like even someone? I mean, do you is there is there someone that you don't like? Someone who's harmed you, someone who's like, I I hope not. I hope that you have only friends, but I also know that most of us have someone in our life that's kind of like a thorn. Maybe you're not in the room, don't worry. Um love your enemies. Love your enemies. So, yeah, love our friends, love our family, love our neighbor, and love our enemies. So here's here's the third fruit check. Fruit check. I show my love for God through obedience. Obedience. Verse 10 if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. So, how did Jesus obey the Father? Three ways that I can think of. He said the Father's words. The words that the Father gave him to say, He's He said those. He did the Father's works. The works that he did were the Father's given him to do, and then he endured the cross. He fulfilled the destiny that the father gave him to fulfill. You know, for us, I think it's similar. We are to say Christ's words, we are to do his works, works that were are created for we were created to do. And then while we're not to endure the cross, each of us has something to endure. There is, you know, Jesus said, take up your cross and follow me. So there's there's something, there's a task ahead for all of us, some of which is is difficult and involves suffering. But when we're doing that in the love and obedience of the Father and of Jesus, we're able to. All right, so here's a couple of just statements that I wrote down, maybe a little, give a little picture and how do we obey Jesus. So here's here they are. When you keep silent when you want to give a some when you want to give someone a piece of your mind, because obviously they're wrong, but you know that God's word says a soft answer turns away wrath. When you have what the world considers weird boundaries in your dating relationships, because you know your body is God's temple and you're going to treat it and them with honor. When you find yourself stuck in a rut of habitual sin and you turn to Jesus instead of despair, instead of letting your heart be hardened, you pray, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. When you feel paralyzed by fear and anxiety or weighed down by depression and discouragement, you lean into God's word that says he is close to the brokenhearted, and that his spirit gives you power, love, and a sound mind. What are you doing? You're keeping his commandments, you're walking in his love. His love is flowing to you from Jesus, and it's flowing out from you to others. Abide in Jesus, remain in his love, keep his commandments, and what's the result? More fruit. Verse 11, our final verse, these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. So here's our last fruit check. When I am in Christ, I am filled all the way up with his joy. Unmistakable, unambiguous joy. If we look at this uh water bottle here, you know, some would say it's it's half full and some would say it's half empty. Um, and you're both right. But in Christ, what he's talking about is not something that's open to interpretation. He's saying you're going to be filled all the way up, that there's no question that you're filled with him, and a fruit of that is his joy. May that be true for you, may that be true for me, may that be true for us. Let's uh let's pray. Father, thank you for helping us to abide in Jesus. Help us to produce fruit, Lord, help us to have answered prayers, Lord, help us to love you, accept your love, love others, help us to be obedient to your word, and help us to be filled to overflowing with Christ's joy. I agree. In Jesus' name, amen.