Bearing our Cross

Recap-The responsibility of relationship=reciprocity and bearing fruit

John 15:16-17-You did not choose me, but I chose youand appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.  17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

-When you think about your relationships, is your perspective to produce “something” that is beneficial to the other?  Whether that is love, respect, honor, etc.?-When the idea of “not needing to give” love to a wife, respect to a husband, honor to a parent, honesty among friends takes over, it will corrode the relationship-(in this life we cannot dismiss reciprocity if you want what is best for you and the people you are involved with)-(def)–reciprocity-1: the quality or state of being reciprocal: mutual dependence, action, or influence. 2: a mutual exchange of privileges specifically: a recognition by one of two countries or institutions of the validity of licenses or privileges granted by the other.

Galatians 6:7-Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap

Ex:  what test our love or fruit bearing in a relationship-is when we think we’re not receiving at the measure we think we’re giving-honest assessment of what we give to people is key to humbling ourselves to be honest/accept rebuke

-The dynamic of things not being consistent (adequately getting back what we give)-is God’s way of teaching us unconditional love, that we may not get what we put out, but what provokes us to not stopgiving love is worship….

John 15:5-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.

-Jesus knows what when we abide in Him, than we fulfill our responsibility to Who we are (effective), prioritizing Him over everyone-the law of reciprocity is in play because He expects fruit from what He gave (His life), that we have a responsibility to produce fromwhat He has given us-(so if you are giving to everyone else and expecting to get from everyone else-we skip Him as priority, and begin to make people responsible to give according to your sacrifice)

Ex: We tend to do this first and then realize we must find our peace and satisfaction in God or be perpetually frustrated

Hebrews 11:6-And without faith it is impossibleto please him, for whoever would draw nearto God must believe that he exists and that he rewards thosewho seek him.

-Yet this is what keeps us from being unconditional, b/c we are basing our giving/sacrifice on the reciprocity of people-which will make you inconsistent because people give back inconsistently or never at the measure of your sacrifice!

But this is the point as to why we must bear fruit that abides/remains-because in a world where love grows cold, the only way we begin to love people the way Jesus loves us, is by abiding in worship, bearing fruit b/c Jesus is priority…

Refusing to be in a popularity contest

John 15:18-20-“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,therefore the world hates you.  20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’If they persecuted me,they will also persecute you.If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

-Jesus wants us to understand the dynamic of why we are hated,-we are hated because we are chosen by Him.  So we abide in His truth and bear fruit that resembles Him=being chosen implies being fruitful…(Jesus as the Light, exposed the truth behind the cunning, manipulative evil in which the world operates, including the religious who didn’t love God

Ex:  In contrast if we are not bearing fruit and people are hating us-the issue is not that we’re so godly the world is convicted, it maybe we are so obnoxious people can’t stand it…(b/c to bear fruit that spurns hate carries with it love, gentleness, patience, humility, etc.-it is up to us to be honest with God if we are the problem=the Word being our mirror)

-What you have to consider is that Jesus is choosing while dismissing others-what we tend to do, is to either think that God is not fair (which He has right to do what He pleases) or somehow think we are better than those not chosen=a natural way of thinking, not a spiritually gospel centered way

-So if we understand that, the world already hates the fact we are chosen-just you knowing God and they don’t is an issue, which is why they’re defensive: there is more than one way to God, or I’m not religious, how do you know?, etc.(but really it’s a response to not being chosen, implicit in their heart is that “you are no better than me”-which is why they hate God, and those who represent Him, when there is no valid cause)

Colossians 4:5-6-Conduct yourselveswisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Ex:  I have an opportunity to serve a family who don’t believe but grew up in Church-so they know what I believe, yet it’s hard to hate people who love and serve you, for your benefit

(vs 20)-Jesus shows us that there are two types of people we are going to deal with-those who will persecute you for what you believe, or those who will eventually keep His Word-(implied is that you are standing for Him, in that we are persecuted for abiding in Him/Truth-or we are effective and influential for them to consider and hopefully come to faith)

2 Corinthians 2:15-16–For we are the aromaof Christ to God among those who are being savedand among those who are perishing,16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficientfor these things?

-From abiding in Jesus there is a fragrance that you give off that some people will just not like (death)-so it’s important to consider if it is something you did or said, if not, it maybe the aroma you give off in standing with Jesus

-Paul asks the question, who is sufficient for these things?-He is saying that the only way we live to uphold this call to carry this fragrance takes abiding in Jesus, knowing that He is our Master-(To be hated is a tough burden to bear, because no one enjoys being hated-but you can endure it if you know you’re right in what you stand for in Christ=my conscience towards God vs. your conscience towards God)

Luke 12:51-53-Do you think that I have come to givepeace on earth?No, I tell you, but rather division.  52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.  53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

A close relationship must carry this burden He’s given us or we won’t do it, you won’t deal with people in the way of being an influence for Christ, risking persecution, and being hated b/c without relationship “who is sufficient for such things?”

The personal groundwork to advance the gospel

John 15:21-25-But all these things they will do to you on account of my name,because they do not know him who sent me.  22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but nowthey have no excusefor their sin.  23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.  24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did,they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.  25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

-From these “two poles” of how we affect those as Christians who abide in Jesus-a relationship that bears the challenges in life, and gets better or grows from these issues, have settled that they are going to abide/remain

Ex:  PH talked about vows in marriage, and the promise of commitment through sickness/health, better/or worse-the appreciation of the good/bad times is what makes the relationship strong/fruitful/influential for people to admire or be envious of and hate…(yet what keeps you withstanding the burden of influence and avoiding arrogance, or enduring hate and jealousy is that you abide together)

-As Jesus talks about the hate we will incur from the world, enduring it and bear fruit not bitterness, takes abiding-through rejection, being humiliated and ostracized, and know that He is hasn’t forsaken you, but are we forsaking Him?=Garden

–Jesus knows that if He is not the priority in our life, we live compromising what we should stand for, b/c we can’t stand people not liking us-or we will become so enamored with our influence and praise from people, we will live for our own glory and approval, and have to keep people liking us like political figures…

(vs 24)-If you consider the works of Jesus throughout the gospels and all the healing/feedings He did, (feeding the 5000, healing Jairus’ daughter, the man with withered hand)-in those instances of healing, Jesus was criticized by the religious, though He was perfect and healed people…they were jealous and hated that He was stealing their influence

-”no cause”, means that the reason for being hated has come from nothing that should garner hate-it has come because my abiding in God, reveals in themtheir sin of jealousy and envy or whenever your faithfulness reveals their sinfulness

John 6:14-15-When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”15 Perceiving then that they were about to come andtake him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

–Jesus was so adored that they wanted to make Him King-He had to disappoint them because that would have kept Him from abiding in the Father, pushing Him out of His purpose!

In other words if our goal in this life is to be effective for Jesus and the gospel, than we must abide in Him-because many times God only understands why you are doing what you do-(that people can hate you for being faithful and exposing their sin-or people can hate you because you won’t stay and be in their life, like they want you to)=risk loneliness with people, but intimacy with God

Conclusion:  More powerful than the world’s hatred to alienate and disapprove

John 15:10-If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,just as I have keptmy Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 1 John 4:4-Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greaterthan he who is in the world.

-Notice that Jesus is calling us individually as disciples to abide in His love-when we do that, the Father is glorified by our unity to abide in God’s love through His Word and Spirit

-But the reality of everyone abiding in God’s love and keeping His commandments is inconsistent or even rare-because the commitment to abide in Jesus is individual-(so if I am not abiding in Jesus and you are, there is conflict, you’re in the truth, I am in a lie, no unity)-the groundwork to advance the work of God is personal and many times lonely-but if popularity/approval is what we crave, than abiding in Jesus love and being effective for the gospel-we may find approval from the world, but not experience the power of God’s love to overcome it b/c we are not abiding in Him