Go a little deeper
Pastor Keith Kirkpatrick opens by celebrating God's work at Journey Church, including a large turnout of children at Summer Wars and reported salvations and baptisms this year, then turns to the series theme that the kingdom of God is available now rather than only in the future. He introduces the message as Kingdom Connection, arguing that everyone is connected to something and that what you are connected to shapes who you become.
The teaching centers on John 15:1-11, which Pastor Keith reads aloud before working through the passage's vine imagery. He explains the word abide as remaining and being present continually, contrasts it with religious striving or a brief visit with Jesus, and traces the roles of the gardener, the vine, the branches and the fruit. He discusses the lifting up of fruitless branches, the pain of pruning, the cleansing word of Jesus, the dead branch, the patience required before fruit appears, and the connection between abiding and obedience.
Pastor Keith closes with John 15:9–11, emphasizing the depth of Jesus’ joy and love. After a brief personal illustration, he turns to Hebrews 11:6 and urges listeners to keep trusting God when they cannot see the outcome. He ends with an invitation and prayer for those who want to begin following Jesus.
Take this with you
Abiding Means Continual Presence, Not a Short Visit
In John 15:1-11 Pastor Keith says the word behind abide means to remain and to be present continually. He argues that many treat faith as something they go and do, hoping a brief visit with Jesus yields long-term benefits, whereas abiding is connection with the King at all times and everywhere.
Fruit Comes From Connection, Not Striving
Working from John 15:4–5 and using grapes he brought on stage, Pastor Keith points out that grapes do not originate at the grocery store. He argues that spiritual growth depends on connection with Jesus, rather than increased effort or religious performance. He uses the dependence of grapes on their vine to illustrate that point.
Lifted Up and Pruned: The Gardener's Care
In John 15:2 Pastor Keith reads the fruitless branch as being lifted up rather than discarded, so it can reach light and grow, and the fruitful branch as being pruned to bear more. He describes pruning as painful removal and says God sees potential in his people that they do not yet see in themselves.
God's Word Declares You Clean
Pastor Keith interprets John 15:3 as Jesus giving the disciples a status of purity through his message. He contrasts a polished outward appearance with a relationship grounded in God's word. He says believers receive righteousness through faith rather than earning it through religious effort or ritual.
Abiding and Obedience Belong Together
Pastor Keith reads John 15:7-8 as tying abiding to obedience: taking God at his word and letting his words remain in you. He acknowledges that people pray boldly and do not always receive what they expected, and he explains that continuing to abide in Jesus deepens understanding of the kingdom and of asking the King, with the Father's glory as the aim.
The conversation,
in their words.
Transcript from the recording’s captions. Select any timestamp to hear the original audio.
I don't have a message for you God has a message for you today hey but before we keep going uh one thing I want to just celebrate this week is God's goodness and faithfulness we had nearly 300 kids come to Summer Wars this week and witnessing God work through foam and big old Inflatables and so much the first day Pastor Chelsea our our amazing kids Pastor she she asked she asked how many of you kids don't go to church and at least a third of those kids raise their hands up not going to church that got to be a part of something great this week if you don't know what Summer Wars is it's where we get together and we just go to battle the kids do teams and colors and they go at it they learn about Jesus they learn about competition and it's absolutely incredible we we just want to give God
glory he's working in mighty mighty ways here in many different ways uh I just looked up before I came on stage today before today we had 404 salvations this year we've had more than 125 baptisms this year uh we're witnessing God work in tremendous ways and uh he's just just getting started but with that said don't you know when God's advancing the enemy wants to advance more so you got to know this this is a true testimony to your life if you're going through something that just means you're a threat to the devil so you ought to count it as honor and and and a privilege that you actually are such a threat to the enemy he wants to try to stop what God's doing in your life if
you have the wrong perspective you'll actually blame it on God and wonder why in the world are so many bad things happening to me and I'll tell you it's because God loves you and has a good plan for your life if you brought your Bible today would you just get out your Bible uh this we believe is a very special book there's no book no book like it at all so I want you to get out your Bible if you brought it I want you to hold in the a like you care keep it up there and on the count of three everyone is going to shout from the top of their lungs word here we go 1 2 3 word this is the word of God and we're going to get into God's word that God's word will get deep down into our hearts we're looking at Kingdom everyone shout kingdom kingdom the kingdom does not need to be one day or another day you can experience the kingdom here and now according to the Bible Jesus is the the
king of all Kings there is a kingdom here on Earth that is ruled by the prince of the air that is the devil and then there's an eternal Kingdom that will last forever which is ruled by Jesus Christ the King of all Kings Jesus introduced to us when God incarnate came as a man holy man holy God the first message he preached in the Book of Matthew chapter 4 he preached repent which means change your thinking align your life with gods for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand meaning the Kingdom of Heaven does not need to wait for another day you can start serving the King today
the kingdom has arrived is here right now Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew chapter six When you pray you can pray your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven you can start to experience heaven now you don't have to wait till later God's word teaches us that the kingdom is not a matter of talk we don't just talk about the kingdom this is a matter of power we get to exerience the kingdom and we see this in a real way we see the king starts to restore that which is wrong and he makes it right I can declare this because I've experienced the kingdom the kingdom takes a sinner and turns him into a saint amen the kingdom takes the weak
and he turns them into more than a conqueror because of him who loved us the kingdom takes that which is broken relationships our minds that are fractured from our p and the King Jesus he binds us together he brings it back together he restores it this is the kingdom the kingdom is a connected Life To The King King kingdom is simply the way of the king and when we talk about Kingdom we want to experience the way of King Jesus the title of today's message is Kingdom connection Kingdom connection we are all connected to something or
someone every one of us some of you are connected to your careers you wake up and you serve your careers your identity is your career it's who you are it's what you think about it's what you stress about it's what makes you who you are you've turned your career into your connection this is true for many people you end up becoming whatever you do I remember at one point I worked at Safeway and as a checker you got to memorize all the produce numbers so that when the produce comes you can just type in the numbers and not look it up because you know that takes some time and people get upset at you so I would memorize those numbers and do you know what I would dream about at night those blasted numbers I could still remember bananas
4011 organic 0411 I would actually dream about that that's a terrible thing to dream about no one wants to dream about produce numbers we can become what we're connected to what you spend time on what you stress about some of you are connected to an addiction every waking moment you just want to go back to whatever it is you're addicted to that that is your connection and I'm here to tell you today when you believe in King Jesus he can break off those strongholds those ties to that which you're falsely connected to so that you can have a kingdom connection that you can understand that you're made for more if you're created in the image of God and
Jesus is God the king of all Kings you must be made for more your life isn't meant to seek after the wrong things and be connected after the wrong things because if what you're connected to makes you bitter that's the wrong connection the kingdom connection is not just a better life it's a new life so today we're going to turn to a scripture and we're going to learn from King Jesus the scriptures found in John chapter 15 so if you brought your Bible turn there with me now if you didn't the scriptures will be on the screen John chapter 15 we're going to cover a pretty long passage today so I want you to work with me John chapter 15 starting with verse one if you would would you stand for the reading of God's word I'm going to read the entire text verse 1 through 11 let's work together on this Jesus is speaking
when he says I am the True Vine and my father is the vine dresser 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 and 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 nothing if anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and Withers
and the branches are gathered and thrown into a fire and are 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 disciple as the father has loved me so I have loved 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've spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that
your joy may be full the word of the Lord you may be seated today we trust God's word that he teaches us a kingdom connection principle in just these 11 verses Jesus says 10 times abide abide everyone shout abide abide there's something about abiding the Greek word abide in the original language when this was written is the word meno meno means to remain it means to be present continually it means to to to be held to
be kept too many of us have a perspective of our faith or our service to God as something we go and do abiding means to be present continually meaning everywhere you go at all times you are abiding to many of us want a short visit with Jesus in hopes to get the long-term benefits but that's not abiding abiding is not attending church at a Sunday service abiding is connecting with the King continually it it's being present but you know you can be with someone and not be present come on wives nudge your husbands let's go let's go every once in a while if I'm talking
to my wife on the phone she'll be like are you listening are you present because you you can be there and not be there and Jesus teaches us a kingdom principle that if if you want to become who God wants you to be he says you need to abide now this is what I love about Jesus he uses simple illustrations he he he opens our eyes to our imagination to awaken us that this metaphor is meant to be simple so that you would understand God desires the best for you and your success in life is not going to be striving and trying harder and being better and being more religious your success in life is determined on what you're connected to Jesus continually uses agricultural
metaphor so that we would see the Simplicity that what we experience is what God wants for our lives so he uses in this illustration the illustration of fruit let me just grab some fruit so that you can see it today I grew these grapes for just totally lying I went to Safeway this morning and I picked up some grapes these are very expensive grapes they're not even organic but they're expensive I've got the green the purple and the red now here here's the deal these grapes weren't made at the grocery store right we've got to teach our kids that when you go get milk out of the the plastic
jug that started somewhere else it didn't start at the grocery store it didn't come out of the truck it came from a farm and so it is with these grapes some someone worked hard probably in South America and worked hard to produce these grapes so that they would grow Jesus wants you to know that God could do something in you that you potentially have never experienced that there's something so much more but he's going to use a real illustration of fruit to show you that God wants to do more in your life and he starts off by giving us the illustration of God we have one God in three persons we see God in this illustration God the
father in this story is the gardener the vine dresser he's the god that cares for the garden anybody love gardening in this place you've got the image of God inside of you God is a good Gardener it's good to care for things to see them grow God wants things to grow we have a guy in our church named Logan who goes all over Bend and Central Oregon and he picks up all the trash in the river and all over the place on the streets and he's not asked to do so he's not paid to do so but but he tells me he uses words like I just want to care for the environment I just see that I'm like that's a reflection of the Creator he's a good Gardener that's the
father then we have the vine here which is a representation of the son Jesus Christ it's the source of Life the sustenance it's where where life is rooted and and the vine here are grape vine so the roots go go deep and the longer they they last and Jesus is eternal the deeper they go and Jesus is described as the vine and and then we have this imagery of fruit and as we see in Galatians chap 5 this is the essence the character the nature of God this is God the person the Holy Spirit one God in three persons the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and in this story it starts with John chap 15 verse1 Jesus declares I am an association to Yahweh this ancient name I am who I am I I am
the True Vine there's implications here that if he is the true vine that there are other vines that are false there are some of us that are connected to the wrong Source we're trying to find our purpose we're trying to find our meaning we're trying to find the fruit that God destined and designed us for but we're connected to the wrong Vine we're looking for life but we're connected to the wrong place and Jesus clearly states that he is the true vine you want the truth you want life you want What You're Made For You got to get connected to Jesus and it doesn't stop with Jesus he continues in John 15:1 and says and my father is the vine dresser he is the gardener the the the the feature of who
God is is a gardener that the success in your life is determined on the fact that God wants the best in you he's a God that cares he's a God that sees and he's not going to leave things as they are he's going to water he's going to prune he's going to protect as so Song of Solomon warns us of the foxes that get in the garden and so we see that we've got a God that cares for you Jesus continues in John 15:2 every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away now context is so important here in the original language the words take away are actually one Greek word it's the word iro everyone shout iro iro is
important to understand the context it means to lift up it means to elevate this is important meaning here because every branch that does not bear fruit it doesn't mean that God just eliminates you it doesn't mean that God gets rid of you it doesn't mean that God shames you it doesn't mean that God condemns you he actually takes you from the place where you are more than likely you ended up in the dirt because you grew the wrong way and he takes you away he lifts you up are you tracking with me because a branch that stays in the dirt is not destined to grow good fruit you're going to get trampled on so he lifts you up to the place where you can get the proper sunlight that you can grow and bear more fruit he wants you to bear fruit so if you're in a place right now as the psalmist would say you might
be in the myy clay we've got a good Gardener a God that's going to lift you up he's not going to leave you in that place you can come as you are before God but he just loves you way too much to leave you in that place he wants to lift you up and then Jesus says and every branch that does bear fruit he doesn't leave you there if you have fruit he actually prunes pruning is a cutting it's a process of removal could we put it this way it's painful so when you start to produce fruit Jesus says he's going to prune you that it may bear someone shout more more fruit so we see here that God sees a potential in you that you don't even
have yet but he's going to do something in you that might be painful to produce something greater than you've ever experienced before too many of us think that pain is the stopping point when really you're just on the precipice of more we talked about this last week that that that that pain and suffering is not the end of your story it's actually the passageway to the kingdom so that you would see what's really important in your life this is true in every manner several years ago I got to a place where I was in a Health crisis it was terrible call it a midlife crisis if you will but the truth is it was a Health crisis and I had to come to grips with where I was physically in life am I going to stay here or am I going to do something about it and in our family we decided to do something about it so I had to do this
thing that I didn't like doing called exercise and for three years now I've been trying to exercise so that I wouldn't stay in the place where I was before because I didn't like where I was before anybody ever been in that place where you get so sick and St tired of being there that I'm willing to hurt so that I can actually be stronger you got to choose your heart come on come on if you choose to stop in the pain I want to warn you you're just holding off something where the Pain's going to actually get worse and so now here I am I've been working out for three years I work 4.4 days a week come on somebody that's what my app tells me 4.4 days a week which means some weeks is 5 days some weeks is three days either way I try to be consistent and here's what I've learned in three years and this is a warning to those of you who are not
exercising this is what happens when you exercise that constantly I don't want to exercise constantly when I do exercise it hurts and then when I really stretch my muscles so that they would become stronger I'm in more pain when I work out this beautiful chest it will hurt for a week the worst thing is these chicken legs when you do leg days it doesn't matter how long you've worked out they still get sore but here's what I've learned that soreness is only making me stronger where the devil deceived me before and said this isn't worth it just go back and watch TV but at the end of the day you're actually getting weaker not stronger are
you sticking with me here so sometimes God's going to allow you to go through pain and the pain here is the pruning the pruning means that something needs to be removed from your life and sometimes when something's removed from your life it can hurt it might be a person it might be a thing it might be a habit it might be a hiccup in your life but if God gets rid of it it means he actually loves you enough that he actually can see the potential some of you need to allow God to release from you that which is holding you back from more fruit to experience what you are designed for verse three Jesus says already because of who he is and what he's done for you you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you the word clean here means Pure or untainted untarnished is good in our vacular we might call it
organic there weren't made chemicals there's not something tainting this we we live in a culture that's obsessed with Organic because we're in living in a day and age where most of our produce uses chemicals to keep bugs away to create more beautiful fruit and the biochemical companies would tell you it's not bad to ingest this at least not too much of this and so so here we buy this beautiful fruit that actually was was mechanically made by something that wasn't pure we live in a day and age that today Christians look fake they they carry a facade they they they look good like like that tomato that's big and beautiful and ripe and red but it took some chemicals to get
there you go to the organic section and you might see some bumps and some humps and you you might see that it doesn't look quite as good but it's organic it was pure it was right and there's someplace in our souls that God's word actually says you don't need anything else to declare over you who you are the word of God is what makes you clean it's not being a better person it's not working harder it's not following more rituals or being more religious it's God's word that makes you clean that by believing in Jesus you're counted as righteous not because of your righteous Deeds but because of his word of what he says about you I am a saint not because I'm a good boy I am a saint because he is Holy therefore I want to be holy because he's
holy so I am who he says I am if he's the king and he says I'm chosen he says I'm adopted that's who I am I'm no longer an orphan I've got the Purity the organic goodness of God's word you you might look and you can judge and say well haven't you done this or haven't you done this but let me tell you what he's done for me come on I am who he says I am sometimes clean means that you have to see yourself as God sees you not the way that the world sees you God sees a potential in you look at verse four five and six abide in me Jesus says abide in me someone shout abide abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself this fruit didn't grow on on its own this fruit didn't just will
itself and say I'm going to produce some fruit today I'm going to be good enough strong enough smart enough it came by abiding unless it abides in the vine neither can you Jesus says unless you abide in me I am the vine and you are the branches whoever abides in me and I in him he it is that bears much fruit someone shout much much fruit we go from no fruit to more fruit to now much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing if anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away as a branch and Withers and the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and
burned we have two conclusions in this story one is a branch that bears much fruit another is a branch that bears no fruit Jesus explains in one illustration the one that bears much fruit is not because of the branch but rather because of the connection to the vine there's another branch that appears to look like a branch but in the end is dead it it has no value it has no worth and the gardener can see this that if you leave a dead branch on too long it's actually going to bring the other branches down so that Branch that's been given the chance to grow fruit is actually disconnected from the vine and ultimately is burned this is an illustration of heaven and hell heaven is ultimate connection to God for
eternity hell is separation from God for eternity it's a disconnect and Jesus shows us here that God has a great plan for your life that you would bear fruit now the branch does not bear fruit simply by abiding it must continue to abide if you do a little bit of research on Vines and Vineyards and grapes they're absolutely fascinating they're ancient they're biblical in fact this idea that a branch would be lifted up is this idea that a a Vineyard on its own would become a big mess it needs some help it needs Tresses
let me show you what a tress looks like to hold up the vineyard it looks a lot like a cross like like a like a Roman cross that would have a beam this way and a beam this way so that it would hold up something in this particular case we can look at the life of Jesus and say he was lifted up to take our sins so that we no longer would bear the burdens of our sins but we would be lifted up are you still tracking with me yeah and when we see the Son of God lifted up he didn't deserve to die he willingly gave his life on the cross to take your sins that by confessing your sins he is faithful and just to forgive you from all unrighteousness that you're now made righteous because he was lifted up you
get lifted up this is why the Bible says blessed are the humble God will lift them up at just the right time now here's the crazy thing about about grapes they just don't grow overnight if you plant a grape vine it takes at least three years or someone told me the proper term this morning after the first service it takes the fourth Leaf which is the proper way to talk about grapes on a Vineyard takes over three years for the first fruit to ever be seen on a vine three years so if you trust Jesus you may not get all of the fruit that God wants to doing you immediately it takes some time you've got to be patient you've got to keep abiding you've got to keep trusting you may not
see the fruit but it's coming you may not feel the fruit but it's coming you may not know when but God's timing is so good that if you keep trusting if you don't disconnect if you keep abiding God at the right time is going to do what needs to be done now I know this is all true because just recently I went over to the valley and you know we have all kinds of Ven in Oregon we produce some great wine in Oregon and so we headed over to the valley just this last week my wife grew up in Newberg anybody ever heard of Newberg Oran so Newberg it used to be what was known as a hick town come on somebody all you would see around there were farms and Filbert trees that's a fancy way to say hazelnut trees it was just a farm town but someone got this good idea to knock down those filberg trees and plant Vineyards and
now newberg's become the map of the Northwest this land that was practically worthless is worth a ton of money so we went over there and we actually went to a Vineyard and we went to a winery and I I'll show you pictures uh that's actually a place that we stayed at at this Vineyard uh just to show proof let me just show you me uh there just so you know that's me I was there I didn't want you just to think I stole these off the internet I was there so my wife and I started geeking out like what is the process of this oh it takes some time this oh you have to have Hills to be just for the ecosystem for the weather to work right and this it's got to be the the right roll off of the water and there just this fascinating sight that For Those Grapes to grow now this one Vineyard we went to it takes years and years and years to
finally produce the right types of grapes to produce wine now go with me here with wine wine is a symbol in the Bible for sustenance for joy it it is God's overflowing joy in our lives it takes time some of you feel disconnected from God right now or you're not seeing what you want to see in your life because you need to keep trusting you need to know that God might be lifting you up right now can can you see this right here there's no grapes growing on the ground somebody cared enough about this Vineyard to lift these grapes up to to prune at the right time and at the right time you become who God wants you to be now I will also point out that grapes
don't eat themselves yet the longer you go to church the more you start to see fruit that eats itself now if you got fruit that just means someone wants to take a bite out of you but I will warn you of this if you put rotten fruit with good fruit the rotten fruit does not turn good it's the good fruit that turns rotten now Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7 he also says in the Book of Luke you can tell a tree by its fruit you you actually have to abide in Jesus to actually recognize and test the spirits is this from God or is it not of God should I continue to be is God actually pruning this person out of my life should I actually be in this place
it is a appropriate to have boundaries in your life so you could bear more fruit so that you can become who God wants you to be if he says in verse 7 and 8 if you abide in me and my words abide in you so now we see that Abiding and obedience are one and the same if you want to know if you're abiding in Jesus you're obeying his word you're taking God at his word you're getting into the word of God that's why we say the Bible is so important here abiding in Jesus is taking God at his word and then he says ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you by this he says my father is glorified that you may bear much fruit and this is how you'll prove that you're my disciples now here's the truth too many in the church don't believe
this because you have prayed bold prayers but you didn't get an answer like you thought you'd get the answer we fantasize about what God's plan is for our life and then when God doesn't do what we asked him to bless and do we miss out on the opportunity for more fruit but the more you abide in Jesus who is the king the more you understand the kingdom the more you could ask King Jesus because he's a god of abundance it's all his we just sang the song Gyra do y'all remember that that was some great worship today wasn't it and after the first service I had a gentleman come up to me and he had his Bible and he had all these notes and I just love it and he had the word Gyra on there and he came up to me he says pastor could you help me with this and I hope this doesn't sound dumbb but what in the world does Gyra mean he's like I'm
trying to understand it but I'm just trying to understand what does Gyra mean and I was just able to tell him that's actually an ancient word that means provider and so in the English when we read the word provider we can look back into the ancient language and they would use the word Gyra because God has infinite names and it's the character of who he is he is God our provider so when we sing the word Gyra we're simply saying if I pray it my God can give it because he's a god of abundance he's not a god of scarcity so if you think somehow that if you grew up poor that you'll always be poor you're listening to the LIE of the devil if you think that you're broken you'll always be broken if you're sick you always be
sick if you think that you're you're always depressed you always be depressed you're missing out on the kingdom connection to abide in Jesus is to be able to obey Jesus which means I'm going to ask Jesus and he says if you ask I'll go ahead and give it to you and it's not giving it to you so that you would be elevated it's so that God will be glorified so that people will actually see that you believe in the god that you read about in the Bible I know some people think I'm crazy because I make bold declarations like Central Oregon shall be saved if we don't believe it then we won't ask for it it's time for us to start believing in a God that can do anything I'm not talking about Journey Church getting bigger I'm talking about every Church in Central Oregon overflowing I'm talking about people being disconnected from
generational curses that are holding them back lies of the enemy it's time for us to take God at his word and may I just say to you today no matter how old you are no matter how long you've been coming to church it is never too late with God to do a reset of abiding in Jesus I am a living testimony to that I've been following Jesus since I was 15 years old and I keep finding out there's more to know the power of God is not something you fully understand it's something you grow in his grace and you get more of and the more connected you are the more you get to see that God shows up in a real way so we conclude with verses 9 through 11 as the father has Loved Me Jesus said so have I loved you abide in my love if we see the
condition if you keep my Commandments you will abide in my love just as I I have kept my father's Commandments and abide in his love these things Jesus said I've spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be what Shout It Out full not a little Joy not some Joy but full Joy do you know what that Joy is called fruit not just some fruit some of you have tasted a little bit of God's joy don't stop there keep abiding keep obeying keep staying connected to the kingdom so that you would experience the fullness the completion of the joy of God how do you do that well he gives a wonderful illustration of one God and three persons we have God the Father Son and
the Holy Spirit completely connected United perfectly eternally so God the Father loves the son Jesus perfectly in love because this is who God is God is love the father cannot love Jesus any more than he does because it's perfect love that's why when he told Jesus when he was B baptized this is my son whom I'm well pleased because the father loves the son now Jesus says just like the father loves me so I love you which means God cannot love you more than he does right now you are so loved by Jesus he cannot love you more than he loves you right now Jesus does not love a future version of You Jesus does not love a better version of You Jesus does not love an
older version of you Hallelujah this is why when a child accepts Jesus they are sealed with the guarantee of the holy spirit amen my wife she got saved at four years old not because she was raised in the church but because her parents sent her to a Christian school and she heard the gospel at four years old I am believing that there are kids even this week who aren't coming to church today they heard the gospel they got saved they got sealed with the Holy Spirit they will serve and love God God despite the Orthodoxy of what we think a Christian is we've got to escape what we think love is and we've got to go what God says love is and God says what God's love is is he is love and the way that he loves himself is the father loves the
son so he loves us so why wouldn't we abide in that love I will tell you why you don't feel loved you three people got it right here I'm going to give a very real real illustration then I'm going to wrap this up listen I've been married more than 20 years yes praise be to God I will tell you in full transparency we have wanted to give up many times we have told each other that that's the seriousness of marriage I've said things I regret saying I've raised my voice that I regret raising we we have been through some stuff that it's like I don't know if this is worth it this is painful this is hard this isn't what I thought it would be maybe we should try over you know why we felt that way we were
disconnected now I will tell you this principle and this is true in marriage this is true with parents and children and children and parents this is true at work with your boss with your peers if you are connected with God and your spouse is connected with God you will be connected but if you're connected with God and they are not connected Ed with God it is really hard to be connected now if you're both disconnected you will not produce the fruit of the spirit love joy peace come on here's one we really need right now patience you got the fruit of the spirit you start seeing the world different you're connected now now if you're single marriage is simply an illustration to
our relationship with God so if I feel disconnected with my wife I've got two options I can fight to be connected or I could say I'm done I'm I'm going to walk away now too many people feel that way about God I don't feel connected I don't see any fruit I'm not sure I even know what God's doing there and so we give up on God but Jesus teaches us a principle that's worth fighting for that even if you don't feel it even if you don't see it God has not given up on you you don't give up on him because at just the right time you will reap the reward you know what Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it's impossible to please God that sounds so Elementary doesn't it but let me tell you faith is hard because faith
is believing even though you don't see it so Faith sometimes is trusting in God's word which doesn't fail even though you don't know how God's going to work it out that's real Faith that's trusting in a real God too many times we make Christianity a false Christianity when we say believe God and he's going to work it out can you still believe God even though he's not going to work it out you got to keep believing even though you can't see it and that's where God becomes real he's in the resurrection business Mary and Martha didn't believe their brother was coming out of the Tomb but if Jesus says come out even if you're dead you're coming alive that's Faith it's believing even though I can't see it I'm believing listen if if you believe in a God that you have figured out he's not a good
God you won't get the fruit that God's going to put in you I've got to clarify for at least one person here today I am not talking about abuse in a relationship God is not saying endure that abuse and then you'll end up with good fruit God loves you so much he loves you so much listen I can't go into a counseling session cuz I'm already over time but I will say this this word of God is I was I was going to say it's not a one-sized fits-all but it is a one-sized fits-all and what I mean by that is God is going to meet you in your he wants to meet you right where you are you're a teenager you need to listen he is a God that meets you right where
you are and he's going to elevate you he's going to this is going to be a cataly you don't have to wait for another you don't have to be older to take god seriously you got a calling on your life he made you and he's going to do something great in your life so so wherever you are right now this word is for you so that look at verse 11 one more time so that you would take Jesus at his word that his Joy the joy of the Holy Spirit may be in you and that your joy may be full full now close with this Jesus in John chapter 6 does the miracle of the multitude of feeding the many do have you ever heard of the feeding of the 5,000 he takes a poor boy happy meal and he feeds everyone and they're
satisfied now you can come to church and you can get satisfied and you can think that God's going to replicate that same miracle in your life over and over so they started following Jesus expecting that they knew how Jesus worked and then Jesus gets real with them and he turns to them and he says this in MA in in John 6:35 Jesus said to them I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger meaning if you go after food it's not going to satisfy you do you know why men go and sleep with a prostitute they want to be connected they want intimacy they want to be satisfied they're made for that then they go sleep with the prostitute and they're not satisfied why does a girl go have the one night stand with the guy she met at the bar with the man that she works with she just wants to be connected but the
next day she she feels ashamed she still feels disconnected you're made to be connected and Jesus says I am the sustenance in which you alone will find your satisfaction I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger whoever believes in me here's Faith whoever believes in me shall never thirst but I said to you that you have seen me and yet you do not believe there are some of you that will not take Jesus at his word word today you hear it it's in your head but that's not enough there comes a point where you're so dissatisfied with those momentary experiences that you actually want to live for something greater that's Jesus listen if if you have failed and I know there's some people
here who have failed today if you sinned last night May I just declare this over you that's not how God sees you quit seeing yourself by your failures and your sin it's time to release that and start living in the abundance of the way God sees you like enough is enough from this day forward you don't have to wait another day there's a kingdom connection today loosen off the lies of the enemy you are a saint that's who you are you're a child of God that's who you are you have the power of God that's who you are you have the fruit of God that's who you are you can't see it yet don't worry it's coming it just takes time good things take time oh this is painful why is God letting me do go through this right now he's about to break through so as I invite the band up right now let me just explain one last thing to you if you
have yet to believe in Jesus today is your day the Bible makes it clear it's not complicated it's not hard if you believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross for your sins if you're willing to confess him as the Lord of your life the savior of your sins and the king of your life you are saved you may not have it all figured out but from this this day forward you follow Jesus you keep coming back to his word if you want that today God promises to give you the Holy Spirit he will never leave you he will never forsake you from this day forward I want to just give you that invitation right now with all the eyes closed right now if that's you today I'm just going to ask would you raise your hand nice and high and then you just lock eyes
with me if you're making that decision put your hands nice and high eyes are closed but you're saying yes to Jesus today you're done doing it on your own you want the fruit of what God wants to do in your life right where you are raise it high as a declaration I want to see who's making that decision today yes praise God C could you look at me if you if you raise your hand praise God from this day forward you remember who you are you are saved you are loved and God is about to do more than you can imagine he's always been with you he's never left you but you need to continue to abide continue to commit continue to
be connected I can see fruit that you can't see now it's time for you to believe anyone else yes praise God praise God this can change everything this can change families it can change children and grandchildren Jes Jesus changes lives you saying yes to Jesus means you've just said yes to the yes and amen nothing is impossible but you got to keep turning and trusting in Jesus don't go back to old ways keep coming back to Jesus did you guys hear me no yes if you heard me okay all right I just want to make sure you got to keep coming back to Jesus anyone else today just raise your hand nice and high I want to make sure I don't miss it yes praise God
God brought you into his house today so that you would not stay the same you're a man of God that's who you are don't listen to any lies of the enemy you're not defined by what you've done or where you've been you are a man of God now start living like it living the way God sees you man of God you're an influencer influence people for Jesus oo I see a sword a big sword coming up out of your mouth your man of God anyone else today listen this is the most important decision you can make you choose heaven or you choose
hell God does not send anyone to hell he gives everyone the opportunity to experience the free gift of Grace it's yours today if you want it if you want that Grace to be forgiven of your sins just raise your hand nice and high in your heart you're saying yes to Jesus praise God for all those who raise their hands we're going to pray together prayer is talking with God it's communion with God it's living life listening it's getting real with God I'm going to just pray some short phrases and why don't you pray that with me and anyone who's ever believed in Jesus let's pray it with those doing it for the first time all God wants you to do is to get real so let's pray this together Lord Jesus Lord Jesus I believe in you I believe in you
forgive me of my sins me help me abide in you me AB that I would bear much fruit I bear much fruit for your glory god I receive the Holy Spirit reive I receive salvation receive and I have the hope of Heaven in Jesus name amen and amen and amen praise God
Read · talk · practice
Keep growing.
Together.
What Does It Mean to Abide?
Pastor Keith builds the sermon on the word abide in John 15, saying Jesus repeats it throughout verses 1-11 and that it means to remain and to be present continually. He contrasts this with treating faith as a brief visit or as Sunday attendance alone, and he observes that you can be with someone without being present to them.
John 15:1-11
- Pastor Keith distinguishes abiding from attending a service or making a short visit with Jesus. Where in your own week do you notice that difference most clearly?
- He describes being with someone while not being present to them. What would it look like to be present to Jesus in ordinary moments?
- If abiding is continual rather than a single decision, what helps you keep returning to Jesus over time?
The Gardener, the Vine, and the Branches
Pastor Keith reads the vine imagery as a picture of one God in three persons: the Father as the vinedresser, the Son as the vine, and the fruit as the character of the Spirit, which he connects to Galatians 5. He notes that calling Jesus the true vine implies other vines are false, and that people often seek life from the wrong source.
John 15:1 · Galatians 5
- Pastor Keith says people try to find purpose and fruit while connected to the wrong vine. What sources of identity compete with Jesus in your life right now?
- He describes the gardener as one who waters, prunes, and protects. Where do you find it hard to trust God's care for you?
- What would change in how you respond to a difficult season if you saw God as a good gardener rather than as distant?
Lifted Up, Pruned, and Made Clean
Pastor Keith argues that the branch bearing no fruit is lifted up rather than discarded, and that the fruitful branch is pruned to bear more. He describes pruning as painful removal and says God sees potential in people they do not yet see. He then treats Jesus' words about being clean as God's word declared over believers rather than a reward for performance.
John 15:2-3
- How does Pastor Keith connect pruning in John 15 with the painful removal of something that holds a person back from growth?
- He says people often mistake pain for the stopping point. How might that perspective shape the way you interpret a present difficulty?
- He describes being clean as something God's word declares rather than something earned. What makes that hard to receive?
Patience, Obedience, and Asking the King
Pastor Keith describes grapevines that take years to produce their first grapes. He interprets John 15:7–8 as connecting an ongoing relationship with Jesus to obedience to his teaching. He acknowledges that bold prayers do not always receive the expected answer. He encourages continued trust, explaining that deeper connection with Jesus shapes prayer toward growth that honors the Father.
John 15:7-8
- Pastor Keith says you may not see the fruit yet but it is coming and calls for patience and continued trust. Where do you find it hard to keep trusting God's timing?
- He says abiding and obedience belong together. How does obeying God's word connect to remaining in him in your own experience?
- He describes praying boldly and receiving something other than expected. How does his explanation that deeper abiding shapes our asking change the way you bring requests to God?
Full Joy and Faith Unseen
Near the end, Pastor Keith says from John 15:9-11 that Jesus' joy is meant to be full and that his love flows from the Father's love for the Son. He then turns to Hebrews 11:6 and argues that faith pleases God even when what he is doing cannot be seen.
John 15:9-11 · Hebrews 11:6
- Pastor Keith says faith is believing even when you cannot see or feel fruit. What makes that hard for you right now, and what helps?
- He grounds the call to keep trusting in Hebrews 11:6. Where are you currently being invited to trust God without seeing how he will work it out?
- He says Jesus does not love a future or better version of you. How does that shape the way you relate to God when you feel you have fallen short?
Answers from this recording
Start a conversation.
What does Pastor Keith mean by abiding, and why is it central to this message?+
Pastor Keith centers abiding because Jesus repeats the word throughout John 15:1-11, and he says it means to remain and to be present continually. He argues that many people treat faith as something they do or a short visit with Jesus, hoping for long-term benefits. Abiding instead is continual connection with the King, and he says life is determined by what you are connected to rather than by striving harder or being more religious.
Why does Pastor Keith say God lifts up fruitless branches instead of removing them?+
Pastor Keith interprets the verb often translated as taking away in John 15:2 as lifting or elevating. In his reading, the gardener raises a branch out of the dirt so it can receive sunlight and grow. He uses this to describe God's care for people who feel stuck, teaching that God welcomes people in their current condition and helps them grow.
What does pruning involve, and how does Pastor Keith describe it?+
Pastor Keith calls pruning a cutting, a process of removal, and says plainly that it is painful. In John 15:2 he argues that God sees potential in you that you do not yet have and will allow something painful to produce something greater. He insists that pain is not the end of the story.
What does Pastor Keith say about being clean before God?+
Pastor Keith interprets John 15:3 as Jesus giving his disciples a status of purity through his message. His produce illustration contrasts an impressive outward appearance with inward authenticity. He applies this to Christians who maintain a facade and argues that believers receive righteousness through faith rather than earning it by better behavior or religious performance.
How does Pastor Keith handle the tension between bold prayer and unexpected answers?+
Pastor Keith reads John 15:7–8 as an invitation to pray with confidence in God's abundance. He understands the goal as growth that honors the Father. He acknowledges that believers have prayed boldly and received unexpected answers. He encourages them to continue their connection with Jesus, allowing that relationship to deepen their understanding, shape their requests, and sustain their trust.
