Authentic - It's All About Relationship, Part 2

As we start today. I have a confession.

There have been seasons in my life with the expectations I feel with people and the expectations honestly that I feel from God are so overwhelming. It just feels like being a Christian is the hardest job of ever had and I just I just forget what it was like in those early days when all I felt was love and joy. What a thrill it was to be a follower. Well, I've learned a couple things about how to address that love to share with you today. Stay with me. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with children Living on the Edge as an international discipleship industry featuring the daily Bible teaching at your finger or less broadcast. We learn role of our relationship with God listed. Let me remind you that you can hear Living on the Edge anytime. Just a minute to wrap up by showing some practical steps to our relationship with God where we wanted to be have a Bible heavy opener now to John chapter 15 let's join Chip for the second half of his talk, listen carefully, discipline have to do with God dealing with sin in your life pruning have to do with God dealing with self in your life why God wants to produce more fruit. So what does he do, he gets into your priorities and he says you know something.

Yeah I see a lot of fruit.

I want more fruit. I love you.

This is not not out of spite is not done out of anger, but what he does as he gets you when you prune you get right down near where the big branches are and you lop off big things that seem more important to you and the pruning happens. I found my life around areas like priorities. I never found that you're trying to juggle all these bald, there's the kids here and there's work here in this here ministry here in this year and this year and he try to figure it out figured out figured out in your life is so busy, so crazy in what you do the Christian deal with the creaking talus. Let's have coffee while Wendy would have it will have an excellent next Monday.

What were we got soccer and is about elegant dance lessons or what I get a meeting at church on that one. But what about what about what about you look each other in a smog cycle. See you later write to Christians can come up with a date. Lessons five in the morning to meet with one another just to be you not to poke too hard but I will just a little.

If I ask you those of you that have families, how many times you sit together with the TV off and eat a meal together and have quality conversation in your home.

I think even in this church with such great people. I would be horrified at your response and I want to tell you something.

If your kids don't abide with you, they will not catch your values.

If your kids don't abide in your home with you if there's not unstructured time where your together. No agenda way too many meals are eaten in minivans and SUVs. We got someone going this night someone on this night, some going this night something on this night thinking all we had to provide all the stuff our children so they got practice here dance lesson here guitar thing here at church thing over here and when you look across the week, maybe once you eat together, share hearts like what you trying to do produce professional athletes professional musicians and all your kids and going to ministry say I think God in the midst of that kind of stuff will start pruning and bring pressure in your life where you sit down and you just feel like I can't take this anymore. I'm overwhelmed.

This is nuts. And you know what you do. You don't make some little midcourse changes. You're all smart people have a little midcourse change could get things right. You would do that you say 20 or sons or daughters you can do music you can do soccer can't do both. You can do this you can do that you can't do both. And if your marriage a look at one another and you say you know what were to focus this fall on this or on this. We can't do both. An amazing thing would happen. People find themselves talking with one another again see your kids how many of you have had your children come to you and say mom, dad, I think I'm on the beginning of a deep emotional crisis in my life could be taught skinny mom dad. I'm got some repressed feelings about rejection I had in school and I think sometime you know unstructured where we dialogue about my self-image because it's all on the line right now my body is changing. You think we can get an hour or two on this one. When does that happen that happens when you're hanging out in your kids are hanging out and you talk and you how they process what they here at school what they see on TV and what their friends say there better be a place where there is a circle where there's a filter, it all goes through and it better be around your table worried you say will how to go today and they give you that lane on nothing you learn nothing you say sorry to hear night yeah, well, something you know if this house were to talk about now here's the problem, just as that happens in our family. It's a microcosm of our relationship with God and hear me. If you do not have time to talk with your heavenly father and build a relationship with him if you do not have time on a very regular basis to methodically and hurriedly read through the Scriptures and let them speak to you if you do not have time to meet with your small group of believers where you are authentic and real in your sharing your life and their sharing their life and you are in life together. If you're married and you do not have time to meet with your spouse and talk not only about the finances in the business in the house but issues of the heart.

I got news for you. I don't know what you're doing but a lot of it's not the will of God is the primary goal is that you produce fruit. Apart from him.

We can do what nothing if my if you abide in me and what's it say my words abide in you is God's word abiding in you.

It can't abide in you, if you don't hear it.

So it's a good thing that you know come to church. It can abide in you, unless you read, you need to make a priority to get the Scriptures on your own.

It can't apply to you if you don't study it.

If there aren't some key passages that you memorize and even others that you say I'm going meditate and think and ponder. What does that mean to me.

If you abide in him and his words abide in you. Then, out of the context of that relationship. You ask and is my confession to you. You know I'm far from having any of this altogether is when I'm most tired, most worn-out and most frazzled what I realizes I may even be in the Bible and be praying but unconsciously have shifted from the abiding to I'm gonna make it happen. Oh yeah I'm reading, praying, and got, I want you to help me none in and out you if you don't get it. I want you to abide in me and then I will show you, you know why we don't hear God's voice we get overcommitted when I buy when you are abiding kill say this is the way walk in it. You turn to the right turn to the left and so when we don't do that we all go through seasons unconvinced balance happens rarely as you go from one extreme to another, and so I think maturity is just getting not quite so far out of balance so often but God proves, and he'll prune about identity issues. He'll prune about priorities. He'll prune about significance and approved about security.

See, those are deep issues of the heart and so in this last year. I mean, I think I did great things I didn't like most of so but is my security in who I work with is my security and significance in my expectations being fulfilled is my focus on what I can see happening was in my trust. You must cooperate. That's what it means to buy. Ask yourself, am I in a season of discipline were I know there's some things about my life that are not right there some attitudes that aren't right there some habits that are right there some relationships that are out of kilter.

God will take you away. He'll lift you up because he loves you. If you're in general. Walking with God. What is can do is he's going to prove you and he will prune you not, so that life can get hard. He will exert pressure and pressure and pressure and pressure until the main things get back to being the main thing in the main thing is not what we do for him. The main thing is not how many ministries urine, not how busy you are, not how much money are given away. The main thing is, your heart and your relationship with this connectedness with Jesus.

How many of us, if the truth were known, honestly feel like Jesus is our friend best friend honestly feel like he's most approachable.

The most when some the most loving, the most accepting relationship we have in the whole world how many of us honestly open this book on a regular basis. Not because we thought should regatta but with a sense of who am I to get to know God like you, all powerful, all-knowing, you love me you died for you raise from the dead get a great plan for my life. I just want to know what it is and parents can give you a Q on this one.

Is there anything more precious in your experience been having one your kids climb up on your lap. You know you didn't ask him. You know, maybe even come sit and watching something you read in the paper for you to sort of path out of have one your kids climb up on your lap. Look up at you put their arms around you and just say in my case, I love you daddy. I mean is that like almost up there with cleaning the room you know what your heavenly father often is looking for. Could you just look at my face.

Could you could could you refocus. I didn't die for you. I didn't give all that I have, so that you can get busy doing stuff I wanted to relationship. He wants to enjoy you.

He's not down on you think one of the great myths in Christianity is that secretly we believe in the back of her mind got really mad and is mad at us in a matter what we do, it will never measure up. That is not the God of the Bible. Any anger that God is ever had has been dealt with once and for all. It's called the wrath of God, and it was placed on Christ in your place. When he died on the cross every time you come to God. Now, other times you disappointing like I do are the kind you letting down other times you grieve him and make him sad.

Absolutely. But is never down and he invites you to come and sit on his lap, not out of duty see a lot of our energy in Christian circles is really not about honoring God.

It's really about helping us feel better about ourselves. When I do this and when I do that I feel like a better person and God would want to stay here, you're already a better person. I love you as much right now than ever to love you and so that's why this very last evening. He said the most important thing that he could say guys, here's what I want. Here's the key abide. If there's no fruit I'll discipline you so that you can bear fruit. If there's some fruit. I'm gonna prune you so there can be more fruit and then when there's more fruit.

I want you to abide. I want you to go to the next level. Actually one of the best chapters I've read on pruning and abiding is I don't know where it's at in here but chapter 4, five, six or something, but Bruce has you know when you read a book and someone share some stuff from the heart and some something goes off inside Hugo's wall. I never heard anybody put that in print, that's me, that's how God did with me that that's what happened with me in this, any talk about when you have when you're bearing fruit going from more fruit too much fruit. He said that you need to go to the next level spiritually and he talks about in his own life where he was involved in ministry. A lot of good things were going on music spring spirits a lot of burnout and he made commitments to get up at five meet with God to get in the Scriptures every day and to pray until we actually met God and he said it was like starting all over his Christian experience. He said I literally gave less time to ministry.

I gave more time to God and then are you ready less produces more because what happens now it's supernatural God works in you and through you and things happen. You can't explain.

You are led to pray in ways that you didn't pray before you get near to his heart anymore. Align your will with his will is not doing more. It's being more in making your relationship with him. The priority and that's how you move from more fruit too much for some 4610. Be still and know that I'm God I know of no greater challenge for American Christians and for those of us that have any sense of driven us. Those of us that have a compulsive personality. Those of us that are on the performance track.

This may be one of the greatest challenges we ever have.

Now to share with you the only way I know to do it is due. First things first, many, many, many years ago I you know I just took the long thought and I can't get everything done and the only way I made any progress on this journey is to do first things first, and so I don't know about you but I just set on.

I'm not can meet with people. Early on it was so hard for me I had to develop a habit I just said no Bible, no breakfast pay what couple days of that get you motivated not legalism. I put on myself but I got in a routine where the first thing I did not I read David a great while before dawn I read Jesus like a great while before Don I know were not all morning people. But here's what I know I'm can meet with God first talk honestly with God, and him to come up with a spiritual diet that I need.

Not that you need some of you are way past me spiritually, you may need this much time in this kind of a diet. Others may be brand-new in Christ.

You may need this much time in this kind of a diet. This is where I met but I've asked God what do I need to abide how much time thinking how much time praying.

What I need where my gonna read what kind of devotional helps. How much do I journal or not. Journal there's a lot of great ways. But here's the issue, do you wait until that fits in your schedule or do you drive a stake and say abiding in Christ is the most important thing I will ever do any 24 hour period and I may not get anything else done, but I will abide and of course it's not just spending time in the morning then it's how do I live out that relationship. Every moment of the day, but if it doesn't start into dry the steak. It's impossible to do later but here's what I know of.

Jesus is said.

He said that if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Now those of you that are thinking you know that bigger house, and adding two zeros to your income, the sound like a good verse don't go there.

See if his words abide in you want to get on your heart is a thing that are on his heart.

What you be thinking about is if there zeros to be added. Wonder where that money to go to really help people that will impact eternity and fish people with needs.

You let his words abide in you, and you catch Jesus hard to look at your neighbor's different. You won't judge people from the outside to start looking at yourself and realizing the person who probably needs to grow more than anybody else. As you that's what I learned that his words abide in you, and then you ask when you start asking for beyond material needs is important is that is an God wants to answer. I'm not diminishing that you start asking for larger heart you start asking for opportunity to share Christ with your neighbors. You start asking for the boldness to say no to all the busyness and say yes to some important relationships you ask God for the faith to take steps that you know we want you think you're scared to death. Welcome to life and you begin to ask the kind of things are on his heart and then he will enlarge your mind and you begin to ask things you think this is not one of my doing asking for this and then you look back 18 months. It was nuts and got in the new asking for less and got God is not looking for superstars. He's looking for ordinary man or woman who would say Jesus I want our relationship to be first and foremost I want abide and see.

Verse eight tells us by this, not by activity, not by busyness, not even by acts of service by this my father's glorified, that you bear much fruit. All fruit is his character. Good works and good works expand the kingdom, but flow out of your relationship and he says you prove your my disciples. Why did he tell us these things, you have some sort of cosmic need to have a relationship and then want us to do all the stuff look at verse 11 in your text, but the say Jesus turns to his disciples that night. These things spoken. If you that my joy might be in you and that your joy might be needful. The greatest thing you'll ever do for you and in your relationship with God is to bear much fruit bearing much fruit means if there is no fruit you cooperate with God's discipline you repent and you do whatever he wants you to.

If you're bearing fruit and he begins to prune and wants to get rid of self and self dependency and security on people and get your priorities right, you cooperate and you realign. If you're already bearing more fruit and you want much fruit.

It means you take it to the next level when you say wherever you're at. I'm going that my relationship with Christ. My time in the word. My prayer life. The number one focus like human experience on this planet in the transformational curve in you and I just want you to push the pause button in your soul right now okay just just stop want you to think about something I just said I said I'm going to make my relationship with Christ.

My time in his word.

My prayer life. The number one focus of my human experience on this planet. And then I told you right after I taught that I said then transformation will occur in you and then through you know that wasn't a plea or a word from God about what you ought, or should do this is about the relationship and when you talk with God.

Prayer if you don't listen to what he wants to say to you in his word. Jesus said that if you abide in me and my words abide in you than you, ask whatever you wish, and this wasn't a blank check that you can you know get what ever you want. This was there's a connection between the vine and the branches in such a way that intimacy and power and love occur. That causes relationships to grow deep gives you the patient's to be the kind of mom or dad that he wants you to be. That gives you the kind of grace to forgive your mate that gives you the willpower and the strength to say no to an addiction.

Many of you listening to my voice today. Heard God's word you're at a crossroads and you need to say to God today before anything else happens, Lord God, I'm all in. You know what you need to do. You know those areas that need to be addressed. You need to stop, you need to repent.

You need to ask God to forgive you and I want to remind you, he will.

He loves you and then you need to tell someone today.

I told the Lord I'm all in, and I'm going to evidence it by getting into his word start in the book of John, just start reading. If you don't know where to go or what to do, go to our website@livingontheedge.org we have tons of resources that are absolutely free.

Check them out.

Listen, grow tell someone that you trust is the greatest Christian you know I made a big commitment and I want to keep it and I know I need the support and love of other Christians and so father I pray that you would give grace and courage at this very moment, and whether people were driving in the car whether there a jogging out on the track whether they're sitting somewhere and listening online. I pray that your Spirit would pierce their heart they would cross the line and say Lord I'm yours help me in Jesus name. And by the way, when you do that if you would just take a quick moment and just you know LivingontheEdge.org and shoot me an email and say you know what this is what I did today just just let me know what it is we got a great group of people.

The pray for people all over the country and that it is encouraging for us to hear what God's doing in your life flex for that Encouraging Word chip for complete information on what it's all about relationship. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org hapless nurse taps, special offers, and if you'd like to contact us to share what God is doing in your life email chip LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 333-6003 that email again is chip@livingontheedge.org and her phone number is triple late. 333-6003, just before we close. I want to say thanks to those of you who are giving regularly to the ministry of Living on the Edge you're making a huge difference helping other Christians live like Christians hope you're enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge, but aren't yet on the team would you do that today. You can set up a recurring donation by calling us at AAA 333-6003.

Tapping the donate button or visiting us online at http://livingontheedge.org. Thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do will for all of us here, this is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge