Princeton Presbyterian Church (EPC) Sermon # 1587

May 14, 2023

John 15.1-17    Click here for audio worship

Dr. Ed Pettus

 

“Living God’s Word”

 

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every 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. 3Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide 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. 5I 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. 6If 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. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

 12“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and 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. 17These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

 

  • If This...Then That…

 

Today I want to address the first half of our vision statement. In our work to bring greater vitality to our church and witness, to seek revitalization, one of the movements in that task was to develop a statement of vision and mission that may direct us for a time until God possibly brings another vision. As you have seen and heard we, the vision team, developed this statement, Living God’s Word to Make Disciples. Today we look at Living God’s Word and next Sunday we will consider To Make Disciples. Our hope is that it is short enough to remember and full enough to capture who we are or who we hope to become.

One of the stark differences between our former denomination and our current home is the emphasis on all things biblical in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Of primary importance in the EPC is the authority of God’s Word and because of that, there is more concentrated awareness and practice of the things Jesus calls us to, like keeping commandment and making disciples. It is something forgotten in other denominations, instead the Scriptures are set aside for the purpose of social issues or seeking to wash away the Bible in the name of relevance or, as I would call it, cheap grace. Those who are experts in church growth and vitality speak to the importance of having a vision. Without vision, we cannot know where we are going and how we might fulfill God’s will to live out His Word and make disciples.

What is clear in the Bible is that God gives us freedom to choose obedience or disobedience. It is in both Testaments, if we do what is right and keep commandment, then things will go well. If we choose to do wrong and reject God’s Word, then we will have nothing but trouble. Today we consider two passages, one each from Leviticus and John, to consider what it means to live God’s Word.

 

  • Leviticus 26.1-33

 

Leviticus is a typical “if...then” scenario. After given a command not to make idols or worship figures of stone and commanded to keep the sabbath and revere the sanctuary, verse 3 begins with “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them…

 

Then the then! Verse 4 ...then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land (4-6).

If you walk, live, dwell, keep, observe my commandments and do them. It is not enough to know them, not enough to be able to recite them, but the fullness of living God’s Word is to do God’s Word. The promise is in the “then”. Then I will give, says God. I will give rains, fruit, bountiful harvest, bread, security in the land, peace…that is, God blesses us when we remain obedient, when we live God’s Word. There is more to the blessings and I would encourage you to go home today and read Leviticus 26 and for the positive side of the “if...then” verses 1-13, because there is the other side of the “if...then” when the commandments are not kept.

 

Verse 14-15, 14“But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant...

 

If this then that, if not this then something else! There are consequences for not living God’s Word. If we fail to listen to God and do His commandments, then we are inviting serious detrimental consequences.

 

16then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.

 

Leviticus 26.21-33 carries on the further the discipline that will be given for failure to keep commandment. It is basically a curse of no peace, no food, no safety, no home, no land. What Leviticus and all the Old Testament emphasizes heavily is the vital importance of living God’s Word. Doing the Word. Keeping the Word. In obedience is life and peace and hope and joy. In disobedience is pain and strife and despair. It is quite simple when we think about it and certainly reasonable for God to expect His creation to honor what He has done for us in creating us to love and worship and revere the Creator.

 

  • John 15.1-17

 

Jesus takes the same approach in John’s Gospel. If we do His Word, there is fruit and provision and love, but if no obedience, then the picture is as painful as in Leviticus. So Jesus says,

 

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If 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. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

 

Jesus speaks of our abiding in Him. To abide in Him is to have His Word abide in us and to abide to abide in His word is to abide in Him and His love. It’s kind of like the circle of life! Real life. If we keep His commandments we will abide in His love. It is all about living God’s Word. This is the connection between His Word and His love. This is one of the reasons we settled on Living God’s Word as a key part of who we want to be and what we want to do as a church.

 

 

  • Living God’s Word

 

We have a faithful vision statement to help direct our church, ourselves, into ministry beyond ourselves, beyond the walls of our building. We believe that God is calling us to be a people “Living God’s Word, to Make Disciples”. The first part of that statement describes what we believe is God’s call to live in and through His Word. To live out God’s Word is to follow Jesus and His commandment in John 15 and in so keeping His commandment we will abide in His love and make us a joyful people. What I believe that does is make us vessels of hope and love for people around us, believers and non-believers. 2 Timothy speaks of vessels used in the home...

 

“20Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2.20-21).

 

It is only those who are set apart as holy, vessels for honorable use, that is, those who dwell in God’s Word, follow Jesus’ commands, and are firmly determined to do God’s commandments, who are then empowered to live out the Word. Being set apart is being filled with the Holy Spirit, set apart as a people of God’s own choosing, a holy nation according to 1 Peter 2.9, But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. We are the people called to proclaim the excellencies of God, that is, the Gospel, the excellent thing God has done to bring us our of darkness and into light. This too is what it means to live God’s Word.

 

I want to suggest four objectives for Living God’s Word:

 

  1. Love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is where everything begins. Believe God – foster love for God – appreciate what God has done in Christ and celebrate who God is.  (And love your neighbor!)

  2. Repent and remove all that would hinder our walk with God. Hebrews 12.1-2 says it well – Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Set aside sin and look to Jesus!

  3. Trust the power of the Word to transform our lives toward doing God’s commandments. Trust in John 15 and Jesus’ promise of abiding in His love when we are obedient to do His Word.

  4. Engage the Word not just for information but for transformation. I believe that the Word changes us every time we read or study or hear or meditate on it. But that means we take it to heart and not just read flippantly, but read for the sake of being reshaped from within.

 

 

There are certainly other consideration we could add, but this is a good start. As we consider our future as a church and as a witness to our community, we will find strength and courage by Living God’s Word. It is the way to discipleship for ourselves that leads us to Jesus’ command to make disciples, which we will take up next Sunday! Amen.