this morning's message is entitled Welcome home. So help me out and turn to a neighbor right now and just turn to them and say welcome home. Some of you are afraid to speak back at church and I get it. So we'll give you one more chance to see somebody like welcome home. Like it's like a little whisper. So maybe turn to the person on the other side and say and go and say a little bit louder this time, let's go ahead and turn to your neighbor and say welcome home. Did I hear it? Get out of here. That's not, that does not seem appropriate right now. Maybe you got some house guests that have stayed too long, I don't know, stepping on some toes here. So this morning's messages called Welcome home and and I'm excited for this study of God's word. But I also think back to last weekend Where we took a team of 21 people from our church, 11 kiddos and I think we brought back the same number of people. So that worked out well. But we went down to Mexico last weekend and we were able to build a house for a family in need and I want you to meet this family. So the family, you're gonna see on the screen there, the husband's name is Cornelio and he was really kind of stoic and gruff and tough. But by the end of the weekend he actually opened up, he was smiling and then when we actually blessed him with a house that actually broke down in tears. It was a pretty moving and powerful experience. And then the wife is Ava and thank you so much for those who gave all the donations because my favorite moment of the weekend was when we brought in all the donations to this family. Uh Eva was just so excited and she would open up the bags and go, oh oh oh and she was just, it was it was pretty awesome there. And then there are two kids uh Lupita and Angel and and and Lupita was, she was, she was sweet but my heart goes out to Angel because Angel who doesn't know any english, He would come in and so there was our team and then we had a team from Kansas and a team from Idaho and together. So we had about 45 of us building this house and every morning every single person Angel will walk up and go good morning and he would like fist bump and hug and they just built a house and I love this attitude and energy and so I want you to see this is the house that they were living in. So they pulled some scraps together. That particular built with what he could do what he can to kind of cover from the elements. And this was adjacent to the space where we were building the house and so in three days time we were able to complete this house and you can actually see the house there on your screens and so what was really powerful, it was at the end of the house building. So they were building the house right along with us. And so we're side by side mixing concrete, um, nailing nails cutting would like put it on the roof and all this stuff and it was a great experience for our whole family and and for the kids, but we're building alongside this family that inside at the end we did a dedication and a blessing over the family and over the house and so Jose and Katie who were singing here this morning helping us lead worship, actually let us in worship there in the house and and we took communion together. And so there was nothing more powerful than the moment that they were able to take the keys his house. And just to be able to say welcome home. And there were lots of tears and we took communion together and just this blessing and said even greater than being in this home is being a part of the family of God. And so to share the gospel with the family, to understand that others donated and they're going to get drywall put in and we're gonna try to put in a solar panel for the families and then get some power and it's really beginning the relationship with I 68, the ministry that we partnered with who have people on the grounds that will then continue to disciple and minister to them um here throughout the year. And, and so to have that experience, to, to be side by side when somebody receives the keys to their new home that is adjacent to what they've been living in and to see the humility and the gratitude of the family that was stoic and put together to see the joy that comes from dwelling in the house and I share that because today we continue our series in the upper room Or in the weeks leading up to Easter, we're looking at the final words of Jesus and in John 13, it was about Jesus before the last supper, washing the feet of the disciples And teaching us to Love one another as he has loved us. And then in John 14, he talks about how he is the way the truth and the life and then says that you will be able to do greater things, and he and he gives them the promise of the Holy Spirit And in the last uh last verse of Chapter 14, Jesus says, let us rise and go from here. And so it's still considered the upper room discourse, but John 15 and John 16 are actually walking and talking and so jesus is walking with the disciples through Jerusalem to the garden of Gethsemane, Where he then he praised the high priestly prayer in John 17 and we get arrested and soon crucified and so it's on this walk, that jesus shares this imagery of that he is the vine and the most common word used in our passage today is abide and the word abide literally means to remain or to dwell. And so I was doing some preparation for this message before the mission trip, but then once I was in the mission trip and we were building this house and and walking with this family and to see them receiving the keys to this new home, it just had so much more deep, just deep and rich meaning to me, this idea of being home to to make a home, to dwell within this idea of dwelling within to be home. I want you to picture that every time you see the word abide because it means to be connected to remain or to dwell or to make home. And so if you have your bibles open up the John Chapter 15, We're going to pick things up here and we're gonna read through the 1st 11 verses today and jesus is speaking and he's walking with the disciples, there's a good chance there is a vine nearby within imagery as they're walking and talking or there's trees or they're walking towards the garden and jesus says this, he says, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser and so this statement right here is an I am statement in the Gospel of john there are seven of those I am statements, all of which point to the fact of Jesus, not just being a good person but actually being the son of God and all throughout the gospel of john, jesus is making claims of his deity and claims of connection to God the father and this is in fact why Jesus was killed on the cross, but because he was claiming to be equal with God and so he said things like I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the door, I am the good shepherd, I am the way the truth and the life, I am the resurrection and the life. And then we get to this statement, this is the last of the, I am statements, he says I am the true vine, my father is the vine dresser. Now what's interesting to point out is the fact that he says I am the true vine and the only reason you would have to clarify that is if there were fake vines out there, which makes sense because if you're not connected to jesus or attached to jesus, you're most likely attached to something and says I am the true vine and if you go a step further, this imagery of the vine actually used to describe the people of Israel in the old testament and so Israel, salvation was supposed to come through the nation of Israel, but then because we are human and because we are sinners and because we make mistakes and because we reject God repeatedly, the people of Israel would fall short and face judgment. And so repeatedly this picture of the vine was then changed. So in scripture, let me quote a couple of examples and psalm 80 it was described as a vine that was so tall that it gave shade to the mountains, but then it began to wither and Isaiah five. The vineyard was seen as devoured by judgment. Jeremiah too was a vineyard that became degenerated and became wild. Ezekiel 15, Jerusalem was described as a useless vine. And so here we are, people that are trying to reach up to God, trying to bring about salvation on our own merit and we cannot do it. And jesus comes in and is speaking to people who have a history of an understanding of the old testament to some extent. And Jesus comes and says, I am the true vine, I am the one who brings true life and I am the one will sustain life. He says, my father is the vine dresser and then he continues on verse two, he says, in 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. This is interesting because it gives two categories of cutting the first category are really those who do not believe. It's been argued by some that believe that you can lose your salvation and they quote this verse, they see these are people who believed and then they didn't, and so then you can lose your salvation. The problem is that doesn't really line up with the rest of scripture. And so I do not believe and we do not teach that you can lose your salvation because if you didn't do anything to earn your way into heaven, you can't do anything to send your way out of heaven, because it's not about you, it's about God, it's about what jesus did for you. And so while you cannot lose your salvation, you can fake belief in salvation. Does that make sense? And this has even more meaning for the disciples because right before this judas who was a disciple who had been with them for three years, left the group and was about to betray jesus. And so this imagery comes back to the disciples as soon as they see one of their own who really has been faking it this whole time. And so there is a group that doesn't believe that is thrown away that leads to judgment, but then even those who believe are still cut, but those are cut so that they can be pruned to produce more. Isn't it interesting that whether or not you believe in jesus, everybody experiences pain whether or not you trust in God as Lord and savior, Everyone experiences pain. Now the question is is it going to be paying for judgment or is it gonna be paying for pruning? Why do gardeners prune, will they prune to produce more growth? And so there is a cut that happens and so something is taken away so that then there can be further growth. This means that when you are cut, but you are a believer of jesus, every cut has the potential to increase your capacity. And so maybe you're not just going through a trial for trials sake, Maybe you're going through to be pruned, you may experience pain, but it's pruning, john piper puts it this way that God cuts away the lifeless and cultivates the living. And so this idea of of being trimmed back or walking through difficulty and trials and tough situations so that we can come on the other side stronger and produce more fruit. There is a biblical concept well for those that think that well, maybe you can lose salvation, I don't know, I'm not feeling it, Jesus continues on in verse three and he says this here in verse three, he says already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. This is the same phrasing that he uses in John 13 when he washed the feet of the disciples and he's talking to Peter and he said you've already been made clean? So what's the connection with being made clean? The connection point is belief is belief in jesus, that that is the cleansing, That is the connection point to being saved. That it comes down to believing jesus as Lord and savior And we have a couple examples of this in John six, Jesus had just Fed the 5000, This crazy miracle, there are thousands of people, 5000 men with with women and Children probably close to 20,000 and then he preaches, he says I am the bread of life and you have to take from me and and people get confused and like this is weird and so a lot of people leave and then verse six, chapter six, verse 66 it says this that after many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him, So Jesus said to the 12, do you want to go away as well? And Simon Peter answered him Lord, to whom shall we go, You have the words of eternal life and we have noticed that word believed And have come to know that you are the Holy one of God. So when others turned away, the disciples leaned in because of their belief. Two chapters later, John Chapter eight, Jesus is speaking, he says so Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, noticed that word belief and he says if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples same word there and mine and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free and if the Son sets you free, you will be free. Indeed. You know there are some scary passages In the Bible like Matthew seven it talks about people who get to heaven and we'll try to tell God all the things they did for him. God I did this in your name, I did this in your name and God will turn to some of them say I never knew you and that's kind of scary and and to where God cuts, if you do not believe that cut leads to judgment. But if you do believe that cutting leads to pro ni And it says in John 10, it says in here in John 1027-28, it says in there, it says that I will give them eternal life and not one shall perish, no one can snatch them out of my hand. So why do I say all this? But because you cannot lose your salvation for those that truly believe? Because salvation really is objective because it's not based on you, it's based on what Jesus did. If you picture a vine vines don't don't just grow, I mean they do grow but healthy vines grow on some type of trellis, right? Some type of structure or our physical thing. Uh that anchors the vine and then grows up and grows healthy and grow strong. So what is the trellis if jesus is the vine the cross? If you picture the crosses the trellis around that is jesus christ himself and is that imagery or picture and it's a metaphor, it's not exact okay for but it's a metaphor. Picture of the strength that if the cross is strong enough to bear the weight of all the sins of the world, it is strong enough to build your life upon it and that we have attachment to this vine and says when you have that, you cannot lose that because you're mine. It's not so much about your grasp of God, it's God's grasp of you and you're not gonna let go. So he continues on here in verse four and here's where we get to see this word abide. And every time you see the word abide, I want you to picture this idea of dwelling or making home or connected to jesus speaking, he says abide in me and I and 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 and him, he it is that bears much fruit how much it's much, I don't know, it's more than more, I don't I don't know that you know scientific equivalent or a number of much but it's a lot, okay, so it bears much fruit for apart from me you can do not some things but nothing, you know what a branches that's not connected to a tree to stick okay and sticks don't bear fruit? He says if anyone does not abide in me, he has thrown away like a branch and withers and the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned. Hmm that's a scary verse he says, but 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 may bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples as the father has loved me. So I have loved you abide in my love and 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 and these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. So why do we share these things? That's because today I want you to make a very important distinction. If you're taking notes, I want you to write this down that being close to jesus is not the same thing as being connected. Being close is not the same thing as being connected, judas was close to jesus, He was walking with him every day for three years, but he was never connected. You know if you attend a sporting event or you go to the movie theater, you're sitting next to somebody. So you're close just because you're close to someone doesn't mean you're connected? Let's get real for a moment, how many of you have a close relationship, but not a connected relationship, just because you're in the room with your spouse doesn't mean you're connected, just because you're having a conversation with a coworker does not mean you're connected, just because you're in the car riding with your kids does not mean you're connected. You see proximity doesn't equal connection. You need authenticity and vulnerability to be connected. And that's what jesus is saying here, that this is a paradigm shift that changes Everything. This passage right here is foundational to the Christian faith, because this passage, John 15 is what teaches us that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. And if you could understand this passage, even just 5% of it, just a tiny little glimpse, it could transform every relationship in your life because it's not just about being next to someone, but being connected, it's not just about being next to Jesus, to coming to church, to checking a box, to reading a passage to singing a song to sing words in a prayer, but it's being connected to God himself. It's about being that branch, not being a stick, because from a distance they kind of look the same, but one produces life, this is so important because this means that as christians we don't have to continually strive and struggle in our relationship because when's the last time a branch strived, How was your day being around? It's so tough. Like branches like a branch is one job is to be connected. And what happens when they're connected? Guess what? They become connected together and together they experience life. Yes, they might be cut back. Yes, they might experience difficulties, but that's so that they can be pruned to produce more fruit. This is why this is important because the best thing you can do for your relationship is to be connected to jesus. The best thing you can do for your marriage is to be connected to jesus. The best thing you can do for your kids and your finances and your workplace and your attitude and your worries is to be connected and to make your home with the God who loves you and the God who saved you. It was interesting to me and I don't think a coincidence. So I'm doing some research and study for this message and I came across some snippets from the biography of Hudson Taylor, Hudson Taylor was um 19th century missionary From England who traveled over and started what's called the China Inland Mission. Today has a different name, but still it's a mission organization that's existed for over 150 years and and he was starting this mission and to travel at the time from England over to china was about a four or five months Boat journey and he he went along with missionaries and family and and he was feeling pretty discouraged and he received this letter on September 4, 1869 from a guy I believe his name was john McCarthy, a fellow missionary part of the mission. And he was encouraged by this. And and in fact, he says in here, he says, well this won't be on the screen. But I want to read to other quotes from Hudson Taylor in just a moment. But Hudson taylor said this about the letter he received because he had been battling discouragement. And he said when my agony of the soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from my dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eye, eyes and the spirit of God revealed to me the truth of our oneness with jesus, as I had never known it before. And this one letter that he received as a teaching in one passage changed everything in his life. And what was interesting to me was that when I did the math because they had a specific date on it, Hudson Taylor was 37 years old when he received that letter, which is the exact age of I'm at right now. As I was studying to pair this message and the exact passage that he received in that letter Was a teaching on John 15. Ah And so he was in ministry. He was discouraged. He was not sure of his future And a close friend share with him the truth of John 15 and this truth of oneness with Jesus Changed his attitude and outlook for the next 30 years. And I know that to be true because let me just read two quotes that these will be on your screen. It says in here, it says that I saw not only that jesus will never leave me, but that I am a member of his body And of his flesh and of his bones. And the vine is not the root merely, but all of it. The roots, stem branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit, and Jesus is not that alone that he has the soil and sunshine, the air and the showers 10,000 times more than we have ever dreamed, wished for or needed. Oh! The joy of seeing this truth. And then later Hudson taylor would say this, He says the branch of the vine does not worry and toil and rush here to seek for sunshine and there is defined rain. No, it rests in the union and communion with the vine and at the right time and in the right way is the right fruit found on it. So let so let us so abide in the Lord jesus. He realized that the key to ministry and the key to life is that connection to jesus. I wonder how many of us here in the room have been close to God. They've come to church or they had an experience or they went on a trip. Or they read the bible, but we've never actually made that belief commitment to connect to God, to make our home our dwelling with God. You see the benefits of dwelling with God abiding in christ is numerous. Just in that passage alone, it says that you would bear fruit, that you would see answers to prayer, that God is glorified, That you'll show the world that you're his disciples, that you will experience true joy, that you experience true love. We could focus a whole sermon on each one of those, but I just want to lean in on the fact that at the end of that passage, it says that my joy becomes your joy and my love becomes your love. Oh, I love that. I love that. Because just two chapters later, when he's in the garden, he's about to be arrested, he's about to go to the cross. He's praying for believers and he praised this in John 17 verse 17-19, he says sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth as you sent me into the world. So, I have sent them into the world and for their sake, I consecrate myself that they may also be sanctified in truth. This idea of connecting to jesus is what changes everything from religion to relationship, that it's not about what you can do for God, but it's what God has already done and what God will do through you this idea of that, you cannot and will not conquer whatever addiction, whatever broken relationship you're walking through right now, you will not work through that on your own. But with christ christ can work through you and conquer all. He might be pruning right now, he might be working through some things, but he's doing so to increase your capacity to change things and that your job as a branch is not to produce the fruit, to be connected to the one who can. And it's interesting that almost every single time you see the word abide, he says abide in me, followed by as I in you. This means that you can make your dwelling place inside or connected to the person of jesus. But also, let me ask you the question is God making home in your heart, I want you to take reflective inventory for just a moment. I want you to ask yourself two questions. Number one, is are you close to jesus or connected to jesus? Like, do you know a lot of facts about God? Or do you actually have a personal relationship to where your joy comes from him? Your purpose comes from him? Your love and strength and power comes from him. And then secondly, I want you to ask yourself, does God's word have a home in your heart. If that word abide means to dwell, then it works both ways, Like, are you dwelling into the promise and the power of God, but then also has God taken up residence in you. If you picture your heart as a home for a moment, let me ask you what residents have you allowed permission to stay there? Because in the age of 24 hour news cycle, Let's just be real. If you're watching 10 hours of news, doesn't matter which side, what are you, what are you allowing to take up residence in your house or social media or fill in the fill in the blank? Like if you're taking all these things into your home, right? It's going to become an unwanted house guest, right? It's gonna make your house messy. It's gonna eat your food out of the fridge. It's gonna take and lose the remote control. Have you ever had a houseguest stay too long? You're like, but yet we invite that in every day, it's like we've turned our heart into an Airbnb and we charge no rent, criticism, negativity. Yeah, you can stay there. You know what negativity? Why don't you stay there for 10 years rent free. Yeah. You want to you want to know why you're struggling. It's because you've given residents into your home things that cannot produce life. They're going to take and take and take and take and take. But if you allow the word of God to come into your life, it's going to affirm the relationship that you already have with him and then the same power that conquered death is now available to you and you start seeing fruit produced in your life and you start to see your attitude change. You start to see your language change, you start to see your relationships change. You start to view people as jesus, views people, you start to love people as jesus love people, you start to serve people as jesus serve people and now you have a joy that cannot be explained by the world around you because our world is searching for joy and searching for meaning and love and they're bringing things into their home. Oh more, more power, more money, more possessions, more positions, more of this, more of that. And it's like it's not helping but you have what brings life you have the true vine and he says if you are connected to me and I am connected to you, I promise you it will change everything and you can find the joy and the love that you've been searching for this whole time. Let's pray dear heavenly father as we celebrate and we pray for the mendoza family and Cornelio and Eva and Lupita and angel and it was so moving to be in that experience to welcome them into their new home and they just humility and joy that they had got it my prayer that we can make our home in you, you got the best thing we can do for our marriage is to love you. The best thing we can do for our kids is to know you. The best thing we can do for our workplace and our finances is to be connected to you. The vine help us not to be an isolated stick, but a branch connected to the vine of life. And God help us then to make your word your power and your life and your spirit help us to make it a dwelling into our lives in our heart. Okay, we don't have to strive, we don't have to struggle. Yes, there are just spiritual disciplines. Yes, there are always things we can work on, but God we do not serve a God who requires a checklist of things in religion to hope. One day we could earn your love, but instead we can receive your love. Be called your son, be called your daughter. Experience that freedom and that life that comes that we don't have to strive after things that we can't obtain. But instead we can receive the gift of eternal life. But believing in your son, jesus christ that he is God, that he took on the sins of the world on the cross and that when he rose again, we can rise again and because he is alive, we are alive and because he is like, we can have light and God, we can have your joy and your love and we ask that that would take dwelling into our lives. Yes God draws close to you, draws near to you, but even more than drawing near, help us connect to your heart and to who you are, and let us put you first and only in our life. And may we experience the freedom that comes from abiding and you are Savior, Make your home and our hearts, and may our lives make home in your mission. We love you, too, says that we pray amen."