1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,920 Did anybody hear a really good original moment? 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:09,280 They're all good, right? They're your moment where you 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:13,120 experienced God who had trouble remembering the past week. 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,800 Yeah, that happens. You know, sometimes it's like if 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:21,160 we don't actually take stock on it and and write it down at the 6 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,240 end of the day. If in fact, you could make this 7 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:26,000 your plan at the end of every day that you're going to write 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,080 down, hey, when did I love God, love people or delight in the 9 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,320 gospel today? Those could be like three wins 10 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:34,720 at the end of every day. And then you could forecast the 11 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,320 next day, hey, tomorrow I think God, let's look at tomorrow. 12 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:41,080 When can I, when can this happen? 13 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:43,760 You know, you don't know till the end of the next day where 14 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:45,560 you review it. When did I love God, love 15 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,040 people, share the gospel, or delight in the word of God or 16 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:50,680 even experience any of those things? 17 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,160 So you can do that. You all like a schedule. 18 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:59,680 You signed up for school, so you like a schedule, which is a good 19 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,720 thing. We're into a new adventure this 20 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,120 year. We're calling it Operation 21 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,000 15/16. Now. 22 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,760 It's been mentioned we rolled it out in July, but we wanted to 23 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,960 explore it here as we just wrapped up a series in the book 24 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:19,560 of Acts and we're bridging over into this next part of the year 25 00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:23,600 and getting ready to welcome new and returning students and new 26 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:28,040 and returning faculty. It makes UBC really fun. 27 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,600 I mean, I loved being on campus this week because the vibe was 28 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:38,040 back, you know, you were here and it was so nice to actually 29 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:42,200 see so many people running around with jump start and 30 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:45,720 orientation, getting connected here on campus. 31 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,640 One of my prayers, and maybe you'll write your own prayer on 32 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,760 the creative prayer board, is that this year every person at 33 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,760 UBC would know. They know a friend of Jesus. 34 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,280 Now, I would love to also pray. I hope that every person at UBC 35 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,000 becomes a friend of Jesus. But I think part of the first 36 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:16,800 step of that is actually getting to know that they know a friend 37 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,680 of Jesus. That's the piece. 38 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,880 You know, sometimes I walk around and I see someone wearing 39 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:28,480 a cross and the first thing that flutters in my stomach like, 40 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:33,440 like butterflies is I wonder if they're a friend of Jesus 41 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,320 because they're wearing a cross. Or, you know, some guy who's got 42 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:42,920 muscles in his arm as big as my thighs and he's got a cross 43 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:46,080 tattoo on it. I'm thinking, I wonder if he's a 44 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:53,080 friend of Jesus. Don't you wonder that too, when 45 00:02:53,080 --> 00:03:00,720 you see someone wearing a cross, sporting a cross, but also those 46 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:04,640 who don't? Do you wonder about those who 47 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:07,840 don't? I wonder if you're a friend of 48 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,400 Jesus? That becomes our impossible 49 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:18,160 possible mission, to see the friends of Jesus here at UBC and 50 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,360 get to know them, but also to make ourselves known. 51 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:29,360 And we're calling on you to bear fruit that will last. 52 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,480 Do you know when I was with my mom this past month, helping 53 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:39,240 take care of her? She's 85, fighting cancer and 54 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,080 some dementia. So she needs some scaffolding, a 55 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,200 little bit of care. We would buy bananas when we 56 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:51,600 went to Ingalls, to the grocery store, and she would say, we 57 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:54,080 need to buy a big bunch of bananas. 58 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,080 And I'm like, I can't eat that many bananas. 59 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,760 And she would just laugh. She'd just laugh and then we'd 60 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,200 get home and there on the counter would be bananas. 61 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:08,040 And whenever they got freckles, my mom said we should throw them 62 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,400 out. I'm like, man, we're throwing 63 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,480 away a lot of bananas. She's like, they don't taste 64 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,360 good anymore. You know, that banana on the 65 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,720 counter is not going to last forever. 66 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,760 And likewise, in our own lives, there's all kinds of fruit that 67 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:31,720 we produce like that, that we want to produce fruit in our 68 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,120 life. We want to get the grades, we 69 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,920 want to get the salary, we want to get the cars, we want to get 70 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,240 the house. I met someone this week who I 71 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,120 asked, well, what is your sense of purpose in life? 72 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:46,000 And she said, I'm not that deep. I was like, wow, at least you 73 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,440 are honest. I said, So what do you want in 74 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,080 life? She says, I want to graduate. 75 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,120 I want to get a really good job. I said, what's a good job? 76 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,960 Big money. I want to get a house, I want to 77 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:02,160 get a car, and I want to have comfort, he says. 78 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,080 So don't ask me your deep questions. 79 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:06,920 I was like, that's honest, right? 80 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,280 But that's fruit that will not last. 81 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,200 And Jesus actually invites us into a life in which fruit will 82 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,160 last. But we can't do it. 83 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:24,000 We can't do it on our own. There's actually some conditions 84 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:31,040 that Jesus gives us for fruit that will last, and part of it 85 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,120 is tapping into the greatest love there ever is. 86 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,480 Let's read his words in John chapter 15. 87 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,880 These are words given to disciples when they're nervous, 88 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,600 they're anxious, they're facing some sense of foreboding trauma 89 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,440 on the horizon. This is the night before Jesus 90 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,440 is crucified. This is just hours before he is 91 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,840 arrested. And Jesus is being very tender 92 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:03,360 with his disciples. If you read John 13 through 17, 93 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,240 you'll see that Jesus calls them, Oh, my, my children, my 94 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:11,880 child, that that he's using words that are couched in 95 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:15,360 tenderness, that he knows the impending violence, but he 96 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:19,240 avoids using the worst of terms of it. 97 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,560 And in the middle of that address, Jesus gives some 98 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:30,560 incredible promises to his disciples, and he paints an 99 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,920 incredible picture of life in the communion of God. 100 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:43,840 And he says this, I am the true vine, and my father is the 101 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:47,600 gardener. He cuts off every branch in me 102 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,400 that bears no fruit, while every branch that bears fruit he 103 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,280 prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 104 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,240 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 105 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:03,680 Remain in me as I also remain in you. 106 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:09,320 No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the 107 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,520 vine. Neither can you bear fruit 108 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:19,480 unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the 109 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,000 branches. If you remain in me and I and 110 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:27,200 you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from Me, you can do 111 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,000 nothing. If you do not remain in me. 112 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,680 You are like a branch that is thrown away in Withers. 113 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,680 Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 114 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:44,520 If you remain in me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you 115 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,160 wish and it will be done for you. 116 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:52,360 This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, 117 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,560 showing yourself to be my disciple. 118 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,080 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. 119 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,120 Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you 120 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:09,240 will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands 121 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:13,080 and remain in His love. I have told you this so that 122 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:19,360 your joy, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be 123 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,240 complete. My command is this love each 124 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:28,680 other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than 125 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,880 this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. 126 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,760 You are my friends if you do what I command. 127 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:43,240 I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know 128 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:47,640 his master's business. Instead, I have called you 129 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:49,800 friends. For everything that I learned 130 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,280 from my father, I have made known to you. 131 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:58,800 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so 132 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:03,680 that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, and 133 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:08,320 so that you, so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father 134 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,200 will give you. This is my command. 135 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:17,200 Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in 136 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:21,480 mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it 137 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:26,200 would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to 138 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:29,480 the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. 139 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,840 That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you. 140 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,360 A servant is not greater than his master. 141 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,240 If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. 142 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,800 If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. 143 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:52,120 They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do 144 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,680 not know the one who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to 145 00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:58,400 them, they would not be guilty of sin. 146 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:02,160 But now they have no excuse for their sin. 147 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,000 Whoever hates me hates My Father as well. 148 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:10,360 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they 149 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:14,960 would not be guilty of sin as it is they have seen. 150 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,680 And yet they have both hated me and my Father. 151 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:23,120 But this is to fulfill what is written in their law. 152 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:29,880 They hated me without reason. When the advocate comes, whom I 153 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:35,160 will send from the Father to you from the Father, the spirit of 154 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:39,400 truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about 155 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:44,640 me. And you also must testify, for 156 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,880 you have been with me from the beginning. 157 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:57,040 When we talk about Operation 1516, the 1516 comes from this 158 00:10:57,040 --> 00:10:59,280 verse. Have you memorized it yet? 159 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:03,800 Let's read it. You did not choose me, but I 160 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:08,800 chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear 161 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:13,680 fruit, fruit that will last, so that whatever you ask in my 162 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:20,520 name, the Father will give you. Earlier we read another one of 163 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:23,880 the commissions, We call it the Great Commission. 164 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:26,680 Go and make disciples of all nations. 165 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,800 But Jesus had a bunch of commissions. 166 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,480 It's almost as if he knew he needed to say the mission a 167 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:38,320 bunch of different ways. But every Commission, and this 168 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,840 is one of them. You did not choose me, but I 169 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:46,360 chose you and appointed you. I commissioned you to go and 170 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,280 bear fruit, Fruit that will last. 171 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:56,160 Every Commission of Jesus also is sandwiched with relationship. 172 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:02,720 And so though we may speak of a great impossible goal of how 173 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,480 could we touch 10,000 people on campus this year? 174 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:09,920 How could we pray and engage in prayer? 175 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:15,480 10,000 people this year? We know we're not actually 176 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:21,960 driven by the numbers. That's the scary part of setting 177 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:26,320 goals sometimes as a church. Oh, you're attaching a spiritual 178 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:32,720 act to a a number to a goal. Yes, we are. 179 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,320 There's a whole book in the Bible called Numbers. 180 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:46,760 I guess we're in good company. God must know something, but we 181 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:53,400 miss if we don't also recognize that all of the commissions come 182 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:59,160 with a relational well, a relational ground, a relational 183 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:05,480 air that we're meant to breathe and take nutrients from and rest 184 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:10,800 upon. And they also come with amazing 185 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,200 promises. In fact, Jesus told his 186 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:21,320 disciples here, you will bear fruit, your lives will be 187 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:28,880 fruitful, There's going to be something good produced by your 188 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,840 lives. This was important for the 189 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,840 disciples to know because they were on the cusp of what it 190 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,960 might, could have been the worst day of their lives. 191 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:44,880 But Jesus is telling them there's greater things ahead, 192 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:51,680 There's great days ahead, and you will bear fruit twice. 193 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:55,400 He says it, that there's going to be fruitfulness in their 194 00:13:55,400 --> 00:14:00,120 lives in the picture of the vine. 195 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,520 How many of you have had grape juice before? 196 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:11,280 Yeah, we serve it for the Lord's Supper every week. 197 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,840 Grape juice, the fruit of the vine. 198 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:18,800 Some of you have had wine, fruit of the vine. 199 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,200 There's the anticipation that where there are grape vines, 200 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:27,000 there will be fruit. In my backyard, I'm having to 201 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:33,240 get rid of my grape vines because I'm having lots of urban 202 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:41,400 wildlife come to visit. Rats, raccoons, they come and 203 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,760 they like my grapes too, and it's become unbearable for me. 204 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,400 My grape vines make too much fruit. 205 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:55,400 It's incredible. I cut a branch that wasn't 206 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,080 producing fruit and before you know it there's a new branch 207 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,520 poking out and the next year there's fruit on it. 208 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,600 There's fruit every year, everywhere. 209 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,920 I had to wait on it, though. When those vines were planted, 210 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,840 there was no fruit for three years. 211 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:18,680 Three years? Well, what was happening in 212 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,360 those three years? That Grapevine that had been 213 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:27,320 planted there was running its roots deep into the ground and 214 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:32,160 maturing. One of the practices of 215 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:36,480 veniculture is sometimes to graft into the vine new 216 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:40,280 branches. They're not going to produce 217 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,200 fruit just hanging out in the yard. 218 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:47,080 They have to be connected. Jesus is telling the most 219 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,960 obvious thing here. Remain in me, abide in me, stay 220 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:56,520 connected to me, and you are going to bear so much fruit, 221 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:06,000 fruit that will last. Do you know why I cut back one 222 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:14,040 of the vines and it is like a well, Even in the driest days in 223 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:20,160 the past month, that vine was surrounded by water because it 224 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,880 was pulling up water and it was dripping out of the place where 225 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:30,440 I cut it back. And Jesus says I'm the true vine 226 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,120 and if you stay connected to me, there is going to be great 227 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:43,800 nutrition for your soul, drawn up for you, and it comes by word 228 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:48,000 and spirit. Here Jesus says, remain in me, 229 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,560 remain in my word, and you will bear much fruit. 230 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:57,760 Some of you are starving yourselves. 231 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,120 You're fasting from the Word of God. 232 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,880 You're not spending time in the Scripture. 233 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:08,880 I really appreciate Frank Lobach. 234 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:11,160 Did anybody hear, know Frank Lobach? 235 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:18,599 In literacy circles, he's known for the Lobach method or Laubach 236 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:23,960 or my literacy people telling me, do you know the United 237 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:29,480 States created a stamp to honor him because millions of people 238 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,920 are said to be literate and read because of this man who was a 239 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:36,640 missionary and a friend of Jesus. 240 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:42,320 He went to the Philippines and he worked with a a Muslim people 241 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:48,640 group remote area. And there he began to share the 242 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,600 gospel. But he became deeply burdened 243 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:55,960 for their lives because literacy was so low. 244 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:01,480 And he developed a little program called Each One Teach 245 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:07,200 One, Each One Teach One that every person who reads should 246 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,560 teach someone else how to read. And, you know, he's now credited 247 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:16,320 with teaching 60 million people how to read in their language. 248 00:18:22,350 --> 00:18:24,990 But he would say that was only the beginning of the fruit that 249 00:18:24,990 --> 00:18:27,990 will last. That's only the beginning. 250 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:33,840 He wrote a whole book on prayer. It's such a great, great title. 251 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,920 Prayer. The mightiest force in the 252 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,480 world. Yeah. 253 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,240 Do you believe that? Or are you like the squirrels 254 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,760 that run across the power line in the back of my house? 255 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:52,720 They run across that line and I watch them go and they go 256 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:55,280 across. And I think you have no idea of 257 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,480 all the power underneath your feet. 258 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,520 The rats do it too. You choose squirrel, a rat. 259 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:11,120 But are we walking around unaware that we have at our 260 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:16,080 hands, at our access, at the call of our mouth, the greatest 261 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,400 power in the world? In fact, the subtitle of his 262 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:24,320 little book on prayer is Thoughts for an Atomic Age. 263 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:33,760 In his little book on prayer, which is fantastic, if you can 264 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:35,640 ever get a copy of it, go for it. 265 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:41,680 I like old books. He says this about us and 266 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,040 prayer. We must have a mind that's 267 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,800 saturated with Christ. There's only one way to get a 268 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,400 true picture of Him, and that is to read his life in the four 269 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,240 Gospels so often that we know it by heart. 270 00:19:56,360 --> 00:19:59,400 We who wish to be Christ like ought to never allow a day to 271 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:04,200 pass without reading a chapter, at least a chapter of the 272 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,160 Gospels. We get the best results if we 273 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:11,640 will take an hour, a fresh hour every day. 274 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:16,240 The last hour before going to bed is poor, especially after a 275 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,680 hard day's work, for we are likely to fall asleep halfway 276 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:23,600 through the chapter, right? He's very realistic about us. 277 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:27,640 Many of the spiritual giants read their Bibles at four or 278 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,640 five in the morning before others can disturb them. 279 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:36,280 Anyone signing up? We need to determine wills. 280 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,040 We need determined wills to protect this hour with Christ 281 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,480 from competing interests. Busy people. 282 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,680 Anybody busy? Raise your hand if you're going 283 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:53,280 to be busy in a week. Busy people are under constant 284 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:57,080 temptation to allow Bible reading to be crowded out every 285 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:01,080 other day until omission becomes a habit. 286 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,960 This is his book on prayer and he's saying if you want to 287 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:12,680 sustain prayer, you must have both the Word and the Spirit. 288 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:18,440 Jesus frames this passage with an image of you staying remained 289 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:23,120 and abiding in Him and that your his word is being drawn up into 290 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:26,080 your life. He ends this chapter with 291 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaking of the Holy Spirit who comes to lead you and remind you 292 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:32,240 of all truth so that you can testify. 293 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:36,200 Testifying to Jesus requires both word and Spirit. 294 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:41,480 So go and bear fruit. Do you know I love this word 295 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:49,680 bear, bear fruit Not because it's like fruit, because it's 296 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:51,920 just produced. We bear it. 297 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:55,640 It's a passive word. He didn't say you're going to 298 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,920 produce fruit. He actually used a passive word 299 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:04,000 here to say fruit will be produced in your life. 300 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,600 And that's good news because if I'm thinking if I need to do 301 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,520 anything that's going to last for eternity, Jesus, you picked 302 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:21,080 the wrong person for it. But Jesus picked you to do 303 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:25,120 something that would last for eternity and have eternal 304 00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:29,480 impact. And so he's going to make it 305 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:34,320 happen. He makes it happen and you bear 306 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,680 it. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if I 307 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,840 looked at my grapevines in the yard and said bear fruit, Bear 308 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,960 fruit. You're like Greg. 309 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,000 That's not how it happens. If anything, talk nicely to the 310 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,440 grapevines. They do it because they have the 311 00:22:52,440 --> 00:23:01,000 power within them to reorganize reality and to bear that fruit. 312 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:04,920 Do you know that everyone of Jesus promises here in this 313 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:10,040 passage about bearing fruit are also accompanied by the promise 314 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:17,160 of prayer? He says you will bear fruit, so 315 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:22,960 I ask what you will. In John 1516 he says I've chosen 316 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,240 you and appointed you to go and bear fruit. 317 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,880 So ask what you will. It seems like the bearing of 318 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:35,640 fruit is being associated with asking is being associated with 319 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:38,560 telling. While it seems ridiculous that I 320 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:44,760 would tell the Grapevine produce fruit, Jesus gives us permission 321 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:51,360 to do a ridiculous thing, to go about our lives in relationship 322 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:56,600 to each other, to meet people who have never had anyone pray 323 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,840 in the name of Jesus for them, and to do that. 324 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,360 And he's promising I'm going to do something. 325 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:09,960 And this is the foundation of this ramped up prayer walking in 326 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:14,880 our lives that we're going to go and walk and pray. 327 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:19,880 And we're going to do the ridiculous thing of asking those 328 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:25,920 who we meet, what do you wish and hope that God would do for 329 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,480 you? And we're going to wrap it up a 330 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:34,560 bar and we're going to ask them, we're going to ask God to do 331 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:40,560 something in their lives. A few years ago, my wife Ellen 332 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:44,960 was invited to go to Tupper High School and she was invited to 333 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:50,000 come and speak in a social, political, religion class of 334 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,200 some sort. I have no idea what it is today. 335 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:56,000 I'm not sure if they even allow it today, but she was brought in 336 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,880 as the one who was going to talk about Christianity. 337 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,400 So she did. She gave a historical overview 338 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,000 and she said, but every faith is also personal. 339 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:15,320 And one of the personal moves of Christianity is that we pray for 340 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:20,120 others believing that God hears. I'm curious, she says. 341 00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:24,920 How many of you in this classroom know that someone 342 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:35,240 prays for you? One hand went up in that 343 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:38,080 classroom that day. One hand. 344 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:45,160 It was Christy, whom Ellen had been spending time with and 345 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:52,160 discipling, and she was the only person in the classroom who knew 346 00:25:52,480 --> 00:26:01,680 that someone prayed for them. You are going to be surrounded 347 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:06,840 by people who have never had anyone pray for them in the name 348 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:10,520 of Jesus. We're going to go looking for 349 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:16,320 them. The greatest privilege you and I 350 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:22,720 have at times is to be an agent of Jesus, ready to pray, ready 351 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,320 to ask and do the ridiculous thing. 352 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:29,120 So many times I've been out and I've met someone on campus and 353 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:31,560 they've described the situation in their life and I said, could 354 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,680 I pray with you about that? And they're like, every once in 355 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,840 a while someone says no, but most of the time they're like, 356 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:40,920 yeah. And then they're shocked when I 357 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:44,680 just start praying. I'm like, OK, God, I thank you 358 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,520 so much for my friend that I've just met. 359 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,760 And I pray that you would do something incredible in their 360 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:55,400 lives. You see, Jesus has invited us 361 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,640 into that. He says you are a friend of 362 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:04,320 Jesus, you are a friend of God. And he goes on to say I, I don't 363 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:08,280 call you slaves and servants. If you're living a slavish 364 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:11,200 relationship with God, you are missing out. 365 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,960 If all of your life in relation to God is about just doing the 366 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,240 right thing and doing your duty, you are missing out on the 367 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:23,480 greatest of adventures. Because he says, look, I'm going 368 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:28,480 to reveal to you my business. I'm not holding it back. 369 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,080 I'll reveal it to you. I will reveal this business to 370 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:38,000 you. And his business is about 371 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:39,600 answering the prayers of his people. 372 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:42,520 Now we can deal. We can even take a class on 373 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,560 unanswered prayer. I have a lot of unanswered, 374 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:49,120 unanswered prayers, it seems at the moment because I do a lot of 375 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:52,040 praying. I'm like, Lord, not yet, huh? 376 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,480 Or maybe something different and I trust you. 377 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:02,480 But prayer is a conversation that's ongoing with God and He's 378 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:06,760 inviting you as a friend of Jesus to go and to do this very 379 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,480 thing. He wants to make his business 380 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:13,440 known to you. Sometimes his business is just 381 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:17,880 revealed to you in the next step, that as you step forward, 382 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:23,560 you're drawn to a person in that first day of class. 383 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:27,960 And Jesus says, would you go sit beside them? 384 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,160 I know you've got your circle of comfort over here, but will you 385 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:38,320 go over there, get to know them, and maybe you ask them, hey, 386 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:42,680 what are you thankful for today? I'm so glad I'm at UBC. 387 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,080 Well, what's concerning you? You know, I'm really worried 388 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:48,480 about this class. I'm afraid I'm going to fail it. 389 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:52,320 There's a long list of people who failed this biochem class. 390 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:56,880 Well, I don't think I'm going to pass Gateman's exams. 391 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:02,200 There's a long list of people who didn't, and I'm afraid. 392 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:07,760 And so then you say, what can I pray with you about that prayer 393 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,400 and an economics class? Sure. 394 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:12,600 You just pray for them. Don't wait. 395 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:20,960 Just pray for them. Make it natural to talk to God. 396 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,960 Do you know the basis for this? It's really love. 397 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:34,520 It's really love. Jesus says my command is this, 398 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:39,360 that you love one another. This is what he wants, but it's 399 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:43,160 really rooted in this relationship of prayer. 400 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:48,400 So I'm, I'm wondering, Are you ready to go on a prayer 401 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:52,720 adventure this year? Are you ready to go on an 402 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,280 adventure with Jesus? He says, you're my friends. 403 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:59,440 I'm telling you everything. I'm inviting you in it. 404 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:07,880 Let's sign up in our hearts for Operation 1516 just as an excuse 405 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:13,440 to get to know Jesus better, just to trust Jesus a little bit 406 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:16,680 more. Just to say, oh, I want to draw 407 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,360 from the rich well of His word and I want to draw from the 408 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:25,960 power of His Spirit and let it meet in me and ignite me for a 409 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:28,640 life that's so different. This year. 410 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:30,480 I know you've all got work to do. 411 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:34,760 You've got things to learn. You're going to have to buy 412 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,840 groceries. Some of you, I know you're right 413 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:40,440 out in the dorm anymore. It's hard. 414 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:44,080 You're going to have to cook, but maybe you could cook with 415 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:45,920 each other because you love one another. 416 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:47,600 You're like, oh, I know this is a hard week. 417 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:52,600 I cooked a humongous pot of spaghetti and so let's let's eat 418 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:57,400 it for the next 5 days. And then you invite someone else 419 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,840 to come in and they share that life together and you pray at 420 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:04,640 the table and then you pray for them after and you involve them 421 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:11,280 in your relationship with God. You make it normal that what is 422 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,960 private is actually public. You must testify. 423 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:19,520 Jesus said let's pray together. Lord Jesus, we don't know what 424 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:22,320 this is all going to look like this year, but we're asking you 425 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,640 for great things. And you said there is no greater 426 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,200 love than this than to lay down your lives for your friends. 427 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:31,800 And Lord, our fear of people feels like we're laying down our 428 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,640 life. Sometimes it feels like a kind 429 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:38,240 of death when we face the fear of people because we've made 430 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:43,320 this commitment and then it requires courage and sometimes 431 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:47,640 it just becomes normal and then we face a day where it didn't 432 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:52,240 feel normal again. It felt like the the cost was 433 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:56,800 high until we look to you, Lord Jesus, who says I have called 434 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:59,040 you friends and greater love has no one than this. 435 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:01,280 Then they they lay down their life for their friends. 436 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:06,120 Jesus, you've made us friends by laying down your life. 437 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:11,200 And so we come today to celebrate you, to honor you, and 438 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,560 to remember you as the greatest friend of heaven and earth. 439 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:20,200 We have a whole campus who's desperate for friends, and we 440 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:24,640 are too. And you are the one who says 441 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:26,880 there's no greater friend. I'll show you. 442 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:33,160 So we remember with this bread today, your body broken for us, 443 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:38,400 given for us, and we remember today your blood poured out for 444 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:43,480 us, for the forgiveness of sin, for the promise of life with you 445 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:48,240 forever. And so we pray, Lord, as your 446 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:53,080 followers as we come to this table today, that you would be 447 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:59,920 honored and that you would give us some kind of extra grace in 448 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:14,400 this moment. You chose us to be friends with 449 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:20,040 you and we say thank you. Lord Jesus, thank you, thank 450 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:21,240 you, thank you.