← Stay True with Madison Prewett Troutt
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Transcript20 lines
- [00:00]
A
John 15, 5, 7. I 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. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. And the branches are gathered, thrown in the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
- [00:34]
B
That's so good. It makes me think about, I have taken Hosanna out, and we've looked at little sticks on the ground or branches that have fallen off the tree. Especially if, like, a storm has come through, there'll just be branches everywhere. And you see all these dead branches that have fallen off and detached itself from the tree. And I've kind of used that to share with her about John 15, because I think it's such a powerful, beautiful illustration of that is us, when we are not connected to him, that we are a dead branch. We can bear no fruit, we have no life. For when we stay attached to him, that is where we get our source to life, to purpose, to joy, to so much more, to eternal life. And so I've used that as a constant illustration for her, but even for myself, of, like Maddie, you were that dead branch. Like, you can't do anything apart from Him. You have nothing good to give anybody or this world apart from. From Him. But when you're rooted in him, when you're abiding in him, then you can bear much fruit and fruit that lasts.
- [01:36]
A
Yeah. I mean, he says we can do nothing without being connected to Him. And I. It's crazy, because in my head I'm thinking, I think we can do a lot without Him. But if you keep reading John 15, he. He says there's a certain fruit that will abide, a certain fruit that will last. And so it's tempting to do things without Jesus, because we can. But what Jesus says is, nothing you do without will last as fruit. And if we, as believers want to do things that will last in eternity, we have to be connected to Jesus. He says, if you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. I always thought that was so intriguing, like, Jesus, do you mean that? And I think the key phrase is if my words abide in you. Because if his words abide in you, what you ask for will be aligned with his will. And that is so beautiful, is that the more you get in this Word, the more the word gets in you. And as you abide in Jesus, you begin to ask Jesus for what his spirit is urging you to ask Jesus. It's a beautiful thing.
- [02:47]
B
It's so good. And there's something so powerful about, like, we are the branches. We were literally just in a church service, and our dear friend was preaching, and she just reminded me, the audience, hey, you're just a branch. Like, hey, guys, you're a branch.
- [03:01]
A
It was freeing.
- [03:02]
B
It was so freeing, because I think so often we feel this pressure of, like, okay, you got to muster up. You got to make some fruit. You better be fruitful. You better figure it out. You better, like, be productive with your life. You better perform well. You better be good enough today. And you feel this pressure, but it's like no branch is trying to just, like, oh, be a branch. Like, it's just a branch. Because it's a byproduct of connecting with Divine. It's a byproduct. The fruit is a byproduct of connecting and being a part of the tree, of the vine. And I think that that's so powerful because if you're just focusing on the fruit, if you're just focusing on the performance, if you're just focusing on the productivity, you're going to lack so much of the life, the source, the everything you were truly made for. But there's something so powerful about just the connection, just the abiding, and then everything else takes care of itself. And we've seen that to be so true in our own life. Like, we've had to. I mean, even in this season of our life, rearrange some things, cut some things off. You know, when you're, like, out and about and you get that essence. Sos like, you've lost connection on your phone, and you're like, I'm freaking out because what if something happens to me and I can't reach anybody? Like, I have no connection. I have no contact to know, you know? And it's the same thing. It's like our souls sometimes are crying out, S.O.S. like, you've got to find a way to make sure you're staying connected to the only one who can give you life, the only one that can give you what you are made for and what you desperately need. And I love that it's even titled in your version the esv I am the true vine. Which means that there's got to be some other vines out there. Like, there's got to be some other, like, counterfeit. Yeah, right.
- [04:33]
A
100%. Yeah. I want to keep reading because it. He kind of just explained, like, he answers the questions you'd have in your mind. He says, as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. So I was. You're reading this, you're going, well, how do I abide in his love? He says, if you keep my commandments, you'll abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments. And abide in his love for. Well, what's his commandments? Verse 12. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Jesus says, abide in me. Jesus says, the way you do that is you obey my commandments. Then Jesus says, you want to know my commandment? Love one another as I have loved you.
- [05:27]
B
Yeah. So good.
- [05:28]
A
The greatest indicator of spiritual maturity and connection to Jesus is how you love the people you interact with in your day to day life. It's not your Bible knowledge, it's not the verses you've memorized, it's not your theology that you've gotten so sharp on. It's truly how you love your family, your people, your co workers, your barista, your spouse. What's the point, Maddie, if I know these verses in memory? And yet you don't feel loved by me?
- [06:01]
B
Yeah, well, I think that's what's so cool. Because even the, the passage right before in John 14 is talking about, if you love me, you will obey me, you will keep my commands. And, and then you're getting down to what you're saying is like, what is his command? To love. To love. And so I think we are living in a time where it's so easy to be convicted, but then to leave it there, like, you don't do anything with it. And so it's like, what's the point? If you go have your sweet little quiet time, but then you don't share the love of Jesus with anybody. Like, you don't actually obey the word of God. You don't actually share the word of God. You don't actually live out the word of God. And so I just would say, like, true fruit, like, you can tell a tree by its fruit, right? True fruit. Like, it just shows that you're connected to the source and you can tell that you're connected to him. You can tell that you're abiding by the way that you love, by the way that you're actually acting on the things that you're reading about. It talks about in James 1, that we shouldn't just be a hearer of the word or a reader of the Word or a listener of the Word. Like we should be a follower, an obeyer, like we. We need to act on it. I think everything you're saying is so powerful and for those that are listening and you feel convicted like my. And we're about to pray. But like our prayer for you is not just that this would be convicting, not that this would just be good, but that you would actually do it. That you would abide with him, that you would seek the face of God, that you, your, your favorite place in the world would be to be in his dwelling place and that you then would take that light and that love that he has freely given you. And you go and you be that and give that to other people.
- [07:32]
A
Yeah, it's so good. I'm happy to pray. But right before I pray, I think about our relationship. And I don't spend time with you or ask you questions of your heart because I'm supposed to. I do it because the more we do that and go on our date nights and have these romantic getaways is because it builds connection and it builds unity. We're going on a date night tonight not because we have to, but because it strengthens the unity of our relationship. That's what Jesus is like is he says, no longer do I call you a servant, I call you a friend. And when you think about connection with a friend, it's time plus intimacy plus vulnerability plus confession plus laughter plus fun. You add all that up and Jesus is like, that's what I want with you. I don't want your rules. I want that with you. So if anybody wants that with Jesus, if anybody's saying, I don't know where to start, we're just going to start in prayer. Is that he is. He is an accessible God that says you can come to me exactly where you're at and our friendship can begin today.
- [08:47]
B
Yeah.
- [08:47]
A
Not because of your track record, but because of what I did for you on the cross. Is that Jesus actually paid your sin on him. Rose from the grave. Therefore, when you talk to God in prayer, he doesn't see your massive mistakes. For those who are in Christ, he sees the perfect, spotless, washed away sin that his son paid for.
- [09:12]
B
Yeah, it literally says we can Approach him with confidence.
- [09:16]
A
Yes.
- [09:17]
B
Because he doesn't see our sin anymore. He sees himself, he sees his son, he sees Jesus. We're clothed in his righteousness, which makes abiding easy. Yeah.
- [09:28]
A
Not reluctant, not fearful. Because he wants to be with you. He's not annoyed that you want to be with him.
- [09:37]
B
Yeah. That's so good. I think about the verse, I am my beloved, and my beloved is mine. And I think about that as we wrap because it's so beautiful. I'm like, okay, that you're telling me the creator of the universe, you're talking, you're telling me the King of the universe, the Lord of all lords, the King of all kings, he actually wants, like, to know me. Like, he wants a relationship. He wants me to abide with him and sit with him. Like, doesn't he have better things to do? Doesn't he have, like, greater problems to solve? But yet he cares for you. He wants a relationship, an intimate relationship, a personal relationship with you. That's so powerful. And I just was sitting on that verse literally this morning, and I was like, I was like in tears on the way to meet with my community group. And I was like, the fact that you want me, the fact that you want a relationship with me, that you don't have, like, these greater things to do, but you want a relationship with me. And so this is just a reminder that, yes, we're called to abide, yes, we're called to bear fruit and all of those things, but it just is from this place of like, deep connection and intimacy with our God, with our Father, with our friend, that from that place, everything else takes care of itself.
- [10:45]
A
The last verse, verse 11, John 15, verse 11. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. The end result of obedience and abiding in Jesus is a fullness of joy. And so Jesus, right now, I pray for anybody and everybody listening that as they get to confidently approach you because of what you did on the cross, Jesus, I pray that they would know that the end result is a friendship full of joy. It is a relationship that fills their cup with joy. Your burden, your. Your commandments are not burdensome, God, they're freeing. They're life giving. They're the source of all happiness and laughter. They're the source of joy. And so, Jesus, I pray for the person right now that says, I don't know where to start. They would simply start with this prayer that they would say, jesus, are you that Savior that I can approach with confidence. Lord, you say anyone that cries out with a true heart will be saved. So Lord, bless us today with the sweetness of your friendship. And would abiding be something not we check off the box, but we do every second of our day. Naturally. Because it's not something that you are requiring, it's something you're offering and inviting. And an invitation is different, father, than a demand. And so, Lord, I pray that we would walk into that invitation with so much joy. Bless these people. Now, in Jesus name, amen.
- [12:33]
B
Amen.