St Marc’s Church Grenoble - Sermon for Sunday morning 21st May 2006 by Nigel Walker
Readings: John 15.9-17; Acts 10.44-48

I much enjoyed my time with you twelve months ago and I am delighted to come back this Sunday and share with you today. I have often thought about you and trust that your weekend last weekend was a great time of fellowship and deepening together.

There are basically three commands in the John reading this morning.

• 1. Abide in my love.
• 2. Obey my commands
• 3. Bear fruit

And we see it worked out in the Acts reading. Peter was abiding in Christ. Therefore available. He obeyed the command. He bore much fruit that day. Fruit that will last. Don’t you think that the most satisfying thing in life surely must be to bear fruit that will last. Yet how many of us devote too much time to fruit that will soon rot? A challenge to priorities.

Now my brothers and sisters this must be a real challenge to all of us this morning.

1. Abide in my love.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain (or abide) in my love" v9

Here I believe is the first secret of the Christian life. Jesus called his disciples to be with him. To be bonded with him. To go on deepening our relationship with him. It is the first call of the Christian. Before anything else you and I should be nurturing our daily walk with God. Some days it may be short due to pressing needs but other days there may be considerable time spent in Bible study and prayer.

"If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples" John 8.31

"Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were because he was teaching his disciples" Mark 9.31

"When you pray….go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen…" Mat 6.5

"Set your hearts on things above…set your minds on things above. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" Col 3.1-3

No marriage is a great marriage if the husband and wife are not nestling with each other. Corrie Ten Boom talked about the importance of nestling and reminded those she had been addressing as she left to ‘nestle’.

I am convinced today that anaemic Christianity is first and foremost because we do not take Jesus words to ‘abide or remain in him’ seriously enough. Our devotional life is of the greatest importance. I used to urge my staff at HTB to target up to 2 hours a day for Bible study and prayer. John Wesley spent four. All the great movers and shakers for the kingdom had a rich devotional life.

Those of you who have busy lives with young families must consider and reflect how this command of Jesus should be worked out in your case. It is not easy but it can be done.

Peter too was abiding in Christ when this major event leading to the conversion of Cornelius took place.

"About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on to the roof to pray…" Acts 10.9

He was in the Spirit. He was available. He was ready. We are not just in the Spirit on the Lord’s day but we are called to be ‘in the Spirit’ every day. Whether you are signing contracts, writing programmes, engaging in major discussions you should, my sisters and brothers, be men and women who are ‘in the Spirit’. Ready and available.

2. Obey my commands

"If you obey my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love" v10

See how closely intertwined remaining and obeying are! Jesus commands are not burdensome-

"My yoke is easy and my burden is light" Mat 11.30

Nestling and obeying bring joy to the believer. Obedience to Christ flows I am sure from abiding in Christ.

The last commission given to the apostles was quite clear-

"teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" v20

As a little boy riding in a friends little peddle car….We come into the world like an actor comes on to a scene. Promptings. We change the scenery by our lives and how we live them. We adjust the scenery for the next generation. And then we leave the scene!

"I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people his saints but let them not return to folly" Psalm 85.8 Peter was obedient.

"The Spirit said to him, 'Get up and go…Peter went…'" Acts 10.19-21

It is all about the command to ‘get up and go’.

3. To bear fruit

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last"

We are to bear fruit. Like fruit trees well tendered and cared for and bear much fruit. In complete contrast to Israel of old-

We are to extend the kingdom. We are to be empire builders. In Britain we call it ‘the Queen’s peace’ where the rule of law prevails. We are to bring ‘Christ’s peace’ to the world We must ensure that his lordship holds sway. This is how we leave our mark.

"I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest of vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes but it yielded only bad fruit (yuck)" Isaiah 5.1-2

Are we fruit bearing? Much will depend on our abiding and on our obedience. Look at the fruit that was born by Peter following his abiding and his obedience.

"while Peter was still speaking these words the HS came on all who heard the message…So he ordered that they be baptised in the Name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days" 44-48

And you can imagine how that time was spent. They did not talk about the weather or about the World Cup. Peter sought to follow them up and build them up as believers.

We are to abide in Christ - take a fresh look at your times of devotion.

We are to obey - obedience comes through listening.

We are to bear fruit - fruit that will last. Not ‘yuck’ fruit.