Abide and Listen - Bill Johnson (Full Sermon) | Bethel Church

[Applause] there we go well good morning nice to see you it is still morning you know when you are dead you do not know you're dead all the pain is felt by others the same thing happens when you're stupid [Laughter] [Applause] that was good the Flat Earth Society has members all around the globe first woman in space houston we have a problem what never mind what's the problem nothing please tell us I'm fine I asked my grandpa after 65 years you still call grandma darling beautiful and honey what's the secret grandpa responds I forgot her

name five years ago I'm scared to ask alright last one last one Pasteur had dinner at the home of a couple in his church after he left the wife said to the husband I think he stole our spoon that bothered her for a whole year a year later the couple had the pastor for dinner again unable to resist the wife asked did you steal our spoon last year the pastor replied no I put it inside your Bible [Applause] [Laughter] that just felt good to read I just I mattified just reading that one anyone who has

what seems to be appears to be in a possible health condition financial condition a relational condition stamp appears to be an impossible health situation financial or relational Church family you guys know what to do by now these people need your prayer find out if it's one of the three all three whatever it might be and then just begin to pray and I want you to ask the Lord to release a spirit of breakthrough upon them if you're sitting down those who are standing I want you to go to them lay hand on them and begin

to pray that a spirit of breakthrough would come upon them please don't leave anyone standing by themselves those of you who are watching our Bethel family at home just make agreement with us for the ones here in the room but also your household your entire family line we just call right now for a great harvest of souls in family members the revival would spread from family to family as people are restored to Jesus the financial breakthrough had come supernatural supply but also wisdom and favor for increase of income God we call for a spirit of

breakthrough in the whole area of health just declare over them divine health is your portion divine health is your portion divine health is your portion now I want you just to confess this over over them as we pray I bless you in the name of the Lord I call for a spirit of breakthrough to rest upon you your health your family your money in Jesus name Amen amen hug him do something nice then be seated [Applause] love love love it all right if you'd grab your Bibles please and open to the Gospel of John chapter

15 the Gospel of John chapter 15 this chapter is famous for two primary reasons one is this is the chapter where Jesus says to his disciples I no longer call you servants I call you friends this is the chapter where he unveils that but the other is the first eight verses deal with a parable metaphor an illustration not a parable an illustration of the nature of a believer in our relationship of God and he uses this terminology the vine dresser the vine the branches and fruit he uses those four things we'll read it in a

moment but the vine dresser the one who owns the vineyard is the Heavenly Father Jesus himself is the vine the people you and me we are the branches and the fruit is that which is naturally produced because of our connection to Jesus no fruit tree no vegetable garden no vineyard groans and travails to bring forth fruit it bears fruit naturally if it is fed well watered well and pruned correctly God rewards all growth with pruning he rewards all growth with pruning pruning in the kingdom is not punishment people look at the discipline of God and

they often assume that the discipline of or the pruning of the Lord has to do with punishment and I say no that's not really right that's not really true well what about Jonah in the whale Jonah ran into the whale when he was running from the Word of God the Word of God is what prunes us the voice of the Lord is what prunes lets go to read all eight verses and then we'll back up and and just try to go a verse at a time right verse one I am The True Vine my father

is the vine dresser every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit he rewards all growth with pruning you are clean already because of the word which I have spoken to you abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine neither can you unless you abide in me I am the vine you are the branches he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit for without

me you can do nothing if anyone does not abide in me he is cast out as a branch and is withered and they gather them and throw them into the fire they are burned if you abide in me and my words abide in you you will ask what you desire and it will be done for you by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit so you will be my disciples I don't know if this is just a portion of Scripture I never ever ever get tired of because it seems to be this

invitation into fruitful do you remember the story Jesus used a parable actually of the landowner who gave his ten servants each a minor a minor is a sum of money then there's another story of three servants that received talents talent is not an ability to play the piano a talent also was a sum of money and in each case they were to invest that money to make a profit to give back to the land owner what I want you to see is that from the beginning to the end God created everything to be productive everything

is to bear fruit by nature everything about our life is to be lives is to be productive and fruit bearing god has actually glorified by a system he created where a peach tree will grow peaches you eat the fruit you plant the seed and it grows another tree that brings more peaches that cycle of life of seed a fruit parent of increase of productivity is the cycle to which God made everything his economy is linked directly to his voice which is not only all-powerful it is creative in nature and God spoke let there be light

and there was light he spoke things into being we know that excuse me when he speaks to us today faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God so his design is that everything would happen through the voice of his word in John 16 the very next chapter Jesus describes how he has rien heritage everything the father has given everything back into his hands which is fascinating because he forfeited everything as God to become a man he's still 1% God so some people misunderstand me at this point he's entirely God but he takes

on flesh and chooses to live with the restrictions of a human being of a person although he's eternally God but in that position as amen now here Ian Harris everything he already had everything is God but now he inherits everything is man why because he's our elder brother and he now gets to include us in the inheritance and in John 16 he says Jesus announces all that the father has is mine now listen carefully and the Holy Spirit will take what is mine and declare it to you he's not merely making an announcement he's not

just merely showing off what he owns his transferring resource from a heavenly account into an earthly account and the transfer takes place whenever he speaks not only does God create not only does he transfer resource through his decree through his declaration but the Bible says every molecule is held in place by his voice by his word everything is defined everything is empowered everything is created everything is sustained through his word so when we come to this story this illustration of us being a vine we have the Father God as the vine dresser verse 1 verse

2 every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit once again he rewards all of our growth with pruning you are already clean verse 3 because of the word I've spoken to you you know think through this you are already clean so he's announcing to the guys you said listen when you bear a fruit I got a pruning and I'm going to prune it because that way we'll get more fruit so you've got to see that the Lord does everything

for the purpose of increase the father is extremely focused on increased the story of the talents and the minors it was always about increase the minimum level of profit allowed in those two stories was 100 percent per year I'm just quoting scripture now two stories the Prophet the two people in each story the one person in each story that stood before the Lord in judgment was the one who buried what they have and the Lord said if they only would have put it in the bank they would have at least gotten interest the whole point

was I want you to see how God thinks he thinks in terms of increase he thinks in terms of things working to better to better life to bring increase to be productive the Sun gives light gives heat leaves of the trees give oxygen plants give seed to reproduce over and over animals the same thing God has created this cycle of increase in productivity and he has brought you and me into that life cycle of God himself with supernatural increase in supernatural supply so he has positioned us he requires us to bring increase but not increase

that somehow we have to drum up its simply increased that comes by staying attached to the vine it's normal he'll do the pruning you just stay attached you don't have to grown you don't have to climb I claim grapes I claim grapes I'm confessing grapes right now no grapes grapes are now gonna grow I claim the grapes you don't have to do it you just have to stay connected it's the natural product he'll do the pruning you stay connected you will bear fruit we're gonna look at part of what that fruit is so he says

you are clean already because the word I spoke to you the word clean there and the word prune of the basic same word so when he says to his disciples but you are clean already he is saying I've already pruned you how did he from them by the word I have spoken to you the pruning wasn't with a hand it was with the mouth it wasn't yelling and screaming it was adjusting values so they could be more fruitful pruning their value system their interpretation of things for example Luke chapter 9 is one of my favorite

chapters for many reasons Jesus sends the disciples out in ministry and they are very very productive they come back with with stories stories of breakthroughs they saw miracles happen they had never seen except with Jesus but never with them and now they actually saw through their hands through their words and they're beside themselves with excitement so they come back and they're very very enthused the very next moment you find them in a group without Jesus there he walks upon the group and he says what are you guys talking about he already knew what they were

talking about they were arguing as to who was the greatest some things that are in your heart will not be dialed up with failure and weakness it will only be dialed up through success I remind you that the hardest place to Minister is at home so Jesus sent them home to minister because a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown if you can minister at home you'll learn to do ministry out of obedience instead of for applause so Jesus sends them home and they got breakthrough and they bring the reports back and the

very next scene they're arguing is to as the greatest why because of their success it wasn't failure in ministry that caused that problem it was the fact that they were fruitful they had stuff happened they didn't think it happened to any other disciple because it was so significant through them it was hard for them to imagine John going I have my announce Peter saw what I saw happen in my town because they had this success it dialed something up so what does Jesus do he talks to them about what greatness is what's the point people

who hung out with Jesus began to dream of personal significance in ways they never thought of before there's something about being with people that believe in you and Jesus how much did he trust them he trusted them enough to turn them loose on their own cities having somebody believe in them stirred something up that was powerful and right it was a sense of personal significance and what happened they bore fruit what was the fruit they had the miracles they had the healings the deliverances they're these things there's accurate representation of Jesus in those towns even

though Jesus didn't go there that's good fruit they came back together and argued as to who's the greatest that's not so good fruit what do you got you've got a big bunch of grapes here and you've got a branch and this branch is starting to grow where only leaves are going to be produced not grapes they're about to develop only in the look good looking good look at me look at my leaves look how good I look on the outside kind of a ministry when Jesus wants them to be productive and so he rewards the

the growth with pruning but here's what he does he points to what is developing in them that's not healthy doesn't make sense to you that every one of us have gifts that under the lordship of Jesus bring him great glory outside of the lordship of Jesus that caused us great problems to take Peter his boldness foot in the mouth disease all the times talking at the wrong time interrupting God all kinds of rebuking Jesus that was my favorite one rebuking Jesus because he realized he thought for sure he should not be going to the cross

it's a bad idea so he rebukes the Son of God that's that's all-time classic and yet that same Peter when it's under the lordship of Jesus he stands before a crowd of thousands mocking the outpouring of the Spirit and the end result is 3,000 people come to Christ that boldness outside of the lordship of Jesus caused him problems that bold us in the lordship of Jesus brought fruit so Jesus says all right you've got a branch that's grown here way past your ability to bear fruit we're gonna cut that back and he says you see

this child that is significance that's greatness in the kingdom and he prunes the branch back The Heretic seen the disciples are talking to Jesus and they said we saw this group over here and they were trying to cast out demons you new name we told him to knock it off ah you see our wisdom of course you see our loyalty to the group right right it's it's Jesus it's us 12 and you will change the world just 15 of us right here just don't die and their loyalty to the group was healthy and in the

sense it was right it was good that sense of loyalty but loyalty to one in the kingdom never requires disloyalty to another that's carnal and natural loyalty that is humanistic loyalty that is not Kingdom and so when they said we told them to knock it off Jesus says no guys listen if they're not against us they're for us well that was a whole new concept if they're not against us or for us so what did Jesus do is that this loyalty thing is good you bore a good fruit we got good grapes growing here but

this little branch deal you got going over here it's going to draw a lot of attention to yourself and this is going to create an atmosphere of loyalty that is not kingdom of God at all so we're going to prune this thing right here and he says if they're not against us they're for us and he prunes the branch he sets them up to bring tremendous increase the next story is my favorite though James and John had a brilliant idea they they they and the guys try to pass through a certain town and city of

the Samaritans Samaritans did not want these guys in their town and wouldn't let them come through and John comes to Jesus and he says now you know John is coming to Jesus because he thinks Jesus is gonna like the idea you're with me on this he's thinking he's gonna be impressed with my zeal is he's gonna love my zeal on my intensity in my focus I'm about to bless Jesus so it comes to Jesus and he says some of us have been talking and if you just give us mission we would love to just call

down fire on this entire city and kill everybody in Jesus name of course we'll give you all the glory [Laughter] well it sounds so funny to say it that way but that's what they are asked they're actually calling down wanted to call it on fire to kill a whole city so I asked myself the question what kind of meetings did they have in their hometown to think they could pull this off I mean what in the world did they have happen when they preached in their own communities to think all Jesus has to do is

go good idea I'm with you that they thought they could actually call down fire and swallow up an entire city I don't know what kind of meetings they had but it must have been something but Jesus looks at him and he says you don't get it I'm not here to take life I'm here to give life what is he doing here their sense of passion and zeal is good it's just misdirected so what does he do he says this branch has grown way too far in the wrong direction and he said here we're gonna need

some real types snippers on this one and he cuts it back by saying I didn't come to destroy life they came to give life a just positioned them for increase of fruit they had the right zeal they had a sense of significance they were committed to the journey they made a lot of mistakes but they're still saying yes a lot of leaders that see this kind of dilemma when they empower people and they make such messes just want to never empower anyone again the very first verse of chapter 10 that's the end of chapter 9

the very first verse of chapter 10 it says and Jesus gathered together 70 others also and empowered them to do the same now that's divine humor right there I don't know if you got it or not but that's divine humor that what would have made every one of us in the room nervous with the 12 jesus said man this is working so good let's add seventy more than the mix the whole point was is he was willing to make them successful to dial up issues that only he could take care of through pruning he didn't

lower them he didn't belittle them he didn't punish them he instead spoke to the issue and as long as we are hewers of the word as long as we are willing for God to speak change into our life of course it's true he can add whatever circumstance to our life he wants it he's God but the point is is he puts us in position so that we'll listen in the belly of a well it was a good place to listen you don't have a lot to do but hang out wisdom just kicked in it's all

right it happens every once awhile and just remember to joke but I'm fighting I'm fighting the temptation yeah it's good yeah yeah well that's alright alright it's it's well what do you do if you're swallowed by an elephant you'll walk around to you're pooped alright where's the just vanished it just vanished [Applause] you heard it first right here right here all right let's move on hurry before I lose it altogether good on to verse 5 I am the vine you are the branches he who abides in me I in him bears much fruit without me

you can do nothing now Jesus announces to you and to me that we can't do anything without him but 10 chapters earlier he announced he can do nothing without the father all he's done is he's trying to bring us into the same place of dependency he lives in he has set the example he has modeled the lifestyle the value system and he's just working from day one to bring us into the same place of dependency because in the same way he could do nothing without the father that's how much he emptied himself he's still eternally

God but he emptied himself to function as a human being dependent on the father in doing so he set an example and passed it off and announces to you and me now you can do nothing what's that for he puts you in a position where you can do nothing and then he requires everything which means we're gonna have to learn dependency to pull this off because he's expecting fruitfulness so what is my responsibility Abidin stay connected just keep the protecta connection what about the fruit bearing don't worry about it he'll prune you you just listen

listen to what he says the fruit bearing will be natural all right move on quickly and we'll try to wrap this up anyone does not abide in me for six he's cast out as a branch is withered they gather them throw them into the fire who is not abiding say it's a it's a branch all right when the branch is no longer connected it's just a stick it's no longer a fruit grow bearing branch so it has no value it's just put into a fire verse 7 if you abide in me my words abide in

you you will ask what you desire it will be done for you when Mary the mother of Jesus heard of the angels message over her son when the Wiseman came concerning what they had heard concerning the star in the east when they heard the prophetic words from Anna and Simeon she heard all these different words from God about her son the Bible says she pondered these things in her heart what it means is she took these words she put them in a safe place and then would bring them out to reexamine and then return to

a safe place it's a valuable thing to me when God speaks I don't paint it on the walls of my house I protect the word because it's got to be nurtured in a safe place it's got to be nurtured in the womb of my heart where I remember what God has said and I bring it out and look at it I have things that God has spoken to me 30 and 40 years ago I still bring out and reexamined them now put them in the safe place what does Jesus say says if you abide in

me you maintain the connection and my words have a resting place in you then that combination of abiding the connection relationally and the connection with his heart in his mind you will naturally pray for things that the father will want to respond to and by those answers he is glorified because he created a system whereby you can be eternally productive he is glorified through fruit and in this particular verse the fruit is answers to prayer but he's not answering any whim because he refuses to answer any prayer that undermines my purpose I've also noticed the

Lord will actually answer the desire of an unbeliever before the carnal desire of a believer because the desire of an unbeliever can woo them into a relationship with him but if he emphasizes the carnality of a believer he emphasizes that which separates their heart from his he's looking for the relational journey where when he says Amen to to the cry of our heart that relationship is strengthened it is enhanced what's supposed to happen in this walk with the Lord is that desires are formed in us as the offspring of our walk with God that dreams

and desires would form because of our time spent spent not just with a shopping list but spent with sharing the heart of God that's the context of friends he says I no longer call you servants are your friends why because the servant doesn't know what their masters doing the servant doesn't get a picture of the behind the scenes this is what moves me this is what marks me this is my value system the servant doesn't get access to that set but the friend does the friend gets to see what moves him so if we pray

out of an understanding of his heart we would pray out of this great privilege to make cries in the earth that represent is heart well the word here anything you desire is two words in the New Testament for a will of God and one is that which is concrete it's established you can vote yes or no it doesn't matter it's gonna happen anyway it's like Jesus is coming back well I don't believe it doesn't matter you don't get to vote [Laughter] your prayer has nothing to do with it your belief system has nothing to do

with he's just decided he's going to do it period it's going to be done that's the will of God but there's another part of the will of God that is actually one of the ways that could be described as it's a dream or desire I wish him done you say well he can pull off anything he wants he can force anything into being that he wants to but his dream is not the outcome his dream is the journey with yielded people that helped to bring about the desired outcome he values the journey above the destination

so he brings us into this relationship where we have the privilege privilege of lifting up the cry of our heart the will of God that were just set in concrete then there's the dream that wish you know in you remember what we call the Lord's Prayer that really the disciples prayer because in it is the confession of sin and Jesus didn't have any in that prayer our Father who art in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come we'll be done that word Willis dream wish it's a prayer of God we want your dreams we

want your dreams to happen here just like they do in heaven there's no hindrance to your dream there but there is here it's called the will of man that you empowered and so it's a it's a mirroring of the heart of God I tell people half humorously all the time let's say you tell me God doesn't hear you but when you pray we'll talk to him about what he wants to talk about it's really good it's better than you thought it was he's really good talking about it he really loves the nation's talk to him

about it tell us dream gets is your dream see that's the whole point is the interaction continues until we pick up his heart with being into mirror back to him not as robots robots programmed to pray for specific things but as sons and daughters that learn what our destiny is all about and we lift up the cries of the heart representing his heart and there's something happening in that merging of hearts the marriage of hearts where the father becomes glorified because he delighted in your cry and the answers and it says all of creation celebrates

that God created a system whereby a covenant people can make a difference in the course of world history a covenant people can have prayers answer and it is his delight to do so it's this by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit and in this context the fruit is answers to prayer sixteen says you didn't choose me I chose you appointed you that you should go and bear fruit interesting you've been appointed to bear fruit me too and that fruit should remain listen to this whatever you ask the Father in my name

he may give you what's the point the point is is he's trying to co-create the relational connection between a yielded heart and a generous heart so that his purposes will be fully realized in the earth and all creation will celebrate his plan worked his plan worked broken destroyed hell-bent humanity redeemed and now they're making a difference in the course of world history we never thought I could work but it's working look they were forgiven now they look so much like Jesus this is amazing it's working all of creation groans and travails for the sons and

daughters of God to realize who they are and take their rightful place that is this purpose this prayer heaven is waiting to celebrate the answers to prayer but as a result of not a request as the result of a yes to a journey may that increase on us a hundredfold beyond what we've ever imagined or thought ever heard of before I want to give one opportunity here there's always a chance there's a crowd this size that there are people here that don't know what it is to actually walk with God as a son or a

daughter to God I don't know what it is to be forgiven don't know what it is to have said yes to follow Jesus as Lord as master you don't know what it is to be forgiven and yet I want to give you the opportunity before we do anything else if you'd say bill I don't want to leave till I know I'm at peace with God I'm right with God till I know that I've been forgiven I turn my life complete to Jesus to follow him if that's you if you're in that place today and you'd

say bill I don't want to leave til I'm norm right with God put a hand up right where you are cause we're gonna pray right down here wonderful nobody else right over here's another one give anybody else wave your hand in you said you don't want to leave till I know I'm right with God is that a hand back here we got so many worshipers I can't tell you know who's getting saved is one one last crack at it anybody that I missed put a hand up because I want to make sure that every person

you have I saw you right here so all this one right over here I missed you wonderful another one there thank you so wonderful I want to ask all of you to stand and hold your places please we've got the freedom banner over here all of you that raised your hand this is not about Bethel it's not about joining any church in town it is about a personal relationship with Jesus to know what it is to be forgiven and I'm going to ask every person that just raised your hand please come quickly right now right

over to my left to a trusted group of friends who want to talk and pray with you I would like ministry team people to come to the front quickly as well I want you to be able to come god bless you sir bless bless you