Sermons

Summary: The popular jingle says, "Get your friends fired up, Grab a stick of Juicy Fruit... The taste is gonna move ya when you pop it in your mouth." God wants US to be Juicy Fruit Christians!

BECOMING JUICY FRUIT CHRISTIANS

INTRO JUICY FRUIT: Juicy Fruit is the #1 fruit gum brand in the U.S., and is the number one chewing gum with kids.

JUICY FRUIT JINGLE:

Give a pack of Juicy Fruit gum to whoever can quote it!

"Get your friends fired up, Grab a stick of Juicy Fruit, The taste is gonna move ya

Take a sniff, pull it out, The taste is gonna move ya when you pop it in your mouth

Juicy Fruit - it’s gonna move ya, It’s got a taste that gets right through ya

Juicy Fruit - the taste, the taste, the taste is gonna move ya."

READ KEY TEXT:

“1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 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. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:1-11).

TWO KINDS OF BRANCHES:

Those who abide in Jesus: Juicy Fruit Christians (the fruit of the Spirit)

Those who don’t abide in Jesus: Deadwood Dry Branch Peanut Brittle Christians!

I. THE DEADWOOD DRY BRANCH PEANUT BRITTLE CHRISTIANS:

- Do not abide in Jesus

- Do not bear fruit

- Can do nothing - of lasting value or consequence in the Kingdom

- Withered - ‘peanut brittle Christians’ - they break easily, easily offended & angered!

- Instead of the fruit of the Spirit, their fruit is: hateful, miserable & depressed, fighting, worried, impatient, mean & hurtful, do bad things, unfaithful, gruff & rough and out of control!

- You don’t want to be around these kind of Christians!

Ultimate Result: Are cast out, thrown into the fire and burned (what does THAT mean?)

Challenge: You don’t want to be a deadwood dry branch peanut brittle Christian!

II. JUICY FRUIT CHRISTIANS:

1. ABIDE IN JESUS: (spend time w/Him in prayer & worship)

- Result of Abiding in Jesus: Bear Juicy Fruit (the fruit of the Spirit - Gal. 5:22-23)

- Get pruned (cut back the dead stuff that hinders us - what needs pruning in your life?)

- Result of Pruning: Bear More Fruit (What is the pruning knife? v.3 says the Word!)

2. ABIDE IN THE WORD: (spend time reading & meditating on the Bible)

Result of Abiding in the Word:

(a) receive answers to prayers;

(b) God is glorified

3. ABIDE IN HIS LOVE: (spend time soaking & receiving His love)

ABIDING ILLUSTRATED:

- Marinating - sweet & juicy pickles versus boring cucumbers!

- My wife Liza marinates a ham in orange juice and how sweet & juicy it gets!

- Paul prayed, “May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.” (Eph. 1:17).

- How do we abide in His Love? Keep His commandments

Result of Abiding in Jesus, the Word & His Love: To have fullness of joy remain in us!

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:12-14).

CHALLENGE:

Let’s abide in Jesus, His Word, and His Love!

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