Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 83:1 O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
Read the Entire Psalm
This is God’s world. We are not powerless in it, but he holds it in his hands. When he acts, it is out of goodness. When he keeps silent, it is out of goodness. When he is still, it is good. We ask for what we want and trust God to always act in line with his perfect goodness. Praise him for being a God who listens to our requests.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 15:1-17 – New Living Translation
15 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunities to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
What does it mean to remain in Jesus, or as some translations have it, to abide in him? We don’t have to wonder; Jesus has told us. To obey Jesus is to remain in him. For some this is disappointing. They are looking for a more mysterious, mystical experience of God. We long for something more transcendent than what we experience in our normal, everyday lives. Through the ages there have been those called Christian mystics who have been said to live with an unusual sense of God’s presence in their lives. I don’t doubt this has been true, but it is not true that we are to seek the unusual and the mystical at the expense of practical obedience. What has also been true throughout church history is that many of those who have continually sought to maintain some kind of mystical connection to Jesus have fallen prey to immorality or heresy. This is the case because if we chase emotion, we are moving in the wrong direction. If we chase obedience, we are moving towards Christ. If we move towards him, we will likely experience deep and powerful emotions, but even when we don’t, we will remain obedient and faithful. This settled direction over the course of a lifetime is what it means to train for godliness.