Stay Connected to Christ!

5th Sunday of Easter, 5/2/21 John 15:1-8 Stay Connected to Christ! I. To produce fruit II. To God’s glory We have never been so connected as we are at this moment. And with technology advancing daily, today’s connectivity level will likely be surpassed by tomorrow’s. Think about it. Most of us have constant access to worldwide contacts and worldwide information with a device we carry with us or have sitting next to us 24 hours a day. And if we suddenly aren’t connected, we get anxious. We feel as if we might miss out on something important. And that desire to remain connected has become a problem for far too many people. Things that are far more important in their lives get marginalized. They can’t cope with life unless that are connected and able to see what is popping up on their screen at every moment. It’s a behavioral problem. And that’s why mental health professionals have encouraged people to give themselves a break. Try going an entire day without checking your device. It won’t kill you. Now consider that connectivity issue from the absolute opposite position: failing to be connected when our life depends on it. What do I mean by that? Jesus became connected to us when the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in him as our Savior. And his highest will is that we remain connected to him not only for the rest of our lives, but for all eternity. That connection is vital! Lose that connection and you lose eternal life! Lose that connection and you forfeit all the blessings Jesus won for you. And the moment you lose that connection, Satan makes his connection to you. The problem is that we’re prone to neglecting our connection to Jesus. To make matters worse, Jesus doesn’t text us to remind us to pay more attention to our relationship with him. But he does share his word with us to encourage us to do just that—stay connected with him. We have that word of encouragement from Jesus before us this morning from John 15. So, let’s connect with Jesus right now and stay that way. Stay connected to Christ. Let’s see what that involves as we ponder his words to us this morning. Part I. What is the most disturbing news you heard last week? Think about it for a moment, even though you’re probably trying to forget it. Just when we think it can’t get any worse, it does. Someone says or does something that almost every other member of society finds despicable and reprehensible. And the more despicable and reprehensible, the more the media cover it. Perhaps you’ve decided you no longer what to hear about it. You no longer want to see it. But that does cause us to appreciate it when we find the opposite. What do I mean by that? A person who is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That’s quite a list of admirable qualities! Where did it come from? Well, I imagine a good number of you recognize that list. It’s from the Bible; Galatians 5 to be exact. In that portion of his letter, Paul speaks about the fruits of the Spirit, meaning, the qualities and characteristics that the Holy Spirit produces in us because of our connection to Christ. Listen to that list once again: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Who wouldn’t want to produce those fruits every day of their lives? How can we make that happen? By staying connected to Christ! Jesus talks about that very thing in these words of our text, “Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” In those sentences Jesus encouraged us twice to remain in him, meaning, to stay connected to him. If we stay connected to him, we will bear fruit. If we don’t stay connected to him, we can do nothing, meaning, we won’t produce any fruits of faith. Staying connected to Christ is vital if you want to remain a Christian, inherit eternal life, and produce the fruits of faith. So, how do you do that? Actually, you don’t. Your gracious God does it for you through the good news about Jesus as your Savior. We call that the gospel and it comes to us through God’s word and the sacraments. The word and the sacraments. Those are God’s lifeline to you and me. Stay connected to the word and sacraments and you stay connected to Christ. And then watch your life produce the fruits of faith. Have you ever watched a Christian go through a tragedy in life without falling apart? Instead, they cling confidently to their Savior’s promises, trusting that he always does what is best for him or her. Have you ever admired a such a Christian? How can become more like they are? Through God’s word and sacraments. How can you show more Christian love and concern for others? Through God’s word and sacraments. How can you have more patience with others? Through God’s word and sacraments. Stay connected to Christ—through God’s word and sacraments—to produce fruit. Do you realize how practical this discussion is? When is the last time you handled a situation with another person poorly? Maybe it was with a relative or friend. Perhaps it was with your spouse or your child. They did something that upset you and you reacted rashly, because you were upset. At first you felt justified by what you said or did, but by the end of the day, you were feeling guilty. You blew it. You didn’t handle that well. If you’re anything like I am, it happens far too often. And we’re God’s children! What’s a child of God to do? Stay connected to Christ. The good news about Jesus as your Savior is the answer for your guilt. Jesus knows you can’t and don’t handle every situation well. That’s why he did it perfectly for you. And then he suffered and died to remove your guilt. And now, by his resurrection, he powers your Christian life. He not only is the example to follow, he gives us the power to follow that example. But it only happens as the branch stays connected to the vine. Stay connected to Christ! Part II. If you go above and beyond what your employer considers to be your duty, you’ll probably get recognized for it, perhaps even in a tangible way. If you graduate near or at the top of your class, your graduation ceremony will likely make mention of it. People who have accomplished deeds of heroism get their names and their stories shared on the media. That’s what we expect. So, if you stay connected to Christ and produce the fruits of faith such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, shouldn’t you get recognized for it? Jesus doesn’t say you should. Instead, listen to what he did say, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” When God’s people produce the fruits of faith which our God is looking for, the glory isn’t ours. Why not? Because we didn’t produce those fruits on our own. In fact, if it weren’t for our God working in us, we wouldn’t have produced them at all. We produced those fruits only because our Father sent his Son to this earth and sacrificed him for us. We produced those fruits only because Jesus redeemed us—he made us members of his kingdom. We produced those fruits only because of the power of the risen Jesus living in us. We produced those fruits only because the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Jesus and keeps us in the faith through God’s word and sacraments. Do you see a common thread here? It’s our gracious and powerful God working in us that caused us to produce those fruits. We can’t take any of the credit. To God be the glory! And this morning, we praise God for causing another one of his baptized children to confirm the faith which God the Holy Spirit worked in him on the day of his baptism. On Dec. 27, 2006 God brought Zachary into his kingdom through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. And now, on May 2, 2021, Zachary will proclaim to his fellow Christians that the faith of his baptism is his faith today. And then he will make the most important vow of his life—to remain faithful to his God until the day the Lord calls him home to heaven. That vow is a fruit of faith, but Zachary can take none of the credit for it. Nor can his parents. Nor can his grandparents. Nor can I. It was all the work of Zachary’s God. To God be the glory! I’m guessing the vast majority of you present this morning made a similar vow to God at some point in your life—the vow to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from him. And all these years you have kept that vow. To God be the glory! How did it happen? Because you stayed connected to Christ! Zachary, your Savior wants you to stay connected to him. People of God, your Savior wants you to stay connected to him. Stay connected to Christ, producing fruits, all to the glory of God! Amen.